Passenger rail news – Page 99
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NewsEurostar to test facial biometrics for ‘walk-through’ check-in
EUROPE: A walk-through facial biometric verification system is to be tested which would enable Eurostar passengers to complete ticket checks and border exit processes at London’s St Pancras International station without contact with people or hardware. Passengers opting the use the accelerated pre-boarding option would use ...
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NewsHow the rail sector fought Covid-19
INTERNATIONAL: The International Union of Railways’ coronavirus task force has published its third document on the sector’s response to the crisis, focusing on how the rail industry fought Covid-19 during lockdown periods and looking at the mitigation measures put in place to stop the spread of ...
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Rail Business UKEast Coast Trains Class 803 production begins
UK: Production of the five Class 803 trainsets which FirstGroup subsidiary East Coast Trains has ordered for its future London to Edinburgh open access service is underway at Hitachi Rail’s Newton Aycliffe factory.
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NewsMBTA seeks cost certainty with Keolis commuter rail contract extension
USA: Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s Fiscal & Management Control Board has approved an extension of Keolis’ contract to operate commuter rail services. The eight-year contract began on July 1 2014, with two two-year options for extension, both of which will now be exercised to take the contract ...
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Metro Report InternationalNorth American Transit Alliance formed
NORTH AMERICA: Six public transport operating groups have formed the North American Transit Alliance, which aims to promote ‘innovative transportation solutions that ensure transit is safe, clean, and prepared for the challenges that lie ahead’. First Transit, Keolis, MV Transportation, National Express, RATP Dev USA and Transdev ...
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NewsSNCF launches ‘unprecedented’ regional rail and tourism campaign
FRANCE: What SNCF terms an ‘unprecedented relaunch’ of its TER regional passenger services was announced on June 12 as the country starts to open up after the coronavirus pandemic. Branded ‘TER de France’, the campaign is being led by SNCF in conjunction with regional authorities acting through ...
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Rail Business UKFace coverings now mandatory on trains in England
UK: It became mandatory for public transport passengers in England to cover their nose and mouth on June 15. Government advice remains to avoid public transport where possible, however mandating the use of face coverings is intended to help prevent infected people from spreading coronavirus as lockdown ...
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NewsCalgary – Banff passenger service to be studied
CANADA: Alberta’s Ministry of Transportation has signed a memorandum of understanding with Canada Infrastructure Bank to investigate the feasibility of introducing a passenger rail service between Calgary and Banff, which were last linked by regular inter-city trains in January 1990. The proposal envisages the construction of dedicated ...
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NewsCo-operative group seeks to launch Lyon – Bordeaux open access service from 2022
FRANCE: Nascent open access operator Railcoop lodged a formal application with the Autorité de Régulation des Transports on June 9 to launch a Bordeaux – Lyon inter-city service using the conventional route via Périgueux and Montluçon. Photo: Christophe Masse A direct Lyon - Bordeaux service could be revived ...
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NewsAlpen-Sylt Nachtexpress links the Alps and the North Sea
EUROPE: RDC Deutschland has opened bookings for the Alpen-Sylt Nachtexpress, a seasonal overnight train between the German North Sea island of Sylt and Salzburg in Austria which will launch on July 4. ‘We believe in the successful renaissance of night trains in Europe’, said Managing Director Dr ...
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NewsReliability focus and capital investment in NJ Transit strategic plan
USA: Reconstruction of Hoboken Terminal to improve flood resilience and a trial of battery-electric trains are among the rail projects identified in the NJT2030 10-year strategic plan unveiled by New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and NJ Transit President & CEO Kevin Corbett on June 8.
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Rail Business UKNorthern review looks beyond Covid-19 recovery
UK: ‘Covid-19 has not changed our commitment to deliver a “new Northern” that will deliver real and tangible improvements for passengers’, said Managing Director Nick Donovan on June 8, as the operator published the results of the ‘100-day review’ commissioned when control of the franchise was transferred to the Department for Transport’s Operator of Last Resort on March 1.
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NewsEuropean coalition to improve international rail travel
EUROPE: A willingness to co-operate to increase rail’s share of the international passenger market is a set out in political statement signed by a ‘coalition of the willing’ comprising all EU member states except Croatia, Estonia, Cyprus and Malta (the latter two having no railways) and including ...
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Metro Report InternationalKobe line transferred to metro operator
JAPAN: Kobe Rapid Transit Railway Co’s Kitajin Line was transferred to Kobe City Transport Bureau on June 1, and is now branded as the Kobe Municipal Subway Kitakami Line. The 1 435 mm gauge line starts at Tanigami on the Kobe Electric Railway’s Arima Line, and runs ...
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NewsFirst trainset for Rielsfera low cost high speed rail services heads to Spain
SPAIN: The first of nine double-deck TGV Duplex trainsets being modified for use by SNCF’s Spanish subsidiary Rielsfera was despatched from the Technicentre Est-Européen at Pantin in France on June 6 following the installation of signalling and train protection equipment needed for operation in Spain.
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NewsNew tunnel in Nürnberg – Schirnding electrification plan
GERMANY: Plans to electrify the 140 km line from Nürnberg via Marktredwitz to Schirnding near the Czech border in northeast Bayern have been unveiled by DB Netz at events in Lauf and Schwandorf.
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Rail Business UKAlerting passengers to busy trains and stations before leaving home
UK: Intending passengers can see how busy a specific train or station is likely to be before leaving home, using technology launched as part of efforts to help people stagger their journeys while social distancing measures remain in place The system developed by ...
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NewsAssociations emphasise importance of public transport in tackling climate change
EUROPE: The International Union of Railways, International Association of Public Transport and European railway suppliers’ association UNIFE have called for ‘a new sense of urgency’ in developing a more sustainable transport mix, arguing that decision makers need to look beyond the Covid-19 pandemic and its aftermath and not forget that ‘the rising danger’ of climate change ‘has not stopped during the crisis’.
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NewsJeantet ousted from Keolis over ‘strategic differences’
FRANCE: Former SNCF Réseau chief executive Patrick Jeantet has been dismissed as Chairman of Groupe Keolis with immediate effect, the company’s Supervisory Board announced on June 2. A new Executive Committee has been formed to oversee the business pending the appointment of a successor.
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Rail Business UK£2·7bn plan for transport links to Toton HS2 hub
UK: A £2·7bn vision to provide fast and frequent rail, tram, bus and road connections to the future HS2 East Midlands Hub station at Toton has been published by a partnership of councils, transport bodies and East Midlands Airport. More than 20 ...