Passenger rail news – Page 18
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NewsGoldenPass Express begins gauge-changing again after wheel spacing modification
SWITZERLAND: The GoldenPass Express service has once again begun running through from Montreux to Interlaken, after modifications were made to the gauge-changing rolling stock to address problems with excessive track wear. Through running from the metre gauge Montreux-Oberland Bahn network to standard gauge BLS tracks began ...
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NewsRENFE establishes French subsidiary
FRANCE: Spanish national operator RENFE has completed the formation of a French subsidiary, enabling it to start commercial activities associated with proposed train services to France. RENFE is now registered in Lyon as a provider of domestic and international rail passenger services, travel and tourism services and ...
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Rail Business UKAugmented reality station maps designed to assist passengers
UK: Indoor wayfinding company Briteyellow has created augmented reality maps of six of the largest stations served by Transport for Wales, to help passengers locate facilities such as information screens, lifts, toilets, help points and waiting rooms. It is hoped the AR maps can be used ...
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NewsMinister blocks Cape Town suburban rail devolution ‘for now’
SOUTH AFRICA: ‘For now we are not in the process of devolving railway services, that is why Prasa is busy building up railway services in the Western Cape’, national Minister of Transport Sindisiwe Chikunga told local media during a site visit to Cape Town in May. ...
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NewsSeibu Railway investment plan
JAPAN: Seibu Railway is to place an order for four more Kawasaki Heavy Industries Series 40000 EMUs as part of its ¥25·1bn investment programme for the current year.
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NewsIraq plans rail link from Turkey to the Gulf
IRAQ: Prime Minister Mohamed Shia Al-Sudani has unveiled plans for a rail and road corridor to Europe via Turkey. The 1 200 km line was announced on May 27 during a conference with transport ministry officials from Iran, Jordan, Syria, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and ...
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NewsEBRD lends €200m for Ukrainian rail links to the EU
UKRAINE: The European Bank for Reconstruction & Development is to provide national railway Ukrzaliznytsya with a €200m sovereign loan to support the upgrading of rail links with the European Union. The funding will allow UZ to continue to provide vital services, rehabilitate rail corridors to the ...
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NewsTrenes Argentinos restores Palmira service after 30-year hiatus
ARGENTINA: On June 2 Trenes Argentinos restarted long-distance passenger services on the Justo Daract – Palmira section of the 1 676 mm gauge San Martín main line following a 30-year hiatus. Services running west from Buenos Aires to Mendoza ended in 1993, but were reinstated as ...
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NewsSale of Arriva’s Danish and Serbian businesses completed
EUROPE: München-based private equity investor Mutares says it plans to increase operational efficiency and leverage ‘strong expertise in tendering for public sector contracts’ following its acquisition of Arriva’s activities in Denmark and Serbia. The transaction covers bus services in Denmark and Serbia, plus rail, ferry and ...
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NewsNetherlands – Belgium – France open access train service planned
EUROPE: Arriva Nederland has applied for permission to launch an open access passenger service from the north of the Netherlands to Belgium and Paris.
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NewsEFE to launch more regional passenger services
CHILE: President Gabriel Boric announced on June 1 that regional train services are to be introduced in three regions under the Trenes de Cercanía 30/30 programme.
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NewsIryo launches Madrid to Alacant service
SPAIN: Private high speed operator Iryo launched two pairs of return trains between Madrid Chamartín and Alacant on June 2. The inaugural service departed at 07.45 from Madrid to Alacant, with Transport Minister Xavier Flores onboard. Trains leave Madrid Chamartín at 07.45 and 15.45 daily, while ...
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NewsAmtrak applies for federal grants to expand services
USA: National passenger operator Amtrak has applied for federal funding for projects to improve long distance and Northeast Corridor services. On June 5 Amtrak announced that it was seeking funding for 16 projects on its long distance network including: Cardinal and Sunset Limited service improvements, ...
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NewsYosaria Trains acquires ex-DB double-deck sleeping cars
SLOVAKIA: Yosaria Trains has taken delivery of 35 out-of-use double-deck sleeping cars which were formerly used on Deutsche Bahn CityNightLine services.
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NewsEurostar seeks solution to avoid suspension of Amsterdam – London services
NETHERLANDS: The CEO of Eurostar has met with Dutch officials to discuss the future of services from London to Amsterdam, after Infrastructure Secretary Vivianne Heijnen said operations may have to be suspended for up to 11 months. In a letter to the Dutch parliament on June ...
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NewsTurkey’s National Train enters service
TURKEY: TCDD Taşımacılık has put into service the first National Train domestically designed and manufactured electric multiple-unit. The 25 kV 50 Hz EMU entered service on May 27 on the route between Adapazarı in the northwest and Gebze on the eastern outskirts of Istanbul. The National ...
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Rail Business UK‘A victory for union hard-liners’ as TransPennine Express transfer risks causing more disruption
Rail Business UK can reveal that the short-notice decision by Transport Secretary Mark Harper to bring TransPennine Express into the government’s Operator of Last Resort has stoked serious concerns about unintended consequences within the industry.
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NewsEuropean Sleeper begins operations with Berlin – Brussels night train
EUROPE: Night train start-up European Sleeper has begun passenger operations, providing an overnight rail connection between Brussels and Berlin for the first time since 2008. The inaugural service left Berlin Gesundbrunnen on May 25, engineering works having prevented the use of Hauptbahnhof. The train comprised 11 ...
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NewsCross-border local train service proposed in the Basque Country
EUROPE: Plans for frequent local passenger services between San Sebastián in Spain and Bayonne in France are being developed by local authorities on each side of the border.
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Rail Business UKInterview: ‘You can’t innovate as a monopolist’
UK: Avanti West Coast and c2c parent Trenitalia is ready to make significant investment in Britain’s railways, mirroring its recent expansion in Spain. But this is contingent on the government relaxing its grip on the industry, the company’s UK Managing Director Ernesto Sicilia explains to Nick Kingsley and Sophie Burton.