Europe – Page 96
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NewsRENFE to create French subsidiary
FRANCE: The board of Spain’s national operator RENFE is to seek Spanish government approval for the formation of a French subsidiary to take advantage of the ongoing liberalisation of that market. Announcing its plan to set up a French business on February 2, RENFE said it ...
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Metro Report InternationalŠkoda tram delivered to Bonn
GERMANY: The first of 28 Škoda Group trams for Bonn was delivered to Beuel depot on the morning of February 1, having left the factory in Plzeň on a heavy-duty road transporter at 21.00 on January 30. Entry into service is planned for this summer, following ...
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NewsFranco-Swiss TGV partnership extended for five more years
EUROPE: The TGV Lyria cross-border passenger train partnership of France’s SNCF Voyageurs (74%) and Switzerland’s SBB (26%) has been extended for a further five years. The co-operation dates back 30 years. There are 17 return trips per day across the Genève – Paris, Lausanne – Paris ...
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Metro Report InternationalKnorr-Bremse wins metro train coupler contract
ITALY: Knorr-Bremse has announced its entry into the international passenger rolling stock coupler market, as part of a contract to supply subsystems for metro trains which Milano operator ATM has ordered from Hitachi for use on lines M1, M2 and M3. Hitachi was awarded a framework ...
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Metro Report InternationalStadler awarded València and Alacant tram contract
SPAIN: Operator FGV has awarded sole bidder Stadler a contract to supply 16 trams to support future network expansion in València and Alacant. The first of the Series 4500 LRVs are scheduled to be delivered from the manufacturer’s Albuixech plant in 24 months, and the last ...
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NewsFerrovie della Calabria unveils narrow gauge DMU
ITALY: The first of four 950 mm gauge Stadler SRDe 212 diesel multiple-units for Ferrovie della Calabria was unveiled at Cosenza station on February 1. The two-car DMUs ordered in February 2021 have large windows, facing seats and low-floor areas with dedicated ...
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NewsBattery train pilot project on ‘challenging’ Westerwald routes
GERMANY: Hessische Landesbahn has ordered three Mireo Plus B battery-electric multiple-units from Siemens Mobility to replace diesel sets on steep and partly-electrified routes in the Westerwald region. The BEMUs will be used from the December 2025 timetable change on the 115 km Oberwesterwaldbahn service RB90 Limburg ...
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NewsNorske Tog orders EMUs
NORWAY: The state-owned rolling stock company Norske Tog has exercised an option for Alstom to supply a further 25 Coradia Nordic regional electric multiple-units. The €230m order announced on February 7 is the second to be placed under a framework agreement for up to 200 EMUs ...
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Metro Report InternationalEIB supports accessibility improvements in València and Alacant
SPAIN: The European Investment Bank and the regional government of València have signed a €50m financial agreement to fund improvements on the València light rail and Alacant tram networks, both operated by FGV. The loan is the first tranche of approved financing totalling €300m, which is ...
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NewsConfusion over clearances delays narrow gauge train delivery
SPAIN: The production of multiple-units for use on metre-gauge lines in northern Spain has been delayed by confusion about infrastructure clearances on the routes and legal technicalities around the design of new rolling stock. On January 23 Euskotren unveiled the first of four Class 940 electric ...
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NewsEuskotren unveils EMUs to increase capacity
SPAIN: Basque regional train operator Euskotren has taken delivery of the first two of four CAF Class 940 electric multiple-units ordered to meet growing passenger demand during cultural and sporting events and to modernise its fleet with trains offering higher performance than older types. The €32m ...
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NewsTimber wagon shunter delivered
FINLAND: Forestry company Metsä Group has taken delivery of the first of two Windhoff Bahn & Anlagentechnik TeleTrac RW100EM-DT shunting machines for moving timber wagons at its Kemi pulp and paper mill. The fully electric shunters have two cable-connected 50 tonne sections ...
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NewsAmsterdam – Barcelona night train plan
EUROPE: Night train start-up European Sleeper has announced details of its proposed Amsterdam – Barcelona service, which has won the backing of the European Commission. The night train is one of 10 proposals selected for a pilot programme which aims to break down practical barriers to ...
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NewsPKP Intercity coaches delivered
POLAND: Poznań-based FPS H Cegielski has delivered the last of 81 coaches ordered by PKP Intercity. The 700m złoty order signed in February 2018 included seven first-class compartment cars, 27 second-class open and 27 second-class compartment cars, 10 second-class open cars with spaces for eight bicycles ...
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Metro Report InternationalTbilisi metro train order back on again
GEORGIA: An aborted contract for Russia’s Metrowagonmash to supply metro trains to Tbilisi has been renegotiated, the city has announced. Financing was agreed with the European Bank for Reconstruction & Development in February 2020, and following an international tender Transmashholding subsidiary Metrowagonmash was awarded €49·2m contract ...
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NewsStrukton and ProRail trial battery-electric locomotive conversion
NETHERLANDS: Contractor Strukton Rail and infrastructure manager ProRail demonstrated a hybrid battery-electric locomotive in Utrecht last month. The Alstom-built Class 1700 Bo-Bo dating from the early 1990s was used by passenger operator NS, but was withdrawn as surplus to requirements following the replacement of push-pull trainsets ...
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Metro Report InternationalWork starts on third Toulouse metro line
FRANCE: Toulouse transport operator Tisséo has begun work on the city’s third metro line with a construction of a 30 m deep evacuation shaft in the Sept-Deniers district. Previously referred as Aerospace Express and now designated as Line C, the automated line from Colomiers railway station ...
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Metro Report InternationalReșita tramway reopening makes progress
ROMANIA: The first of 13 trams which Durmazlar is to supply for the reopening of the abandoned tramway in Reșita was delivered on January 29. Tram services ended in 2011 because the city could not afford to renew the ageing infrastructure and rolling stock. Since then, it ...
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NewsMore rolling stock needed to support passenger market growth, say European associations
EUROPE: The Association of European Rail Rolling Stock Lessors and the AllRail association of independent operators have met to discuss the provision of vehicles to facilitate the launch of new passenger services. Rolling stock availability has provided a stumbling block to ambitions to launch new open ...
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In depthComment: Stations really matter
The opening on January 25 of Long Island Rail Road’s deep-level hub at Grand Central Madison in New York encapsulates the challenges facing station developers, who must balance urban regeneration objectives with operational improvements to rail services. This is no simple task, argues our Executive Editor Nick Kingsley.