Europe – Page 163
-
NewsHANS retains operating contract
GERMANY: Sachsen-Anhalt transport authority NASA and its Berlin-Brandenburg counterpart VBB have awarded Hanseatische Eisenbahn a contract to operate Elbe-Altmark II passenger services for six years from the December 2022 timetable change. The contract covers local services RB 34 Stendal – Rathenow and RB33 Stendal –Tangermünde. The ...
-
Metro Report InternationalMetro driving and operations simulator provides comprehensive training facility
SPAIN: A multi-functional metro operational control, driving and breakdown repair simulator suite has been installed in the Barcelona metro’s training centre at Hospital Clínic station. Developed by operator TMB and railway technology research centre CITEF, it supports a wide range of training exercises involving interaction between ...
-
NewsBrenner northern approach alignment selected
EUROPE: The preferred alignment for the cross-border northern approach route to the Brenner Base Tunnel has been announced by Deutsche Bahn, Austrian Federal Railways and Germany’s Ministry of Transport & Digital Infrastructure. Five alignments had been proposed, with the Violet Route option selected following a comprehensive ...
-
Metro Report InternationalIncreased investment, rolling stock renewals and elimination of diesel buses in Paris operating contract
FRANCE: A 25% increasing in investment is included a €1·6bn/year operating contract for 2021-24 which has been agreed by Paris operator RATP and regional transport authority Île-de-France Mobilités The agreement covers 14 metro lines, 341 bus routes and eight tram lines, as well as the operation ...
-
NewsRemodelled station opens in Canfranc ahead of reopening of cross-border link
SPAIN: On April 15, a RENFE DMU carrying invited guests from Zaragoza became the first train to arrive at the remodelled and relocated station in Canfranc, marking a further step in the long-running plan to reinstate the railway through the Pyrénées mountains linking Pau with Huesca.
-
NewsLong-distance Lastochka EMUs on test
RUSSIA: Certification testing has begun with the latest member of Ural Locomotives’ Lastochka electric multiple-unit family, a 10-car variant which is intended for use on inter-regional routes of up to 700 km. Revenue services are planned to start this summer, with seven ...
-
NewsTeleste information screens selected for Danish stations
DENMARK: Infrastructure manager Banedanmark has awarded Teleste a framework contract for the supply of up to 4 500 outdoor TFT LCD displays as part of work to enhance passenger information provision at stations. The contract runs for five years, with an option for a further three. ...
-
News‘Monster’ freight train in regular service
FINLAND: VR Transpoint has begun regular operation of 7 000 tonne trains carrying Russian transit freight to the port of Hamina. The 1 km long trains with 80 wagons and the capacity of 92 lorries have been branded Mörkö, meaning a giant monster or ogre from ...
-
NewsDSB increases Talgo order to provide more international capacity
DENMARK: DSB has decided to increase the capacity of the eight Talgo trainsets it has ordered for use on services to Hamburg. The national passenger operator said international ticket sales were increasing before the pandemic, and this would help to meet growing demand for more climate-friendly ...
-
NewsLombardia operator orders more Coradia Stream EMUs
ITALY: Following the confirmation of funding from the Lombardia region, FNM Group’s Ferrovienord has awarded Alstom a €125m firm order to supply a further 20 Coradia Stream electric multiple-units from June 2023 for use on Milano – Sondrio – Tirano services. The order announced on April ...
-
NewsDutch lines get the Wink
NETHERLANDS. The 18 Stadler Wink multiple-units ordered by Arriva for use around Groningen and Leeuwarden began entering regular service on April 12. Arriva was the launch customer for Stadler’s Wandelbarer Innovativer Nahverkehrs-Kurzzug (‘convertible, innovative short train for local transport’) placing a €170m ...
-
NewsSweden reinstates passenger trains to Finnish border
SWEDEN: Passenger services have been reinstated on the 159 km route between Boden and Haparanda on the border with Finland. Regular passenger services on the line had ended in 1992, but have now restarted with Vy Tåg’s Norrtåg subsidiary initially operating two return trains a day ...
-
NewsFlixTrain prepares to launch in Sweden
SWEDEN: Open access operator FlixMobility has opened ticket bookings for its first rail service in Sweden, with services between Stockholm and Göteborg expected to start from May 6, a year later than originally anticipated.
-
NewsAlstom agrees to RER Line B fleet order
FRANCE: Paris transport authority Île‐de‐France Mobilités and operators RATP and SNCF Voyageurs have reached agreement with Alstom‐Bombardier and CAF, paving the way for construction of the MI20 fleet of electric multiple-units to operate RER Line B. In January, the operators selected a consortium of Bombardier Transportation and ...
-
NewsAutomation test track takes shape
CZECH REPUBLIC: AŽD Praha has installed the first regional variant of its GateSWing GTA-100 level crossing protection system as part of a project to develop a test track for autonomous train operation under the Shift2Rail programme and the future Europe’s Rail JU. Intended specifically as a low-cost ...
-
NewsVR FleetCare to modernise couchette cars for Norway
NORWAY: The Finnish national railway’s VR FleetCare rolling stock business has won its first contract in Norway, covering the refurbishment of eight former Deutsche Bahn BDcmz 874.1 couchette cars which Vy Tåg has acquired for use on Bergensbanen services. Refurbishment will be undertaken at VR FleetCare’s ...
-
NewsBiodiesel-electric units in order for lingonberry-coloured trains
SWEDEN: Leasing organisation AB Transitio and CAF have finalised a contract for the supply of 28 multiple-units, formed of 20 electric units and eight bimodes which will also be able to run on renewable biodiesel to meet local environmental targets on lines which are not currently ...
-
In depthInterview: Digital becomes tangible
There is a window of opportunity to combine increased public funding with the demonstrable operational benefits of digital technology in order to drive modal shift to rail after the pandemic, Knorr-Bremse’s Board Member for Rail Systems Dr Jürgen Wilder explains to Nick Kingsley.
-
NewsRegioJet wins tendered operating contract
CZECH REPUBLIC: The Ministry of Transport has selected RegioJet for a contract for to operate R23 fast passenger services on the 135 km electrified line between Kolín and Ústí nad Labem-západ. The contract announced on March 30 runs for eight years from the December 2021 timetable ...
-
Metro Report InternationalFirst tram for Raide-Jokeri line delivered
FINLAND: The first Smart Artic X54 tram for the future Raide-Jokeri orbital light rail line linking Helsinki and Espoo was delivered by Škoda Transtech on April 9. The company is supplying 29 ForCity Smart Artic XL vehicles for the line under a €95·2m contract which Helsinki ...