Passenger rail news – Page 196
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NewsFirst electro-diesel Flirts ordered
ITALY: The Valle d’Aosta region placed the first order for an electro-diesel version of Stadler Rail’s Flirt multiple-unit on May 12. Five Flirt3 units are to be delivered in 2018 for use on Aosta – Torino services. Each of the units will have three passenger cars, plus the diesel power ...
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NewsWestbahn to order more trains
AUSTRIA: Plans to order 10 additional Stadler Rail double-deck electric multiple-units were announced by Hans Peter Haselsteiner, the largest shareholder in open access operator Westbahn, on May 11. The €180m order would cover nine four-car Kiss EMUs and one six-car unit. Westbahn also confirmed that it will operate an hourly ...
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NewsD-Train crash test
UK: A former London Underground D78 car has been crashed into a 3 tonne tank of water as part of the testing programme being carried out in support of Vivarail’s plans to use the bodyshells of the redundant metro trains to create low-cost ‘D-Train’ diesel multiple-units for use on the ...
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NewsSydney Trains sets Mousetrap to catch vandals
AUSTRALIA: Sydney Trains is testing Mousetrap, an electronic sensor which can detect vapour from spray paint and permanent marker pens to provide a real-time alert when a graffiti attack is underway. Live CCTV images are streamed to control staff, and police officers can be dispatched to catch the vandals. An ...
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NewsLighthouse railway research projects launched
EUROPE: The first three railway research and development projects to be funded from the European Union's Horizon 2020 programme were officially launched in Brussels on May 7. Selected by the European Commission following the first 'Mobility for Growth' call for proposals, the so-called lighthouse projects are intended to bridge the ...
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NewsSNCF orders 19 more Francilien EMUs
FRANCE: SNCF has exercised a €127m option for a further 19 Francilien electric multiple-units, Bombardier announced on May 6. The order is to be financed Ile-de-France transport authority STIF. The Francilien single-deck eight-car commuter EMUs have a capacity of 1 000 passengers, with wide gangways and doors to facilitate ...
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NewsMalaysia – Singapore high speed line opening date put back
ASIA: The planned opening date for the proposed 330 km high speed line between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore is to be put back from 2020 to a more realistic date, the prime ministers of Malaysia and Singapore jointly announced after their annual leader’s retreat on May 5. The location for ...
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NewsSino-Russian consortium to design Moscow – Kazan line
RUSSIA: On May 1 Russian Railways announced that a Sino-Russian consortium led by Mosgiprotrans would undertake design work for the planned 770 route-km Moscow – Kazan high speed line. Covering engineering surveys, project development planning, surveying and the development of design documentation, the contract is to be undertaken within a ...
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NewsSBB prepares for Gotthard base tunnel opening
SWITZERLAND: Swiss Federal Railways is embarking on a major programme to modify long-distance rolling stock for operation through the Gotthard base tunnel, the company announced on April 30. In addition, it is launching an extensive staff training programme to prepare for the start of operations on December 11 2016. Announcing ...
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NewsBahrain progresses rail plans
BAHRAIN: The government expects to call bids in June for detailed design of a rail link to Saudi Arabia, as part of the proposed GCC rail network. The 87 km line would be built in conjunction with a second causeway connecting the two countries, to be known as the ...
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NewsProcurement office halts S-Bahn Nürnberg contract award
GERMANY: On April 28 the Südbayern procurement office of the Oberbayern regional authority cancelled the award of an operating contract for the S-Bahn Nürnberg suburban network to National Express Group. Incumbent DB Regio lodged an appeal following the decision on February 2 by Bayern railway authority BEG to name National ...
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NewsNS uncovers tendering irregularities
NETHERLANDS: National passenger operator NS announced on April 28 that it had discovered ‘serious irregularities’ during an internal compliance investigation at its Qbuzz subsidiary. This followed the award of a 15-year concession to operate a range of regional passenger services in the Limburg region. After an international tendering competition, the ...
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NewsSAR’s first passenger train arrives
SAUDI ARABIA: The first of five passenger trainsets for the North-South Railway has arrived in the Kingdom, Saudi Railway Co announced on April 27. Designed for 200 km/h operation in temperatures up to 55°C, the diesel push-pull trainsets are being supplied by CAF under a 533m riyal contract signed in ...
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NewsFrecciarossa 1000 to carry passengers in June
ITALY: Trenitalia is to put its first Frecciarossa 1000 high speed trains into revenue service with the start of the summer timetable on June 14, the national operator announced on April 25. The announcement was made during a non-stop run between Milano and Roma conveying Italian President Sergio Mattarella. He ...
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NewsChina backs Jakarta – Bandung high speed proposal
INDONESIA: On the fringes of the Asian-African Summit on April 22, President Joko Widodo and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding for the two countries to co-operate on the development of a high speed line between Jakarta and Bandung. Provisionally costed at US$6·7bn, ...
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NewsTrainline launches Apple Watch app
UK: Ticket retailer Trainline has announced a mobile app for Apple Watch, which it says will provide a ‘convenient and innovative new way for customers to check live train times, platform information, check their train is on route and access mobile ticketing straight from their wrist.’ The Apple Watch ...
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NewsNS confirms direct order for 58 Stadler EMUs
NETHERLANDS: National passenger operator NS formally awarded Stadler Rail a €280m firm contract to supply a total of 58 Flirt electric multiple-units on April 22. Deliveries are scheduled by the end of 2016, On December 5 NS had announced plans to order around 60 off-the-shelf Stadler units to meet ...
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NewsA Coruña - Vigo upgrade completed
SPAIN: Renfe introduced a new timetable on the A Coruña – Vigo route on April 18, featuring express services operated with Class 121 EMUs which according to the national operator have increased capacity by 40% and cut journey times by up to 58%. Renfe reports that 6 200 tickets ...
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NewsGWTR wins south Bohemia regional contract
CZECH REPUBLIC: The Jihočeský region has selected the GW Train Regio subsidiary of bus company ČSAD Jihotrans for a 15-year contract to operate regional passenger services on three lines totalling 229 km in the Šumava mountains from December 2016. Line 194 České Budějovice – Černý Kříž;Line 197 Číčenice – ...
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NewsHeathrow ‘smart screens’ compare rail and taxi travel options
UK: Screens have been installed in the baggage reclaim area at London Heathrow Airport Terminal 2 showing passengers live price and journey time comparisons between taxis and the Heathrow Express train service to London Paddington station. ‘The aim of the journey comparison generator is to enable Heathrow passengers to get ...