Commuter rail

  • Tesla shuttle train
    News

    Tesla shuttle returns with battery trains

    2024-08-08T12:00:00Z

    GERMANY: The free shuttle train to Tesla’s Gigafactory plant in Grünheide to the east of Berlin restarted on August 7, using two Siemens Mobility Mireo B battery-electric multiple-units instead of a pair of Bombardier Transportation Talent diesels.

  • Boston MBTA commuter train passengers (Keolis)
    News

    Battery-electric trains to be ordered for Boston commuter line

    2024-08-07T13:00:00Z

    USA: The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority board has approved a proposal to replace diesel locomotive-hauled trains on Boston’s Fairmount Commuter Rail Line with battery-electric multiple-units. An onboard battery would be charged when overhead electrification is available, including at Boston’s South station. The 15 km line from ...

  • NJ Transit double-deck EMU impression
    News

    NJ Transit orders more double-deck EMU cars

    2024-08-05T11:00:00Z

    USA: The board of New Jersey’s NJ Transit has approved an order for 36 more Alstom Multilevel III electric multiple-unit cars. The maximum price of the order approved on July 24 is $170m plus 5% for contingencies. It is being placed using a December 2018 contract ...

  • East River Tunnel (Photo Amtrak)
    News

    New York East River Tunnel rehabilitation contract awarded

    2024-07-24T15:00:00Z

    USA: Amtrak has appointed a joint venture of Skanska and E-J Electric Installation Co to undertake the East River Tunnel Rehabilitation Project to modernise the four bores connecting New York Penn Station with Queens. Two of the four single-track tubes require significant repairs to damage caused ...

  • Koeln S-Bahn EMU impression (Image Alstom Advance&Creative Design) (14)
    News

    Alstom wins €4bn contract to supply ‘tailor-made’ Köln S-Bahn trains

    2024-07-24T10:11:00Z

    GERMANY: Transport authorities go.Rheinland and Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr have selected Alstom to supply and maintain 90 custom-designed Adessia Stream electric multiple-units for S-Bahn services through Köln. Alstom said the order announced on July 24 was the largest it had won in Germany, with an overall value of ...

  • Map showing proposed new bus, rail and Metrolink stops
    Rail Business UK

    Rail and tram-train in Manchester’s Bee Network expansion plans

    2024-07-12T11:00:00Z

    UK: Local rail services around Manchester are to be brought into the region’s expanding Bee Network by 2028 as part of a public transport development strategy unveiled by Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham on July 10.

  • Melbourne training centre (Photo Government of Victoria) (3)
    News

    Metro Academy enables rail recruits to hit the ground running

    2024-07-09T05:00:00Z

    AUSTRALIA: A ‘state-of-the-art’ Metro Academy has been opened in Melbourne to train rail staff ready for the opening of the cross-city suburban rail Metro Tunnel at the end of 2025. The academy has classrooms, tracks and platform replicas, including station equipment, and will support the existing ...

  • San Diego NCTD Sprinter DMU (Photo Siemens Mobility)
    News

    Sprinter corridor double-tracking project gets grant

    2024-07-04T15:00:00Z

    USA: The federal Department of Transportation has awarded California’s North County Transit District a $10·2m grant to complete preliminary engineering and environmental clearance for the San Marcos to Escondido eastern segment of the Sprinter Corridor Service Improvement Project. The overall project involves 15 km of double-tracking ...

  • Japanese facial recognition
    Metro Report International

    Japanese local railway pilots facial recognition ticketing

    2024-07-04T05:00:00Z

    JAPAN: Light rail and bus operator Yamaman Co has added facial recognition to the Jorudan Style Point&Pass ticketing system used on its 4·1 km six-station Yukarigaoka Line and local bus services. Passengers need to register online and provide a passport-style photo and credit card details to ...

  • København S-tog (Photo: C Regild)
    News

    Danish train operator to buy solar power

    2024-07-03T13:00:00Z

    DENMARK: National passenger operator DSB has agreed to purchase 80 GWh/year from the 262 GWh/year Lidsø Solar Park which European Energy is to develop on a 253 ha site at Rødbyhavn. DSB said this is equivalent to half of the current power consumption of its København ...

