BRAZIL: CRRC Qingdao Sifang has unveiled the first of eight eight-car Class 2500 electric multiple-units that it is supplying for São Paulo suburban operator CPTM’s Line 13 to Guarulhos Airport under a contract awarded in September 2017. The 12·2 km Line 13 was inaugurated in June 2018, and is currently operated using

UK: The Office of Rail and Road, the regulatory authority for rail in Britain, has given its approval for the 24 four-car bi-mode FLIRT trains Stadler has been manufacturing for Greater Anglia. Stadler says these are the first FLIRT trains in the country to get this ‘authorisation for placing into

Stadler has won a contract with Transdev GmbH for 16 FLIRT trains. The electric multiple units will run on the Regio S-Bahn Bremen/Lower Saxony network. The contract is worth around 100 million euros (113 million USD). Transdev GmbH, a German subsidiary of the French Transdev Group, has commissioned Stadler to

New timetables came into force across the UK network on May 19, adding around 1,000 additional services. However, many of the promised new trains have still not materialised.  Highlights of the new timetable include the introduction of an hourly Transport for Wales (TfW) service linking Liverpool and Chester/Wrexham via the revived

The Gospel Oak to Barking line got the first of its new trains on May 23 when two Class 710 four-car EMUs were launched into service late morning.  The two sets worked two full diagrams the following day. The announcement from Transport for London came with less than 24 hours notice. Class

GERMANY: A number of passenger services transferred to new operators on June 9, including routes in Baden-Württemberg which are the first in Germany to be managed by UK-based rail and bus group Go-Ahead. Go-Ahead In 2015 the Land of Baden-Württemberg selected Go-Ahead for the Stuttgart Netz 1 Lot 2 (also known as 1b or

SLOVAKIA: Škoda Transportation has rolled out the first of the Class 660 electric multiple-units ordered by national passenger operator ZSSK for use on regional services around Žilina. The €160m contract for 25 dual-voltage 3 kV DC/25 kV AC EMUs with a maximum speed of 160 km/h was signed in March 2018,

GERMANY: DB Regio has placed its first order for Stadler Kiss double-deck electric multiple-units, signing a €220m contract on June 5 for 18 four-car units for use in Schleswig-Holstein. This follows the award in April of a contract for incumbent and sole bidder DB Regio to continue to operate Elektronetz Ost services

The new copper-coloured Stadler Traverso entered regular passenger service for SOB (Schweizerische Südostbahn AG) in the beginning of June. SOB has deployed it on the Voralpen-Express route between St Gallen and Lucerne.  The eight-car electric multiple unit Traverso has entered regular passenger service on the Voralpen-Express route between St Gallen and

All the important rail news of the week, summed up for you in one place: our Railway-News Industry Insider Week 22 for 27–31 May 2019: Alstom metro for Lyon Line 2 © Alstom/Mobylette Jaune Infrastructure Sydney Metro Rouse Hill Station © MDRX under licence Sydney Metro North West Enters Commercial Service Sydney Metro North West

CZECH REPUBLIC: The three multi-system electric multiple-units being built for open access operator Leo Express by Chinese manufacturer CRRC Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive are nearing completion and on course for delivery in the second half of the year, the operator confirmed on June 3. The inter-city EMUs are due to undergo certification

IRELAND: National railway Iarnród Éireann and the National Transport Authority have invited expressions of interest in a 10-year framework agreement covering the supply of between 250 and 600 vehicles for Dublin Area Rapid Transport suburban rail services. Expansion of DART electric services to Maynooth, Drogheda and Hazelhatch forms part of the

Stadler has received an order for 26 additional FLIRT trains from Slovenian state railway operator Slovenske Železnice. Stadler and Solvenske Železnice signed a contract in April 2018, which included an option for a mixed fleet of single and double-decker trains. This order is now making good on that option. The

UK: Hitachi Rail Ltd is ramping up maintenance activity at Agility Trains East’s new Doncaster depot as the roll-out of Class 800/801 Azuma trainsets begins on the East Coast Main Line. The first Azuma entered service on May 15, and four more were being used for driver training in late

UK: Stadler is moving forward with its four UK projects, the company told Railway Gazette at Railtex. The company expects to complete deliveries of the Greater Anglia fleet by the end of the year, having recently delivered the first of 10 EMUs for use on Stansted Express services. Stadler’s first

NORTH MACEDONIA: National operator MŽ Transport is testing the first of four CRRC Zhuzhou electric locomotives it has ordered to haul freight on the north–south corridor between the Serbian and Greek borders. The €8m order signed in January 2017 was financed using part of a €50m loan from the European Bank

