Passenger rail news – Page 214
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NewsRefurbished TGV PSE trains as good as new
FRANCE: The first of 60 refurbished TGV PSE trainsets is expected to re-enter service on LGV Rhin-Rhône during March, following overhaul at the Hellemmes Technicentre near Lille. The refurbishment has been styled by a partnership of seating specialist Compin and creative agency RCP Design Global. Adopting 'a cognitive and sensory ...
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NewsNortheastern link proposed
THAILAND: The Thai Office of Transport & Traffic Policy & Planning submitted proposals for a 336 km railway from Ban Phai to Nakhon Phanom to the cabinet at a meeting in Udon Thani on February 21. The branch from the existing Nakhon Ratchasima – Nong Khai metre-gauge line would run ...
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NewsVirginia Railway Express orders gallery cars
USA: Virginia Railway Express awarded Sumitomo Corp a $21m contract to supply eight gallery cars on February 15, with an option for up to 42 more which would take the total value of the order to $119m. The cars will be manufactured at Nippon Sharyo's plant in Rochelle, Illinois, with ...
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NewsPays de la Loire takes Régiolis option
FRANCE: Alstom Transport announced on February 16 that it had received an order from SNCF worth €25m for an additional five Régiolis low-floor EMUs. The option has been exercised on behalf of the Pays de la Loire region, which has already ordered 10 dual-voltage bi-mode trainsets as well as ...
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NewsFirst of 10 Zentralbahn rack trains rolls out
SWITZERLAND: The first of 10 electric multiple-units for the metre-gauge Zentralbahn was rolled out at Stadler Rail's Bussnang plant on February 15. The manufacture says the SFr141m contract signed in September 2009 is largest ever order for rack-and-pinion rail vehicles. The order covers two types of 120 km/h air-conditioned EMU. ...
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NewsAmtrak accelerates in Michigan
USA: On February 7 the Federal Railroad Administration gave Amtrak approval to raise speeds on its passenger services in western Michigan from 152 km/h to 177 km/h. The agreement covers an Amtrak-owned 155 route-km section between Kalamazoo, Michigan and Porter, Indiana which has been equipped with the Incremental Train Control ...
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NewsFirst Leo Express train handed over
CZECH REPUBLIC: The first of five Flirt electric multiple-units ordered by Leo Express to launch open access services was handed over in a ceremony at Stadler Rail's Bussnang plant in Switzerland on February 5. Leo Express, originally known as Rapid Express, was set up in 2010, backed by Aakon Capital. ...
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NewsNew South Wales government to buy out Waratah PPP
AUSTRALIA: The New South Wales state government has reached agreement with the shareholders in Reliance Rail, its 'financial guarantors and other parties' to restructure the finances of the troubled PPP concession to supply 626 Waratah double-deck EMU cars for the Sydney suburban network. State Treasurer Mike Baird announced on February ...
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NewsFirst Chinese DMU for Tunisia unveiled
TUNISIA: CSR Nanjing Puzhen has begun delivery of a fleet of diesel multiple-units ordered by state railway SNCFT. Announcing the shipping of the first unit from Shanghai during January, the manufacturer said the development of the diesel-hydraulic multiple-units for export 'marks a great breakthrough of China's technology', making use of ...
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NewsSJ 3000 inter-city train enters service
SWEDEN: National inter-city operator SJ AB put its next generation of train into commercial service on February 6, after the first of the 20 four-car EMUs was formally handed over on January 26. Designated X55 by SJ, the Bombardier Regina Alfa EMUs are marketed as SJ 3000 to follow the ...
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NewsAnother €1bn to fund DB enhancement programme
GERMANY: Federal Transport Minister Minister Dr Peter Ramsauer confirmed on January 31 that another €1bn of federal funding would be made available for infrastructure improvements across the DB network by 2015, following the completion of a three-year programme funded by a €1·4bn ‘stimulus package’ and €100m from DB’s own resources. ...
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NewsMoscow - Berlin Talgo agreement
RUSSIA: RZD President Vladimir Yakunin and Patentes Talgo President Carlos Palacio Oriol signed an agreement on January 25 that will see the Spanish manufacturer work with the Russian Railway Research Institute to develop rolling stock for RZD network. This covers the design, assembly and testing of three gauge-changing trainsets ...
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NewsHöft & Wessel check them all
DENMARK: As part of a national multi-modal e-ticketing project, national passenger operator DSB has commissioned Höft & Wessel to develop an external unit which will enable a variety of hand-held devices to read a wide range of electronic ticket formats. The module will be able to use RFID, OCR and ...
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NewsChiang Mai line included in infrastructure package
THAILAND: Construction of a 750 km standard gauge line from Bangkok to Chiang Mai is the largest single project included in a 400bn baht programme of infrastructure investment announced by the government on January 10. Comprising 128 different work packages for completion by 2016, the programme includes a range of ...
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NewsDirect Rail Services orders 15 Vossloh EuroLight UK locomotives
UK: Open access freight and charter operator Direct Rail Services announced an order for Vossloh España to supply 15 EuroLight UK mixed traffic diesel-electric locomotives on January 5. The contract includes options for future orders, but commercial details are not being disclosed. DRS said the locomotives are scheduled to be ...
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NewsMatterhorn Gotthard Bahn orders more panoramic trains
SWITZERLAND: Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn has awarded Stadler Rail a SFr106m contract to supply further rolling stock to increase capacity and improve accessibility on its metre-gauge network. The contract signed on December 23 includes one four-car and six three-car Komet 11 kV 16·7 Hz electric multiple-units. Designed by Stadler in conjunction ...
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NewsHigh speed line to Bursa to open by 2015
TURKEY: Transport Minister Binali Yildirim confirmed on December 30 that contracts had been signed to build a 75 km mixed-traffic high speed line from Bilecik to Bursa, and that civil works would start this year. The line is to be built in two sections for opening by mid-2015. The first ...
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NewsSt Gallen 2013 project underway
SWITZERLAND: Works are underway for the S-Bahn St Gallen 2013 project to optimise passenger services in eastern Switzerland, following a launch ceremony during November. A joint project of St Gallen canton, the federal transport ministry and operators SBB, Südostbahn and Thurbo, the S-Bahn scheme will see services on six standard ...
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NewsSouthern orders Electrostars and SWT confirms unit changes
UK: Train operator Southern announced on December 28 that it had awarded Bombardier Transportation a £188·8m contract to supply an additional 130 Electrostar electric multiple-unit cars. Production is due commence at Bombardier's Derby plant in the second half of 2012. 'Following a competitive tender process, we found that ...
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NewsUkrainian inter-city train unveiled
UKRAINE: The first of 10 inter-city electric multiple-units being built for Ukrainian Railways by South Korean firm Hyundai Rotem was unveiled in Changwon in the presence of government and railway officials on December 20 Two of the nine-car trainsets are expected to be delivered to Odessa during February, and will ...