Passenger rail industry news
Latest news from the passenger railway industry, including intercity, regional and commuter transport.
RENFE 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.
Seat designed for facing in either direction
SEAT: Grammer has launched its Ubility Light seat, which is designed with ‘innovative minimalism’ to enable passengers on high-density urban trains and buses to sit facing in either direction without the need for any conversion.
PKP Intercity orders 200 km/h multi-system locomotives
POLAND: PKP Intercity has ordered a build of 200 km/h multi-system electric locomotives from Newag for use on international and domestic services.
Norway to increase rail spend but end competitive tendering
NORWAY: The recently elected Norwegian government intends to pursue an aggressive policy of investing in rail, with a view to driving modal shift, but plans to end the competitive tendering of passenger train operations and to simplify the structure of the country’s rail sector.
Germany: Regional rail model called into question
Problems at Keolis and Abellio suggest that Germany’s long-standing model for contracting out the operation of regional and local rail services may no longer be fit for purpose. Murray Hughes investigates.
Battery trains ordered for Hermann-Hesse-Bahn
GERMANY: Baden-Württemberg’s rolling stock owning body SFBW has ordered three Mireo Plus B battery-electric multiple-units from Siemens Mobility for use on Hermann-Hesse-Bahn services from December 2023.
SE Trains takes over Southeastern services
Denmark: Getting the passengers back
Refurbished EMU to offer tourist-oriented Osaka – Kyoto service
DfT begins market engagement on future Passenger Service Contracts
Vision for a seamless European rail passenger ticketing experience
Virtual reality simulation aims to ‘empower people to use public transport’
Eurostar brand to remain after Thalys merger
Investment needed to roll out Digital Capacity Management
Agilis selected for Oberfranken operating contract
Brightline fleet expansion begins as Orlando extension nears completion
First VIA Rail trainset arrives for testing
Ouigo to launch loco-hauled trains and serve more destinations
Impact of the pandemic on rail remains ‘dire’, says CER
UIC to host Rail Accessibility Day
Railcoop awarded operating licence
Operator of Last Resort to take over Southeastern after ‘£25m breach of franchise agreement’
Istanbul’s historic European terminus to be reopened
DB begins work to electrify to the Austrian border