Europe – Page 218
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Metro Report InternationalBattery buses enter passenger service in Poznań
POLAND: The first of 21 electric buses that MPK Poznań ordered from Solaris in December entered regular passenger service on route 174 on November 27. Deliveries are scheduled to be completed in February of the 15 Urbino 18 articulated vehicles and six Urbino 12 buses. The buses ...
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NewsBasel intermodal agreement signed
INTERNATIONAL: Deutsche Bahn, the German Federal Asset Authority (Bundeseisenbahnvermögen) and the Canton of Basel-Stadt signed an agreement on November 15 intended to increase the volume of freight moving by rail and water thanks to improvements to rail infrastructure and transhipment and terminal facilities. The agreement covers upgrading ...
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Metro Report InternationalPorto eyes Chinese trams as ridership grows
PORTUGAL: Metro do Porto has reportedly selected CRRC Tangshan as preferred bidder to supply and maintain a batch of 18 low-floor light rail vehicles as part of a network expansion project approved earlier this year.
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Rail Business UKAvanti West Coast sets out plans for West Coast franchise
UK: Avanti West Coast was officially unveiled as the brand name for the new West Coast Partnership franchise on November 27. Joint venture partners FirstGroup and Italian national operator Trenitalia explained that ‘Avanti is Italian for “Forward!” and reflects a mission to deliver an innovative railway service ...
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NewsEurasian containers replace coal as freight market changes
Source: Duisport GERMANY: The Coal Island facility at the inland Port of Duisburg is to be replaced by a rail, river and road intermodal terminal in a change which operator Duisport said reflects a ‘sharp decline’ in the coal market but ‘booming’ trade with China. The ...
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NewsThree operators awarded Spanish high speed paths
SPAIN: High speed infrastructure manager Adif AV has selected three preferred bidders to negotiate 10-year framework agreements enabling them to operate passenger services on the routes from Madrid east to Valencia and Alacant, south to Sevilla and Málaga and north to Barcelona and the French border. The ...
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Metro Report InternationalAlstom wins contract to automate Marseille metro
FRANCE: Alstom is to supply trains and signalling for the conversion of the Marseille metro to fully driverless operation, the manufacturer announced on November 26. The €430m contract, financed by local authority Métropole Aix-Marseille-Provence, will see both lines of the city’s rubber-tyred metro move to driverless operation ...
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NewsSNCF selects train connectivity technology supplier
FRANCE: SNCF has selected Klas Telecom and its local partner Seolane Innovation for a contract to provide LTE train-to-ground communications to support operational and passenger connectivity services. The first deployment of the supplier’s TRX R6 Connected Transportation Platform will support CCTV onboard regional trains, with passenger information ...
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NewsArup to review the case for hydrogen trains
UK: The Rail Safety & Standards Board has appointed Arup to develop a ‘route map to enter service’ for hydrogen-powered trains. This will involve working with manufacturers, regulators, rolling stock owners and operators to establish a high-level operational concept as well as to identify hazards and regulatory ...
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NewsLocomotive Workshop Rotterdam maintenance facility opens
NETHERLANDS: The Locomotive Workshop Rotterdam maintenance depot in the port’s Maasvlakte 2 area was offically inaugurated on November 26. It has been developed by a joint venture of manufacturer Siemens Mobility and leasing company Mitsui Rail Capital Europe, and will undertake preventive and corrective maintenance, inspection and ...
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NewsArticulated open wagons offer 23% increase in load per unit length
RUSSIA: United Wagon Co has obtained federal certification for two designs of articulated open wagon. It said these can increase the load per unit length by 23% compared to conventional designs, providing a significant boost to network efficiency without needing to change the infrastructure to accommodate ...
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Metro Report InternationalTram route T6 opens in Lyon
FRANCE: Lyon tram route T6 was inaugurated on November 22. The 6·7 km route has been built as an end-on eastern extension of route T1. Running from Debourg, where interchange is provided with metro Line B, to Hôpitaux Est-Pinel, T6 serves 14 stops and offers an end-to-end ...
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Metro Report InternationalFirst tram arrives for Paris T9
FRANCE: The first of 22 trams that Alstom is supplying to operate route T9 in Paris arrived in Orly on November 22, four days after leaving Alstom’s La Rochelle factory. Ile-de-France regional transport authority STIF awarded Alstom a contract in 2016 that includes options for up to 68 additional trams ...
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NewsRATP and Getlink target French regional market
Photo: Christophe Masse FRANCE: RATP Dev has signed an agreement with Channel Tunnel operator Getlink to establish a joint venture to bid for tendered operating contracts in the forthcoming opening up of the French regional rail market. RATP would have a 55% stake in the joint venture, ...
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NewsNightjet plans mini-capsules for private travellers
AUSTRIA: ÖBB has unveiled the interior designs for the sleeping car and couchette vehicles in its Siemens-built Nightjet overnight trains which are scheduled to enter service from 2022.
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Rail Business UKTransPennine Express launches Nova fleet
UK: Marking the completion of a £500m investment programme, TransPennine Express formally launched its new fleet of 44 Nova trainsets with an event at Liverpool Lime Street station on November 22. Working with different leasing companies and manufacturers, the FirstGroup-operated franchise has procured three builds of new ...
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NewsFavourable opinion on Firenze high speed tunnel
The tunnel will significantly reduce travel times by avoiding the need for trains to reverse at the existing Santa Maria Novella terminus. ITALY: A cost:benefit analysis has come out in favour of continuing with the project to build 7 km twin-bore high speed rail tunnel and Belfiore ...
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NewsSiemens rolls out new Turkish Velaro
TURKEY: Siemens has unveiled the first of 12 Velaro high speed trainsets ordered by Turkish national operator TCDD Taşımacılık at the supplier’s Düsseldorf plant on November 13. Due to arrive in Ankara by the end of November, the train is expected to enter passenger service in February ...
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Metro Report InternationalPutin inaugurates Moscow Central Diameters
RUSSIA: The first RER-style routes linking existing radial rail routes into Moscow were inaugurated on November 21. The opening ceremony for the first two so-called Moscow Central Diameters was attended by President Vladimir Putin, Minister of Transport Yevgeny Dietrich, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, Governor of Moscow Oblast ...
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NewsPraha ETCS programme launched
CZECH REPUBLIC: A programme to install ETCS Level 2 on routes around Praha was launched by infrastructure manager SŽDC and signalling contractor AŽD Praha on November 5. The project is costed at KC327·7m, with 42% to be funded from European Union sources. The project is divided into ...