Passenger rail news – Page 155
-
NewsMÁV gains Budapest suburban lines
HUNGARY: National rail operator MÁV took over operation of the HÉV suburban lines from Budapest transport operator BKV on November 24. This follows an agreement in February between Mayor István Tarlós and Minister of National Development Miklós Seszták. Newly created MÁV subsidiary BHÉV is now responsible operating all HÉV ...
-
NewsFirst order for Omneo Premium inter-city EMUs
FRANCE: SNCF has placed the first order for the Premium inter-city version of Bombardier Transportation’s Omneo double-deck electric multiple-unit, acting on behalf of the Normandie region. The €585m firm order announced on November 24 covers 40 EMUs scheduled to enter service from the end of 2019. The Omneo Premium design ...
-
NewsHainan gets first CRH1A-A trainsets
CHINA: The first CRH1A-A high speed trains supplied by Bombardier Sifang (Qingdao) Transportation Ltd entered service with China Railway Corp on November 18, operating from the city of Sanya on Hainan Island. Designated Zefiro 250NG by the manufacturer, the 250 km/h eight-car trainsets were ordered in 2012 as part of ...
-
NewsRENFE to test LNG traction
SPAIN: National operator RENFE is to conduct a trial of liquefied natural gas as a fuel for rail traction, in conjunction with suppliers Gas Natural Fenosa and Enagás, the Institut Cerdà research organisation, specialist rolling stock workshop ARMF and Bureau Veritas. One of the two diesel engines in a 1 ...
-
NewsDublin commuter link inaugurated
IRELAND: Direct rail services between the southwest suburbs of Dublin and the capital’s central business district began running on November 21, following the completion of a €13·7m project to adapt the orbital link through the 690 m Phoenix Park tunnel for regular passenger services. Dating from 1877, the 4·4 km ...
-
NewsBombardier takes over Montréal commuter services
CANADA: Bombardier Transportation took over the operation of commuter rail services on six routes in Montréal on November 18, under a C$331m operations and maintenance contract awarded by transport authority Agence Métropolitaine de Transport which runs for eight years with an option for a two-year extension. AMT manages the second-largest ...
-
NewsMelbourne High Capacity Metro Trains contract close
AUSTRALIA: Infrastructure investor Plenary Group announced on November 22 that it had reached contractual close on the Victorian government’s A$2bn High Capacity Metro Trains project. The PPP contract will see the Evolution Rail consortium of investor Plenary, design and technology lead CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles and delivery and maintenance lead ...
-
NewsQingdao – Rongcheng PDL opened
CHINA: The final 32 km section of the Qingdao – Rongcheng Intercity Railway opened on November 16. The Passenger-Dedicated Line starts from the Qingdao Bei station in the north of the city and runs to Yantai, Weihai and Rongcheng. Construction of the line on the Shandong peninsula was approved in ...
-
NewsGrand Est agrees TET transfer
FRANCE: Meeting in plenary session on November 18, the Grand Est regional council approved an agreement that will see it become responsible for three routes within the loss-making Trains d’Equilibre du Territoire network of conventional passenger services operated by SNCF. Grand Est, formerly the Alsace, Champagne-Ardenne and Lorraine regions, is ...
-
NewsGolden Phoenix and Blue Dolphin trainsets complete test programme
CHINA: The two prototype China Standard high speed EMUs being tested by China Railway Corp have successfully completed more that 600 000 km of trial running, under a programme that began in June 2015. The 350 km/h China Standard EMUs have been developed using purely domestic technology, unlike the 23 ...
-
NewsSouth Bohemia operating contract award approved
CZECH REPUBLIC: GW Train Regio subsidiary GW Jihotrans expects to take over the operation of subsidised regional passenger services on three lines in the Šumava mountains in December 2017, after the Brno supreme court ruled on November 4 that the regional authority can proceed with signing the contract. The Jihočeský ...
-
NewsSuseo open access operator poised to launch
SOUTH KOREA: High speed open access services will commence on December 8 with the launch of trains operated by Supreme Railways. Owned 41% by national operator Korail, SR will use a new line from Suseo in the southern district of Seoul which joins the Gyongbu high speed line to Busan ...
-
NewsETCS Level 2 tested in Poland
POLAND: The Railway Institute carried out certification tests for ETCS Level 2 using a Pesa Dart electric multiple-unit on the nights of November 14-15 and 15-16. The tests were undertaken on the Miłkowice – Chojnów route in Dolnośląskie voivodship using Siemens onboard equipment. TUV, infrastructure manager PKP PLK and ...
-
NewsHigh speed rail forum addresses challenges of a changing society
INTERNATIONAL: The ability of high speed railways to generate economic benefits and transform society was one of the themes underpinning the International High Speed Rail Association Forum, which brought together 286 participants from more than 20 countries in Kyoto on November 17. Describing high speed rail as 'a game changer', ...
-
NewsGauge-changing train decision next year
JAPAN: JR Kyushu, which was successfully listed on the stock market on October 26, expects to decide whether or not to continue with plans for a gauge-changing Shinkansen train next year. The latest test train is undergoing endurance trials following modifications made after cracks were found in the axles two ...
-
NewsMore Kawasaki EMU cars for MTA Metro-North
USA: An order for 60 more Kawasaki Rail Car Type M8 electric multiple-unit cars to increase capacity on Metro-North Railroad’s New Haven Line was approved by the New York MTA board on November 16. There is an option for a further 34 cars, and the base order ...
-
NewsFunding approved for Paris EMU order
FRANCE: The board of Ile-de-France transport authority STIF approved on November 15 the provision of €500m to fund the purchase by SNCF of a further 52 Francilien electric multiple-units from Bombardier Transportation. The EMUs are scheduled to be delivered from March 2018 to operate on suburban lines J and L ...
-
NewsHS2 contracts let as government confirms northern routes
UK: The government announced on November 15 that it had awarded contracts worth £900m for enabling work on the first phase of the High Speed 2 project linking London with the West Midlands. In addition, the government also confirmed its preferred route for Phase 2b of the scheme, taking the ...
-
Metro Report InternationalComparing suburban rail best practice
INTERNATIONAL: Catalunya regional operator FGC hosted the annual meeting of the International Suburban Rail Benchmarking Group on November 9-11. The event in Barcelona brought together 15 rail operators as part of an international project which aims to identify synergies and drive continuous improvement by providing a confidential environment where experts ...
-
Metro Report InternationalComparing suburban rail best practice
INTERNATIONAL: Catalunya regional operator FGC hosted the annual meeting of the International Suburban Rail Benchmarking Group on November 9-11. The event in Barcelona brought together 15 rail operators as part of an international project which aims to identify synergies and drive continuous improvement by providing a confidential environment where experts ...