Passenger rail news – Page 168
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NewsStagecoach and SNCF lead Virgin-branded bid for HS2 operations
UK: On April 24 a consortium led by Stagecoach Group with SNCF and Virgin Holdings as minority partners submitted a formal expression of interest in bidding for the Department for Transport’s upcoming West Coast Partnership franchise.The WCP franchise is scheduled to begin in May 2019. The winner will take over ...
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NewsCapitol Corridor Charger unveiled
USA: The first of six Siemens SC-44 Charger locomotives for northern California’s Capitol Corridor inter-city route from Sacramento to Silicon Valley, San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley was unveiled on April 18. A 30-day period of revenue testing is expected to begin by the end of April, ahead of entry into ...
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NewsChampagne and nature inspire Tobu Railway’s Revaty EMUs
JAPAN: Tobu Express put eight Series 500 electric multiple-units into traffic on limited express services with its timetable change on April 21. The three-car EMUs are equipped with retractable end gangways and are designed for easy splitting and joining to enable multiple destinations to be served from Tokyo’s Asakusa station. ...
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NewsPerformance contracts signed despite regulator's concerns
FRANCE: Three 10-year performance contracts between the government and the SNCF group were formally signed on April 20 by Finance Minister Michel Sapin, Transport Minister Alain Vidalies, Frédéric Saint-George as head of the SNCF supervisory board, Patrick Jeantet as President of infrastructure manager SNCF Réseau and Florence Parly, Director-General of ...
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NewsOpen access operators launch Alliance of Rail New Entrants
EUROPE: The Alliance for Rail New Entrants was launched on April 20 to bring together non-incumbent passenger and freight operators who are ‘committed to fair competition and open markets as the only way to shift freight and passengers from road to rail by offering attractive and additional choices’. ALLRAIL has ...
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NewsSwedish railcars arrive in Montevideo
URUGUAY: Seven Fiat Y1 diesel railcars originally built for SJ of Sweden were unloaded at the port of Montevideo on April 15. National operator AFE has purchased the vehicles from rolling stock leasing and maintenance company NetRail. With one vehicle to be used to provide spare parts, AFE is to ...
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NewsRegioJet expands fleet and introduces sixth class
CZECH REPUBLIC: Open access passenger operator RegioJet announced on April 18 that it had ordered eight Bombardier Transportation Traxx multi-voltage electric locomotives with an option for 20 more. The company has also awarded Astra Vagoane Călători a €16m contract to supply a further 16 open saloon passenger coaches with 80 ...
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NewsToshkent orbital railway plan
UZBEKISTAN: President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has approved plans for a 71 km electrified double-track passenger railway paralleling the Toshkent ring road. The orbital line would be designed to reduce road congestion and pollution in the capital, and reduce the need for public transport users to travel via the ...
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NewsVistadome glass-ceiling coach launched by Indian Railways
INDIA: A Vistadome coach which has glass panels in the roof to provide tourists with all-round views on scenic lines was launched on the Vishakhapatnam – Araku route on April 16. Two Vistadome coaches have been built for the route by the Integral Coach Factory in Chennai. As well as ...
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NewsKTMB orders multiple-units with graphene capacitor energy storage
MALAYSIA: A €180m contract for 22 multiple-units of two types was signed by Malaysia’s Ministry of Transport, national operator KTMB and CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive on April 11. The order includes 13 four-car DMUs for use on regional services. These Class 61 units will have an operating speed of 120 km/h, ...
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NewsMÁV-Start and Stadler sign double-deck EMU framework contract
HUNGARY: A framework agreement for the supply of up to 40 Kiss double-deck electric multiple units including a firm order for an initial 10 was signed by national passenger operator MÁV-Start and Stadler on April 12. Stadler said these would be the first double-deck vehicles in Hungary when they enter ...
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NewsRENFE poised to join Virgin’s HS2 franchise bid
UK: Spanish national operator RENFE is understood to be the front runner to join the Virgin Rail Group joint venture of Stagecoach and Virgin Holdings to bid for the government’s upcoming West Coast Partnership franchise.Currently Virgin (51%) and Stagecoach (49%) operate inter-city services under the Virgin Trains brand on the ...
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NewsRegions sound out SNCF competitors
FRANCE: The body which represents the regions of France says that there is a ‘strong appetite’ amongst potential bidders for contracts to operate TER passenger services currently provided by SNCF, which are expected to be opened up to competition around 2024. In order to enable its members to prepare for ...
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NewsWrocław tests city-funded rail service
POLAND: A pilot service financed by the city of Wrocław, rather than the Dolnośląskie voivodship, was launched by regional operator Koleje Dolnośląskie on April 10 with a week of free travel. The new service runs entirely within the city boundaries, linking Wojnów in the east with Nadodrze, taking 18 ...
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NewsSBB launches Gotthard Panorama Express
SWITZERLAND: Swiss Federal Railways staged a preview trip for its seasonal Gotthard Panorama Express on April 8. Combining a 2 h 45 min cruise on a steamship on the Vierwaldstättersee with a rail journey over the famous Gotthard pass, the service is intended to stimulate tourist travel over the historic ...
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NewsDevelopment authority to regulate Indian Railways
INDIA: Creation of the Rail Development Authority of India to act as an independent railway regulator was announced by the government on April 5. The move is part of an ongoing reform of the transport sector, following the scrapping of the separate railway budget. RDA is to be established under ...
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NewsČD announces Pendolino rejuvenation
CZECH REPUBLIC: National passenger operator České Dráhy has awarded its DPOV subsidiary a contract to refurbish the seven seven-car Class 680 Pendolino trainsets used on its flagship inter-city routes from Praha to Ostrava, Cheb, Františkovy Lázně and Košice. The work is scheduled to start this summer and take around a ...
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NewsJakarta – Bandung construction contract signed
INDONESIA: The engineering, procurement and construction contract for the 142 km Chinese-backed high speed railway between Jakarta and Bandung was signed in the capital on April 4.The contracts was signed between a consortium of Chinese and local companies at a ceremony held at the headquarters of state-owned engineering group Wijaya ...
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NewsCRRC rolls out Wenzhou commuter EMU
CHINA: CRRC Qingdao Sifang rolled out its first electric multiple-unit for Wenzhou Line S1 on March 31. The four-car EMU is the first of 32 being built under a contract awarded in 2014. Based on a Type A metro train design, the EMU features a level of comfort more ...
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NewsZSSK orders DMUs and coaches
SLOVAKIA: National passenger operator ZSSK has awarded its traditional supplier ŽOS Vrútky two contracts to supply locomotive-hauled coaches and diesel multiple-units. The 21 Class 861 DMUs are to be delivered from 2018 for use on the Zvolen – Vrútky and Zvolen – Fiľakovo lines. They will have air-conditioning, wi-fi and ...