Passenger rail news – Page 3
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NewsCzech narrow gauge railways to get new operators
CZECH REPUBLIC: Passenger services have restarted on part of the narrow gauge network centred on Jindřichův Hradec following financial problems at operator JHMD. Meanwhile, an agreement has been reached for operation of the Osoblaha line to be transferred from national operator ČD to a group of ...
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Rail Business UKHitachi to develop multimodal journey planning and booking system for Wales
UK: Transport for Wales has awarded Hitachi a contract to provide a bespoke Mobility-as-a-Service digital planning and booking system covering public transport in Wales. The app and back-office will cover rail, local bus, TrawsCymru regional bus and Fflecsi demand-responsive bus services, as well as micromobility bikes ...
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NewsUkraine to order more South Korean trainsets
UKRAINE: National railway Ukrzaliznytsia is negotiating to buy a further 20 Hyundai Rotem electric trainsets for Intercity+ branded services. The planned order is valued at around US$450m, including five years of maintenance, It would be financed via a preferential loan from South Korea’s Economic Development Co-operation ...
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NewsCross-border complexity puts brakes on Nightjet expansion
EUROPE: Further expansion of Austrian Federal Railways’ Nightjet overnight train network beyond the routes already announced is on hold amid ongoing operational and approvals challenges, according to ÖBB.
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NewsGrand Est cross-border fleet poised to enter service
EUROPE: Passengers in France’s Grand Est région travelling to and from destinations in Germany will soon be riding on a fleet of 30 electro-diesel Régiolis TFA trainsets built specifically for cross-border services. Unveiled on August 27 by regional President Franck Leroy and Transport Minister for Baden-Württemberg ...
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NewsIncoming Mexican President commits to passenger rail revival
MEXICO: President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum has unveiled her ‘100 Steps for Transformation’ programme which contains the revitalisation of passenger rail services on three major corridors, totalling 3 000 km in length. The three services announced earlier this summer are among the seven routes totalling 8 000 km ...
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NewsEl Insurgente passenger trains reach Mexico City
MEXICO: The El Insurgente suburban rail service has reached the western edge of Mexico City.
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NewsApp trial to help blind and low vision passengers navigate Boston stations
USA: The NaviLens smart phone navigation app for visually impaired people is being tested on Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s Boston commuter rail network. Users scan brightly coloured QR-style codes posted in the stations, and the app will then help them find the correct platform, provide real-time ...
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In depthComment: Contrasting approaches to fixing things
The transport ministers of Britain and Germany are taking contrasting approaches to addressing the problems facing their railways. Dr Volker Wissing believes management reorganisation cannot solve DB’s problems, but his counterpart Louise Haigh is taking the opposite view with Labour’s rail reforms. Nick Kingsley suggests they could learn much from each other.
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NewsGotthard Base Tunnel fully reopens after derailment damage is repaired
SWITZERLAND: The 57 km Gotthard Base Tunnel has fully reopened, 389 days after a derailed freight train caused extensive damage to the slab track in the western bore of the world’s longest railway tunnel. ‘The Gotthard Base Tunnel is not only a connection between German-speaking Switzerland ...
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NewsVietnam plans rail reform as high speed line plan revived
VIETNAM: The Ministry of Transport has put forward proposals for rail reforms which aim to better meet local needs when planning transport infrastructure for 2030, and looking further ahead to 2050. Planning has also restarted for a much-discussed north-south 350 km/h high speed line. Under the ...
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Metro Report InternationalRhein-Ruhr fares reform to cut through the ‘tariff jungle’
GERMANY: Rhein-Ruhr transport association VRR is to implement its largest-ever fares reform in March 2025, aiming to clear the ‘tariff jungle’ by eliminating 500 of the current 650 ticket types and reducing the number of price levels from seven to three. VRR is committing to the ...
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Rail Business UKBill to take passenger train operations into the public sector makes progress
UK: The Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Bill received its third reading in the House of Commons on September 3, as the first major piece of legislation to pass through the Commons under the recently-elected Labour government. The bill would end the award of passenger train ...
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Rail Business UKStation safety campaign draws on behavioural science
UK: Avanti West Coast is using posters and signage to make station facilities such as lifts, stairs and handrails ‘speak directly to customers’ as part of a ‘Take care. Get there’ safety campaign. The approach has been developed with Richard Shotton who applies findings from psychology ...
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NewsHomburg – Zweibrücken railway reopening agreement signed
GERMANY: A financing and implementation agreement has been signed to enable the reopening of the Homburg – Zweibrücken line with the December 2028 timetable change ‘After years of discussions and negotiations a major step has now been taken for local public transport’, said Minister-President of Rheinland-Pfalz ...
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NewsEnhanced passenger information system ordered for Queensland EMUs
AUSTRALIA: Singapore-based ST Engineering’s Urban Solutions business is to provide an enhanced version of its AGIL passenger information system for the 65 six-car electric multiple-units that Downer is to supply under the Queensland Train Manufacturing Programme. ‘In addition to strengthening our presence in Australia, this contract ...
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Rail Business UKInterview: ‘There’s more to do but we have made excellent progress’
UK: TransPennine Express is ‘making moves in the right direction but we’re under no illusion there’s still much more we need to do‘, the operator’s Managing Director Chris Jackson tells Rail Business UK.
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NewsChannel Tunnel shuttle Entry/Exit System preparations completed
EUROPE: Channel Tunnel concessionaire Getlink has completed a €80m three-year programme of changes to its car and lorry shuttle train terminals at Folkestone and Coquelles ahead of the introduction of the EU Entry/Exit System, which is now scheduled for November 2024. EES is an automated system ...
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NewsMock-up aims to ensure Queensland trains are accessible to all
AUSTRALIA: A mock-up built by Allweld Manufacturing is being used to gather feedback from future users including train drivers, people with reduced mobility and cyclists to ensure that a future fleet of electric multiple-units will be accessible for all. In 2023 Downer beat CAF and Alstom ...
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NewsNarrow-bodied EMUs ordered for Swiss line with restricted clearances
SWITZERLAND: Swiss Federal Railways has awarded Stadler a SFr140m contract to supply 11 narrow-bodied electric multiple-units for use on Seetalbahn services from Luzern to Emmenbrücke and Lenzburg. The route between Emmenbrücke and Lenzburg was originally built partly as a roadside light railway, and vehicles are restricted ...