Government proposes lowering the minimum age to be a train driver
UK: Industry bodies and drivers’ union ASLEF have welcomed the start of consultation on a government proposal to lower the minimum age to become a train driver in Great Britain from 20 to 18.
Control centre opening marks latest stage in Paris RER modernisation
FRANCE: Paris transport operator RATP and national railway SNCF have transferred the management of RER Line A to a new control centre.
FirstGroup’s Lumo seeks to launch Rochdale – London open access service
UK: FirstGroup has applied to operate Rochdale – London open access passenger trains, more than 20 years after a short-lived through service ran between the two destinations.
Philippines: A comprehensive package of Japanese know-how
Keisuke Fukui, Senior Representative of Japan International Co-operation Agency’s Philippines office, sets out how the bilateral financing body is providing support in a variety of fields to ensure effective delivery of rail and metro schemes in the country.
Railway supply industry news round-up
This week’s news from the global railway supply chain.
Eurostar plans to acquire 50 ‘fully interoperable’ trains
EUROPE: International high speed train operator Eurostar says it is ‘preparing to invest’ in up to 50 high speed trainsets, which would be fully interoperable ’across five countries and beyond’.
Interview: ‘We focus on intermodality and resilience’
The Asian Development Bank is focusing on better integration of the many projects it supports, in order to drive intermodality. Meanwhile, any infrastructure ADB finances needs to be climate resilient, its Transport Director Markus Roesner explains to Benjámin Zelki at the bank’s headquarters in the Manila metropolitan area.