Passenger rail news – Page 163
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NewsNew curve to speed up journeys to Zakopane
POLAND: Infrastructure manager PKP PLK announced on December 21 that it is to build a curve between Kraków Zabłocie and Kraków Krzemionki stations. According to PKP PLK, this will enable faster journeys between Kraków Główny and Zakopane, Skawina and Oświęcim. The work is to be carried out for 258m ...
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NewsChina orders more high speed sleeper trainsets
CHINA: A €152m contract to supply China Railway Corp with a further five 250 km/h CRH1E-250 sleeper trainsets was announced by the Bombardier Sifang (Qingdao) Transportation joint venture on December 18. This is the second order for the 16-car sleeper train design, after a 2007 contract for 20 sets which ...
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NewsSNCB signs €3·3bn framework for 1362 M7 cars
BELGIUM: National operator SNCB signed a €1·3bn firm order for 445 Type M7 double-deck passenger vehicles with a consortium of Bombardier and Alstom on December 18. There are options for up to 917 more vehicles which would take the total value to €3·3bn. The M7 cars would be able to ...
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NewsGold Coast double-tracking contract awarded
AUSTRALIA: The Queensland government announced on December 16 that it had awarded Golding Contractors a contract for civils works related to double-tracking of part of the Gold Coast – Brisbane line. Due to begin in March, the A$163m project would double 8·2 km of the 1 067 mm gauge ...
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NewsFaster to Salamanca and Zamora
SPAIN: On December 17 national operator RENFE introduced Alvia services from Madrid to Salamanca and Zamora, following the completion of high speed infrastructure between Olmedo near Medina del Campo and Zamora, as well as upgrading and electrification of the conventional route between Medina del Campo and Salamanca. The fastest journey ...
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NewsNTV unveils ‘futuristic’ Pendolino styling
ITALY: Open access operator NTV has revealed the appearance of the eight 250 km/h Pendolino trainsets which it ordered from Alstom in October. Deliveries are scheduled for late 2017 and entry into service for early 2018. The design was created by Alstom's Design & Styling Centre, which was responsible ...
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NewsTrenord boosts fleet spend
ITALY: Regional passenger operator Trenord has announced that it is to invest an additional €170m on new rolling stock to enter service in 2017. Funding is being provided by the Lombardia region and FNM, which owns 50% of the Trenord joint venture with Trenitalia. Trenord is to acquire 18 trainsets, ...
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NewsWellington chooses suburban rail operator
NEW ZEALAND: Greater Wellington Regional Council announced the selection of a joint venture between Transdev and Hyundai Rotem as preferred bidder for a contract to operate the capital’s suburban rail services on December 17. Formal award is planned for March. A Keolis Downer-KiwiRail joint venture and Serco had also ...
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NewsNASA selects Abellio to operate services
GERMANY: Sachsen-Anhalt transport authority NASA has selected Abellio Rail Mitteldeutschland to operate Dieselnetz Sachsen-Anhalt passenger services for 14 years from December 2018. NASA is procuring the services on behalf of the Länder of Sachsen-Anhalt, Thüringen and the greater Braunschweig region. The preferred bidder was named on December 14, with ...
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NewsBEG confirms National Express as Nürnberg S-Bahn operator
GERMANY: Bayern railway authority BEG confirmed the National Express Rail GmbH subsidiary of UK-based National Express Group as the winner of the two Nürnberg S-Bahn operating contracts on December 15, after reviewing bids following an appeal by incumbent DB Regio which had blocked the award of the contracts. Subject ...
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NewsHessische Landesbahn orders 30 EMUs
GERMANY: Alstom announced on December 15 that it had been awarded a €160m contract to supply 30 Coradia Continental electric multiple-units to Hessische Landesbahn. Alstom said these would be the first Coradia Continental units to meet the Locomotives & Passenger Rolling Stock Technical Specification for Interoperability. The order covers ...
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NewsTrenitalia among 11 recipients of UK ‘franchising passports’
UK: The Department for Transport announced on December 15 that 11 transport companies had been awarded Pre-Qualification Questionnaire Passports, which have been designed to make it easier and quicker to bid for passenger franchises by removing the need to for potential bidders to complete 'resource-intensive' sections of the pre-qualification questionnaire ...
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NewsGreater Anglia EMUs refurbished
UK: Abellio Greater Anglia has completed an upgrade of 24 four-car Class 317/6 electric multiple-units that operate between London and Cambridge, Cheshunt and Hertford East. The £1·3m project was carried out by the operator’s own fleet maintenance team at Clacton-on-Sea. The interior refresh includes new seat covers, vinyl flooring, ...
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NewsNewag wins its first Italian EMU order
ITALY: Newag announced on December 10 that it had signed a framework contract with regional operator Ferrovie del Sud-Est for the supply of five electric-multiple units with options for up to 10 more. The base order is worth €20·2m, with the total value rising to €60·5m if all options ...
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NewsTrenitalia exercises further Vivalto option
ITALY: Trenitalia has exercised an option to buy 136 Vivalto second-class push-pull coaches from Hitachi Rail Italy, the supplier announced on December 9. The contract is worth €190m and covers the supply of 112 intermediate double-deck coaches and 24 driving cars to be used on regional and commuter services. ...
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NewsContractors shortlisted for HS2 enabling works
UK: On December 10 project delivery company HS2 Ltd announced the contractors shortlisted to carry out enabling works on the London – Birmingham Phase 1 of High Speed 2. An invitation to tender is expected early next year, with contracts worth £900m to be awarded later in 2016. ‘Today’s ...
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NewsErfurt – Leipzig opening will cut journey times
GERMANY: With the parallel operation of two special trains, Deutsche Bahn officially inaugurated 123 km of new high speed line between Erfurt, Halle and Leipzig on December 9. DB expects to launch commercial services over the route with the timetable change on December 13. DB Chairman Rüdiger Grube and other ...
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NewsHallandsås Tunnel inaugurated at last
SWEDEN: The country’s longest railway tunnel was officially inaugurated on December 8, when Minister of Enterprise Mikael Damberg drove a special train carrying VIPs through the 8·7 km Hallandsås Tunnel, before participating in an opening ceremony at the northern portal. He was joined for the inauguration by the mayor of ...
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NewsRoca electrification reaches Quilmes
ARGENTINA: President Cristina Fernández joined Minister of the Interior & Transport Florencio Randazzo on December 5 to mark the start of electric operations between Buenos Aires and Quilmes, the latest phase to be completed under the programme to electrify the Roca commuter route to La Plata at 25 kV AC. ...
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NewsSiemens wins more Algerian signalling work
ALGERIA: The Estel joint venture of national railway SNTF and Siemens is to supply signalling, safety and train control for 140 km of lines around Alger, serving 18 stations. Worth €340m to Siemens, the package covers the installation of ETCS Level 1 to shorten headways and permit operation of ...