Passenger rail news – Page 157
-
NewsKTZ launches train wi-fi pilot project
KAZAKHSTAN: InfiNet Wireless has provided national railway KTZ with a wireless broadband network as part of a pilot project covering passenger trains, maintenance vehicles and stations on the 226 km route from Astana to Shchuchinsk. Low cost and robustness were priorities, and the network uses small wireless devices fitted to ...
-
NewsNational Express pulls out of Nürnberg S-Bahn bidding
GERMANY: National Express Group announced on October 25 that it had withdrawn its winning bids for two parallel 12-year contracts to operate Nürnberg S-Bahn services from December 2018. The UK-based transport group said it had informed Bayern railway agency BEG that ‘it is no longer in the interest of ...
-
NewsNorth-South passenger services to start next year
SAUDI ARABIA: Saudi Railway Co is on course to launch regular passenger services on the North-South line at the beginning of 2017, the Governor of Riyadh Prince Faisal Bin Bandar confirmed following a test run from the capital on October 20. Speaking after the trial run with a CAF-built trainset ...
-
NewsEMUs to boost Kuala Lumpur airport rail link capacity
MALAYSIA: The first of six electric multiple-units which are being supplied by CRRC Changchun to increase capacity on the Kuala Lumpur International Airport rail link was unveiled by Minister of Transport, Liow Tiong Lai at Express Rail Link’s Salak Tinggi depot on October 20. ERL signed the order for the ...
-
NewsKenyan President launches SGR Phase 2A construction
KENYA: Construction works for the second phase of the Standard Gauge Railway project were officially launched by President Uhuru Kenyatta with a ceremony at the Embulbul work site in Ngong Town on October 19. Phase 2A covers the 120 km Nairobi – Naivasha section of the 2 937 km MoKaKi ...
-
NewsGaudí interior for FGC train
SPAIN: Catalunya regional operator FGC has decorated the interior of one of its trainsets in the style of the crypt at the church in the Colònia Güell designed by Antoni Gaudí. The train’s ceiling, doors, walls and seat backs are decorated with 3M Envision vinyl incorporating details from ...
-
NewsFlood-damaged DMU returns to service
UK: A diesel multiple-unit which had been seriously damaged by floodwater has returned to service with ScotRail after being bought and repaired by Brodie Engineering. The company has set up its own leasing business with funding from Clydesdale Bank. Two-car unit 156 478 suffered underframe and internal damage when the ...
-
NewsUkraine to create stand-alone passenger business
UKRAINE: Next year Ukrainian Railways is to begin a five-step process to form a separate passenger business. This would more clearly separate the costs of its loss-making passenger activities from the profitable freight operations, providing greater clarity in the allocation of subsidy. UZ envisages that the assets and liabilities of ...
-
NewsAutozug Sylt car-carrying service launched
GERMANY: RDC Deutschland launched its Autozug Sylt car-carrying shuttle train service over the Hindenburgdamm causeway between the North Frisian island of Sylt and the mainland on October 18. Passengers on the maiden journey which left Westerland at 09.40 included RDC founder and owner Henry Posner III, who said he was ...
-
NewsBayern signs IR 25 operating contracts
GERMANY: Two contracts for the operation of long-distance regional passenger services were signed by Bayern railway agency BEG and preferred bidder Die Länderbahn on October 17. The services, which Netinera subsidiary Die Länderbahn currently operates under the Alex brand, were tendered as two lots, designed as transitional contracts ...
-
NewsEast Anglia franchise is ‘deliberately ambitious’
UK: ‘This is a deliberately ambitious franchise’, insisted Rail Minister Paul Maynard, speaking at London Liverpool Street station on October 17 to mark the launch of Abellio’s nine year contract to operate the East Anglia franchise. ‘We are using the franchise system to deliver a step change ...
-
NewsWales & Borders bidders asked to propose Metro options
UK: The four bidders shortlisted for the contract to be the 'Operator & Development Partner' holding the next Wales & Borders franchise were announced by the Welsh Government's Economy & Infrastructure Secretary Ken Skates on October 13. They are: Abellio Rail Cymru; Arriva Rail Wales/Rheilffyrdd Arriva Cymru Ltd; KeolisAmey; ...
-
NewsEurostar to cut services and jobs
EUROPE: Cross-Channel high speed train operator Eurostar is to reduce the number of services it operates by 8% and intends to cut 80 jobs. ‘This is a challenging environment for all travel companies and we need to manage our costs very carefully’, Eurostar told Railway Gazette. ‘That’s why we are ...
-
NewsJakarta commuter operator receives Tokyo EMUs
INDONESIA: Two 10-car Series 6000 electric multiple-units previously used on Tokyo Metro’s Chiyoda Line arrived at the Port of Tanjung Priok in Jakarta from Japan on October 9, and a further batch is scheduled to be delivered later this month. Earlier this year the KA Commuter Jabodetabek subsidiary of national ...
-
NewsHector Rail to operate Blå Tåget
SWEDEN: Skandinaviska Jernbanor has appointed Hector Rail to provide traction for and manage the operation of its Stockholm – Göteborg Blå Tåget passenger service, leaving the promoter to focus on customer service aspects. Skandinaviska Jernbanor launched its open access Blå Tåget service between Göteborg, Stockholm and Uppsala in December 2011, ...
-
NewsCrowd-funded Locomore has the freedom to do things differently
INNOTRANS: Locomore describes itself as the ‘world’s first crowd-funded railway’, but the innovative approach to financing the planned launch of an open access inter-city service between Berlin and Stuttgart is only one of the things it is doing differently, according to Managing Director Nicolas Dietrich. ...
-
NewsEvolution Rail to supply Melbourne high capacity EMUs
AUSTRALIA: The Evolution Rail consortium of Downer, CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles and Plenary Group announced on September 12 that it had been selected as preferred bidder to supply 65 High Capacity Metro Trains for use on the Melbourne suburban network. Downer Group is acting as delivery and maintenance lead ...
-
NewsThree countries agree 1 500 km corridor plan
AFRICA: The governments of Botswana, Mozambique and Zimbabwe have agreed to develop a 1 500 km mixed-traffic rail corridor to serve an expanded port at Techobanine, 70 km south of Maputo.Starting at Francistown in northern Botswana, the route would cross northwards into Zimbabwe, serving Bulawayo, before running ...
-
NewsDSB to order electric locomotives
DENMARK: Meeting on August 23, DSB’s Board of Directors approved proposals to purchase 26 electric locomotives for regional passenger services on Sjaelland. The locomotives are intended to replace the Class ME diesels that currently power the double-deck push-pull trainsets on services from København to Ringsted and Helsingør, as well as ...
-
NewsStadler and Bombardier to supply trains for Abellio East Anglia franchise
UK: The Department for Transport named Abellio as preferred bidder for the new East Anglia franchise on August 10. The franchise is due to start on October 16 2016 and run until October 2025, replacing the current Greater Anglia franchise which is also held by Abellio. A £1·4bn investment programme ...