French railway news – Page 33
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NewsFrench regions prepare for market opening
FRANCE: Plans for the progressive introduction of competitive tendering in the regional passenger market have been confirmed by the government, and the proposals will be included in transport legislation due to be published in the first half of 2018. The organisation which represents the regions of France has told the ...
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NewsTGV resurgence in SNCF first half results
FRANCE: The SNCF group reported a €119m net profit in the first six months of 2017, driven by strong growth in high speed ridership.Amid concerns about the competitive threat facing the French national operator from long-distance buses and ride-sharing apps, SNCF reported on July 28 that overall group revenue was ...
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NewsSNCF selects Alstom traffic management system
FRANCE: SNCF Réseau announced on July 10 that, following a call for tenders, it had selected Alstom to develop a traffic management system that is to be rolled out from 2019, initially on the Paris — Lyon — Marseille route. Alstom will be supplying its Iconis product, which it says ...
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NewsFive rolling stock proposals for rail motorway to Spain
EUROPE: Five proposals have been received for wagons to carry lorries on a future rail motorway service between France and Spain, the Spanish Ministry of Development announced on July 9. By the deadline of June 30, proposals had been received from CAF, engineering consultancy Civenssy and Stadler Rail Valencia from ...
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NewsXRL trainset arrives in Hong Kong by rail
CHINA: The signalling and communications systems on the Hong Kong and Mainland sections of the Guangzhou – Shenzhen – Hong Kong Express Rail Link high speed line were connected on July 5, enabling the third of the nine trainsets for the future service to be delivered from CRRC Qingdao ...
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NewsEuro Cargo Rail restructuring on course
FRANCE: DB Cargo subsidiary Euro Cargo Rail announced on July 4 that restructuring had completed a key stage, with its redundancy programme agreed by the unions and approved on June 23 by the government regional office responsible for employment. ECR had begun negotiations with the unions in December 2016, originally ...
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NewsSNCF buys online ticket retailer Loco2
FRANCE: Independent online ticket retailer Loco2 announced on July 5 that it had been bought by SNCF’s Voyages-sncf.com business. Loco2 co-founders Kate and Jamie Andrews will remain with the business they launched in 2012. Kate Andrews said it would continue to operate as an independent company, but the new owner ...
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NewsSNCF opens two high speed lines in one day
FRANCE: More than 500 km of new high speed line were officially opened on July 1, when SNCF operated special trains on LGV Sud Europe Atlantique and LGV Bretagne – Pays de la Loire, ahead of the start of commercial services the following day. Taking part in the events were ...
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NewsCharles-de-Gaulle Airport rail link funding model approved
FRANCE: The proposed financing mechanism for the construction of the CDG Express dedicated rail link between Paris Est station and Charles-de-Gaulle Airport has been approved by the European Commission. Under the current proposals, the 32 km link is to be built and operated by a 50:50 joint venture between SNCF ...
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NewsAlstom to overhaul Akiem electric locomotives
FRANCE: Leasing company Akiem has awarded Alstom a €20m contract to undertake the mid-life overhaul of 23 BB36000 tri-voltage electric locomotives to ensure they can provide another 15 years of service. The project runs to 2024 and will include bogie refurbishment, obsolescence monitoring, component repairs and cab modernisation. The work ...
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NewsSNCB does not expect DB to run to London
EUROPE: Deutsche Bahn has effectively deferred its high-profile plan to run direct high speed trains between Germany and London. Reports in the French press last week had quoted Birgit Bohle, Managing Director of DB Fernverkehr, suggesting that the German operator had no desire to compete directly with its French counterpart ...
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NewsThalys aims for full trains and happy customers
EUROPE: High speed operator Thalys is to introduce a new fares structure and onboard service proposition on September 12. The current Comfort 1 and Comfort 2 classes of travel are to be replaced with Standard, Comfort and Premium, improving flexibility and increasing the proportion of discounted fares on offer from ...
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NewsMesea manages maintenance with modular machines
IAF: On show at the 27th IAF track technology exhibition in Münster is the first of a fleet of vehicles for maintaining the LGV Sud Est Atlantique high speed line between Tours and Bordeaux which opens in July. The vehicles are being developed by Socofer to a specification prepared by ...
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NewsSNCF to rebrand TGV services as ‘inOui’
FRANCE: On May 26 SNCF confirmed local media reports that its TGV network of high speed passenger services is to be rebranded as ‘inOui’. SNCF will progressively introduce the inOui brand across its legacy TGV services by 2020, starting with those on the Paris – Bordeaux route from July 2, ...
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NewsSTIF to fund €1∙1bn Paris suburban fleet
FRANCE: Ile-de-France transport authority STIF announced on May 23 that it will be providing 100% of the funding for an order for 83 Bombardier Régio2N double-deck EMUs, worth €1∙1bn. Of the new fleet, 69 trainsets will be deployed between the end of 2019 and 2021 to replace locomotive-hauled VB2N coaches ...
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NewsTank container designed for train to driverless vehicle transfer
EUROPE: The Flex Freight System which wagon leasing company Wascosa and chemical manufacturer BASF have developed for the transport of chemicals by rail and then autonomous vehicle was exhibited at the Transport Logistic trade fair in München in mid-May.The tank container has approximately the same load capacity as a tank ...
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NewsEurotunnel’s third-generation freight shuttles enter service
EUROPE: The first of three additional freight shuttle rakes for carrying lorries was inaugurated by Groupe Eurotunnel Chairman & CEO Jacques Gounon and President of the Hauts-de-France Region Xavier Bertrand at the end of April. The three trainsets will provide 20% more capacity and enable Eurotunnel to offer up ...
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NewsIONX and Ermewa agree telematics partnership
EUROPE: Amsted Rail used the Transport Logistic tradeshow in München on May 9-12 to mark the extension of its telematics activities in Europe. Amsted’s IONX subsidiary has finalised a preliminary co-operation agreement with wagon leasing business Ermewa for the supply of telematics technology. The agreement covers IONX telematics equipment, proprietary ...
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NewsNew partners for port freight operator
FRANCE: A joint venture of Millet SA and RegioRail has been selected by the port authorities of La Rochelle and Nantes Saint-Nazaire to become the new traction partner in their rail operating company OFP Atlantique. Millet and RegioRail are to form OuestRail which will take a 24∙9% stake in OFP ...
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NewsPerformance contracts signed despite regulator's concerns
FRANCE: Three 10-year performance contracts between the government and the SNCF group were formally signed on April 20 by Finance Minister Michel Sapin, Transport Minister Alain Vidalies, Frédéric Saint-George as head of the SNCF supervisory board, Patrick Jeantet as President of infrastructure manager SNCF Réseau and Florence Parly, Director-General of ...