Passenger rail news – Page 127
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NewsProtectionism dilutes the competitive dynamic
COMMENT: Are incumbent state operators expanding their low-cost high speed offer to try and keep new entrants out of a liberalised inter-city market, and how might this fit with European competition policy, asks Railway Gazette Managing Editor Nick Kingsley.
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NewsNSW inter-city fleet order increased
AUSTRALIA: The New South Wales government has awarded the RailConnect consortium a A$130m contract to supply a further 42 double-deck electric multiple-unit cars, taking its New Intercity Fleet order to a total of 554 vehicles. The additional vehicles will enable peak services on the South Coast Line to be increased ...
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NewsSNCF brings forward Ouigo expansion to Toulouse
FRANCE: Originally envisaged for 2020, Ouigo low-cost high speed services between Paris and Toulouse are now to begin running on July 6. The SNCF subsidiary has announced that ticket sales for its first trains will open on March 26. Ouigo will initially operate one train each way per day, calling ...
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NewsWestmecklenburg operating contract awarded
GERMANY: Following an tendering process, the Land of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern announced on March 1 that it had awarded incumbent Ostdeutsche Eisenbahn a contract to continue to operate Teilnetz Westmecklenburg regional passenger services for six years from the December 15 2019 timetable change, when its current contract ends. The package covers routes ...
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NewsEurostar sets new ridership record
EUROPE: The introduction of direct London – Amsterdam trains and a strong increase in business travel contributed to record Eurostar ridership during 2018, the operator announced on March 5. Reporting its annual results, the cross-Channel high speed operator said 11 million passengers had used its international services during the year, ...
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NewsTBMs ordered for Łódź cross-city tunnel
POLAND: The contractor building the Łódź cross-city tunnel has signed a contract for Herrenknecht to supply two tunnel boring machines. Work on the project is expected to begin in mid-2019, with the first TBM ready by the end of the year. A 13·04 m diameter TBM, the largest used ...
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Rail Business UK5G roll out to begin on South Western Railway
UK: FirstGroup has announced that its Rail Division will be the exclusive supplier of Blu Wireless’s 5G communications for ontrain connectivity. This follows a 2½ year development programme undertaken with Network Rail, the Department for Transport and the Department for Culture Media & Sport. Roll-out is to begin ...
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NewsInlandsbanan acquires DMUs for local services
SWEDEN: Inlandsbanan has acquired five second-hand Alstom Lint diesel multiple-units for the planned launched of a regular passenger service on part of its route. Inlandsbanan is owned by 19 local authorities and operates seasonal tourist-focused passenger services along the north – south inland route from Gällivare to Mora. It has ...
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Rail Business UKFirst new Stansted Express trainset delivered
UK: The first of 10 Stadler Flirt electric multiple-units which Greater Anglia has ordered for use on Stansted Express branded services between London Liverpool Street and Stansted Airport was delivered to the operator’s Norwich depot on February 28. It will now undergo safety and performance testing before it is approved ...
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NewsCustom announcements to create an audio brand for DB stations
GERMANY: Deutsche Bahn subsidiary DB Station&Service has appointed Acapela Group to create digital public address announcements for use at its 5 400 stations. Acapela said the German-language announcements would be custom-made to provide a ‘pleasant unique voice experience’, with an audio brand identity that would be recognisable as belonging to ...
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Rail Business UKPut customers first, Williams tells UK rail sector
UK: The rail industry needs ‘to adapt to a fast changing world’, and ensure that it focuses on the needs of passenger and freight customers, according to former British Airways Chief Executive Keith Williams, who was last year commissioned by Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling to undertake a ...
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NewsRedlands Passenger Rail construction contract awarded
USA: Construction work for the 14·5 km Redlands Passenger Rail Project in southern California is on course to start later this year, following the selection of Flatiron Construction Corp as preferred bidder for the $154m main works contract. The $312m Redlands project is being promoted by San ...
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NewsUN convention to speed up cross-border rail travel
INTERNATIONAL: The text of an international agreement which has been developed to streamline cross-border passenger rail travel was adopted by the Inland Transport Committee of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe at its meeting in Genève on February 22. The Convention on the Facilitation of Border Crossing Procedures for ...
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Rail Business UKAlexa skill enables passengers to book travel assistance
UK: Virgin Trains has launched a ‘skill’ for Amazon Alexa virtual assistants which enables passengers with disabilities to book assistance for their journey using simple voice commands. The JourneyCare service usually requires users to fill in an online form or call a helpline after booking, which involves repeating information which ...
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Rail Business UKDigital technology aims to improve rail accessibility
ACCESSIBILITY: The TOC Ability consortium has published a report into the use of digital technology to improve the accessibility of the UK rail network by enabling disabled passengers to share their journey requirements with train operators while protecting their privacy. The consortium comprises Atkins, Arriva, Enable iD, Goss Consultancy, Loughborough ...
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NewsThird rail route to Tokyo Haneda Airport finalised
JAPAN: East Japan Railway expects to start work in May on its Haneda Airport Access Line, which would provide a third rail link to Tokyo’s largest airport. This is currently served by the Tokyo Monorail from Hamamatsucho and the independent Keikyu Airport Line. Announcing the project on February 15, ...
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NewsMetra orders rebuilt freight locomotives
USA: A $70·9m contract for Progress Rail to supply 15 rebuilt EMD SD70MAC freight locomotives to haul its commuter trains was approved by the board of Chicago operator Metra on February 20. There are options for up to 27 more if funding is made available. The remanufactured locomotives will be ...
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NewsPACA launches TER tendering process
FRANCE: President of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, Renaud Muselier has announced the start of tendering for the operation of local rail services from the end of 2022. Speaking in Marseille on February 19, alongside Vice-President for Transport & Intermobility Philippe Tabarot, Muselier said the quality of service being provided to around 100 ...
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NewsSNCF registers Rielsfera brand for Spanish passenger business
SPAIN: French national passenger operator Voyages SNCF has registered the Rielsfera trademark and appointed a legal practice in Barcelona with a view to establishing a train operating business in Spain. The EU trademark registration for the Rielsfera brand was lodged by SNCF Voyages Développement last November, and is currently listed ...
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NewsFRA pulls funds from California high speed project
USA: The Federal Railroad Administration announced on February 19 that it intended to cancel $929m of federal grant destined for the high speed rail project in California. In addition, FRA ‘is actively exploring every legal option to seek the return from California of $2·5bn in Federal funds FRA previously granted ...