Europe – Page 249
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Metro Report InternationalVR Group to operate Tampere tramway
FINLAND: Tampere’s Municipal Public Transport Committee has selected national railway VR Group to operate the tramway being developed in the city. Six parties prequalified for the contract: VR Group, Stockholms Spårvägar, Länsilinjat, Väinö Paunu, Go-Ahead Finland, and a consortium of Transtech and Keolis; Go-Ahead Finland subsequently withdrew ...
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Rail Business UKStation Access Map aims to facilitate independent travel
UK: An ‘Access Map’ has been launched to provide rail users with information about accessibility at stations. This includes whether stations have step free or partial step free access; what facilities are available, including accessible toilets and changing places, and alternative accessible stations. Developed by the Rail Delivery Group, train ...
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Metro Report InternationalGdańsk tram purchase to be funded from late delivery fines
POLAND: Gdańsk tram operator GAiT is purchasing 15 more Jazz Duo trams from Pesa, the city authorities announced on April 25. The order forms an option on a contract signed in February 2018. Due to arrive by the end of 2020, the trams from the option will be partly ...
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Metro Report InternationalElizabeth Line launch planned for 2020-21
UK: A ‘robust and realistic’ plan for the launch of Elizabeth Line services through central London during a ‘six-month delivery window with a midpoint at the end of 2020’ was announced by project promoter Crossrail Ltd on April 25. The opening was originally planned for December 2018, but in August ...
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NewsVR orders double-deck dining cars
FINLAND: National railway VR Group has awarded Škoda Transtech a €24m contract to supply a further seven double-deck dining cars. They are to be to be produced at the Škoda Transportation subsidiary’s Kajaani factory for entry into service on the Helsinki – Turku and Helsinki – Tampere routes in 2021-22. ...
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NewsNSB Group rebrands as Vy
NORWAY: State-owned train operator NSB Group relaunched as Vy on April 24, bringing its rail, bus and electric car-sharing activities together under a single brand. ‘The name Norwegian State Railways no longer adequately expresses what we do’, explained Chairman Dag Mejdell. ‘The NSB Group operates rail and bus services ...
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NewsHigh-capacity container wagons ordered
RUSSIA: Eurosib SPb - Transport Systems has awarded United Wagon Co’s Tikhvin plant a contract to supply 400 Type 13-6903 container wagons by February 2020. They will have 25 tonne axleload bogies, capacity of 74·5 tonnes and a loading length of 80 ft, enabling them to carry high-capacity containers including ...
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Rail Business UKUK railway news round-up
The House of Commons Transport Select Committee has launched the 'Trains fit for the future?' inquiry into the development of trains using alternative fuels such as hydrogen or batteries, and how vehicle design can be ‘future proofed’ to meet changing passenger needs. The deadline for written submissions is May 23. ...
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NewsLänderbahn confirmed as Ostsachsen II operator for 12 more years
GERMANY: Netinera subsidiary Länderbahn announced on April 1 that it will continue to run Ostsachsennetz II services under its Trilex brand for a further 12 years from December 14 2019. In April 2018 DB Regio subsidiary Start Ostsachsen was selected for the concession by a group of four transport ...
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NewsHauts-de-France starts regional tendering
FRANCE: Proposals to tender the operation of regional passenger services in Hauts-de-France from the end of 2022 were unveiled by the regional council on April 23. Following the lead set by Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur last month, the region is planning to open up local rail services to competition in line with ...
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Rail Business UKVirgin Trains proposes airline model for long-distance rail travel
UK: A complete rethink of the way long-distance rail services in Great Britain are operated forms a key part of Virgin Trains’ submission to the government’s Williams Rail Review of the rail industry. Despite the possibility that Virgin Trains will cease operating rail services in the UK within the next ...
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Rail Business UKCo-operative proposes Wessex open access train service
UK: Ambitious plans to launch a network of open access regional passenger services in western England are being developed by independent not-for-profit co-operative society GO-OP Co-operative Ltd, which hopes to start operations in summer 2020. GO-OP is proposing to offer at least three direct trains each way per day between ...
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Rail Business UKSiemens Mobility submits plans for Goole rolling stock plant
UK: Siemens Mobility has submitted an outline planning application for a £200m rolling stock plant at Goole in East Yorkshire which would manufacture and commission vehicles for the UK market. This follows the signing last of November of a £1·5bn contract to supply 94 Inspiro London trainsets for London Underground’s ...
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Metro Report InternationalSiemens Mobility submits plans for Goole rolling stock plant
UK: Siemens Mobility has submitted an outline planning application for a £200m rolling stock plant at Goole in East Yorkshire which would manufacture and commission vehicles for the UK market. This follows the signing last of November of a £1·5bn contract to supply 94 Inspiro London trainsets for London Underground’s ...
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Metro Report InternationalCrossrail Ltd culture criticised in London Assembly report
UK: Factors which contributed to the delay to the opening of the Crossrail line through London are set out in a report released by the London Assembly Transport Committee on April 23, along with recommendations intended to ensure that other large infrastructure schemes can be completed successfully. The project to ...
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Metro Report InternationalIstanbul plans third heritage-style tramway
TURKEY: Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality has announced plans to build a new heritage-style tram line. The 2·2 km route planned for the Esenler district would connect Menderes station on metro Line M1B with Yıldız Technical University Davutpaşa Campus, running along Atışalanı Caddesi and Davutpaşa Caddesi. It would serve five stops ...
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Rail Business UKVivarail D-Train enters passenger service
UK: West Midlands Trains put its first Class 230 ‘D-Train’ DMU into passenger service on April 23, working the Marston Vale route between Bletchley and Bedford, which forms part of its London Northwestern Railway business unit. The Abellio-led franchise operator ordered the three two-car units from Vivarail to provide extra ...
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Metro Report InternationalIstanbul plans cross-Bosporus metro line
TURKEY: The Ministry of Transport & Infrastructure is planning to build a metro line connecting the European and Asian sides of Istanbul, using a three-level road and rail tunnel to cross the Bosporus. The 30·2 km route would link Incirli on the Thracian side with Söğütlüçeşme in Anatolia. There ...
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NewsTipping wagons expand UWC range
RUSSIA: United Wagon Co is expanding its range with the development of two side tipping wagons for the transport and automated discharge of aggregates and ore. The wagons were designed by UWC’s All-Union Research & Development Centre for Transportation Technology and are currently undergoing certification, ahead of the planned start ...
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NewsYapı Merkezı enters signalling market
TURKEY: Infrastructure manager TCDD has begun testing signalling equipment developed by Yapı Merkezı Idis, the industrial controls and communications subsidiary of construction group Yapı Merkezı. The company has installed an interlocking, fixed block signals and level crossing control units compatible with future deployment of ERTMS. The equipment was commissioned on ...