Start-up secures funding to support comfort-focused night train network
EUROPE: Berlin-based night train start-up Nox Mobility has raised €2m in pre-seed funding to support its plan to create a pan-European overnight network focused on offering private rooms for solo travellers. Thomas Wintle explains how this latest night train venture fits into a challenging landscape for sleeping car services. The fresh round of funding for […]
EIB signs €266m loan to support București tramway upgrade
ROMANIA: The European Investment Bank is providing a €265·6m loan to finance upgrades to increase speed, reliability, comfort and accessibility on București’s tram network, which carries around 500 000 people a day. The city will use the financing to renovate around 50 km of track, purchase 63 trams and upgrade Colentina depot by 2030. ‘București […]
HVO fuel tested as a direct replacement for diesel on Cork commuter trains
IRELAND: Iarnród Éireann is testing the use of hydrotreated vegetable oil as drop-in replacement for diesel fuel on Cork commuter train services. The national railway says the renewable fuel produced from vegetable oils and waste fats does not require significant engine modifications and can cut emissions by up to 90%. The trial is expected to […]
Urban rail industry news round-up
This week’s round-up of news from the global urban transport sector. Sakarya municipality, centred on Adapazarı is to call tenders for the construction of a 15.2 km tram line on April 28. It would have 19 stops and two branches, running from Sakarya Atatürk Stadyumu in the east to a junction west of Tuna Tan […]
An expanded remit for Railway Gazette International
INTERNATIONAL: As regular readers of Railway Gazette International will have noticed, the content from our sister title RailTech.com has now been incorporated into RailwayGazette.com as part of a relaunch of the portfolio led by Rotterdam-based ProMedia Group. In January, ProMedia Group acquired a series of UK-based transport titles from DVV Media International. That included Railway […]
Two cities place joint order for Stadler Tina trams
GERMANY: Görlitz transport operator GVB and Zwickau’s SVZ have placed a joint order for Stadler Tina low-floor trams to replace high-floor Tatra vehicles. GVB has ordered eight trams and Zwickau six. An order had originally been placed with HeiterBlick as part of the Sachsen Tram of the Future framework contract, but the procurement was restarted […]
Praha tram and pedestrian bridge opens as metro Line D contract finally signed
CZECH REPUBLIC: The 338 m long Dvorecký Bridge over the River Vltava has opened in the southern suburbs of Praha, while a contract has been signed covering construction of a further segment of metro Line D. Tram and pedestrian bridge The Dvorecký Bridge opened in the south of Praha on April 17. It links tram […]
Talgo to supply ‘defence-ready’ day and night inter-city fleet
SWEDEN: National transport management body Trafikverket has signed a €756m contract with Spanish manufacturer Talgo covering the supply of a fleet of long-distance trains, including dedicated overnight rolling stock. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2030, with the daytime and sleeper fleets set to operate between Stockholm and the country’s northernmost cities. Trafikverket and Talgo […]
Baseball team-branded automated peoplemover enters service
JAPAN: The first of three four-car Series L00 rubber-tyred automated guideway transit trainsets has entered service on the Yamaguchi Line peoplemover in the greater Toyko area. The Series L00 trainsets are being supplied by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries for use by Seibu Railwayon the 2·8 km long, three-station Yamaguchi Line which connects Tamako to Seibukyujo-mae. The […]
Swiss tram company plans semi-automated operation
SWITZERLAND: Basel area public transport operator Baselland Transport has awardedStadler Rail a contract to equip its suburban tram network with the NOVA Pro communication-based train control system as part of a plan to progressively automate operations. This follows deployment of Nova Pro on the 13 km standalone Waldenburgerbahn, where BLT recently introduced GoA2 semi-automated operation. […]