PASSENGER
08 Oct 2008 | Congress approves Amtrak funding bill
USA: Funding and safety legislation primarily benefiting Amtrak and other public transport operators received its final Congressional approval on October 1 with a veto-proof 74-24 majority which means President George Bush must sign the bill despite his administration’s general antagonism toward rai More...
06 Oct 2008 | Six bids to build Polish high speed fleet
POLAND: Six companies had expressed interest in the tender to supply a fleet of 250 km/h inter-city EMUs to PKP Intercity, when the deadline for prequalification closed on October 2. PKP is looking to order 20 trainsets at an estimated cost of €400m. The six bidders are: CAF of Spain, believe More...
06 Oct 2008 | Alstom and Transmash bid for double-deckers
RUSSIA: Alstom Transport and Transmashholding have signed a memorandum of understanding to launch a strategic partnership, and agreed to set up a specialist joint venture company to deliver double-deck coaches for the Russian market. As well as providing for technical co-operation between the two f More...
06 Oct 2008 | FRA bans mobile phone use
USA: The Federal Railroad Admonistration issued an Emergency Order on October 2 prohibiting railroad crew members from using any private electronic communications devices in locomotive or control cabs. The order followed the release of preliminary information from the National Transportation Safety More...
02 Oct 2008 | THSRC extends market pricing
TAIWAN: Chief Executive of Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp Dr Ou Chin-Der announced on October 2 that the operator would be introducing two new off-peak ticket types with effect from November 1, expanding the range of fares available on the 345 km high speed line between Taipei and Kaohsiung. The s More...
02 Oct 2008 | Tram-trains bids invited
UK: Train operating company Northern Rail has issued an Invitation to Tender for the supply and maintenance of lightweight tram-train vehicles to operate on the Shefffied – Barnsley – Penistone – Huddersfield line during a two-year trial sponsored by the Department for Transport. Northern is looking More...
29 Sep 2008 | Tri-city RER to serve airport
POLAND: A contract to undertake a feasibility study for a suburban rail network in the Tri-city region of Gdansk, Gdynia and Sopot was due to be awarded last month, following acceptance of the initial proposal by Poland's Ministry of Regional Development. The study should be completed by July 2009 More...
23 Sep 2008 | 'Peregrine falcon' to be fastest trains in Russia
INNOTRANS: The Velaro RUS high speed fleet for Russia is to be known as 'Sapsan' (peregrine falcon), RZD President Vladimir Yakunin and Chief Executive of Siemens Industry Heinrich Hiesinger announced at the unveiling of three cars from the first train. The Siemens factory at Krefeld is producing More...
23 Sep 2008 | Nürnberg Talent 2 commuter train on display
INNOTRANS: In the first of many product launches lined up for InnoTrans 2008, Bombardier Transportation unveiled a Talent 2 EMU for Nürnberg commuter services shortly after the opening of the show on September 23. Deutsche Bahn and Bombardier signed a €1·2bn framework agreement covering up to 321 More...
22 Sep 2008 | Railpool places €192m order for 58 Traxx locos
EUROPE: The Railpool joint venture of HSH Nordbank and KfW-IPEX Bank has placed its first order for locomotives. On September 22 Bombardier announced that it had signed two contracts to supply the leasing firm with a total of 58 Traxx locomotives worth €192m. Deliveries will begin in August 2009, More...
