Passenger rail news – Page 51
-
NewsFramework contract agreed for 50 passenger locomotives
BELGIUM: National passenger operator SNCB has awarded Alstom a framework contract for the supply of up to 50 third-generation Traxx electric locomotives, with a €120m firm order for an initial 24 to be delivered from 2026. The 200 km/h locomotives are be used on domestic and cross-border ...
-
Metro Report InternationalViaMobilidade takes over São Paulo suburban lines 8 and 9
BRAZIL: State-owned suburban operator Companhia Paulista de Trens Metropolitanos has handed over management, operation and maintenance of Line 8 (Diamante) and Line 9 (Esmeralda) to private-sector concessionaire ViaMobilidade, a consortium owned 83% by CCR and 17% by RuasInvest. The two lines are the busiest of CPTM’s seven routes.
-
NewsDB Regio to operate Netz 18 electric services
GERMANY: The Land of Baden-Wurttenberg and local authority body Zweckverband ÖPNV im Ammertal have awarded sole bidder DB Regio the Netz 18 contract to operate service RB63 between Herrenberg, Tübingen, Metzingen and Bad Urach from December 2022. The regional passenger service will use the 21 km ...
-
NewsTendering ahead as Finnish operating contract signed
FINLAND: The Ministry of Transport & Communications and national operator VR have signed a directly-awarded public service obligation contract for the operation of loss-making passenger services over the next nine years, with provision for the procurement of new rolling stock and greater regional involvement in funding ...
-
NewsCharger locos ordered for Montréal commuter services
CANADA: Montréal regional transport authority Exo has awarded Siemens Mobility a C$132m contract to supply 10 Charger diesel locomotives for use on its commuter services. The Chargers will be delivered from 2025 to replace F59PH locomotives which Exo acquired in 2011 from GO Transit in Toronto, ...
-
In depthJapan: Kintetsu plans a post-pandemic recovery
Regional operator Kintetsu is looking to refocus its business in the Kansai region with real estate and leisure developments aimed at changing lifestyles and reflecting new working patterns. Mike Bent investigates.
-
In depthMoldova: Looking to a better future
With European investment being channelled into infrastructure and rolling stock renewals, plans are in place for structural reform of Moldova’s state-owned railway. Toma Bačić investigates.
-
NewsBusan – Ulsan suburban services launched
SOUTH KOREA: Commuter services on the Donghae Line between Bujeon station in Busan and Taehwagang station in Ulsan were inaugurated on December 28, providing a 76 min journey time to create what the Busan city government called a ‘1 h megalopolis’ in the region. Construction of ...
-
NewsDesigning a train ‘the rest of the world will envy’
CANADA: Design studio PriestmanGoode developed the styling for the push-pull trainsets which Siemens Mobility is supplying for VIA Rail’s Québec City – Windsor Corridor service, focusing on a ‘sleek, modern’ appearance, ‘accessibility, comfort, and personal space’ and the use of durable materials. ...
-
NewsChinese awarded PNR Bicol construction contract
PHILIPPINES: A consortium of Chinese companies has been awarded a 142bn pesos contract to build the first 380 km of the so-called PNR Bicol line, replacing Philippines National Railway’s moribund Main Line South.
-
NewsWisconsin Talgo trains bound for Nigeria
NIGERIA: The long-running saga of the two Talgo trainsets which were ordered for operation in the US state of Wisconsin but never entered service has taken another twist, with Talgo selling them for use on the Red Line in Lagos.
-
NewsRENFE to launch Avlo on Madrid – València route
SPAIN: RENFE has announced that its low-cost Avlo service from Madrid to València will begin running on February 21, in time for the city’s Las Fallas fiesta celebrations, which in 2022 will begin on the last Sunday of February.
-
NewsAuckland One Rail takes over from Transdev under integrated operating contract
NEW ZEALAND: The Auckland One Rail joint venture took over from Transdev Auckland on January 17 as operator of suburban passenger services around the country’s largest city. Transport authority Auckland Transport had selected the 50-50 joint venture of Singapore’s ComfortDelGro and Australia’s UGL Rail Services to ...
-
News‘Quantum leap’ as CBTC goes live on København’s cross-city S-bane core
DENMARK: København’s S-bane suburban trains have started using CBTC through the cross-city core, following the commissioning of the new signalling over the weekend of January 15-16.
-
Metro Report InternationalSix operators award joint contract for up to 504 tram-trains
EUROPE: A consortium of six German and Austrian transport bodies has awarded Stadler a framework contract for the supply and maintenance of up 504 tram-trains worth €4bn, the largest contract in the Swiss company’s history. The VDV TramTrain framework contract was awarded on January 14 by ...
-
In depthInterview: ‘We have the tools – it is in our hands to deliver’
The next decade will be crucial for the global fight against irreversible climate change, and rail is the only mode that is well placed to deliver significant decarbonisation in the transport sector, UIC Director-General François Davenne explains to Chris Jackson.
-
NewsChinese high speed network tops 40 000 km as first privately funded line opens
CHINA: Ceremonies on January 8 marked the official opening of the Hangzhou – Shaoxing – Taizhou high speed line, with the simultaneous departure of two trains from Taizhou and Shengzhou Xinchang.
-
NewsDouble-deck EMUs ordered for Main-Weser Express
GERMANY: DB Regio has finalised its order for Alstom to supply high-capacity Coradia Stream electric multiple-units to operate Main-Weser Express services.
-
NewsLong-distance trains to celebrate the fjords and mountains
NORWAY: State rolling stock owning body Norske Tog has prequalified four bidders for a contract to supply a fleet of trainsets which would replace the country’s life-expired locomotive-hauled trains and ‘create a completely new kind of travelling experience’ on long-distance routes. The prequalified companies are: Alstom, ...
-
NewsBendigo regional upgrading makes progress
AUSTRALIA: The first of three new stations being built on the lines from Bendigo to Echuca and Swan Hill as part of Victoria’s A$4bn Regional Rail Revival programme has opened for revenue service. The stations at Goornong and Huntley on the Echuca line and Raywood on ...