Passenger rail news – Page 176
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NewsHigh speed network grows as Brescia – Treviglio route opens
ITALY: A further section of the high speed railway across the north of the country opened for traffic with the European timetable change on December 11. The previous day, inauguration ceremonies included a celebratory run using an ETR1000 trainset carrying Transport Minister Graziano Delrio and other local and national dignitaries. ...
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NewsMTR takes over Stockholm commuter services
SWEDEN: MTR Corp subsidiary MTR Pendeltågen took over train operations, station management and rolling stock maintenance on the Pendeltåg suburban network serving the Stockholm area with effect from the December 11 timetable change. The Pendeltåg services carry around 87 million passengers/year on four routes with a combined length of 241 ...
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NewsFirst British IEP unveiled
UK: The first electro-diesel trainset to be assembled at Hitachi Rail Europe's Newton Aycliffe plant in northeast England was officially unveiled on December 9, in a ceremony attended by Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling and Japanese Ambassador Koji Tsuruoka. As part of the Agility Trains PPP consortium, Hitachi ...
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NewsHigh speed link to Seoul suburbs opens
SOUTH KOREA: The 61 km Sudokwon high speed railway opened for traffic on December 9, with trains initially being operated by new entrant Supreme Railways. The high speed line provides a link from Suseo in the southern suburbs of Seoul to a junction near Pyeongtaek with the existing Gyongbu high ...
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NewsSiemens completes ETCS Baseline 3 interoperability tests
SWEDEN: With assistance from open access train operator Hector Rail, Siemens undertook two weeks of ERTMS testing on the West Coast main line in southwest Sweden during November, aimed at validating the Baseline 3 specifications for cross-border operation in Scandinavia. A Siemens Vectron multi-system electric locomotive was equipped with a ...
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NewsWuhan opens fourth metropolitan PDL
CHINA: The 61·8 km Hankou – Xiaogan Passenger-Dedicated Line was opened for revenue service on December 1. The 200 km/h route with 11 stations is the fourth line of the Wuhan Metropolitan Area Intercity Railway network to be inaugurated. Like the other routes, it is served by a fleet of ...
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NewsX’Trapolis Mega begins test running on PRASA network
SOUTH AFRICA: The first X’Trapolis Mega electric multiple-unit started test running between Pienaarspoort and Rissik Street in Hatfield in Gauteng on December 1, following the receipt of a provisional acceptance certificate from the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa. Test running without passengers is scheduled to ...
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NewsEast West Rail heads move to vertical reintegration
UK: On December 6 Transport Secretary Chris Grayling announced a series of measures that aim to provide ‘a better service for the passenger’ through closer working between train operators and infrastructure manager Network Rail. ‘We want to see closer working across the industry to resolve problems more quickly’, said Grayling. ...
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NewsRemtrak upgrades Idzikowice works
POLAND: The Remtrak rolling stock maintenance business of passenger operator PKP Intercity held a ceremony on November 29 to mark the completion of a 10m złoty upgrade programme at its Idzikowice works, including the construction of a new paint shop and the extension of the existing maintenance building. The expanded ...
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NewsSydney EMU order to cope with growth
AUSTRALIA: A further build of double-deck EMUs for the Sydney Trains suburban network forms the centrepiece of an A$1·5bn capital investment programme announced by New South Wales Transport Minister Andrew Constance on December 1. Designed to provide ‘an urgent uplift in customer service’, the More Trains, More Services programme is ...
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NewsThree Gorges PDL inaugurated
CHINA: The 247 km Chongqing – Wanzhou Passenger-Dedicated Line serving the Three Gorges area and the Yangtze River Economic Belt was opened for revenue operation on November 28. Test running on the route had started on July 16. Operated by Chengdu Railway Bureau using a fleet of CRH2A trainsets running ...
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NewsWide-bodied Tulpar-Talgo coaches certified
KAZAKHSTAN: Wide-bodied coaches developed by Tulpar-Talgo for operation in the 1 520 mm gauge region have been certified for use in the Eurasian Economic Union member states of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia. The certification document was formally handed over in Astana on November 29. The 3 200 mm ...
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NewsTalgo wins Spanish high speed train order
SPAIN: Talgo has been selected for a contract to supply 15 high speed trainsets to RENFE and maintain them for 30 years, Minister of Development Íñigo de la Serna announced on November 28. The first of the trainsets from Talgo’s Avril family are to be ready for service in 38 ...
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NewsStadler awarded metre-gauge EMU contract
SWITZERLAND: Wynental- und Suhrentalbahn has awarded Stadler a SFr50m contract to supply five three-car electric multiple-units and spare parts. Entry into service is planned for December 2019, and there is an option for 10 more EMUs. The air-conditioned EMUs will have a maximum speed of 80 km/h. They will be ...
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NewsMÁV gains Budapest suburban lines
HUNGARY: National rail operator MÁV took over operation of the HÉV suburban lines from Budapest transport operator BKV on November 24. This follows an agreement in February between Mayor István Tarlós and Minister of National Development Miklós Seszták. Newly created MÁV subsidiary BHÉV is now responsible operating all HÉV ...
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NewsFirst order for Omneo Premium inter-city EMUs
FRANCE: SNCF has placed the first order for the Premium inter-city version of Bombardier Transportation’s Omneo double-deck electric multiple-unit, acting on behalf of the Normandie region. The €585m firm order announced on November 24 covers 40 EMUs scheduled to enter service from the end of 2019. The Omneo Premium design ...
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NewsHainan gets first CRH1A-A trainsets
CHINA: The first CRH1A-A high speed trains supplied by Bombardier Sifang (Qingdao) Transportation Ltd entered service with China Railway Corp on November 18, operating from the city of Sanya on Hainan Island. Designated Zefiro 250NG by the manufacturer, the 250 km/h eight-car trainsets were ordered in 2012 as part of ...
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NewsRENFE to test LNG traction
SPAIN: National operator RENFE is to conduct a trial of liquefied natural gas as a fuel for rail traction, in conjunction with suppliers Gas Natural Fenosa and Enagás, the Institut Cerdà research organisation, specialist rolling stock workshop ARMF and Bureau Veritas. One of the two diesel engines in a 1 ...
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NewsDublin commuter link inaugurated
IRELAND: Direct rail services between the southwest suburbs of Dublin and the capital’s central business district began running on November 21, following the completion of a €13·7m project to adapt the orbital link through the 690 m Phoenix Park tunnel for regular passenger services. Dating from 1877, the 4·4 km ...
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NewsBombardier takes over Montréal commuter services
CANADA: Bombardier Transportation took over the operation of commuter rail services on six routes in Montréal on November 18, under a C$331m operations and maintenance contract awarded by transport authority Agence Métropolitaine de Transport which runs for eight years with an option for a two-year extension. AMT manages the second-largest ...