Passenger rail news – Page 63
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NewsNight train to connect Brussels, Amsterdam, Berlin and Praha
EUROPE: Plans to launch a Praha – Dresden – Berlin – Amsterdam – Brussels night train services have been unveiled by established Czech independent operator RegioJet and newly-formed Dutch overnight train co-operative European Sleeper. Applications for paths are to be submitted shortly, with the aim of ...
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NewsWorksite safety in spotlight after fatal collision
TAIWAN: Investigations have started into the management of engineering work following a fatal collision on Taiwan Railway Administration’s East Coast line north of Hualien on the morning of April 2.
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Rail Business UKUsing QR codes to provide bespoke real-time journey information
UK: Passenger entertainment and contact technology company Whoosh is working with train operators to test a Real-Time Journey Dashboard designed to enhance the provision of bespoke live information throughout a rail journey. Passengers scan a unique at-seat QR code to access the dashboard which provides service, ...
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NewsA ticketing platform so passengers don’t need to think
LITHUANIA: National passenger operator LTG Link has awarded Estonian company Turnit a €7m contract to migrate its ticket sales to the Turnit Ride cloud-based platform by the end of this year. This will include the roll-out of a mobile app for ticket purchases. The aim is ...
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NewsSeikan tunnel Shinkansen speed-up saves 3 min
JAPAN: Selected Shinkansen services through the twin-track 53∙9 km Seikan Tunnel between Honshu and Hokkaido will be permitted to run at 210 km/h during the May 3-6 ‘Golden Week’ holiday period, saving 3 min on the trip between Tokyo and Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto.
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NewsVirginia finalises 10-year passenger rail investment programme
USA: Plans to deliver a significant expansion of passenger rail services in the Commonwealth of Virginia took a step forward on March 30 with confirmation that agreement had been reached between the state government, CSX Corp, Amtrak and Virginia Railway Express.
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NewsRENFE sees Covid-19 recovery
SPAIN: Passenger traffic on the national rail network has recovered to around 50% of pre-pandemic levels, RENFE Present Isaías Táboas has reported, adding that RENFE is anticipating that the figure would reach 70% by the end of 2021. Citing operations in Andalucía as an example, on ...
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NewsBentheimer Eisenbahn awarded 15-year contract to operate revived passenger service
GERMANY: Following a European tender, Niedersachsen transport authority LNVG has awarded incumbent and sole bidder Bentheimer Eisenbahn a contract to contiune operating the RB56 Regiopa Express service on the Bad Bentheim – Nordhorn – Neuenhaus route for 15 years from December 12 2021. ‘We are very ...
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NewsInternational rail travel revival endorsed by European stakeholders
EUROPE: Stakeholders from across the rail sector have endorsed political proposals for the revitalisation and expansion of international passenger services, and committed to assist with future development to make rail ‘the preferred mode’ for international travel.
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NewsYear of Rail must focus on modal shift
EUROPE: ‘We need to have a medium and long-term vision for rail’, emphasised Portugal’s Minister for Infrastructure & Housing Pedro Nuno Santos on March 29, officially launching the European Union Year of Rail with a virtual conference hosted from Lisboa.
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NewsItalian support packages approved
ITALY: Two packages of Italian government support provided to the rail sector during the coronavirus crisis have been approved by the European Commission under EU state aid rules. One was a €270m measure to reduce track access costs for freight and commercial passenger operators between March ...
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NewsBarraqueiro forms Portuguese open access operator
PORTUGAL: Bus and coach group Barraqueiro has established B-Rail as a subsidiary to run open access passenger train services along the Atlantic corridor linking cities in the north and south of the country as part of an integrated multi-modal transport strategy. B-Rail has applied to national ...
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NewsGippsland upgrading contract awarded
AUSTRALIA: Rail Projects Victoria has finalised an A$300m contract with the VicConnect Alliance of Decmil, UGL and Arup to undertake the Gippsland Rail Upgrade project, which will improve the regional line between Melbourne, Traralgon and Bairnsdale, southeast of Melbourne.
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NewsStadler awarded Circumvesuviana EMU contract
ITALY: Napoli regional transport operator EAV has awarded Stadler an eight-year framework agreement for the supply of up to 40 electric multiple-units for use the on the 950 mm gauge Circumvesuviana lines. EAV aims to improve the travel experience by progressively replacing the oldest trainsets in ...
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NewsArmenian operator updates its fleet
ARMENIA: Transmashholding has been awarded a contract to supply 27 coaches and two electric multiple-units to South Caucasus Railway, a Russian Railways subsidiary which operates the Armenian network under a long-term concession agreement. The order includes 21 Type 61-4517 sleeping cars with ...
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NewsIndian Railways updates its premium sleeping car fleet
INDIA: A fleet of 500 sleeping cars is to be rolled out to refresh Indian Railways’ premium long distance trains during the 2021-22 financial year starting on April 1. According to the Ministry of Railways, the Tejas Sleepers will offer ‘a paradigm shift in the travel ...
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NewsMetra to install enhanced air filters on Chicago commuter fleet
USA: Chicago commuter operator Metra has selected Transitair Systems for a $6·6m contract to provide new air filtration and purification systems for nearly 700 coaches which are not due to be replaced by the Alstom cars which it has recently ordered. The equipment is designed to ...
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NewsTurkey extends rail subsidies to the end of 2023
TURKEY: Parliament has passed legislation extending state support for infrastructure manager TCDD and national train operator TCDD Taşımcılık until at least the end of 2023, with a clause allowing the President to extend subsidies for up to a further 10 years without recourse to parliament. The ...
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NewsJR East’s driver-only Series 131 EMUs enter traffic on the Boso peninsula
JAPAN: East Japan Railway has put into service its fleet of Series E131 EMUs on the relatively lightly used lines serving the Boso peninsula in Chiba Prefecture with effect from the March 13 timetable change.
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Rail Business UKScottish Government to take over ScotRail in March 2022
UK: The ScotRail franchise is to be taken over by the Scottish Government on the expiry of the current contract with Abellio in March 2022, Transport Secretary Michael Matheson has confirmed. Services are to be operated by an arm’s length Operator of Last Resort, wholly owned ...