Rail policy & legislation news
Latest news about railway industry policy, reform, restructuring, planning, law, legislation and regulation worldwide.
Policy: New entrants promise to reshape South African freight market
No fewer than 11 private freight train operators have been granted conditional access to the Transnet network under the government’s rail reform programme. Market opening offers hope that declining rail freight volumes can be reversed and infrastructure renovated. Benjámin Zelki investigates.
Open access train operator RegioJet pulls out of Poland having ‘lost hope and faith’
POLAND: Czech open access train operator RegioJet has announced its withdrawal from the Polish domestic market, alleging anti-competitive behaviour which the incumbent railway group has denied. Railway Gazette International looks at the claims and counterclaims.
Comment: Security concerns reflect rail’s reliance on its people
Deutsche Bahn has unveiled fresh measures to protect staff following a fatal assault in February. Our Executive Editor Nick Kingsley argues that this incident has shone a light on an under-recognised aspect of railway safety, while highlighting the importance of railway people amid a growing clamour for automation.
Regulation: How an interventionist infrastructure manager spurred high speed rail demand in Spain
Acting as a guiding mind in terms of redesigning and reallocating capacity, ADIF Alta Velocidad helped to stimulate demand for high speed rail travel in Spain, challenging the belief that infrastructure managers should remain passive or only reactive.
Data: Standards hold key to modal integration
The development of an open data exchange toolkit is the latest sign that progress is being made on the thorny question of multimodal ticketing and journey information across rail, air and urban transport, as UIC’s Bertrand Minary explains to Nick Kingsley.
Middle East: Early planning is critical to rail project success
As ambitious railway programmes take shape across the Middle East, there is a growing need to appreciate the importance of strategic planning, which shapes performance, ensure resilience and delivers long-term value.
International railway organisation OTIF suspends Afghanistan’s voting rights
SNCF Réseau reaches network access agreement with high speed new entrant
Eurofima targets tram and metro financing in strategic rethink
Competition rulings open Italian domestic high speed rail market
‘If it takes 45 days, we will lose the war’: CER warns faster train planning needed to support military mobility
Comment: Time for a shorter wishlist
Newcastle – Sydney high speed railway moves into development phase
South Korean high speed service recast paves way for operators to merge
RATP suggests ‘Team France’ approach to winning international contracts
Austrian Federal Railways restructuring planned
European transport associations make joint call for a €100bn Connecting Europe Facility
Stations funded as Welsh rail prospectus sets out long-term aspirations
Safety action plan follows death of German railway employee
Moldova to separate national railway vertically
Madrid – Sevilla high speed line ready to reopen after Adamuz collision as investigation continues
Germany: Stuttgart 21 delayed again
Great British Railways: ‘The target is to increase use of the railway’
Ireland: Next steps emerge in all-island rail vision