Passenger rail news – Page 198
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NewsOregon unveils Talgo trainset
USA: The first of two 13-car Talgo America trainsets bought by the state of Oregon was unveiled at a ceremony in Eugene on July 26. Oregon's two Series 8 trainsets will join five existing Talgo trainsets operated by Amtrak on the Cascades corridor between Eugene, Portland, Seattle and Vancouver in ...
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NewsCoradia Meridian EMU roll-out
ITALY: The first of 70 Coradia Meridian EMUs being built for Trenitalia under a €450m contract signed in November 2012 was inspected by Mauro Moretti, Chief Executive of national railway FS, at Alstom's Savigliano plant in June. The 160 km/h articulated EMUs are an update of Alstom's Minuetto design. They ...
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NewsOverspeed suspected in Santiago de Compostela derailment
SPAIN: At 20.41 on July 24 a Madrid - Ferrol Alvia service derailed on a curve on the approach to Santiago de Compostela. Formed of a Class 730 gauge-convertible electro-diesel Talgo trainset, the 15.00 from Madrid was carrying 218 passengers, according to a joint statement from Spanish train operator RENFE and infrastructure manager ADIF.
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NewsRhein-Ruhr-Express funding agreement
GERMANY: The federal government has committed to including the first phase of the Rhein-Ruhr-Express project in its 2014 budget. This would include funding for modernisation of the Köln-Mülheim -Langenfeld-Berghausen line as well as upgrading works in Dortmund. 'The marathon negotiations are finally crowned with success' said Nordrhein-Westfalen Transport Minister Michael ...
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NewsNew passenger rail contract signed in Catalunya
SPAIN: The Catalunya regional government has signed a contract with RENFE covering the provision of regional and suburban services in 2013-15. Following a serious breakdown in relations last year, the Generalitat says that the new contract announced on June 17 marks a change in the relationship between itself and ...
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NewsEast Coast Main Line IEP train order confirmed
UK: A £1·2bn firm order for the Agility Trains consortium to design, build, finance and maintain 30 nine-car electric Hitachi Super Express Trains to replace the current Intercity 225 fleet on East Coast Main Line services from 2019 was confirmed by Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin on July 18. The 27½-year ...
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NewsSouthern selects Bombardier to supply trains for Thameslink cascade
UK: On behalf of the Department for Transport, passenger operator Southern has selected Bombardier to supply 116 electric multiple-unit cars at cost of £180m. The order is intended to facilitate the cascade of EMUs between operators as part of the upgrade of the Thameslink route. Southern called for proposals in ...
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NewsShibuya Hikarie EMU enters service
JAPAN: Tokyu Railway has started putting into service a new generation of 1067 mm gauge commuter EMUs designed for through running onto neighbouring networks. This follows the transfer of operations at its Tokyo Shibuya station from the former elevated terminus to a low-level station allowing through running with Tokyo ...
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NewsRailway Supply Institute launches passenger committee
USA: Industry association the Railway Supply Institute has formed a Passenger Rail Committee to 'support, connect and advocate for' companies supplying the passenger rail sector. The committee aims to promote passenger transport, and represent the supply industry on legislation and regulations. Its first meeting is to be held on ...
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NewsVR retains long-distance passenger train monopoly
FINLAND: The Ministry of Transport & Communications has agreed to a five-year extension of VR Group's exclusive right to operate long-distance passenger services on the national network, in return for VR committing to invest in rolling stock and an obligation to operate government-specified services costing up to €21m/year. The existing ...
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NewsFirst Régiolis EMU delivered to Aquitaine
FRANCE: The first Régiolis EMU delivered by Alstom to operate local TER services in the Aquitaine region was presented to the public at Bordeaux Saint-Jean station on July 4. This followed a handover ceremony attended by President of the Aquitaine regional council Alain Rousset, SNCF President Guillaume Pepy and Alstom ...
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NewsMTR Nordic awarded Swedish train paths
SWEDEN: In the draft timetable for 2014, MTR Nordic has been awarded nine Stockholm – Göteborg train paths each way on weekdays as well as weekend paths, with the majority starting on August 25 2014. Citytåget i Sverige has been awarded four weekday paths in each direction as well ...
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NewsMore CNR cars arrive for long-distance services
ARGENTINA: On July 3 the federal government announced the arrival of a further batch of 17 passenger coaches from CNR Changchun of China, due to be deployed on long-distance services from Buenos Aires to Mar del Plata and Rosario. The latest batch includes first and second class vehicles, a restaurant ...
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NewsTalgo signs 603-car Kazakh contract
KAZAKHSTAN: Spanish rolling stock manufacturer Patentes Talgo and its local joint venture Tulpar-Talgo have been awarded a contract worth €482m to supply 603 long-distance coaches to the passenger business of national operator KTZ. The contract was signed on June 26 during a visit to Kazakstan by Spanish Development Minister Ana ...
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NewsO-Train DMUs delivered to Ottawa
CANADA: Mayor of Ottawa Jim Watson formally took delivery of six Alstom Coradia Lint 41 diesel multiple-units for the city's O-Train service at the 8 km line's Walkley depot on June 22. Operator OC Transpo placed the C$34m order for the DMUs in September 2011 as part of the C$59m ...
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NewsArriva selected to operate Den Haag - Brussels inter-city service
EUROPE: A letter of intent to launch a direct inter-city service linking Den Haag and Brussels was signed by the City of Den Haag, Brussels Airport and DB subsidiary Arriva on June 21. The Lage Landenlijn trains would re-instate a through service which was lost when the Benelux trains ...
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NewsSoto del Rey to join Madrid suburban network
SPAIN: On June 19 the Ministry of Development announced the start of public consultation on proposals to extend the Madrid suburban network to Soto del Rey. The consultation period runs for 30 days. Extending route C4 from its present northern terminus at Colmenar Viejo to Soto del Rey would involve ...
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NewsFirst Polish Pendolino presented to PKP Intercity
POLAND: The first Pendolino for Poland was presented to PKP Intercity at Alstom’s Savigliano plant on June 17. The Polish and Italian deputy transport ministers attended the event. The train, branded as EIC Premium, is made up of seven cars and is 187·4 m long. It will feature 402 ...
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NewsHigh speed line opens to Alacant
SPAIN: The 165 km of high speed infrastructure between Albacete and Alacant entered service on June 18, having been officially opened the day before by the Prince of Asturias, heir to the Spanish throne. Prince Felipe was accompanied by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, as well as Development Minister Ana ...
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NewsDB Regio orders Škoda trainsets for fast regional services
GERMANY: Incumbent operator DB Regio has been selected by the Land of Bayern to run regional services between München, Ingolstadt, Augsburg, Treuchtlingen and Nürnberg for 12 years from December 2016. Included in the operating contract are 200 km/h fast regional services which use the Neubaustrecke between Nürnberg and Ingolstadt. The ...