international passenger news

[beaulieu]

I can't find a useful English translation. SNCF-Reseau uses "POLT" for the project.

[Overmod]

beaulieu

The French Council of Ministers has rescinded the Declaration of Public Utility for the planned Poitiers - Limoges LGV.

Not sure anyone really needed a high-speed pork-barrel branch line, regardless of how carefully 'planned' with stakeholders it was.

Who has a summary, or even an English-language technical description, of the POLLT "alternative" (Paris, Orléans, La Souterraine, Limoges, Toulouse)?

[blue streak 1]

Reported that China's 5 year plan is to double HSR from 19,000 Km to 38,000 Km.

http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/infrastructure/single-view/view/chinese-high-speed-network-to-double-in-latest-master-plan.html

 

[beaulieu]

The French Council of Ministers has rescinded the Declaration of Public Utility for the planned Poitiers - Limoges LGV.

[beaulieu]

NKP guy

According to The Man in Seat 61, the EuroNight train between Cologne and Warsaw is to be discontinued after December 10, 2016.

 Does anyone here know what to expect in Spring, 2017 as far as EuroNight or other overnight European train service? 

ÖBB has said it is interested in picking up some of the night trains that are being discontinued in Germany, Switzerland, Italy. The board of ÖBB approved the acquisition of 60 second-hand sleepers and couchettes, almost certainly from DB, and 15 car transporter wagons. Also approved was the conversion of 20 surplus passenger coaches to a new configuration of Couchettes. In their 2015 Annual report ÖBB said that they handled 1 million passengers on night trains and that they represented 17% of their passenger revenue.

[schlimm]

NKP guy

According to The Man in Seat 61, the EuroNight train between Cologne and Warsaw is to be discontinued after December 10, 2016.  Does anyone here know what to expect in Spring, 2017 as far as EuroNight or other overnight European train service?

A lot of sleeper services are ending.  City Night Line is one of the main ones:  https://www.bahn.com/i/view/GBR/en/prices/europe/overnight-travel.shtml

[NKP guy]

According to The Man in Seat 61, the EuroNight train between Cologne and Warsaw is to be discontinued after December 10, 2016.

 Does anyone here know what to expect in Spring, 2017 as far as EuroNight or other overnight European train service?

 

[beaulieu]

Schweizerische Südostbahn AG has expressed interest in taking over operation of the InterRegio service over the Gotthard Pass once all SBB passenger services are routed through the Gotthard Base Tunnel in December 2016. SOB operates S-Bahn services around St. Gallen in Eastern Switzerland and the Voralpen Express linking Romanshorn on the Bodensee and Luzern.

[beaulieu]

blue streak 1

Rail Journal report says 27 dead. Says telephone block system.. Maybe some kind of manual block system ?

For all practical purposes there is no safety system on the line.

[blue streak 1]

now 27

[schlimm]

blue streak 1

Rail Journal report says 2 dead.

Typo?  It says 23.

[blue streak 1]

Rail Journal report says 27 dead. Says telephone block system.. Maybe some kind of manual block system ?

http://www.railjournal.com/index.php/europe/at-least-20-dead-in-italian-collision.html?channel=537

 

[schlimm]

"The local train line is run by a private company, Ferrotramviaria, based in Bari. The trains were travelling in opposite directions on a single track." 

[blue streak 1]

Southern Italy collision evidently today count is at 20 & 50 injured and rising.  Note this  link updates without any other imput so click the link will give latest updayes,

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/07/12/at-least-10-dead-dozens-injured-in-train-crash-in-southern-italy/

now 22 

[Buslist]

azrail

DB Schenker (the German Federal Railway) is a major train operator in the UK, do they stay post-Brexit? Another opportunity for G&W owned-Freightliner?

 

 

I'm certainly no expert, just an observant Yank with some experance working for them. But I expect Briexet will have no affect on operating contracts (after all MTR Hong Kong is bidding on one with no EU connection) but may  have an effect on where things are built. The current proposal for additional 801s for Great Western has them built in Italy. How might this change?

