Europe – Page 91
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NewsSlovakian main line GSM-R contract signed
SLOVAKIA: Infrastructure manager Železnice Slovenskej Republiky has awarded a contract to roll out GSM-R to support ETCS Level 2 on its 329 km main line linking Varín east of Žilina to Košice and Čierna nad Tisou on the Ukrainian border. The €40m turnkey contract has been ...
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NewsDB bounces back from pandemic
GERMANY: Deutsche Bahn group has reported a positive year in 2022, closing with an adjusted EBIT of just over €1∙25bn compared with an operating loss of €1∙55bn in 2021. Group revenues increased by 19∙1% to reach a record of €56∙3bn thanks to high demand for passenger ...
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NewsIryo launches services to Sevilla and Málaga
SPAIN: Open access high speed operator Iryo has introduced commercial services from Madrid to Sevilla and Málaga with two return services per day from March 31. The inaugural run was made from Madrid to Sevilla a day before. The initial services call only at Córdoba, giving ...
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Metro Report InternationalMetro reaches the seaside with Hoek van Holland Strand opening
NETHERLANDS: The final 2·1 km section of RET metro Line B to the seaside station at Hoek van Holland Strand has opened, enabling people to reach the beach from the centre of Rotterdam in around 40 min.
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NewsKatowice – Ostrava high speed line alignment selected
POLAND: Project promoter Centralny Port Komunikacyjny has selected a preferred variant for the proposed 250 km/h mixed-traffic line from Katowice towards Ostrava in the Czech Republic, which it will use to seek investors. The line is intended to form part of the 1 981 km network ...
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NewsPomorskie voivodship orders EMUs
The 20 EMUs for SKM services will have three cars each with three doors per side POLAND: Pomorskie voivodship has confirmed orders for Newag to supply 20 electric multiple-units for use on SKM suburban services from Gdańsk to Wejherowo via Gdynia, and a further 11 EMUs ...
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NewsBi-mode tamper ordered
NORWAY: State-owned rail engineering contractor Baneservice has placed the first Scandinavian order for a Plasser & Theurer Unimat 09-2X-4x4/4S Dynamic E³ tamping machine equipped for electric and diesel operation. The tamper will use the 15 kV 16⅔ Hz overhead electrification to provide power for both movement ...
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NewsGerman government promises more rail funding
GERMANY: The coalition government has reached agreement on a package of transport and climate protection-related reforms that includes streamlining the planning process for road and rail projects. After three days of debate, on March 28 the leaders of the Social Democrat, Green and Free Democrat parties, ...
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NewsAudit Office warns of ‘chronic crisis’ at Deutsche Bahn
GERMANY: The Federal Audit Office has strongly criticised Deutsche Bahn and the federal government for failing to deal with the national railway’s ‘permanent crisis’, its ongoing financial failings and its inability to cope with operational problems. In a 33-page report published on March 15, the Office ...
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NewsBeacon Rail buys SNCF electric locomotives
FRANCE: Leasing company Beacon Rail has purchased 12 surplus Alstom Prima BB27300 electric locomotives from SNCF. Built in 2004-09 to operate Transilien push-pull suburban services, the dual-system 1·5 kV DC/25 kV 50 Hz locomotives are being modified them for use by the RegioRail subsidiary of Railroad ...
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NewsFirst tunnel completed for Bulgarian route upgrade
BULGARIA: Construction of a 1 km twin-bore tunnel has been completed as part of the upgrading of the 20 km Elin Pelin – Vakarel section of the Sofia – Plovdiv line. This section is the most complex part of a 498·8m lev EU-backed project to modernise ...
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Metro Report InternationalLuxtram extension plans announced
LUXEMBOURG: Plans have been announced for the construction of two extensions to Luxembourg’s Luxtram tram network by 2035. One would branch off Line 1 at Gare Centrale to run 1·1 km west to the Hollerich district and the future Nei Hollerich neighbourhood, with two stops. The ...
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NewsDART+ train mock-up unveiled in Dublin
IRELAND: National railway Iarnród Éireann has unveiled a full-scale mock-up of the electric and battery-electric multiple-unit cars which Alstom is to supply for the DART+ programme to enhance rail services into Dublin. The units from Alstom’s X’trapolis modular commuter train platform will ...
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In depthSweden: Investment volte-face exposes fragility of EU rail vision
The decision last December by the incoming Swedish government to scale back radically the national high speed rail programme and remove the routes from the pan-European TEN-T network has raised profound questions about the country’s commitment to EU rail ambitions, as Nick Kingsley explains.
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Metro Report InternationalMálaga extension opening expected to double ridership
SPAIN: Ridership on the Metro de Málaga light rail network is expected to double from seven to 14 million passengers/year following the opening of an extension into the city centre on March 27. The 1·7 km underground extension starts at El Perchel-María Zambrano, adjacent to the ...
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NewsRENFE orders commuter trains
SPAIN: National operator RENFE has awarded CAF a contract to supply 29 electric multiple-units for use on Cercanías suburban passenger services. The contract announced on March 27 is worth €192·7m, including 15 years of maintenance and the supply of spare parts. There are options for a ...
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Metro Report InternationalMallorca tram-train scheme revived
SPAIN: After a decade in limbo, plans have been revived for tram-train style service from Manacor to Artá in the northeast of the island of Mallorca. Development was suspended for financial reasons in 2012. In mid-March this year, the regional government and Manacor town council agreed ...
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In depthEuropean Policy: Making the case for cross-border rail
As part of the vision for a Single European Railway Area, a coalition of member states and European institutions is pushing to revitalise and expand cross-border passenger services as a key element in driving modal shift to rail and decarbonising the EU transport sector. Chris Jackson investigates.
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NewsMoldovan rail upgrades to handle Ukrainian export traffic
MOLDOVA: The European Bank for Reconstruction & Development has approved a €23m crisis response loan which national railway CFM will use to part-finance the modernisation of two sections of railway for use by Ukrainian transit traffic. The total cost of the work to increase capacity and ...
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Metro Report InternationalZürich trams donated to Ukraine
UKRAINE: Zürich transport operator VBZ has donated 35 secondhand Tram 2000 vehicles to Vinnytsia. The first batch of eight trams set off from Switzerland on March 15. It is expected that will have a further service life of 12 to 15 years on the Ukrainian city’s ...