Rail roundup: Warsaw megaproject resumes, Eurostar goes intermodal, half-price DB deal
It’s your daily dose of rail reconnaissance from RailTech. Yesterday marked the 60th anniversary of the world’s first bullet train. On 1 October 1964, Japan’s high-speed Shinkansen had its maiden voyage, running between Tokyo and Osaka at an era-crashing 210 km/h. Six decades later, high-speed rail is having a new revival. From a new Warsaw station to Eurostar’s latest partnership, and a very special offer from Deutsche Bahn, find out what’s happening today in the world of rail.
Poland to build new Warszawa Gdańska station
Poland’s rail passengers are gearing up for a new Warszawa Gdańska station, while the capital is also set to see a new, modern—and massive—business centre. Companies from the PKP Group are resuming their cooperation with Belgian developers Ghelamco, having signed an investment agreement to start working on the 100,000 sqm project again. That’s as the PKP Group returns to carrying out development projects suspended years ago in a bid to get the most out of the land they own.
Lithuania opens new Rail Baltica centre, upgrades comms network
Lithuanian national railway operator LTG Group and its US partner Ribbon Communications have announced the completion of a “critical” network upgrade. This includes renewed trackside hardware as well as freshly applied network management and security software solutions, including Ribbon’s Future Railway Mobile Communication System. It also includes a seven-year service and support contract.
Meanwhile, yesterday saw Lithuania open the country’s first Rail Baltica Information Centre. Located at Kaunas station, the centre was created to provide up-to-date information on the ongoing Rail Baltica project, which is set to revolutionise transport in the Baltic region. The station itself is getting its own high-speed line and is set to serve more daily passengers than the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius.
Eurostar and SkyTeam announce partnership
Eurostar and the global airline alliance SkyTeam have signed an agreement that will pave the way for integrated intermodal journeys via air and rail for millions. Eurostar is SkyTeam’s first non-airline partner, and the deal means that their customers will be able to use a single reservation to travel both on a plane and a connecting train in some of Europe’s biggest transport hubs, basically anywhere that Eurostar offers services, including France, the Netherlands, Belgium, the UK, and Germany.
Siemens and Beacon sign major rolling stock deal
Siemens Mobility and top rolling stock lessor Beacon have signed a major framework deal for the delivery of an initial 25 Vectron multi-system locomotives. The new 6.4 MW Vectron trains are set to replace the existing Vectron Beacon fleet. The order will see Beacon increase its Vectron fleet in continental Europe to over 180 locomotives, with the units to be produced at the Siemens Mobility plant in Germany’s Munich-Allach. Beacon CEO Adam Cunliffe said he was “delighted” that his company could continue its partnership with Siemens to offer a fleet ready for the tracks in France, Germany, and Europe’s main freight and passenger corridors.
Hitachi Rail achieves ‘substantial’ progress in sustainability
Last week at InnoTrans, Hitachi Rail launched its fifth annual Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) report. The report’s headlines include substantial reductions in direct and indirect emissions—some 14 per cent, thanks apparently to using more renewable sources including solar; the development of sustainable and ethical framework certificates, where suppliers will be obligated to use carbon-friendly treated resources; and the development of the industry’s first Sustainable Product Declaration (SPD) for the Masaccio Train, allowing it to track the ethical life cycle of the product. Well done, Hitachi!
Deutsche Bahn offers super cheap BahnCard deal
Since 1 October, Deutsche Bahn has been offering the BahnCard 50 at half price. The deal, which will be running until 13 October, means the regular 2nd class BahnCard will be 122 euros instead of 244 euros. For 1st class, it is available for 246 euros. Senior and Reduced BahnCard prices have also been dropped for the period, as well as BahnCard fares for those under 27. The regular BahnCard 50 is DB’s answer for habitual train travellers, offering customers discounts of up to 50 per cent on certain tickets, and an additional 25 per cent on already discounted saver offers.
Read more:
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- Intelligent Rail Summit ‘24: Estonia to play ‘pivotal role’ in future of rail tech
- Belgium: SNCB stops selling some intl. ticket
- Italy in France? Trenitalia to launch Paris-Marseille route
- EU report says liberalisation pays off but is it biased?
- France’s new firm accelerates regional liberalisation
