News

BUENOS AIRES, home to around 14 million people and capital of Argentina, has the most comprehensive commuter rail network in Latin America. Over the last five years large numbers of new trains have been ordered from Chinese manufacturer CRCC, backed by cheap finance provided by the Chinese Government. Until 2012 most commuter lines in Buenos…

Continue reading »

GWR launched its electric services on September 2. Class 387/1 units were initially used on Paddington to Hayes & Harlington services, with the service starting three days later. GWR will operate two four-car sets in multiple to replace a two-car Class 165 and in the process create an extra 1,400 peak-time seats. The units have…

Continue reading »

By Keith Fender A FULL-size conceptual model of a double-deck, high-speed train carriage able to operate on both the UK conventional network and high-speed lines was displayed at Innotrans in Berlin. The development work, paid for by UK rail standards body the RSSB, was undertaken by German engineers, led by the German Aerospace Centre, in…

Continue reading »

SCOTLAND’S transport minister Humza Yousaf has announced a review as well as a £14million package of improvements on the first anniversary of the reopening of Borders Railway. With well in excess of one million passengers having used the line – actual figures were due as we closed for press – Mr Yousaf said: “Not only…

Continue reading »

THE first Class 373 Eurostar train was poised to be sent for scrap as we closed for press – just as the sleek high-speed trains are about to turn 25 years old. Eurostar has signed a contract with Europorte and its UK sister company GB Railfreight to haul the sets from various locations (including France)…

Continue reading »

MORE than 280 passengers enjoyed the third of the Virgin Trains/DRS/Railway Magazine charters on September 3, the destination being a rather wet Scarborough. Running from Chester, Crewe and Stafford, the ‘Independent Yorkshireman’ – hauled by DRS Type 3 Nos. 37603/604 – took in Basford Hall yard, Crewe and the independent lines, before running via the…

Continue reading »

ABELLIO has retained the Greater Anglia franchise, with the Department for Transport announcing a new nine-year term until 2025, beginning from October 16. The announcement of the award was delayed by the EU Referendum vote, with the need to assess the impact of the Brexit vote on Abellio, a subsidiary of Dutch rail operator Nederlandse…

Continue reading »

NEARLY a year later than planned, the first all-night running of London Underground on Friday and Saturday nights began on August 19 on two Tube lines covering 51 stations. London Undeground said that there were 103,000 journeys over the first weekend of operation with trains running on the Victoria and Central lines. Later this year,…

Continue reading »