UK passenger train operator news – Page 49
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NewsLondon Overground Class 378 ready to enter service
UK: London Overground is to put the first Bombardier Class 378 Electrostar high density inner-suburban EMUs into revenue service on July 20, following a formal launch by Mayor of London Boris Johnson on July 13. Bombardier's Derby plant has delivered the first five of 24 dual-voltage 750 V DC/25 kV ...
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NewsSoutheastern ready to launch High Speed service
UK: Domestic passenger services will begin using High Speed 1 on June 29, when Southeastern launches a limited ‘preview’ service between Ashford and London ahead of the introduction of the full service with the December timetable change. The train operator will then have three service groups: High ...
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NewsNorthern Ireland academy opens
UK: Translink’s new £1·7m operational training academy opened on February 19 at Adelaide in south Belfast. It was funded by Northern Ireland’s Department for Regional Development and features driver and signalling simulation equipment. A full-task driver simulator is complemented by a signalling simulator supplied by Manchester-based EDM that fully replicates ...
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NewsNorthern Ireland Railways orders CAF DMUs
UK: A £105m order for 20 three-car diesel multiple-units was signed by Northern Ireland transport operator Translink, the Department for Regional Development and manufacturer CAF on March 25. The first of the Class 4000 trains will enter service at the end of 2011, with all 20 in traffic by ...
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NewsNorthern Ireland upgrade
UK: An £86m upgrade of the Belfast - Londonderry line was announced last month by Translink, the holding company which runs Northern Ireland Railways. Tenders will be called in early 2011 and the work is to be completed in 2013, cutting 30 min off the 2 h 15 min journey ...
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London Overground calling
GSM-R: The UK division of Siemens Mobility has won a contract to supply cab radios for the fleet of 44 Electrostar suburban EMUs for London Overground services currently under construction at Bombardier's Derby facility. The units are to be equipped with radios to operate on both the current analogue cab-to-shore ...
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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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News100% regeneration at c2c
TO EMPHASISE its claim as the only UK train operating company to have 100% of its fleet capable of regenerative braking, c2c unveiled Electrostar No 357 010 in a distinctive green livery at London Fenchurch Street station on June 4. The fleet of 74 Class 357s is now exceeding ...
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MTR Laing wins London Overground
MAYOR of London Ken Livingstone announced on June 19 that 50:50 joint venture MTR Laing had been selected to operate a 107 km network of inner suburban lines under a contract to be signed on July 2. The contract will last for seven years from November 11 2007, with an ...
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Extension takes East London Line from Underground to Overground
Due for completion in June 2010, Phase 1 of the East London Line extension programme will see one of London Underground's shortest routes become part of a new orbital link connecting the main line network north and south of the Thames
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Overground shortlist
TRANSPORT for London announced on December 15 that it had shortlisted two consortia to submit ’best and final offers’ for the contract to operate London Overground services on the North and East London lines.Four groups were invited to tender in June. Govia and MTR Laing have been chosen to go ...
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Three replacement franchises start
UK: Low-key celebrations were held in London on April 3 to mark the start of three replacement train operating franchises. FirstGroup has retained the First Great Western branding for its expanded ’Greater Western’ franchise which combines the FGW Link suburban services and the Wessex Trains regional services formerly run by ...
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NewsReport backs Translink growth
UK: A radical increase in Northern Ireland's railway services is recommended by an independent report from Booz Allen Hamilton. Commissioned by Translink on behalf of Northern Ireland Transport Holding Co, the report's conclusions will form the basis of Translink's rail investment proposals for the 2004 Government Spending Review. The ...
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NewsConnex loses second UK franchise
UK: For the first time since privatisation in the 1990s, a franchise to operate passenger services in Britain has been terminated through default. On June 27, Strategic Rail Authority Chairman Richard Bowker announced that ‘we have given notice to Connex South Eastern that their franchise will terminate ...
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Northern Ireland invests
UK: New stock for Translink's Northern Ireland Railways and a rapid transit network in Belfast are the key rail elements in a 10-year Regional Transportation Strategy announced by regional development minister Peter Robinson last month. As part of the government's 25-year Regional Development Strategy, £1·4bn is to be invested ...
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Enterprise refurbishment underway
NORTHERN Ireland Railways is refurbishing 14 De Dietrich carriages used on the flagship Belfast - Dublin Enterprise cross-border services. According to NIR Engineering Executive M McGreevy, the vehicles, built in 1997, are being refurbished at a cost of up to £150000 each to ensure a high-quality passenger environment ’before they ...
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NewsNIR staves off closure
UK: Rail services in Northern Ireland look more secure after a ruling by the Northern Ireland Assembly to consolidate rather than shut down the 357 km network. Following a report commissioned by Translink from A D Little, a task force convened by the Assembly carried out public consultation. Four ...
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NewsTaskforce reports on Northern Ireland rail options
UK: This month should see an interim report presented to Britain's Department of Regional Development setting out options for the future of Northern Ireland Railways. Drawn up by a taskforce of three civil servants, the report was ordered following an assessment commissioned from A D Little by Translink on ...
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Virgin Voyagers to roll this summer
UK: Taking shape at Bombardier Transportation’s BN plant at Brugge in Belgium are the first of 352 DEMU cars for Virgin Rail’s Cross-Country franchise in Britain. The first unit is on course to roll out in June, just 18 months after the £1060m contract was placed (RG 4.99 p223). The ...
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£7m revamp gives Caledonian Sleepers a quality upgrade
UK: Train operating company ScotRail was expected to unveil a new livery for its Caledonian Sleeper services at the end of last month, as part of a £7m upgrading of the service announced by Managing Director Alastair MacPherson on April 1. The company currently runs two 16-car trains to ...