French railway news – Page 20
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Metro Report InternationalParis awards T3b tram extension contracts
FRANCE: Paris transport operator RATP has selected Colas to build a 3·2 km western extension of orbital tram route T3b from Porte d’Asnières to Porte Dauphine. Being funded as part of the Grand Paris project, the extension will broadly parallel RER Line C, serving seven stop ...
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NewsTransdev picked to run Région Sud TER package
FRANCE: Région Sud has selected Transdev for a 10-year concession to operate regional trains between Marseille, Toulon and Nice, ahead of rival bids from SNCF and Thello.
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NewsRER Line A relaying completed
FRANCE: Paris operator RATP has successfully completed the relaying of all trackwork on RER Line A, with the restoration of full services at the beginning of September. Completed in 1977, Line A has seen a 20% increase in ridership over the past decade, and is now ...
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Metro Report InternationalLyon places tram order
FRANCE: Lyon transport authority Sytral has awarded Alstom a contract to supply a further 35 Citadis trams in support of its Destinations 2026 network expansion plan. This €115m firm order announced on September 2 has been placed using an option under a 2018 framework agreement, and ...
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NewsChannel Tunnel optic fibre network contract signed
EUROPE: Colt Technology Services has signed a 25-year contract for the installation of optic fibres through the Channel Tunnel as part of its IQ Network data network. This will provide a transfer capacity of several terabits per second per fibre pair. Channel Tunnel operator Getlink’s existing ...
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Metro Report InternationalBrest awards contract for tram and electric bus projects
FRANCE: Brest Métropole has selected the Mobi-Brest consortium to develop a second tram line and an electric bus rapid transit route. The consortium is led by Systra and includes SCE, B3I, LA/BA, Forma-6 and Ferrand-Sigal as joint contractors, with Copenhagenize, Toolz, AUAS and Artgéo as subcontractors. ...
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NewsParis RER NG trainset on test
FRANCE: SNCF has started ride comfort and dynamic testing with the RER NG double-deck EMUs which are scheduled to enter service on Paris RER Line D from the December timetable change. One of five pre-series units has been instrumented for a 10-week programme of test runs ...
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Metro Report InternationalWork begins on Marseille tram extensions
FRANCE: Preparatory works for northern and southern extensions of the Marseille tram network got underway at the end of July, with openings scheduled for 2025. A 1·8 km long northern extension will run from Arenc to Capitaine Gèze with three stops. The southern extension will run ...
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Metro Report InternationalTours tramway Line B design work gets underway
FRANCE: A consortium of Systra, Suez Group’s consulting business Safège and architectural firms Urbanica and L’Heudé have been awarded the project management contract for Tours tram Line B, covering design studies and supervision of construction works and subsequent testing. Preliminary studies for the proposed line have ...
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Metro Report InternationalCalypso host card emulation goes live in Strasbourg
TICKTING: The Calypso Networks Association has announced the completion of the first deployment of the HCE Calypso Interoperable Application. This enables transport authorities to provide Calypso ticketing using host card emulation software on Android smartphones, greatly expanding the range of devices which passengers can use to ...
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NewsGrand Est cross-border fleet unveiled
FRANCE: The first of 30 electro-diesel trainsets for cross-border services between the French region of Grand Est and the German Länder of Baden-Württemberg, Rheinland-Pfalz and Saarland was demonstrated to local politicians and officials in Neustadt an der Weinstrasse on July 10. An identical trainset is meanwhile ...
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NewsCargoBeamer opens Calais intermodal terminal
FRANCE: CargoBeamer has opened a facility for transferring road semi-trailers to and from trains in Calais. Close to the port and the Channel Tunnel, the terminal forms part of the company’s plan to develop a European network of transhipment facilities at important hubs to handle ‘hundreds ...
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Metro Report InternationalParis orders more MP14 trainsets for Line 11
FRANCE: Île-de-France Mobilités has exercised an option to order a further 19 MP14 rubber-tyred trainsets from Alstom for the Paris Metro. The €132m order announced on July 8 covers 19 five-car units with driving cabs, which are intended to be used by metro operator RATP on ...
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NewsLyon – Torino base tunnel contracts signed
EUROPE: Three major contracts have been awarded for construction of the 57·5 km cross-border Mont Cenis base tunnel, which is central to the programme to develop a high-capacity rail route between Lyon and Torino. The contracts signed on July 7 have a combined value of more ...
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In depthFrance: Report presages night train renaissance
A detailed report on the revival of domestic and international overnight passenger services on the French network indicates a potential market of 5∙7 million trips a year.
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NewsPassenger organisations demand better TER services
FRANCE: Passenger lobbying and campaign group FNAUT, consumer association UFC-Que Choisir and cycling lobby federation FUB are calling for improvements to regional passenger services across France ahead of the regional elections due to take place on June 20 and 27.
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NewsGlass Train project puts more Nestlé bottles on rail
FRANCE: Drinks specialist Nestlé Waters has decided to switch more of its bottled mineral water transport from road to rail. Announcing its ‘Glass Train’ project earlier this month, the company said that ‘from now on our Vittel and San Pellegrino branded bottled mineral water will be carried mainly by train’.
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NewsFirst TGV M power car completed
FRANCE: The first completed power car for SNCF’s future TGV M trainsets was unveiled at Alstom’s Belfort workshops on May 26.
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NewsAutonomous train begins GoA2 testing
FRANCE: Test running with an automated train in attended ATO mode is underway in northern France as the latest phase of a pan-industry programme to develop autonomous trains for regional passenger services.
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NewsEurostar to increase services and complete Thalys merger as £250m refinancing agreement secured
EUROPE: Cross-Channel high speed train operator Eurostar has announced a £250m refinancing agreement with its shareholders and banks, which it said would enable it to continue to operate services and meet its short to mid-term financial obligations. The refinancing package announced on May 18 comprises £50m ...