Passenger rail news – Page 134
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NewsVectrons to be used on Praha – Germany services from December
CZECH REPUBLIC: One of 10 Siemens Vectron electric locomotives which are being leased from European Locomotive Leasing for use on passenger services to Germany was unveiled by national operator ČD on November 22. From the December 10 timetable change, ČD will use the Vectrons to haul the Praha – Dresden ...
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NewsKVSZ sleeping car to be deployed on Kyiv – Wien services
EUROPE: A sleeping car designed by Ukrainian manufacturer KVSZ for use on international services running from 1 520 to 1 435 mm gauge networks is expected to enter service on the Kyiv – Wien route from the December 10 timetable change. Representatives of the national passenger operators of Ukraine, Hungary ...
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NewsStadler launches Wink multiple-unit offering a range of traction options
STADLER: A recent order from Arriva marked the launch of Stadler’s latest multiple-unit family, which it has named Wink, meaning Wandelbarer Innovativer Nahverkehrs-Kurzzug (‘convertible, innovative short train for local transport’). The Wink platform is intended for less busy secondary routes, and Stadler believes it could find applications in western and ...
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NewsWay forward seen as Hudson Bay Railway dispute escalates
CANADA: Investment group Fairfax Financial Holdings has expressed interest in partnering with the Missinippi Rail and One North first nations consortia to acquire the flood-damaged Hudson Bay Railway, the Port of Churchill and associated assets from short line group OmniTRAX, the federal government announced on November 16. Minister of Natural ...
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NewsARA emphasises the Value of Rail
AUSRAIL: Australia’s rail industry contributed around A$26bn to the national economy in 2016, according to the Value of Rail report launched by the Australasian Railway Association at AusRail Plus on November 21. Prepared for ARA by Deloitte Access Economics, the report is intended to highlight the many ways that rail ...
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NewsTrainline launches Google Assistant app
TICKETS: Independent ticket retailer Trainline has launched a voice-activated Google Assistant rail app, which customers in the UK can use to access advance or real-time information on journey times and details, prices, delays and disruption. Trainline said the app can handle ‘deep conversational complexity’, including requests such as ‘I’d like ...
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NewsSBB targets 15 min frequencies in 'next quantum leap'
SWITZERLAND: Swiss Federal Railways is drawing up long-term proposals to run its long-distance services at 15 min intervals. Describing this as ‘the next quantum leap in Swiss public transport’, SBB was responding on November 9 to a government consultation document on long-term investment in the national rail network. The government’s ...
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NewsVegetable oil fuelled multiple-units ordered for future battery conversion
NETHERLANDS: Arriva has signed a €170m contract for Stadler to supply 18 Flirtino multiple units which will be able to use overhead electrification or hydrotreated vegetable oil fuel. They will also have onboard batteries to store regenerated braking energy. Produced from vegetable fats and oils, HVO is intended to be ...
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NewsNTV to order more Pendolinos
ITALY: High speed open access operator Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori is to order a further five non-tilting Alstom Pendolino trainsets. The company’s board of management approved a decision to exercise an option for the seven-car trainsets on November 9. This follows an earlier option for four trainsets, and will take the ...
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NewsTrenitalia orders Jazz EMUs
ITALY: Trentialia has ordered a further 27 Coradia Meridian regional electric multiple-units for delivery between mid-2018 and mid-2019, Alstom announced on November 13. The €170m order has been placed within a framework agreement signed in late 2012, and will take Trenitalia’s fleet of Coradia Meridian units, which it operates under ...
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NewsERS 2017: Looking beyond the Fourth Railway Package
EUROPE: ‘Implementation’ was the watchword of speakers and delegates at Railway Gazette Group’s third European Rail Summit, which was hosted by the Representation of the Free State of Bayern to the EU in Brussels on November 7. Entitled ‘Beyond the Fourth Railway Package’, the Summit addressed the policy challenges facing ...
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NewsSouth Western Railway awards £50m EMU refurbishment contract
UK: South Western Railway has awarded Siemens contracts worth £50m for the refurbishment of its 45 Class 444 and 127 Class 450 Desiro electric multiple-units. The Siemens-built units are leased from Angel Trains and maintained by the manufacturer at Northam under a contract which runs until 2025. The 12-month refurbishment ...
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NewsSiemens replaces Nippon Sharyo in multi-state coach order
USA: A multi-state contract for Sumitomo Corp of Americas to supply locomotive–hauled coaches for use in California, Illinois, Michigan and Missouri has been amended, with the order now to be fulfilled with Siemens as Sumitomo’s subcontractor rather than Nippon Sharyo. In September 2012 the four states co-operating in the California-led ...
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NewsHydrogen could replace diesel in 15 years says LNVG, as fuel cell train contract signed
GERMANY: ‘Fuel cell technology has a good chance to prevail in Germany in the next 10 to 15 years, with diesel vehicles being more and more forced out of the market’, said Niedersachsen transport authority LNVG when it signed a 30-year contract with Alstom and gas supplier Linde Group for ...
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NewsRegioJet buys and sells coaches
EUROPE: Czech operator RegioJet has bought six coaches formerly used by defunct Italian open access operator Arenaways for an undisclosed price. The vehicles were manufactured by Astra Vagoane Calatori of Romania in 2010, and were in service for just few months. They have since been stored at the Santhià workshops. ...
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NewsSouthern Class 455 EMUs to be modified for PRM compliance
UK: ESG Rail has been awarded a turnkey contract to modify Class 455 electric multiple-units which Govia Thameslink Railway leases from Eversholt Rail to bring them into compliance with the Persons with Reduced Mobility Technical Specification for Interoperability. The work on the 46 four-car ex-British Rail third-rail EMUs used on ...
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NewsAnsaldoBreda IC2 trainsets find new home
ROMANIA: Open access passenger operator Astra Trans Carpatic hopes to obtain certification from national railway authority AFER shortly which would enable it to put into service the first of three AnsaldoBreda IC2 diesel multiple–units it has acquired from Denmark’s national operator DSB. Subject to the successful introduction of these three ...
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NewsBattery option in Auckland order for more CAF EMUs
NEW ZEALAND: Auckland Transport and CAF signed a NZ$$133m contract on November 7 covering the supply of a further 15 three-car electric multiple-units from 2019 and the provision of eight years of maintenance. The order is being funded by NZ Transport Agency and Auckland Council. There is provision in the ...
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NewsVolgograd airport link to be ready for kick-off
RUSSIA: The planned rail link to Volgograd Airport is to be completed in time for the FIFA World Cup in June and July 2018, Russian Railways has announced. The project involves the construction of a 1·2 km electrified line between Gumrak station and the airport terminal, where there would be ...
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NewsNewag ranked top in PKP Intercity locomotive tender
POLAND: Newag has submitted the highest-ranked proposal for a contract to supply PKP Intercity with 3 kV DC electric locomotives capable of operating at up to 160 km/h. A bid from Pesa was ranked second and CRRC Sifang came third. Newag offered a price of 367·6m złoty for the planned ...