Passenger rail news – Page 199
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NewsFirstGroup targets airlines with London – Edinburgh open access proposal
UK: FirstGroup has applied to the Office of Rail Regulation for track access rights which would enable it to launch an open access passenger service between London King’s Cross, Stevenage, Newcastle, Morpeth and Edinburgh from 2018. The service of five return trains/day with journey times of 4 h to ...
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NewsDown and up again on the ChooChoo Park Railway
SOUTH KOREA: Visitors to the High 1 Resort in Gangwon province have a new attraction to enjoy. The ChooChoo Park Railway is the latest addition to a wide range of leisure facilities, which include skiing, nature trails and golf, with hotels and a revolving restaurant set amid scenic mountain views. ...
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NewsFirst CSR Roca EMU unveiled
ARGENTINA: On March 5 President Cristina Fernández joined Minister of the Interior & Transport Florencio Randazzo and Minister of Economy & Public Finance Axel Kicillof to present the first four-car EMU to be delivered by CSR Qingdao Sifang of China for the Roca commuter network in Buenos Aires. Following 90 ...
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NewsDB signs first station development framework
GERMANY: Deutsche Bahn’s station management business unit DB Station&Service has signed the first of a planned series of framework agreements with the Länder for the development of new stations. Intended to boost ridership on the rail network, these stations would be located in residential and commercial areas and near traffic ...
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NewsElectrification priorities in northern England
UK: An electrification task force set up in December 2013 to produce recommendations for rail electrification in northern England released its final report on March 5. The 32 routes examined have been grouped into three prioritisation tiers, based on their ability to contribute to local economic plans, fit ...
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NewsVictoria orders more X’Trapolis EMUs
AUSTRALIA: The government of Victoria announced an order for a further five six-car Alstom X’Trapolis electric multiple-units on March 3. The first is expected to enter service by the end of 2016. The government said the order would plug a critical short-term gap in train availability in Melbourne and also ...
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NewsDelft tunnel and underground station opened
NETHERLANDS: Trains between Rotterdam and Den Haag have started using the new underground station in Delft, following the completion of a week-long blockade to transfer services from the elevated alignment that has carried the main line through the city for more than 150 years. Under the ‘Spoorzone Delft’ project, ProRail’s ...
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NewsUK Eurostar sale price 'ahead of expectations'
EUROPE: The British government announced an agreement to sell its entire stake in Eurostar International Ltd for £757·1m on March 4. Eurostar International owns the UK’s 40% stake in the cross-Channel high speed train operator, with France’s state-owned train operator SNCF holding 55% and its Belgian counterpart SNCB the remaining ...
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NewsBuenos Aires commuter routes renationalised
ARGENTINA: By means of a resolution published on March 2, Minister of the Interior & Transport Florencio Randazzo has instructed federal railway operating company SOFSE to take direct charge of the Mitre, San Martín, Roca and Belgrano Sur commuter networks in Buenos Aires, rescinding operating agreements signed on February 10 ...
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NewsVirgin Trains East Coast starts operations
UK: On March 1 the Inter-City Railways consortium of Stagecoach Group (90%) and Virgin Holdings (10%) began operating inter-city services on the East Coast Main Line under the Virgin Trains East Coast brand. Stagecoach and Virgin had been awarded an eight-year franchise in November last year, committing to invest £140m ...
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NewsBattery-diesel hybrid multiple-unit on test
JAPAN: East Japan Railway has begun test running with the first of eight Series HB-E210 two-car battery-diesel multiple-units which are being supplied by J-TREC. The units are expected to offer a 60% reduction in NOX and particulate emissions compared to conventional DMUs. JR East ordered the hybrid DMUs in ...
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NewsInvitations to tender issued for Northern and TransPennine franchises
UK: The invitations to tender for the next Northern and TransPennine Express passenger franchises were issued by the Department for Transport on February 27. The ITTs set out the minimum requirements which must be included by bidders in their proposals. Last year Abellio Northern Ltd, Arriva Rail North Ltd and ...
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News‘Healthy DSB’ objectives achieved in 2014
DENMARK: National passenger operator DSB presented its annual report for 2014 on February 26, with Chairman Peter Schütze and Acting CEO Stig Pastwa saying it has achieved its objectives under the ‘Healthy DSB’ programme to improve its financial performance, punctuality and reputation. Ridership was up 2% on the previous year ...
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NewsFinland seeks EU rail funding
FINLAND: The government has applied for funds from the TEN-T programme for several railway projects. The application includes €12·2m for planning and €66·8m for the construction of the Helsinki City Rail Loop. This project was approved by the Finnish Transport Agency in February 2012 as a means of relieving ...
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NewsTesting underway on Honam high speed line
SOUTH KOREA: National train operator Korail has begun trial running on the first phase of the Honam high speed line, which is now expected to open for revenue service in April. Intended to serve the southwest of the country, Phase I of the country’s second high speed line has been ...
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NewsGovernment plans 288bn pesos railway investment
PHILIPPINES: The government has confirmed its intention to press ahead with a major investment in the railway network on the largest island of Luzon, with the intention of developing a 700 km network by the end of the decade. The ‘integrated Luzon’ programme would focus on a large-scale renovation of ...
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NewsBritish consortium wins North–South Railway operating partnership contract
SAUDI ARABIA: North–South Railway project promoter Saudi Railway Co has selected a consortium of three UK-based companies to provide management and technical support for the development of passenger and freight services on its network: Serco: prime contractor and technical support for passenger operations;Freightliner Group: freight expertise and support, technical assistance, ...
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NewsTraxx for 'the true north'
GERMANY: Schleswig-Holstein’s Minister of Transport Dr Frank Nägele unveiled the first of 15 Bombardier Transportation Traxx P160 DE Multi-Engine diesel locomotives ordered for Marschbahn services on February 19. The locomotive carries the Land’s slogan promoting ‘the true north’, and is to be deployed on the route between Hamburg and the ...
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NewsČD orders more RegioPanters
CZECH REPUBLIC: National passenger operator ČD signed a framework contract with Škoda Vagonka on February 17 for the supply of up to 11 more Class 650 two-car dual-voltage electric multiple-units. The framework is valid for 48 months and is worth KC1·2bn. It follows from an order for 14 EMUs ...
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NewsTCDD orders 10 more Velaros
TURKEY: State railway operator TCDD has selected Siemens to supply a further 10 Velaro TR high speed trainsets, the company confirmed on February 18. Subject to any legal challenges from other bidders, the contract is expected to be signed shortly. Having bought the former Velaro D demonstrator and then ordered ...