Passenger rail news – Page 122
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NewsSüdostbahn unveils Traverso EMU
SWITZERLAND: The first of 11 electric multiple-units which Stadler is to supply to Südostbahn for Voralpen-Express services was unveiled in Erlen on June 6. Part of the Flirt family, the six eight-car and five four-car 160 km/h units will feature a new motor bogie design and lightweight trailer bogies ...
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Rail Business UKElectrification and train-trams in ambitious Wales franchise
UK: Investment of £1·8bn in three new train fleets, electrification of commuter routes radiating from Cardiff and station modernisation across the 1 623 route-km Wales & Borders network is envisaged under the 15-year Operations & Development Partner contract awarded to KeolisAmey by the Welsh government on June 4. Described by ...
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NewsAssembly of first Siemens Mireo EMU underway
GERMANY: Siemens has begun final assembly of the first of its first Miro electric multiple-units. The Mireo concept for a lighter, quieter and more energy-efficient successor to the Desiro Main Line family of commuter and regional EMUs was announced at InnoTrans 2016. DB Regio became the launch customer when ...
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NewsETCS onboard contracts signed
NORWAY: Infrastructure manager Bane NOR has finalised the contracts for Alstom to supply, install and maintain ETCS onboard equipment for use across the national rail network. Alstom had been selected as preferred bidder in mid-March. The NKr1·8 bn package consists of three contracts with Bane NOR and framework ...
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NewsBimodes in Norway’s next Flirt order
NORWAY: Funding for the purchase of a further 25 Stadler Flirt multiple-units to accommodate growing ridership was confirmed by Minister of Transport & Communications Ketil Solvik-Olsen on May 15, following a revision of the state budget. State-owned rolling stock company Norske Tog is expected to place a firm order for ...
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NewsNational plan backs 320 km/h target
SWEDEN: The government intends to develop future high speed lines for a top speed of 320 km/h, Infrastructure Minister Tomas Eneroth and Environment Minister Isabella Lövin confirmed on June 4. Presenting the government’s national development plan for 2018-29, they confirmed SKr148bn of rail spending, including three sections of new line. ...
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NewsHyundai Rotem to supply 52 EMUs to Taiwan
TAIWAN: Taiwan Railways Administration has selected Hyundai Rotem to supply 52 10-car electric multiple units for suburban services on the 1 067 mm gauge national network, the manufacturer announced on June 4. The 908·9bn won contract marks the South Korean firm’s first order in Taiwan since 1999, and is ...
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NewsBourgogne-Franche-Comté agrees operating contract with SNCF
FRANCE: A target of 22% growth in TER ridership has been set by the région of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté as part of an operating agreement with SNCF Mobilités running until 2026. The contract with the incumbent operator was announced by the regional authority on May 25, although it applies retrospectively from January ...
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NewsNewag signs inter-city locomotive contract
POLAND: PKP Intercity signed a contract with Newag on May 29 for the supply and maintenance of 20 Griffin electric locomotives. PKP IC selected Newag as preferred bidder in January. Deliveries of the 160 km/h locos are due within 30 months from contract signature. The base order is ...
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NewsTransnet looks abroad
SOUTH AFRICA: State-owned transport group Transnet officially launched its international subsidiary Transnet International Holdings on May 30. Constituted as a separate legal entity, with its own Board of Directors, TIH is intended to leverage Transnet’s core skills in the operation of ports, railways and pipelines, as well as promoting intra-African ...
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NewsKuala Lumpur – Singapore high speed project faces cancellation
ASIA: Recently elected Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad vowed on May 28 to cancel the Kuala Lumpur – Singapore high speed rail project, with the Chinese-backed East Coast Rail Link also set to be dropped. Mahathir told local media that a number of major projects would come under immediate review ...
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NewsTest running begins on European Marmaray alignment
TURKEY: An inaugural diesel test train operated along part of the European section of Istanbul’s 77 km Marmaray cross-city suburban corridor on May 23. Transport Minister Ahmet Arslan was onboard the diesel locomotive that ran between Halkalı and Kazlıçeşme, a distance of 20 km. This forms part of the route ...
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NewsSBB and Trenitalia to step up cross-border services
EUROPE: Swiss and Italian national operators SBB and Trenitalia signed an agreement on May 22 to increase the number of cross-border inter-city services. In an initial step the 2020 timetable will include an extra Basel – Milano service via Bern, giving four trains a day in each direction, with a ...
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NewsOperators oppose long-distance concession plans
SWITZERLAND: Regional operator BLS is contesting the plans announced in April by the Federal Office for Transport (BAV) for the 10-year concession to run long-distance passenger services from December 2019. Under the proposals national operator SBB would run all Intercity routes and most of the so-called Basic Network, but the ...
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Rail Business UKBattery trial planned for new EMU fleet
UK: The sixth of the 52 four-car 750 V DC third rail electric multiple-units which Stadler is to supply for Merseyrail services around Liverpool is to be fitted with a 5 tonne battery to test the business case for energy storage. While all the EMUs will be equipped for regenerative ...
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NewsGraphene supercapacitor DMU fleet takes shape
MALAYSIA: The first of 13 Class 61 inter-regional diesel multiple-units for services along Malaysia’s east coast corridor has been largely completed at CRRC Zhuzhou’s plant in China. CRRC is producing two of the trains in Zhuzhou before transferring production of the remaining 11 to a local assembly plant in Perak ...
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NewsEtihad Rail awards Stage 2/3 consultancy contract
UAE: Etihad Rail has selected Egis to provide project management consultancy services for the ongoing development of the country’s rail network and connections to neighbouring GCC states. Under the contract announced on May 23, Egis will assist Etihad Rail with the development of stages 2 and 3, which are now ...
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Rail Business UKUK railway news round-up
On May 23 the Department for Transport said that ‘tackling poor performance’ at the Northern franchise was its ‘top priority’. A combination of factors, stemming largely from delays to Network Rail electrification work in northwest England, has caused a surge in delays and cancellations as Northern struggled to train drivers ...
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NewsWollongong training centre inaugurated
AUSTRALIA: The Australian Research Council’s Industrial Transformation Training Centre for Advanced Technologies in Rail Track Infrastructure at the University of Wollongong was officially opened by federal Minister for Education & Training Simon Birmingham on May 23. Intended to develop the next generation of track and infrastructure engineers, ITTC Rail will ...
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Rail Business UKKeolisAmey selected as Operating & Development Partner in Wales
UK: In a written statement issued on May 23, the Welsh government’s Cabinet Secretary for Economy & Transport Ken Skates announced the award of a contract for KeolisAmey to ‘operate and develop the Wales & Borders rail service and the South Wales Metro’. The contract will begin on June 4 ...