Europe – Page 192
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NewsNight train fleet maintenance contract awarded
SWEDEN: Bombardier Transportation has been awarded a contract to continue to maintain 12 locomotives and 75 coaches used on the Stockholm – Luleå – Narvik overnight services which are due to transfer from SJ to Vy Tåg with the start of a new operating contract in December. ...
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Metro Report International€600m settlement ends legal action over Köln tunnel collapse
GERMANY: The city of Köln, transport operator KVB and construction consortium Nord-Süd-Stadtbahn Köln Los Süd have reached an out-of-court agreement to settle legal claims arising from the collapse of the city archive building during construction of the north-south Stadtbahn tunnel. Two people in neighbouring buildings were killed ...
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NewsIndependent operators raise night train competition concerns
EUROPE: Private open access operators RegioJet and RDC have seen higher than expected demand for the overnight services they launched this month, and Snälltåget has set out plans for expansion. However, the ALLRAIL association of independent passenger operators has expressed concern that incumbent state railways may come ...
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NewsImpuls EMU order signed
POLAND: Małopolska voivodship has signed a contract for Newag to supply seven four-car Impuls 2 electric multiple-units, and provide five years of maintenance services as well as documentation and staff training. The first two EMUs are to be delivered within 16 months and the last vehicle within ...
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NewsLithuanian freight operator launches Polish business
POLAND: The Lithuanian state railway group’s freight business LTG Cargo has established a Polish subsidiary to support its international expansion plans and is negotiating a joint venture with PKP Cargo to operate cross-border intermodal services. LTG Cargo Polska was granted a safety certificate by Polish authority UTK ...
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NewsEurostar looks to cut costs with reduced hours and part-time working
EUROPE: Eurostar is looking to reduce its payroll costs through the introduction of reduced hours and more part-time working ‘wherever possible throughout 2021’, in a move which the cross-Channel high speed operator said was intended to protect jobs at a time when ‘the impact of Covid-19 has ...
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Metro Report InternationalMadrid metro Line 8 to be extended to Valdebebas
SPAIN: An extension of Madrid metro Line 8 is to be included in the future transport plan for the northeastern suburbs of the capital, Comunidad de Madrid Vice-President Ignacio Aguado announced on July 7. Valdebebas is currently served by RENFE suburban services C-1 and C-10 running to ...
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News‘Rail comeback’ could reopen 4 000 km of closed lines
GERMANY: More than 200 closed, mothballed or freight-only lines could be reopened to serve 291 towns and a population of around 3 million people, according to proposals drawn up by the Association of German Transport Companies VDV and rail lobby group Allianz pro Schiene. The two organisations ...
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NewsRomanian DMU on test
ROMANIA: Testing is underway with a prototype diesel multiple-unit developed by Electroputere VFU Pascani for use on short and medium distance services. The 60 m long three-car 120 km/h DMU has a capacity of 164 passengers, including 22 in first class. Facilities include an accessible toilet, air-conditioning, ...
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NewsAlstom proposes divestments to obtain approval for Bombardier Transportation acquisition
INTERNATONAL: Alstom has put forward proposals for a number of product and factory divestments as part of the process of gaining European Union regulatory approval for its planned acquisition of Bombardier Transportation. The European Commission was formally notified of the proposed transaction on June 11. After initial ...
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NewsBosnian railway rehabilitation study
BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA: A joint venture of Spanish companies Ardanuy Ingeniería, Eptisa and IPSA has been awarded a €3·6m, 24-month contract to undertake preliminary and main studies and related design for the modernisation of the 172 km Doboj – Sarajevo section of Pan-European Corridor Corridor Vc, which ...
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NewsLithuanian Railways launches ‘patriotic’ rebranding and international expansion drive
LITHUANIA·: National railway group Lietuvos Geležinkeliai launched a new brand identity on its 101st birthday, reflecting its recent restructuring with the formation of passenger, freight and infrastructure businesses. The full name remains Lietuvos Geležinkeliai, but with the ‘new, more patriotic’ abbreviation LTG rather than LG. ...
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NewsTrenord’s first Donizetti EMU enters service in Milano
ITALY: The first of 41 Alstom Coradia Stream electric multiple-units ordered by Lombardia regional operator Trenord entered service on the Milano – Gallarate – Luino route on July 5, with free travel offered to mark the occasion. The Trenord joint venture of ...
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NewsAgreements signed to allow direct Amsterdam – London trains
EUROPE: Eurostar is set to launch direct services between Amsterdam and London later this year, following the signing on July 7 of four-country agreements covering the legal and security arrangements. A date for the start of through services has not yet been finalised, the high speed train ...
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NewsSecond-hand inter-city coaches arrive in Portugal as CP looks to bolster fleet
Photo: José Carlos Barbosa PORTUGAL: National operator CP has completed the purchase of 51 hauled coaches from Spanish counterpart RENFE as part of its efforts to mitigate an acute shortage of rolling stock. Initial negotiations started in February, when CP anticipated buying only 16 vehicles for ...
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NewsFrench regulators formalise co-operation ahead of market opening
FRANCE: National transport regulator ART and rail safety authority EPSF have agreed to strengthen their co-operation in preparation for opening up of the domestic rail market to competition, the two organisations announced on July 7.
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Metro Report InternationalWuppertal Schwebebahn services suspended amid tyre trouble
GERMANY: Weekday services on the Wuppertal Schwebebahn suspended monorail are to be withdrawn for up to a year to enable urgent guideway repairs, the operator has confirmed. Following an emergency meeting of its supervisory board on July 2, municipal transport and utility company Wuppertaler Stadtwerke announced ...
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Metro Report InternationalRoad traffic expected to fall as Athens metro extension opens
GREECE: A 4 km extension of Athens metro Line 3 was officially inaugurated by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Transport Minister Kostas Karamanlis on July 6, with revenue services starting the following day. The extension from Agia Marina adds three new stations at Agia Varvara, Korydallos and ...
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NewsLaunch customer orders Euro 6000 six-axle electric locomotives
SPAIN: Captrain España has become the launch customer for Stadler’s Euro 6000 six-axle multi-system electric locomotive design, signing a framework contract with leasing company Alpha Trains for up to 21 locos. The contract announced on July 7 includes a firm order for an initial 11 locos to ...
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Metro Report InternationalTrams return to Gorzów Wielkopolski
POLAND: Tram operations in Gorzów Wielkopolski have resumed following a three-year suspension while a major renewal programme was undertaken. Services restarted on July 2, as part of a celebrations marking the city’s 763th anniversary. Trams are running again on the full length of the 9·5 km east–west ...