Passenger rail news – Page 208
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NewsPPP for new GO Transit maintenance facility
CANADA: On September 20 the federal government and the province of Ontario announced their support for a public-private partnership to build a new rolling maintenance facility for commuter operator GO Transit in Whitby. The federal government is to provide up to C$94⋅8m and Ontario 75% of the final project cost. ...
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NewsNetinera orders 63 regional trains from Alstom
GERMANY: Regional rail operator Netinera signed an order for 63 Alstom Coradia Lint diesel multiple-units at InnoTrans on September 19. The contract is worth almost €300m and includes 45 Lint 54 DMUs with 160 seats, and 18 Lint 81 units offering 270 seats. The DMUs will enter traffic from December ...
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NewsDB signs DMU framework deals with Pesa
GERMANY: Deutsche Bahn has signed two framework contracts with Polish manufacturer Pesa to build up to 470 DMUs for regional and local services. The deals were inked at the InnoTrans exhibition on September 19 by Dr Volker Kefer, DB’s Board Member for Technology & Infrastructure, Ulrich Homburg, Board Member ...
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NewsGE Transportation enters the 1520 passenger market
KAZAKHSTAN: National railway KTZ and GE Transportation signed a contract for 110 Evolution series passenger locomotives at InnoTrans on September 19. The diesel locomotives are to be based on the successful TE33A freight locomotives used in Kazakhstan. Modifications for passenger service will include raising the maximum speed to 160 km/h. ...
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NewsBombardier to supply components for Haramain High Speed Rail trains
SAUDI ARABIA: Bombardier Transportation has announced contracts worth €281m to provide Mitrac 3000 traction and control packages and Flexx Power 350 power car bogies for the 36 Talgo 350 trainsets which Talgo is to supply for the 444 km Haramain High Speed Rail project. Announcing the contracts on September 18, ...
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NewsStainless steel EMU on test
INDIA: BEML has begun delivering a development batch of 10 nine-car electric multiple-units built to a revised design which features stainless steel car bodies. Indian Railways is planning to use the new design to gradually replace existing steel EMUs in Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai which suffer from corrosion. The ...
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NewsComfort at reasonable cost
INDIA: Following successful deployment on the Howrah – Dhanbad route last year, the first air-conditioned double-deck train to operate from Delhi to Jaipur was flagged off by Minister of Railways Mukul Roy and Chief Minister of Delhi Sheila Dikshit on August 24. The stainless steel coaches have been designed and ...
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NewsHokuriku Shinkansen high speed train design revealed
JAPAN: The exterior and interior styling of the high speed trainsets to be built for the Hokuriku Shinkansen route was unveiled on September 4. The high speed line between Nagano and Kanazawa is scheduled to open at the end of 2014, cutting Tokyo - Kanazawa journey times to about ...
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NewsZRL takes charge as Zambian concession revoked
ZAMBIA: State-owned holding company Zambia Railways Ltd resumed control of the national rail network on September 11, following the government’s decision to revoke the operating concession awarded to Railway Systems of Zambia Ltd in 2003. Finance Minister Alexander Chikwanda had announced on September 10 that the government had decided on ...
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NewsÖstgötatrafiken orders Alstom EMUs
SWEDEN: Östergötland transport authority Östgötatrafiken has placed a firm order for Alstom's Salzgitter plant to supply eight more Coradia Nordic X61 regional electric multiple-units by early 2015. The four-car units are designed for winter temperatures of -35°C, with roof-mounted equipment to blast away snow and ice. The €50m ...
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NewsTuran Express launches Almaty - Korgas passenger service
KAZAKHSTAN: Private sector operator Turan Express launched an overnight passenger train between Almaty and Altynkol on September 3, having run a trial on September 1. It uses the recently-completed 293 km Zhetigen - Korgas line, built by national railway KTZ to provide a second freight route to the Chinese border. ...
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NewsZefiro 250NG included in revised high speed train contract
CHINA: After reviewing its operational strategy, the Ministry of Railways has issued a variation order to its 2009 contract under which the Bombardier Sifang (Qingdao) Transportation joint venture was to supply 20 eight-car and 60 16-car high speed trainsets. The number of 380 km/h trainsets has now been reduced, ...
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NewsTransport Reform Network launches investment debate
AUSTRALIA: Representatives of more than 30 organisations attended the launch of the Transport Reform Network on August 29. TRN is a cross-industry coalition which aims 'to address Australia's looming transport crisis by seeking changes in the scoping, funding and pricing of transport infrastructure'. Australasian Railway Association CEO Bryan Nye warned ...
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NewsRegional trains to use high speed lines
FRANCE: Pays de La Loire region is funding a €15·8m programme to modify eight SNCF TER electric multiple-units to operate regional services on the high speed line now under construction between Le Mans and Rennes. Modifications will raise the maximum speed of the EMUs to 200 km/h. According to infrastructure ...
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NewsCycle-Rail Toolkit published
UK: The Association of Train Operating Companies has published a 'Cycle-Rail Toolkit' containing guidelines to help railway managers and local authorities make it easier for passengers to combine cycling with rail travel. Devised in consultation with train operators, the Department for Transport and cycling organisations, the publication draws on international ...
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NewsGE Transportation unveils Tier 4-compliant diesel locomotive
USA: In a ceremony at its plant in Erie, Pennsylvania, GE Transportation unveiled the prototype for its next generation of Evolution Series diesel locomotives on August 24. This is claimed to be the first to meet the Environmental Protection Agency’s stringent Tier 4 emissions standards without needing a urea additive ...
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NewsCzech Railways finally takes over Railjet train order
CZECH REPUBLIC: National passenger operator CD finally approved the purchase of a reduced batch of seven 230 km/h Viaggio Comfort seven-car push-pull trainsets from Siemens Mobility on August 16. They are to be deployed jointly with Austrian Federal Railways on the Praha - Brno - Wien - Graz ...
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NewsTrenitalia unveils Frecciarossa 1000
ITALY: Prime Minister Mario Monti unveiled a full-size mock-up of Trenitalia’s next generation of high speed trains at the ‘Rimini Meeting’ summer festival on August 19, describing the Frecciarossa 1000 as a ‘new technological jewel, made entirely in Italy’. On show in Rimini until August 25, the mock-up is also ...
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NewsNational Express targets German rail sector
GERMANY: UK bus and rail operator National Express announced on August 17 that it was seeking to enter the regional rail market in Germany, with the formation of a local subsidiary. Based in Düsseldorf, National Express Rail GmbH has reportedly already prequalified for contracts to operate four regional lines. ‘We ...
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NewsDB orders Traxx locomotives
GERMANY: Deutsche Bahn has placed a firm order for Bombardier Transportation to supply a further 32 Class 146 Traxx electric locomotives for regional passenger services. The €108m contract announced on August 16 an option on existing agreements. Delivery is planned for 2014, with the 160 km/h locomotives to be used ...