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.
Oxygène next-generation French inter-city train unveiled
FRANCE: National passenger operator SNCF Voyageurs and manufacturer CAF have unveiled the first of the Z26700 Oxygène inter-city trainsets which will replace Corail locomotive-hauled coaches on 200 km/h inter-city serves on conventional lines.
Modernised Port Harcourt – Aba railway reopens
NIGERIA: Minister of Transportation Sa’idu Alkali flagged off an inaugural train to mark the completion of work to modernise the 62 km Port Harcourt – Aba line on April 30, and has provided an update on progress with other ongoing rail projects.
Xi Jinping and Orbán agree to develop Hungarian rail projects
HUNGARY: Chinese President Xi Jinping and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán have reached an agreement to start ‘preparation works’ for the development of a rail freight bypass around Budapest and a rail-based link to the capital’s Ferenc Liszt International Airport.
British Steel rail ordered for Turkish project
TURKEY: British Steel has won a contract of disclosed ‘multi-million-pound’ value to supply ‘tens of thousands of tonnes’ of rail for the project to modernise and electrify the 286 km Mersin – Adana – Gaziantep line to for 200 km/h operation.
Scenic Plus coach refurbished for New Zealand tourist train service
NEW ZEALAND: National railway KiwiRail’s tourist train business Great Journeys New Zealand has unveiled a coach which has been refurbished to provide a premium ‘immersive travel experience’ on the 223 km TranzAlpine coast-to-coast service between Greymouth and Christchurch.