High speed rail industry news – Page 12
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NewsTest running to start on Ulm – Wendlingen high speed line
GERMANY: On January 31 Deutsche Bahn will switch on the 15 kV 16∙7 Hz traction power supply over the full length of the 59∙6 km Ulm – Wendlingen Neubaustrecke. This will pave the way for commissioning trials that will culminate with test runs at up to 275 km/h.
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NewsRENFE to launch Avlo on Madrid – València route
SPAIN: RENFE has announced that its low-cost Avlo service from Madrid to València will begin running on February 21, in time for the city’s Las Fallas fiesta celebrations, which in 2022 will begin on the last Sunday of February.
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NewsBurgos – Vitoria-Gasteiz high speed line moves ahead
SPAIN: The Ministry of Transport, Mobility & the Urban Agenda announced on January 8 that the Subdirectorate General for Railway Planning had on December 30 granted definitive approval for the ‘Informative Study’ covering construction of the high speed line between Burgos and Vitoria-Gasteiz.
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NewsChinese high speed network tops 40 000 km as first privately funded line opens
CHINA: Ceremonies on January 8 marked the official opening of the Hangzhou – Shaoxing – Taizhou high speed line, with the simultaneous departure of two trains from Taizhou and Shengzhou Xinchang.
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NewsSJ orders Sweden’s fastest trains
SWEDEN: National operator SJ has confirmed that Alstom is to supply the fastest trains in Sweden, which will have a maximum speed of 250 km/h for use on long distance inter-city services including routes to Denmark and Norway. The initial order will cover 25 electric trainsets ...
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NewsMore ICE Sprinters offer alternative to flying
GERMANY: Deutsche Bahn introduced more limited-stop Sprinter ICE services on long-distance inter-city routes with the timetable change on December 12. Sprinter-branded ICE services now operate on eight domestic routes, while a daily Frankfurt am Main – Paris service calling at Mannheim and Karlsruhe also carries the ...
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NewsRoyal opening marks launch of Madrid – Ourense standard gauge services
SPAIN: Guests including King Felipe VI and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez joined a special high speed train between Madrid and Ourense on December 20 to mark completion of the Galician high speed line, over which commercial services began the following day.
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NewsTrenitalia launches Paris – Milano open access services
FRANCE: Trenitalia formally inaugurated its Paris – Milano open access high speed service on December 18, with a morning departure from the French capital.
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Rail Business UKHitachi-led joint venture to supply 54 trains to operate HS2 services
UK: A consortium of Alstom and Hitachi Rail is to supply a fleet of 54 conventional-compatible trains for High Speed 2 services under a contract worth £1·97bn, the Department for Transport and HS2 Ltd announced on December 9. The trains will be ‘designed and built’ in ...
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In depthJapan: Nishi-Kyushu Shinkansen nears completion
Due to open in autumn 2022, the 66 km Nishi-Kyushu Shinkansen is isolated from the rest of Japan’s high speed network. Mike Bent investigates.
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NewsEurostar biometric trial goes live
EUROPE: Eurostar has begun live trials of the SmartCheck biometric face authentication system, enabling passengers boarding at London St Pancras International to complete secure ticket verification and UK exit checks on their mobile devices before travel.
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NewsTest running starts on privately financed high speed line
CHINA: The 267 km Hangzhou – Taizhou high speed line in Zhejiang province is on course to open by the end of this year, following the start of trial running on November 26.
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NewsILSA services to be branded Iryo
SPAIN: Independent high speed operator ILSA unveiled Iryo as its customer-facing brand in a ceremony at Madrid Atocha station on November 18.
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NewsJR East demonstrates automatic operation of high speed train
JAPAN: East Japan Railway demonstrated autonomous operation of a Series E7 high speed trainset to invited guests on November 17. Although a driver was present, his instructions were to keep his hands off the controls unless anything unexpected happened.
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NewsILSA signs 30-year maintenance deal
SPAIN: High speed open access operator ILSA has agreed a 30-year train maintenance contract with Hitachi Rail. The full service deal worth €737m runs from 2022, when ILSA plans to commence operations on the Madrid – Barcelona route, until 2052. The company’s fleet of ETR1000 trainsets, ...
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NewsICE1 fleet to get traction converter upgrade
GERMANY: Deutsche Bahn has awarded ABB a contract to supply Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor traction converters for the refurbishment of a further 76 ICE1 high speed train power cars. The IBGTs will replacing existing power electronics from the 1990s, extending the vehicles’ operating lives for at ...
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NewsHigh speed train maintenance contract awarded
CHINA: China Railway Guangzhou Bureau Group has awarded the Bombardier Sifang (Qingdao) Transportation joint venture two contracts totalling 382m yuan to undertake the heavy maintenance of 592 high speed train cars. The contract covers A3 maintenance of key parts and components for 34 CRH1A and CRH1B ...
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NewsRENFE aims to compete with Eurostar on Paris – London route
EUROPE: Spanish national rail operator RENFE is developing plans for a Paris – London train service which would compete with Eurostar and provide it with an alternative route into the French passenger market. RENFE believes that the launch of a Paris – London service would be ...
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NewsJR Central marks Chuo Shinkansen depot debut
JAPAN: Construction of the first of two maglev vehicle maintenance facilities for the Chuo Shinkansen began on October 14 at Nakatsugawa City in Gifu prefecture.
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NewsTunnel breakthrough marks progress with Ankara – Izmir high speed line
TURKEY: Excavation of the first major tunnel for the Ankara – Izmir high speed line was completed on October 16, with a holing-through ceremony presided over by Transport Minister Adil Karaismailoğlu.