Leo Express recruitment campaign oversubscribed
01 June 2012,
05:00:00
CZECH REPUBLIC: Open access operator Leo
Express reports that its recruitment campaign to find 80 staff ahead of its
launch in December has been heavily oversubscribed. More than 800 people applied
for the various positions on offer, many of which are customer-facing, such as
call centre staff or onboard service personnel. A detailed selection process has
whittled the field down to 200, who were invited to attend an assessment process
in Ostrava at the end of last month. The operator reports that around two-thirds
of the applicants were women from the northern Moravia region; Leo Express is
expressly targeting ‘younger men and women who are on the threshold of their
career.’ ‘Such a great public response exceeded our expectations’, explained the
company’s founder Leos Novotny. ‘It is obvious that our company already has a
name and that people understand we are an attractive employer.’
EuroAirport station proposed in cross-border passenger plan
31 May 2012,
16:49:00
EUROPE: Plans for a direct rail connection
to EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg and the extension of Swiss regional
services across the border to Mulhouse in France are included a memorandum of
understanding which was signed by SBB, SNCF, the region of Alsace and the
cantons of Aargau, Basel-Landschaft and Basel-Stadt on May 29. The cross-border
service would use SBB Stadler Flirt EMUs, subject to gaining approval for
operation in France, eliminating the need for passengers to change trains in
Basel. EuroAirport is located within France but close to the Swiss border, and
serves the cities of Basel, Mulhouse and Freiburg in Germany. The estimated
€220m cost of a new 6 km loop and station to serve the airport would be divided
between the three countries. Consultation on has now begun, with a view to
opening in 2017-18. According to SBB, more than 35 000 people a day cross from
Alsace into Switzerland, with 10% using public transport. Around 5·05 million
passengers used EuroAirport in 2011.
Chiltern Railways puts refurbished Mk III coaches into service
31 May 2012,
11:05:00
UK: On May 28 Chiltern Railways put into
service the first of four rakes of Mk III coaches that are being heavily
refurbished and equipped with sliding plug doors. Deployed on London Marylebone
- Birmingham Moor Street services, the Mk IIIs are marshalled between a Class 67
locomotive and a Driving Van Trailer equipped with an auxiliary generator. Next
to each DVT is a GFW car inherited from the Wrexham & Shropshire fleet which
has 30 seats in 1+2 formation. This is the 'Business Zone' with a small buffet
counter, and a supplement is collected on board for use of these seats. The
other four cars have 2+2 seating but with 72 seats in the two TSO cars and only
69 seats in the two TSOL cars equipped with an accessible lavatory. DB Regio
awarded a contract to Wabtec Rail Ltd of Doncaster to comprehensively refurbish
a total of 20 Mk III cars. The aim is to have all four rakes in service by
December. Perhaps the most difficult task was to install the powered doors, with
both ends of each car body removed and rebuilt to produce a larger vestibule
with tracks for the sliding plug doors. Rail Door Solutions supplied the door
systems, similar to those installed in the Siemens Class 444 Desiro EMUs for
South West Trains. Retention toilets compliant with the Persons with Reduced
Mobility TSI have been installed. LED interior lighting has been installed
throughout the TSOL cars and in all the vestibules, and there is a power socket
available at each seat. 'This really does prove that you can deliver a first
class service utilising older rolling stock', said Chiltern Engineering Director
Kate Marjoribanks. 'The new power doors and additional features allow us to
increase capacity and at the same time meet the needs of our passengers'.
Railway Gazette International was told that the next steps were likely to
be adding a sixth car to each rake, and then producing a fifth rake to provide
heavy maintenance cover.
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GE Transportation to move headquarters to Chicago
31 May 2012,
10:43:00
USA: GE Transportation announced on May 30
that it had selected Chicago as the location for its global headquarters. The
company's plant in Erie, Pennsylvania, will remain the headquarters of its
locomotive business, and it will still be the 'key manufacturing and engineering
site'. 'We have transformed GE Transportation from a North American rail company
to a truly global transportation business', said President & CEO Lorenzo
Simonelli. 'Chicago allows us to more efficiently reach and serve customers
around the world in the rail, mining and marine industries'. GE is evaluating
potential office locations for the headquarters, which it expects to have a
staff of around 150 by 2014. This will include 50 support and services staff
relocated from Erie. 'Illinois is one of the most important rail and
transportation hubs in the nation,' said state Governor Pat Quinn. 'By choosing
Chicago for its global headquarters, GE Transportation will be positioned to
compete fiercely in the US and all over the world'.
Colas buys Pullman Rail
30 May 2012,
14:17:00
UK: Colas Rail Ltd announced on May 21 that
it had acquired Pullman Rail Ltd, the rolling stock maintenance and
refurbishment contractor based at Canton depot in Cardiff. As well as
significantly increasing its own fleet maintenance capability, Colas says that
the acquistion will enable it to ‘further expand’ into the market to supply
maintenance services to vehicle owners and operators. ‘With this acquisition, we
are further strengthening our already extensive rail expertise and deepening our
ability to offer a one-stop shop to our clients’, said Colas Rail Europe CEO
Charles-Albert Giral. ‘We are also confirming our commitment to investment in
the UK and our particular focus on Wales’. The business will continue to trade
as Pullman Rail, with current and planned improvements at Canton expected to
increase the range of services offered for the maintenance of passenger and
freight rolling stock as well as on-track plant. These developments aim to
increase capacity and reduce throughput times for bogie, wheelset and vehicle
overhaul, as well as train refurbishment and upgrades.
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