Passenger rail news – Page 39
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Rail Business UKAvanti West Coast hires train to boost capacity during period of mourning
UK: With its drivers continuing to decline to work on their rest days, Avanti West Coast has worked with charter operator Locomotive Services Ltd to provided additional capacity into London Euston to support the large number of people wishing to visit the capital to pay their ...
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NewsMascot and cheerleaders relaunch Boston commuter service
USA: The Pat Patriot mascot of the New England Patriots American Football team joined Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority on September 12 for the launch of a pilot commuter rail service between Foxborough and Boston. Commuters from Foxboro station were greeted by cheerleaders and complimentary Dunkin’ Donuts, ...
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NewsRevived passenger service to run for a further year
GERMANY: Bayern railway agency BEG has directly awarded Die Länderbahn a contract to continue operating passenger service RB38 Gotteszell – Viechtach. Regular passenger services on the 24·8 km route ended in 1991. BEG and Die Länderbahn agreed to reintroduce a trial service for five years from ...
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In depthGermany: Two-stage tender to choose DB’s next high speed fleet
After updating its current high speed fleet, Deutsche Bahn is planning a fifth generation InterCity Express design for the 2030s and beyond. Murray Hughes reports.
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NewsPassenger services restart on the right bank of the Rhône
FRANCE: Passenger services have been revived on the 82 km line along the right bank of the River Rhône between Avignon and Pont-Saint-Esprit, which has been freight-only since 1973. Reopened with a ceremony on August 28, the line is one of six which the Occitanie region ...
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NewsRENFE begins launch of Dōcō Mobility-as-a-Service platform
SPAIN: RENFE Operadora has begun the launch of its multimodal Mobility-as-a-Service platform which aims to offer planning booking and payment facilities covering all public transport and shared mobility services in Spain. The platform is branded Dōcō, an abbreviation of the phrase ‘ir donde quieras, ir como quieras’ ...
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In depthGermany: Government tightens control over national operator
This summer’s eye-catching €9 ticket deal in Germany focused the spotlight on rail travel, but it also served to highlight the national railway’s failings. Plummeting performance levels are one reason the government is intervening in an attempt to restore punctuality and reliability. Murray Hughes reports.
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NewsThree consortia shortlisted to build Melbourne’s Suburban Rail Loop
AUSTRALIA: Victoria’s Suburban Rail Loop Authority has shortlisted three international consortia for tunnelling work on the eastern section of Melbourne’s orbital railproject. The SRL East package covers 26 km of twin bore tunnels between Cheltenham and Box Hill serving six underground stations. ...
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NewsDouble-deck EMU refurbishment completed
FRANCE: SNCF has completed a refurbishment programme covering all 79 of its Class Z23500 double-deck EMUs, with the presentation of the last trainset for Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes taking place at contractor ACC M’s workshops in Clermont-Ferrand on September 2.
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NewsTest running starts on Gaziantep suburban corridor
TURKEY: Test operations have started on the Gaziray suburban network in the southeastern city of Gaziantep, with Minister of Transport Adil Karaismailoğlu attending the inaugural test run on September 1.
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NewsNext-generation Nightjet night train coach interiors unveiled
AUSTRIA: ‘With this train, we are entering a new age of night time travel’, said Austrian Federal Railways CEO Andreas Matthä when the interior design of the next generation of Nightjet sleeping and couchette cars was unveiled at the Siemens Mobility plant in Wien on September ...
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NewsNew York Gateway tunnel timescale slips
USA: The timescale for completion of the planned trans-Hudson Gateway tunnel between New York and New Jersey has slipped by three years, the Gateway Development Commission has confirmed.
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NewsBarcelona airport trains ordered
SPAIN: Catalan operator FGC has awarded Alstom a contract to supply and maintain 10 five-car Coradia Stream electric multiple-units for use on services between Barcelona city centre and El Prat Airport. The 120 km/h EMUs will feature large luggage spaces, wide corridors and a total capacity ...
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NewsEBRD repurposes €98·8m to maintain Ukrainian rail services
UKRAINE: The European Bank for Reconstruction & Development is repurposing a further €98·8m of an existing loan to Ukrzaliznytsya, enabling the national railway to address critical liquidity needs and to ensure that passenger and freight services are available for people and business affected by the Russian ...
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NewsJinhua’s Jinyi Line suburban railway opens
CHINA: The first suburban railway in the city of Jinhua in Zhejiang province opened on August 30. The 58·4 km Jinyi Line starts at Jinhua’s Xi (west) station and runs south in tunnel to the city centre before turning east on an ...
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In depthComment: Cheap fares alone are not enough
Many more rail trips were made in Germany this summer than in 2019 thanks to the much-publicised €9 ticket allowing unlimited travel on local and regional trains and other public transport. But our Consultant Editor Murray Hughes suggests that cheap fares alone will not be enough to deliver policymakers’ modal shift ambitions.
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NewsSouthwest Ontario passenger rail study
CANADA: The federal government is to call tenders shortly for the appointment of an external adviser to assist with exploring options for upgrading passenger rail services in southwestern Ontario. The adviser will analyse passenger demand and route options, submitting a final report by the end of ...
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NewsAkiem orders the 1 500th Vectron locomotive
EUROPE: Leasing company Akiem has awarded Siemens Mobility a firm order to supply 65 Vectron AC and Vectron MS electric locomotives from mid-2024. The 6·4 MW locos for use on cross-border freight and fast passenger services will have a maximum speed of either 200 or 230 ...
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Metro Report InternationalSEPTA extends services to reopened Wawa station
USA: Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority opened an extension of Philadelphia’s Media/Wawa Regional Rail Line from Elwyn to Wawa on August 21. SEPTA trains last served the area in September 1986, and the opening marks the first extension of its rail services since the Airport Line in ...
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NewsRhein-Ruhr operating contract and electrification
Source: WF203/CC BY-SA 4.0 GERMANY: Rhein-Ruhr transport authority VRR has announced its intention to direct award local authority owned Regiobahn a contract to operate new passenger service RE47 between Remscheid-Lennep, Solingen and Düsseldorf. The contract is to run for six years from the December 2022 timetable ...