Passenger rail news – Page 234
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NewsSBB calls tenders for Gotthard high speed trains
SWITZERLAND: Swiss Federal Railways has invited tenders for the supply of 29 high speed trains to operate north-south domestic and international services, at an estimated cost of more than SFr800m. Due for delivery from the end of 2017, the trains are intended to cope with an anticipated doubling of traffic ...
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NewsGood performance to be rewarded
FRANCE: Paris transport operator RATP faces tougher performance targets under a four-year contract agreed in March with STIF, the organising and funding authority for the Ile de France region. Reflecting demand for more punctual and reliable services, the contract specifies performance levels for the RER and metro with a bonus-penalty ...
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NewsCAF wins Latvian train contract
LATVIA: National passenger operator Pasazieru Vilciens has ordered 34 electric and seven diesel-electric multiple-units from Spanish rolling stock manufacturer CAF. The contract signed on April 2 is worth 144m lats, however a 30-year maintenance deal takes the total value to €400m, which according to CAF is the largest rolling ...
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NewsWabtec converts Mk III coaches
UK: Wabtec Rail Scotland is converting 15 Mk III catering vehicles owned by leasing firm Angel Trains into standard class cars under a project to add capacity to First Great Western's HST inter-city trainsets. The catering vehicles require extensive work, including stripping out existing interiors and kitchen equipment, treating corrosion ...
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NewsDB places three orders for EMUs
GERMANY: DB has awarded Alstom, Bombardier and Stadler firm orders for the supply of electric multiple-units within the terms of a series of existing framework agreements. On April 3 DB Regio announced orders for EMUs which are to be used from 2014 on services operated under contract in Nordrhein-Westfalen. Stadler ...
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NewsSNCF orders 40 Euroduplex sets
FRANCE: SNCF has exercised an option for a further 40 third-generation Duplex high speed trainsets from Alstom Transport under a framework agreed in June 2007. SNCF is already taking delivery of 55 of the 320 km/h multi-system double-deck trainsets, branded Euroduplex by Alstom. The first entered traffic in December 2011 ...
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NewsSJ to replace DSB in Göteborg
SWEDEN: An agreement has been reached for Swedish national passenger operator SJ to succeed DSB Väst as operator of Göteborg local and regional services from May 1, DSB announced on March 30. The Danish national operator's contract with local transport authority Västtrafik was intended to run to 2018. However DSB ...
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NewsItalo to launch on April 28
ITALY: Open access high speed trains will begun running between Napoli and Milano on April 28, operator NTV confirmed on March 30. The company says its investment of €1bn will offer passengers ‘the first choice of who they travel with’ over the country’s high speed network. NTV will initially start ...
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NewsChinese EMU enters service in Rio de Janeiro
BRAZIL: The first of 30 electric multiple-units which CNR Changchun is supplying for Rio de Janeiro suburban services was officially launched by Carlos José Cunha, President of operating concessionaire SuperVia, state Deputy Governor Luiz Fernando Pezão and Secretary of Transport Julio Lopes on March 20. 'The first journey on a ...
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NewsArriva Danmark signs new Vestbanen contract
DENMARK: Arriva Danmark has signed a contract to operate passenger services on the Varde - Nørre Nebel branch in western Jylland for a further six years. The 38 km route is owned by the local authority through its railway company Vestbanen, and has been operated by Arriva under contract ...
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NewsUK franchise pre-qualified bidders announced
UK: The pre-qualified bidders for the Great Western, Thameslink and Essex Thameside passenger rail franchises were announced by the Department for Transport on March 29. Absent from the lists was Spanish national operator RENFE, which had reportedly been seeking to enter the UK market. Great Western First Great Western ...
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NewsAll Aboard Florida plan announced
USA: Florida East Coast Industries Inc has announced that it is to produce an 'investment grade' ridership study for a $1bn privately owned, operated and maintained inter-city passenger service carrying business travellers and tourists between Miami and Orlando. Revealing outline plans for All Aboard Florida on March 22, property and ...
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NewsGoogle's virtual Rhätische Bahn goes live
SWITZERLAND: Panoramic images of Rhätische Bahn's 122 km Albula and Bernina lines between Thusis and Tirano are now available on Google Street View. Martin Sturzenegger, Head of Sales & Marketing at RhB, said the virtual train ride will help promote the railway as an experience for tourists before, during and ...
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NewsOntario to sell Northland rail businesses
CANADA: The government of Ontario announced on March 23 that it is to 'wind down' the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission, an agency established in 1902 which operates a 1 100 km rail network in the north of the province. A transition board has been appointed to divest ONTC's 'commercially valuable' ...
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NewsDSB seeks to exit Göteborg contract
SWEDEN: Danish state passenger operator DSB is seeking early termination of its contract to operate commuter and regional services around Göteborg on behalf of transport authority Västtrafik. Jacob Kjær, Acting Chief Executive of DSB and Chairman of its Swedish subsidiary DSB Väst, said that the services were reliable and punctual, ...
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NewsCSR to build Express Rail Link train fleet
CHINA: CSR Qingdao Sifang Locomotive & Rolling Stock Co announced on March 21 that it had been selected to supply high speed trainsets for the 146 km Express Rail Link which will connect Hong Kong with Shenzhen and Guangzhou. The contract is still to be signed, but will cover nine ...
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NewsParis Saint-Lazare station reborn
FRANCE: A day of celebrations including dancers, horseriders and art activities for children on March 21 marked the completion of a 10-year programme to refurbish Saint-Lazare station in Paris. Undertaken at a total cost of €250m, this has been 'the largest station renovation project undertaken by SNCF for 15 ...
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NewsFirst KISS for BLS
SWITZERLAND: The first of 28 Stadler Rail KISS double-deck electric multiple-units ordered by BLS was unveiled on March 20 by Bernard Guillelmon, Chief Executive of Switzerland's second largest railway company. BLS placed its SFr494m first order for double-deck stock in March 2010 with the aim of providing up to 30% ...
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NewsLondon King's Cross western concourse opens
UK: Following an official ceremony on March 14 the 7500 m2 western concourse at London King's Cross opened to passengers on March 18, providing a significant increase in passenger capacity at the East Coast Main Line terminus. The main feature of the new concourse is a 20 m high semi-circular ...
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NewsCAF signs Saudi North-South Railway passenger train contract
SAUDI ARABIA: On March 14 Saudi Railway Co Chairman Mansour Al-Maiman signed a 533m riyals contract for CAF to supply and maintain five diesel push-pull trainsets for the North-South Railway. The new trains are to be delivered within two years. Capable of operating at speeds up 200 km/h, they will ...