Europe
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In depthPortugal: South International Corridor nears completion
Trains have started running on the first section of the 80 km Évora – Elvas direct line, which is now expected to open in 2025, shortening the TEN-T corridor serving ports in southern Portugal and paving the way for a revival of international passenger services. André Pires reports.
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NewsRZD orders high speed trains for revived Moscow – St Petersburg project
RUSSIA: Russian Railways has signed a contract with Ural Locomotives for the supply of two pre-series high speed trainsets to operate its planned Moscow – St Petersburg high speed line. RZD is making a further attempt to develop a new line between its two most strategically ...
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NewsTalgo Avril high speed trainsets to enter service in May
SPAIN: National operator RENFE has taken delivery of its first 10 Talgo S106 Avril wide-bodied high speed trainsets. The trains are to be deployed from May 21 on services to Galicia and Asturias where gauge-changing is necessary., allowing the existing S130 sets to be cascaded to ...
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NewsTrenitalia seeks more business in France
EUROPE: Italian national operator Trenitalia is seeking to expand its presence in the French market by growing both its domestic high speed services and by providing more international links.
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NewsRailcoop on brink of liquidation as financing gap stymies restructuring hope
FRANCE: Open access co-operative Railcoop is expected to be formally liquidated on April 29, the company President Nicolas Debaisieux has confirmed. The collapse of the co-operative comes after it was placed into judicial administration on October 16 for a period of up to six months. With ...
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In depthSpain: Plan de Cercanías promises an end to inaction
Over the past three decades, much of Spain’s rail investment has been channelled into its expanding high speed network. Government plans now envisage a substantial boost for suburban services which account for 90% of all ridership. Mike Bent investigates.
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NewsLeShuttle terminals readied for EU border check changes
EUROPE: Channel Tunnel operator Getlink has completed a key stage of work at its French road vehicle shuttle train terminal in Coquelles in preparation for implementing the European Union’s Entry/Exit System on October 6 this year.
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NewsUkraine begins construction of standard gauge European rail link
UKRAINE: Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal attended a ceremony on April 11 marking the start of work to provide a standard gauge track on the 22 km broad gauge route from Chop on the borders with Hungary and Slovakia to the city of Uzhhorod. ‘This project will ...
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NewsStadler selected for Bulgarian double-deck train order
BULGARIA: Stadler has been selected to supply seven double-deck electric multiple-units for use by national passenger operator BDZ . Stadler’s bid came in at 301m leva, including 15 years of maintenance, with a delivery time of 26 months. The 200 km/h units will have a capacity ...
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In depthEurope: IoT tools help to ensure a rapid response
German IoT specialist Optimeas is working with infrastructure manager DB InfraGo to enhance the availability of its electrification inspection and repair vehicles as part of efforts to reduce the impact of power supply failures across the network.
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Metro Report InternationalFind a transport job with your shopping
GERMANY: Berlin transport operator BVG has opened a ‘Job Store’ in the Mall of Berlin shopping centre as part of a strategy to attract around 2 500 new employees this year. The Job Store will be open for three weeks from April 8, with people able ...
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NewsLithuanian railway adopts western European data exchange system
LITHUANIAN: National railway LTG Group has joined the International Union of Railways’ Open Rail Freight EDI User System which enables freight operators to exchange CIM consignment notes. LTG Cargo said it is the first railway company in the Baltic States to choose Orfeus, which is ...
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NewsUkrainian Railways to order Wabtec locomotives
UKRAINE: Export-Import Bank of the United States has approved a US$156·6m 15-year loan which national railway Ukrzaliznytsia will use for the acquisition of 40 Wabtec diesel locomotives. Ukrzaliznytsia currently operates TE33AS (ES44ACI) locos supplied by GE Transportation, now Wabtec. The transaction was approved by EXIM on ...
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NewsDublin – Belfast electric-battery trains funded
EUROPE: Funding is now in place for the procurement of electric-battery inter-city trains to increase frequencies and reduce journey times on the cross-border Enterprise service between Dublin and Belfast which is operated jointly by Iarnród Éireann and Northern Ireland Railways. An order for eight 1 600 ...
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NewsTwo prequalify for København automation Supporting Systems contract
DENMARK: Two suppliers have prequalified for the contract to provide Supporting Systems for the automation of København’s S-tog suburban rail services. They are Siemens Mobility and Thales company Ground Transportation Systems Denmark. The Supporting Systems contract will cover the supply of a wide range of technical ...
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Metro Report InternationalBeograd metro consultancy contract renewed
SERBIA: The city of Beograd has renewed RATP Dev’s ongoing contract to provide early operator assistance for the three-line automated metro project. RATP Dev will review and advise on the functional design and specifications of the future metro, focusing on operations and maintenance, safety, passenger experience ...
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Metro Report InternationalIași tram contract signed
ROMANIA: The city of Iași has signed a 168m lei contract for Turkish company Bozankaya to supply 18 low-floor trams, co-financed by the National Recovery & Resilience Plan. They 22 m long unidirectional trams will have a capacity of 164 passengers including 45 seated. The first ...
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Rail Business UKPortuguese and UK railway industry associations to co-operate
EUROPE: Portuguese industry organisation Plataforma Ferroviária Portuguesa and the UK’s Railway Industry Association have signed a memorandum of understanding for co-operation. The agreement signed as part of a visit by 16 British companies covers: exchanging information on research, development and innovation; sharing best practice on ...
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NewsMaintenance vehicle converted to fuel cell power
AUSTRIA: An X534 overhead electrification construction and maintenance railcar has been converted from diesel to fuel cell power. Austrian Federal Railways’ technical service unit TrainTech worked with engineering consultancy m.ZERO to integrate fuel cell power modules from Cummins’ zero-emissions business Accelera into the vehicle as part ...
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Metro Report InternationalLyon tram network to expand
FRANCE: Construction works for Line T9 of the Lyon tram network are poised to start in mid-2024 following the government’s decision at the end of February to grant transport authority Sytral Mobilités a Déclaration d’Utilité Publique. Preliminary works to move water pipes and other services are ...