Passenger rail news – Page 122
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![Southern California Regional Rail Authority has awarded Talgo and Systra a contract to refurbish coaches (Photo: Lvi56 [CC BY 3.0]).](https://d1c4d7gnm6as1q.cloudfront.net/Pictures/100x67/7/9/6/23796_tn_us-metrolink-bilevel-lvi56_ccby3.jpg)
NewsMetrolink fleet modernisation contract awarded
USA: Southern California Regional Rail Authority has awarded a joint venture of Talgo and Systra a contract worth up to $138·9m for the refurbishment of up to 121 Bombardier BiLevel coaches used on Metrolink commuter services. There is a firm order for the modernisation of an initial 50 coaches, ...
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Rail Business UKBreeze hydrogen multiple-unit order expected soon
UK: Alstom is hopeful of confirming an order before the end of this year for its Breeze hydrogen multiple-unit trains being developed in partnership with leasing company Eversholt Rail, suggesting that the first trains could enter service ‘as early as 2022’. Unveiling a scale model of the three-car HMU ...
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NewsEurostar provides guide for travellers with autism
EUROPE: Eurostar has launched a virtual guide designed to help passengers with autism have a stress-free journey. The cross-Channel high speed train operator reviewed its travel experience with the Ambitious About Autism charity, which advised that travellers with autism are more comfortable if they have seen information about sights and ...
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Rail Business UKLNER launches Hitachi Azuma trainsets
UK: ‘The launch of the Hitachi Azuma fleet is another step in the history of a route which has long been associated with iconic trains’, LNER Manging Director David Horne told guests on a preview train on May 14, the day before the new fleet is set to enter passenger ...
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NewsElevated section of Buenos Aires commuter line inaugurated
ARGENTINA: President Mauricio Macri inaugurated a new viaduct on the Retiro – Tigre branch of the Mitre suburban railway serving Buenos Aires on May 10. The 3·9 km structure between Avenida Dorrego and Avenida Monroe eliminates eight level crossings. Two stations on the section have been rebuilt. Belgrano station ...
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NewsRussian Railways to increase electric operation
RUSSIA: Plans to increase the use of electric traction were announced by Russian Railways on May 14, with the national operator saying this would offer environmental benefits compared to the use of diesel or road and air transport. RZD said the electrification of its most heavily used lines and the ...
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NewsMore Frecciarossa trains to come as FS unveils €58bn investment plan
ITALY: State railway holding FS Group’s 2019-23 business plan envisages total investment worth €58bn across various modes, with a core focus on enhancing the conventional rail network and improving suburban passenger services. According to FS, the ‘unprecedented’ spending programme, unveiled in Roma on May 10 by Chief Executive Gianfranco Battisti, ...
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NewsNewag signs contract to supply more EMUs to FSE
ITALY: Ferrovie Del Sud Est and Newag signed a contract on May 10 for the supply of a further six Impuls 2 electric multiple-units. Deliveries are due to be completed in 19 months. The €24·2m order had been announced in December and is an option on a framework contract ...
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NewsPACA orders electro-diesel multiple-units
FRANCE: Acting on behalf of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, SNCF Mobilités has awarded Alstom a €32m contract to supply five four-car Coradia Polyvalent electro-diesel multiple-units. The regional units to be delivered between the end of 2020 and early 2021 will have 214 seats with individual reading lights and power sockets, ...
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NewsSlovakia – Ukraine passenger service to launch in June
EUROPE: Slovakian national operator ZSSK and its Ukrainian counterpart UZ have agreed to launch a through passenger service on June 9 on the 146 km route between Košice and Mukachevo via the Čierna nad Tisou/Chop border crossing. This follows a trial train which ran on April 2. Services are expected ...
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NewsBourgogne-Franche-Comté orders Alstom EMUs
FRANCE: Alstom has been awarded a €170m firm order to supply 16 six-car Coradia Polyvalent multiple-units to the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region. The latest contract announced on May 10 is the first for this six-car electric variant of the Cordia Polyvalent family. The EMUs will have 355 seats, with the ‘inter-city style’ ...
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NewsFlixTrain ready to launch Berlin – Köln route
GERMANY: Open access inter-city operator FlixMobility has opened ticket bookings for its third daytime FlixTrain route, with daily services between Berlin and Köln expected to begin on May 23. Single fares are available from €9·99. Journey times of between 5 h and 6 h will be around 3 h quicker ...
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NewsSBB’s Giruno enters passenger service
SWITZERLAND: Swiss Federal Railways ran the first passenger-carrying service with one of its new Stadler Giruno trainsets on May 8, operating from Zürich HB to Erstfeld and then Basel SBB. Stadler is supplying 29 of the 11-car low-floor articulated trainsets under a SFr970m contract signed in October 2014. There are ...
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NewsSouth Tirol orders cross-border EMUs
ITALY: South Tirol regional transport authority STA announced on May 7 that it had selected Bombardier Transportation for a €65·8m contract to supply seven electric multiple-units for use on through services from Malles Venosta to Bolzano and Innsbruck or Lienz in Austria. The Talent 3 EMUs will be similar to ...
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Rail Business UKStagecoach goes to court over East Midlands franchise disqualification
UK: Stagecoach Group commenced legal action against the Department for Transport on May 8, following DfT's decision to award of the next East Midlands franchise to Abellio. The NS subsidiary was named preferred bidder on April 10, and the initial 10-day standstill period was extended to midnight on May ...
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Rail Business UKEurostar and DB seek to solve through ticketing issue
EUROPE: Eurostar is working with Deutsche Bahn to resolve a ticketing system compatibility issue which will prevent the German national operator from selling through tickets between Germany and the UK. Last year Eurostar awarded Dutch software company Sqills a contract to provide its S3 Passenger sales, distribution and reservation suite ...
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NewsNürnberg S6 contract awarded
GERMANY: Bayern transport authority BEG has awarded DB Regio a contract to operate the future route S6 of the Nürnberg S-Bahn network. The contract runs from the December 2021 timetable change to December 2030. It covers the operation of around 600 000 train-km/year on the Nürnberg Hbf – Neustadt (Aisch) ...
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NewsKeio Railway special marks start of Reiwa Era
JAPAN: Among the special events to mark the abdication of Emperor Akihito and the accession of Emperor Naruhito, the Keio Electric Railway running west from the capital operated a commemorative limited express service over the transition from April 30 to May 1. Departing from Tokyo’s Shinjuku station at 23.45, in ...
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NewsRostock – Hamburg direct award
GERMANY: The Land of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has decided to directly award incumbent DB Regio Nordost a contract to continue to operate Ostseeküste-West regional passenger services for a further two years from the end of its current contract in December 2019. Announcing the decision on April 30, the Land’s Ministry of Energy, ...
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NewsBeijing suburban route S5 extended
CHINA: Beijing suburban railway service S5 was extended northeast from Huairou Bei to Gubeikou adding three stations on April 30. The maximum operating speed of trains on the commuter route was increased from 70 to 100 km/h at the same time. Route S5 is now 135 km long with stations ...