French railway news – Page 38
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NewsRégiolis approved for passenger service
FRANCE: Alstom reports that its Régiolis multiple-unit is now expected to enter passenger service with SNCF on April 22. What the manufacturer describes as ‘an important milestone' in the Régiolis commissioning programme was reached on March 21 when safety regulator EPSF issued its approval for the new train type to ...
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NewsPoints inspection enhanced
FRANCE: SNCF and RFF have launched Vigirail, a three-year programme to improve the inspection and maintenance of switches and crossings. Vigirail has a budget of €410m, of which €300m is earmarked to increase the rate of pointwork renewals from 300 to 500 per year. According to the two parties, the ...
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NewsDB’s London – Frankfurt plan in doubt again
EUROPE: Deutsche Bahn has cast further doubt on the introduction of direct high speed services between Germany and London, citing authorisation delays to its fleet of Class 407 Velaro D high speed trainsets now being delivered by Siemens. At a press launch on February 18 marking the introduction of the ...
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NewsCIT expands into Europe with acquisition of Nacco
EUROPE: US asset financing company CIT Group Inc announced its acquisition of European wagon leasing business Nacco SAS for undisclosed terms on February 3. Nacco has its headquarters in Paris and subsidiaries in Hamburg and Crewe. It owns more than 9 500 wagons, which are leased to more than 150 ...
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NewsCharles-de-Gaulle Airport rail link project relaunched
FRANCE: A dedicated airport rail link between Paris Est and Charles-de-Gaulle Airport could begin operating in 2023 under a €1·7bn-€1·9bn project announced by Transport Minister Frédéric Cuvillier on January 23. Speaking at an event in the airport's Terminal 3 organised by Aéroports de Paris, the minister said the project would ...
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NewsPassenger trains to return to Chartres - Voves route
FRANCE: RFF President Jacques Rapoport joined François Bonneau, President of the Centre region, on January 21 to lay the first stone for a new control centre at Voves station, marking the start of work on a €71·7m project to reopen the 25 km Chartres - Voves route to passenger traffic. ...
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NewsProject Marathon tests long freight trains
EUROPE: Fret SNCF, Kombiverkehr and RFF ran their first 1·5 km long freight train between Sibelin yard near Lyon and Nîmes on January 18, marking the start of the demonstration phase of the Project Marathon research programme. Three of Kombiverkehr’s regular intermodal trains between Germany and Spain were reformed as ...
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NewsSNCF to expand Eurostar terminal in Lille
FRANCE: SNCF’s Gares et Connexions business unit has announced plans to double the capacity of the Eurostar terminal at Lille Europe station in a seven-month project valued at €3m. Work to expand both the waiting areas and security zone of the ‘Transmanche terminal’ will begin in March for completion by ...
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NewsLoose bolts to blame for Brétigny derailment
FRANCE: On January 10 land transport accident investigation bureau BEA-TT published its interim report on the derailment which had taken place on July 12 2013 at Brétigny-sur-Orge. The last four cars of an SNCF Paris - Limoges inter-city service had left the track when entering the station from the north, ...
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NewsChannel Tunnel mobile phone coverage agreed
EUROPE: Eurostar and Le Shuttle passengers will be able to access mobile communications networks in both bores of the Channel Tunnel from March, after Eurotunnel signed a 10-year agreement with UK telecoms companies EE and Vodafone on January 9. Under the agreement EE and Vodafone customers will be able to ...
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NewsBombardier awarded French regional train order
FRANCE: SNCF has exercised an option for Bombardier Transportation to supply a further 30 Regio 2N double-deck electric multiple-units. Deliveries are scheduled to run from June 2016 to April 2017. The €227m order announced on December 23 is being financed by the regions where the trains will be used: Picardie, ...
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NewsHigh speed services between France and Spain launched
EUROPE: On December 15 French Transport Minister Frédéric Cuvillier joined Spanish Development Minister Ana Pastor to launch direct high speed services between the two countries. Through their Elipsos joint venture, RENFE and SNCF are now operating five trains a day each way, including two SNCF services from Paris to ...
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NewsFleet renewal funded
FRANCE: Transport Minister Frédéric Cuvillier confirmed on December 4 that the government had agreed a funding package allowing SNCF to proceed with an order of 34 inter-city multiple-units. Funding worth €510m, with an option for further investment worth €100m, has been provided for the procurement of 34 Coradia Liner electro-diesel ...
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NewsTGVs to Barcelona from December 15
EUROPE: With rolling stock approvals for both national networks now completed under a cross-acceptance regime, RENFE and SNCF are due to start joint international high speed operations on December 15, including a direct service from Paris to Barcelona. Bookings for the new services opened on November 28. There will be ...
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NewsFrance creates rail industry investment fund
FRANCE: On November 26 the government announced the creation of Croissance Rail, a €40m investment fund that is to take minority stakes in smaller companies that have a ‘significant presence’ in the French railway supply industry, and the potential to grow in both domestic and export markets. Formed by state ...
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NewsFresh start for TGV catering
FRANCE: SNCF has embarked upon a progressive renewal of the catering offer on board its TGV services, following the start on November 1 of a new contract awarded to a joint venture of Newrest and Elior. According to Barbara Dalibard, Director General of the long-distance passenger business unit, SNCF ...
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NewsETF orders Euro 4000 locomotives
FRANCE: On November 19 Vossloh España announced an order for two Euro 4000 diesel locomotives from railway infrastructure maintenance and construction contractor ETF. Due to enter service before summer 2014, the locomotives are to be used to haul infrastructure materials for two high speed construction projects, Phase 2 of LGV ...
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NewsNew line to Normandie to be studied
FRANCE: Transport Minister Frédéric Cuvillier announced on November 14 that RFF is to undertake studies for a new line between Paris and Rouen, with the aim of improving conventional services between the capital and the regions of Basse-Normandie and Haute-Normandie. The project is to be undertaken in two phases. The ...
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NewsAlstom plans to sell stake in Transport business
FRANCE: Alstom is to consider the sale of a minority stake in its Alstom Transport business to industrial partners or investors by December 2014, Chairman & CEO Patrick Kron announced on November 6. Presenting the group's financial results for the six months to September 30 2013, Kron said 'we want ...
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NewsAlstom opens high speed train delivery centre
FRANCE: Alstom officially opened a 'delivery centre' for Euroduplex double-deck high speed trainsets at its Belfort factory on October 24. The delivery centre has been developed over four years as part of Alstom's strategy of exercising tighter control over its testing and commissioning cycles, and equipping itself to be able ...