Passenger rail news – Page 170
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NewsGovernment becomes majority shareholder in Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp
TAIWAN: The build-operate-transfer concession for the Taipei – Kaohsiung high speed line and an agreement for developments at stations were terminated with the signing of two agreements by the Ministry of Transportation & Communications and concessionaire Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp on July 27. The agreements are designed to mitigate ...
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NewsPartial privatisation studies included in DB restructuring
GERMANY: A six-point plan for the reorganisation of national railway holding company Deutsche Bahn AG was approved by the supervisory board on July 27, and options for the part-privatisation of the Arriva international passenger and DB Schenker Logistics businesses are to be studied. ‘DB is going to become leaner, faster, ...
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NewsMonopolies Commission calls for DB unbundling and privatisation
GERMANY: The Monopolies Commission calls for the unbundling of Deutsche Bahn’s infrastructure and operating activities and the sale of its train operating business units to private owners in its fifth biennial report on the railway market. In Railway 2015: Competition policy off track?, the Commission argues that DB’s integrated ...
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NewsDB and SNCF extend Alleo cross-border co-operation
EUROPE: The ceremonial launch of Deutsche Bahn Class 407 trainsets on the Frankfurt to Paris Est route on July 23 was followed by the signing of an agreement to extend DB and SNCF’s Alleo cross-border operating partnership for a further five years to 2020. Around 12 million passengers have travelled ...
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NewsGatwick Express Class 387/2 EMU on test
UK: Static testing of the first of the Class 387/2 Electrostar electric multiple-unit cars ordered for Gatwick Express services has begun at Bombardier Transportation’s Derby plant. The 27 four-car Class 387/2 EMUs are scheduled to enter service between London Victoria station and Gatwick airport in 2016, replacing 1980s-built Class 442 ...
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NewsTren del Valle launches with domestic DMUs
ARGENTINA: On July 21 President Cristina Fernández inaugurated by video link the Tren del Valle, a new service connecting the city of Neuquén with Cipolletti in Río Negro province. The first passenger services on this route for 22 years are operated with two DMUs purchased from Materfer for 20m pesos. ...
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NewsEurostar e300 trainset refurbishment completed
EUROPE: The first of Eurostar’s ‘remodelled and redesigned’ trainsets is expected to return passenger service ‘in the coming weeks’, the cross-Channel high speed train operator announced on July 21. The refurbishment of the Class 373 trains dating from the launch of Eurostar services in 1994 is being undertaken at ...
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NewsHigh speed train tenders called as domestic prototype starts testing
CHINA: Tenders for the supply of 351 high speed trainsets were issued by China Railway Corp on July 17, in what the railway says is the largest train procurement in its history. Covering 228 trainsets for 350 km/h operation and 123 for 250 km/h, at an estimated total value of ...
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NewsEU-funded modernisation of Czech independent railway underway
CZECH REPUBLIC: Work is underway to modernise and install 3 kV DC electrification on the Železnice Desná local railway which links Šumperk with Kouty nad Desnou. The 19·3 km line was taken over by a group of local authorities after national railway ČD declined to repair extensive flood damage ...
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NewsCMA consults on increasing on-rail competition
UK: The Competition & Markets Authority has published a consultation document seeking feedback on the desirability and feasibility of four options for significantly increasing on-rail competition between passenger train operators. The aim would be to produce competition ‘in the market’, which the CMA suggests could be more effective at ...
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NewsSaudi Railways Organization cancels Talgo order
SAUDI ARABIA: Saudi Railways Organization has announced that ‘following the reassessment of our rolling stock needs’ it has decided not to proceed with an order for six 200 km/h Talgo diesel trainsets for use on the Riyadh – Dammam line. The US$201m contract was announced on February 12 but ...
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NewsEIB and KfW to fund RRX trains
GERMANY: The European Investment Bank is to provide a €340m long-term loan to help fund the Rhein-Ruhr-Express project in Nordrhein-Westfalen, as part of a financing package announced on July 16. A credit of €283m will be provided by KfW IPEX-Bank, and additional funding is coming from Helaba (Landesbank Hessen-Thüringen). The ...
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NewsMÁV-Start signs Flirt order
HUNGARY: The first of 21 additional Flirt electric multiple-units to work Budapest suburban services will be delivered later this year, under the terms of a €125m contract between national passenger operator MÁV-Start and Stadler Bussnang AG signed in Budapest on July 15. ‘This day will be written in bold letters ...
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NewsGovernment invites bids for 171bn pesos PPP concession
PHILIPPINES: The Department of Transportation & Communications has issued a prequalification request for a 171bn pesos PPP project worth covering the rehabilitation and extension of the Main Line South, which links Manila with Bicol province on the island of Luzon. According to DOTC, the project is the largest PPP to ...
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News‘Beauty contest’ to assess high speed line offers
INDONESIA: The government is to hold a ‘beauty contest’ to evaluate rival bids for construction of a 150 km Jakarta – Bandung high speed line, Co-ordinating Economic Minister Sofyan Djalil said on July 13. Rival offers backed by their respective governments have been put forward by consortia from China and ...
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NewsApple Pay arrives on London’s transport network
UK: Apple’s Apple Pay system which links payment card accounts to iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus or Apple Watches can be used pay for travel on public transport within London from July 14. Apple Pay has the same validity and is used in a similar way to contactless bank ...
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NewsVirginia Railway Express operating contract extended
USA: On July 14 Keolis announced that Virginia Railway Express had exercised an option to extend its contract to operate Washington DC commuter services for a further five years. The contract is worth $21m in the first year, including train maintenance, and has an option for an additional extension of ...
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NewsProduction of Lastochka Premium EMUs launched
RUSSIA: The Ural Locomotives joint venture of Siemens and Sinara Group formally launched production of a ‘premium’ version of the Lastochka electric multiple-unit family at its factory in Yekaterinburg on July 9. The Lastochka Premium EMUs will be based on the Lastochka (Desiro RUS) units which are currently produced ...
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NewsBurgas airport rail link planned
BULGARIA: A plan to build a rail link to Burgas airport has been announced by Minister of Transport, IT & Communications Ivaylo Moskovski. The project would require the construction of around 2 km of new line to access the airport, which is the second busiest in Bulgaria. An ...
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NewsFour shortlisted for New South Wales train contract
AUSTRALIA: On July 9 New South Wales Minister for Transport & Infrastructure Andrew Constance announced the shortlist for a contract to supply and maintain a fleet of around 65 electric multiple-units totalling 520 cars for used on NSW TrainLink Intercity services: Alstom Transport Australia;Downer-CNRCRC Consortium (Downer EDI Rail and ...