Passenger rail news – Page 279
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News
Running faster in the Netherlands
NETHERLANDS: Transport Minister Camiel Eurlings published on January 21 a discussion paper on reducing journey times for inter-regional passenger services. He has reserved €70m for this, budgeting €40m for infrastructure improvements and €30m for increasing the maximum speed from 140 to 160 km/h. Four routes have been upgraded in the ...
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NewsAn idea on the move
The Golden State's proposed 1 100 km high speed rail network would be the most expensive and ambitious public works project in California's history. If voters endorse the project in November, the initial phase could open in 2019.
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Smart card difficulties
AUSTRALIA: Sydney's plans to introduce contactless ticketing have been dealt a severe blow after the New South Wales government terminated its contract with supplier ERG. The NSW government had pledged to deliver smart card ticketing by the start of the 2000 Olympic Games, but a series of delays and technical ...
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UIC Highspeed 2008 looks to the future
Under the patronage of European Commission Vice-President Jacques Barrot and the Mayor of Amsterdam Job Cohen, and with the support of the United Nations, UIC is organising the sixth world congress on high speed rail. UIC Highspeed 2008 is being jointly hosted by the main players in the Netherlands rail ...
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Fast track to sustainable mobility
High Speed Rail is firmly established as an attractive and environmentally-friendly transport mode. The UIC Highspeed 2008 conference in Amsterdam on March 17-19 will debate the technical, political, commercial and environmental issues that will shape the evolution of high speed rail travel over the next few years
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NewsSiemens scoops Brussels RER order
BELGIUM: SNCB confirmed on March 12 that its board had the previous week selected Siemens as its preferred bidder to supply up to 300 trainsets for the Brussels RER network. A firm contract for the first batch of 95 trains is to be placed before Easter, with options that could ...
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Helsinki airport rail link awaits approval
FINLAND: The cabinet is expected to give approval shortly for the planned Ring Rail Line which will provide a link between the capital's main station and Helsinki-Vantaa airport. Tenders will be called in mid-2009, with completion scheduled for early 2014 at a cost of €512m. The state budget has allocated ...
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Jungfrau fast link
Swiss mountain railway operator Jungfraubahnen has appointed Bern civil engineering consultancy IUB to look into the feasibility of building a funicular or fast lift between the Lauter-brunnen Valley and Jungfraujoch station, situated 3 454 m above sea level near the summit of the famous mountain. Passengers would use the existing ...
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Loco roll-out
USA: Pennsylvania-based mining and industrial locomotive builder Brookville Equipment Corp has unveiled the first of 16 BL20GH diesels it is supplying for freight and commuter services in the New York area. Six are for Connecticut Department of Transportation, six for Metro North and four for use on Staten Island. The ...
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NewsScotland: ‘We are more hands-on’
Devolution of power from the UK to the Scottish Government has enabled Scotland to formulate its own transport strategy. Andrew Grantham asked Chief Executive of Transport Scotland Malcolm Reed about the future direction of Scotland’s railways
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NewsCzech passenger reform
CZECH REPUBLIC: On January 9 the government approved in principle the Ministry of Transport's plans to hive off the passenger division of Czech Railways as a wholly-owned subsidiary company. The Ministry will complete detailed studies by the end of October, and the restructuring is to be completed by the end ...
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NewsWraps come off the AGV
Built by Alstom on a speculative basis, the seven-car AGV demonstrator was unveiled to French President Nicolas Sarkozy on February 5. Murray Hughes reports from La Rochelle
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NewsAn open passenger market beckons
The European market for international passenger services will be opened up to competition from January 2010. Murray Hughes investigates what preparations are being made
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NewsAlstom withdraws from IEP
ALSTOM has notified the UK's Department for Transport that it is withdrawing from the Intercity Express Programme to supply the UK's next-generation of inter-city train. 'Alstom follows a specific process in assessing potential business opportunities, based on financial and technical input', a spokesman told Railway Gazette International. 'After a ...
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Salt Lake City loco order
USA: Utah Transit Authority has ordered a further 10 MPXpress diesel locomotives from Wabtec's MotivePower subsidiary, the manufacturer announced on February 6. The locos will be built at MotivePower's plant at Boise in Idaho, for delivery in 2010. They will be deployed on UTA's FrontRunner commuter line between Salt Lake ...
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NewsAlstom unveils AGV prototype train
THE AUTOMOTRICE à Grande Vitesse demonstrator trainset was unveiled at Alstom's La Rochelle plant on February 5, watched by French President Nicholas Sarkozy and invited guests.Designed for a running speed of 360 km/h, Alstom's next generation high speed train combines articulation with distributed drive. According to the manufacturer the layout ...
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Networkers get a traction transplant
Working in partnership with HSBC Rail and Brush Traction, Hitachi is replacing key drive components to improve the performance of 97 Networker EMUs used on routes in southeast London and Kent
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Delhi awards airport rail link PPP contract
DELHI METRO Rail Corp has awarded a 30-year build-operate-transfer PPP contract for the Airport Metro Express Line to a consortium formed of utility company Reliance Energy and Spanish rolling stock manufacturer CAF. The 22·7 km line will link New Delhi station with Indira Gandhi International Airport via intermediate stations ...
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NewsDB buys into UK passenger market
UK: German national railway Deutsche Bahn AG confirmed on January 21 that it is to acquire Laing Rail, subject to approval from the UK government's Department for Transport, Transport for London and the Office of Rail Regulation. Laing Rail owns Chiltern Railways, which will become part of DB Regio AG, ...
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Alstom awarded Italian AGV contract
ALSTOM confirmed on January 17 that it had agreed a €650m contract to supply 25 Automotrice à Grande Vitesse trainsets to Italian open access company Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori. The announcement follows the award by the Italian Ministry of Transport of a railway company licence to NTV. Founded in December 2006, ...