Passenger rail news – Page 235
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NewsUkrainian CityElefant handed over
UKRAINE: The first of two six-car double-deck electric multiple-units that Skoda Transportation is supplying to Ukrainian Railways under a €39·8m contract signed in February 2011 was formally handed over at the Velim test circuit in the Czech Republic on March 13. Derived from the CityElefant EMUs supplied to Czech Railways, ...
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NewsTrivedi stands firm on fare increases
INDIA: Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi has rejected calls for his resignation following his decision to increase passenger fares for the first time in a decade. Presenting the Indian Railways budget for 2012-13 in Parliament on March 14, he announced graduated increases in all fare rates ranging from Rs0·02 per km ...
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NewsInter-city competition edges closer
GERMANY: Veolia-Transdev subsidiary Veolia Verkehr signed an agreement on March 12 to undertake contract operations for inter-city market entrant Hamburg-Köln Express. HKX is preparing to launch open-access services between Hamburg Altona and Köln Hauptbahnhof three times daily once its safety case has been approved by EBA, the national railway authority. ...
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NewsRebuilt double-deckers enter service
NETHERLANDS: The first of 50 refurbished double-deck electric multiple-units began operating inter-city services between Amsterdam and Den Haag via Schiphol Airport on March 12, following an official handover ceremony at NedTrain’s Haarlem works on February 13. Designated NID, the units are being converted from DD-AR suburban EMUs which had been ...
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NewsFranchising negotiations in Slovakia
SLOVAKIA:The Ministry of Transport and six potential operators have begun preliminary negotiations for the tendering of regional passenger services. Questions still to be settled include train procurement. In 2010 the ministry announced plans for up to 35% of passenger services to be tendered by 2020, starting with regional services. ...
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NewsInter-regional coaches on test
UKRAINE: Prototype 160 km/h coaches developed by Kriukov Car Building Works for inter-regional services were expected to enter service on the Kharkiv – Kyiv route last month. Five types of vehicle have been developed; first class, first + VIP, second class, second class with wheelchair access and third class. Intended ...
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NewsDieselnetz Südwest contracts won by DB Regio and Netinera
GERMANY: Rheinland-Pfalz Süd transport authority ZSPNV Süd has awarded DB Regio and Netinera two 22½-year contracts to operate Dieselnetzes Südwest passenger services. The contract awarded to DB Regio runs from December 2015 and covers 3 million train-km/year using Lint 41 and 54 DMUs to be delivered by Alstom. DB Regio ...
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NewsChannel Tunnel mobile phone agreement signed
EUROPE: An agreement to install public GSM communications enabling Shuttle and high speed train passengers to access voice and data services inside the 50 km Channel Tunnel was signed by Eurotunnel and Bouygues Telecom, Orange, SFR and Free on March 6. Installation will cost €14m and is being undertaken by ...
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NewsGoogle Street View to add station photos
UK: Google is to add 360° pictures of the concourses of 13 major stations to its online Street View service. Infrastructure manager Network Rail said being able to check station layouts and facilities before setting off would help people 'to better find their way around some of the Britain's ...
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NewsDB Regio awarded Netz Nord-Süd contract
GERMANY: DB Regio was awarded the Netz Nord-Süd passenger operating contract on February 28. The contract runs for 12 years from December 2014 and covers service RE3 from Stralsund and Schwedt to Berlin and Elsterwerda, and RE5 from Rostock and Stralsund to Berlin and Lutherstadt Wittenberg, totalling 9·5 million ...
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NewsFast internet means satisfied passengers
CZECH REPUBLIC: Nomad Digital is supplying on-train wireless internet technology for the five Stadler Flirt trains which Leo Express has ordered for its planned launch of Praha - Ostrava open access services in December. Nomad said the wi-fi system based on its R3500 router will aggregate all ...
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NewsLondon Midland and TransPennine Desiro contracts signed
UK: Rolling stock leasing company Angel Trains confirmed on February 29 that it had signed contracts to procure and finance 20 four-car Class 350 Siemens Desiro electric multiple-units for London Midland and First TransPennine Express, 'as part of a contract worth around £145m'. 'The finalisation of these contracts with London ...
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NewsPakistan pins hopes on private sector
PAKISTAN: Prime Minister Yousuf Gilani inaugurated the first privately-managed Business Express service between Lahore and Karachi on February 3. The train is operated under an agreement between Pakistan Railways and Four Brothers International, which sells the premium-priced tickets aimed at business travellers and provides the onboard services including bedding, catering ...
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NewsLa Cartuja branch opens in Sevilla
SPAIN: RENFE added a new route to its suburban network in Sevilla on February 20, when trains began operating every hour on route C2 between Santa Justa and La Cartuja. Originally built for high speed services to the Expo 92 site, the La Cartuja branch has been upgraded by ...
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NewsRefurbished TGV PSE trains as good as new
FRANCE: The first of 60 refurbished TGV PSE trainsets is expected to re-enter service on LGV Rhin-Rhône during March, following overhaul at the Hellemmes Technicentre near Lille. The refurbishment has been styled by a partnership of seating specialist Compin and creative agency RCP Design Global. Adopting 'a cognitive and sensory ...
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NewsNortheastern link proposed
THAILAND: The Thai Office of Transport & Traffic Policy & Planning submitted proposals for a 336 km railway from Ban Phai to Nakhon Phanom to the cabinet at a meeting in Udon Thani on February 21. The branch from the existing Nakhon Ratchasima – Nong Khai metre-gauge line would run ...
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NewsVirginia Railway Express orders gallery cars
USA: Virginia Railway Express awarded Sumitomo Corp a $21m contract to supply eight gallery cars on February 15, with an option for up to 42 more which would take the total value of the order to $119m. The cars will be manufactured at Nippon Sharyo's plant in Rochelle, Illinois, with ...
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NewsPays de la Loire takes Régiolis option
FRANCE: Alstom Transport announced on February 16 that it had received an order from SNCF worth €25m for an additional five Régiolis low-floor EMUs. The option has been exercised on behalf of the Pays de la Loire region, which has already ordered 10 dual-voltage bi-mode trainsets as well as ...
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NewsFirst of 10 Zentralbahn rack trains rolls out
SWITZERLAND: The first of 10 electric multiple-units for the metre-gauge Zentralbahn was rolled out at Stadler Rail's Bussnang plant on February 15. The manufacture says the SFr141m contract signed in September 2009 is largest ever order for rack-and-pinion rail vehicles. The order covers two types of 120 km/h air-conditioned EMU. ...
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NewsAmtrak accelerates in Michigan
USA: On February 7 the Federal Railroad Administration gave Amtrak approval to raise speeds on its passenger services in western Michigan from 152 km/h to 177 km/h. The agreement covers an Amtrak-owned 155 route-km section between Kalamazoo, Michigan and Porter, Indiana which has been equipped with the Incremental Train Control ...