Passenger rail news – Page 81
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NewsFirst electric train reaches Tel Aviv Savidor
ISRAEL: Israel Railways operated its first electric test train to Tel Aviv’s Hashalom and Savidor stations on April 5, following energisation of the 25 kV 50 Hz overhead line equipment on the core cross-city Ayalon Corridor.
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NewsEU funding to support Madrid – Lisboa link
EUROPE: More EU funding has been allocated to enhancing rail links between Portugal and Spain. The EU co-financing is part of a €1·4bn package of European Green Deal projects in seven EU states that was announced by the Commissioner for Cohesion & Reforms Elisa Ferreira in mid-March. ...
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NewsDB Regio selected for retendered Rhein-Ruhr operating contract
GERMANY: Rhein-Ruhr transport authority VRR and its Westfalen Lippe counterpart NWL have selected DB Regio as preferred bidder for a retendered contract to operate S-Bahn Rhein-Ruhr services S1 Dortmund – Solingen and S4 Lütgendortmund – Unna. The contract covering 4·9 million train-km/ year is due to run ...
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NewsUBS predicts post-pandemic shift from air to high speed rail
INTERNATIONAL: A report published by UBS Research suggests that many travellers will switch from air to high speed rail in the post Covid-19 period.
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NewsTokyu Corp completes platform edge door programme
JAPAN:·Tokyu Corp has completed a five-year programme to install platform edge doors and barriers with sensors at all 64 stations on its Toyoko, Denentoshi and Oimachi suburban lines. The only Tokyu Corp stations which have not been equipped are those on the 5 km 10-station Setagaya Line ...
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Metro Report InternationalChengdu airport express metro trains delivered
CHINA: CRRC Sifang has completed a fleet of 26 trains for Chengdu’s 66·2 km metro Line 18, with commissioning and trial running underway ahead of the planned start of services this summer. Each eight-car set is 187 m long, with 3 m ...
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Rail Business UKGrand Central follows Hull Trains in suspending open access services
UK: Open access operator Grand Central temporarily suspended all services from the end of April 3, as coronavirus restrictions continue to affect its passenger numbers. The London King’s Cross to Sunderland and Bradford operator said it anticipated that the ‘necessary but temporary’ measure would last for an ...
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Rail Business UKUse data to tailor coronavirus timetables to current needs, says Zipabout
UK: Passenger data systems supplier Zipabout says train operators should revise their emergency timetables based on passenger behaviour and real-time demand data, to ensure their reduced services can meet the needs of key workers during the coronavirus pandemic. ‘The necessary reduction in rail ...
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NewsAuvergne-Rhône Alpes region orders EMUs
FRANCE: Acting on behalf of the Auvergne-Rhône Alpes region, SNCF has awarded Bombardier Transportation a firm order to supply 19 Regio 2N double-deck EMUs totalling 114 cars. They are scheduled to enter service on the Lyon – Mâcon and Lyon – Valence lines in mid-2023. The 83 ...
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NewsRecord long-distance passenger traffic at DB in 2019, but freight falls back
A record number of passengers travelled on DB’s inter-city trains in 2019. GERMANY: Deutsche Bahn announced on March 26 that it had carried 150∙7 million passengers on its ICE and IC services during 2019, an increase of 1∙9% over the previous year; it was the fifth ...
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Rail Business UKFirstGroup says new Great Western contract has ‘appropriate balance’ of risk and reward
UK: The Department for Transport has directly awarded incumbent FirstGroup a new three-year contract to continue to operate Great Western services from the expiry of the current direct award on April 1 2020 until March 31 2023, with a possible extension of up to one year at ...
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Rail Business UKSoutheastern given direct award management contract
UK: The Department for Transport has announced a direct award contract for incumbent Govia to continue operating the South Eastern franchise, which covers commuter and regional passenger services between London, Kent and East Sussex. The contract announced on March 30 runs from April 1 2020 to ...
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Rail Business UKHull Trains suspends services ‘to protect long-term future of business’
UK: Open access operator Hull Trains announced on March 29 that was temporarily suspending services with effect from midnight, in a move which it said aimed to ‘safeguard the future of the business’ in the ‘unprecedented circumstances’ of the coronavirus pandemic. Arrangements have been made for tickets ...
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NewsRENFE ticket offices go cashless
SPAIN: National operator RENFE stopped accepting cash payments for tickets at booking offices with effect from March 27, citing hygiene reasons. The measure will last as long as the duration of coronavirus lockdown, now prolonged at least until mid-April. Credit and debit cards are now the only ...
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NewsSNCF deploys hospital TGV
FRANCE: SNCF has started transporting Covid-19 patients using a TGV Duplex trainset that has been has adapted as a mobile hospital unit. It is being used to evacuate recuperating patients from hot spot areas where the hospitals are saturated to regions which have spare capacity in their ...
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NewsBrightline suspends services
USA: Miami to West Palm Beach inter-city train operator Brightline temporarily suspended its services on March 25. The private-sector operator said the decision had been taken to help slow the spread of the coronavirus to a rate which healthcare systems can cope with, ‘and with the ...
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NewsMałopolska railway development study commissioned
POLAND: Małopolska voivodship has awarded a 1·8m złoty contract to a consortium of Infra CD and Instytut Kolejnictwa to look at options for the development of the region’s rail network. The study will investigate the potential for enhancing passenger services on existing lines, as well as the ...
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NewsHakone Tozan replaces funicular trainsets
JAPAN: Hakone Tozan Railway launched its fifth generation of rolling stock for its 1·2 km funicular line into revenue service on March 20, having unveiled the two new trains on March 18.
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Rail Business UKRail services to be reduced to match demand and provide resilience
UK: The government and rail sector have agreed a plan for the gradual reduction of train services to reflect lower passenger demand as people stop unnecessary travel and decrease non-essential social contact in line with advice to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. Under plans to ...
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NewsBLS orders EMUs
SWITZERLAND: BLS has placed a firm order for a further six Stadler Flirt electric multiple-units. The order has been placed using an option on a contract for an initial 52 six-car Flirt EMUs which was signed by BLS and Stadler in January 2018. Stadler had been named ...