Alstom Breeze model at Railtex © Railway-News Alstom has chosen Railtex to present a model of its hydrogen train design, the Breeze train. At their stand at Birmingham’s NEC – S41 – Alstom are presenting a to-scale model of their Breeze train. This is Alstom’s hydrogen train design for the United Kingdom,

UK: Alstom Transport is hopeful of confirming an order before the end of this year for its Breeze hydrogen multiple-unit trains being developed in partnership with leasing company Eversholt Rail, suggesting that the first trains could enter service ‘as early as 2022’. Unveiling a scale model of the three-car HMU at

UK: ‘The launch of the Hitachi Azuma fleet is another step in the history of a route which has long been associated with iconic trains’, LNER Manging Director David Horne told guests on a preview train on May 14, the day before the new fleet is set to enter passenger

ITALY: Ferrovie Del Sud Est and Newag signed a contract on May 10 for the supply of a further six Impuls 2 electric multiple-units. Deliveries are due to be completed in 19 months. The €24·2m order had been announced in December and is an option on a framework contract signed in

All the important rail news of the week, summed up for you in one place: our Railway-News Industry Insider Week 19 for 06–10 May 2019: Stadler train for BLS © Stadler Events Deutsche Bahn celebrates Europe Day 2019 by illuminating Berlin Central Station in the EU flag © DB AG / Oliver Lang Deutsche Bahn

FRANCE: Alstom has been awarded a €170m firm order to supply 16 six-car Coradia Polyvalent multiple-units to the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region. The latest contract announced on May 10 is the first for this six-car electric variant of the Cordia Polyvalent family. The EMUs will have 355 seats, with the ‘inter-city style’ interior

ITALY: South Tirol regional transport authority STA announced on May 7 that it had selected Bombardier Transportation for a €65·8m contract to supply seven electric multiple-units for use on through services from Malles Venosta to Bolzano and Innsbruck or Lienz in Austria. The Talent 3 EMUs will be similar to trainsets

Vivarail, who have been working on converting old London Underground trains (Class D78) into Class 230 battery-electric multiple units (BEMUs), have partnered with Arcola Energy, which specialises in hydrogen fuel cells. Arcola Energy is a hydrogen fuel cell specialist supplying London buses © CC0 Both companies share the goal of decarbonising the

UK: Ambitious plans to launch a network of open access regional passenger services in western England are being developed by independent not-for-profit co-operative society GO-OP Co-operative Ltd, which hopes to start operations in summer 2020. GO-OP is proposing to offer at least three direct trains each way per day between Swindon

Stadler successfully completed a contract it signed with Hungarian railway operator GySEV in September 2016. GySEV ordered ten FLIRT electric multiple units from the Swiss manufacturer, essentially doubling its fleet of FLIRT trains. Stadler is pleased to have delivered on this order on time and in line with the terms

Australia: The NSW government has awarded the RailConnect consortium of Hyundai Rotem, Mitsubishi Electric Australia and UGL Rail a A$130m contract to supply a further 42 double-deck EMUs cars, taking its New Intercity Fleet order to a total of 554 vehicles. This will enable peak services on the South Coast

NEW ZEALAND: Project promoter CRL Ltd has selected the Link Alliance as preferred bidder for the main works package to construct the City Rail Link loop line under central Auckland. Awarded both the C3 contract to build the twin-bore tunnels and three stations and a separate NZ$75m early works contract, the

TURKEY: State-owned passenger train manufacturer Tüvasaş expects to begin construction of the first of 21 five-car electric multiple-units under the National Train programme ‘within the next two months’. The first trains should be handed to operator TCDD Tasımacılık before the end of the year, the company told Railway Gazette at

SWITZERLAND: Rhätische Bahn’s first Capricorn electric multiple-unit was unveiled at Stadler’s Altenrhein factory on April 15. The metre-gauge EMUs are branded with the Romansh name for the Alpine ibex which appears on the arms of canton Graubünden. They are scheduled to be delivered in 2019-22. The SFr361m order for 36 four-car EMUs

With so many new trains being delivered and electrification schemes shelved, Porterbrook and Brush Traction are using their engineering expertise to convert surplus Thameslink commuter trains into ‘go-anywhere’ bi-mode trains. Ben Jones visits Loughborough to see how the project is progressing. When you’ve invested millions of pounds in maintaining and updating

GERMANY: The Land of Schleswig-Holstein has awarded sole bidder DB Regio the Elektronetz Ost passenger operating contract. Running from December 2022 to December 2035, the contract covers services RB86 Lübeck – Travemünde, RE8/80 Lübeck Hbf – Hamburg Hbf and RB85 Lübeck Hbf – Puttgarden, a total of 175 route-km. There will

