Passenger rail news – Page 251
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NewsVeolia to run S-Bahn from 2010
GERMANY: The NordWestBahn subsidiary of Veolia Transport has been selected to manage the future Regio-S-Bahn services in Bremen and Niedersachsen from December 2010. Niedersachsen transport authority LNVG confirmed Veolia as the winner after Deutsche Bahn withdrew an appeal against conditions in the call for tenders. Veolia said it is ...
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NewsRail-air competition hots up
EUROPE: We have long argued that there is considerable scope for high speed trains to replace short-haul flights between cities up to 1 000 km apart. Notable examples include SNCF's TGVs linking Paris with Lyon, Rennes and Avignon, Thalys between Paris and Brussels, and Eurostar on the London - Paris ...
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NewsZürich double-deck order confirmed
SWITZERLAND: On September 2 Siemens and Bombardier confirmed they had received a previously-announced €189m order to supply 121 low-floor intermediate double-deck coaches. SBB will receive 113 of the coaches to lengthen existing Zürich S-Bahn trainsets, while eight will go to the Sihltal Zurich Uetliberg Bahn. Deliveries will run from ...
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NewsAGV: Testing times ahead
Alstom's AGV demonstrator faces a lengthy programme of testing and approvals before the first trains enter revenue service in 2011. Technical Director François Lacôte talks to Chris Jackson in Velim.
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Toronto airport link edges closer
CANADA: The Ontario government is holding talks with engineering group SNC Lavalin to revive plans for a rail link between Toronto's Union Station and Pearson international airport. The company won a concession to build and operate the project five years ago (RG 7.03 p417). But progress stalled because of ...
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Railjet on test
AUSTRIA: Testing has begun of the first Railjet push-pull trainsets to be delivered to Austrian Federal Railways (RG 11.07 p713). ÖBB placed a €245m order for an intial 23 trains with Siemens in February 2006, excercising a €571m option for a further 44 in September 2007. The first two ...
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NewsSBB to buy 32 FLIRT trains
SWITZERLAND: The board of Swiss Federal Railways has exercised options with Stadler for a further 32 FLIRT trainsets, to be used on services in Vaud, Ticino and Basel from 2010. The SFr418·6m order includes 19 FLIRT units for RER Vaudois services from Lausanne, and two trainsets for Regio S-Bahn ...
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NewsNTV targets 20% market share by 2015
'Congratulations on your initiative!' Endorsing the public launch of Europe's first private-sector high speed train operator at a press conference in Roma on July 15, newly-appointed European Transport Commissioner Antonio Tajani welcomed the arrival on the scene of Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori. 'We cannot but be happy with the development ...
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NewsSNCF takes up the TER 2030 challenge
FRANCE: Setting an ambitious target of quadrupling local passenger traffic, SNCF has brought stakeholders together to examine the future of its regional networks.
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NewsCalifornia high speed vote to go ahead
USA: On August 26 Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill adding financial protections to the High-Speed Train Bond Act which will Californians will vote on in the November 4 ballot. Replacing Proposition 1 on the ballot, Proposition 1A requires a peer-reviewed financial plan before the $9·95bn of bond money ...
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NewsPolish high speed rail plan
POLAND: The government’s high speed rail committee has approved a draft programme and environmental impact study for the development of high speed rail services. The proposals envisage the construction of a Y-shaped network totalling 500 km. A line would run from Warszawa though Łódź to Kalisz, where ...
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NewsGreat Wall train launched in Beijing
CHINA: To coincide with the Olympic Games an upgraded passenger service has been introduced between Beijing and the popular tourist destination of Badaling, the nearest section of the Great Wall to the capital. Launched on August 7, the 16 daily Line S2 services takes around 1 h 20 min ...
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NewsNSB selects Stadler for largest train order
NORWAY: In the state railway's largest single rolling stock order, on August 18 NSB selected Stadler to supply 50 FLIRT electric multiple-units worth SFr640m, with an option for a further 100. The contract is expected to be signed during September. The Swiss manufacturer will deliver 26 five-car trains with ...
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NewsSouth Central franchise shortlist announced
UK: On August 20 the Department for Transport announced the shortlisted bidders for the South Central rail franchise, which covers passenger services south of London. The bidders are NedRailways South Central (NedRailways), NXSC Trains (National Express Group), Southern Trains (Stagecoach Group) and incumbent Southern Railway (Govia). The ...
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NewsBombardier to supply electro-diesel locos
NORTH AMERICA: Bombardier has been selected to supply New Jersey Transit and Montréal suburban operator AMT with a total of 46 electro-diesel locomotives for commuter services. Announced on August 18, the €178m order from NJ Transit covers 26 locomotives with options for a further 63. These will ...
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NewsSwedish studies launched
SWEDEN: Banverket has reached agreement with the local authorities in Västra Götaland, Jönköping and Östsam to undertake a preliminary study of the proposed Götalandsbanan line between Borås and Linköping, which w ould form part of the proposed Stockholm - Göteborg high speed line. The study is intended to identify ...
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NewsPKP seeks 250 km/h trains
POLAND: PKP Intercity has called tenders for the supply and maintenance of 20 electric multiple-units capable of operating at up to 250 km/h. Bids are due by September 25, and PKP Intercity expects to take delivery of the first 14 trains by May 2012, with the rest to arrive ...
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NewsWSP appointed Trinidad rail project manager
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO: Consultancy WSP has been appointed to provide national infrastructure agency NIDCO with technical services during the construction of the Trinidad rapid railway. WSP will act as project manager for the design, build, operate and maintain contract which the government awarded to the Trinitrain consortium of Bouygues ...
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NewsLoco modernisation demonstrated
POLAND: Electric locomotive repair works ZNLE has recently completed a thorough modernisation of an EU07 electric locomotive. There are more than 450 locos of this class in service in Poland, and the contractors hope to win significant volumes of work if they can offer PKP an affordable refurbishment programme. The ...
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NewsInter-regional coach refurbishment
CZECH REPUBLIC: Slovak firm ZOS Trnava has completed the first of 40 Type Bee second class and Type Apee first class coaches which are being modernised for Czech Railways under a KC1·2bn contract. All 40 are scheduled to be delivered by November. Intended for use on fast inter-regional services running ...