Passenger rail news – Page 98
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NewsRegioJet launches train to Croatia so ‘everyone can afford a holiday’
EUROPE: Czech open access operator RegioJet’s first overnight train from Praha to Rijeka arrived in the Croatian port city on July 1. The seasonal service is to run three times a week until July 11, daily until the end of August, and then thrice weekly until ...
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NewsChinese network expands again ahead of national timetable change
CHINA: A series of new line openings has driven an increase in services across the country with the introduction of a new national timetable on July 1. The 143 km Shanghai – Nantong line has been designed for 200 km/h operation and includes a 1 092 m ...
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NewsTrains replace planes on Wien – Salzburg route
AUSTRIA: Inter-city rail travel will replace domestic flights between Wien and Salzburg, Austrian Airlines announced on July 2.
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NewsSeries N700S enters service on Tokaido Shinkansen
JAPAN: Central Japan Railway officially launched its first Series N700S high speed trains into revenue service on the Tokaido Shinkansen with a ceremony at Tokyo station on July 1.
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Rail Business UKCrowdsourcing train loadings to support social distancing
Trainline UK: Independent ticket retailer Trainline has launched a function on its app which is designed to help passengers alert other people if they find that it is not possible to socially distance in particular areas of specific trains. Passengers using the Crowd Alerts ...
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Rail Business UK‘Now is the right moment to act’ Grand Central says as it announces restart date
UK: ‘We’ve tracked our path forward, we believe now is the right moment to act, for our passengers, our staff and for the business’, Grand Central Managing Director Richard McClean told Rail Business UK on July 1 when the company announced plans for a ‘measured’ restart of ...
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NewsMelbourne – Adelaide Overland to return
AUSTRALIA: The Victoria state government has agreed to provide A$3·8m/year to ensure the continued operation of The Overland passenger train between Melbourne and Adelaide for the next three years. Around 200 000 passengers/year use the twice-weekly daytime service, which takes 10½ h to cover the 828 km ...
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NewsGerman government commits to rail at national summit
GERMANY: The federal government underlined its commitment to investment in the rail sector to enable a significant increase in market share during a Rail Summit hosted by the Federal Ministry of Transport & Digital Infrastructure in Berlin on June 30.
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NewsRENFE picks CAF to renew narrow gauge fleet
SPAIN: The RENFE board has selected CAF to supply 37 metre-gauge trains for its former FEVE routes under a contract worth €258m. Photo: Carmelo Zaita Among recent CAF designs for Spanish narrow gauge lines are these metre-gauge Series 950 EMUs operated by Euskotren. The contract announced ...
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Rail Business UKTOC owning groups consider exit strategies as Shapps outlines reform thinking
UK: Several owning groups holding passenger franchises are understood to be considering their future in the light of emerging government thinking about future industry structures and concession models.
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Rail Business UKLNER to operate InterCity East Coast services for a further three years
Photo: Tony Miles UK: The Department for Transport announced on June 26 that LNER would continue to operate InterCity East Coast services from London to Leeds and Edinburgh for a further three years from June 28, with an option for a further extension. Owned and managed by ...
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NewsAir ticket specialist expands rail portfolio
The agreement gives travel agents access to more European rail operators, including Italo. EUROPE: AERTiCKET, Europe’s largest air ticket wholesaler, has agreed a partnership with travel software specialist Amadeus to grow its share of the rail ticketing market. The wholesaler will now have access to the Amadeus ...
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Rail Business UKDaily tourist trains to serve England’s ‘most scenic’ railway
UK: With the coronavirus restrictions significantly impacting on the leisure market, a new company has been established to operate dedicated tourist services on the picturesque Settle & Carlisle line this summer.
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NewsPerth level crossings to go
AUSTRALIA: As part of the Metronet suburban rail expansion programme, Western Australia’s Transport Minister Rita Saffioti has announced plans to remove six more level crossings on Transperth’s Armadale Line, southeast of the city centre.
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NewsEU funds rail cybersecurity research
EUROPE: The Safety4Rails research programme to improve the resilience of railways and metros to cyber and physical attacks is one of five projects that will share €38m in funding from the EU’s Horizon 2020 research budget.
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In depthComment: Getting back on track
An essential first step will be to overcome the perception that public transport is dangerous, and emphasise that the risks can be managed. As well as putting the appropriate processes in place, it is vital to get the messaging right, and that needs to start now.
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Rail Business UKRestoring Your Railway Fund could provide a toolkit for town transformation
UK: The Department for Transport launched the Restoring Your Railway Fund in January to support the development of proposals to reopen closed railway lines and stations. The introduction of this new stream of funding for the rail industry ...
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NewsStudy finds uncertainties in rail to bus conversion
Source: Lokaltog DENMARK: Conversion of the Østbanen local railway in eastern Sjælland into a busway could be a viable alternative to renewing the life-expired rail infrastructure, a study has suggested. The infrastructure rail renewals which are required are expected to take 2½ years and cost at least ...
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NewsVirginia Railway Express operating contract extended
USA: The Virginia Railway Express partnership of the Northern Virginia and Potomac & Rappahannock transport commissions has exercised an option for Keolis to continue operating commuter rail services linking towns in the middle and north of the state with Washington DC for a further five years. VRE ...
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NewsSnälltåget targets 2021 expansion
EUROPE: Citing uncertainties over international travel as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, open access operator Snälltäget has decided to suspend its seasonal overnight trains between Sweden and Germany for 2020 and focus on developing an increased service from 2021.