Passenger rail news – Page 139
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NewsSeven approved to bid for Helsinki commuter operating contract
FINLAND: Greater Helsinki area regional transport authority HSL has prequalified all seven companies which expressed interest in a contract to operate commuter train services around the capital for 10 years from June 2021. The contract would cover commuter services on the Ring Line serving the airport, on the main line ...
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NewsEMUs enter service in Vladivostok
RUSSIA: Russian Railways has put one six-car and two four-car EP3D electric multiple-units supplied by Transmashholding’s Demikhovsky Engineering Plant into service on suburban routes around Vladivostok. The modern EMUs are expected to offer better passenger comfort than the older designs, with lower operating and maintenance costs over their expected 40-year ...
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NewsDSB calls tenders for hauled stock
DENMARK: National passenger operator DSB has invited tenders for a contract to supply between 40 and 56 locomotive hauled coaches worth up to DKr1·2bn. These would be deployed in push-pull operation with Siemens Vectron electric locomotives. ‘This is another important step in the renewal of DSB's fleet’, said ...
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Rail Business UKVirgin Trains introduces RCS passenger communications
UK: Virgin Trains has worked with telecoms company Vodafone and mobile messaging specialist OpenMarket to roll out a Rich Communications Services-based chat service for passenger communications. Unlike text-based SMS messages, RCS allows Virgin Trains to send photos, videos, audio and message with easy-to-select buttons. It will initially be used ...
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NewsThree bidders prequalify for Perth EMU order
AUSTRALIA: The government of Western Australia has prequalified three bidders for a contract to supply up to 41 six-car electric multiple-units for the Transperth network serving Perth: Alstom Transport Australia;the Momentum West consortium of CAF and UGL;a consortium of EDI Rail and Bombardier Transportation. The government expects to select ...
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NewsAbellio unveils first of 54 DMUs
GERMANY: The first of 54 Alstom Coradia Lint 41 diesel multiple-units ordered by Abellio for Diesel Netz Sachsen-Anhalt services was unveiled by Abellio on August 27. Guests including Land Minister for Regional Development & Transport Thomas Webel rode on the DMU on a circular route from Magdeburg. Abellio is to ...
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NewsOmneo Premium inter-city trainset on test
FRANCE: Bombardier Transportation has begun dynamic testing of the first Omneo Premium inter-city version of the Omneo double-deck regional train family. SNCF placed a €585m order for 40 Omneo Premium electric multiple-units in November 2016, acting on behalf of the Normandie region as part of an agreement to transfer responsibility ...
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Rail Business UKHitachi trainsets for Hull Trains under construction
UK: The first bodyshell for the fleet of five Hitachi AT300 electro-diesel trainsets ordered by open access operator Hull Trains has been completed at the manufacturer’s factory at Kasado in Japan. Fitting out will be undertaken at Hitachi’s Pistoia plant in Italy ahead of delivery to the ...
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NewsOpen access operator plans Praha – Berlin service
GERMANY: Czech open access operator Leo Express has confirmed it is interested in adding a Praha – Berlin service to its network. ‘Germany has a huge liberalised transport market on which we want to further develop and which we want to connect with the Czech one through the Praha – ...
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NewsNS to run a fast train to InnoTrans
EUROPE: Dutch national passenger operator NS is to run a one-off fast inter-city service from Amsterdam to Berlin on September 17, to demonstrate how journey times between the cities could be reduced. The train will take passengers including NS CEO Roger van Boxtel to the German capital ahead of the ...
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NewsFV-Dosto dining car unveiled
SWITZERLAND: Swiss Federal Railways unveiled the first dining car for its new FV-Dosto double-deck EMUs in Zürich on August 21. The upper deck dining saloon presents what SBB describes as a bright, modern ambience with excellent views. SBB believes that on train dining is ‘a trump card’ which gives ...
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Rail Business UKLewisham disruption report recommends incident management improvements
UK: An ‘action plan’ to revise procedures when trains are stranded between stations for extended periods was announced by Southeastern and Network Rail on August 23, following the publication of an independent report into an incident on March 2 when nine trains became stranded during bad weather and passengers evacuated ...
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NewsHong Kong high speed line opening date confirmed
CHINA: Passenger services on the Hong Kong section of the Guangzhou – Shenzhen – Hong Kong high speed line will begin on September 23, the Special Administrative Region government confirmed following the signing of two operating agreements on August 23. ‘High speed rail will open a new page in rail ...
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NewsPendolino to be tested in Greece
GREECE: One of the ERT485 Pendolino trainsets which Trenitalia uses in Italy is on its way to Greece for testing with a view to possible future deployment on the Athens – Thessaloniki route. Ongoing upgrading projects including the 54 km new alignment between Tithorea and Lianokladi have raised the maximum ...
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Rail Business UKMarston Vale D-Train contract signed
UK: The contract for the supply of three two-car Class 230 D-Train diesel-multiple-units for the Marston Vale line between Bedford and Bletchley has been formally signed, manufacturer Vivarail announced on August 22. Testing is expected to begin in the next few weeks, and entry into service is planned for December. ...
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NewsDutch network ‘almost full’, ProRail warns
NETHERLANDS: The Dutch main line network is ‘almost full’, ProRail warned on August 20. The national infrastructure manager issued the stark assessment in its annual update on proposed path allocations for 2019. ProRail said it was ‘running up against the limits’ of its 7 300 track-km network, pointing out that ...
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NewsMernda extension completed
AUSTRALIA: A public open day on August 19 marked the official completion of an 8 km extension of Melbourne’s South Morang Line to Mernda, with around 6 000 local residents invited to sample a shuttle service on the route. Regular services are due to begin running with the introduction of ...
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Rail Business UKAccessibility advisers help improve Flirt UK trains
UK: Greater Anglia recently took a wheelchair-using passenger, a blind person and a visually impaired person plus his guide dog to Stadler’s factory at Bussnang in Switzerland to test prototype ramps for the future Flirt UK multiple-unit fleet. During a previous visit, the group had suggested a number of ...
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NewsDouble-deck EMU order approved
HUNGARY: The government has given the go-ahead for MÁV-Start to exercise an option for Stadler to supply a further eight Kiss double-deck electric multiple-units. The HF39bn order approved on August 13 is to be funded from EU sources. It is to be placed under a framework agreement signed by the ...
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NewsÖBB signs 700-coach framework agreement
AUSTRIA: Austrian Federal Railways and Siemens Mobility have signed a five-year framework agreement for the supply of up to 700 coaches with a potential total value of €1·5bn, with an option to extend the agreement beyond 2023. ÖBB has placed an initial firm order for eight nine-car rakes to replace ...