Ansaldobreda Fyra V250

[davetheguard]

I know some new trains in the UK have had teething problems but nothing like this.

One thing I do find disappointing is "SNCB said the interim Brussels - Den Haag service via Roosendaal introduced in February would be stepped up from eight to 10 trains a day as soon as possible, and to 12 per day with the December 2013 timetable change". I would have thought that this is an important passenger route and they really need to reinstate the hourly service now.

What with the difficulties getting a train from Brussels to Amsterdam, and the double- or triple-checking of passports by the UK Border Agency on Eurostar, going by boat from Harwich to Hoek van Holland is beginning to look attractive and worth considering.

We travelled on the route recently for the first time since the Channel Tunnel opened and were surprised at how good it still was. No longer an IC non-stop from Liverpool Street, but still a through train. And of course, the boat is still right next to the station at each end.

Best of all, the cabins on the night boat are, IMHO, much better than in the 80s. There's various grades of cabin, but facilities such as en suite toilets & showers; TVs; double beds; and free mini bars are all available.

And the fares are pretty cheap too.....

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Interesting snippet in Today's Railways Europe issue 210; of a batch of 32 trams somewhere no less than 30 are out of traffic with cracked inter-car couplers. Guess who built the fleet in question?!:roll:

 

[DW54]

Interesting snippet in Today's Railways Europe issue 210; of a batch of 32 trams somewhere no less than 30 are out of traffic with cracked inter-car couplers. Guess who built the fleet in question?!:roll:

They're not Bomb ....... s are they?

Oh, they're not built in Britain - ah, they'd be on Fyr... a - then?
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

I've put it back in, and they've tried to take the stuff about the Libyan train out so someone else has had to put that back in.

I think it's definitely a PR company or someone that works for them!

I'd be careful. They have ways .... and means .... and The Family (of course). :roll:

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Oh, they're not built in Britain - ah, they'd be on Fyr... a - then?
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

They're not Fyras, these are trams - not trains. But I do think you've sussed it...

 

[asylumxl]

Various AnsaldoBreda trams have already been withdrawn from service in various places.

Companies have complete faith in their products...

 

[gingerheid]

Anyone have any links I can stick in Wikipedia?

 

[the sniper]

I'm amazed that Ansaldobreda are still going. I can't really understand how they manage to sell trains or trams outside of Italy, presumably they're as cheap as chips or good at keeping quiet about back handers?

If I were an operator I'd sooner chance ordering Chinese stock over whatever Ansaldobreda can clobber together.

 

[jon0844]

If I were an operator I'd sooner chance ordering Chinese stock over whatever Ansaldobreda can clobber together.

I wouldn't go that far!

 

[asylumxl]

I'm amazed that Ansaldobreda are still going. I can't really understand how they manage to sell trains or trams outside of Italy, presumably they're as cheap as chips or good at keeping quiet about back handers?

Seeing as AnsaldoBreda were more than happy to send an IC4 set to Gadafi as a present, I'd go with the latter.

 

[jon0844]

Seeing as AnsaldoBreda were more than happy to send an IC4 set to Gadafi as a present, I'd go with the latter.

And we all know what happened to him...!

 

[asylumxl]

And we all know what happened to him...!

Well judging by AnsaldoBreda's reputation, I'd imagine he was in fact killed by a defect on his IC4 then later found by the opposition.

 

[WatcherZero]

Ansaldo seems to be making a last ditch attempt to hold on to the contract and probably avoid the inevetability of the company folding, today it had a press conference to unveil a modified design that was more snow resistant and pledged it could deliver it within 14 months. It says replacement trains are too costly though seeing the underlying issues with the units I dont think the operators would be happy to accept a refurbishment.

Its already threatened to sue if the operators dont agree to restart the contract.

 

[gordonthemoron]

they'll be sleeping with the fishes next

 

[radamfi]

AnsaldoBreda have taken out a full page advert in many Dutch newspapers today:

http://nos.nl/artikel/555450-open-brief-ansaldobreda-over-fyra.html

AnsaldoBreda says that if NS collaborates, enough V250 trainsets can be put into service within 6 months.

 

[skindavid]

They are running scared and dreaming... they have broken the direct route between Brussels Antwerp and Amsterdam that have been established (and reasonably priced) for yrs by selling a naff product to NS / NMBS - bring back the Benelux IC train on its previous route!!! People are being FORCED to take the Thalys which costs twice as much... or maybe thats the idea... Everyone here (Antwerp) wants the inter city back !!!! :roll:

 

[radamfi]

bring back the Benelux IC train on its previous route!!!

That is more or less the new plan for the 'Beneluxplus' train:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=107459132&postcount=1036

This is obviously good for people in Breda and especially Den Haag, who lost out big time with the Fyra plan, but people in Amsterdam are complaining that it takes so long, especially because it will use the old railway between Rotterdam and Schiphol.

 

[WatcherZero]

The fate of Ansaldo is looking clearer now, the current working plan by the Italian Government is it will buy Finmeccanica's Ansaldo Breda and Ansaldo STS divisions and package them together into a holding company as a kind of Italian rail manufacturing flag carrier. Then seek a private sector partner to take a substantial stake with the current two parties most interested being General Electric whose already held talks to buy Ansaldo STS and Hitachi.

The Italian Government has already bought Finmeccanica's third division Ansaldo Energia and the rail moves are a nationalist attempt to keep the rail division Italian after Spain's Telefonica struck a deal to gradually acquire Telecom Italia.

 

[dutchflyer]

And it is also finally decided to drop the name of FYRA completely in NL/NS-also for the still running TRAXX-loco hauled domestic trains AMS-Breda.