Passenger rail news – Page 130
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Rail Business UKHeathrow Express EMU fleet contract awarded
UK: Leasing company Porterbrook has awarded Bombardier Transportation an £11m contract to modify 12 Class 387 Electrostar electric multiple-units for use on the Heathrow Express shuttle service between London Paddington and the airport. Last year the airport owner outsourced the operation of the non-franchised premium service to GWR under a ...
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NewsPortuguese incumbent awarded public service contract
PORTUGAL: The government has formally awarded national passenger operator CP a public service contract running for 10 years from the start of this year, with an option to extend it by five more. This sets out how the government will compensate the operator for loss-making services to be provided under ...
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NewsMore trains and better security in SNCF-PACA agreement
FRANCE: SNCF President Guillaume Pepy and the President of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, Renaud Muselier, signed a co-operation agreement on January 17 covering the development of regional passenger services in 2019-23. The improvement plan covers the remaining period within SNCF’s current agreement to operate local passenger trains. The contract to operate TER ...
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NewsDMUs delivered for freight line’s passenger launch
GERMANY: Local freight railway Bentheimer Eisenbahn has taken delivery of the first two of the five Alstom Coradia Lint 41 diesel multiple-units which it has ordered to enable the reintroduction of passenger services on the 30 km Bad Bentheim – Nordhorn – Neuenhaus route. Passenger services had been replaced by ...
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NewsBelarus orders more Flirts
BELARUS: Stadler announced on January 17 that it had received an order from Belarussian national railway BC for a further 10 Flirt trainsets. The 1 520 mm gauge, five-car Flirt EMUs will be delivered in 2020, joining an existing fleet of 18 trainsets supplied in various batches since 2010. ...
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NewsSlovakian passenger service reinstated
SLOVAKIA: Passenger services on regional Line 153 running 74 km south from Zvolen to Šahy on the Hungarian border were reinstated by national operator ZSSK with effect from January 2. Services had been withdrawn in February 2003 owing to low ridership. The revived service is aimed at students and ...
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NewsDB sets out five-point improvement plan
GERMANY: Passengers travelling with Deutsche Bahn can expect to see better punctuality and performance later this year thanks to a package of ‘step-by-step’ improvements announced on January 17. Presented to Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer and other government representatives by CEO Dr Richard Lutz on January 17, and board members Ronald ...
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NewsTaiwan orders 50 inter-city trainsets
TAIWAN: A NT$44·3bn contract for Hitachi to supply 50 12-car inter-city trainsets was signed by Taiwan Railway Administration and its procurement agent Bank of Taiwan on January 15. The contract covers half of the new trains to be ordered under TRA’s development plan for 2015-24. The 1 067 mm ...
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NewsState approves Bangalore suburban rail network
INDIA: The Karnataka state cabinet has approved a four-route suburban railway network planned for Bangalore. Services would use dedicated tracks to serve 81 stations, including 30 elevated. The estimated Rs230·1bn cost would be funded by the central government (20%), the state government (20%) and loans from multilateral or domestic ...
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NewsAlstom train makes first run in Dakar
SENEGAL: President Macky Sall was among the invited guests who joined the first test run of an Alstom Coradia Polyvalent multiple-unit in Senegal on January 14. The train’s first run marks a further step in preparations for the opening of the 55 km Train Express Régional rail link between the ...
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NewsWork starts on Mandalay – Kunming study
MYANMAR: A joint team of local and Chinese engineers has started work on ground surveys to finalise the alignment for the planned 431 km rail link from Mandalay to the Chinese border at Muse. Intended to link Myanmar with Kunming, the line is being promoted as part of the China-Myanmar ...
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Rail Business UKWheelchair ramp on test
UK: Greater Anglia has worked with design consultancy Trainways and manufacturer Portaramp to test a prototype wheelchair ramp, ahead of the entry into service of its new fleets of Bombardier Transportation and Stadler trainsets. Testing included consultation with people with assistance animals to ensure the ramp meets a range of ...
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NewsČD buys ex-DB GTW DMUs
CZECH REPUBLIC: National operator ČD has purchased 12 second-hand Stadler GTW2/6 two-car diesel multiple-units from DB Regio for an undisclosed price. The Class 646 DMUs were previously deployed on RE6 Prignitz-Express regional services north of Berlin, but were replaced by other types following a series of engine fires in 2017. ...
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NewsParis RER Line A refurbishment contract awarded
FRANCE: Île-de-France Mobilités and RATP have signed a €121·3m contract for CAF to refurbish the 43 MI2N electric multiple-units operating on RER Line A. In addition to a new livery, the EMUs will gain a new interior layout, as well as CCTV and passenger information screens. The first renovated ...
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NewsNarrow gauge DMU contract signed
ITALY: Ferrovie Appulo Lucane has awarded Stadler a €22·8m contract to supply four three-car 950 mm gauge diesel multiple-units for its network around Bari, with an option for a further four. The tailor-made DMUs are to be delivered within 24 months, Stadler said when it announced the contract on January ...
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NewsExport drive expected as Chinese market loses momentum
CHINA: While the demand for railway technology is expected to continue at a high level for the next five years, the Chinese market has lost momentum and is not expected to grow, according to a new study by German consultants SCI Verkehr. This may put pressure on Chinese suppliers to ...
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NewsVeolia out of transport as Rethmann acquires Transdev stake
FRANCE: German family-owned transport, food and waste company Rethmann Group has completed the acquisition of a 34% stake in public transport operating group Transdev. The announcement on January 9 follows German, Austrian and Australian regulatory approval for the deal which had been announced on October 2. Rethmann has paid ...
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NewsTEX Rail commuter line opens
USA: The 43 km TEX Rail commuter line linking central Fort Worth with Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport opened on January 10, when the first train left North Side station at 03.38. The line developed by regional transport authority Trinity Metro starts at the Texas & Pacific ...
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NewsFrance to tender operation of two inter-city routes
FRANCE: The government on January 9 formally launched the process of opening the French domestic main line passenger railway to competition when it announced the publication of a Prior Information Notice covering two routes. Issued by the Ministry of Environmental Transformation & Sustainability and to be published this week ...
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NewsNS to test contactless card payment
NETHERLANDS: National passenger operator NS is to test the use of contactless bank card payment as an alternative to the OV-chipkaart national multimodal transport smart card. NS said using a bank or credit card for travel was a ‘logical and easy’ choice for many people, as they would not need ...