Passenger rail news – Page 138
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NewsUK railway news round-up
Digital ticket retailer Trainline launched its Price Predictor tool on September 6. Intended to predict movements in the price of quota-controlled Advance tickets in the weeks before a chosen travel date, the tool uses historical data patterns to anticipate price changes. ‘Our data scientists have used historical pricing trends from ...
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NewsMitre viaduct works underway
ARGENTINA: On September 5 President Mauricio Macri joined Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, head of the Bueno Aires city government, and Transport Minister Guillermo Dietrich to mark the start of work on a 3∙9 km elevated alignment for the Mitre commuter route. Running between Avenida Dorrego and Avenida Congreso, the new viaduct ...
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NewsRhätische Bahn opens rebuilt St Moritz station
SWITZERLAND: Arrival of a special InterRegio train from Chur marked the opening of the rebuilt Rhätische Bahn station on August 26. The train broke through a polystyrene barrier in front of guests who included Deputy President of the Graubünden Canton Mario Cavigelli. RhB Director Renato Fasciati took the opportunity to ...
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NewsAnglo-Scottish EMUs take shape in Spain
UK: The first Civity EMUs in inter-city configuration for the UK market are under construction at CAF’s plant in Beasain in Spain. The 12 five-car trainsets are scheduled to enter service with TransPennine Express in spring 2019, the operator says. Capable of operating at up to 200 km/h, the 25 ...
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NewsContracts signed as Thai high speed project progresses
THAILAND: Officials from Thailand and China signed two co-operation contracts for the planned Bangkok – Nakhon Ratchasima high speed railway project on the sidelines of the three-day BRICS Summit in Xiamen, which ended on September 5. The contracts are worth 5·2bn baht and cover ‘design and supervision’ tasks for the ...
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NewsSouth Western Railway brand launched in London
UK: The replacement South Western franchise, awarded to a joint venture of FirstGroup and MTR Europe, was formally launched at London Waterloo on September 4. The franchise had begun on August 20, but with Network Rail’s blockade at Waterloo still underway the launch was held back until platform extension work ...
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NewsCanadian government demands Manitoba railway repairs
CANADA: The federal government is seeking to restore rail services along the Hudson Bay Railway, which connects Churchill in northern Manitoba with the Canadian National network at Flin Flon Junction, near The Pas.Following what HBR owner OmniTRAX described in June as ‘catastrophic’ flood damage, trains have been unable to run ...
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NewsHitachi and DB test ScotRail EMUs in Germany
UK: Two Hitachi Rail Europe Class 385 EMUs have been moved from Britain to a base at Minden in Germany for a series of unpowered dynamic tests on the DB Netz network.Hitachi is supplying 70 Class 385 EMUs in three- and four-car formations for ScotRail from its production facility at ...
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NewsPoland – Ukraine rail connections expanded
EUROPE: Passenger links between Poland and Ukraine have been improved with the launch on August 24 of a Ukrainian Railways Intercity+ service from Przemyśl to Kyiv via Lviv, Ternopil and Vinnytsia. The second cross-border IC+ service follows the launch last December of a Przemyśl – Kyiv service via Lviv and ...
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NewsLastochka Premium inter-regional EMU offers higher comfort
RUSSIA: The Ural Locomotives joint venture of Sinara Group and Siemens displayed a Lastochka Premium inter-regional version of their Desiro RUS electric multiple-unit family at the Expo 1520 trade fair at Shcherbinka. Russian Railways had previously used the Lastochka Premium brand to refer to some faster services operated using standard ...
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NewsTrafikverket unveils 12-year investment plan
SWEDEN: Transport infrastructure authority Trafikverket formally launched its 2018-29 national plan on August 31, submitting its spending proposals to the government and starting a three-month public consultation process. Formal adoption of the plan is expected in the spring of 2018. The national plan covers state-owned infrastructure for all modes, including ...
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NewsVR orders double-deck coaches
FINLAND: National operator VR has awarded Škoda Transportation subsidiary Transtech Oy a €50m order to supply a further 20 Type Ed double-deck coaches as an option on a contract signed in 2015. Production is scheduled to begin next year, for delivery in 2019. Maisa Romanainen, Senior Vice-President of Passenger Services ...
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NewsEntroncamento – Badajoz passenger service reinstated
PORTUGAL: National operator CP reinstated a daily return passenger service on the 141 km Eastern Line between Entroncamento and the Spanish city of Badajoz on August 29, using Allan diesel railcars built in the 1950s and refurbished by EMEF Contumil in the early 2000s. Passenger services on the route had ...
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NewsTuran Express launches subsidised Almaty passenger services
KAZAKHSTAN: Private company Turan Express has begun operating local passenger services from Kapshagai and Uzynagash to Almaty on behalf of the city authority. Following the failure of two privately funded attempts to introduce services on Almaty – Kapshagai corridor, the local authority decided to call tenders for the operation of ...
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NewsElectric locomotive arrives in Israel
ISRAEL: The first of 62 Traxx AC electric locomotives which Bombardier Transportation is building at Kassel in Germany for Israel Railways arrived at Kishon Port in Haifa on August 28, and was then transported by rail to ISR’s Kishon workshops. ISR currently has no electrified lines, but 25 kV 50 ...
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NewsSMART commuter rail line opens
USA: Celebrations on August 25 marked the opening of the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit District commuter line in the North Bay area of California. T-shirts and free travel were offered on the first day, followed by half-price travel until the introduction of normal fares on September 5. SMART runs for ...
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NewsAuckland DMUs shipped to Mozambique
MOZAMBIQUE: Eight diesel multiple-units as well as spare parts are being shipped from New Zealand to Mozambique, where they are to operate passenger services around Maputo. The 1 067 mm gauge two-car units have been surplus to requirements since electrification in Auckland in 2014. ‘Selling the trains reduces Auckland Transport’s ...
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NewsIDB funds San Martín electrification
ARGENTINA: The Inter-American Development Bank announced on August 24 that it had approved a U$400m loan to fund electrification of the San Martín commuter route in Buenos Aires, running for 76∙3 km from the Retiro terminus to Pilar. As well as electrification at 25 kV AC, the programme will include ...
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NewsCaledonian Sleeper coaches ready for testing
UK: The first five of the 75 coaches that CAF is building for Caledonian Sleeper services between Scotland and London have arrived at the Velim test centre in the Czech Republic, where they will undergo several weeks of dynamic testing. The two seating cars, two sleeping cars and a club ...
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NewsBombardier and Bouygues to sell Gautrain concession stakes
SOUTH AFRICA: Engineering and construction services company Murray & Roberts has signed a memorandum of understanding to acquire the 8·5% stakes in Gautrain concessionaire Bombela Concession Co held by Bouygues Travaux Publics and Bombardier Transportation. Commercial terms for the deal worth a total of R405m have been agreed and agreements ...