High speed rail industry news
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In depthPassenger Rolling Stock: Avril moves from vision to reality
More than a decade after the company unveiled its concept for a wide-bodied articulated trainset, Talgo’s first production Avril high speed trains are now on test in northern Spain before entering service with national operator RENFE.
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News
Feasibility of adding 550 km/h maglev services to existing railway corridors to be studied
ITALY: The technical and economic feasibility of operating 550 km/h magnetic levitation vehicles on existing railway alignments in addition to conventional trains is to be studied by infrastucture manager RFI and Polish-Swiss maglev and hyperloop technology company Nevomo. The organisations have signed a one-year memorandum ...
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News
Texas Central signs $16bn high speed line civil works agreement
USA: Dallas – Houston high speed railway project promoter Texas Central has signed a $16bn final agreement for the civil works including viaducts and depots with Webuild and its US subsidiary Lane Construction. The agreement announced on June 15 follows four years of work by ...
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News
Legal settlement restores almost $1bn in California high speed rail funding
USA: The federal government has agreed to return $929m in grants to the California High Speed Rail Authority following the settlement of legal proceedings with the state of California.
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News
CAF Oaris EMUs enter service with Flytoget
NORWAY: The first CAF Oaris high speed EMUs entered traffic with Oslo airport express operator Flytoget on June 3.
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Rail Business UK
Tunnelling innovations to drive HS2 beneath the Chilterns
UK: The Align JV of Bouygues Travaux Publics, Sir Robert McAlpine and VolkerFitzpatrick has started to excavate HS2’s 16 km Chiltern tunnel using semi-continuous boring machines, in what it says is a first for a UK tunnelling project. Nick Kingsley reports from the South Portal construction hub to the north of London.
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News
Turkey’s Velaro high speed trainsets delivered
TURKEY: National operator TCDD Taşımacılık has taken delivery of the last of the 19 Velaro TR high speed trainsets ordered from Siemens Mobility. TCDD bought its first Velaro in 2013, when a Velaro D trainset for Germany was taken from the production line and refitted ...
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Metro Report International
Peoplemover to serve Firenze Belfiore high speed station approved
ITALY: Approval has been granted for construction of a peoplemover to link Firenze’s Santa Maria Novella terminus with the Belfiore high speed station now under construction to the north of the city centre.
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News
RENFE orders high speed power cars to haul rebuilt sleeping cars
SPAIN: RENFE has awarded Talgo a €281∙5m framework contract for the supply of 26 gauge-convertible dual-system 3 kV DC and 25 kV 50 Hz high speed train power cars.
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News
First TGV M power car completed
FRANCE: The first completed power car for SNCF’s future TGV M trainsets was unveiled at Alstom’s Belfort workshops on May 26.
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News
Plans for high speed services to Madrid Barajas airport revived
SPAIN: The government intends to revive proposals to run high speed passenger services to and from Madrid’s main airport at Barajas, Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos said at the FITUR international trade fair which was held in the capital on May 19-23.
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News
Eurostar to increase services and complete Thalys merger as £250m refinancing agreement secured
EUROPE: Cross-Channel high speed train operator Eurostar has announced a £250m refinancing agreement with its shareholders and banks, which it said would enable it to continue to operate services and meet its short to mid-term financial obligations. The refinancing package announced on May 18 comprises ...
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News
TEE 2.0 Letter of Intent signed at third Rail Summit
GERMANY: Agreement to take forward plans for a European network of high speed day and overnight inter-city services was reached on May 17 when European transport ministers signed a Letter of Intent for the Trans-Europ-Express 2.0 programme at the third Rail Summit staged by Germany’s Federal Ministry ...
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News
Via Vindobona deal promises 4 h Berlin – Wien timing
GERMANY: Plans for a dramatic acceleration of inter-city passenger services between the capital cities of Germany, the Czech Republic and Austria were outlined at the third German Rail Summit held virtually on May 17. Federal Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer highlighted plans agreed by the three countries ...
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News
SNCF launches Ouigo high speed services in Spain
SPAIN: The first fare-paying passengers were due to board Ouigo services on the morning of May 10 as SNCF’s low-cost high speed rail subsidiary entered the Spanish domestic market, competing with RENFE on the Madrid – Barcelona route.
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In depth
UK: HS2 progress overshadowed by coronavirus and controversy
While construction of HS2’s initial phase between London and the West Midlands is forging ahead despite local protests, completion of the 540 km ‘Y network’ as originally outlined in 2010 now appears much less certain. Nick Kingsley reports.
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In depth
UK: HS2 enters the delivery stage
After years of parliamentary scrutiny, the initial phases of High Speed 2 are now firmly under construction, with the railway initially expected to link London with Crewe from 2033, as HS2 Ltd Chief Executive Mark Thurston explains.
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News
Texas high speed rail developer signs $1·6bn electrical systems contract
USA: Dallas – Houston high speed rail project promoter Texas Central Railroad has signed a $1·6bn contract for Kiewit and its Mass Electric Construction subsidiary to install the core electrical systems for the proposed line. This would include the traction power, signalling and communications equipment ...
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News
ETCS tests underway as next section of Galician high speed line nears opening
SPAIN: ETCS Level 2 validation testing began on April 26 on a recently completed 104 route-km section of high speed line through the mountains between Pedralba de la Pradería and Taboadela.
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News
Le Train eyes Arcachon – La Rochelle TGVs
FRANCE: Taking advantage of the forthcoming liberalisation of domestic passenger services, open access operator Le Train has applied to transport regulation authority ART for powers to run regional high speed services in the southwest. Envisaged as the first private high speed operator in France, evoking parallels ...
