Passenger rail news – Page 56
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Rail Business UKDirect awards agreed with Greater Anglia and West Midlands Trains
UK: The Abellio-led Greater Anglia and West Midlands Trains businesses have agreed directly-awarded National Rail Contracts with the Department for Transport, ahead of the expiry of their Emergency Recovery Measures Agreement contracts on September 19. Both business are currently run as joint ventures between Abellio and ...
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NewsFirst new Nightjet stock ready for testing
AUSTRIA: The first two vehicles for Austrian Federal Railways’ new fleet of Nightjet overnight trainsets have been dispatched from Siemens Mobility’s Simmering plant in Wien for the start of testing and certification. The first vehicles to be released are a push-pull driving trailer seated car and an ...
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NewsDSB awards EMU depot contract
DENMARK: DSB has awarded a DKr641m contract to MT Højgaard Danmark for construction of the first of two dedicated maintenance depots to support the fleet of inter-city EMUs on order from Alstom. The København depot is to be developed on the site of the capital’s former ...
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NewsTransdev picked to run Région Sud TER package
FRANCE: Région Sud has selected Transdev for a 10-year concession to operate regional trains between Marseille, Toulon and Nice, ahead of rival bids from SNCF and Thello.
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NewsSotetsu Series 21000 EMU enters service
JAPAN: Sagami Railway has put into service the first of four Series 21000 EMUs ordered to operate through services to Tokyo’s Meguro station over the Sotetsu-Tokyu Link.
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NewsWestbahn unveils Kiss 3 double-deck EMUs to celebrate sustainable travel pass
AUSTRIA: Open access operator Westbahn has unveiled the first of 15 third-generation six-car Kiss trainsets. Ordered from Stadler under a €300m full-service contract in October 2019, the double-deck EMUs are due to carry their first fare-paying passengers on September 9. Westbahn announced during a press trip ...
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NewsFirst ILSA ETR1000 high speed train starts trials
SPAIN: Open access operator ILSA announced on September 6 that the first of its 23 ETR1000 high speed trainsets had arrived in Spain from Italy and would commence running trials this week on the 44∙4 km Figueres – Perpignan cross-border route through the Pyrenees. Testing will ...
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Rail Business UKLumo aims to be the green alternative to Edinburgh – London flights
Having unveiled Lumo as the brand name for its Edinburgh to London open access service, FirstGroup explains to Rail Business UK how it is taking a different approach to rail travel with the aim of winning passengers from air and coach.
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NewsLeisure travellers return to rail as bank holiday traffic exceeds pre-pandemic level
UK: Provisional statistics released by the Department for Transport show rail journeys reached a high of 66% of pre-pandemic levels this summer, driven by increased leisure travel. Meanwhile, industry data shows that leisure journeys to seaside destinations over the August bank holiday weekend surpassed pre-pandemic levels. ...
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NewsCentral European high speed rail co-operation proposed
EUROPE: Central European state operators and infrastructure managers are planning to co-operate to develop a network of ‘high speed’ passenger services connecting Warszawa, Praha, Bratislava, Ljubljana, Wien and Budapest, but independent operators have raised concerns that they could be shut out. A declaration of intent is ...
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NewsEgypt signs contract for ‘Suez Canal on tracks’
EGYPT: A US$4·5bn contract has been signed for the construction of 660 km of ‘modern, safe, and integrated’ mixed traffic electrified railway connecting Ain Sokhna on the Red Sea with Alexandria and Marsa Matrouh on the Mediterranean.
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NewsDelta offers air passengers through travel by Thalys
EUROPE: Delta Air Lines and Thalys have launched an Air+Rail programme enabling air passengers to make a through booking including high speed rail travel from Amsterdam Schiphol airport to Brussels or Antwerpen. ‘This Air+Rail programme with Thalys is just the beginning, as we look to offer ...
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Metro Report InternationalGlimble app aims to reduce Dutch transport payment friction
NETHERLANDS: Arriva and mobility-as-a-service technology company Moovit have launched the Glimble app with the aim of reducing transport payment friction as well as providing travellers with real-time information, disruption alerts and step-by-step guidance throughout a journey. Glimble was developed after local authorities ...
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NewsKončar EMUs delivered to HŽPP
CROATIA: Končar KEV has delivered the first two Class 6112 electric multiple-units ordered by national passenger operator HŽPP last year. The order was placed under a January 2014 agreement between Končar KEV and HŽPP which covers up to 44 electric and diesel multiple-units. An initial 10 ...
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NewsNext Auckland passenger contract includes more integrated delivery model
NEW ZEALAND: Auckland Transport has selected the Auckland One Rail 50:50 joint venture of ComfortDelGro Transit and UGL Rail for the next contract to operate the city’s passenger rail services. A revised delivery model is designed to reduce interfaces and maximise the benefits of NZ$7bn of ...
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NewsCoronavirus ends Bergslagen operating contract as more EMUs ordered
SWEDEN: ‘The contract has fallen victim to the pandemic’, said Dan Olofsson, Head of Tendered Services at national operator SJ after an agreement was reached for the early termination of the Bergslagen passenger operating contract.
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NewsRENFE completes acquisition of 50% stake in Leo Express
EUROPE: Spanish national operator RENFE has gained access to the passenger markets of the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia and ‘the necessary licences and resources’ to enter the German market, following the completion of its purchase of a 50% stake in Czech open access operator Leo Express.
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NewsSão Paulo inter-city tender due in December
BRAZIL: The São Paulo state government has announced more details of its plans to introduce an inter-city passenger service between São Paulo and Campinas. During a virtual hearing held in Campinas on August 16, the government explained that the project is to be taken forward through ...
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In depthAfrica: Mixed fortunes in Tunis
While the first passengers are due to travel over a newly built section of the Tunisian capital’s RFR suburban network later this year, the government and its contractors are struggling to complete future phases of the programme. Christian Scasso investigates.
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NewsKyiv looks to modernise its suburban rail services
UKRAINE: A Flirt EMU built at Stadler’s plant in Belarus has been sent for trials on suburban routes around Kyiv, in support of the government’s City Express programme to enhance the capital’s suburban network and develop modern and high-quality S-Bahn style services in major cities including ...