Passenger rail news – Page 159
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NewsAustrian court halts ÖBB coach tender
AUSTRIA: Plans to replace ÖBB’s rolling stock used on daytime inter-city services to Italy and to update its overnight fleet with new trains are in doubt after Austria’s Federal Administrative Court (Bundesverwaltungsgericht) ruled that the tender process should be stopped. The state-owned operator requires new stock to replace existing EuroCity ...
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NewsKoleje Śląskie launches Pesa's Elf2 EMU
POLAND: The first of a fleet of Elf2 electric-multiple units being built for Koleje Śląskie by Pesa was officially launched in Katowice on September 13. The Elf2 is an updated version of the manufacturer’s Elf family, of which 77 sets have been built for various operators since 2010. Pesa says ...
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NewsSuburban EMU mock-up on display
RUSSIA: Transmashholding presented a full-size mock-up of its planned Class EP2TV suburban electric multiple-unit at the Expo 1520 trade fair at Shcherbinka. TMH General Director Kirill Lipa said the new EMU was designed for high traffic routes in European Russia and the Urals. It is to be produced by TMH’s ...
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NewsFS completes acquisition of Greek national operator Trainose
GREECE: Italian state railway group Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane completed its acquisition of Greek national train operator Trainose on September 14, when the €45m transaction was officially closed during an Italy-Greece bilateral summit. Privatisation agency Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund had named FS as preferred bidder on July 14 2016. ...
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NewsIndian high speed rail project launched by Prime Ministers
INDIA: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe attended a groundbreaking ceremony at Sabarmarti in Ahmedabad on September 14 to officially launch India’s first high speed rail project. The planned 508 km Mumbai – Ahmedabad line is to use Japanese Shinkansen technology including 1 435 mm standard ...
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NewsWestern Australia budget backs rail growth
AUSTRALIA: The Western Australian government has allocated A$1·4bn for rail investment as part of its 2017-18 budget announced on September 8. The bulk of the money is destined for the Metronet programme to expand and upgrade the Perth suburban rail network, over the next four years. This includes federal funding ...
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NewsGreater Anglia reveals interior of Aventra commuter train fleet
UK: Greater Anglia has unveiled a full-size mock-up of the interior of the Aventra electric multiple-units ordered from Bombardier Transportation for entry into service on the East Anglia franchise in 2019-20. Bombardier is to supply 89 five-car and 22 ten-car 25 kV 50 Hz EMUs for Greater Anglia commuter ...
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NewsAmtrak begins Amfleet I refurbishment programme
USA: Amtrak has announced the start of work to refurbish its Amfleet I hauled coaches, which are widely used on its Northeast Corridor and Midwest inter-city services. The $16m refurbishment and overhaul programme covers more than 450 vehicles, with completion planned for mid-2018. A phased approach is ...
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NewsSFM Torino regional services extended into France
EUROPE: Trenitalia-operated regional trains reached the French alpine town of Modane on September 10 for the first time in a decade in what the regional authorities in both France and Italy hope will mark the start of a renaissance in cross-border rail provision.Initially, regional trains on route SFM3 between Torino ...
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NewsMelbourne suburban rail operating contract awarded
AUSTRALIA: Metro Trains Melbourne is to continue to operate and maintain the city's suburban rail network, Victoria's Minister for Public Transport Jacinta Allan announced on September 12. MTM is a joint venture of MTR Corp (60%), John Holland Group (20%) and UGL Rail Services (20%). It has operated the 390 ...
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NewsArriva secures open access paths in Poland
POLAND: Regulator UTK has granted Arriva’s Polish subsidiary train paths for the operation of open access passenger services on several routes. Arriva RP has secured paths until December 11 2021 for the operation of its existing summer-only seasonal service from Bydgoszcz Główna to Hel and a shuttle service along the ...
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NewsTwo-car EMU for lightly-used lines
RUSSIA: A two-car version of the Class EP2D electric multiple-unit family which is intended for lightly-used lines electrified at 3 kV DC was exhibited by Transmashholding’s Demikhovsky Engineering Plant at the Expo 1520 trade fair in Shcherbinka. DMZ currently produces EP2D EMUs in four-car and 11-car configurations, with a ...
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NewsVirginia main line upgrading moves forward
USA: The Federal Railroad Administration announced on September 8 the completion of a Tier II Draft Environmental Impact Statement for a capacity and speed enhancement programme on the 197 km corridor running south from Washington DC to Richmond, Virginia.The railway is owned by Class I freight railroad CSX, but it ...
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NewsTracklaying complete on Harbin – Jiamusi fast line
CHINA: Contractors have completed tracklaying on the 343 km Harbin – Jiamusi high speed line in Helliongjang province. Designed for trains to run at 200 km/h, the railway is expected to open for commercial traffic in June 2018. With 14 stations including Yilan, Demoli, Fangzheng and Binxian, the line will ...
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NewsUK railway news round-up
Digital ticket retailer Trainline launched its Price Predictor tool on September 6. Intended to predict movements in the price of quota-controlled Advance tickets in the weeks before a chosen travel date, the tool uses historical data patterns to anticipate price changes. ‘Our data scientists have used historical pricing trends from ...
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NewsMitre viaduct works underway
ARGENTINA: On September 5 President Mauricio Macri joined Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, head of the Bueno Aires city government, and Transport Minister Guillermo Dietrich to mark the start of work on a 3∙9 km elevated alignment for the Mitre commuter route. Running between Avenida Dorrego and Avenida Congreso, the new viaduct ...
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NewsRhätische Bahn opens rebuilt St Moritz station
SWITZERLAND: Arrival of a special InterRegio train from Chur marked the opening of the rebuilt Rhätische Bahn station on August 26. The train broke through a polystyrene barrier in front of guests who included Deputy President of the Graubünden Canton Mario Cavigelli. RhB Director Renato Fasciati took the opportunity to ...
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NewsAnglo-Scottish EMUs take shape in Spain
UK: The first Civity EMUs in inter-city configuration for the UK market are under construction at CAF’s plant in Beasain in Spain. The 12 five-car trainsets are scheduled to enter service with TransPennine Express in spring 2019, the operator says. Capable of operating at up to 200 km/h, the 25 ...
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NewsContracts signed as Thai high speed project progresses
THAILAND: Officials from Thailand and China signed two co-operation contracts for the planned Bangkok – Nakhon Ratchasima high speed railway project on the sidelines of the three-day BRICS Summit in Xiamen, which ended on September 5. The contracts are worth 5·2bn baht and cover ‘design and supervision’ tasks for the ...
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NewsSouth Western Railway brand launched in London
UK: The replacement South Western franchise, awarded to a joint venture of FirstGroup and MTR Europe, was formally launched at London Waterloo on September 4. The franchise had begun on August 20, but with Network Rail’s blockade at Waterloo still underway the launch was held back until platform extension work ...