Passenger rail news – Page 17
-
Metro Report InternationalVery light rail and pop-up metro partnership
INTERNATIONAL: US-based international railway investor Railroad Development Corp and British lightweight rolling stock developer TDI Greenway are to join forces in the emerging very light rail and ‘pop-up metro’ sectors.
-
NewsMorocco orders high speed, inter-city and suburban trains
MOROCCO: National railway ONCF has selected three manufacturers to supply up to 168 high speed, inter-city and suburban trainsets worth up to 29bn dirhams.
-
Rail Business UKCycle train enters service on the Heart of Wales line
UK: Transport for Wales has returned to service the first of six Class 153 single-car diesel multiple-units which are being refurbished to carry bicycles. The others will enter service by the summer, operating on the Heart of Wales line between Swansea and Shrewsbury. The refurbishment was ...
-
NewsStations to get clearer announcements
SWEDEN: Transport agency Trafikverket has awarded public address and voice alarm supplier Ambient System a framework contract for the modernisation of analogue sound systems at stations across Sweden. The Polish company will provide its SmartVES intelligent public address system, which automatically adjusts the volume to the ...
-
NewsDreamSuite concept targets night train market
Speaking to Railway Gazette International at the Rail Innovation Exhibition in London on February 13, FTS said DreamSuite does not simply transfer airline seats to rail, as the technical constraints and requirements are too different, not least that train seats need to be harder-wearing.
-
Rail Business UKUK: The Welsh Valley Lines are going green
Development of the South Wales Metro project around Cardiff is progressing apace, and the start of electric operation marks a significant milestone in the programme, as Chris Howe explains.
-
NewsCo-operation aims to grow cross-Channel rail traffic
EUROPE: High speed line concessionaire London St Pancras Highspeed and Channel Tunnel operator Eurotunnel have announced a ‘landmark’ partnership which aims to grow high speed rail services between the UK and continental Europe. A memorandum of understanding has been signed outlining measures to co-operate to reduce ...
-
NewsFrance begins procurement of replacement night train fleet
FRANCE: The government has called for expressions of interest in contracts to supply locomotives and coaches to renew the national night train fleet. French night trains carried 950 000 passengers in 2024, a 23% increase on the previous year, according to Pierre-Christophe Soncarrieu, deputy director of ...
-
Rail Business UKGovernment sets out its plan for how Great British Railways will work
Rail Business UK looks at the details of the government’s rail reform plans, which would restructure the industry and establish Great British Railways as a new body bringing together infrastructure and operations in the biggest shake-up of the sector since privatisation.
-
NewsCommission says Dutch train operating contract award broke EU rules
NETHERLANDS: The European Commission has said the Netherlands failed to correctly apply EU rules on competitive tendering when it directly awarded state-owned incumbent NS a contract to operate passenger train services on the designated core rail network in 2025-33. On February 12 the Commission reported that ...
-
NewsDouble-deck Railjet EMU preview
AUSTRIA: National operator ÖBB has released preview photos of its first double-deck Railjet trainset. In 2022 Stadler and ÖBB signed a €3bn framework agreement covering the supply of up to 186 Kiss double-deck electric multiple-units. So far firm orders have been placed for 126 trains, including ...
-
NewsHigher capacity UK terminal opens at Amsterdam Centraal station
NETHERLANDS: A larger and more modern terminal for UK-bound Eurostar passengers has opened at Amsterdam Centraal station.
-
NewsExtension of Tren Maya to Belize and Guatemala proposed as rail freight investment ramps up
Photo: Michael Dreyer MEXICO: President Claudia Sheinbaum has set out plans to extend Mexico’s 1 477 km Tren Maya network to Belize and Guatemala, adding approximately 300 km of new lines. To be delivered in stages, the proposed expansion plans announced on January 29 follow discussions ...
-
NewsEurostar targets Chinese market with WeChat payment option
EUROPE: Eurostar has worked with EuroPass and payment company PayXpert to launch a ‘mini-program’ enabling people to buy tickets through the WeChat messaging app which is popular with Chinese travellers. This offers Chinese customers ‘a familiar and convenient’ way to buy tickets, said Tuesday-Ann Castle, Head ...
-
Metro Report InternationalMexico: Guided buses challenge urban rail projects
While Mexico is enjoying a renaissance in rail investment at a national level, urban rail projects in several cities are coming under threat from cheaper bus options and Chinese-backed ART technology. Michael Dreyer reports.
-
In depthUK: Clarity of mission puts East West Rail project on track
The development of a rail corridor serving the globally important hubs of innovation in the region between the university cities of Oxford and Cambridge offers the rail industry a chance to prove that it can successfully undertake major projects, David Hughes, CEO of project promoter East West Railway Co, tells Andrew Grantham.
-
NewsTrain operating contract to bring a ‘generational change’ to battery traction
GERMANY: The selection of DB Regio for a contract to operate Mittelthüringer Akku-Netz passenger services using battery-electric multiple-units ‘marks the beginning of a generational change in the traction technology used in local rail passenger transport in Thüringen’, according to the Land’s Infrastructure Minister Steffen Schütz.
-
NewsAdelaide train services return to the public sector
AUSTRALIA: The government of South Australia has taken the operation of suburban passenger train services in Adelaide back into the public sector, ending the contract with Keolis Downer. Tram operations are to follow. The KDA joint venture of Keolis and Downer has run the rail services ...
-
In depthGreat British Railways: Industry seeks clarity as reform makes slow progress
The biggest reforms to Britain’s railways since privatisation 30 years ago are now being implemented. Andrew Grantham tries to cut through the noise and explain what is actually going on.
-
NewsTunis suburban rail Line D opens
TUNISIA: Line D of the Tunis Réseau Ferroviaire Rapide suburban rail network was launched on January 25, with 10 000 passengers carried on the first day. The 13·2 km nine-station line developed at cost of €373m links Tunis Barcelone station with Gobâa, ...