Europe – Page 248
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Metro Report InternationalPraha introduces on-board tram ticket vending machines
CZECH REPUBLIC: On-board ticket sales were introduced across the Praha tram fleet on April 26, following several months of trials on selected trams. A ticket vending machine has been fitted to each tram, with the Škoda Transportation 14T trams each having two TVMs. Passengers can purchase full-priced and concessionary ...
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Rail Business UKWritten-off loco parts used for simulator
UK: GB Railfreight is investing £850 000 in two Corys full-cab ERTMS-capable locomotive simulators for its new training school at Peterborough. The simulators are being built using the recycled remains of EMD locomotive 66 734, which was involved in a landslip and derailment at Loch Treig in 2012. ...
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Rail Business UKTracsis acquires timetabling software specialist Bellvedi
TRACSIS: Transport software supplier Tracsis Group announced its acquisition of timetabling tool specialist Bellvedi Ltd on May 1. UK-based Bellvedi’s ATTUne planning and ATTUne4C on-the-day control platforms are used by train operators, infrastructure manager Network Rail, franchise bidding teams and consultancies for planning and validating timetables. ‘Tracsis has known ...
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Metro Report InternationalAlstom delivers first MPL16 metro train to Lyon
FRANCE: Alstom has delivered the first of 30 MPL16 trainsets that it is supplying to the Lyon metro. The train is due to enter service on Line B in 2020. In October 2016 transport authority Sytral awarded Alstom a €140m contract that includes options for up to 18 more ...
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Metro Report InternationalAvignon tramway on test
FRANCE: Test running has started on the Avignon tramway, ahead of planned opening to passengers in October. The 5·4 km route from Porte Saint-Roche in the city centre to Saint-Chamand in the southeast will serve 10 stops, offering an end-to-end journey time of 15 min. Civil works were ...
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NewsOperail switches workshop focus from wagon repairs to locomotives
ESTONIA: Freight group Operail’s supervisory board has approved the management’s proposal for changes at the Tapa depot which will direct resources towards locomotive rebuilding activities rather than wagon repairs. Repair activities at the site have not been profitable in recent years because of the extent to which work depends ...
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Rail Business UKUK railway news round-up
Greater Anglia is to suspend seat reservations on its Norwich – London inter-city services for around six months from July 13, 'to prevent confusion or misunderstandings' during the transition to its new fleet. Advance fares will still be offered for specific services. 'The new trains are much longer than our ...
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Metro Report InternationalCRRC, Siemens and Škoda bid for Porto LRV contract
PORTUGAL: Metro do Porto has received three bids for a contract to supply 18 light rail vehicles, the authority announced on April 30. Metro do Porto called tenders in December for the contract with an estimated value of €56·1m, including five years of maintenance. Bids have been received from ...
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NewsRostock – Hamburg direct award
GERMANY: The Land of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has decided to directly award incumbent DB Regio Nordost a contract to continue to operate Ostseeküste-West regional passenger services for a further two years from the end of its current contract in December 2019. Announcing the decision on April 30, the Land’s Ministry of Energy, ...
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Metro Report InternationalWork begins on Karlsruhe tram extension
GERMANY: A groundbreaking ceremony at the site of the future Egon-Eiermann-Allee stop marked the start of work on a tram extension in Karlsruhe on April 29. The 1·5 km extension of Route 2 running north from the current Lassallestraße terminus would serve the Knielingen 2.0 residential district. It would ...
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Metro Report InternationalAarhus Letbane Phase 1 completed
DENMARK: The first phase of the Aarhus Letbane light rail network was completed with the entry into service of the last sections on April 30. The 69 km single-track railway between Aarhus H and Grenna to the northeast has reopened as a light rail line having been closed since ...
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NewsBaden-Württemberg shortlists lines for reopening
GERMANY: The Land of Baden-Württemberg has commissioned a detailed comparative study of the cost and feasibility of reintroducing passenger services on 41 routes, following an initial investigation which looked at 75 closed or freight-only lines. The study is to be completed by the end of 2020, and aims to produce ...
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Metro Report InternationalKing unveils Brussels tram mock-up
BELGIUM: On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of trams in Brussels, King Philippe unveiled a mock-up of the next-generation Flexity tram on April 30. City transport operator STIB signed a €480m framework contract with Bombardier Transportation in April 2018, covering the supply of up to 175 trams. The base ...
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Rail Business UKLondon – Bordeaux high speed rail service ‘blueprint’
EUROPE: A ‘blueprint’ for the operation of direct high speed services to and from London was presented to the Mayor of Bordeaux and the President of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region on April 29. The proposals are being developed jointly by HS1 Ltd, which manages the high speed line between London and ...
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NewsKapsch CarrierCom to upgrade Infrabel communications network
BELGIUM: Infrastructure manager Infrabel has awarded Kapsch CarrierCom a 15-year framework agreement covering the migration of its GSM-R communications network from R99/TDM to R4/VoIP and the provision of 12 years of maintenance. This is intended to provide the functionality and resilience needed for the use of ETCS Level 2 over ...
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Rail Business UKRDG proposes arms-length body to oversee UK rail
UK: Greater accountability to rail users and devolved authorities is envisaged under proposals from the Rail Delivery Group published on April 30, along with the establishment of an ‘independent national organising body’ to co-ordinate and oversee the entire rail sector. Unveiling its proposals to the Williams Rail Review, which has ...
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Rail Business UKCaledonian Sleeper launches new CAF coaches
UK: London to Scotland overnight train operator Caledonian Sleeper put the first of its new fleet of CAF coaches into service on April 28. The Mk V vehicles built in northern Spain are initially being used on the Lowlander route from London to Glasgow and Edinburgh. The Highlander route between ...
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NewsStadler signs Waldenburgerbahn contract
SWITZERLAND: Baselland Transport and Stadler Rail signed a contract on April 26 for the supply of 10 Tramlink Be 6/8 vehicles to operate on the Waldenburgerbahn. The contract signing follows BLT’s approval on April 17 of a SFr54m credit line to support the purchase. The vehicles have been ordered ...
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NewsNS ends Irish-registered rolling stock leasing activities
EUROPE: The Irish-registered NS Financial Services Co subsidiary of Dutch national train operator NS has sold its final assets and ceased operating, NS announced on April 25. The fleet of 54 Alstom Coradia Lint 41 diesel multiple-units used by NS subsidiary Abellio Rail Mitteldeutschland on Diesel Netz Sachsen-Anhalt services in ...
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Rail Business UKAventra EMU cybersecurity assessed
UK: Ricardo and Roke Manor Research are working with Bombardier Transportation’s in-house teams to produce a full appraisal of the digital security risk profile of Aventra electric multiple-units, looking at their exposure to a range of possible threats from espionage to remote hacking. This is intended to provide Bombardier Transportation's ...