Europe – Page 162
-
NewsDirect award planned for Germany – Poland services
EUROPE: Berlin-Brandenburg transport authority VBB has annouced its intention to negotiate a directly-awarded contract for DB Regio to continue to operate cross-border regional passenger services to Poland. The contract would include services RB91 Frankfurt (Oder) – Rzepin, RB92 Guben – Zielona Góra and RB66/RE66 (Berlin–) Angermünde ...
-
NewsLe Train eyes Arcachon – La Rochelle TGVs
FRANCE: Taking advantage of the forthcoming liberalisation of domestic passenger services, open access operator Le Train has applied to transport regulation authority ART for powers to run regional high speed services in the southwest.
-
NewsLineas acquires Dutch operator Independent Rail Partner
NETHERLANDS: Belgian freight operator Lineas has acquired Independent Rail Partner, saying the move is an important step in its strategy to partner with or acquire ‘dynamic’ private operators to build a ‘true European rail freight backbone’ to drive modal shift. Zwijndrecht-based IRP was founded in 2011 ...
-
NewsCastex agrees to fund Bordeaux – Toulouse high speed line
FRANCE: The French government will contribute €4·1bn to help finance the long-planned high speed line between Bordeaux and Toulouse, Prime Minister Jean Castex announced on April 28. Toulouse is France’s fourth largest city and the capital of the Occitanie region. It would be the last major conurbation ...
-
NewsProgress Rail locomotive on test in Russia
RUSSIA: Yakutia Railway has taken delivery of a Progress Rail EMD 2TE3250 twin-section diesel locomotive for testing in the region’s extreme environment. The locomotive was transported to the US west coast by rail and then by sea to Vladivostok and to Yakutia. ...
-
Metro Report InternationalTorino metro extended to Bengasi
ITALY: The southern extension of Torino’s VAL automated rubber-tyred metro from Lingotto to Bengasi was formally opened by Mayor Chiara Appendino on April 24.
-
NewsFinnish ETCS Level 2 test route contract awarded
FINLAND: Transport infrastructure agency Väylävirasto has awarded Thales a contract to design, supply, install and test ETCS Level 2 signalling on the Kouvola – Kotka/Hamina line, with commercial use of the new signalling expected to begin in early 2023. The branch which serves an important port ...
-
NewsProvence – Côte d’Azur upgrade funding agreed
FRANCE: The government has agreed a €3∙5bn funding package to launch the first two phases of the long-planned upgrade of the route along the Mediterranean coast between Marseille and Nice, including sections of new line.
-
In depthFrance: Regions take on revival of rural routes
Following recent changes in legislation, France’s regional governments have the option of taking control of rural railways within their jurisdiction. Will this reverse the long decline of minor routes and branch lines? Christian Scasso investigates.
-
NewsSpain to evaluate national gauge conversion programme
SPAIN: The government has reopened the long-running debate over which gauge should be adopted for the principal sections of the main line rail network, with the Ministry of Development and infrastructure manager ADIF establishing a panel of multi-disciplinary specialists to assess the strategy for the core ...
-
NewsRFI lets €1bn contract to realign Sicilian coastal railway
ITALY: RFI has signed contracts covering the planning, design and construction of a new alignment between Taormina and Giampilieri in Sicily, which is the first stage of a project to eliminate the last remaining single track bottleneck on the Messina – Catania main line.
-
Metro Report InternationalSofia inaugurates Line 3 extension
BULGARIA: A 3·8 km western extension of Sofia metro Line 3 from Krasno Selo and Gorna Banya opened on April 24.
-
NewsAccess charge reductions fairer than direct support, says ERFA
Duisburg (Photo: DB). EUROPE: The European Rail Freight Association has reiterated its belief that reducing track access charges would be the best way of supporting the rail freight sector through the pandemic in a transparent and non-discriminatory manner, rather than providing direct support for individual operators. ...
-
Metro Report InternationalTwist trams delivered to Tramwaje Śląskie
POLAND: PESA Bydgoszcz has completed the delivery of 35 Twist low-floor trams ordered by Tramwaje Śląskie. The 221m złoty EU co-financed contract placed in June 2018 covered 27 Type 2017N trams which are 25 m long and designed specifically for Tramwaje Śląskie, ...
-
NewsWarszawa – Gdynia line upgraded for 200 km/h
POLAND: A consortium of Alstom, Thales and Nokia has completed the deployment of ERTMS to support 200 km/h operation on the Warszawa – Gdynia section of railway route E65. ‘This jointly-delivered project is a game-changing achievement in the history of high speed railway implementation in Poland’, ...
-
In depthRail Baltica concept trains inspired by sun, sea and sand
EUROPE: Rail Baltica project promoter RB Rail has produced conceptual images to help inform the public about the type of trains which could link Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania with Poland and western Europe using the future standard gauge line. The concepts are intended to inform the ...
-
NewsSnälltåget will not bid for Stockholm – Brussels night train contract
EUROPE: Open access operator Snälltåget has decided not to bid for the contract to operate the Swedish government’s proposed overnight service between Stockholm, Malmö, Hamburg, Köln and Brussels.
-
NewsContainerships launches Swedish shuttle train
SWEDEN: Multimodal logistics company Containerships has started its own shuttle train service between the port of Helsingborg and the Mälardalen region around Stockholm, to meet its requirement for more efficient transport, higher capacity and shorter lead times. The service is being operated by Green Cargo as ...
-
Metro Report InternationalCAF confirms Lisboa Route 15 tram contract
PORTUGAL: Lisboa operator Carris has finalised a €43m contract for CAF to supply 15 Urbos articulated trams for its 900 mm gauge network and provide five years of maintenance. Announcing the contract award on April 21, CAF said the 28·5 m long, five-section unidirectional low-floor vehicles would ...
-
NewsSBB orders 60 double-deck EMUs to increase capacity and accessibility
SWITZERLAND: Swiss Federal Railways has awarded Stadler a contract to supply a further 60 Kiss double-deck electric multiple-units to provide additional capacity and improve accessibility on its InterRegio long-distance services.