Passenger rail news – Page 228
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NewsEurostar picks Velaro to expand fleet
EUROPE: Recently-restructured cross-Channel operator Eurostar International is understood to have selected Siemens as preferred bidder to supply additional trainsets to operate an expanded route network, with the decision due to be confirmed at a board meeting on October 1. Eurostar has been looking for some time at introducing services to ...
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NewsTrenitalia signs V300ZEFIRO high speed train contract
ITALY: Trenitalia signed a contract for 50 V300ZEFIRO high speed trains on September 30, having selected the joint bid from Bombardier Transportation and AnsaldoBreda on August 5. Award of the contract had been delayed pending a legal challenge from losing bidder Alstom Transport. Designated ETR 1000, the trains are due ...
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NewsAmtrak proposes Northeast Corridor high speed line
USA: Amtrak has set out a vision of a 680 km 'world class' high speed line to increase capacity on its Northeast Corridor, cutting Washington - Boston journey times from more than 6½ h to around 3 h. The 'concept plan' published on September 28 would see the line ...
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NewsZürich local railway orders dual-voltage units
SWITZERLAND: Sihltal Zürich Uetlibergbahn has ordered six Stadler Rail three-section articulated electric multiple-units to increase capacity on its Zürich local services from 2013. The dual-voltage Be510 units will be equipped to run on 1·2 kV DC on route S10 and 15 kV AC on S4. They will have a top ...
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NewsDesiro RUS goes local
RUSSIA: Russian Railways President Vladimir Yakunin and Siemens Mobility CEO Hans-Jörg Grundmann signed a contract on September 21 for the German supplier to build a further 16 Desiro RUS electric multiple-units. Worth €170m, the deal follows an earlier contract for 38 trainsets valued at €410m. Whereas the first batch of ...
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NewsElves with an ELF
INNOTRANS: Polish rolling stock manufacturer Pesa celebrated the launch of its ELF electric multiple-unit for commuter and regional services on September 21. The unit on display in Berlin is one of eight ordered by the Polish voivodship of Slaskie. Its four articulated cars give a total length of 75.25 m ...
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NewsMajor contract award for LGV Est Phase 2
FRANCE: RFF has awarded a major civil works contract for Phase 2 of LGV Est européene, the high speed line connecting Paris with Strasbourg. The 7∙5 km Lot 47 is to be built by the Dodin Campenon Bernard Construction joint venture including Spie Batignolles, Vinci and Cegelec under a contract ...
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NewsBirmingham seeks RENFE energy savings
SPAIN: The University of Birmingham in the UK is to develop energy-saving concepts for high speed and commuter rolling stock under a reseach agreement signed with national operator RENFE on September 16. The agreement is expected to last three years and was signed in Madrid by RENFE President Teófilo Serrano ...
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NewsCross-border upgrade
EUROPE: The heads of the German and Polish national railways met in Warszawa on September 8 to discuss improvements to cross-border co-operation, including plans for high speed services from Berlin to Poznan. The meeting was hosted by DB Chief Executive Rüdiger Grube and his PKP counterpart Andrzej Wach. Agreement was ...
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NewsFrecciarossa flies to Malpensa
ITALY: Celebrations on September 13 marked the start of high speed through trains linking Milano’s Malpensa Airport with cities along the north-south AV corridor. FS Group Chief Executive Mauro Moretti rode the first train to the airport, together with the President of Lombardia Roberto Forminoni, city councillor for Infrastructure ...
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NewsDeutsche Bahn retained
GERMANY: The Hannover, Niedersachsen and Westfalen-Lippe transport authorities have jointly selected incumbent DB Regio to operate Hannover S-Bahn services from December 2012. The contract runs for eight years and covers the operation of around 8·5 million train–km a year on seven routes. Along with Bremen, the authorities have also selected ...
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NewsCommuter trains return to Dunboyne
IRELAND: On September 3, Iarnród Éireann operated the first scheduled passenger services to Dunboyne since 1947 with the opening of the 7∙5 km double-track line from Clonsilla to M3 Parkway. Representing an investment of €160m under the Transport 21 investment programme, the project marks the first phase of a ...
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NewsEurostar restructuring completed
EUROPE: The long-planned restructuring of Eurostar, the cross-Channel high speed rail operator, was formally completed on September 1, the company has confirmed. The restructuring has seen the unincorporated tri-national partnership under which Eurostar was created replaced by Eurostar International, a conventional three-way joint venture with its own ...
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NewsRoyal ceremony marks Botniabanan opening
SWEDEN: A ceremony in Kramfors on August 28 attended by King Carl XVI Gustaf marked the start of a rolling inauguration of the Botniabanan in northeast Sweden. A royal train then left for Örnsköldsvik and Nordmaling, where further celebrations were held, before it reached Umeå in the evening. Revenue passenger ...
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NewsDeutsche Bahn completes Arriva takeover
EUROPE: Deutsche Bahn announced the completion of its acquisition of Arriva on August 27, following the registration of necessary court orders. DB UK Holding Ltd has acquired all the shares of Arriva plc, which is now its wholly-owned subsidiary. The German national railway company said it will conduct its ...
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NewsBenex arranges funding for train purchase
GERMANY: A consortium of Hamburger Sparkasse and KfW IPEX-Bank signed an agreement worth more than €74m to fund the acquisition of 12 Stadler trains for BeNEX on August 24. The rolling stock is needed for the Netz Stadtbahn regional operating contracts in Berlin-Brandenburg which were awarded in 2009 to Ostdeutsche ...
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NewsSakura stars at depot launch
JAPAN: The first of 10 Series N700-8000 Shinkansen trainsets being supplied to JR Kyushu was put on display when the operator unveiled its new rolling stock maintenance depot at Kumamoto on Sunday August 22. Being built as part of the second phase of the Kyushu Shinkansen, the new depot ...
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NewsTrenitalia awards contract for 50 high speed trains
ITALY: Trenitalia has selected a joint bid from Bombardier Transportation and AnsaldoBreda for a contract to supply 50 high speed trainsets. The board met on August 5 to approve the order, which should see a prototype completed within 300 days and entry into service by 2013. As well as ...
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NewsBatu Caves by KTMB
MALAYSIA: Pilgrims and tourists wanting to visit the Batu Caves and temple complex north of Kuala Lumpur can now use the KTMB Komuter service from Sentul following the opening of Batu Caves station at the end of July. The 520m ringgit project to double-track and electrify the existing 7·5 ...
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NewsToronto airport rail link negotiations collapse
CANADA: Toronto regional transport agency Metrolinx has taken over the project to provide a 'premium express rail shuttle' to Pearson International Airport, following the failure to finalise a contract with the Union Pearson Air -Link Group subsidiary of SNC-Lavalin which was selected for a finance, build and operate concession in ...