High speed rail industry news – Page 55
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NewsStrategic analysis targets high speed rail decision-makers
EUROPE: An economic study published on January 21 aims to help determine how best to expand the current European high speed network. Commissioned by Alstom and SNCF from German management consultants Civity, the study formed the basis for a debate entitled ‘The Relevance of High Speed’ held at the European ...
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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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NewsMore freight to run on High Speed 1
UK: DB Schenker Rail (UK) introduced additional freight services on High Speed 1 from January 13, carrying automotive components and refrigerated containers of perishable foodstuffs from Spain to London via the Channel Tunnel. DB Schenker Rail (UK) has a track access contract with HS1 for an initial six months, and ...
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NewsEngineering skills college to support High Speed 2
UK: A dedicated engineering training faculty for students aged 16 and over is to be opened by 2017 to support construction of the planned High Speed 2 network. According to the Department for Transport, the HS2 skills college will require a 'multi-million pound investment' to train 'a generation of world-class ...
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NewsTesting underway on Ankara – Istanbul fast line
TURKEY: Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan joined newly-appointed transport minister Lütfi Elvan in the cab of a CAF trainset to travel over the Arifiye – Köseköy section of the Ankara – Istanbul high speed corridor on December 27. Elvan has replaced Binali Yıldırım, who has stood down after 11 years ...
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NewsEurostar tops 10 million passengers
EUROPE: Cross-Channel high speed train operator Eurostar International carried more than 10 million passengers during 2013, setting a new ridership record. The annual total was slightly up on the 9·9 million handled in the previous year. Announcing the milestone on December 30, Eurostar reported that it had now carried more ...
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NewsChina opens seven new lines
CHINA: The 514 km coastal line between Xiamen and Shenzhen in southeast China was opened for revenue service on December 28. This completes the link between the Beijing – Guangzhou – Shenzhen Passenger-Dedicated Line and the east coast route which starts in Shanghai and serves Hangzhou, Ningbo, Wenzhou, Fujian and ...
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NewsEBA approves Velaro D high speed trains for domestic operation
GERMANY: After many months of delays, the first four of 16 Class 407 high speed trainsets for Deutsche Bahn have been approved for use in Germany by EBA, the national railway safety authority. DB placed an order worth around €500m with Siemens in November 2008 for 15 Class 407 trainsets ...
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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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NewsICE-T fleet refurbishment underway
GERMANY: The first of 42 tilting inter-city trainsets operated by DB has entered DB Fahrzeuginstandhaltung’s Nürnberg workshops under a €30m refurbishment programme running to 2015. The fleet of 11 five-car and 31 seven-car ICE-T trainsets is to receive a series of exterior and internal enhancements, including an external repaint, seat ...
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NewsCHSRA supporting veterans
USA: California High Speed Rail Authority has signed a Strategic Partnership Agreement with CalVet, the state's department which supports military veterans. CalVet and CHSRA have agreed to work together to identify opportunities where small businesses managed by disabled veterans could participate in the high speed rail programme. These efforts would ...
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NewsSpanish passenger market to open up in 2014
SPAIN: High speed and other long-distance passenger services on the national network are to be opened up to competition during the first half of 2014, Development Minister Ana Pastor announced on December 3. 'It cannot be done overnight because it would be inefficient for the new entrant and for ...
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NewsUK government contemplates sale of LCR assets and Eurostar stake
UK: The possibility of the UK government selling London & Continental Railways' property assets and its stake in Eurostar International Ltd is raised in the National Infrastructure Plan 2013 published by the Treasury on December 4. Currently wholly-owned by the Department for Transport, LCR is included in the assets which ...
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NewsTianjin - Qinhuangdao high speed line opens
CHINA: The latest section of Passenger-Dedicated Line opened on December 1, linking the city of Tianjin east of Beijing with Qinhuangdao on the coast of the Bohai Sea to the northeast. The 287 km line cuts travel times between the cities by around a half to 1 h 11 min, ...
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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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NewsVossloh to supply fastenings to Haramain high speed project
SAUDI ARABIA: Vossloh Fastening Systems announced on November 28 that it had won a €30m contract to supply rail fastenings for the 444 km Haramain high speed line that is to run from Madinah to Jeddah and Makkah. Deliveries are due to start before the end of the year, ...
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NewsCalifornian high speed programme hits funding hurdle
USA: California’s high speed rail programme is facing potentially significant delays following a series of rulings on funding issues by the Sacramento County Supreme Court. The rulings centre on the California High Speed Rail Authority’s plan to use so-called Proposition 1A bonds to part-fund an Initial Operating Segment through the ...
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NewsExpress Rail Link high speed train unveiled
CHINA: The first of nine high speed trainsets which MTR Corp has ordered for the Hong Kong - Shenzhen - Guangzhou Express Rail Link was rolled out by CSR Qingdao Sifang on November 6. MTR Corp said the 'sweeping streaks of red and white on the livery of the eight-car ...
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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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NewsHigh Speed Rail Corp of India launched
INDIA: Minister of Railways Mallikarjun Kharge officially launched High Speed Rail Corp of India on October 29. The subsidiary of state-owned railway project promoter Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd has been established to develop high speed corridors suitable for operation at speeds up to 350 km/h. HSRC will prepare studies and ...