Passenger rail news – Page 134
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NewsHydrogen train operation planned
GERMANY: The Länder of Brandenburg and Berlin are planning the joint award of a contract for the development and operation of hydrogen fuel cell powered trains on the RB27 Heidekrautbahn route. The proposed contract would start in December 2022 and run for 15 years, a length selected to provide experience ...
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NewsFNM orders diesel-battery multiple-units
ITALY: A framework agreement for Stadler to supply Lombardia regional operator FNM with between 30 and 50 battery-equipped 140 km/h diesel multiple-units for use on Ferrovienord services was signed in Milano on November 21. The agreement runs for eight years with a value of €6·395m per unit, and envisages the ...
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NewsNiedersachsen awards fleet refurbishment contract
GERMANY: Niedersachsen transport authority LNVG has awarded manufacturer Bombardier Transportation a €80m contract to modernise a total of 51 double-deck coaches and 37 Traxx electric and diesel locomotives. The work is to be undertaken at Bombardier's Hennigsdorf and Kassel plants, with an initial 11 pre-series vehicles to be completed by ...
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News‘Broad coalition’ needed to deliver HS2
UK: ‘It will take a broad coalition involving us, the supply chain and local and national government to deliver this project’, Mark Thurston, Chief Executive of government high speed rail project delivery company HS2 Ltd told the All-Party Parliamentary Rail Group on November 20. He was updating parliamentarians on progress ...
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NewsOperator selected for CDG Express airport rail link
FRANCE: The government has selected the Hello Paris consortium of Keolis and RATP Dev as preferred bidder for the concession to operate the future CDG Express airport rail link, the Ministry of Sustainable Development announced on November 19. Keolis said the consortium expected to sign the contract before the end ...
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NewsHauts-de-France EMU order
FRANCE: Acting on behalf of the Hauts-de-France region, SNCF has awarded Bombardier Transportation a firm order to supply 19 Omneo Premium double-deck inter-city electric multiple-units. The order announced on November 19 has been placed within a 2010 framework covering up to 860 Omneo/Regio 2N units and is valued at €256m, ...
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News‘Serious challenges’ facing California high speed programme
USA: The programme to build a high speed rail network through California linking Los Angeles with the San Francisco Bay Area is facing ‘serious challenges’, according to a report issued by the state auditor on November 15. Many of the risks relate to California High Speed Rail Authority’s decision to ...
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NewsVirgin Trains USA formed by Virgin Group and Brightline
USA: A strategic partnership and trademark licensing agreement for the launch of Virgin Trains USA was announced by Virgin Group and private-sector inter-city train operator Brightline on November 16. Subject to certain closing conditions, Virgin Group is to make a minority investment in Brightline, which will be managed and operated ...
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NewsThree shortlisted for DSB coach contract
DENMARK: Bombardier, Siemens and Talgo have prequalified for a contract to supply locomotive-hauled coaches primarily intended for use on international services to Hamburg, national passenger operator DSB announced on November 16. The contract would cover an initial eight rakes of coaches with a capacity of least 440 passengers per rake, ...
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NewsPrivate funding needed under C$6bn VIA Rail investment plan
CANADA: National passenger operator VIA Rail says that private-sector backing will be needed to support an investment programme worth more than C$6bn over the next decade. Chief Executive Yves Desjardins-Siciliano told the Terrapinn World Rail Festival conference in Amsterdam on November 13 that VIA Rail’s most pressing priority is to ...
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NewsMultiple-units ordered under Chile’s rail modernisation strategy
CHILE: National operator EFE has awarded Chinese company CRRC Sifang a US$77m contract to supply 13 multiple-units for use on the Biotren, Corto Laja and Victoria – Temuco services operated by its Fesur subsidiary. The order covers a total of 10 three-car EMUs for the 65 km Biotren suburban network ...
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NewsSNCF to sell Ouibus to BlaBlaCar in multimodal partnership
FRANCE: SNCF is to sell its loss-making Ouibus long-distance coach operations to the digital ride-sharing specialist BlaBlaCar under a multimodal development partnership announced on November 12. After a decade of head-to-head competition, the national railway has entered exclusive negotiations with the ‘leading French start-up in the mobility sector’. While the ...
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Concerns raised over passenger rights changes
EUROPE: The European Passengers’ Federation and the ALLRAIL association of new market entrants have called for mandatory protection for passengers making multi-leg journeys using separate tickets to be included in the recast of EU regulation COM(2017)0548 covering rail passengers’ rights. This would mean that if a connection were missed as ...
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Rail Business UKTransPennine Express Nova 3 fleet delayed
UK: TransPennine Express’s fleet of CAF Nova 3 push-pull coaches is now expected to enter service ‘slightly later than planned’ in spring 2019, the operator confirmed on November 12. TPE said CAF had recently made it aware of a ‘technical issue with a key on-board system’ on the Mark 5A ...
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NewsWien – München through service announced
EUROPE: Plans to launch a through Wien – München passenger service in April 2019 have been announced by Austrian open access operator Westbahn, Transdev’s Bayern regional operator Meridian and Bayern railway authority BEG. The exact start date is still to be confirmed, but Westbahn said there would be three through ...
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NewsICF unveils Sri Lanka Railways diesel-electric multiple units
SRI LANKA: The first of six 13-car diesel-electric multiple-units which Indian Railways’ Integral Coach factory is building for Sri Lanka Railways was unveiled at the manufacturer’s plant in Chennai on November 12 . The order was placed with ICF and RITES under an India-Sri Lanka economic co-operation agreement. It covers ...
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NewsLeo Express to restart Praha – Kraków service
EUROPE: Czech open access passenger operator Leo Express is to restart its Praha – Kraków service on November 30. The service had been launched in July 20 but was suspended and replaced by coach services from October 9 because engineering works on the Polish section of the route were causing ...
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NewsTransdev announces EMU order as Hannover S-Bahn operating contract confirmed
GERMANY: Transdev announced an order for 64 Stadler Flirt electric multiple-units on November 7, after its NordWestBahn subsidiary was confirmed as the winner of the contract to operate Hannover S-Bahn services from December 2021 until June 2034. There had been four bids for the operating contract tendered by the Hannover ...
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NewsAssociations welcome Green Deal declaration
EUROPE: Rail sector associations CER, EIM, ERFA, UIP, UIRR and UNIFE have welcomed a political initiative to encourage the evolution of environmentally-friendly transport, following an informal meeting of Transport and Environment ministers in Graz, organised by the current Austrian Presidency of the EU Council. During the meeting on October 29-30, ...
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NewsNS to test faster train to the north
NETHERLANDS: National passenger operator NS plans to run a one-off test train to assess what infrastructure and operational changes would be needed to provide a 15 min reduction in journey times between Groningen, Zwolle and the Randstad region. The trial planned for next year would use a Bombardier Transportation Traxx ...