international passenger news

[blue streak 1]

Austria Night ---Has sleeper trains patronage up 10% from last year. Are we at a cusp of more sleeper demand as well here in the US ?

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/23/business/overnight-train-austria.html

 

[54light15]

And there's this from the Guardian:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/02/germany-cuts-fares-for-long-distance-rail-travel-in-response-to-climate-crisis

 

[blue streak 1]

German DB 10 year rehab plan Many billions of Euros 86B. Of course that aount of  ~  $9.3B in USA  per year for 10 years  ???

https://www.railwaygazette.com/infrastructure/the-wow-effect-is-coming-as-german-government-signs-86bn-rail-programme/55540.article 

[Overmod]

blue streak 1

Of course that amount of  ~ $9.3B in USA???

To clarify, that's about what the Germans propose to spend on average each year on their 'infrastructure improvement' plan, expressed in US dollars.

[blue streak 1]

Sweden wants to start overnight service to adjaecent contries.  However it cannot start servuce due to lack of equipment.  As well the Sweden's cars cannot go to the other EU countries.  Read somewhere that swedish HEP is not compatible with rest of Europe but not sure ??

https://www.railjournal.com/

 

[charlie hebdo]

The current overnight train from Stockholm to Copenhagen requires a change at Lund (across the Oresund from Denmark)  before 6:00 am. 

[blue streak 1]

blue streak 1

Sweden wants to start overnight service to adjaecent contries.  However it cannot start servuce due to lack of equipment.  As well the Sweden's cars cannot go to the other EU countries.  Read somewhere that swedish HEP is not compatible with rest of Europe but not sure ??

https://www.railjournal.com/

 

Here is another short about the proposed overnight service stating Malmo - Kolon is preferred.  As well is note that swedish cars cannot operate elsewhere .  Maybe the HEP problem.  Find it strange that EU has not standardize EU wide HEP if true ?

https://www.railwaygazette.com/passenger/malmö-köln-suggested-as-first-route-for-a-network-of-night-trains/55550.article 

https://wikimili.com/en/Head-end_power#United_Kingdom 

[blue streak 1]

Another Night jet sleeper service stated.  Just 2 round trips per week.  Probably due to lack of eqipment ?

https://www.railwaygazette.com/passenger/lying-not-flying-as-nightjet-sleeper-train-reaches-brussels/55579.article 

https://www.railjournal.com/passenger/main-line/obb-launches-brussels-nightjet-service/ 

[charlie hebdo]

More likely starting small and see if demand grows. 

[PJS1]

What is the longest passenger train run from end point to end point inside of Germany?  

[blue streak 1]

charlie hebdo

More likely starting small and see if demand grows. 

 

 

Sorry no cigar.  They have additional equipment due in 2022.

 

https://www.nightjet.com/en/komfortkategorien/nightjetzukunft

 

https://www.nightjet.com/en/dam/jcr:6a8041cb-0131-4ad3-84fd-25154548e5dd/nightjet-streckennetz-2020.pdf

 

[charlie hebdo]

I was referring to that specific route extension. The new design,  replacement equipment was already planned. 

[blue streak 1]

Germany's DB suspends delivery of train sets from Bombardier. Software problems.  Are RR builders putting too much reliance on software ?.  Link says taking up to 1 hour to reboot.  Thinking of the problems with the ACS-64s software.  Know that the bouncing around has caused problems with read only cards in aircraft.

https://www.railjournal.com/fleet/db-suspends-ic2-delivery/ 

[blue streak 1]

Mumbai is working on several projects.  Note in link 10 - 12 deaths a day on the system !

https://www.railjournal.com/in_depth/mumbai-metro-projects-progress 

[Miningman]

10-12 Deaths each day. Absolutley stunning. I guess all cultures are not quite equal. 

[Overmod]

Miningman

10-12 Deaths each day. Absolutely stunning.

Until you see Indian Railways suburban trains, with people riding outside -- 5000 per train, 52% of 12 million people a year.  And many lines are 3kV DC catenary...

Yes, life can be cheap.  This is a culture that for millennia has treated life as a boring repetitious curse, to be evaded if at all possible. 

[BaltACD]

https://www.usatoday.com/videos/news/world/2020/02/06/italy-high-speed-train-derails-2-dead-dozens-injured/4676898002/

[blue streak 1]

Follow up about the italian HSR derailment.  This appears to be another screw up by a signal maintenance crew.  Maybe there needs a world wide push to improve protocols when switches are moved out of normal positions.  thinking of Cayce on CSX as an example. 

https://www.railwaygazette.com/high-speed/frecciarossa-1000-derails-at-high-speed/55737.article

 

[blue streak 1]

Corona virus----------

Follow up of China rail loss of  passengers.  Many station report 80 % ++ reduction in arrivals and departures.  Also service to Vietnam has been suspended.

https://www.railjournal.com/policy/china-rail-traffic-plummets-in-wake-of-coronavirus-epidemic/

 

[blue streak 1]

Ceneri base tunnel testing of ECTS-2 PYC starting shortly.  The testing will hault some traffic thru the tunnel that at present just wayside signals.

https://www.railjournal.com/infrastructure/ceneri-base-tunnel-testing/

 

[blue streak 1]

Read a  media report that Italy has shut down some rail travel in northern Italy. Milan appears to be center but have not been able to confirm same ?

EDIT  Venice also closed down?

[blue streak 1]

China has 2/3rds of the world's HSR of 22,000 miles.  It expect 25,000 miles by 2025.

https://www.railwayage.com/passenger/high-performance/glass-half-full-or-half-empty/?RAchannel=news 

[blue streak 1]

India shuts down most intercity rail service.  Much metro service also shut down.  This link is kind of light on information as to all of the shut downs.

https://www.railjournal.com/regions/asia/india-shuts-down-passenger-rail-network-until-march-31/ 

[blue streak 1]

France has outfitted a TGV as a hospital train.  Interesting ?  Why not Amtrak ?

https://www.railwaygazette.com/high-speed/sncf-deploys-hospital-tgv/56110.article 

https://www.railjournal.com/passenger/main-line/sncf-to-further-reduce-services-to-combat-coronavirus-spread/ 

[Overmod]

blue streak 1

France has outfitted a TGV as a hospital train.  Interesting ?  Why not Amtrak ?

Because by the time it got there everyone would already have gotten sick or died; the restrooms would be festering; the commissary system would bring the art of excuse logistics to new highs; they would charge tens of thousands to modify each car for even the most basic invalid accommodations... 

On the other hand, what a perfect way to throw stimulus money at reactivating the moribund LRC cars, and perhaps the HHP8s and the 'old' Acela sets and the Turboliners sold off to fire departments and use those as rapid-response deployments...

[blue streak 1]

Isreal is speeding up is electrification plans.  Save any comment ?

https://www.railwaygazette.com/infrastructure/israel-railways-electrification-plan-revised/56155.article 

[blue streak 1]

SNCF another hospital train

https://www.railjournal.com/passenger/main-line/sncf-operates-additional-hospital-services-for-covid-19-patients/

[blue streak 1]

UBS who I have no idea what it is has a  prediction that after C-19 there will be a shift to HSR.  It only mentiones Europe and China not the USA.

https://www.railwaygazette.com/policy/ubs-predicts-post-pandemic-shift-from-air-to-high-speed-rail/56195.article 

[Electroliner 1935]

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UBS who I have no idea what it is

Per google, 

UBS is a global firm providing financial services in over 50 countries. Visit our site to find out what we offer in the United States of America.

[MidlandMike]

UBS=Union Bank of Switzerland

The article was vague on the connection between the pandemic and climate change.