Passenger rail news – Page 264
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NewsReliability is more urgent than speed
USA: Incremental improvements to permit more frequent and reliable passenger services are more important in revitalising the inter-city rail sector than developing a national network of 320 km/h trains, according to Amtrak President & CEO Joseph Boardman. Testifying before the Illinois House Railroad Industry Committee on May 11, Boardman emphasised ...
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NewsGraz S-Bahn GTW order
AUSTRIA: Steiermärkischen Landesbahnen placed an €21m order for six GTW multiple-units with Stadler on May 28. They are to be delivered from October 2010 for use on the Graz S-Bahn network, which was launched at the end of 2007 using leased vehicles which STLB is due to return at the ...
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NewsPath bidding hots up
FRANCE: While private-sector entrepreneurs planning a foray into Europe’s international rail passenger business remain understandably coy about their plans once the liberalisation of international services becomes a reality next year, it is clear that activity is taking place behind the scenes. Les Echos reported last month that before RFF ...
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NewsStadler signs Texas A-Train contract
USA: Having received funding from the Texas Department of Transportation, on May 19 Denton County Transportation Authority placed a $73·8m order with Stadler for 11 GTW 2/6 diesel multiple-units for the future A-Train service between Carrollton and Denton. The DMUs will be delivered from August 2011 to April 2012, ...
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NewsDSB reaches IC4 settlement with AnsaldoBreda
DENMARK: A year after issuing an ultimatum to AnsaldoBreda over the protracted delays to the delivery of its IC4 diesel multiple-units, on May 20 state railway DSB announced an agreement to restructure the troubled procurement contract. The delivery timescale for the 83 IC4 trainsets and 23 IC2 derivatives for regional ...
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NewsCSR to offer Pacemaker EMU in Britain
UK: Chinese rolling stock manufacturer CSR Nanjing Puzhen Rolling Stock Co announced on May 21 that it plans to offer electric multiple-units from its Pacemaker family in response to a call for tenders to supply London Midland with between 40 and 120 vehicles. The train operator issued an OJEU ...
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NewsLoan for Serbian Railways train order
SERBIA: The European Bank for Reconstruction & Development signed a €100m loan agreement with state railway Zeleznice Srbije on May 8. The money will part-fund the purchase of a fleet of around 30 two or three-car electric multiple-units for regional and inter-city services. Tendering is expected to begin in the ...
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NewsCommissioning of Egyptian JT42CWRM begins
EGYPT: Commissioning has begun in Cairo of the first 15 of 40 Electro-Motive Diesel JT42CWRM locomotives being supplied to Egyptian National Railways. They are the first locomotives from the Class 66 family to be delivered to a customer outside Europe. The JT42CWRM locomotives will be deployed on passenger routes, ...
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NewsZSSK orders 12 DMUs
SLOVAKIA: ZOS Vrútky has won a €53m contract to supply 12 Class 860 three-car inter-regional DMUs to national passenger operator ZSSK. The first tender, announced in September 2008, was withdrawn after a lack of interest from suppliers. The Class 860 will be partly based on six Class 840 two-car ...
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NewsParis Saint Lazare station works launched
FRANCE: On May 13 Sophie Boissard, head of SNCF's stations department, launched the third and most substantial phases of the Cœur Saint Lazare project to refurbish the Paris terminus. The main concourse floor will be opened up in a number of places, with 20 escalators installed to improve the ...
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NewsGE to supply locomotives to Nigeria
NIGERIA: GE Transportation and the Federal Ministry of Transportation announced the signing of a letter of intent covering the supply of 25 diesel locomotives on May 12. The C25 EMPD six-axle locomotives will be built by GE Transportation South America at Contagem in Brazil, with 12-cylinder 7FDL 2 500 ...
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NewsHigh speed trains with a local flavour
SOUTH KOREA: The first of 19 KTX-II high speed trainsets built for national operator Korail by Hyundai Rotem is currently undergoing a six-month testing programme before entering service on the Seoul – Daegu line.
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NewsLyon TGV depot inaugurated
FRANCE: Transport Minister Dominique Bussereau and SNCF President Guillaume Pépy attended the opening of the Gerland TGV depot in Lyon on March 31. Built at a total cost of €247m of which SNCF contributed €145m, it is the first TGV maintenance facilit y outside the Ile-de-France region. Its ...
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NewsRegional lifeline gets refurbished coaches
SOUTH AFRICA: Two refurbished eleven-car trainsets have been introduced on Kei Rail services between Ambele and Mthatha. The two sets are intended to act as prototypes to gauge customer reaction - a total of five refurbished sets would be introduced if the vehicles prove successful. Each air-conditioned set is formed ...
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NewsElectric services launched in Alger
ALGERIA: President Abdelaziz Bouteflika inaugurated electric outer-suburban passenger services from Alger on May 2, following a month of testing. Regular operations began the next day. From Alger the 25 kV 50 Hz wiring runs 54 km east to Thénia and 68 km west to El Affroun. Electrification of the ...
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NewsIRSI awarded VIA Rail refurbishment contracts
CANADA: Industrial Rail Services Inc has been awarded contracts for the overhaul of VIA Rail Canada's 98 LRC coaches and accessibility improvements to 12 Renaissance cars. The work will be undertaken at IRSI's plant in Moncton, New Brunswick, supported through the government's Economic Action Plan to create skilled jobs and ...
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NewsGrand presidential designs for a greater Paris
FRANCE: President Nicolas Sarkozy's vision for a revitalised Greater Paris region which was unveiled on April 29 includes €35bn of transport projects, designed to improve mobility in order to stimulate the economy and promote sustainable development in the suburbs. The main proposal is the construction of 130 km of ...
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NewsScotRail Desiro mock-up on show in Glasgow
UK: A mock-up of the Class 380 Desiro electric multiple-units being supplied to First ScotRail by Siemens Mobility has gone on display in Glasgow, where it was visited by the Scottish Government's Minister for Transport, Infrastructure & Climate Change Stewart Stevenson on May 6. The 20 tonne wood and ...
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NewsSapsan claims Russian rail speed record
RUSSIA: A Sapsan high speed trainset reached 281 km/h during trials between Okulovka and Mstinskiy Most on May 2. 'This is the first time that such a speed has been achieved on the Russian railway', said RZD Senior Vice-President Valentin Gapanovich. The trials are scheduled to last until ...
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NewsDB Regio orders EMUs for Stuttgart S-Bahn
GERMANY: DB Regio has placed a €452m order for 83 four-car ET 430 electric multiple-units, to be delivered between February and December 2012 for use on Stuttgart suburban services. The order announced on May 5 follows the signing of a contract on April 3 for DB Regio to operate ...