Passenger rail news – Page 247
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NewsAllegro launch cuts Helsinki - St Petersburg journey times
EUROPE: Helsinki - St Petersburg passenger services were relaunched with the December 12 timetable change, with journey times cut by 2 h to 3½ h following the introduction of Alstom dual-voltage New Pendolino tilting trainsets, infrastructure upgrades to permit running at 220 km/h in Finland and 200 km/h in Russia, ...
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NewsONCF orders 14 Duplex high speed trains
MOROCCO: Alstom Transport is to supply national railway ONCF with 14 Duplex high speed trainsets for Tanger – Casablanca services under a contract worth ‘nearly €400m’.The contract, signed in Tanger on December 10, foreshadows the opening of Morocco’s first high speed line between Tanger and Kénitra in December 2015. ...
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NewsHammond puts reform back on the agenda
UK: Efficiency savings worth between £600m and £1bn are achievable by 2018-19 without reducing service quality or network size, according to an interim report examining the cost of operating and maintaining Britain’s railways. Its author, Sir Roy McNulty, is expected to submit his completed Value for Money Review to government ...
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NewsFS and Cube Infrastructure selected to buy Arriva Deutschland
GERMANY: Deutsche Bahn's supervisory board formally selected a consortium of Italian state railway Ferrovie dello Stato and investment fund Cube Infrastructure to acquire Arriva's German activities on December 8. The price offered was a decisive factor, according to DB Chairman Dr Rüdiger Grube, but is not being disclosed. Completion ...
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NewsOpening of Shin-Aomori extension completes Tohoku Shinkansen
JAPAN: JR East launched revenue services on the final phase of the Tohoku Shinkansen on December 4. The 81·8 km extension runs from Hachinohe to Shin-Aomori in mountainous northern Honshu, and includes the 26·5 km Hakkoda tunnel, the longest land bore on the Japanese rail network. The line features ...
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NewsKing opens Citytunnel
SWEDEN: The Citytunnel in Malmö was officially opened by King Carl XVI Gustaf on December 4, with preview services starting the next day ahead of the full launch with the December 12 timetable change. The Citytunnel project has provided a 14 km double-track electrified direct route from new low-level platforms ...
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NewsChina hits 486 km/h in high speed trials
CHINA: A new Chinese record speed of 486 km/h was established on December 3 during trial running on a section of the Beijing – Shanghai high speed line between Zaozhuang in Shandong province and Bengbu in Anhui. Xinhua News Agency claimed that this is the fastest speed recorded by an ...
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NewsInfrastructure plan
GHANA: A memorandum of understanding has been signed with the Chinese government which could see extensive investment in rehabilitation and extension of the rail network as part of a two-year package of infrastructure works. Modernisation of the Western rail line from Takoradi is set to begin early in 2011. President ...
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NewsHaut-Bugey line inaugurated
EUROPE: French Secretary of State for Transport Thierry Mariani and RFF President Hubert du Mesnil travelled on a special TGV service from Paris Bercy to Genève Cornavin on November 30 to mark the completion of work to rebuild the Haut-Bugey line between Bourg-en-Bresse and Bellegarde. Reconstruction of the 47 km ...
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NewsCalifornia picks first high speed section
USA: California High Speed Rail Authority has selected the first section of its planned high speed network to be built, although the choice immediately drew criticism as ‘a line to nowhere’. The initial section will run for approximately 105 km through a rural part of the San Joaquin Valley from ...
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NewsUS high speed plans in the balance
ANALYSIS Some US high speed plans are likely to go ahead despite the changing political landscape following the mid-term elections, but others are set to be abandoned, reports Julian Wolinsky.
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NewsRFF plans Roissy – Picardie link
FRANCE: Following an initial public debate earlier this year, the RFF board voted on November 25 to launch formal studies and public consultation for the development of a rail link running northwest from Roissy Charles-de-Gaulle airport to serve the Picardie region. The infrastructure manager hopes to be able to apply ...
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NewsAirport link opens
JAPAN: Private railway operator Keikyu and Tokyo Monorail opened stations serving the new international terminal at Tokyo’s Haneda airport on October 21. Both rail operators provide connections to city centre stations in around 13 min. The terminal has been built for the return of international flights to Haneda, 32 years ...
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PR restarts tourist operations
PAKISTAN: Having been instructed by Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani that it needs to become 'more commercial' and profitable ahead of its planned restructuring and possible privatisation, Pakistan Railways has decided to relaunch tourist services. The Ghandhara Heritage Steam Safari was officially inaugurated at Rawalpindi in October by ...
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NewsChinese trains to expand KL Komuter fleet
MALAYSIA: Siemens Mobility announced on November 26 that it is to supply traction equipment for a build of 38 six-car EMUs being supplied by CSR Zhouzhou Electric Locomotive Co Ltd to expand the capacity of KTMB’s Komuter suburban rail network around Kuala Lumpur. The 4bn yuan train order had been ...
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NewsBig decisions still awaited as government confirms commuter electrification
UK: The go-ahead for two previously-announced commuter electrification projects was confirmed by Secretary of State for Transport Philip Hammond in a statement on November 25, along with full completion of the Thameslink Programme. However an decision about electrification from London to Bristol and south Wales has been deferred ...
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News10-year contract will trigger PKP Intercity Pendolino order
POLAND: The Ministry of Infrastructure signed a 10-year contract for PKP Intercity to provide long distance train services on November 24. This will see the government pay an initial subsidy of 240m z?oty in 2011, rising by inflation +1% each year. The long-term operating agreement will enable PKP Intercity to ...
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NewsTGV tickets to Figueres on sale
EUROPE: SNCF and RENFE began selling tickets for Paris – Figueres TGV services on November 23, ahead of the launch of through trains on December 19. Two return trips from Paris-Lyon will operate daily over the new Perpignan – Figueres high speed line, with a journey time of 5 h ...
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NewsSiemens looks to 1520 commuter train market
RUSSIA: On November 18 Siemens and RZD signed an agreement in the presence of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin under which they are to set up an engineering centre to develop and manufacture multiple-units for the 1 520 mm gauge market. The centre will be part of the joint venture which ...