Passenger rail news – Page 43
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NewsIndonesian high speed line to be branded Whoosh
INDONESIA: The Jakarta - Bandung high speed railway is to be branded as ‘Whoosh’. Announcing the brand on September 21, the Ministry of Transportation explained that Whoosh comes from the sound of fast trains, and means Waktu Hemat, Operasi Optimal, Sistem Handal (‘Time saving, optimal operation, ...
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NewsFerrotramviaria unveils Pop EMUs
ITALY: Bari to Barletta local train operator Ferrotramviaria has unveiled the first of 11 Pop electric multiple-units being supplied by Alstom. Ferrotramviaria has now taken delivery of five of the units, with the remaining six to be delivered a rate of two per year in 2024-26. ...
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NewsNewag and PKP Intercity unveil 200 km/h Griffin locomotive
POLAND: Newag unveiled the first 200 km/h version of its Griffin multi-system electric locomotive at the 15th Trako International Railway Fair in Gdańsk on September 20. National long-distance operator PKP Intercity placed a 258·6m złoty order for 10 Griffin E4MSP locomotives capable of 200 km/h operation ...
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NewsDB opens first of 25 redesigned station travel centres
GERMANY: Deutsche Bahn has opened the first of 25 redesigned station travel centres at Düsseldorf Hauptbahnhof. Features include a larger reception area with staff who can deal quickly with minor queries, a more inviting waiting area, and information on approximate waiting times, with the option to ...
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NewsKorail’s first ITX-Maum trainsets enter service
SOUTH KOREA: National operator Korail has put into service the first of a build of 107 inter-regional trainsets being supplied by domestic manufacturer Dawonsys. The first nine four-car EMUs were put into revenue service on September 1, following a ceremony at Taebaek on August 25 attended ...
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Rail Business UKVoyager transfer anticipated as CrossCountry gets National Rail Contract
UK: The Department for Transport has directly awarded Arriva UK Trains a National Rail Contract to continue to operate CrossCountry long-distance passenger services. The contract announced on September 19 succeeds a unique Operating Cost Franchise Agreement which DfT entered into in October 2020 during the pandemic. ...
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Rail Business UKNational Rail Contract aims to enable Avanti West Coast to plan ahead
UK: The Department for Transport has awarded the Avanti West Coast joint venture of FirstGroup (70%) and Trenitalia UK (30%) a further National Rail Contract to continue to operate West Coast Main Line inter-city passenger services from the expiry of its current agreement on October 15. ...
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Metro Report InternationalMoskva Central Diameter 4 launched
RUSSIA: The fourth and longest of the Moskva Central Diameter cross-city suburban commuter lines has been launched. The 86 km MCD-4 was inaugurated on September 9 by President Vladimir Putin and Mayor of Moscow Sergey Sobyanin. The route covers 86 km from Aprelevka in the west ...
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NewsMore trains and Spanish connections planned as SNCF signs Occitanie operating contract
FRANCE: The Occitanie région has directly awarded SNCF Voyageurs a €4bn contract to operate regional passenger trains for 10 years, and has set a target of increasing ridership from 80 000 to 100 000 passengers/day as soon as possible. President of the région Carole Delga said ...
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NewsChanges follow review of commuter rail disruption
NEW ZEALAND: KiwiRail is taking action to improve track inspection on passenger routes in Wellington and Auckland following the publication of a report into service disruption during May which Greater Wellington Regional Council Chair Daran Ponter said provides ’an eye-opening account of poor decision-making’. The report ...
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NewsWellington train operating contract extended
NEW ZEALAND: Greater Wellington Regional Council has extended Transdev’s contract to operate local passenger trains under the Metlink brand until July 3 2031. Transdev has operated the services since 2016, carrying more than 1·3 million passengers/year on 2 000 services/week. It runs 3·22 million train-km/year on ...
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NewsOpen access start-up Le Train raises funding
FRANCE: Aspiring open access operator Le Train has raised a further €8m to support its plans to launch passenger services from Bordeaux to Angoulême, Poitiers, Tours, Nantes and Rennes. The funding was raised from Aquiti Gestion, Charente Périgord Expansion, Naco and Tudigo, joining existing investors Crédit ...
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NewsMore inclusive facilities for train drivers
AUSTRALIA: Enhancements to provide more inclusive facilities for train drivers at Melbourne’s Flinders Street station have been completed. This includes the creation of all-gender locker rooms with private changing rooms, and a maternity room with private areas for expressing and spaces to rest. Other upgrades include new ...
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NewsSão Paulo airport express extended to Palmeiras-Barra Funda
BRAZIL: São Paulo suburban rail operator CPTM has extended its Expresso Aeroporto service from Luz to Palmeiras-Barra Funda with effect from September 1. This has been facilitated by a R$158m project to modernise the 2 km cross-city connection between Luz and Palmeiras-Barra Funda. This was previously ...
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NewsBrazilian government to back passenger train revival
BRAZIL: Plans to launch regional passenger services over seven short or medium-distance routes are likely to be included in a National Railway Plan due to be published by the government of President Luiz Inácio Lula de Silva in October. A Passenger Rail Transport Policy establishing guidelines, principles ...
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NewsÖBB and DB to enhance cross-border passenger train services
EUROPE: Citing a boom in rail traffic between Germany and Austria, ÖBB and DB have announced plans to increase long-distance cross-border services with effect from the December 10 timetable change.
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Rail Business UKVirtual train tour to help passengers ahead of travel
UK: Open access operator Lumo has worked with Ocean 3D to develop an interactive 360° walk-through tour of its trains to assist people who may be anxious ahead of entering unfamiliar environments.
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NewsWork starts on Iran – Iraq rail link
INTERNATIONAL: Construction of a cross-border rail link between Iraq and Iran was formally inaugurated on September 2 with a foundation stone laying ceremony at the Shalamcheh border crossing point near Basra.
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NewsDieselnetz Erzgebirge operating contract awarded
GERMANY: Mittelsachsen transport authority VMS has awarded incumbent DB RegioNetz Verkehrs GmbH Erzgebirgsbahn a contract to continue to operate Dieselnetz Erzgebirge local passenger services. The contract running from June 2024 until the December 2032 timetable change covers diesel services totalling 1·9 million train-km/year on three routes: ...
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In depthChina: High speed fleet production peaks
In an analysis of the world market for high speed rail, SCI Verkehr finds that construction of high speed trains for China’s huge network has now peaked but after-sales activity is growing in importance as the fleet starts to age.