French railway news – Page 39
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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 ...
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NewsCross-border RER Franco-Valdo-Genevois to serve Genève from 2017
EUROPE: SBB CEO Andreas Meyer and SNCF President Guillaume Pepy signed a letter of intent on October 30 setting out the next steps for the creation of a cross-border RER network centred on Genève. From December 2017 the 230 route-km RER Franco-Valdo-Genevois would serve a total of 45 stations, connecting ...
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NewsCuvillier confirms high speed alignments to Toulouse and Dax
FRANCE: Noting that his government ‘would prioritise the everyday transport needs of the French people without turning its back on high speed rail’, Transport Minister Frédéric Cuvillier confirmed on October 23 the government’s intention to build two new high speed lines under the 410 km Grand Projet Ferroviaire du Sud-Ouest. ...
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NewsCuvillier presents SNCF reform proposals
FRANCE: SNCF is to be reinstated as the overall managing entity for rail infrastructure and operations under draft legislation presented to the Conseil des Ministres by Transport Minister Frédéric Cuvillier on October 16. The bill is expected to go to parliament following municipal elections in March 2014. The ministry said ...
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NewsSNCF orders electro-diesel inter-city trainsets
FRANCE: National operator SNCF has awarded Alstom a €346m contract to supply 34 Coradia Liner electro-diesel multiple-units. These will replace locomotive-hauled stock on trains d'équilibre du territoire inter-city services on the conventional network from December 2015. Alstom said the Coradia Liner would be 'half-way between' TER regional express trains and ...
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News€510m package to renew inter-city fleet
FRANCE: Meeting on September 26, the SNCF board approved a draft financing agreement which paves the way for replacement of the ageing fleet used to operate longer-distance passenger trains on the conventional network, known as trains d’équilibre du territoire. Loss-making services on 38 designated routes, used by around 100 000 ...
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NewsBombardier unveils pre-series Omneo EMU
FRANCE: At a ceremony at its Crespin plant in northern France on September 25, Bombardier Transportation unveiled its Omneo double-deck electric multiple-unit to guests including SNCF President Guillaume Pepy and representatives of the six regions which have ordered the trains to date. Bombardier said that the six-car EMU for Rhône-Alpes ...
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NewsRFF presents €15bn modernisation plan
FRANCE: Investment totalling €15bn over six years would be concentrated on the conventional network to improve reliability, capacity and safety under a plan which infrastructure manager RFF has submitted to Transport Minister Frédéric Cuvillier. The minister requested the plan following a third audit undertaken by the École Polytechnique Fédérale de ...