[Buslist]

The first of the class 800s get launched.

 

http://www.railjournal.com/index.php/main-line/great-western-launches-hitachi-class-800-fleet.html?channel=000

[azrail]

DB Schenker (the German Federal Railway) is a major train operator in the UK, do they stay post-Brexit? Another opportunity for G&W owned-Freightliner?

[Buslist]

Some interesting news out of the U.K. besides the Brexit vote (more on that later). By way of background you may remember that Network rail was electrifying several main lines. The most important was the Great Western route west out of Paddington. This was given priority as a fleet of new EMUs had been ordered for this route. This had been discussed earlier in this thread. Even with work stopping on the northern 2 routes it appears that the electrification on the Great Western will be delivered at least 2 years late, and way over budget ( guess managing this is a little more difficult than a branch line in Wisconsin). Anyway the IEP trains (a government speced replacement for the now long in the tooth HSTs) that were fraught with their own issues, were to come in 2 varieties class 801 which were EMUs and class 800 which are to be dual mode with DMU capabilities to be used on non electrified secondary routes. So rather than have the 801s sit around unused due to NR's inability to deliver the electrification on time, the order for the 801s is being changed to dual mode (there is also a group of 801s intended for the East Coast Mainline which will remain pure electric) albeit with smaller fuel tanks thus requiring mid day refueling.

 

There was also a recent study by the Shaw commission looking at what the future form  Network Rail should take. One concept, which I didn't take very seriously was devolution of the organization (devolution is a currently popular UK term for decentralization. For example the recent power given to the Scottish Parliament is a devolution of the U.K. government). Anyway the proposal was to devolve NR into separate organizations each centered on the routes of the various franchises. Central policy would still come from Milton Keynes, but detailed maintenance, renewal and investment plans would be arrived at jointly by this "local" infrastructure manager, and the route franchise holder. This is sounding a lot like a vertically integrated railway, rather than the all knowing government owned infrastructure provider. I didn't take this proposal very seriously but now the British railway press is starting to talk like this reorganization is quite likely.

 

A surprise was the news that NR is planning to sell off it's electrification infrastructure 

 

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2016/03/04/network-rail-starts-potential-sale-of-power-network-assets/

 

and it's big city stations.

 

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-35785499

 

The real surprise to me is that the Tories have a plan sell off the routes as well.

https://www.google.com/amp/www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/tory-plans-sell-rail-networks-8290146.amp?client=safari#

 

 

On the Brexit issue I suspect there will be a couple of effects. 

 

The EU mandated use of ERTMS will go away, but NR may be so heavily invested that this will make little difference to plans.

The EU mandated vertical disintegration will no longer be in effect perhaps opening up more options for the future of NR.

Depending on how trade agreements end up, cross channel freight traffic may decrease.

The requirement for central approval of new rolling stock will probably go away saving jobs for the UK notified bodies (like Delta Rail and Interfleet).

[cogloadreturns]

54light15

There has been talk for years of expanding Waterloo's platforms to handle trains longer than 8 coaches, but I go there often enough and can't really see how it's going to happen. the main concourse platform is packed at evening rush hour and the track layout isn't all that roomy either. 

 

The extension of the platforms at Waterloo is to start within the year. AIUI the problems regarding the old International station have been various - ownership (the Treasury thought it would be worth more as a shopping centre); the huge hole in the concourse; signalling and the rest. When I passed it last (a couple of weeks back) the middle roads were ripped up and work was occuring.

https://www.networkrail.co.uk/news/2016/mar/investment-over-%C2%A3800m-Waterloo-upgrade/

[cogloadreturns]

Mario_v

Line reopening in Portugal for passenger service

http://www.jornalaltoalentejo.com/index.php/regiao/449-transporte-de-passageiros-regressa-ao-alto-alentejo

Translation ; '3 years after service supression, on the 1st of january of 2012, the local railroad passenger operator, CP, is reinstating service on the 'East' line.

