All open access articles – Page 5
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Rail Business UKLondon – Stirling open access train service approved
UK: The Office of Rail & Road has given the go-ahead for Grand Union Trains to launch an open access passenger service between London and Stirling. Access rights have been approved from June 2025 to June 2030. ORR said the services would use existing off-lease diesel ...
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NewsHigh speed rail start-up Kevin Speed signs access agreement
FRANCE: Aspiring high speed train operator Kevin Speed has signed a track access framework agreement with infrastructure manager SNCF Réseau, and hopes to launch its first services under the Ilisto brand by the end of 2028.
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Rail Business UKLumo plans to extend open access services to Glasgow
UK: Open access train operator Lumo is has announced plans to extend some of its London – Edinburgh services to Glasgow. The FirstGroup-owned company is working with Transport Scotland and infrastructure manager Network Rail to agree final route options and timings ahead of an application for ...
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NewsFinland’s VR to acquire Swedish open access operator
SWEDEN: Finnish national train operator VR Group has agreed to acquire MTR Nordic’s Swedish open access passenger business MTR Express. MTRX launched open access services between Stockholm and Göteborg in 2015. It now runs 18 services a day using six Stadler Flirt X74 EMUs and with ...
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In depthEurope: Overnight trains are back in vogue
With the launch of next-generation rolling stock on ÖBB’s international overnight trains and the revival of a Paris – Berlin service, the stage is set for a night train renaissance in Europe. Toma Bačić reports.
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Rail Business UKFirstGroup plans London – Sheffield open access train service
UK: FirstGroup has announced plans to launch an open access passenger train service between London and Sheffield. The first phase of an application was submitted to industry regulator the Office of Rail & Road on January 5. Consultation will follow, along with discussions with Network Rail ...
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Rail Business UKPlan to welcome open access back to Wrexham
UK: Plans have been drawn up to revive open access services between London, Shrewsbury and Wrexham under the WSMR brand, 13 years after a previous initiative ended. Tony Miles reports.
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NewsIryo reports strong first year as Spanish high speed traffic grows again
SPAIN: Iryo carried 5·2 million passengers at an average load factor of more than 65% in its first year of operation.
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NewsStart-up announces Amsterdam to London and Paris high speed train ambitions
Source: Nikolay/Pixabay EUROPE: A proposal to launch high speed train services from Amsterdam to London and from Groningen to Paris has been announced by Dutch start-up Heuro, while Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson is also reported to be looking at competing with Eurostar on cross-Channel routes. ...
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NewsInfrastructure manager established ahead of South African rail network opening
SOUTH AFRICA: National railway and logistics group Transnet has established an interim rail infrastructure manager as part of plans to open the network to third party train operators in 2024. Vertical separation forms part of the government’s National Rail Policy which aims to facilitate private sector ...
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Rail Business UKCardiff – Edinburgh open access train service proposal under development
UK: Grand Union has begun industry consultation over a proposal to operate five open access services a day between Cardiff and Edinburgh, and separately is looking at rolling stock options for its planned London – Carmarthen and London – Stirling services. Grand Union Managing Director Ian ...
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NewsNew entrant seeks to launch passenger trains on seven routes in Italy
ITALY: Privately owned new entrant Longitude Holding has submitted requests to operate passenger services on one international and six domestic routes, rail regulator ART has confirmed to Railway Gazette International.
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NewsEvolyn trains not ordered yet, Alstom confirms
EUROPE: Alstom has confirmed that no contract is currently in place for the supply of high speed trainsets to Evolyn, which has announced plans to launch a Paris – London service completing against Eurostar.
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NewsRENFE reiterates Paris plans after successful open access launch
FRANCE: Spanish incumbent RENFE Viajeros reported on October 3 that its entry into the French market under open access rules has been a success. The company has been running Barcelona – Lyon and Madrid – Marseille services under its own safety case since July; these routes ...
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NewsMSC takes 50% stake in open access high speed train operator Italo-NTV
ITALY: Global Infrastructure Partners has entered into a binding agreement to sell an approximately 50% stake in open access high speed train operator Italo-Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori to Mediterranean Shipping Co. The other approximately 50% stake will continue to be owned by New York based investor GIP, ...
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News‘Fragile’ Railcoop plans restructuring to secure investment
FRANCE: Open access co-operative Railcoop is planning to split into two companies in the wake of its decision to cease running freight trains and ahead of the launch of its planned Lyon – Bordeaux passenger service. Rolling stock Rolling stock availability remains the critical element for ...
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NewsOpen access start-up Le Train raises funding
FRANCE: Aspiring open access operator Le Train has raised a further €8m to support its plans to launch passenger services from Bordeaux to Angoulême, Poitiers, Tours, Nantes and Rennes. The funding was raised from Aquiti Gestion, Charente Périgord Expansion, Naco and Tudigo, joining existing investors Crédit ...
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NewsRENFE expands its open access operations in France
FRANCE: RENFE Viajeros began running open access international high speed services between Madrid and Marseille on July 28, having introduced a Barcelona – Lyon service on July 13. The two routes had previously been operated by RENFE in co-operation with SNCF since 2013, but these services ...
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NewsADIF eyes more open access as Spanish high speed ridership surges
SPAIN: Infrastructure manager ADIF has put forward proposals for the expansion of open access operations across the Spanish rail network, building on the experience of competition on selected high speed lines. Speaking at the UNIFE General Assembly in Madrid on June 15, ADIF President María Domínguez-González ...
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NewsQbuzz and Flixtrain plan international open access services from the Netherlands
NETHERLANDS: Qbuzz has applied to competition authority Autoriteit Consument & Markt for permission to operate seven Amsterdam – Berlin and seven Amsterdam – Antwerpen – Brussels – Paris open access passenger services from January 2027, plus two trains per hour from Amsterdam to Eindhoven. The international ...