Systems integration specialist Hima-Sella is to supply components for the European Train Control System (ETCS) signalling system trial that Hitachi Rail Europe is currently running in collaboration with Network Rail in the UK. As sole UK distributor for Deuta-Werke rail components, Hima-Sella will supply MFT_L11 driver displays and DRS05 Doppler speed radar equipment. The display will indicate speed and ETCS related...

A special one day conference at the London Transport Museum, Covent Garden, heralds this year’s Stations Focus special feature in the May edition of RailStaff. Longer franchises of between 10 and 22 years, as announced by transport secretary Andrew Adonis, presage a massive investment in Britain’s railway stations. Station design, development and construction is set to attract fresh capital as...

Climbing the 5,895m Mount Kilimanjaro marks a birthday with a difference for the Railway Children’s marketing and communications manager, Rob Capener. ‘It’s my birthday on the day we reach the summit,’ says Rob who plans a small celebration before heading back down. The expedition marks the high point – no pun intended – of an action packed year for the...

One month after its launch the high speed rail service Sapsan, between Moscow and St Petersburg is attracting more passengers and growing well. The Sapsan service’s average daily passenger count is around 2,500. The trains run three times daily on a mirror timetable, departing simultaneously from St Petersburg and Moscow in the morning, at midday, and in the evening....

Keep your nerve, you’re the best in the business. That’s the encouraging message to all staff at c2c from David Franks, NEG’s man in the rail hot seat. The strangely named c2c is to be recast as Essex Thameside when the franchise comes up for renewal next year. ‘We have a fantastic record of running railways and I know you...

Bombardier Transportation will supply another 48 TALENT 2 trains to Deutsche Bahn (DB) AG. This recent order amounts to approximately 200 million euros ($272 million US) and has brought the number of TALENT 2 vehicles ordered by DB up to 176. The new trains will run on Berlin-Brandenburg's transport network (Verkehrsverbund Berlin-Brandenburg - VBB). They will be operated by DB Regio,...

Plans to revamp Swansea railway station into a bright, accessible, clean and secure station fit for the 21st century are unveiled for the first time today. More than 1.6m passengers who travel through the Swansea station every year are set to benefit from better journey experiences from the revamp. The upgrade will also help boost Swansea’s public transport network as the scheme...

On February 4th Tornado hauled the Royal train, conveying the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, from Preston to Manchester's Museum of Science and industry. The A1 locomotive called at the world's oldest surviving passenger station, situated in the museum, and the prince went on a tour of the museum, looking at the various items of rolling stock, and the...

The Eltham Regeneration Agency has commissioned a feasibiliaty study into extending the Docklands Light Railway from Woolwich Arsenal to Eltham. Consultants will look at the practical and regeneration benefits that a rail link would bring to the area, with an interim report due in April, followed by a final report in May.  DLR opened the King George V to Woolwich Arsenal extension...

The Great Central Railway, which runs between Loughborough and Leicester, is to invest £175,000 in refurbishing 6 carriages into a Pullman style train. Due to a generous donor, the funding is already in place and work has started on 3 of the carriages, with the entire rake due to enter service within 12 months. The first of the carriages should enter...