Passenger rail news – Page 11
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NewsŚląskie voivodship orders Newag EMUs
POLAND: The Śląskie voivodship has signed a 1·3bn złoty contract with Newag for the supply of 26 four-car Impuls2 electric multiple-units for use by regional operator Koleje Śląskie. The order was announced on February 29 and includes maintenance as well as an ...
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NewsDirect Sunshine Coast Rail Line funding commitment
AUSTRALIA: The Queensland state government has committed an initial A$2·75bn to help deliver the first phase of the Direct Sunshine Coast Rail Line project.
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Rail Business UKRail regulator identifies how assistance for disabled passengers needs to improve
UK: The Office of Rail & Road has identified ways in which the provision of assistance for disabled passengers needs to be improved, following audits of how five operators are meeting regulatory requirements. ORR chose East Midlands Railway, Govia Thameslink Railway, Greater Anglia, LNER and Northern ...
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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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NewsSão Paulo – Campinas inter-city train project awarded
BRAZIL: A Chinese-backed consortium has won the bidding auction to introduce inter-city passenger services linking São Paulo with Campinas.
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NewsCancún – Playa del Carmen section of Tren Maya inaugurated
MEXICO: The latest section of the 1 525 km Tren Maya project was inaugurated on February 29.
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NewsBulgarian Talgo 230 push-pull train proposal revealed
BULGARIA: Spanish manufacturer Talgo has announced details of the trainsets it has proposed in response to a call for tenders to supply and maintain 20 push-pull inter-city trainsets. CRRC Qingdao Sifang Locomotive submitted a much lower bid for the tender called by Bulgaria’s Ministry of Transport ...
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Metro Report InternationalIstanbul’s Sirkeci – Kazlıçeşme ‘light rail’ line opens
TURKEY: A ‘light rail’ line on the alignment of the former railway to the historic Sirkeci station on the European side of Istanbul was opened by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan February 26. The Halkalı – Sirkeci section of line closed in August 2013 as part of ...
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NewsMTR agrees early hand-back of Mälartåg operating contract
SWEDEN: MTR Corp is to hand back its remaining operating contract with effect from June 16, reporting ‘challenges’ to achieving a financially sustainable business. Local transport authority Mälardalstrafik awarded MTR a contract to run regional services to the west and northwest of Stockholm until December 2029 ...
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NewsEuropean day and overnight train expansion outlined in green travel collaboration
EUROPE: Open access night train co-operative European Sleeper and tour operator Flywise’s rail brand GreenCityTrip are to collaborate to offer travel from the Netherlands and Belgium to Berlin, Dresden and Praha. European Sleeper’s Brussels – Amsterdam – Berlin overnight service is to be extended to Dresden ...
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NewsSNCB unveils independently accessible coach
BELGIUM: National operator SNCB has unveiled the first of 130 double-deck coaches to facilitate wheelchair users travelling without assistance.
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NewsFootbath train launched to serve hot springs resort
JAPAN: Private train operator Kintetsu has modified one of its electric multiple-units to operate luxury tourist services between Nagoya and Yunoyama-Onsen, a hot springs resort in the Suzuka area of outstanding natural beauty.
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Rail Business UKTokyo Metro amongst bidders for Elizabeth Line operating contract
UK: Transport for London has shortlisted four bidders for the next concession to operate services on the cross-city Elizabeth Line. They are: Arriva UK Trains; First Keolis Elizabeth Line, a joint venture of FirstGroup and Keolis; GTS Rail Operations, a joint venture of Go-Ahead Group, ...
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NewsCalifornia orders more hydrogen trainsets
USA: California’s Department of Transportation has ordered six more Stadler Flirt H2 hydrogen fuel cell multiple-units. The $127m order announced on February 15 has been placed using an October 2023 framework contract which included an $80m firm order for four trains with options for up to ...
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Rail Business UKTransPennine Express confirms plans to ‘build back’ its timetable
UK: TransPennine Express has confirmed that it expects to begin reinstating services to meet commitments it made when it announced temporary timetable reductions in December 2023. Good progress has been made with crew training which will allow the operator to begin to restore services from June ...
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NewsSwiss railway collaboration to continue
SWITZERLAND: Collaboration between Swiss Federal Railways and the independent BLS is set to continue with the introduction of an additional longer distance service in December 2025. Taking advantage of the doubling of the 4 km Grellingen – Duggingen section in late 2025, BLS will introduce service ...
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Rail Business UKTransPennine Express refreshes ‘diluted and confused’ onboard catering
UK: TransPennine Express is to relaunch its onboard catering proposition from February 26 after a review concluded that its existing offering had become ‘diluted and confused’. The operator told stakeholders that this is partly the result of timetable enhancements which have not been matched by budget ...
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NewsProcurement of Portugal’s broad gauge high speed line begins
PORTUGAL: Tenders have been called for the starter section of the proposed high speed corridor between Lisboa and Porto. The first tenders covers Stage 1 between Porto and Oiã near Aveiro. Infrastructure manager Infraestruturas de Portugal held a ceremony at its headquarters at Almada on January ...
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NewsFour-pronged strategy to develop Pakistan Railways
PAKISTAN: A four-pronged strategy for financial autonomy, governance and growth, private sector participation and leveraging technology at Pakistan Railways has been set out by Railways Board Chairman Syed Mazhar Ali Shah. Financial Autonomy Shah said Pakistan Railways’ statutory position as a government ...