Passenger rail news – Page 257
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News
First Great Western admits franchise breach
UK: Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly announced on February 26 that the government was taking action to deal with 'unacceptably high' levels of train cancellations at First Great Western, issuing the operator with a Remedial Plan Notice. Cancellations during the second half of 2007 exceeded the threshhold marking a breach of ...
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São Paulo airport concession
BRAZIL: Bids are to be invited in May for a 35-year concession to build and operate the long-planned Airport Express rail link in São Paulo, with the aim of having the line in service by the end of 2011. The state government hopes to receive bids for the US$800m finance-design-build-operate ...
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Shanghai - Nanjing link approved
CHINA: The National Development & Reform Commission has formally approved the construction of a 300 km high speed line between Shanghai and Nanjing at a cost of 39·5bn yuan. The project is to be funded by the two cities, the province of Jiangsu and the Ministry of Railways. Construction is ...
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Sprinter on the start line
NETHERLANDS: Harry Hondius MSc rides the first of NS Reizigers' new-generation of Sprinter EMUs, which are due to enter service between Den Haag and Utrecht this year.
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FGC completes upgrade
SPAIN: On February 9 Catalan regional operator FGC introduced a new timetable on its metre-gauge route to Martorell, Igualada and Manresa, having completed a €264·7m programme of capacity enhancements to enable trains to operate every 5 min in the peaks between Barcelona Plaça d'Espanya and Martorell-Enllaç. Trains now operate every ...
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News'The nightmare scenario'
Thalys International's Chief Executive Jean-Michel Dancoisne explains how capacity constraints and cross-border regulatory inconsistency risk making his job anything but a dream.
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Running faster in the Netherlands
NETHERLANDS: Transport Minister Camiel Eurlings published on January 21 a discussion paper on reducing journey times for inter-regional passenger services. He has reserved €70m for this, budgeting €40m for infrastructure improvements and €30m for increasing the maximum speed from 140 to 160 km/h. Four routes have been upgraded in the ...
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NewsAn idea on the move
The Golden State's proposed 1 100 km high speed rail network would be the most expensive and ambitious public works project in California's history. If voters endorse the project in November, the initial phase could open in 2019.
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Smart card difficulties
AUSTRALIA: Sydney's plans to introduce contactless ticketing have been dealt a severe blow after the New South Wales government terminated its contract with supplier ERG. The NSW government had pledged to deliver smart card ticketing by the start of the 2000 Olympic Games, but a series of delays and technical ...
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UIC Highspeed 2008 looks to the future
Under the patronage of European Commission Vice-President Jacques Barrot and the Mayor of Amsterdam Job Cohen, and with the support of the United Nations, UIC is organising the sixth world congress on high speed rail. UIC Highspeed 2008 is being jointly hosted by the main players in the Netherlands rail ...
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Fast track to sustainable mobility
High Speed Rail is firmly established as an attractive and environmentally-friendly transport mode. The UIC Highspeed 2008 conference in Amsterdam on March 17-19 will debate the technical, political, commercial and environmental issues that will shape the evolution of high speed rail travel over the next few years
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NewsSiemens scoops Brussels RER order
BELGIUM: SNCB confirmed on March 12 that its board had the previous week selected Siemens as its preferred bidder to supply up to 300 trainsets for the Brussels RER network. A firm contract for the first batch of 95 trains is to be placed before Easter, with options that could ...
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Helsinki airport rail link awaits approval
FINLAND: The cabinet is expected to give approval shortly for the planned Ring Rail Line which will provide a link between the capital's main station and Helsinki-Vantaa airport. Tenders will be called in mid-2009, with completion scheduled for early 2014 at a cost of €512m. The state budget has allocated ...
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Jungfrau fast link
Swiss mountain railway operator Jungfraubahnen has appointed Bern civil engineering consultancy IUB to look into the feasibility of building a funicular or fast lift between the Lauter-brunnen Valley and Jungfraujoch station, situated 3 454 m above sea level near the summit of the famous mountain. Passengers would use the existing ...
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Loco roll-out
USA: Pennsylvania-based mining and industrial locomotive builder Brookville Equipment Corp has unveiled the first of 16 BL20GH diesels it is supplying for freight and commuter services in the New York area. Six are for Connecticut Department of Transportation, six for Metro North and four for use on Staten Island. The ...
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NewsScotland: ‘We are more hands-on’
Devolution of power from the UK to the Scottish Government has enabled Scotland to formulate its own transport strategy. Andrew Grantham asked Chief Executive of Transport Scotland Malcolm Reed about the future direction of Scotland’s railways
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NewsCzech passenger reform
CZECH REPUBLIC: On January 9 the government approved in principle the Ministry of Transport's plans to hive off the passenger division of Czech Railways as a wholly-owned subsidiary company. The Ministry will complete detailed studies by the end of October, and the restructuring is to be completed by the end ...
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NewsWraps come off the AGV
Built by Alstom on a speculative basis, the seven-car AGV demonstrator was unveiled to French President Nicolas Sarkozy on February 5. Murray Hughes reports from La Rochelle
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NewsAn open passenger market beckons
The European market for international passenger services will be opened up to competition from January 2010. Murray Hughes investigates what preparations are being made
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NewsAlstom withdraws from IEP
ALSTOM has notified the UK's Department for Transport that it is withdrawing from the Intercity Express Programme to supply the UK's next-generation of inter-city train. 'Alstom follows a specific process in assessing potential business opportunities, based on financial and technical input', a spokesman told Railway Gazette International. 'After a ...