Passenger rail news – Page 152
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NewsIndian budget trebles railway investment
INDIA: A major increase in Indian Railways’ capital expenditure to Rs1 485bn in the 2018-19 financial year was announced by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley as part of the national budget unveiled on February 1. This is almost three times the Rs540m allocated for capital works in 2013-14. Jaitley said improvements ...
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NewsInter-city EMU procurement approved
DENMARK: Proposals to order a fleet of 150 electric multiple-units have been approved by the Danish parliament, Transport Minister Ole Birk Olesen announced on February 1. These would replace DSB’s troubled AnsaldoBreda IC4 DMUs which are all due to be phased out from 2024 and the older ABB-built IC3 units ...
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NewsDB hosts ‘smart scrubber’ robot cleaning competition
GERMANY: In order to demonstrate the potential for the automation of routine station cleaning tasks, DB hosted a ‘smart scrubber’ event at Berlin Hbf on January 30. The Automated Cleaning Challenge organised by DB Services and the DB Mindbox digital innovation lab pitted cleaning machines from four international manufacturers ...
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NewsTransmashholding buys stake in Moscow commuter operator
RUSSIA: Demikhovsky Engineering Plant’s 2·3bn rouble purchase of Moscow oblast’s 25% plus one share stake in Central Suburban Passenger Co has been approved by the federal anti-monopoly service. Founded in January 2006, Central PPK is the largest commuter and regional train operator in Russia. It is also the largest customer ...
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NewsYeongdeok – Pohang line opens
SOUTH KOREA: The 44·1 km Pohang – Yeongdeok section of the Donghae Line which is being developed to run from south to north parallel to the east coast was opened with a ceremony on January 25. The single-track extension is designed for 150 km/h operation. It is initially being used ...
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NewsStadler multiple-units for Greater Anglia under construction
UK: The bodyshells for the first of the Class 755 Flirt electro-diesel multiple-units which Stadler is to supply for Greater Anglia's local services have been delivered from the manufacturer's Szolnok factory in Hungary to the Bussnang plant in Switzerland where they will be fitted out.Stadler signed a £600m contract in ...
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NewsChongqing – Guiyang line opens
CHINA: A more direct Chongqing – Guiyang line which is suitable for 200 km/h operation opened on January 25, reducing the journey time between the cities from 10½ h to 2 h. Construction of the 347 km line had been launched on December 22 2010. The total cost of the ...
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NewsPNR orders Indonesian DMUs
PHILIPPINES: State railway PNR has ordered two diesel-electric multiple-units from Indonesian rolling stock manufacturer PT Inka to boost its Manila suburban service between Tutuban and Alabang. The 485m pesos deal was signed on January 22 by PNR General Manager Junn Magno and PT Inka President Budi Noviantoro, at a ceremony ...
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NewsRENFE launches high speed to Castelló
SPAIN: National operator RENFE began operating high speed services between Madrid and Castelló de la Plana on January 23. Running over the high speed line from Madrid Atocha to Valencia and then on the 1 668 mm gauge Mediterranean Corridor to Castelló where a third rail has been laid on ...
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NewsSitarail modernisation underway
AFRICA: Ceremonies were held in December to mark the formal start of work on a long-awaited project to rehabilitate the 1 260 km metre-gauge railway linking Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire with Ouagadougou in neighbouring Burkina Faso. Announced in mid-2015, the project was dependent upon renegotiation of the concession under which ...
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NewsAdelaide electrification contract awarded
AUSTRALIA: Electrification of the 40 km Adelaide – Gawler suburban route is set to resume in the coming weeks, following the award of a contract for the first phase of the A$615m project. The South Australia state government announced on January 18 that it had selected Lendlease to complete 25 ...
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NewsTravel Support Cards to assist passengers with hidden disabilities
UK: Govia Thameslink Railway is introducing sets of Travel Support Cards to support passengers with hidden disabilities who need help with communication, such as those who are hard of hearing or have language or learning difficulties. The card has a ‘how you can help me’ space which is filled in ...
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NewsDMUs ordered for California’s Arrow commuter service
USA: California’s San Bernardino County Transportation Authority has issued Stadler with a notice to proceed with the design and supply of three Flirt diesel multiple-units for the Arrow commuter service which is to be launched in 2021 under the Redlands Passenger Rail Project. The services will use ...
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NewsKoleje Mazowieckie signs framework for up to 71 EMUs
POLAND: A framework agreement for Stadler Rail to supply up to 71 Flirt electric multiple-units to voivodship-owned regional passenger operator Koleje Mazowieckie was signed in Warszawa on January 17. Stadler said the deal was potentially worth 2·2bn złoty, which would make it the highest valued tender for regional trains ever ...
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NewsCAF coaches to enter service with Caledonian Sleeper in October
UK: The coaches which CAF is building in Spain for use on Caledonian Sleeper trains between Scotland and London are expected to begin entering passenger service during October, the operator said after the first five vehicles arrived in the UK on January 15. The new stock will initially be used ...
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NewsBallarat Line upgrading contract signed
AUSTRALIA: Upgrading and capacity enhancement works on the Melbourne – Ballarat line in Victoria are to be completed by late 2019, under a A$551·7m contract announced on January 16. Funded by the state and federal governments, as part of the A$1·6bn Regional Rail Revival initiative, the project is being managed ...
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NewsWarszawa EMU tenders opened
POLAND: Pesa has been named as the lowest bidder for a contract to supply electric multiple-units to suburban train operator SKM Warszawa. The tender covers the supply and maintenance for 15 years of eight five-car EMUs and five four-car units, with options covering a further seven five-car units and one ...
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NewsAcademy to support Ethiopian railway operations
ETHIOPIA: Work is to start later this year on the construction of a railway training academy, Ethiopian Railways Corp announced on January 13. When fully operational, the academy is expected to employ around 250 teachers and administrative staff, training up to 1 00 students at a time in seven different ...
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NewsBLS signs its largest rolling stock contract
SWITZERLAND: A firm order for the supply of 52 six-car Flirt electric multiple-units was signed by BLS Chief Executive Bernard Guillelmon and Stadler President Peter Spuhler on January 15. Stadler had been named preferred bidder for the operator’s largest-ever rolling stock contract in May 2017, beating a rival offer from ...
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NewsBrightline launches higher-speed inter-city service
USA: The first privately-operated scheduled passenger trains since the early 1980s began running on January 13, when Brightline launched an introductory service between West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale in southern Florida. Brightline operates over the tracks of the Florida East Coast Railway, which have been rebuilt and upgraded for ...