Passenger rail news – Page 203
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NewsNetz Ostbrandenburg operating contracts awarded
GERMANY: Transport authority VBB confirmed Niederbarnimer Eisenbahn Betriebsgesellschaft mbH as the winner of two contracts for the operation of Netz Ostbrandenburg passenger services east of Berlin on February 12. Contract 1 starts in December 2014, and covers the operation of 2·16 million train-km/year using Regio-Shuttle RS1 diesel railcars. Contract ...
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NewsSeries N700A Shinkansen sets enter service
JAPAN: JR Central has put its first Series N700A trainsets into revenue service on the Tokaido Shinkansen, with a ceremony to mark the departure of Nozomi 203 from Tokyo station at 07.00 on February 8. A second train operating as Nozomi 208 was ceremonially dispatched from Shin-Osaka at the same ...
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NewsUK rolling stock strategy published
UK: Great Britain's passenger rolling stock fleet might need to double in size by 2042 to accommodate increased ridership, electrification and other proposed enhancements, according to a high-level analysis of future scenarios published on February 12. The 'Long Term Passenger Rolling Stock Strategy for the Rail Industry' has been produced ...
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NewsStadler wins Moscow double-deck train order
RUSSIA: Aeroexpress has selected Stadler Rail to supply double-deck electric multiple-units to increase passenger capacity on its Moscow airport shuttle services. The €350m order announced on February 12 covers 16 four-car and eight six-car units based on Stadler's KISS family, with two options for a total of 60 cars formed ...
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NewsPakistan Railways orders 50 locomotives
PAKISTAN: Chinese locomotive manufacturer CSR Ziyang announced on February 4 that it had received of letters of credit enabling it to go ahead with the construction of 50 passenger and freight locomotives ordered by Pakistan's Ministry of Railways in December at a cost of 640m yuan. Half of the 50 ...
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NewsAdditional Russian Talgo agreement signed
RUSSIA: An agreement on the services which the All-Russian Railway Research Institute will provide to assist Patentes Talgo with the development of rolling stock suitable for use in Russia was signed in Madrid on February 7. This builds on a January 2012 agreement between the partners. VNIIZhT is to provide ...
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NewsStadler trains ordered for WestfalenBahn services
GERMANY: Leasing company Alpha Trains has awarded Stadler Pankow contracts worth €250m for the supply of 28 Flirt and Kiss electric multiple-units for use on services which WestfalenBahn is to operate on behalf of Niedersachsen transport authority LNVG from December 2015. The 15 four-car Flirt EMUs will be used on ...
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NewsMetre-gauge multiple-units for Bangladesh
BANGLADESH: The first of 20 diesel-electric multiple-units which CNR Tangshan is building for Bangladesh Railways under a US$58·3m contract signed in August 2011 has been completed. Based on CNR’s EMU technology but equipped with underfloor powerpacks, the three-car DMUs will have a capacity of 300 passengers and a top speed ...
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NewsLondon Overground train lengthening approved
UK: A £320m programme of rolling stock procurement and infrastructure works to extend London Overground's 57 Class 378 electric multiple-units from four to five cars was approved by the Transport for London board on February 6. TfL is negotiating with Class 378 Capitalstar EMU manufacturer Bombardier Transportation and QW Leasing ...
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NewsNational Express wins German operating contract
GERMANY: The Rhein-Ruhr, Westfalen-Lippe and Rheinland transport authorities have jointly selected a consortium of National Express Rail GmbH and IntEgro Verkehr to operate two passenger services from the December 2015 timetable change. The decision was announced on February 6, with signing subject to a 10-day regulatory standstill period. The services ...
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NewsCSR locomotives arrive in Buenos Aires
ARGENTINA: The first two of 24 diesel locomotives that CSR of China is supplying for the San Martín commuter route were unloaded at the Port of Buenos Aires on February 1. Capable at operating at up to 120 km/h, the new locos are equipped with rheostatic braking. As well as ...
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NewsDirect Rail Services reveals Class 68 design
UK: Freight and charter train operator Direct Rail Services has unveiled the design of its future UKLight mixed traffic diesel-electric locomotives. Vossloh España is building 15 locomotives in Valencia under a contract announced in January 2012, with deliveries scheduled to begin towards the end of this year. To ...
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NewsOpen access operator Hamburg-Köln-Express celebrates first six months
GERMANY: Open-access inter-city operator Hamburg-Köln-Express held the ‘Fastest Music Festival in Germany’ on January 23 to celebrate six months of operation. Bands and solo artists travelled with the passengers, performing music in 120 sec slots while the train doors were opened at stations HKX has carried almost 150 000 passengers ...
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NewsRail franchising programme revised
UK: Following the publication of Eurostar Chairman Richard Brown's independent review of the Department for Transport's franchising programme earlier in the month, on January 31 the government announced its plans to restart three passenger franchise tendering competitions. These were put on hold in October 2012 after 'significant errors' led ...
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NewsÖBB approves Siemens Desiro ML order
AUSTRIA: The Austrian Federal Railways' supervisory board authorised a firm order for 100 Siemens Desiro ML electric multiple-units on January 30. A contract worth €550m is to be signed following the regulatory standstill period. The order is being placed within a framework for up to 200 EMUs which was agreed ...
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NewsCompliance Verification Clause unlocks the Fourth Railway Package
EUROPE: Proposals to ensure open and transparent infrastructure management have been incorporated into the draft Fourth Railway Package, which was finally unveiled by the European Commission on January 30. The ‘comprehensive package of measures to deliver better quality and more choice in railway services’ had been delayed for several months ...
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NewsNew line projects move forward in Mexico
MEXICO: On January 28 Secretary of Communications & Transport Gerardo Ruiz signed an agreement with José Calzada, Governor of the state of Querétaro, setting out how the federal and state governments are to co-operate on the project to build a new line for passenger services between Mexico City and the ...
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NewsHS2 Phase II preferred route selected
UK: The Department for Transport issued its preferred route options for the second phase of the planned High Speed 2 network on January 28. This second phase builds on the 190 km first stage running from London Euston to Birmingham and a junction with the West Coast ...
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NewsSiemens monitors real-world conditions as Lastochka enters service
RUSSIA: Siemens Desiro RUS electric multiple-units began entering service on January 23, when the first fare-paying passenger from St Petersburg's Moscow station was presented with a commemorative certificate by Russian Railways. Pairs of Lastochka EMUs are initially being deployed on the route from St Petersburg to Chudovo, where the train ...
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NewsFirst Emilia Romagna FLIRTs handed over
ITALY: On January 21 Stadler Rail and AnsaldoBreda handed over five FLIRT ETR-350 multiple-units to Ferrovie Emilia Romagna in Bologna. These are part of a €200m order for two operators. FER is to get 12 five-car EMUs. Sistemi Territoriali will get four six-car EMUs, 16 four-car EMUs and two ...