  • TfL Image - Customers using mobiles on Elizabeth line trains
    Rail Business UK

    Elizabeth Line tunnels get mobile coverage

    2024-07-03T10:04:00Z

    UK: Transport for London and neutral telecoms infrastructure provider Boldyn Networks have deployed public 4G and 5G mobile coverage in the Elizabeth Line tunnels between Liverpool Street station and the Royal Oak portal to the west of Paddington. This comes after coverage at the stations went live ...

  • London Overground operating concessionaire Arriva Rail London is to test technology that translates digital passenger information into British Sign Language which can be accessed through a smart device via a personalised digital avatar.
    Rail Business UK

    Sign language translation to be tested at London Overground stations

    2024-07-02T04:00:00Z

    UK: London Overground operating concessionaire Arriva Rail London is to test technology that translates digital passenger information into British Sign Language which can be accessed through a smart device via a personalised digital avatar. The Luna platform supplied by GoMedia uses translation technology from Signapse. Trials ...

  • ca-montreal-CRRC-coaches-StJerome-240621-Exo-69
    News

    Chinese coaches enter service in Montréal

    2024-06-26T15:00:00Z

    CANADA: Montréal regional transport authority Exo put its first CRRC-built double-deck commuter rail coaches into revenue service on the Saint-Jérôme route on June 25, following a launch run on June 21. 

  • Bologna cross-city suburban service (photo Bologna municipality)
    News

    Bologna launches cross-city suburban service

    2024-06-20T05:00:00Z

    ITALY: Regional operator Trenitalia Tper has introduced cross-city suburban services in the Bologna area with effect from June 9. Route SFM1 linking Porretta in the southwest with Pianoro to the southeast has been established by the extension of the existing Porretta – Bologna Centrale service to ...

  • Elizabeth line Class 345 Aventra
    Rail Business UK

    Order for extra Elizabeth Line trains confirmed

    2024-06-14T16:23:00Z

    UK: Alstom has signed a contract to supply and maintain a further 10 nine-car Class 345 Aventra electric multiple-units for London’s Elizabeth Line. The £220·5m order is being funded by the Department for Transport, with Transport for London contracting for maintenance until 2046 which takes the ...

  • 1-PRASA-train-Cape-Town-Fish-Hoek-Line-image-Benjámin-Zelki
    In depth

    Interview: ‘The commuter experience will be back to its best’

    2024-06-11T07:00:00Z

    South Africa’s Railway Safety Regulator is tasked with overseeing safe and secure rail services on a network ravaged by vandalism and asset theft over recent years. RSR is also implementing the government’s plan to open up the Transnet network to new entrants. Acting CEO Mmuso Selaledi explains the scale of the challenge to Benjámin Zelki.

  • Kenya Railways battery study (Photo Kenya Railways)
    News

    Nairobi battery commuter train study

    2024-06-11T05:00:00Z

    KENYA: Consultancy Systra has undertaken a study into the potential use of battery-powered trains on commuter services between Nairobi and Thika, around 40 km to the northeast. The study presented to Kenya Railways and World Bank officials in April looked at what would be involved in ...

  • GTX-A train
    Metro Report International

    Private sector funding sought for next phase of Seoul Great Train Express

    2024-06-10T11:00:00Z

    SOUTH KOREA: Minister of Land, Infrastructure & Transport Park Sang-woo has engaged with businesses to explore options to use private financing as well as government funding for the second phase of the Great Train Express programme in the Seoul region. The second phase would support the ...

  • Guangzhou (Photo cxh2018, Pixabay)
    News

    Southern section of Guangzhou – Foshan circular line opens

    2024-06-10T05:00:00Z

    CHINA: The South Ring Section of the Guangzhou – Foshan circular railway opened on May 26, running from Panyu (Guangzhou Nan) to Foshan Xi. The route is shared with the Guangzhou – Foshan – Zhaoqing inter-city railway. Services run at up to 200 km/h. Construction of ...

  • Virginia Railway Express train (Photo: George Tenney/VRE)
    News

    Virginia looks to boost passenger services

    2024-06-07T13:00:00Z

    USA: Virginia Passenger Rail Authority is in preliminary discussions with Norfolk Southern for the purchase of the route used by Manassas Line commuter services, and to introduce passenger services to the New River Valley in the southeast of the state. Purchasing the Manassas Line would enable ...