JAPAN: East Japan Railway is to launch regular operation of double-deck cars on its busy Chuo Rapid line services between Tokyo, Shinjuku, Nakano and the capital’s western suburbs.

USA: The California High Speed Authority is seeking external specialists in a range of rail-related disciplines to attend a bespoke forum in late January as speculation mounts about the prospects of the project under the incoming Trump administration.

UK: The rail sector has welcomed the outline plans for local politicians to have greater control of passenger rail services which are set out in the government’s white paper on devolution in England, but questions remain about the future scope and structure.

GERMANY: Rail automation and maglev start-up Nevomo and freight operator Captrain Group have launched practical trials of the MagRail Booster concept at a steelworks in Bremen.

UK: The House of Commons Transport Committee is to launch an inquiry into how the government could ensure a stable pipeline of projects and procurements to end ‘boom and bust’ in the supply industry and give passengers, staff, suppliers and investors more certainty about development priorities.

NETHERLANDS: National operator NS and CAF have completed a programme of tests for automated operations.

UK: ScotRail has formally begun the procurement of trainsets to replace the current fleet of 25 HST sets used on Inter7City services.

POLAND: Leasing company OnTrain has been launched to offer central European freight operators a way to replace ageing locomotive fleets, and has placed initial orders for 80 electric locos.

UK: The London Transport Museum is to host a free Skills Late event on January 30 where people aged 16 to 25 and their friends and family can meet employers and learn about job opportunities in transport, engineering and infrastructure.

EUROPE: A daily high speed train service has been launched between Paris and Berlin.

UK: Cheers greeted the arrival of the first Northumberland Line passenger service at Ashington station on December 15, more than 60 years after services to Newcastle were withdrawn in November 1964 and the route became freight-only.

 

UK: Google Street View now includes 18 London rail and Underground stations, with a further 18 to be added by the end of the year.

LITHUANIA: The national railway’s freight business LTG Cargo has awarded Stadler a contract to supply 17 six-axle electric locomotives, along with spare parts and three years of maintenance. There is an option for 17 more locos.

ESTONIA: New owner Tiigi Keskus plans to expand the activities of privatised rail freight operator Operail, with management board member Richard Tomingas saying ‘at first glance, it seems that we must kick-start container transport’.

SWITZERLAND: Narrow gauge operators Rhätische Bahn and Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn have placed a SFr100m joint order for 11 Stadler electro-diesel locomotives.

News from the world rail freight market.

UK: Following a trial backed by the Rail Delivery Group, a further 194 Scheidt & Bachmann ticket machines on Greater Anglia routes are to switch to using paper roll ticket instead of the traditional orange magnetic stripe cards.

SPAIN: Infrastructure manager ADIF has awarded Siemens Rail Automation a €21·6m contract to renew the safety and communications systems at Grisén station, northwest of Zaragoza on the Madrid to Barcelona conventional line. This is the junction for a short branch serving an Opel car factory.

SLOVAKIA: State passenger operator ZSSK announced on November 27 that it would place a €58·4m firm order for a consortium of Škoda Group and ŽOS Trnava to supply a further six four-car Class 660 Panter electric multiple-units suitable for operation using 3 kV DC and 25 kV 50 Hz.