French railway news – Page 22
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NewsFrench night train network renaissance
FRANCE: Transport Minister Jean-Baptiste Djébbari has said his ambition is ‘to have about 10 overnight train services in 2030’. Speaking to Le Parisien after visiting the technicentre at Périgueux with SNCF President Jean-Pierre Farandou to see the first of 60 couchette coaches that are being refurbished, ...
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NewsTalgo confirms work underway to approve Avril trains for use in France
EUROPE: Work is underway to obtain approval for Talgo’s Avril high speed train design to operate in France, the manufacturer has confirmed. The announcement on February 3 came as the first Avril trainset for RENFE began dynamic type testing runs on the recently opened high speed ...
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NewsEuroRail Hub brings together Railtex, Infrarail, SIFER and EXPO Ferroviaria trade fairs
EUROPE: Mack-Brooks Exhibitions has announced a two-day programme of virtual seminars focused on the British, Italian and French rail markets. EuroRail Hub will be held on March 24-25, bringing together exhibitors from its Railtex, Infrarail, SIFER and EXPO Ferroviaria trade shows. The online event is intended ...
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NewsCall for Eurostar trains to be made available to support on-rail competition
EUROPE: The ALLRAIL association of new entrants to the rail market has said any government support which might be offered to Eurostar during the coronavirus pandemic should be accompanied by conditions designed to facilitate cross-Channel competition.
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Metro Report International‘Listen to the City’ train styling brings Mediterranean sunshine to the Marseille metro
FRANCE: The design selected for the driverless rubber tyred metro trains which are to enter service in Marseille from 2023 has been unveiled by manufacturer Alstom, the Métropole Aix-Marseille-Provence authority and design studio Ora-ïto.
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NewsRailcoop plans freight launch this year ahead of passenger market entry
FRANCE: Start-up open access operator Railcoop aims to launch its first freight services later this year. If the co-operative’s plans come to fruition, Railcoop would follow up in 2022 with the launch of inter-city passenger services on the Bordeaux – Lyon via Périgueux route.
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NewsUK government called on to support Eurostar during the pandemic
EUROPE: Cross-Channel high speed train operator Eurostar has called for financial support of the kind which has been offered to airlines during the coronavirus pandemic, saying that without government funding ‘there is a real risk to the survival of Eurostar and the green gateway to Europe’.
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NewsFrance pauses tendering of TET inter-city routes
FRANCE: Government plans to let concessions to operate the 10 conventional inter-city services for which it remains responsible have been put on hold pending a review of the tendering conditions.
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Metro Report InternationalHastus software to be used for Paris metro workforce management
FRANCE: Paris transport operator RATP is to use Giro’s Hastus software to replace several different applications which are used to roster metro drivers. This builds on previous work covering staff allocation on the city’s bus and tram networks. ‘Public transport is transforming rapidly, as is our workforce’, ...
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NewsCAF-Bombardier consortium selected for Paris RER rolling stock contract
FRANCE: National passenger operator SNCF Voyageurs and Paris transport operator RATP have confirmed their selection of a consortium of Bombardier Transpoartion and CAF as preferred bidder for a contract to supply 146 suburban trainsets for the jointly operated north-south RER Line B.
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NewsMore Île-de-France EMUs ordered
FRANCE: Acting on behalf of Paris regional transport authority Île-de-France Mobilités, national operator SNCF has awarded Bombardier Transportation a firm order to supply a further three Omneo Regio 2N electric multiple-units. They are to be delivered from the end of 2023 to strengthen the Omneo Regio fleets ...
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NewsTrack monitoring R&D collaboration
FRANCE: Infrastructure manager SNCF Réseau and British monitoring technology company Senceive are to collaborate to define the requirements for wireless track condition sensors. The exclusive two-year research and development agreement will see the project team analyse data from structural, geotechnical and track monitoring instruments installed at various ...
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In depthFrance: Confort 200 to trim trip times on two routes
Along with a programme of track upgrades, a fleet of 10-car articulated EMUs is set to transform travel on the inter-city routes from Paris to Toulouse and Clermont-Ferrand in the second half of this decade. Murray Hughes investigates.
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NewsMontpellier – Perpignan high speed line inches forward
FRANCE: Initial public consultations are underway on long-standing proposals to build a high speed line between Montpellier and Perpignan, after Transport Minister Jean-Baptiste Djébbari established a steering committee for the project and commenced the process needed to authorise the 150 km Ligne à Grande Vitesse. Public consultations ...
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In depthInterview: ‘We have to win back our customers’
Just when the French national operator’s passenger sector is coming to terms with Covid-19 and the collapse of business travel, it faces the arrival of competition in both the regional and long-distance markets. Chris Jackson asked Christophe Fanichet, President-Directeur Général of SNCF Voyageurs, about his strategy at a time of unprecedented challenges.
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Metro Report InternationalParis tram depot to feature lightweight jacks and bespoke turntable
FRANCE: The depot for the Paris Tram 9 project is being equipped with a set of 18 lightweight lifting jacks and a bogie turntable supplied by CIM and its UK subsidiary Mechan. The 10 km route T9 with 19 stops will connect Paris-Porte de Choisy to central ...
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NewsTaxirail lightweight vehicle demonstrator with AI to start trials in 2021
FRANCE: Trials with a self-propelled ultra-lightweight rail vehicle intended for rural railways or lightly-used lines are due to commence towards the end of 2021.
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NewsHauts-de-France orders more double-deck EMUs
FRANCE: Acting on behalf of the Hauts-de-France region, SNCF has awarded Bombardier Transportation a €565m firm contract to supply 33 Omneo Regio2N double-deck regional electric multiple-units from its Crespin plant in 2024-25. The order announced on December 22 has been placed under a 2010 framework agreement covering ...
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Metro Report InternationalToulouse Aerospace Express metro contract award
FRANCE: Toulouse Metropole has awarded Alstom a contract to design, build and maintain the Toulouse Aerospace Express driverless metro line. The city’s third automated metro line will be 27 km long with 21 stations, and is intended to serve major centres of employment in the aerospace sector. ...
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Metro Report InternationalTours deploys interoperable smartphone ticketing platform
FRANCE: Conduent’s Seamless Transportation System contactless payment technology has been rolled out across 21 trams and 200 buses in Tours’ Fil Bleu transport network. Users download the Seamless Transportation System smartphone app and register to activate an account. They then present their smartphone at any onboard tag. ...