French railway news – Page 4
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NewsOuigo to get refurbished trains and new destinations
FRANCE: SNCF Voyageurs has unveiled the first refurbished Tango high speed trainset and announced new destinations as part of its plans to increase the Ouigo low-cost brand’s share of the domestic high speed rail market from 20% to 30% by 2030.
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NewsFranco-Swiss narrow gauge EMU deliveries begin
EUROPE: Stadler has delivered the first of seven dual-system electric multiple-units custom-designed for Mont Blanc Express services between France and Switzerland. The 55 km metre-gauge route is operated by Transports de Martigny et Régions, which is responsible for the Swiss section from Martigny to Le Châtelard, ...
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NewsFirst Argos digital interlocking commissioned
FRANCE: Infrastructure manager SNCF Réseau has commissioned the first digital interlocking to be developed under the Argos programme. This aims to achieve a 30% reduction in deployment times and a 15% reduction in total cost of ownership, along with improvements in performance. SNCF Réseau launched Argos ...
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In depthFrance: SNCF Voyageurs goes on the attack
National passenger operator SNCF Voyageurs has seen ridership and revenue surge in the post-pandemic period. Its next big challenge will be to respond to the opening up of the French passenger market to competition, as the leadership team explains to Jérémie Anne.
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NewsNarrow gauge hybrid train order confirmed
FRANCE: Stadler has signed a contract to supply eight customised diesel-battery hybrid multiple-units for the narrow gauge Nice – Digne line operated by Chemins de Fer de Provence.
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NewsFS Group announces plans to launch London – Paris train service by 2029
EUROPE: Italian national railway FS Group has announced plans to launch a high speed train service connecting Paris and London through the Channel Tunnel by 2029.
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NewsExpanding Italy’s high speed rail model in Europe
EUROPE: ‘Italian high speed is a successful model, and our goal is to extend it at the European level’, according to Trenitalia CEO Gianpiero Strisciuglio.
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NewsAlstom to invest €150m to increase high speed train production capacity
FRANCE: Alstom has announced an ‘unprecedented’ plan to invest more than €150m to increase production capacity to meet the French and international demand for its Avelia very high speed trainsets and deliver on its ongoing commitments. The plan announced on April 4 includes: €30m to ...
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NewsParis – Milano trains restart as landslide-damaged line reopens
EUROPE: Through services between Paris and Milano restarted on March 31, after 19 months of work to repair the damage caused by a major landslide near Maurienne in August 2023.
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NewsGemini announces cross-Channel passenger train ambitions
EUROPE: Gemini Trains becomes the latest company to set out plans to take on Eurostar on the cross-Channel route linking London with Paris and Brussels.
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Metro Report InternationalStrasbourg and Le Havre order trams
FRANCE: Alstom has been awarded contracts to supply 27 additional trams to Strasbourg and eight trams for Le Havre’s future Line C, the manufacturer announced on March 19.
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Metro Report InternationalCAF to supply Tours Line 2 trams
FRANCE: Transport authority Syndicat des Mobilités de Touraine has awarded CAF a contract to supply 19 Urbos trams for use on the future Tours Line 2.
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NewsSwiss Federal Railways targets London as it seeks more cross-border high speed trains
EUROPE: Swiss Federal Railways is looking at ordering up to 40 high speed trainsets for use on international services to Italy and France, and ’potentially for other destinations such as Barcelona and London’. To meet growing demand for international travel, SBB is planning to expand the ...
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NewsGo with the flow: SNCF and Alstom unveil design of next TGV fleet
FRANCE: SNCF Voyageurs and Alstom have unveiled the interior design of the TGV M high speed trainsets which are to enter service from 2026. Jérémie Anne reports from Paris.
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Metro Report InternationalParis metro CBTC contract awarded
FRANCE: Paris metro operator RATP has awarded Hitachi Rail a contract to supply lineside communications-based train control technology for Line 12. The framework contract announced on February 27 has been awarded under RATP’s OCTYS (Open Control Train Interchangeable Integrated System) 2030 programme. There is a €20m ...
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In depthComment: Rail needs to find Another Way
Amid geopolitical turbulence, governments in Europe and beyond will need to ramp up their defence spending urgently, potentially squeezing the funding avilable for rail and wider civilian infrastructure. However, a push for more efficiency offers opportunities too, believes our Executive Editor Nick Kingsley.
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NewsFrance begins procurement of replacement night train fleet
FRANCE: The government has called for expressions of interest in contracts to supply locomotives and coaches to renew the national night train fleet. French night trains carried 950 000 passengers in 2024, a 23% increase on the previous year, according to Pierre-Christophe Soncarrieu, deputy director of ...
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Metro Report InternationalParis metro MF19 train unveiled as next order planned
FRANCE: The first MF19 trainset for the Paris metro was unveiled by operator RATP, manufacturer Alstom and transport authority Ile-de-France-Mobilités on February 14. In November 2019 RATP selected a 50:50 consortium of Alstom and what was then Bombardier Transportation to supply up to 410 steel-wheel trainsets ...
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NewsSNCF to use Wabtec automated inspection technologies
FRANCE: Passenger operator SNCF Voyageurs is to expand its use of Wabtec’s KinetiX automated inspection technology. This will add TreadView, WheelView and BrakeView lineside inspection systems to the existing axle maintenance and acoustic bearing monitoring used at 13 depots. KinetiX combines machine vision, laser scanning, acoustic ...
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NewsTrenitalia France sets sights on Marseille in year of expansion
FRANCE: This will be one of the most important years for the Italian national train operator’s French open access business, according to Trenitalia France CEO Marco Caposciutti. From February 14, it will be able to double capacity on its busiest services by operating its Frecciarossa trainsets ...