Passenger rail news – Page 35
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NewsGrand-Est launches regional express network
FRANCE: Passengers travelling in the Strasbourg area now have access to a much improved network of local rail services with effect from December 11 when the Réseau Express Métropolitain Européen was launched by local authorities and national operator SNCF. Driven by a ...
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NewsHigh speed line opening boosts international rail axis
GERMANY: ‘Stuttgart and Ulm are moving closer together, but also Paris and Budapest’, said Minister-President of Baden-Württemberg Winfried Kretschmann at the official inauguration of the 59∙6 km Wendlingen – Ulm high speed line two days before revenue services started with the December 11 timetable change. The importance ...
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NewsKing opens Norway’s longest railway tunnel
NORWAY: Bane Nor’s 22 km Follobanen high speed line between Oslo and Ski was officially opened by King Harald V on December 12, the day after the start of revenue operations with the annual European timetable change.
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NewsRailcoop makes progress with DMU fleet but passenger service launch remains elusive
FRANCE: Community interest open access operator Railcoop says that an initial audit by ACC-M of the X72500 diesel multiple-units it has acquired for its planned Lyon – Bordeaux service found that they are in good condition. Railcoop has taken on a fleet of nine DMUs from ...
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NewsKlagenfurt – Weizelsdorf line electrified
AUSTRIA: A €50m 18-month project to modernise and electrify the 12·1 km Klagenfurt – Weizelsdorf line was completed when the route re-opened for revenue services with the December 11 timetable change. The line is Route S3 of the Kärnten S-Bahn network. According to operator ÖBB, the ...
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NewsICE3neo enters passenger service
GERMANY: The first of 73 ICE3neo high speed trainsets that Siemens Mobility is supplying to Deutsche Bahn entered service on the Frankfurt – Köln line on December 5.
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Rail Business UKInterview: c2c focuses on climate and community
Sometimes misrepresented as a recently modernised operation, the c2c suburban business which runs trains between London and Essex is in need of investment. Managing Director Rob Mullen sets out his priorities to Nick Kingsley.
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NewsMOB to launch gauge-changing Montreux – Interlaken GoldenPass Express
SWITZERLAND: December 11 will mark the start of a long-awaited through service by luxury train between Interlaken and Montreux. Operated by Montreux-Oberland Bahn and BLS Lötschbergbahn, the gauge-changing GoldenPass Express service is expected to become a major attraction between the two lakeside resorts.
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In depthUSA: Electrification comes to Bay Area commuters
Caltrain is updating and electrifying one of the oldest commuter rail operations in the USA, which will bring a range of environmental and social benefits, as Executive Director Michelle Bouchard and Programme Manager Pranaya Shrestha explain to Dave Lustig.
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NewsRidership growth reduces Amtrak’s anticipated operating losses
USA: Amtrak launched major station and route upgrading projects and hired a record level of employees during the 2022 financial year, the company reported.
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NewsČD Night brand aims to raise the profile of sleeper trains
CZECH REPUBLIC: National operator České Dráhy has introduced the ČD Night brand with the aim of raising the profile of its overnight trains, ahead of the launch of a route from Praha to Zürich via Germany with the December timetable change. On October 24 the operator ...
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Rail Business UKGrand Union’s Carmarthen to London service approved
UK: The Office of Rail & Road has approved Grand Union Trains’ plans to launch an open access passenger service between London and southwest Wales using bi-mode trains with a high-quality interior including 2+1 seating in standard class. On December 1 ORR announced that it had ...
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NewsCRRC delivers coaches to Pakistan
PAKISTAN: CRRC Tangshan has delivered a batch of 46 broad-gauge long-distance coaches for Pakistan Railways. CRRC Tangshan was awarded a Rs31bn contract in November 2021 to supply 230 long-distance coaches and spare parts to Pakistan Railways. Arriving in Karachi by ship on ...
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Rail Business UKHolistic design concepts rethink train interiors for sustainability
UK: PriestmanGoode has unveiled Green Carriage, a collection of train interior design concepts developed to ’push boundaries for greener systems and processes across the entire interior, rethinking what a future interior can be’. The transport design consultancy’s ‘reductive, modular and circular’ approach takes a holistic view ...
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NewsCommuter trains to combine Finnish design with Swiss engineering
FINLAND: National operator VR has awarded Stadler a €250m contract to supply 20 electric multiple-units for entry into service on commuter routes from spring 2026, with options for 50 more and full maintenance. VR’s three priorities when tendering the contract were energy efficiency, a proven track ...
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NewsNovel interior layout in next-generation Paris RER fleet
FRANCE: Paris regional transport authority Ile-de-France-Mobilités and Alstom unveiled the first RER NG EMU at Valenciennes Petite-Forêt on November 22.
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NewsChinese panoramic rack train rolled out
CHINA: CRRC Ziyang has unveiled a rack trainset for a 129 km metre-gauge railway being built to link Dujiangyan with a panda reserve and the Mount Siguniang scenic tourist area in Sichuan province. The four-car 1·5 kV DC electric multiple-unit which was rolled out on November ...
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Rail Business UKPassenger numbers at UK’s busiest station still less than half of pre-pandemic levels
UK: London Waterloo has regained its status as the most used National Rail station according to estimates for the 2020-21 financial year, although usage was less than half that recorded in the last year before the coronavirus pandemic. The Office of Rail & Road’s estimates for ...
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NewsIryo brings Italian style to Spanish high speed rail services
With Iryo preparing to launch its first high speed rail services this week, Mike Bent reports from a preview service between Madrid and València
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NewsTransforming Rail in Virginia programme manager appointed
USA: CSX has awarded consultancy Michael Baker International a 10-year contract to lead programme and construction management for the $3·7bn Transforming Rail in Virginia project to enhance passenger services on the route between Washington DC and Richmond. Supported by Patrick Engineering, Michael Baker’s Rail & Transit ...