Passenger rail news – Page 135
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NewsMelbourne High Capacity Metro Trains on test
AUSTRALIA: Testing has started of the High Capacity Metro Trains that Evolution Rail is supplying to operate Melbourne’s suburban network. The Evolution Rail consortium of Plenary, CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles and Downer Group has a PPP contract to supply 65 electric multiple-units for use on the 1 600 mm ...
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NewsBaku – Tbilisi – Kars passenger service to launch in 2019
INTERNATIONAL: Passenger services on the Baku – Tbilisi – Kars route are to be launched in the third quarter of 2019, Azerbaijan’s national railway ADY has announced. The announcement on October 30 marked the first anniversary of the official inauguration of the Baku – Tbilisi – Kars railway corridor. ...
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NewsPalermo suburban line reopens following modernisation
ITALY: The Passante suburban railway in Palermo has reopened after a three-year closure for modernisation. The project includes double-tracking the line between Palermo Centrale and Punta Raisi, adding 12 stations, eliminating 22 level crossings, and building a new underground section between Palermo and Capaci. So far only the ...
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NewsRegioPanter EMUs for Plzeň on test
CZECH REPUBLIC: The first of nine two-car Class 650 RegioPanter electric multiple-units which national operator ČD has ordered from Škoda Transportation for use on the Pňovany – Plzeň – Horažďovice line is undergoing trials at the Velim test circuit, ahead of entry into service with the December timetable change. The ...
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Rail Business UKVivarail Class 230 DMU entry into service delayed
UK: The three two-car D-Train diesel multiple-units which Vivarail is producing for London Northwestern Railway will not enter service in December as had been planned, the supplier announced on October 30. The Class 230 DMUs are being produced using the bodyshells and bogies from former London Underground D78 metro trains. ...
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NewsGibela assembly plant inaugurated
SOUTH AFRICA: The Dunnottar industrial park where the Alstom-led Gibela joint venture will manufacture new EMUs for Prasa was officially inaugurated by President Cyril Ramaphosa and Transport Minister Blade Nzimande on October 25. The ceremony was also attended by Deputy Minister of Transport Sindisiwe Chikunga and the Premier of ...
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NewsFour prequalify for Danish EMU contract
DENMARK: Four manufacturers have prequalified to bid for the Future Trains contract to supply and maintain at least 100 electric multiple-units which would replace most of national passenger operator DSB’s diesel fleet. They are: Alstom Transport Danmark;Bombardier Transportation Denmark; Siemens Mobility; Stadler Bussnang. The government gave the go-ahead ...
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Rail Business UKEurostar deploys interactive robot at St Pancras station
EUROPE: Eurostar passengers in the departure area of London St Pancras station can now interact with a humanoid robot to find more information about their journey. Eurostar expects this to be particularly popular with families. The Pepper robot from SoftBank Robotics was supplied by Robots of London. It uses a ...
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NewsStadler selected for Waldenburgerbahn contract
SWITZERLAND: Baselland Transport has selected Stadler to supply 10 light rail vehicles to operate on the Waldenburgerbahn line, the operator announced on October 23. BLT is ordering the vehicles under a joint procurement with Aargau Verkehr, which is to receive eight for the Limmattalbahn project in Zürich. BLT expects ...
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NewsPhnom Penh airport railcars ready for delivery
CAMBODIA: Next month Royal Railway expects to taken delivery of three diesel railcars which it has ordered from Mexico for use on the rail link to Phnom Penh International Airport. The 1·6 km on-street branch from the Phnom Penh – Sihanoukville main line to the airport opened in April, with ...
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Rail Business UKEurostar to expand Amsterdam service next year
EUROPE: Cross-Channel high speed operator Eurostar expects to launch a third daily train between London and Amsterdam in June 2019, reflecting the initial success of the route which was launched with two trains per day in April this year. Eurostar reports that it has already carried more than 130 000 ...
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News‘Make in India’ Train 18 inter-city prototype on test
INDIA: Testing has started with a prototype 160 km/h inter-city trainset intended to accelerate and upgrade medium-distance services on Indian Railways. Developed at the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai, the ‘semi-high speed’ trainset has been designated Train 18 after its year of manufacture. Following testing by RDSO at up to ...
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NewsComposite train seat support saves weight
COMPOSITE: Composites Evolution, Bercella and Element Materials Technology have completed the development and testing of a composite wall-mounted cantilever support for train seats. Using wall rather than floor-mounted supports improves access for cleaning and luggage storage, while the lightweight composite structure reduces traction energy needs and axleloads. ...
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NewsTEX Rail trains tested for radar effects
USA: The first of the Flirt trainsets which Stadler is supplying for the 43 km TEX Rail commuter route linking central Fort Worth with Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport has undergone dynamic testing at the airport. Testing between Dallas Fort Worth Junction and DFW Airport Terminal B station was undertaken with ...
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NewsBluetooth beacon competition to enhance stations
FRANCE: SNCF’s stations business Gares & Connexions has launched an innovation competition branded Open Beacon aimed at enhancing the accessibility of and service offering at major stations. The term ‘open beacon’ refers to Gares & Connexions’ plan to install Bluetooth geolocation tags in more than 300 stations across the country. ...
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NewsRack trains ordered for Tatra Electric Railway
SLOVAKIA: National operator ZSSK has awarded Stadler a contract to supply five 1·5 kV DC electric multiple-units and an electro-diesel locomotive for the 35 km metre-gauge Tatra Electric Railway network, which has a section of rack operation. Delivery is scheduled for 2022. Announcing the order on October 17, Stadler ...
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NewsShift2Rail announces 2018 grants
EUROPE: Shift2Rail is to provide up to €77·3m of co-funding for 19 research and innovation projects with a total value of €152·6m, the joint undertaking announced on October 17. The funding to be awarded under the 2018 Call for Proposals brings the cumulative spending on railway research to €490m, which ...
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NewsGo-Ahead wins Norway’s first rail tender
NORWAY: Go-Ahead Norge has been selected as the winner of the Lot 1 Sør passenger train operating contract, the first to be tendered by national railway authority Jernbanedirektoratet. The contract announced on October 17 will run for eight years from December 15 2019, with an optional two-year extension. It covers ...
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NewsVIA Rail dining cars to be refurbished
CANADA: National passenger operator VIA Rail has awarded Rail GD a C$16·4m contract to refurbish four dining cars for use on the trans-continental The Canadian service. The stainless steel vehicles were originally built in the 1950s, and VIA Rail said the refurbishment would extend their useful life ‘by a few ...
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Rail Business UKCross Country direct award option left open
UK: The Department for Transport has published a prior information notice which would enable it to directly award a contract for the operation of Cross Country services for a maximum of 60 months from the end of Arriva’s current contract in October 2019. Arriva originally won the Cross Country franchise ...