News
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Factory commissioning of Merseyrail Class 777 begins
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STATIC factory-based testing of the first of 52 Stadler Class 777 four-car EMUs for Merseyrail has started in Switzerland. When engineers are satisfied, the set will be moved to Germany for dynamic testing on Siemens Wildenrath test circuit, before the first completed set is delivered to Merseyside later in the year. The first trains of…
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Anglia ‘FLIRTs’ get formal launch
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By Ben Jones GREATER Anglia’s (GA) rural services are beginning to see a radical transformation as new Class 755 bi-mode ‘FLIRT’ units enter service. There was a ‘soft launch’ into passenger service on July 29, with GA officially introducing the new Stadler-built trains at Norwich on September 4. No. 755413 worked return trips to Great Yarmouth…
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‘Aberdonian’ success prompts return in 2020
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TORNADO Railtours’ series of Edinburgh to Aberdeen day trips concluded on September 7 after a successful first season, with dates having been announced for next year’s trains. The tours are hauled by ‘A1’ No. 60163 Tornado and will operate on July 23, September 3 and September 10, offering passengers a diverse selection of off-train excursions as…
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Big Pacifics dominate RTC autumn/winter tours
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THE Railway Touring Company’s regular summer operations are over for another year, but there is a tempting selection of railtours for the autumn and winter months. October 12 sees one of its regular ‘Cumbrian Mountain Express’ trips from Euston to Carlisle, utilising electric No. 86259 Les Ross as far as Carnforth, where one of the West…
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Tornado set for ‘Great Britain’ debut
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CONTINUING co-operation between West Coast Railways and The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust means Peppercorn ‘A1’ No. 60163 Tornado will make its debut on the ‘Great Britain’ landcruise train in 2020. The 13th edition of the Railway Touring Company’s grand tour of England, Scotland and Wales will roll out of London King’s Cross behind the ‘A1’ on…
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Five locos add even more power to Turkish open access operator fleet
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TURKISH open access freight operator Körfez Ulaştırma (KU) took delivery of five DE36500 Wabtec (formerly GE Transportation) ‘Powerhaul’ locos this summer. KU is the rail freight subsidiary of Tüpraş, Turkey’s largest oil refinery. The locos were ordered in 2018 and assembled by Wabtec’s Turkish partner Tülomsaş, in Eskişehir. They will be used alongside five similar DE36000…
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Belgian heritage line hosts gala weekend
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BELGIAN national rail enthusiasts’ group Patrimoine Ferroviaire et Tourisme (PFT) held its annual gala weekend on the Chemin de Fer du Bocq heritage line from Ciney to Bauche in mid-August. A wide variety of visiting diesel locos, from several operators, visited the line, along with preserved ex-Belgian State Railways Canadian-built (Montreal Loco Works 74511/1945) 2-8-0…
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Leaked draft confirms Oakervee support for full HS2 route
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An early draft of the Oakervee Report – leaked to national media in November – confirms the expert panel will recommend High Speed 2 (HS2) should proceed, despite worries the revised £88billion budget could be exceeded. Supporters had been concerned that parts of the ‘Y’-shaped route could be scrapped to save costs, but the draft…
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Washington to New York non-stop
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AMTRAK has announced plans to introduce a non-stop ‘Acela’ high-speed train pair between New York and Washington DC from September 23. The non-stop trains will take 2hr 35min, with the current fastest ‘Acela’ services taking just under three hours, stopping in major cities such as Philadelphia and Baltimore en route. Read more News and Features…
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Coast-to-coast African passenger train with Rovos Rail
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SOUTH AFRICAN rail cruise operator Rovos Rail ran the first through passenger train between Tanzania, Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Angola in July. The journey took 15 days, with an eastbound train following the same route in reverse in August. While the train made the entire journey, passengers disembarked for safaris and…
