Europe – Page 161
-
NewsFlixTrain to launch new routes and night trains
EUROPE: Having launched its first FlixTrain services in Sweden on May 6, FlixMobility announced on May 11 that it intends to launch two additional inter-city routes in Germany over the coming months, as part of an expansion programme aiming to double the number of open access services.
-
Metro Report InternationalToruń tramway extension contract awarded
POLAND: A consortium of Balzola Polska and Intop Warszawa has been awarded a 158m złoty contract to build a 5·5 km tramway extension to the Jar residential district in the north of the city of Toruń. The double-track route will run along the median of Szosa ...
-
Metro Report InternationalLisboa finalises metro upgrade package
PORTUGAL: Lisboa Metro has finalised a €114·5m contract with Siemens Mobility and Stadler for resignalling of its three oldest metro lines and the supply of 14 three-car trainsets, having selected the consortium as preferred bidder in January 2020.
-
NewsConnecting Europe Express to tour 26 countries in 36 days
EUROPE: Marking Europe Day on May 9 and the EU Year of Rail, the European Commission has confirmed the programme for its Connecting Europe Express exhibition train. Intended to demonstrate ‘the power of rail to connect people and businesses’, the project will also celebrate the cultural, economic ...
-
NewsSNCF launches Ouigo high speed services in Spain
SPAIN: The first fare-paying passengers were due to board Ouigo services on the morning of May 10 as SNCF’s low-cost high speed rail subsidiary entered the Spanish domestic market, competing with RENFE on the Madrid – Barcelona route.
-
Metro Report InternationalNizhny Novgorod orders retro-style trams
RUSSIA: The city of Nizhny Novgorod has ordered 11 UTM Type 71-415R (R for ‘retro’) vintage-style trams. The 75 km/h, four-axle, single section cars will be 15 m long. They will have wooden bench seating for 36 passengers and a total capacity ...
-
NewsElectrification to increase Ukraine – Poland iron ore export capacity
UKRAINE: National railway Ukrzaliznytsia has begun a project to electrify the 94 km line from Kovel to Izov and the Polish border. The route handles 90% of rail freight tonnage between the two countries, mainly iron ore being exported from the Kryvyi Rih region to steelmakers ...
-
NewsIndustrial espionage concerns raised over third-party train maintenance contract
GERMANY: Swiss rolling stock manufacturer Stadler has raised concerns about the potential for industrial espionage after Go-Ahead awarded the international subsidiary of Transmashholding a contract to maintain a fleet of electric multiple-units ordered for use on E-Netz Allgäu services in Bayern. Stadler is worried that its ...
-
Metro Report InternationalAlstom to supply I-CBTC for more Paris metro lines
FRANCE: Paris transport operator RATP has awarded Alstom a contract to supply its I-CBTC onboard equipment for 44 steel-wheeled MF19 trainsets it is building for use on metro lines 10, 7bis, and 3bis. There are options for a further 47 trains for Line 3, 15 years ...
-
NewsAkiem joins autonomous railpod project
FRANCE: Rolling stock leasing company Akiem has signed a letter of intent paving the way for a financial and industrial partnership to develop the Taxirail concept for an autonomous ‘railpod’ ultra light rail shuttle vehicle. The Taxirail concept has been developed in Bretagne by EXID Concept ...
-
NewsPandemic brings ‘bleak’ first quarter for European railways
EUROPE: The coronavirus pandemic continues to have a heavy impact across the rail sector, according to the Community of European Railway & Infrastructure Companies’ Covid Impact Tracker.
-
NewsHydrogen trains for the Heidekrautbahn
GERMANY: Federal Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer has authorised investment of €25m in a project to introduce hydrogen fuel cell trains in the Land of Brandenburg. Announcing the grant at Basdorf station on the Niederbarnimer Eisenbahn on May 3, Scheuer said this would be ‘a giant step ...
-
NewsPortugal’s Beira Baixa link reopens after 12 years
PORTUGAL: Trains returned to the 46 km section of the Beira Baixa line between Guarda and Covilhã on May 2 for the first time in 12 years, with a formal reopening ceremony taking place the following day.
-
NewsConstruction of second track to Koper launched
SLOVENIA: Construction of the second line linking the port of Koper to the SŽ network at Divača was officially launched on May 5 by Minister of Infrastructure Jernej Vrtovec and representatives of state-owned project promoter 2TDK and the contractors. The ceremony followed the signing on the ...
-
NewsFreight returns to narrow gauge line
AUSTRIA: Freight services are to be reintroduced on the Zillertalbahn narrow gauge line from Jenbach to Fügen-Hart im Zillertal on May 17, under an agreement between operator ZVB, the national railway’s freight business Rail Cargo Austria, the Land of Tirol and wood products company Binderholz. Around ...
-
Metro Report InternationalThales to provide real-time access to Brescia metro CCTV
ITALY: Thales has been awarded a contract to modernise the Brescia metro’s train-to-ground data communications to provide near real-time transmission of onboard CCTV images to the control centre, and provide the ability to share this video content with other security operators. The 14 km automated metro ...
-
Metro Report InternationalChelyabinsk orders 30 trams
RUSSIA: Sinara Transport Machines has signed a 1·6bn rouble contract to supply 30 trams to the city of Chelyabinsk, enabling the replacement of about 20% of the fleet. Production of the trams at manufacturing partner UKVZ’s plant will start in May, with the first 10 scheduled ...
-
NewsETCS tests underway as next section of Galician high speed line nears opening
SPAIN: ETCS Level 2 validation testing began on April 26 on a recently completed 104 route-km section of high speed line through the mountains between Pedralba de la Pradería and Taboadela.
-
NewsNokia and Cellnex awarded ProRail telecoms contracts
NETHERLANDS: Infrastructure manager ProRail has appointed Nokia to operate and maintain its GSM-R voice and data communications network, while Cellnex has been awarded a contract to install and operate telecoms masts. The 10-year agreement with Nokia which runs from September 2022 ‘represents a major step forward ...
-
Metro Report InternationalSmart tags boost accessibility and provide localised content
SPAIN: Public transport users in Barcelona can now access a wide range of travel, local area and accessibility information as well as entertainment content through their mobile devices thanks to the use of smart tags. Operator TMB has rolled out 9 100 of Neosistec’s ddTags across ...