Passenger rail news – Page 74
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NewsSJ orders Sweden’s fastest trains
SWEDEN: National operator SJ has confirmed that Alstom is to supply the fastest trains in Sweden, which will have a maximum speed of 250 km/h for use on long distance inter-city services including routes to Denmark and Norway. The initial order will cover 25 electric trainsets ...
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NewsMore ICE Sprinters offer alternative to flying
GERMANY: Deutsche Bahn introduced more limited-stop Sprinter ICE services on long-distance inter-city routes with the timetable change on December 12. Sprinter-branded ICE services now operate on eight domestic routes, while a daily Frankfurt am Main – Paris service calling at Mannheim and Karlsruhe also carries the ...
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NewsRoyal opening marks launch of Madrid – Ourense standard gauge services
SPAIN: Guests including King Felipe VI and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez joined a special high speed train between Madrid and Ourense on December 20 to mark completion of the Galician high speed line, over which commercial services began the following day.
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NewsRoad-rail midi-buses to start revenue service on December 25
JAPAN: The regional Asa Kaigan Tesudo in southeastern Shikoku is to start revenue operation using ‘dual-mode’ road-rail vehicles from December 25.
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NewsSiemens to retrofit SNCB fleet for ETCS Level 2 operation
BELGIUM: National passenger operator SNCB has selected Siemens Mobility to upgrade the ETCS onboard equipment on selected electric multiple-units and push-pull driving trailers for Level 2 operation.
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NewsTrenitalia launches Paris – Milano open access services
FRANCE: Trenitalia formally inaugurated its Paris – Milano open access high speed service on December 18, with a morning departure from the French capital.
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NewsRegioJet wins Praha operating contract
CZECH REPUBLIC: The city of Praha has awarded RegioJet a 15-year contract to operate cross-city services S49 and S61 from December 2024. The municipality will pay KC162·34m/year RegioJet’s bid was priced at KC215·5 per train-km, beating Arriva and incumbent national operator ČD. S49 from Hostivař to ...
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NewsAmtrak leadership change follows a milestone year
USA: Bill Flynn is to retire as CEO of Amtrak on January 17, with current President Stephen Gardner becoming President & CEO. Flynn will continue as a senior advisor for the remainder of the financial year. Stephen J Gardner ‘With the Biden ...
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NewsEuropean action plan for long distance and cross-border passenger rail services
EUROPE: The European Commission has set out an action plan designed to boost long distance and cross-border passenger rail services, with the aim of doubling high speed rail traffic and making scheduled public transport trips under 500 km carbon neutral by 2030, and tripling high speed ...
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NewsRail sector welcomes proposed TEN-T revision
EUROPE: Rail sector representatives have welcomed the European Commission’s proposals for a revision of the trans-European transport network regulation, with the aim of improving the passenger network, setting more ambitious technical standards and providing better multimodal integration. However, they have cautioned that bringing forward deadlines would ...
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NewsDirect awards agreed to replace Abellio’s Nordrhein-Westfalen contracts
GERMANY: Three local transport authorities in Nordrhein-Westfalen have agreed emergency contracts for DB Regio, National Express and Vias Rail to take over regional passenger services currently operated by Abellio Rail NRW GmbH.
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Rail Business UKTransPennine Express unveils accessibility initiatives
UK: TransPennine Express has introduced the GoodMaps app, which guides blind and other users around stations to help them find features such as platforms, toilets, ticket offices and coffee shops. The app uses LIDAR and image recognition data, and does not require ...
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NewsCzech passenger services change hands
CZECH REPUBLIC: The timetable introduced on December 12 brought a further decline in passenger volumes operated by ČD, although the state operator has returned to two short branch lines where trains were previously run by private operators.
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NewsFrench night trains relaunched as government announces €800m investment
FRANCE: At 20.52 on December 12, the rebirth of France’s domestic overnight passenger network took a step forward. Jérémie Anne reports from Paris Austerlitz.
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NewsDB and ÖBB selected for Bayern operating contracts
GERMANY: Bayern railway agency BEG has selected DB Regio and a subsidiary of Austrian Federal Railways for two transitional contracts to operate restructured Expressverkehr Ostbayern passenger services. Following an international tender, BEG announced on December 1 that DB Regio has been selected for Lot 1, which ...
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NewsCoronavirus track access charge reduction approved
SWEDEN: The European Commission has approved under EU State aid rules a SKr1·37bn Swedish scheme to support the rail passenger and freight sectors during the coronavirus outbreak.
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NewsBattery train supply and operation contract awards completed
GERMANY: All the contracts are now in place for the financing, supply, maintenance and operation of a large fleet of battery multiple-units for non-electrified routes in Schleswig-Holstein, with the award of the final operating contract following a tendering process which led to a legal challenge. Having ...
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NewsEurostar biometric trial goes live
EUROPE: Eurostar has begun live trials of the SmartCheck biometric face authentication system, enabling passengers boarding at London St Pancras International to complete secure ticket verification and UK exit checks on their mobile devices before travel.
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NewsUAE Railways Programme aims to connect the emirates
UAE: A three-stage integrated railway development strategy building on the Etihad Rail network was announced by the government on December 5, during the Expo 2020 world fair. The 50bn dirham UAE Railways Programme aims to provide reliable transport connections between the emirates and support the economy, ...
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NewsTest running starts on privately financed high speed line
CHINA: The 267 km Hangzhou – Taizhou high speed line in Zhejiang province is on course to open by the end of this year, following the start of trial running on November 26.