Passenger rail news – Page 160
-
NewsCanadian government demands Manitoba railway repairs
CANADA: The federal government is seeking to restore rail services along the Hudson Bay Railway, which connects Churchill in northern Manitoba with the Canadian National network at Flin Flon Junction, near The Pas.Following what HBR owner OmniTRAX described in June as ‘catastrophic’ flood damage, trains have been unable to run ...
-
NewsHitachi and DB test ScotRail EMUs in Germany
UK: Two Hitachi Rail Europe Class 385 EMUs have been moved from Britain to a base at Minden in Germany for a series of unpowered dynamic tests on the DB Netz network.Hitachi is supplying 70 Class 385 EMUs in three- and four-car formations for ScotRail from its production facility at ...
-
NewsPoland – Ukraine rail connections expanded
EUROPE: Passenger links between Poland and Ukraine have been improved with the launch on August 24 of a Ukrainian Railways Intercity+ service from Przemyśl to Kyiv via Lviv, Ternopil and Vinnytsia. The second cross-border IC+ service follows the launch last December of a Przemyśl – Kyiv service via Lviv and ...
-
NewsLastochka Premium inter-regional EMU offers higher comfort
RUSSIA: The Ural Locomotives joint venture of Sinara Group and Siemens displayed a Lastochka Premium inter-regional version of their Desiro RUS electric multiple-unit family at the Expo 1520 trade fair at Shcherbinka. Russian Railways had previously used the Lastochka Premium brand to refer to some faster services operated using standard ...
-
NewsTrafikverket unveils 12-year investment plan
SWEDEN: Transport infrastructure authority Trafikverket formally launched its 2018-29 national plan on August 31, submitting its spending proposals to the government and starting a three-month public consultation process. Formal adoption of the plan is expected in the spring of 2018. The national plan covers state-owned infrastructure for all modes, including ...
-
NewsVR orders double-deck coaches
FINLAND: National operator VR has awarded Škoda Transportation subsidiary Transtech Oy a €50m order to supply a further 20 Type Ed double-deck coaches as an option on a contract signed in 2015. Production is scheduled to begin next year, for delivery in 2019. Maisa Romanainen, Senior Vice-President of Passenger Services ...
-
NewsEntroncamento – Badajoz passenger service reinstated
PORTUGAL: National operator CP reinstated a daily return passenger service on the 141 km Eastern Line between Entroncamento and the Spanish city of Badajoz on August 29, using Allan diesel railcars built in the 1950s and refurbished by EMEF Contumil in the early 2000s. Passenger services on the route had ...
-
NewsTuran Express launches subsidised Almaty passenger services
KAZAKHSTAN: Private company Turan Express has begun operating local passenger services from Kapshagai and Uzynagash to Almaty on behalf of the city authority. Following the failure of two privately funded attempts to introduce services on Almaty – Kapshagai corridor, the local authority decided to call tenders for the operation of ...
-
NewsElectric locomotive arrives in Israel
ISRAEL: The first of 62 Traxx AC electric locomotives which Bombardier Transportation is building at Kassel in Germany for Israel Railways arrived at Kishon Port in Haifa on August 28, and was then transported by rail to ISR’s Kishon workshops. ISR currently has no electrified lines, but 25 kV 50 ...
-
NewsSMART commuter rail line opens
USA: Celebrations on August 25 marked the opening of the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit District commuter line in the North Bay area of California. T-shirts and free travel were offered on the first day, followed by half-price travel until the introduction of normal fares on September 5. SMART runs for ...
-
NewsAuckland DMUs shipped to Mozambique
MOZAMBIQUE: Eight diesel multiple-units as well as spare parts are being shipped from New Zealand to Mozambique, where they are to operate passenger services around Maputo. The 1 067 mm gauge two-car units have been surplus to requirements since electrification in Auckland in 2014. ‘Selling the trains reduces Auckland Transport’s ...
-
NewsIDB funds San Martín electrification
ARGENTINA: The Inter-American Development Bank announced on August 24 that it had approved a U$400m loan to fund electrification of the San Martín commuter route in Buenos Aires, running for 76∙3 km from the Retiro terminus to Pilar. As well as electrification at 25 kV AC, the programme will include ...
-
NewsCaledonian Sleeper coaches ready for testing
UK: The first five of the 75 coaches that CAF is building for Caledonian Sleeper services between Scotland and London have arrived at the Velim test centre in the Czech Republic, where they will undergo several weeks of dynamic testing. The two seating cars, two sleeping cars and a club ...
-
NewsBombardier and Bouygues to sell Gautrain concession stakes
SOUTH AFRICA: Engineering and construction services company Murray & Roberts has signed a memorandum of understanding to acquire the 8·5% stakes in Gautrain concessionaire Bombela Concession Co held by Bouygues Travaux Publics and Bombardier Transportation. Commercial terms for the deal worth a total of R405m have been agreed and agreements ...
-
NewsRastatt blocked until October 7, says DB
GERMANY: The Karlsruhe – Basel section of European Rail Freight Corridor 1 will remain closed until October 7, following the tunnel collapse at Rastatt on August 12, infrastructure manager DB Netze confirmed on August 22. Explaining that a sudden inrush of water had destabilised the boring of a new tunnel ...
-
NewsHKX to suspend services from October to December
GERMANY: Hamburg-Köln-Express is to suspend its open access passenger service from October 4 until the December 10 timetable change. Announcing the decision on August 21, the company said the two-month break in the off-peak season would be used ‘to better adapt HKX to customer needs’ and develop an attractive product ...
-
NewsBLS bids to take over Simplon car shuttle
SWITZERLAND: BLS has applied to the Valais canton to take over the car-carrier shuttle service between Brig and Iselle currently run by Swiss Federal Railways, which is not seeking to renew its concession when it expires in December. If its application succeeds, BLS would operate the service from the December ...
-
NewsRailways prepare for total solar eclipse
USA: Amtrak is to run a special train on August 21 to enable people to reach one of the best locations for viewing the first total solar eclipse to be visible from the continental USA since 1979, and the first to be visible coast-to-coast since 1918. The Eclipse ...
-
NewsLEO Express to relaunch Locomore service
GERMANY: Czech operator LEO Express is to relaunch the Berlin – Stuttgart open access service which was suspended when Locomore began insolvency proceedings, the companies confirmed on August 16. The intention is to offer a Thursday to Sunday service from August 24. LEO Express told Railway Gazette it ...
-
NewsElectro-diesel units ordered for Benidorm – Dénia line
SPAIN: Regional operator Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat Valenciana has awarded Stadler Rail Valencia a €35·8m contract to supply six electro-diesel multiple-units for the metre gauge railway between Benidorm and Dénia. This forms a part of a €72m programme to upgrade the 50 km Benidorm – Dénia Line 9 to match ...