Passenger rail news – Page 65
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NewsSaudi Arabia approves merger of railway companies
SAUDI ARABIA: The merger of Saudi Railways Organization and Saudi Railways Company has been formally approved. The combined entity will be responsible for all inter-city railways in the country, and will use the Saudi Railways Company name, abbreviated SAR. The merger and associated legislative changes would ...
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NewsIntroduction of Dutch services postponed
NETHERLANDS: National passenger operator NS has postponed by at least a year its plans to introduce a fast IC Direct service from the southwest to the northeast of the country via Rotterdam Central, Amsterdam Zuid and Almere. The service had been expected to launch in December ...
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NewsFrench night train network renaissance
FRANCE: Transport Minister Jean-Baptiste Djébbari has said his ambition is ‘to have about 10 overnight train services in 2030’. Speaking to Le Parisien after visiting the technicentre at Périgueux with SNCF President Jean-Pierre Farandou to see the first of 60 couchette coaches that are being refurbished, ...
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NewsAutomation of rural branch line trains to be studied
GERMANY: A study into the potential automation of rural passenger train services has been awarded funding, with a branch line in Oberfranken selected for testing.
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NewsSteepest rack railway launches modernisation programme
SWITZERLAND: The world’s steepest rack railway is to introduce new rolling stock and modernise its stations to enable an increase in services. Pilatus Bahnen has ordered eight passenger railcars and a freight vehicle for its 800 mm gauge line, which uses the Locher rack system to ...
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NewsSerbia calls tenders for 200 km/h EMUs
SERBIA: The Ministry of Construction, Transport & Infrastructure has called tenders for the supply of three 200 km/h electric trainsets for use on the Beograd - Novi Sad - Subotica route. The trainsets are required to be around 100 m long with a minimum of 300 ...
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Rail Business UKPassenger Experience and Economics, Policy & Operations rail research centres planned
UK: The UK Rail Research & Innovation Network has called on academic institutions to express interest in establishing two centres of excellence. The Inclusive Passenger Experience centre would focus on topics such as inclusive design, digital connectivity, future passenger preferences, and demand and performance metrics. The ...
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NewsHamilton – Auckland connector is ready to roll
NEW ZEALAND: The long-planned regional passenger service connecting Hamilton and Auckland will launch on April 6, Waikato Regional Council announced on February 10.
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Rail Business UKGrand Union’s London – Cardiff open access plan rejected
UK: The Office of Rail & Road has rejected Grand Union Trains Ltd’s application to introduce an open access passenger service between London Paddington and Cardiff Central. Grand Union had hoped to operate seven return services a day from December 2021 using Class 91 electric locomotives, ...
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NewsWestbahn cutbacks in prospect as public service contract ends
AUSTRIA: More than half of Westbahn’s inter-city passenger services between Wien and Salzburg may be withdrawn within the next few days, unless agreement is reached to continue the interim support provided by the government for operations during the Covid-19 pandemic. Affecting both Austrian Federal Railways and ...
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Rail Business UKWales & Borders rail franchise taken into public ownership
UK: The Welsh Government took Wales & Borders passenger services into public ownership on February 7, insisting that the move which had been announced in October would provide longer-term financial stability to ‘protect services, safeguard jobs and deliver infrastructure improvements in light of the ongoing challenges of coronavirus.’
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NewsOhmtalbahn reopening study
GERMANY: The Marburg-Biedenkopf local authority has commissioned consultancy Ederlog to study the potential reopening of the Ohmtalbahn.
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NewsAfrican Rail Industry Association says reform and regulatory stability will unlock economic growth
A 422 km section of the former Benguela Railway in northwestern DR Congo was reactivated in 2016 following extensive refurbishment. AFRICA: The independent RailRoad Association of South Africa has rebranded itself as the African Rail Industry Association, positioning itself to play a greater role in revitalising railways ...
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Rail Business UKFranchise termination negotiations run on past deadline
UK: Negotiations over the termination of passenger franchise contracts are proving difficult, with some payments yet to be agreed and direct awards still being discussed.
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NewsJR Central orders Series 315 commuter EMUs
JAPAN: JR Central has awarded Nippon Sharyo a contract to supply 65 Series 315 suburban electric multiple-units. The order announced on January 29 covers a total of 23 eight-car and 42 four-car units to be delivered in 2021-25. They will mostly be used on local commuter services ...
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NewsRegioJet extends Croatian summer holiday trains to Split
EUROPE: RegioJet is to add the city of Split as a destination for its summer overnight trains between Praha and Croatia, building on the success of the Praha – Rijeka service which was launched last year and carried more than 60 000 passengers on 120 trains. ...
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Metro Report InternationalDSB awards S-bane automation consultancy contract
DENMARK: National passenger operator DSB has selected a joint venture of international consultants to assist with the automation of the København S-bane network.
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NewsTicket gates check body temperature, face masks and reservation status before allowing access to stations
ARGENTINA: As part of Trenes Argentinos’ coronavirus measures, Indra has integrated body temperature measurement, face mask control and QR code ticket reservation validation into an initial 350 station ticket gates in the Buenos Aires metropolitan area. Access is prevented when a passenger ...
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NewsDB Regio orders Desiro HC and Mireo EMUs
GERMANY: DB Regio Bayern has awarded Siemens Mobility a contract to supply 25 Desiro HC electric multiple-units and six Mireo units for use on Donau-Isar regional passenger services from the December 2024 timetable change. Last year Bayern railway agency BEG awarded DB Regio the contract to ...
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NewsEU railway revenue down €26bn owing to Covid-19 crisis
EUROPE: Railways in the European Union lost a total of €26bn in revenue in 2020 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, according to data collected by the Community of European Railway & Infrastructure Companies.