French railway news – Page 27
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NewsBrakes and HVAC ordered for next-generation TGV
FRANCE: Alstom has awarded Knorr-Bremse a contract to supply the braking systems and heating, ventilation and air-conditioning for SNCF’s next generation of high speed trainsets In 2015 SNCF and Alstom formed a taskforce with preferred suppliers including Knorr-Bremse to develop the double-deck Avelia Horizon trainsets under the ...
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NewsFirst Léman Express EMU enters service
FRANCE: The first of 17 three-system Régiolis EMUs being supplied by Alstom to operate SNCF’s share of the Léman Express RER network in Genève entered service on September 4, operating regional trains between Annemasse and Evian-les-Bains.
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NewsAutomated freight loco poised to start trials
FRANCE: A four-axle Prima freight locomotive has been delivered to Alstom’s Belfort manufacturing site to be modified for testing as part of SNCF’s Train Autonome research programme.
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Metro Report InternationalRER Line A control centralised
FRANCE: Operational control of Paris RER Line A has been concentrated at a single location with effect from September 2, although ownership of the route remains split between SNCF and RATP. Under a project launched earlier this year, the SNCF Réseau and SNCF Mobilités staff responsible for ...
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NewsRail sawing and drilling machine installed
FRANCE: Geismar has supplied an automated carbide rail sawing and drilling machine for SNCF’s rail centre of excellence at Saulon in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, the only workshop in France with a production line dedicated to short rails. The machine can be used to undertake precise cutting and drilling operations on rails ...
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NewsAlstom to supply 10 EMUs to Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
FRANCE: Alstom is to supply the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region with a further 10 four-car Coradia Polyvalent multi-system electric multiple-units for €70m. The region has previously ordered 17 similar units which are scheduled to enter service on the cross-border Léman Express route to Switzerland in mid-December 2019. The latest batch ...
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NewsCDG Express trains ordered
FRANCE: The Hello Paris consortium selected to operate the CDG Express airport rail link has ordered 13 electric multiple-units to run the service at a cost of €160m, Alstom confirmed on August 1. CDG Express will run for 32 km between Paris-Est and Charles-de-Gaulle airport Terminal 2, using a ...
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NewsRidership surge prompts SNCF to order more TGVs
FRANCE: SNCF Mobilités announced an order for 12 double-deck TGVs on July 31 as part of its fleet renewal strategy. Branded TGV Océane by the operator, the Avelia Euroduplex trainsets are to be supplied by Alstom for use on routes between Paris and Metz and Nancy in eastern ...
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News‘Drone train’ completes first trial
FRANCE: National operator SNCF has successfully tested a remotely-controlled train over a distance of 4 km in the Paris suburbs. Representing a key stage in SNCF’s programme to develop automated operations, the ‘drone train’ ran from Villeneuve-Saint-Georges to Juvisy and was driven from a control centre established at Vigneux-sur-Seine. Describing ...
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NewsRENFE seeks to take on the TGV
FRANCE: On July 1, RENFE Operadora confirmed its intention to enter the French high speed passenger market, saying it had lodged the relevant applications with regulator Arafer, safety authority EPSF and infrastructure manager SNCF Réseau. The Spanish national operator would compete with incumbent SNCF on high speed routes initially using ...
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NewsSNCF and Airbus to trial satellite geolocation technology
FRANCE: SNCF and Airbus Defence & Space signed a co-operation accord at the Paris Air Show in Le Bourget on June 19. The agreement last three years and covers the development and adaptation of satellite geolocation technology, based on the EU’s Galileo and European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Systems, for digital ...
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NewsTrenitalia prepares for Paris – Milano launch
EUROPE: The first of five ETR1000 high speed trainsets being modified to operate Trenitalia’s planned open access service between Milano and Paris is expected to begin test running in France next month, following the completion of retrofitting work. The trainsets are being fitted with TVM cab signalling and KVB automatic ...
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NewsFlixTrain seeks to enter French passenger market
FRANCE: FlixMobility GmbH has lodged an application with rail regulator Arafer to launch five inter-city routes from January 1 2021. The FlixTrain-branded services would cover four domestic routes as well as one international route. The proposed services are seven return trains per day between Paris Nord and Brussels Nord ...
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NewsStadler sees success on six axles
EUROPE: Stadler says that its family of six-axle diesel, electric and bi-mode Eurodual locomotives are ‘30 to 40% better in terms of track forces’ than ‘most of the four-axle locos in use around Europe today’. Antonio García Ricos, Engineering Vice-President of Stadler Valencia, told the Transport Logistic trade show in ...
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NewsThello bids to run Milano – Paris high speed service
FRANCE: Trenitalia subsidiary Thello has notified rail regulator ARAFER of its intention to launch the first open access passenger services on the French high speed network. The regulator announced on June 4 that Thello had requested paths from SNCF Réseau for a twice-daily service between Milano and Paris to start ...
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NewsBorne backs early extension of Rhin-Rhône high speed line
FRANCE: Transport Minister Elisabeth Borne has agreed to ‘look again’ at the timescale for completing the second phase of the LGV Rhin-Rhône high speed line, serving Dijon and Mulhouse. LGV Rhin-Rhône opened with the December 2011 timetable change, covering an initial 140 route-km between Auxonne, east of Dijon, and Petit-Croix, ...
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NewsCDG Express delayed to 2026
FRANCE: The CDG Express project to provide a dedicated airport express between central Paris and Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle airport is to be delayed by two years, Transport Minister Elisabeth Borne announced on May 28. Running for 32 km between Paris-Est and the LGV Interconnexion station at Charles-de-Gaulle airport Terminal 2, CDG Express ...
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NewsPACA orders electro-diesel multiple-units
FRANCE: Acting on behalf of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, SNCF Mobilités has awarded Alstom a €32m contract to supply five four-car Coradia Polyvalent electro-diesel multiple-units. The regional units to be delivered between the end of 2020 and early 2021 will have 214 seats with individual reading lights and power sockets, ...
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NewsSNCF business to invest in start-ups
FRANCE: SNCF is to establish a subsidiary branded 574 Investments to manage its involvement with technology start-ups. The name refers to the 2007 world rail speed record set by a modified TGV. SNCF has already invested in four funds dedicated to supporting young technology companies, but 574 Investments ...
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NewsBourgogne-Franche-Comté orders Alstom EMUs
FRANCE: Alstom has been awarded a €170m firm order to supply 16 six-car Coradia Polyvalent multiple-units to the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region. The latest contract announced on May 10 is the first for this six-car electric variant of the Cordia Polyvalent family. The EMUs will have 355 seats, with the ‘inter-city style’ ...