French railway news – Page 15
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NewsLallemand to step down as head of SNCF Réseau
FRANCE: Luc Lallemand is to leave his role as President & Director-General of infrastructure manager SNCF Réseau, the transport ministry confirmed on September 28.
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NewsEurostar cannot grow amid pandemic, Brexit and cost crises, CEO warns
EUROPE: Problems faced by Eurostar as a result of the pandemic, Brexit and rising costs have been set out in detail in a letter from outgoing CEO Jacques Damas to the Chair of the UK’s House of Commons Transport Select Committee. Chair Huw Merriman MP had ...
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Metro Report InternationalFirst Cityval light metro line opens in Rennes
FRANCE: Rennes Line B was opened on September 20, the first to use Siemens Mobility’s Cityval version of its Neoval rubber tyre automated light metro platform. The 14 km Line B runs from Saint-Jacques-Gaité through the city centre to Cesson-Viasilva with 15 stations. Project ...
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NewsLarge scale axle-counter contract awarded
FRANCE: SNCF Réseau has awarded Frauscher Sensor Technology a contract to develop, supply and maintain a new generation of axle-counter. The contract signed at InnoTrans 2022 runs for 10 years, with the possibility of a further five years and up to 30 years of maintenance. ‘Never before ...
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Metro Report InternationalMarseille orders maritime themed trams
FRANCE: Marseille transport operator RTM has awarded CAF a €57m contract to supply 15 trams, with options for more to support future expansion of the network. The seven-section low-floor cars from CAF’s Urbos range will be 42·5 m long. They will have a similar styling to ...
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NewsChemical company tackles wagonload performance
FRANCE: Real-time tracking data is helping chemical company Arkema to improve the performance of its wagonload shipments, building on a project conducted in partnership with digital transport management specialist Everysens and Fret SNCF.
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Metro Report InternationalDriverless trains introduced on Paris metro Line 4
FRANCE: Grade of Automation 4 unattended driverless operation on Paris metro Line 4 was launched on September 12. There are initially four trainsets running automatically alongside trains with drivers, and more are to be gradually introduced to achieve full automation by the end of 2023. Catherine ...
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NewsFrench regulator seeks improved network access for freight operators
FRANCE: Rail regulator Autorité de Régulation des Transports published its formal decision on September 6 in a dispute over network access between SNCF Réseau and freight operators Captrain France, T3M, Europorte France and Régiorail.
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Metro Report InternationalPredictive supply chain partnership
FRANCE: Internet of Things company Stimio and tram and bus component supplier CBM have partnered to offer a predictive maintenance tool directly connected to spare parts supply services. ‘Our end-to-end solution frees our customers from the complexities of IoT projects, letting them focus on business data ...
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NewsFirst TGV M unveiled by Alstom and SNCF
FRANCE: The first of 115 double-deck high speed trainsets branded Avelia Horizon by manufacturer Alstom and TGV M by SNCF Voyageurs has been unveiled ahead of dynamic testing at Velim in the Czech Republic from October. Speaking at the unveiling at Alstom’s La Rochelle test centre ...
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NewsPassenger services restart on the right bank of the Rhône
FRANCE: Passenger services have been revived on the 82 km line along the right bank of the River Rhône between Avignon and Pont-Saint-Esprit, which has been freight-only since 1973. Reopened with a ceremony on August 28, the line is one of six which the Occitanie region ...
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NewsDouble-deck EMU refurbishment completed
FRANCE: SNCF has completed a refurbishment programme covering all 79 of its Class Z23500 double-deck EMUs, with the presentation of the last trainset for Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes taking place at contractor ACC M’s workshops in Clermont-Ferrand on September 2.
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Metro Report InternationalCatherine Guillouard to leave RATP
FRANCE: Catherine Guillouard is to step down as Chief Executive of RATP on September 30 for personal reasons, the Paris municipal transport operator announced on September 1. She will be replaced on a interim basis by Pierre-Alain Roche, who represents the French state on the RATP ...
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Metro Report InternationalGrand Paris Line 18 power supply contract
FRANCE: A 50:50 consortium of Colas Rail and Eiffage Énergie Systèmes has been awarded a €26m contract to provide traction power supply equipment for the 35 km Grand Paris Express automated metro Line 18 between Orly Airport and Versailles-Chantiers station. This will include 15 rectification substations, ...
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NewsEurostar confirms end of Disneyland service
EUROPE: Eurostar has confirmed that it will not be running the direct service between London and Marne-la-Vallée, the station for Disneyland Paris, from June 5 2023. The operator said ’whilst we continue to recover financially from the pandemic, and monitor developments in the proposed EU Entry/Exit ...
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NewsEurostar Group names next CEO and targets 30 million passengers within 10 years
EUROPE: Gwendoline Cazenave has been appointed as CEO of Eurostar Group with effect from October 1. She will succeed Jacques Damas, who has been CEO of Eurostar since October 2020 and CEO of Eurostar Group since it was formed as the holding company for Eurostar and ...
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NewsSNCF orders more TGV M high speed trains
FRANCE: SNCF Voyageurs has awarded Alstom a €590m firm order to supply a further 15 Avelia Horizon high speed trains, designated TGV M by the operator. The order announced on August 18 is the second option exercised under the €2∙7bn TGV of the Future framework agreement ...
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NewsCDPQ to buy locomotive leasing company Akiem
EUROPE: Following a competitive auction, Akiem shareholders SNCF and DWS have agreed to enter into exclusive negotiations to sell the Akiem locomotive leasing business to Canadian pension and insurance investor CDPQ. The transaction announced on August 1 is subject to consultation with employee representatives and regulatory ...
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NewsCAF completes acquisition of Alstom’s Reichshoffen plant and two train designs
EUROPE: CAF has formally completed the acquisition of the Alstom plant at Reichshoffen in France, along with the Coradia Polyvalent rolling stock portfolio and intellectual property related to the Talent 3 platform. Alstom agreed to the divest the former De Dietrich plant in Alsace and two ...
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In depthEurope: Bringing unaccompanied freight to the UK through the Channel Tunnel
Channel Tunnel concessionaire Eurotunnel is planning new rail services to meet growing demand for the unaccompanied transport of lorry trailers between continental Europe and inland destinations in the UK, Christian Dufermont, Freight Commercial Director, Eurotunnel Le Shuttle Freight, tells Railway Gazette International.