Passenger rail news – Page 245
-
NewsJR Central inaugurates Nagoya museum
JAPAN: JR Central Chief Executive Yoshiomi Yamada officially inaugurated the company’s new railway museum at Kinjo-futo in Nagoya on March 1. Constructed over the past two years, the SC Maglev & Railway Park is due to be opened to the public on March 14. The museum brings together 39 items ...
-
NewsGreat Western electrification and IEP approved
UK: Speaking in the House of Commons on March 1, Secretary of State for Transport Philip Hammond announced the go-ahead for the second stage of the Great Western Main Line electrification, which will extend the 25 kV 50 Hz electrification from Didcot to Bristol and through the Severn Tunnel to ...
-
NewsHS2 consultation launched
UK: The government launched a public consultation process for construction of the proposed London – West Midlands high speed line on February 28. The consultation, which runs until July 29, will take the form of a series of public meetings and events along the planned 190 km route that is ...
-
NewsIndian Railways faces testing times, says minister
INDIA: Presenting the Indian Railways budget for 2011-12 to Parliament on February 25, Minister of Railways Mamata Banerjee warned that IR was facing a ‘testing time’, citing a significant jump in fuel costs, and wage increases imposed following a review by the Pay Commission. With 1·4 million employees and 1·2 ...
-
NewsDB completes Arriva Deutschland sale
GERMANY: Deutsche Bahn announced on February 28 that it had successfully completed the sale of the Arriva Deutschland Group to a consortium led by Italy’s Ferrovie dello Stato in partnership with Cube Infrastructure. Details of the purchase agreement are being kept confidential. DB had committed to dispose of Arriva’s German ...
-
NewsZSSK signs long-term train operating contract
SLOVAKIA: National passenger operator ZSSK and the Ministry of Transport have signed the first long-term contract for the provision of subsidised services, replacing a three-year contract covering 2008-10. The 10-year contract guarantees a fixed annual subsidy, which should help to stabilise ZSSK which made an operating loss of €78m ...
-
NewsAmtrak selects Nomad for on-train wi-fi programme
USA: Amtrak has selected Nomad Digital technology for the expansion of its AmtrakConnect passenger wi-fi service. Nomad supported the initial launch on Acela Express last year, and on Cascades trains in the Pacific Northwest during January. Amtrak's Ivy City and Penn Coach Yard workshops will install wi-fi equipment in more ...
-
NewsDelhi Airport Express rail link opens
INDIA: The Airport Express linking Indira Gandhi International Airport with New Delhi station opened to passengers on February 23. The stations at New Delhi, Shivaji Stadium, IGI Airport and Dwarka Sector 21 are now open, with intermediate stops at Dhaula Kuan and Delhi Aerocity to follow later this year. Trains ...
-
NewsTwo standard gauge main lines recommended
THAILAND: Government officials in Bangkok are expected to recommend that the Chinese-backed programme to build a network of standard gauge main lines across the country be initially restricted to two routes. The two lines promoted by the Working Committee preparing the Memorandum of Understanding would link the ...
-
NewsSEPTA smart card funding
USA: Unable to obtain federal or state grants towards a new smart card fare collection system, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transport Authority plans to borrow $175m to pay for the equipment. SEPTA has prequalified three suppliers - ACS Transport Solutions, Scheidt & Bachmann and Cubic Transportation Systems - and hopes ...
-
NewsLyria enhancements agreed
EUROPE: SNCF President Guillaume Pepy and SBB Chief Executive Officer Andreas Meyer signed an agreement on February 16 to step up the frequency and quality of services between France and Switzerland operated by TGV Lyria. The jointly-owned subsidiary will be allocated a fleet of 19 dedicated TGV POS trainsets, ...
-
NewsGovernor halts Orlando - Tampa high speed rail project
USA: Florida’s recently-elected Republican Governor Rick Scott announced on February 16 that he had decided to reject any federal funding for the proposed 135 km high speed line between Tampa and Orlando, as the start of a state-wide high speed network. This effectively stops the project, which had been widely ...
-
NewsHaramain High Speed Rail station construction contracts signed
SAUDI ARABIA: Contracts have been signed for construction of four of the five stations for the Haramain High Speed Rail project, Saudi Railways Organization announced on February 16. The contracts form Package 2 of Phase 1 of the HHR project. Saudi Bin Laden Group is to build the stations at ...
-
NewsSix-year US high speed rail programme proposed
USA: Vice-President Joseph Biden and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood unveiled an ambitious $53bn six-year high speed and inter-city passenger rail programme on February 8. Biden said that clarifying the role of federal funding would provide states and cities with the certainty needed to make long-term plans, however the proposal ...
-
NewsAlstom unveils Paris RER Line A double-deck train
FRANCE: The first MI09 double-deck electric multiple-unit for Paris RER Line A was officially unveiled on February 8. Certification testing is underway with three MI09 trainsets, ready for entry into passenger service by the end of the year. A consortium of Alstom and Bombardier signed a contract to supply ...
-
NewsStadler expands Berlin production capacity
GERMANY: Citing healthy orderbooks for its German division, Stadler announced on January 26 that it was planning to expand the capacity of its local business unit Stadler Pankow, with a total investment of around €10m in the construction of additional production capacity and a new assembly facility. Stadler Pankow Director ...
-
NewsPerpignan – Figueres link inaugurated
EUROPE: Ceremonies were held at the Franco-Spanish border on January 27 to mark the official inauguration of the 44·5 km cross-border rail link between Perpignan and Figueres. The 1 435 mm gauge line has been open to passenger and freight services since December 19. Participating in the official opening were ...
-
NewsFirst ETCS Level 2 contract awarded in Turkey
TURKEY: Lead contractor Yapı Merkezi has contracted Invensys Rail Dimetronic to install ERTMS Level 2 equipment on the 212 route-km Ankara – Konya high speed line.Invensys Rail will be responsible for the design, manufacture, installation and commissioning of the ETCS Level 2 wayside and onboard equipment, plus the interface with ...
-
NewsSlovak passenger market starts to open
SLOVAKIA: State-owned ZSSK’s monopoly on the operation of subsidised passenger services run in the public interest has been broken, with the Ministry of Transport awarding the RegioJet subsidiary of Czech private bus operator Student Agency a nine-year contract to operate regional passenger services on the 95 km route between Bratislava, ...
-
NewsOpen access operator Wrexham & Shropshire to close
UK: On January 26 open access passenger operator Wrexham & Shropshire Railway announced that it was to cease trading, with its last train leaving London at 18.30 on January 28.Wrexham & Shropshire launched open access trains between Wrexham and London Marylebone via Shrewsbury in April 2008, restoring ...