High speed rail industry news – Page 30
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NewsEurostar reports a £58m profit
EUROPE: Eurostar International Ltd has reported a preliminary unaudited operating profit of £57∙6m for 2017, with sales revenue up 11% at £880m from £794m the year before. Passenger-journeys were up 3% at 10∙3 million from 10 million in 2016. 'Last year we saw a real revival in the US market ...
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NewsDB opens carbon-neutral ICE depot
GERMANY: DB inaugurated a carbon-neutral ICE depot in the Nippes area of Köln on February 23. The 23 ha site is expected to reduce energy equivalent to 1 000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year through various features, including geothermal heating and cooling. A 180 m2 solar heating ...
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NewsEuston Master Development Partner selected
UK: High speed line project promoter HS2 Ltd announced on February 22 that Network Rail and the Secretary of State for Transport had selected Lendlease as the Master Development Partner for London Euston station. The MDP is to work with the Greater London Authority and London Borough of Camden to ...
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NewsEurostar runs Amsterdam preview service to mark start of ticket sales
EUROPE: Cross-Channel high speed train operator Eurostar ran a preview service between London St Pancras and Amsterdam Centraal on February 20, to mark the opening of ticket sales for the regular twice-daily service which is scheduled to begin on April 4. Conveying invited guests and travel industry representatives, the 08.31 ...
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NewsSpinetta report urges SNCF to prepare for competition
FRANCE: The national railway must refocus on ‘the areas where it has greatest relevance’: transporting large numbers of passengers within urban areas, and providing high speed connectivity between France’s principal cities. This mission statement is at the heart of a landmark report handed to Prime Minister Edouard Philippe on February ...
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NewsInternational consortium formed to bid for Kuala Lumpur – Singapore High Speed Rail project
ASIA: The formation of a consortium to bid for work on the Kuala Lumpur – Singapore high speed rail project was announced by Malaysian construction company George Kent, Alstom, Siemens, Italian state railway FS Group and track contractor Porr on February 12. The companies said the consortium was ‘a powerful ...
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NewsFlytoget’s first CAF Oaris trainset nears completion
NORWAY: Dynamic testing with the first of eight four-car Oaris trainsets that CAF is building for Norwegian operator Flytoget is due to begin in April. One set will travel to Velim in the Czech Republic for trials before the trains enter service on Flytoget’s Airport Express service between Gardermoen Airport ...
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NewsEurostar to launch London – Amsterdam service in April
EUROPE: Direct London – Amsterdam high speed services will begin on April 4, cross-channel high speed operator Eurostar announced on February 9. Offering a journey time of 3 h 41 min between London St Pancras and Amsterdam Centraal, Eurostar will run an initial two trains per day. However, there will ...
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NewsHigh speed operator accepts takeover bid
ITALY: Open access high speed train operator Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori SpA announced on February 7 that its shareholders had decided to accept a €1·98bn takeover bid from international fund manager Global Infrastructure Partners III. The deal was ratified by a board meeting the following day, which also confirmed that NTV ...
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NewsEurostar aims to tread more lightly with new environmental targets
EUROPE: Eurostar marked the 10th anniversary of its Tread Lightly environmental programme with the unveiling on February 6 of an ‘ambitious’ 10 point plan to reduce its environmental impact. CEO Nicolas Petrovic said the high speed train operator had already achieved a 32% reduction in carbon emissions through Tread Lightly, ...
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NewsEva to offer 100%-connected high speed at low cost
SPAIN: On February 6 Development Minister Íñigo de la Serna unveiled Eva, a smart train concept that national operator RENFE is due introduce in high speed service between Madrid and Barcelona in 2019. Having captured 65% of the combined rail and air market between the two cities, RENFE is now ...
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NewsHS2 station design and development partners announced
UK: The design and development partners selected to undertake detailed design for the ‘landmark’ Birmingham Curzon Street, Birmingham Interchange and Old Oak Common stations and the rebuilding of London Euston station were announced by High Speed 2 project promoter HS2 Ltd on February 2. They are: Birmingham Curzon Street: WSP ...
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NewsHaramain High Speed Rail opening date in jeopardy
SAUDI ARABIA: The planned launch in March of commercial services on the Haramain high speed line between Makkah and Madinah is in doubt following further delays in completing three of the line’s five stations. Announcing on January 30 that he would be visiting Saudi Arabia in the near future to ...
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NewsRotterdam Centraal station to be modified for Eurostar services
NETHERLANDS: Work to adapt Rotterdam Centraal station to accommodate Eurostar’s future Amsterdam – London services has begun, VolkerRail announced on January 31. The work is being undertaken by VolkerRail and Arcadis on behalf of infrastructure manager ProRail. During a nine-week possession tracks will be realigned and a platform which currently ...
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NewsHS2 slab track, electrification and tunnel equipment contacts tendered
UK: The process of appointing contractors to supply slab track, electrification and tunnel ventilation systems for the Phase 1 London – Birmingham and Phase 2a Birmingham – Crewe sections of High Speed 2 was formally launched by project promoter HS2 Ltd on January 30. The Lot 1 Track & Overhead ...
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NewsRENFE launches high speed to Castelló
SPAIN: National operator RENFE began operating high speed services between Madrid and Castelló de la Plana on January 23. Running over the high speed line from Madrid Atocha to Valencia and then on the 1 668 mm gauge Mediterranean Corridor to Castelló where a third rail has been laid on ...
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NewsAshford International modified for use by Eurostar e320 trainsets
UK: Network Rail is undertaking work to equip the international platform tracks at Ashford International station with the KVB warning system used on High Speed 1, and is also altering the platform edges to the UIC-B loading gauge. This will enable the station to be served by Eurostar’s Siemens Velaro ...
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NewsSNCF plans TGV efficiency drive to compete with air and bus
FRANCE: National rail operator SNCF is planning to restructure its high speed operations over the next three years to improve fleet utilisation and facilitate the withdrawal of its oldest TGV trainsets. According to the head of Voyages SNCF Rachel Picard, the changes are expected to reduce operating costs by between ...
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NewsSocial impact of Kuala Lumpur – Singapore high speed line to be studied
MALAYSIA: Project promoter MyHSR Corp has awarded ERE Consulting Group a contract to carry out a social and heritage impact assessment for the Malaysian section of the planned Kuala Lumpur – Singapore high speed line. 'The appointed consultant will be responsible to assess the possible social impact arising from the ...
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NewsInaugural run on Haramain high speed line
SAUDI ARABIA: An inaugural train ran between Madinah and Makkah over the Haramain high speed railway on December 31. Completing the 450 km trip in 2 h 52 min, the train conveyed Saudi Transport Minister Dr Nabil bin Mohammed Al-Amoudi and Spanish Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Álvaro Iranzo, along with ...