EUROPE: The first completed electric multiple-unit for the future Léman Express cross-border regional passenger service between Genève in Switzerland and destinations in France was unveiled at Alstom’s Reichshoffen factory on April 10. SNCF has ordered 17 EMUs from Alstom’s Coradia Polyvalent family, known as Régiolis by the operator. The order was

Preservation of British EMUs or locomotives has generally been bypassed for one reason or another – despite their place in history. Nicola Fox visits Locomotion at Shildon and reports on the superb volunteer restoration of a humble commuter carriage from a 2-HAP EMU.  THE National Railway Museum in York is widely

RUSSIA: Rolling stock manufacturer Transmashholding has announced a 44% year-on-year increase in sales to 224·8bn roubles for 2018. Sales of single-deck coaches were up 62% to 696, while sales of double-deck coaches were up 59% to 65. The company launched a major project to update its range of coaches, and a

Feature articles in the latest issue of Railway Gazette International, the leading business journal for railway operators and suppliers, read in 140 countries. Subscribe to Railway Gazette International today. Comment Poor reliability hurts freight News Main Line Urban Rail Market Industry Innovations Pointers Analysis Renfe must become more proactive as competition grows, Trump

CHINA: CRRC Tangshan has completed pre-delivery testing of a variable configuration electric multiple-unit, which is designed to be formed of two power cars and up to 16 single or double-deck coaches. The train has been designed to enable operators to configure train lengths in response to changes in passenger demand, unlike

AUSTRALIA: The government of Queensland has awarded Bombardier Transportation a A$361m contract to undertake modifications to improve the accessibility of the 75 electric multiple-units which are being introduced to the southeast Queensland rail network under the New Generation Rollingstock programme. The modified trains are expected to re-enter service from 2020

Testing and driver training of CAF Class 195 DMUs and 331 EMUs for Northern was suspended from March 14 after the discovery of an internal bar coupling issue between the vehicles. Northern said “a small mechanical design issue requires a fix before we resume the testing and driver training”.  Two CAF Class

INDUSTRY sources say five ex-ScotRail Class 314s could be on their way to Transport for London to alleviate problems on Gospel Oak to Barking (Goblin) services.  There have been just three shortened Class 378 EMUs operating from March 18 after the last of the Class 172s were transferred to West Midlands

UK: Planning for the development of a rolling stock manufacturing plant in Scotland and a research facility in northern England is continuing ‘at full pace’, Talgo Group President Carlos de Palacio Oriol told Railway Gazette in Madrid on April 1. Pointing out that Talgo’s two Spanish plants at Las Matas and

NORTHERN has begun a refresh and refurbishment programme on its fleet of 16 Class 333 EMUs.  The work continues the refurbishment on Class 158s and 170s. The first unit to be refurbished is No. 333013, completed at the end of February. Following this is 333001 with 333011, due out by the end of

NORTHERN has begun a refresh and refurbishment programme on its fleet of 16 Class 333 EMUs.  The work continues the refurbishment on Class 158s and 170s. The first unit to be refurbished is No. 333013, completed at the end of February. Following this is 333001 with 333011, due out by the end of

POLAND: Łódź suburban operator Łódzka Kolej Aglomeracyjna has signed an agreement with Stadler Polska to lengthen 10 of its Flirt electric multiple-units. The 68·5m złoty contract announced on April 2 includes an extension of Stadler’s maintenance activities until 2029. Each of the two-car EMUs will gain a 16 m long centre car

Australia: NSW is to ‘fast-track’ the delivery of a further 17 Downer EDI/CRRC Changchun Waratah Series 2 double-deck EMUs for use on the Sydney Trains network from 2020, Minister for Transport Andrew Constance announced on February 6. Meanwhile, the UGL Unipart JV’s contract to provide heavy maintenance and logistics services

CZECH REPUBLIC: National operator ČD has awarded a consortium of Škoda Transportation and Škoda Vagonka a KC6bn eight-year framework contract for the supply of up to 50 RegioPanter electric multiple-units, with a KC3·6bn firm order for an initial 31, and a separate KC1bn firm order for five three-car sets of

POLAND: Koleje Mazowieckie signed a 405m złoty contract with Stadler Polska for the supply of 12 five-car Flirt electric multiple-units on March 28. The contract includes maintenance, repair kits and staff training. Stadler will supply the 160 km/h EMUs from its Siedlce factory, with the first due to enter service in

JAPAN: Ceremonies were held in western Yokohama on March 28 to mark the completion of a new link between Sotetsu’s Sagami Railway and JR East tracks, which will allow the operation of through services from the Sagami Main Line and Izumino Line to Shinjuku station in Tokyo. Under the project, formerly

