Keolis retains Virginia Railway Express operating contract
USA: Following a competitive procurement process, current operator Keolis North America has been awarded a new contract to operate Virginia Railway Express commuter services.
Austrian Federal Railways restructuring planned
AUSTRIA: The Federal Minister for Innovation, Mobility & Infrastructure has tasked Austrian Federal Railways with developing a restructuring plan to make the national railway more agile, efficient and future-proof.
Lithuanian battery-electric trainset unveiled
LITHUANIA: The first of six 1 520 mm gauge, three-car battery-electric multiple-units that Stadler is supplying for national passenger operator LTG Link was unveiled at Kaunas station on February 14.
European transport associations make joint call for a €100bn Connecting Europe Facility
EUROPE: An open letter signed by 45 European transport organisations has urged the EU to commit to an enlarged Connecting Europe Facility under the bloc’s next multi-annual budgeting process.
Network Rail to take over Barking terminal in effort to boost cross-Channel rail freight
UK: Network Rail and its property development company Platform4 are to take a long-term lease of the Barking Eurohub freight terminal in east London, and have begun discussions with companies interested in operating regular intermodal trains to the site via the Channel Tunnel.
TAZARA restarts cross-border passenger services ‘within the realities of current operating constraints’
AFRICA: Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority has restarted cross-border passenger train services, saying this reaffirms its ‘founding mandate to promote regional mobility, trade, tourism and people-to-people interaction’.
ČD wins Moravian long-distance passenger train operating contracts
CZECH REPUBLIC: Incumbent ČD has won a tranche of PSO contracts to operate long-distance passenger services on three routes in the east of the country.
Urban transport industry news round-up
This week’s round-up of news from the urban transport sector.
Disabled Persons Railcard eligibility widens from March 1
UK: Eligibility for a Disabled Persons Railcard will be extended from March 1 to include a broader range of visible and non-visible disabilities.
Bi-mode trainsets to relaunch through routes after a 40-year hiatus
POLAND: Delegations from the Ministry of Infrastructure and national operator PKP Intercity have visited Newag’s Nowy Sącz factory to see the production of the first of 35 electro-diesel long-distance trainsets.
Integral dx locomotive delivered to the US Air Force, Army and Navy
USA: Integral dx has delivered a diesel shunting locomotive to the US Air Force, after supplying locos to the Army and Navy.
