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I have a hunch that this was well understood by the architects of the BR breakup. Without the property arm, Railtrack wouldn't have been economically viable as a company. Railway infrastructure on a national scale is hard to operate at a profit. Real estate generates money which is needed to...

Promotion and creating brand awareness is important. If the Welsh government and TfW are consistent, this is the last livery the units will ever get. Making sure that a few units are ready in TfW branding on launch day is a good thing, and doesn't cost that much. Of course it will take more...

I did this in the Netherlands, a few years ago. I was on a slow service from Den Haag Centraal (The Hague) heading for Roosendaal. This service did not have a toilet, but I felt an upcoming need to go to the bathroom. I left the service at Rotterdam Centraal, and joined an intercity service for...

That's an easy question with a complicated answer. Sometimes, this can be explained by standards: technical standards set by the EU, accessibility standards (EU PRM TSI, RVAR) and fire safety standards play a big role in modern train design. The loud beeps when a door is opening aren't just...

The new ones don't have to fit in the W6 loading gauge, so they're built to the European gauge. This did make it necessary to adjust the platforms at Ashford International. The new ones also don't have conventional British safety systems (AWS/TPWS) so Ashford International was adjusted to have...

Cards can also fail in unexpected ways. For example, the RFID antenna could break (there have been bad batches of OV-chipkaarten), and if the card can't be read then you could also get fined. While plug sockets aren't universally available yet, it is slowly getting better. Phone batteries as...

Don't forget that the GW franchise has been extended multiple times since 2013. That means FGW/GWR are basically living on borrowed time: as long as they keep the DfT happy, they can keep their franchise for just a bit longer. I'm sure that GWR will have voiced their opinion on the DfT spec, but...

We already have the infrastructure for that in place: validators, gatelines, backend infrastructure, issuing infrastructure, et cetera. Switzerland has an open system and isn't planning on changing that, while they do want to simplify public transport for their customers. Ticketless travel...

Actually, they do! NS Operatie, the arm of NS which operates domestic services, have a contract with the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management. NS Operatie have agreed to premium payments to run the franchise. The Dutch Ministry of Finance, the owner of the overarching NS Groep, is...

According to the preliminary investigation (the "feitenrelaas" document) the Stint vehicles can remain stuck in the highest power notch when a power cable temporarily disconnects while the vehicle is in motion. This happens when a soldered connection fails, high currents flow through the cables...

This just in: as of October 2nd 2018, 0:00 (midnight), the use of Stint vehicles on public roads is forbidden. The Minister of Infrastructure, Cora van Nieuwenhuizen, has come to this decision after an initial investigation into the Stint vehicles showed that there are flaws in the construction...

Here in the Netherlands, we have similar units (the D-GTW, also built by Stadler). While our loading gauge is a bit wider than the one used in the UK, the difference isn't that big and the corridor on the GTW units isn't very roomy either. It is used though :)

Richard Clinnick posted a video of a 755/4 accelerating on diesel: https://twitter.com/Clinnick1/status/1037681185097482240 GA are aiming for an intercity experience on a regional train. I think they'll do quite well. :) I guess that's a consequence of the primary function of these units -...

That's correct. Arlanda Express exclusively serves Arlanda Norra (North, terminal 5) and Arlanda Södra (South, terminals 2, 3 and 4). Arlanda Central is not served by AE, but is served by SJ, SJ Regional and SL. SJ Night Trains also call at Arlanda Central.

Not really. After DB decided to kill the CityNightLine network, ÖBB picked up the ball and are slowly reinstating services while significantly investing in rolling stock (overhaul + new build). The 2019 timetable will see the return of the Berlin - Vienna night train (via Poland and Hungary)...

That is what will be looked at, yes. Parents are obviously concerned. Some after-school care institutions have stopped using Stints for the time being, others have adjusted their routes so that they no longer have to cross the railway. A fundraiser for the victims and their relatives has...

ILT, the Dutch equivalent of the RSSB, are investigating whether electromagnetic interference from the level crossing might have played a role in Thursday's accident. Since Thursday's crash, several Stint users have claimed that their vehicle malfunctioned in the vicinity of a level crossing...

Those still exist, although nowadays the Germany - Denmark service is operated using DSB IC3 DMUs :)

The leasing costs for the 755's will probably be higher than for the 170s, but this can be offset against easier maintenance, less staff training, and higher interchangeability. GA only have 12 170s, while the new 755 fleet will be bigger. This makes it easier to have a unit cover for a...

It's important to note that the type of vehicle wasn't a regular "bakfiets", a bike with a large cart in front of it. The vehicle involved is an electric "Stint" made by a Dutch company, Stintum. A Stint is a sort of combination between a Segway and a bakfiets. The 'driver' operates the...