Passenger rail news – Page 224
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NewsAlstom unveils Paris RER Line A double-deck train
FRANCE: The first MI09 double-deck electric multiple-unit for Paris RER Line A was officially unveiled on February 8. Certification testing is underway with three MI09 trainsets, ready for entry into passenger service by the end of the year. A consortium of Alstom and Bombardier signed a contract to supply ...
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NewsStadler expands Berlin production capacity
GERMANY: Citing healthy orderbooks for its German division, Stadler announced on January 26 that it was planning to expand the capacity of its local business unit Stadler Pankow, with a total investment of around €10m in the construction of additional production capacity and a new assembly facility. Stadler Pankow Director ...
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NewsPerpignan – Figueres link inaugurated
EUROPE: Ceremonies were held at the Franco-Spanish border on January 27 to mark the official inauguration of the 44·5 km cross-border rail link between Perpignan and Figueres. The 1 435 mm gauge line has been open to passenger and freight services since December 19. Participating in the official opening were ...
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NewsFirst ETCS Level 2 contract awarded in Turkey
TURKEY: Lead contractor Yapı Merkezi has contracted Invensys Rail Dimetronic to install ERTMS Level 2 equipment on the 212 route-km Ankara – Konya high speed line.Invensys Rail will be responsible for the design, manufacture, installation and commissioning of the ETCS Level 2 wayside and onboard equipment, plus the interface with ...
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NewsSlovak passenger market starts to open
SLOVAKIA: State-owned ZSSK’s monopoly on the operation of subsidised passenger services run in the public interest has been broken, with the Ministry of Transport awarding the RegioJet subsidiary of Czech private bus operator Student Agency a nine-year contract to operate regional passenger services on the 95 km route between Bratislava, ...
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NewsOpen access operator Wrexham & Shropshire to close
UK: On January 26 open access passenger operator Wrexham & Shropshire Railway announced that it was to cease trading, with its last train leaving London at 18.30 on January 28.Wrexham & Shropshire launched open access trains between Wrexham and London Marylebone via Shrewsbury in April 2008, restoring ...
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NewsTouch & Travel by iPhone
GERMANY: DB is trialling a Touch & Travel ticketing application for use with Apple's iPhone smart phone. The application can use three forms of ticket validation and fare collection: automatic position determination, 2D bar codes or the input of touch point numbers. On long-distance ICE/IC and EC trains ticket purchasing ...
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NewsNortheast high speed opening
CHINA: The 111 km Changchun - Jilin Passenger-Dedicated Line opened on January 10, connecting Jilin province's two most prominent conurbations and Changchun's airport at Longjia. Intermediate stations at Jixi and Jiutai South are to open shortly. The line has an annual capacity of 23 million passengers, with 20 services in ...
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NewsEiffage wins LGV Bretagne PPP
FRANCE: Following an extraordinary board meeting on January 18, infrastructure manager RFF announced that it had selected Eiffage as preferred bidder to build LGV Bretagne – Pays de la Loire under a PPP deal valued at €3·4bn. The project covers construction of 214 km of new line, of which 182 ...
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NewsBreak of gauge no more
EUROPE: Opening of the new line between Perpignan and Figueres and completion of a €337m programme to provide a 1 435 mm gauge route for freight trains between Figueres and Barcelona Morrot has enabled 6 h to be cut from the transit time for intermodal services. Since December 21 ...
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NewsFlywheel railcar to operate demonstration commuter service
UK: A lightweight diesel railcar with flywheel energy storage is to operate a demonstration commuter service on the Mid-Hants heritage railway in southern England for four weeks during February. The Parry People Mover PPM50 will provide a peak commuter service from Medstead & Four Marks to Alton, where there is ...
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NewsReturn to Malanje marks Angolan railway revival
ANGOLA: Caminhos de Ferro de Luanda passenger and freight services returned to the city of Malanje after 18 years on January 13, following rehabilitation of the 424 km line from Luanda. Passenger trains are scheduled to take 9 to 10 h with one stop at Ndalatando, and around 300 ...
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NewsFirst phase of Hainan Island high speed ring opens
CHINA: The high speed line down the east coast of the island province of Hainan was officially opened on December 30, with a ceremony which also launched construction of a second phase along the west coast which will form a high speed rail ring around the island. The initial line ...
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NewsDB orders double-deck trains for long-distance services
GERMANY: Deutsche Bahn has awarded Bombardier Transportation a €362m contract to supply 137 Twindexx 2010 coaches and 27 Traxx P160AC electric locomotives to enter service from the end of 2013. While DB Regio uses around 2 000 double-deck cars on regional services, the contract announced on January 12 is DB's ...
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NewsVeolia awarded Bayern to Austria operating contract
GERMANY: Bayern transport procurement body Bayerische Eisenbahngesellschaft has selected Veolia Transport's German subsidiary Veolia Verkehr for a 12-year contract to operate E-Netz Rosenheim regional services from December 2013. Expected to generate total revenues of €1bn, the contract awarded in December covers services previously operated by DB on two routes between ...
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NewsTaiwan Railway Administration orders tilting trains
TAIWAN: Japanese suppliers Sumitomo Corp and Nippon Sharyo confirmed on January 6 that they had signed a NT$10·6bn contract to supply Taiwan Railway Administration with 17 inter-city tilting trainsets capable of operation at 150 km/h. Under the deal agreed on December 31, the eight-car EMUs are due to be delivered ...
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NewsFrench regions order more Régiolis trains
FRANCE: Alstom Transport announced orders for a further 22 Coradia Polyvalent regional multiple-units on January 4, firm contracts within the framework agreement which the manufacturer signed with SNCF in October 2009. The latest orders are worth €125m and cover 10 Régiolis units for the Poitou-Charentes region and 12 for Auvergne. ...
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NewsCompletion of Ankara - Konya high speed line is significant step
TURKEY: The first passenger train on TCDD's new Ankara - Konya high speed line ran on December 17, marking another significant step in the country's rail development. International Affairs Director Ibrahim Ceslik says revenue services are expected to begin in early 2011, following the formal completion of the line at ...
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NewsSiemens wins first Vectron order
EUROPE: Siemens Mobility announced on December 22 that it had signed the first contract for supply of new locomotives from its modular Vectron family. München-based leasing company Railpool GmbH has ordered six locos for use on passenger and freight services in Germany and Austria. The contracts were signed at the ...
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NewsPassenger trains to return to Norfolk
USA: Virginia’s Governor Bob McDonnell announced on December 20 that daily inter-city passenger trains will return to Norfolk within three years, restoring regular services to the Hampton Roads region for the first time since 1977. The announcement followed the signing of an agreement between the Commonwealth of Virginia and ...