Europe – Page 187
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Metro Report InternationalFlexity tram unveiled in Duisburg
GERMANY: The first of 47 Flexity Classic trams being supplied to Duisburger Verkehrsgesellschaft by Bombardier Transportation has been delivered to DVG’s Grunewald depot for testing ahead of entry into revenue service.
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NewsDB Cargo awards framework agreement for 400 electro-diesel locos
GERMANY: DB Cargo has awarded Siemens Mobility a framework contract for the supply of up to 400 Vectron Dual Mode electro-diesel locomotives, which would be delivered in a number of variants to meet the national freight operator’s particular needs. Siemens Mobility said the agreement announced on ...
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Metro Report InternationalCitadis X05 trams arrive in Athens
GREECE: Alstom has delivered the first two of 25 Citadis X05 trams ordered by Athens transport agency Attiko Metro. Under the contract awarded in ordered in July 2018 Alstom is responsible for the on-site testing, training and warranty services, as well as the provision of spare parts. ...
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Metro Report InternationalCádiz tram-trains make first main line test runs
SPAIN: Overnight on September 2, a CAF LRV made the first runs over ADIF tracks as part of preparations for the opening of the Bahía de Cádiz tram-train route. Initially expected to open in 2017, the tram-train project has involved the construction of 14 km of 1 ...
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NewsSNCF veteran Damas to lead Eurostar as restructuring looms
EUROPE: On September 4 the management board of Voyages SNCF announced the selection of Jacques Damas to succeed Mike Cooper as Chief Executive of Eurostar, in which the French national operator holds a 55% majority stake. Damas is an SNCF veteran whose career with the state railway ...
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NewsÖBB and Voestalpine joint venture to commercialise innovative wagon design
AUSTRIA: ÖBB-Technische Services and Voestalpine Stahl have agreed to establish a 50:50 joint venture to manufacture and market a range of lightweight modular freight wagons under the TransANT brand.
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Metro Report InternationalLviv opts for local manufacturer’s trams
UKRAINE: Local manufacturer Electron Concern signed a contract to supply 10 low-floor trams to the city of Lviv on September 2. This follows an international tender supported by the European Investment Bank’s urban public transport programme for Ukraine. The five-section metre-gauge trams costing €1·2m each will be ...
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NewsCeneri Base Tunnel inaugurated
SWITZERLAND: The 15·4 km Ceneri Base Tunnel between Bellinzona and Lugano was formally inaugurated on September 4, with President of the Swiss Confederation Simonetta Sommaruga cutting a ribbon before the inaugural freight train ran south. This was followed by special passenger trains carrying guests in each direction. ...
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NewsBLS CEO steps down after Federal Audit Office finds flaws in accounting processes
SWITZERLAND: The country’s second largest railway has an overly complex accounting process which needs improvement, according to an investigation of flawed reporting for public funding by BLS which was published by the Federal Audit Office on September 3. Following the publication of the report, BLS announced that ...
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NewsRegioJet takes on MÁV-Start by offering intra-Hungarian fares
RegioJet’s Hungarian service links Budapest with Wien twice daily. HUNGARY: RegioJet has begun selling tickets for journeys within Hungary on its Praha – Wien – Budapest services, becoming the first private operator to challenge incumbent MÁV-Start on domestic journeys. On August 26 the open access operator began ...
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NewsRail receives €4·7bn in French recovery spending package
Photo: Christophe Masse FRANCE: The government announced on September 3 its intention to provide a financial support package for the rail sector worth €4·7bn as part of a post-pandemic recovery plan. Transport Secretary Jean-Baptiste Djebbari said that the funding package, which forms part of a wider national ...
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NewsIncreasing capacity west of Spandau
GERMANY: The Länder of Berlin and Brandenburg have signed an agreement with Deutsche Bahn to finance studies for a project to increase capacity on the 23 km Spandau – Nauen section of the Berlin – Hamburg corridor, including a proposed extension of the Berlin S-Bahn to Finkenkrug. ...
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Metro Report InternationalConstruction contracts awarded as Porto light rail network expands
PORTUGAL: The Metro do Porto management board has approved the award of two construction packages for expansion of the city’s light rail network to a consortium of Alberto Couto Alves and Ferrovial Agroman. Worth €189m, the first package covers construction of the 3∙1 km Line G with ...
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NewsCovid-19 aid package unfair, say independent operators
GERMANY: Financial aid earmarked for national operator Deutsche Bahn in the form of a €5bn equity increase as compensation for the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic constitutes unfair state aid under European Union law, according to Netzwerk Europäischer Eisenbahnen, an association of around 60 independent rail freight ...
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NewsDigital coupler ‘opens door to automation’
GERMANY: Deutsche Bahn has launched a programme to test digital automatic couplings in live freight traffic. Speaking during a demonstration of prototype couplers at the DB Systemtechnik Minden research facility on August 31, Sabina Jeschke, DB’s Board Member for Digitalisation & Technology, said that the technology ‘opens ...
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NewsThree prequalify for large Swiss train contract
SWITZERLAND: Three manufacturers have prequalified for a contract to supply a total of 194 electric-multiple units in a procurement process which is being run by Swiss Federal Railways and its local operating joint ventures Thurbo in Thurgau and RegionAlps in Valais. The shortlisted bidders announced on September ...
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NewsVoters reject Liechtenstein S-Bahn proposal
LIECHTENSTEIN: Plans for a cross-border S-Bahn service linking Austria and Switzerland through the principality were rejected by 62·3% of voters in a referendum held on August 30. A letter of intent to go ahead with the long-planned project had been signed by Liechtenstein’s Deputy Prime Minister and ...
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NewsAutomotive wagons meet changing needs of car manufacturers
EUROPE: Transfesa Logistics has put into service the first 18 of 100 automotive wagons ordered from Greenbrier in Poland. The company said this would help to meet the growing demand for transporting electric vehicles, and cars which are larger and heavier than those produced in the past. ...
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NewsArticulated light oil tank wagon certified
RUSSIA: United Wagon Co has obtained operating certification for its Type 15-629 six-axle articulated tank car for carrying light oil products. It runs on 25 tonne axleload bogies and is designed to make the most efficient use of capacity when transporting light oil products with a density ...
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NewsWasp’s waist bridge replaced
SWEDEN: Infrastructure manager Trafikverket has completed the latest stage in the ongoing programme to modernise the 2 km corridor through central Stockholm. Known as the ‘wasp’s waist’, this is the busiest section of the national rail network. The latest works saw the 250 m bridge over the ...