RUSSIA: Ural Locomotives and Russian Railways have signed an agreement to develop plans for a double-deck electric multiple-unit designed for inter-regional services. A working group is to be established to produce a feasibility study and define the technical requirements, including the estimated costs of supply and maintenance under a lifecycle contract

QUEENSLAND Rail is over half way through the roll out of a new EMU fleet, after first introducing the train in December 2017.  Unlike all previous EMU fleets in Queensland this one is not being built in Australia, but instead is being built by Bombardier in India. NGR set 723 seen at

GERMANY: Ostdeutsche Eisenbahn has placed a €300m order for Siemens Mobility to supply 21 six-car and two four-car Desiro HC partly double-deck electric multiple-units. These are to be used on services which ODEG is to operate under Lots 1 and 4 of Elbe-Spree network operating contracts awarded by Berlin-Brandenburg transport

AUSTRIA: National railway ÖBB’s passenger business has awarded Siemens Mobility a firm contract to supply a further 24 Cityjet three-car Desiro ML electric multiple-units for use in Wien, Niederösterreich and Burgenland from mid-2020. These will replace older vehicles, increase capacity to accommodate rising ridership, and support upgrading of the Marchegger Ostbahn, Pottendorf,

RUSSIA: Central Suburban Passenger Co has awarded Transmashholding’s Demikhovsky factory a contract to supply 21 Class EP2D electric multiple-units, to be financed by Sberbank Leasing. The 11-car 3kV DC EMUs will be 244 m long with a capacity of 2 866 passengers. Three will have folding steps for use at stations with

Taken from our huge The Railway Magazine archive, check out what featured on this day a century ago, what headlined our issue 20 years ago, and more! 100 years ago: A Marylebone to Beaconsfield train leaves London behind Great Central Railway’s superheated 4-6-2T No. 24 (later LNER/BR class ‘A5’). KACR NUNN 100

TURKEY: President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan officially opened the 77 km Marmaray suburban rail corridor across Istanbul on March 12, 15 years after construction began. The President rode an inaugural train from the opening ceremony at Kartal on the Asian side of the route east as far as Gebze, where suburban services

CZECH REPUBLIC: RegioJet has awarded Pesa Bydgoszcz a contract to supply seven two-car Elf.eu electric multiple-units for use on subsidised passenger services which it is to operate under contract to the Ústí nad Labem regional authority. The order signed on March 7 is worth more than KC500m, with deliveries scheduled for

INDIA: A further programme of enhancements to increase capacity on the Mumbai suburban network was formally approved by the national government’s Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on March 7, and is expected to be completed in five years. Mumbai’s 385 route-km suburban network currently carries around 8 million passengers/day on 3 000 trains.

Peter Brown takes a ride on the new Class 717 EMUs, which over the next few months will transform Great Northern services from Moorgate by replacing trains more than 40 years old.  GROWING-UP as a boy in leafy north London my memories are still vivid of Grange Park station, where I

In the third and final instalment, Keith Farr concludes his analysis of the steam-to-electric transformation the Great Western Main Line has undergone in the Thames Valley. Part two of this series ended with a brief eulogy of Class 387s, the electric trains that have transformed stopping services between Paddington and Didcot.

AUSTRALIA: The New South Wales government has awarded the RailConnect consortium a A$130m contract to supply a further 42 double-deck electric multiple-unit cars, taking its New Intercity Fleet order to a total of 554 vehicles. The additional vehicles will enable peak services on the South Coast Line to be increased

UK: The first of 10 Stadler Flirt electric multiple-units which Greater Anglia has ordered for use on Stansted Express branded services between London Liverpool Street and Stansted Airport was delivered to the operator’s Norwich depot on February 28. It will now undergo safety and performance testing before it is approved for

NETHERLANDS: The first of the Coradia Stream electric multiple-units which national passenger operator NS has ordered from Alstom under the Intercity New Generation programme has been moved from the manufacturer’s factory at Katowice in Poland to its Salzgitter plant in Germany for static testing. This will be followed by dynamic trials

Substantial investment in heavy and light rail is envisaged under the National Transport Authority’s Draft Integrated Implementation Plan for 2019-24. Tony Miles investigates IRELAND: Construction of Dublin’s north-south underground MetroLink line, renewal of the DART suburban EMU fleet and further investment in light rail are key elements in the National Transport

UK: A consortium of Dalmore Capital and Equitix Investment Management has signed agreements to acquire 3i Infrastructure’s one-third stake in Cross London Trains Holdco 2 Ltd. This was established by 3i, Innisfree and Siemens in 2011 to finance, own and maintain the fleet of 115 Desiro City Class 700 EMUs