The new service is due to operate between fridays and sundays, and the first trip will take place on september 25 at 6:20 pm. This is now possible, since economical conditions in the country are better.

The trains will operate between Portalegre and Entroncamento calling at the following stations ; Crato, Chança (Alter), Torre das Vargens, Ponte de Sor, Abrantes, Tramagal, Santa Margarida, Praia do Ribatejo, Almourol, Tancos and Barquinha.

Presently, some minor interventions are being carried away by the infrastucture owner and the railroad at stations in order to reactivate it   

 

 

 

I once spent two weeks ostensibly goat farming in Portalegre many moons ago. I seem to recall the railway running through the middle of the scrub....

[Mario_v]

New underground high speed link completed in Madrid, alllowing a previousely unexisting connection between N the north and south high speed networks (plus some 25 kilometres of high speed 'broaddway' with 4 main tracks)

http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/high-speed/single-view/view/madrid-high-speed-link-nears-completion.html

[Mario_v]

New extension of the 'LGV Atlantique' route to open soon, and with new double decker TGV EMU's

http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/high-speed/single-view/view/euroduplex-atlantique-sets-to-serve-bordeaux.html

[54light15]

There has been talk for years of expanding Waterloo's platforms to handle trains longer than 8 coaches, but I go there often enough and can't really see how it's going to happen. the main concourse platform is packed at evening rush hour and the track layout isn't all that roomy either. 

[Buslist]

blue streak 1

London Waterloo station is getting an extensive expansion.  Longer platforms, restored out of service platforms.  As well everal EMUs are being converted from DC traction to AC traction. Other items as well plus video. 

http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/infrastructure/single-view/view/pound800m-london-waterloo-capacity-programme-launched.html

If only the US could emulate our UK cousins ? ? ?

 

 

More like our British cousins? Do you realize that those 5 platforms they are bragging about putting back in service have been out of service since Nov. 2007 when Eurostar services moved out of Waterloo. They have not been out of service due to any technical deficiency but due to the British "debating society's" inability to decide how to use them. Can you imagine the uproar here if we had 5 platforms out of service for almost a decade at Penn Station or Grand Central?  Frankly I'd prefer the NA/Nike "just do it" approach.

 

And let's ignore the fact the NR's track maintenance costs are 3 to 5 times higher than North American costs.

 

The Brits have some good things going but it isn't all great. The effect of the unintended reclassification of NR as a government agency is yet to be fully understood.

[blue streak 1]

London Waterloo station is getting an extensive expansion.  Longer platforms, restored out of service platforms.  As well everal EMUs are being converted from DC traction to AC traction. Other items as well plus video. 

http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/infrastructure/single-view/view/pound800m-london-waterloo-capacity-programme-launched.html

If only the US could emulate our UK cousins ? ? ?

 

[Paul of Covington]

   Thanks, Buslist.   I was trying to picture cars that could stretch and shrink lengthwise.   I was pretty sure they weren't cars designed to carry telescopes.

[Buslist]

Paul of Covington

   From the article:

"The test run was made by a 2216-tonne unloaded train with 76 flat, telescopic, and container wagons..."

    What are telescopic wagons?

 

flat wagon with telescopic covers, somewhat like coil cars but the cover stays with the wagon.

[Paul of Covington]

   From the article:

"The test run was made by a 2216-tonne unloaded train with 76 flat, telescopic, and container wagons..."

    What are telescopic wagons?

[blue streak 1]

Gotthard base tunnel has first test trains.  Was an empty 1500m empty train.  Haven't heard when passenger train testing will begin. 

http://www.railjournal.com/index.php/europe/1500m-freight-train-tested-in-gotthard-base-tunnel.html?channel=537

 

 

[blue streak 1]

China is continuing large amounts on passenger rail for 2016.   $121B US

http://www.railjournal.com/index.php/asia/china-plans-dolus-1216bn-rail-investment-in-2016.html?channel=540