A new European project is looking at using carbon fibres and 3D printing techniques to design lighter, more reliable and quieter trains. Professor Simon Iwnicki, director of the Institute of Railway Research at the University of Huddersfield, talks about the project’s aims and the challenges of creating change in a risk-adverse industry.
April was a busy month for Shift2Rail (S2R) and its relations with other stakeholders across Europe’s rail network. Representatives from it, including its Executive Director, Carlo Borghini, were joined by the EU Commissioner for Mobility and Transport, Violeta Bulc. Together they attended two major international conferences on the future of rail: the Transport Research Arena (TRA) and Ten-T Days.
Rolling stock manufacturer Stadler has started testing the first unit of the new regional bi-mode train fleet that will be delivered to UK rail operator Greater Anglia.
HS1, the operator of the high-speed line between London and the Channel Tunnel, is planning to introduce direct high-speed services between London and Bordeaux, France, in collaboration with three other international railway operators.
The Singapore Land Transport Authority (LTA) has signed a €150m agreement to procure 17 additional Metropolis trains to support operations on the extensions of the North East Line (NEL) and the Circle Line (CCL).
As part of short-lived, experimental initiatives in a number of cities across the world, transport authorities waived fares on certain public networks to encourage ridership and fight pollution. However, some believe this model could work on a permanent basis. Does free public transit really make sense economically?
Île-de-France Mobilités and SNCF Transilien have ordered 32 Citadis Dualis tram-trains from Alstom. The order, which is approximately worth 170 million euros, is part of SNCF’s tram-train framework contract which it signed with Alstom in 2007.