Passenger rail news – Page 214
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NewsPenalty regime in new Buenos Aires commuter operating agreements
ARGENTINA: Minister of the Interior & Transport Florencio Randazzo announced on February 12 that he had approved new operating agreements for the Mitre, San Martín, Belgrano Sur and Roca commuter routes in Buenos Aires. The emergency operating consortia UGOFE and UGOMS have been dissolved, with the Roggio group ...
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NewsRussian Railways to reduce stake in Aeroexpress
RUSSIA: The Russian Railways board has approved the sale of half of its 50% stake in airport train operator Aeroexpress to TransGroup subsidiary Delta-Trans-Invest, which currently has a 25% shareholding. The reported price of €11·7m is based on a market value calculated by an independent appraiser. Announcing the ...
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NewsIC double-deckers to serve Baden-Württemberg
GERMANY: Inter-city operator DB Fernverkehr has reached agreement with Baden-Württemberg to introduce double-deck inter-city trainsets on its Gäubahn route between Stuttgart and Zürich. A fleet of 17 push-pull trainsets will provide an hourly service from December 2017. In order to free up paths for the enhanced IC service, the Land ...
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NewsSJ2000 doors to be converted from pneumatic to electric
SWEDEN: National passenger operator SJ has awarded Faiveley Transport a €10m contract to overhaul and upgrade doors on the 36 SJ2000 trainsets as part a SKr3·5bn major refurbishment programme. Electrical cylinders are to be installed to upgrade the doors from pneumatic to electric, while keeping the existing frames and ...
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NewsKTMB concession plan rejected
MALAYSIA: A plan to contract out national railway KTMB’s train operating activities to a consortium of local firms MMC and Gamuda has been cancelled by the government. The two groups, which have interests in engineering, logistics and shipping, are understood to have been in discussions with the government for more ...
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NewsExtra platform opened at Gatwick Airport station
UK: The seventh platform at Gatwick Airport station was officially opened by Transport Minister Baroness Kramer on February 3. The platform forms part of a £53m project designed to improve capacity and flexibility on the Brighton Main Line, supported by £7·5m from Gatwick Airport Ltd. The work was undertaken ...
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NewsHZ orders 44 Končar multiple-units
CROATIA: A €213m contract for a total of 44 diesel and electric multiple-units was signed by HŽ PP and domestic rolling stock manufacturer Končar on January 30. The largest order placed by the national railway’s passenger business is being partly funded with a €107m loan from the ...
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NewsStudy sets out ways to cut Denmark - Hamburg journey times
EUROPE: Passenger journey times on the 337 km route between Aarhus in Denmark and Hamburg in Germany could be reduced by 97 min to 2 h 53 min without requiring major infrastructure works, according to a study undertaken by Atkins on behalf of 17 local authorities. Atkins has produced a ...
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NewsFinancial close for Queensland New Generation Rollingstock contract
AUSTRALIA: Queensland's Department of Transport & Main Roads announced on January 29 that it had reached financial close on the A$4·4bn New Generation Rollingstock PPP contract, which will see the Bombardier NGR Consortium supply and maintain 75 six-car electric multiple-units to introduce additional services in southeast Queensland and replace older ...
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NewsMore BiLevels ordered for GO Transit
CANADA: Toronto area transport authority Metrolinx announced a C$481m order for further 65 Bombardier Transportation BiLevel double-deck coaches on January 24. Ontario's Ministry of Transportation said the order is 'an important step toward introducing two-way, all-day service on all seven GO rail lines.' The coaches are scheduled to be delivered ...
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NewsSmart Train enters service at FGC
SPAIN: The first three of 24 electric multiple-units that FGC has ordered for its 1 435 mm gauge Vallès network at a cost of €151m entered service on the routes from Barcelona Plaça Catalunya to Terrassa and Sabadell on January 27. The order covers 19 four-car Class 113 EMUs ...
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NewsDfT agrees Rail North devolution partnership
UK: The Department for Transport has agreed a partnership to begin the process of devolving more responsibility for specifying and managing passenger services to local authorities in the north of England. The agreement, announced by the Rail North group of 33 local authorities following a meeting with Transport Secretary Patrick ...
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NewsAmtrak and California begin joint high speed train procurement
USA: Amtrak and the California High Speed Rail Authority issued a request for proposals on January 24 covering the supply of up to 43 trainsets for use on the Initial Operating Section of California’s planned high speed network and the existing Northeast Corridor route between Washington DC and Boston. According ...
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NewsCharles-de-Gaulle Airport rail link project relaunched
FRANCE: A dedicated airport rail link between Paris Est and Charles-de-Gaulle Airport could begin operating in 2023 under a €1·7bn-€1·9bn project announced by Transport Minister Frédéric Cuvillier on January 23. Speaking at an event in the airport's Terminal 3 organised by Aéroports de Paris, the minister said the project would ...
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NewsFirst Korean PowerHaul locomotive on test
SOUTH KOREA: National operator Korail has begun testing the first of 25 GE Transportation PowerHaul locomotives which are being built in South Korea. Designated Class 7600, Korail ordered the locomotives in 2011 from a partnership of Hyundai Rotem and GE Transportation. They are intended for use on passenger and freight ...
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NewsBattery EMU ready to start testing
JAPAN: East Japan Railway's Series EV-E301 prototype 1·5 kV DC/battery electric multiple-unit was delivered to the Karasuyama Line on January 22, ready for the start of test running. Branded 'Accum', the two-car unit is derived from the experimental 'Smart Denchi-kun' battery railcar which was tested on the same line in ...
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NewsNew Thameslink Class 700 train mock-up on show to public
UK: A mock-up of the future Class 700 Desiro City electric multiple-units which Siemens is building for Thameslink commuter services through London is to be displayed to the public this month. Siemens, the Department for Transport and current Thameslink/Great Northern franchisee First Capital Connect will be showing the mock-up ...
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NewsSNCF to expand Eurostar terminal in Lille
FRANCE: SNCF’s Gares et Connexions business unit has announced plans to double the capacity of the Eurostar terminal at Lille Europe station in a seven-month project valued at €3m. Work to expand both the waiting areas and security zone of the ‘Transmanche terminal’ will begin in March for completion by ...
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NewsGySEV orders Desiro Mainline EMUs
EUROPE: GySEV has awarded Siemens a contract to supply five Desiro Mainline electric multiple-units by May 2016. The EMUs are to be deployed on services across the border between Hungary and Austria, from Fertöszentmiklós to Neusiedl am See and from Deutschkreutz to Wulkaprodersdorf and Eisenstadt. Siemens was awarded ...
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NewsSJ to refurbish and repower its SJ2000 fleet
SWEDEN: State-owned passenger operator SJ announced on January 16 that it is to invest SKr3·5bn in the modernisation and repowering of its 36 SJ2000 tilting trains. Originally designated X2000, the 200 km/h trains date from the late 1980s and SJ had been considering whether to refurbish or replace them. The ...