Passenger rail news – Page 37
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NewsArriva enters the Dutch night train market
NETHERLANDS: Arriva has confirmed it will launch its first open access night train service from Maastricht to Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport with the December timetable change.
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In depthSaudi Arabia: SAR seeks international partners as expansion and privatisation plans develop
Dr Bashar bin Khalid Al Malik, CEO of Saudi Arabia Railways speaks exclusively to Railway Gazette International about plans to expand the network, develop a regional supply sector and prepare for privatisation as part of the national Vision 2030 strategy.
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NewsRhätische Bahn runs record passenger train
SWITZERLAND: On October 29 Rhätische Bahn successfully ran a special service formed of 25 four-car Capricorn electric multiple-units to claim a record for the world’s longest passenger train.
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NewsPolish regional operating contracts awarded
POLAND: Kujawsko–Pomorskie voivodship has awarded incumbents and sole bidders Arriva and Polregio tendered eight-year contracts to operate local passenger train services until December 2030. The voivodship was a pioneer in opening the Polish passenger rail market. Arriva said ‘15 years of joint activities show that co–operation ...
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NewsVR selects preferred bidder for EMU order
FINLAND: National operator VR has selected Stadler Bussnang as preferred bidder to supply 20 electric multiple-units. The contract worth around €250m would include the supply of spare parts, tools, training and documentation, along with options to purchase up to 50 additional EMUs and maintenance services. Stadler ...
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Metro Report InternationalCádiz Trambahía tram-train line opens
SPAIN: The Trambahía tram-train line in Cádiz has opened as the country’s first 1 668 mm gauge tram-train line. It includes 13·7 km of new tramway between Pelagatos and Río Arillo, from where services run 10·3 km into Cádiz over RENFE main line tracks shared with ...
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In depthBelgium: Double-deck power cars enter service
SNCB has put into operation the first of 90 double-deck power cars ordered to operate with its M7 push-pull coaches. Dr Harry Hondius reports.
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NewsArrow commuter service launched in California
USA: San Bernardino County Transportation Authority’s Arrow passenger service has launched, providing an hourly link between San Bernardino-Downtown station on the Los Angeles region’s Metrolink commuter network and the University of Redlands. Revenue services on the 14·5 km line began on October 24 following a ribbon ...
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NewsFrench open access passenger service postponed
FRANCE: Three factors have led Le Train to postpone the launch of its planned open access high speed services in southwest France from mid-2023 until early 2024.
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NewsEuropean Sleeper now targets 2023 launch
EUROPE: Night train start-up European Sleeper now expects to launch its first service on the Brussels – Amsterdam – Berlin – Praha route in 2023. The Dutch company announced a year ago that infrastructure managers Infrabel, ProRail, DB Netz and Správa Železnic had allocated capacity for ...
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Metro Report InternationalNational public transport ticketing contract awarded
NEW ZEALAND: Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency has awarded Cubic Transportation Systems the National Ticketing Solution contract to supply an account-based ticketing platform for rail, bus and ferry services. Local transport authorities will decide on travel products and fares for their regions and control the ...
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In depthEastern Europe: Adding capacity in Poland’s capital
Modernisation of the busy east-west cross-city route and construction of a second cross-city tunnel in the Polish capital during 2023-27 will generate much-needed capacity. Elsewhere in the Mazowieckie voivodship surrounding Warszawa, there are plans to build new lines and reopen old ones. Benjámin Zelki reports.
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NewsElectric train sale-and-leaseback deal finalised
GERMANY: Northrail has structured a sale-and-lease-back transaction for 29 Alstom Coradia Stream High-Capacity electric multiple-units which DB Regio ordered in April. The EMUs are to be used from December 2025 on Kinzigtal services on the Frankfurt – Wächtersbach – Fulda – Bebra route. The investment is ...
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NewsJoint vision for international rail capacity management
EUROPE: A common vision for capacity management, process harmonisation and IT support to create a ‘European, digital, flexible and secure’ system enabling train operators to book capacity in line with their business models and customer needs has been set out by three industry associations. Forum Train ...
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NewsTransdev Rhein-Ruhr wins S7 operating contract
GERMANY: Transport authority VRR has awarded Transdev Rhein-Ruhr a contract to operate Wuppertal – Remscheid – Solingen passenger service S7 for five years from December 2023, with an option for a further three years. S7 services totalling 1·47 million train km-year run every 20 min and ...
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NewsEuropean Commission closes ČD pricing investigation
CZECH REPUBLIC: The European Commission has closed its investigation into alleged predatory conduct by national passenger operator ČD, after concluding that the evidence did not confirm its initial concerns. On November 10 2016, the European Commission opened an investigation to assess whether ČD had charged prices ...
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NewsAgreement to address staffing issues in operating tenders
GERMANY: An agreement to tackle staff shortages and address employee concerns when operating contracts change hands has been signed by Rhein-Ruhr transport authority VRR, the Eisenbahn- und Verkehrswerkschaft trade union and Mobifair, an industry group which aims to promote fair competition in the transport sector. VRR ...
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NewsKevin Speed sets out ambitions to provide high speed trains ‘for everyone, every day’
FRANCE: Proposals to launch high capacity commuter services on high speed lines into major cities have been announced by open access start-up Kevin Speed. The company was founded last year by Laurent Fourtune, who worked at Paris transport operator RATP in 2009-18 and was then Chief ...
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NewsTEN-T revision must go further, says CER
EUROPE: A clear strategy and implementation timescale are essential for delivery of an expanded TEN-T rail network over the next two decades, according to Dominique Riquet, Co-Rapporteur on the TEN-T revision proposals for the European Parliament’s Transport & Tourism Committee.
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Rail Business UKWest Midlands Trains is facing unprecedented challenges, says Managing Director
UK: The last year has been one of ‘unprecedented challenges’, according to West Midlands Trains Managing Director Ian McConnell. Addressing the TOC’s annual stakeholder conference in Birmingham on October 10, he noted that the move to a National Rail Contract — where revenue risk rests with ...