Passenger rail news – Page 245
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NewsPassenger services in Botswana to end
BOTSWANA: Botswana Railways' passenger service is to be suspended with effect from April 1, the Ministry of Works & Transport announced on February 25. The overnight train between Francistown and Lobatse accounts for less than 10% of BR's operating revenues, and loses P30m a year which has until now been ...
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NewsHS2 on the fast track
UK: Public consultation for the route of a high speed line from London to the West Midlands and eventually Scotland is expected to start next year. Announcing this in the keynote address at Railway Gazette International’s conference on Growth & the Capacity Challenge on March 10, Transport Minister Lord Andrew ...
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NewsArriva awarded Czech operating contract
EUROPE: Arriva's Vogtlandbahn subsidiary has been awarded a contract to operate regional passenger services on the 56 km line linking the Czech towns of Liberec, Varnsdorf and Rybniste via Zittau and Seifhennersdorf in Germany. Running for 10 years from December 2010, the contract was awarded jointly by the Liberec ...
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NewsThameslink Programme starts to take off
UK: ‘We are about to break cover’, commented Andrew Mitchell following a presentation to the Institution of Engineering & Technology in London on February 10. As Network Rail’s Major Programme Director for the Thameslink Programme, he is looking forward to March 22, when the past four years of preparation for ...
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NewsHigh speed frenzy follows election
USA: Not surprisingly, a request for expressions of interest to develop high speed rail corridors has attracted a considerable degree of attention, despite the country’s poor track record with privately-funded projects and the limited prospects for such schemes going ahead in the current economic climate. Legislation passed by Congress last ...
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NewsMore EMUs for Queensland
AUSTRALIA: Bombardier Transportation and joint venture partner Downer EDI Rail announced an A$205m order from the Queensland government for a further 20 three-car SMU260 commuter EMUs on March 9. Deliveries of the 130 km/h units are scheduled to run from August 2010 to December 2011, bringing the total number ...
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NewsIarnród Éireann orders DMUs
IRELAND: Iarnród Éireann has placed a €140 order for 51 DMU cars with a partnership of Mitsui, Hyundai Rotem and Tokyu Car Corp. The vehicles will be delivered in the second half of 2011 for use on longer distance commuter services into Dublin from Dundalk, Kildare and Longford. They ...
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NewsFree travel marks opening of Epping - Chatswood link
AUSTRALIA: The Epping to Chatswood rail link in the northern suburbs of Sydney opened on February 23, with New South Wales Premier Nathan Rees joining state Transport Minister David Campbell to ride the first train. The link is currently being operated as an Epping - Chatswood shuttle, with trains ...
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NewsVictorians seek more VLocity
AUSTRALIA: The Victoria state government has awarded Bombardier Transportation a €75m contract to supply a further 32 VLocity DMU cars. They will be delivered in 2010-11 as a mix of two and three car sets. VLocity DMUs entered service on 1 600 mm gauge V/Line Passenger routes between ...
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NewsQuébec - Windsor high speed study contract placed
CANADA: The governments of Québec, Ontario and Canada have awarded the EcoTrain consortium a C$3m contract to update previous feasibility studies for high speed rail services along the Québec - Windsor corridor, Transport Canada announced on February 23. EcoTrain comprises Dessau, MMM Group, KPMG, Wilbur Smith & Associates and ...
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NewsGKB signs €50m Stadler DMU order
AUSTRIA: Graz-Köflacher Bahn placed a €50m order for 13 Stadler GTW 2/8 diesel multiple-units on February 20. Deliveries will run from the second half of 2010 to the end of 2011. The Land of Steiermark is meeting 25% of the cost of the three-section DMUs, which will be deployed ...
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NewsBombardier to announce second-generation Electrostar
UK: Bombardier Transportation will unveil design studies for its second generation of Electrostar EMU at the Railtex 2009 exhibition, which is to be held in London on March 10-12. The Electrostar family has become the most successful post-privatisation EMU in the British market, with more than 1 600 ...
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NewsJR East announces hybrid train fleet
JAPAN: East Japan Railway is to introduce a further 10 diesel-battery hybrid DMUs in autumn 2010. The announcement follows the success of three Kiha E200 single-car units developed with Hitachi and launched on the Koumi line in July 2007. The 10 additional DMUs will be used on services ...
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NewsSuccessful tests on Bangkok airport line
THAILAND: Minister of Transport, Sophon Zarum, and State Railway of Thailand Chairman Youtdana Tupcharoen travelled on test run of Bangkok's Airport Express on February 12. In 2005 SRT awarded Siemens Mobility and Thai partners B Grimm and Sino Thai Engineering & Construction the contract to build a 28 km ...
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NewsSeries E5 design unveiled
JAPAN: East Japan Railway unveiled the exterior and designs for its next generation of Shinkansen trains on February 3. A pre-production Series E5 trainset is due to be rolled out in June for testing, as a precursor for the fleet to operate between Tokyo and Shin Aomori following the opening ...
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NewsAgility Trains to supply Super Express fleet
UK: Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon announced on February 12 that the Agility Trains consortium of Hitachi, John Laing and Barclays has been selected as preferred bidder for the supply of ‘up to 1 400’ vehicles as part of the government-led Intercity Express Programme. Under the £7·5bn train service provision ...
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NewsGO Transit orders 20 more locos
CANADA: Toronto area commuter operator GO Transit has placed a US$85m order for a further 20 MPXpress diesel locomotives. The contract announced by the MotivePower subsidiary of Wabtec on February 10 is an option on an original order for 27 of the 3 600 hp locomotives, which are now ...
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NewsAl Rajhi wins Makkah - Madinah civils contract
SAUDI ARABIA: The Al Rajhi Alliance has won the 6·79bn riyal design and build contract for civil works on the Haramain High Speed Rail project. Work is scheduled to begin in March on the 444 km high speed line linking the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah ...
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NewsMelbourne orders 20 more X'Trapolis EMUs
AUSTRALIA: Premier of Victoria John Brumby announced on February 6 that the state government had exercised an option for a further 20 six-car Alstom X'Trapolis suburban EMUs. The €170m order is an option on a €160m January 2008 contract for 18 units. They will be used in Melbourne, where 58 ...
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NewsThalys metamorphosis
REFURBISHMENT: With a dramatic laser show and wreaths of smoke, the first refurbished Thalys trainset was presented to a select group of VIPs and invited guests at the Forest TGV depot in Brussels last month.