Passenger rail news – Page 233
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NewsChannel Tunnel working group investigates shorter trains
EUROPE: Eurotunnel is in discussions with the Intergovernmental Commission over amendments to the safety regulations which restrict the types of train permitted to use the tunnel, notably the requirement that trains should be capable of being split in an emergency and driven out separately. The company has now set up ...
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NewsStadler wins Belarus train contract
BELARUS: Stadler Rail signed its first contract in the former USSR on March 19, with a €60m deal to supply 10 Flirt electric multiple-units to Belarus Railways. Six units are intended for used on local services in Minsk, while four will have a more comfortable interior for longer-distance routes. The ...
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NewsAll systems go as Gautrain prepares for World Cup opening
SOUTH AFRICA: Test running has started in earnest on the 20 km first phase of the Gautrain line between Sandton and OR Tambo International Airport. Opening has been set for June 8, subject to a final technical 'go/no-go' decision in April. The original timescale would have seen the Bombela consortium ...
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NewsSuburban growth in Spain
SPAIN: As it assumes greater responsibility for the management of suburban services in Barcelona, the Catalunya regional government has signed an agreement with ADIF and the Ministry of Development guaranteeing train paths over the next five years. Targets for network availability, reliability and incident management will be set in a ...
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NewsLondon - Birmingham starts high speed railway to the north
UK: Transport Secretary Lord Adonis published the government's high speed rail strategy on March 11, setting out details of a planned 400 km/h high speed railway between London and Birmingham which could open by 2026 as the first part of a Y-shaped network serving Leeds and Manchester. The route developed ...
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NewsIsrael Railways orders second batch of Siemens coaches
ISRAEL: On March 9 Siemens Mobility signed a €47m contract to supply Israel Railways with a further 31 Viaggio Light coaches, as a follow-on to the initial 2006 order for 87 cars which included options for a further 585. The latest cars will delivered from Wien in ...
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NewsTalgos on test for Moscow - Europe services
RUSSIA: By the end of April the Shcherbinka research centre near Moscow will complete tests which aim to assess whether Talgo automatic gauge-changing technology could be used under Russian conditions. Coaches supplied by the Spanish firm will also undergo running trials on the Moscow - St Petersburg and Moscow - ...
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NewsDSB buys into German passenger market
GERMANY: Danish national railway DSB has acquired 50% stake in Frankfurt-based regional train operator VIAS GmbH, giving it a foothold in the German market which it will use to bid for future operating contracts. Subject to regulatory approval the deal will be completed by May. 'VIAS is a well run ...
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NewsVeolia strengthens position
GERMANY: With the December timetable change NordWestBahn took over Niers-Rhein-Emscher-Netz services under a 16-year contract with the Rhein-Ruhr transport authority which is expected to generate total revenue of €500m. The contract will be expanded at the end of this year with the addition of services from Oberhausen to Duisburg-Ruhrort and ...
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NewsMetrolink's Crash Energy Management coaches arrive
USA: The first two of 117 double-deck coaches incorporating Crash Energy Management being supplied by Hyundai Rotem to southern California commuter operator Metrolink under a $229m contract were unloaded at the Port of Long Beach on March 2. The initial pair of cars were built in South Korea, but the ...
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NewsOregon joins Wisconsin to get better price on Talgos
USA: Oregon Department of Transportation has announced an $36·6m order for two 13-car passenger trainsets to be supplied by Talgo America for use on Amtrak's Cascades service from 2012. The Eugene - Vancouver route is currently operated using three Talgo Pendular 200 sets owned by the state of Washington and ...
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NewsAngel Trains in Grand Central HST sale and lease-back deal
UK: Rolling stock leasing company Angel Trains has bought three High Speed Train sets from Sovereign Trains, sister company of open access operator Grand Central Railway. The inter-city diesel trains will be leased back to the operator under a contract running to December 2016, Angel Trains announced on March 2. ...
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NewsJR-East prepares to test Series E6
JAPAN: East Japan Railway confirmed in February that it expects to take delivery in July of its first pre-production Series E6 mini-shinkansen trainset, designed for 320 km/h operation on the Tohoku Shinkansen route. The train will undergo an extensive testing and commissioning programme before entering revenue service in March 2013 ...
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NewsNetanyahu’s rail expansion plans approved
ISRAEL: The Ministry of Transport & Road Safety announced on February 24 that the government had approved the US$7·2bn first phase of the ‘Israel Ways’ transport investment package, promoted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Transport Minister Yisrael Katz. The ambitious plan originally envisaged expenditure of US$14bn ...
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NewsZS awards first of three train contracts
SERBIA: ZS has selected Russian firm Metrowagonmash to supply 10 two-car diesel multiple-units for regional and suburban services. These will form the first of three batches of rolling stock being procured to modernise the national railway’s passenger fleet. The order is being partly funded by a ...
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NewsSmart and secure
TICKETING: Four major players in the smart card ticketing sector have launched a joint initiative to drive smart media convergence around a common open standard. Card manufacturers Giesecke & Devrient and Oberthur Technologies have teamed up with chip suppliers Infineon Technologies and Inside Contactless. They are encouraging other companies in ...
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NewsHessische Landesbahn orders Coradia DMUs
GERMANY: Alstom Transport announced a €65m order to supply Hessische Landesbahn with a further 23 two-car Coradia Lint 41 diesel multiple-units on February 26. HLB ordered the units through Hannover Mobilien Leasing after being selected by the Rhein-Main transport authority to operate regional services between Limburg, Gießen, Fulda and Gersfeld ...
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NewsNo IEP contract before election, Adonis confirms
UK: A contract to supply the next generation of long-distance trains under the Intercity Express Programme will not be signed before the upcoming general election, it was confirmed on February 26. In a written statement, Secretary of State for Transport Lord Andrew Adonis said that since the programme was launched ...
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NewsNothing rotten in the state aid of Denmark
DENMARK: National railway DSB is not being over-compensated for services operated under public service contracts which the government awarded without tendering, the European Commission announced on February 24. The Commission launched an inquiry into DSB’s 2000-04 and 2005-14 contracts in response to complaints from Gråhundbus and Dansk ...
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NewsFirst Régio2N double-deck train order signed
FRANCE: SNCF has signed the firm order for the first 80 Régio2N high-capacity double-deck electric multiple-units, Bombardier Transportation announced on February 24. The order was placed on behalf of the regions which are funding the units, and is the first within a framework agreement for up to 860 sets worth ...