Passenger rail news – Page 199
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NewsIGC grants Deutsche Bahn access to Channel Tunnel
EUROPE: The Intergovernmental Commission which oversees access to the Channel Tunnel has granted a ‘Certificate B’ operating licence to Deutsche Bahn, the tunnel’s owner Groupe Eurotunnel announced on June 14. The announcement paves the way for more work to be undertaken to enable the introduction of DB’s long-planned high speed ...
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NewsDfT confirms Thameslink rolling stock order
UK: The Department for Transport confirmed on June 14 that it would award the Cross-London Trains consortium led by Siemens a £1·6bn contract to supply 1 140 EMU cars for the Thameslink route, subject to a formal 10-day standstill period. Cross-London Trains comprises Siemens Project Ventures GmbH, PPP fund ...
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NewsAbellio orders Niederrhein Flirts
GERMANY: Stadler Pankow GmbH announced on June 12 that it had signed a contract with Abellio Rail NRW GmbH to supply 20 five-car Flirt 3 EMUs to operate Niederrhein-Netz services on route RB33 from Mönchengladbach to Wesel and RB35 from Dusseldorf to Emmerich, which is to be extended to Arnhem ...
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NewsLEO Express enters Polish market
POLAND: Through its local partner DLA, Czech open access inter-city operator LEO Express has applied for paths to operate on the Katowice/Kraków – Warszawa and Warszawa – Poznan – Szczecin routes. Announcing its entry into the Polish market on June 12, LEO Express said that it was ‘currently holding intensive ...
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NewsCzerwieńsk chord cuts journey times
POLAND: Vice-Minister for Railways Andrzej Massel officially opened a new chord avoiding Czerwieńsk station on June 9, where reversals had previously added up to 30 min to journey times from Zielona Góra to Warszawa, Poznań and Gorzów Wielkopolski. The 2 km electrified chord has been built as part of a ...
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NewsBologna and Reggio Emilia stations join the AV network
ITALY: President Giorgio Napolitano and his wife Clio were amongst the first passengers to use the underground high speed line station at Bologna Centrale, which opened for revenue service on June 9. Accompanied by FS Chief Executive Mauro Moretti, who had unveiled the station to local dignitaries the previous ...
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NewsHigh speed to Alacant from June 18
SPAIN: On June 10 RENFE opened ticket sales for services using the 165 km high speed line between Albacete and Alacant, due to open on June 18. This will cut the fastest Madrid – Alacant journey time by 50 min, bringing it down to 2 h 20 min. During the ...
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NewsAlternatives investigated as NS drops Fyra V250s too
NETHERLANDS: The Dutch government has concurred with the decision by national operator NS to cancel its contract with AnsaldoBreda for 16 V250 trainsets, Deputy Prime Minister Lodewijk Asscher confirmed on May 7. The findings of a review by NS had been presented to the cabinet by the State Secretary for ...
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NewsLa Plata university train
ARGENTINA: A lightweight three-section diesel railcar built by Tecnotren has entered service on a 4·5 km route serving seven stops across the university campus in the city of La Plata. Services run from 07.30 to 22.30 during the week, and a fare of 1·5 pesos is charged. Services ...
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NewsCSR fleet enters service in Buenos Aires
ARGENTINA: Diesel locomotives and commuter coaches supplied by CSR of China entered service on the Mitre network in Buenos Aires on June 6, providing peak-hour services between Retiro and Tigre. Three five-car formations with a diesel locomotive at each end have been deployed on the route, departing Tigre at 06.56, ...
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NewsVirgin takes action over West Coast performance
UK: Virgin Rail Group announced on June 7 that it was taking action against infrastructure company Network Rail over ‘sustained poor performance’ which has affected the punctuality of services operated by its Virgin Trains subsidiary on the West Coast Main Line. The matter is to be referred to the industry’s ...
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NewsRZD begins test running on Sochi Olympic branch
RUSSIA: Russian Railways began test running on the new Adler – Alpika-Servis branch line on June 4, using Siemens-built Lastochka EMU ES1-012 which had been transferred from Metalostroy depot in St Petersburg during April for crew training. Under construction since 2009, the 48·5 km branch and a parallel road are ...
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NewsNational Express orders Talent 2 electric multiple-units
GERMANY: National Express Group's German subsidiary has awarded Bombardier Transportation a €170m contract to supply 35 Talent 2 electric multiple-units. The order announced on June 4 covers a mix of three and five-car sets. The 160 km/h air-conditioned units will have first and second class seating, CCTV, multi-purpose areas for ...
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NewsSolar powered railcar ready for summer
HUNGARY: A solar-powered railcar with a top speed of 25 km/h was unveiled at Hungary’s Forest Railway Festival in Krályrét on May 4. The 760 mm gauge railcar is intended for use on summer tourist services, and has 9·9 m2 of solar cells which are used to charge an onboard ...
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NewsSNCB pulls out of Fyra V250 deal
EUROPE: Belgian train operator SNCB announced on May 31 that it had decided to cancel its contract with AnsaldoBreda for the trouble-prone V250 'Albatros' high speed trainsets and seek full reimbursement of the €37m it has paid so far. It may also decide to sue for damages. SNCB had originally ...
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NewsMetrolink orders EMD passenger locomotives
USA: Southern California Regional Rail Authority has signed an agreement for Electro-Motive Diesel to supply 'up to 20' F125 Spirit diesel locomotives for use on Metrolink passenger services. Announcing the deal on May 31, EMD said it would assemble the locomotives at its Muncie, Indiana, plant for delivery from ...
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NewsStrategic authority envisaged under French reforms
FRANCE: The Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development & Energy outlined on May 29 the conclusions of two reports exploring in detail a proposed restructuring of the rail industry. Transport Minister Frédéric Cuvillier had announced in October 2012 that structural reform of the industry was planned in an attempt to improve ...
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NewsCSR to supply new Roca fleet
ARGENTINA: Minister of the Interior & Transport Florencio Randazzo announced on May 23 a US$327m order for 300 EMU cars from CSR of China. The air-conditioned vehicles will operate on the Roca commuter network in Buenos Aires, increasing capacity by 50%. The contract specifies a price of $1⋅09m per car, ...
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NewsAeroexpress launches in Kazan
RUSSIA: Airport shuttle operator Aeroexpress launched a service between Kazan International Airport and the city’s central station on May 22, in time for the Summer Universiade taking place in July. Services will use Siemens Lastochka electric multiple-units. Initially there will be four services per day in each direction, with ...
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NewsDecember timetable change date questioned
GERMANY: Staff representatives at Deutsche Bahn's passenger business have proposed to the DB AG board that the date of Europe's annual timetable change should revert to the end of October, arguing that the decision in 2002 to move the annual revision to the second weekend in December has not been ...