Europe – Page 84
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Metro Report InternationalTramlink on test in Milano
ITALY: Milano municipal transport operator ATM has begun overnight testing of the first of 30 Stadler Tramlink trams. In September 2020 ATM signed a six-year framework agreement for Stadler to supply up to 80 trams worth €172·6m, including a €75·5m firm order for an initial 30 ...
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NewsSale of Arriva’s Danish and Serbian businesses completed
EUROPE: München-based private equity investor Mutares says it plans to increase operational efficiency and leverage ‘strong expertise in tendering for public sector contracts’ following its acquisition of Arriva’s activities in Denmark and Serbia. The transaction covers bus services in Denmark and Serbia, plus rail, ferry and ...
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NewsNetherlands – Belgium – France open access train service planned
EUROPE: Arriva Nederland has applied for permission to launch an open access passenger service from the north of the Netherlands to Belgium and Paris.
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NewsIryo launches Madrid to Alacant service
SPAIN: Private high speed operator Iryo launched two pairs of return trains between Madrid Chamartín and Alacant on June 2. The inaugural service departed at 07.45 from Madrid to Alacant, with Transport Minister Xavier Flores onboard. Trains leave Madrid Chamartín at 07.45 and 15.45 daily, while ...
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NewsNASA looks at alternatives to diesel trains
GERMANY: Sachsen-Anhalt transport authority NASA has commissioned a study of options for replacement of diesel traction on the Land’s regional passenger services. Transport Technologie-Consult Karlsruhe has been awarded a €140 600 contract to look at options including batteries, hydrogen and electrification, as well as potential interim ...
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NewsYosaria Trains acquires ex-DB double-deck sleeping cars
SLOVAKIA: Yosaria Trains has taken delivery of 35 out-of-use double-deck sleeping cars which were formerly used on Deutsche Bahn CityNightLine services.
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NewsEurostar seeks solution to avoid suspension of Amsterdam – London services
NETHERLANDS: The CEO of Eurostar has met with Dutch officials to discuss the future of services from London to Amsterdam, after Infrastructure Secretary Vivianne Heijnen said operations may have to be suspended for up to 11 months. In a letter to the Dutch parliament on June ...
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NewsHydrogen train on test
SPAIN: Main line testing is underway with a demonstrator electric-hydrogen bi-mode trainset developed under the Fuel Cell Hybrid Power Pack for Rail Applications project, which aims to produce a zero-emission train competitive with existing diesel trains. The FCH2Rail initiative is being undertaken by a consortium of ...
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Metro Report InternationalTram depot expanded to accommodate growing fleet
GERMANY: Nürnberg transport operator VAG has completed a €25m project to increase capacity at its Heinrich-Alfes-Straße tram depot to support an expansion of its fleet. Three buildings have been erected; one has space for 15 trams on five tracks including three with inspection pits and six ...
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In depthComment: Member states hold key to a Single European Railway Area
The European Commission has bold plans to create a Single European Railway Area, but these ambitious aims remain firmly dependent on cooperation from member states across the Eurozone, suggests our Executive Editor Nick Kingsley.
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NewsSiemens Mobility buys traffic optimisation specialist Optrail
ITALY: Siemens Mobility has acquired Optrail, which provides mathematical algorithms for optimising rail traffic management. Optrail applies operations research and machine learning to solve real-world problems in transport and logistics. Its core product provides real-time conflict resolution by integrating optimisation algorithms, moving beyond traditional sequential ‘meet ...
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NewsHitachi Rail awarded TGV cab signalling contract
FRANCE: National operator SNCF has awarded Hitachi Rail a framework agreement to supply dual ERTMS/TVM onboard signalling equipment for its high speed train fleets, including the future Alstom TGV M trainsets. The equipment will combine the European standard ETCS with the TVM high speed line cab ...
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NewsPlasser & Theurer unveils ÖBB electric maintenance vehicles
AUSTRIA: The first of 56 electric-battery modular maintenance vehicles ordered by Austrian Federal Railways has been unveiled at Plasser & Theurer’s factory in Linz.
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NewsItalian ERTMS support scheme approved
ITALY: A €300m scheme to provide direct government grants for the acquisition and installation of ETCS onboard equipment has been approved by the European Commission under EU state aid rules. The programme running to the end of 2026 aims to encourage passenger and freight modal shift ...
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Metro Report InternationalPraha catches up with Leipzig as tramway extension opened
CZECH REPUBLIC. ‘The tram network has been extended to 146 km and we have caught up with Leipzig’, said Jan Šurovský, Technical Director of Praha transport operator DPP, when services began on the latest section of line to be built. The extension which opened on May ...
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NewsFret SNCF to be wound up as deal sought with European Commission
FRANCE: State support for France’s rail freight operators will rise to €200m a year from 2025 while €4bn will be invested in related projects in 2023-32. The French government meanwhile is proposing radical changes to the state-owned rail freight sector to avoid punitive action by the European Commission, writes Jérémie Anne.
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NewsEuropean Sleeper begins operations with Berlin – Brussels night train
EUROPE: Night train start-up European Sleeper has begun passenger operations, providing an overnight rail connection between Brussels and Berlin for the first time since 2008. The inaugural service left Berlin Gesundbrunnen on May 25, engineering works having prevented the use of Hauptbahnhof. The train comprised 11 ...
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Metro Report InternationalVantaa votes to proceed with tram plan
FINLAND: Vantaa council has backed the development of a tramway in the city, which is part of the Helsinki capital area. The council voted 41:26 in favour of the project on May 22. The line would run for 19·3 km from Helsinki-Vantaa Airport to the Jumbo ...
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NewsCross-border local train service proposed in the Basque Country
EUROPE: Plans for frequent local passenger services between San Sebastián in Spain and Bayonne in France are being developed by local authorities on each side of the border.
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Metro Report InternationalContract signed for ‘ambitious and innovative’ Cluj-Napoca automated metro
ROMANIA: A €1·8bn turnkey contract has been signed for the construction of the first metro line in Cluj-Napoca. Completion of the 21 km fully automated Line 1 with 19 stations is planned for 2031. The line is to be built by a consortium of Turkish construction ...