TESTING of the first class 755/4 Flirt UK electro-diesel multiple unit for Abellio subsidiary Greater Anglia has begun at Stadler’s Erlen Commissioning Centre in northeast Switzerland.

THE first CAF Civity EMU for British operator Arriva Rail North (Northern) began dynamic testing at the Velim test centre in the Czech Republic last week.

IRJ at Infrarail 2018 London: British infrastructure manager Network Rail (NR) says it is planning to adopt a new approach to the procurement of ERTMS, with a focus on the whole life of the assets.

HS1 Ltd, the owner and infrastructure manager of the high-speed link between London St Pancras and the Channel Tunnel, says it is in discussions with Eurotunnel, SNCF Network and Lisea about introducing direct London - Bordeaux high-speed services.

BRITISH Steel has started construction of a new rail mill in Scunthorpe, Britain, to produce Zinoco-coated rails up to 108m long and welded rails with a maximum length of 216m. This follows approval by Network Rail (NR) of its Zinoco-coated long rails.

FIRST Group and Trenitalia have withdrawn from the competition to run the new East Midlands franchise as the partners seek to concentrate their resources on their bid for the West Coast Partnership (WCP).

GREAT Western Railway (GWR) has reached an agreement with Porterbrook Leasing to lease 19 class 769 Flex multiple units, which will be capable of operating under diesel, 750V dc third rail and 25kV ac overhead electric power.

HITACHI announced on April 20 that the first of 19 class 802/2 inter-city trains for First Group subsidiary TransPennine Express (TPE) has left the company’s Kasado plant in Japan on the first leg of its journey to Britain.

THE first set of CAF Mk5A coaches for British operator TransPennine Express (TPE) was unveiled to the media at the Velim test centre in the Czech Republic on April 12.

GROWTH in the business market and a further rise in travellers from the United States have helped Eurostar to achieve record first-quarter ridership, according to the latest figures from the international high-speed operator.