Passenger rail news – Page 257
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NewsSiemens to supply Desiro technology to China
CHINA: Siemens Mobility is to supply traction and control technology from its Desiro regional multiple-unit platform to rolling stock manufacturer CSR Nanjing Puzhen under a €450m long-term co-operation agreement announced on January 21. An initial suborder covers equipment for 32 six-car 25 kV inter-city electric multiple-units which Guangdong Southeast Intercity ...
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NewsLonger franchise allows Chiltern to compete
UK: On January 6 Chiltern Railways applied for Transport & Works Act legal powers for the second phase of its £250m Evergreen 3 expansion project, which will enable the operator to provide services between London Marylebone station and Oxford in competition with the First Great Western route from London Paddington ...
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NewsJerusalem fast link alignment agreed
ISRAEL: On January 17 the government approved the alignment for the final two sections of the A1 direct rail link to Jerusalem. Construction of some sections has been underway for several years, and the route is now expected to open at the end of 2016, although the transport ministry believes ...
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NewsSNCF orders next batch of Régiolis trains
FRANCE: SNCF has awarded Alstom Transport its first follow-on order for Coradia Polyvalent multiple-units under the framework agreement for up to 1 000 trainsets which the national railway signed in October on behalf of a consortium of regional authorities. The €130m order for a further 19 units was announced by ...
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NewsBrandenburg double-decker order signed
GERMANY: Ostdeutsche Eisenbahn GmbH has ordered 23 new trainsets from Stadler Pankow GmbH to operate regional services in Berlin-Brandenburg from the end of 2011. Including the first series build of double-deck EMUs for the German market, the €146m deal is described by Stadler as the largest order in the history ...
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NewsAGV begins Italian test programme
ITALY: Alstom's AGV demonstrator high speed trainset will begin a test programme in Italy on January 14, validating the Italian signalling and safety equipment required by launch customer NTV. The prototype AGV trainset is expected to cover more than 60 000 km by July, running initially on the Roma - ...
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NewsUS Center for High-Speed Rail launched
USA: The American Public Transportation Association has launched a Center for High-Speed Rail, aiming to 'advance and promote high-speed rail in the United States.' Announced on January 8, this will build on the work of APTA's existing High-Speed & Intercity Rail and Legislative committees. 'With the impending announcement by the ...
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NewsChina South is low bidder for European loco contract
POLAND: China South's Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Co has been named as lowest bidder for a contract to supply Koleje Mazowieckie with 11 electric locomotives by December 2011. The Mazowsze regional passenger operator is seeking locomotives to power 160 km/h push -pull trainsets using 37 coaches supplied by Bombardier in 2008-09. ...
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NewsFirst Allegro train shipped to Finland
EUROPE: The first of four Alstom Pendolino tilting trainsets ordered for 'Allegro' services between Helsinki and St Petersburg is due to arrive in Finland this month, having been shipped from the Italian port of Vado Ligure on December 30. The 220 km/h Pendolinos are being built at Alstom's Savigliano plant. ...
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NewsWuhan – Guangzhou line opens at 380 km/h
CHINA: Revenue services on the Wuhan – Guangzhou passenger-dedicated line began running on December 26, cutting the journey time between the capitals of Hubei and Guangdong provinces to under 3 h, compared with 10 h 30 min via the 1 068 km conventional route. The inaugural trains left the new ...
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NewsSiemens signs Russian Olympic train order
RUSSIA: Russian Railways has awarded Siemens Mobility the contract to supply 160 km/h Desiro regional electric multiple-units for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi. They will enter service on the Tuapse - Adler route from autumn 2013, and will be used to transport athletes and spectators to the ...
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NewsPlanning on the go
POLAND: Staff on Polish inter-city trains can now provide passengers with journey information using HaCon's Hafas Mobile Professional software installed on Casio IT-3100 devices by TK Telekom. Enquiries are entered using a keyboard or with a stylus on the touch-screen, enabling Polish characters to be entered into a fault-tolerant station ...
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NewsLNVG orders Lint DMUs
GERMANY: Alstom Transport announced a €75m order to supply Niedersachsen transport authority LNVG with a further 28 Coradia Lint diesel mul tiple-units on December 17. The two-car units are to be built at Salzgitter and will enter traffic on regional services in December 2011. They will have space for ...
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NewsTransitio orders more Contessas
SWEDEN: Rolling stock leasing company AB Transitio announced on December 23 that it had ordered a further 11 three-car Contessa EMUs from Bombardier Transportation at a cost of €96m, with an option for a further five. To be leased by three regional authorities, Lanstrafiken Kronoberg, Kalmar Lans Trafik and Hallandstrafiken, ...
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NewsStuttgart S-Bahn changes
GERMANY: After 18 months of construction, the extension of Stuttgart S-Bahn route S1 from Plochingen to Kirchheim unter Teck entered service on December 13, as rail timetable changes took effect across Europe. The €32·5m project involved electrification of the section between Wendlingen and Kirchheim and upgrading of track and signalling ...
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NewsDouble-decker debut
CANADA: The first trainset composed of double-deck cars made its inaugural trip on Montréal's Mont-Saint-Hilaire commuter line on November 23. The Québec government awarded a C$386m contract for 160 coaches to Bombardier Transportation in December 2007, and the first unit was unveiled at Bombardier's La Pocatière plant on August 21. ...
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NewsCommission to review Eurostar failures
EUROPE: The Eurostar board announced on December 21 that it had commissioned an independent review of the train failures which brought its cross-Channel rail services to a halt on the night of December 18-19. Responding to a demand by French transport minister Dominique Bussereau, Eurostar said the review would ...
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NewsA star is born
BELGIUM: Ceremonies on December 8 at the Dutch-Belgian border near Noorderkempen and outside Brussels Midi station marked the completion of the Belgian high speed network, which forms a star of four lines. Planning for the first line from the French border to Brussels began back in 1988. From December 13, ...
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NewsAuckland train procurement begins shortly
NEW ZEALAND: KiwiRail is call tenders early in the New Year for the supply of up to 114 electric multiple-unit cars for Auckland, following the cabinet's approval of a NZ$500m loan on November 24. The first of the 1 067 mm gauge EMUs will enter service on the Eastern ...
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NewsItalian north-south high speed line completed
ITALY: Celebrations were held in Milano on December 5 to mark the completion of the final sections of the north-south high speed rail corridor, which opens for revenue service with the timetable change on December 13. Completion of the Novara – Milano, Bologna – Firenze and Napoli – Salerno links ...