POLICY & LEGISLATION
08 Aug 2008 | Management changes in the Rift Valley
EAST AFRICA: Following persistent criticism from the Ugandan and Kenyan governments over the performance of the 2 350 km Kenya - Uganda rail network following the launch of a 25-year operating concession last year, the Rift Valley Railways consortium announced on August 4 that it was chang More...
28 Jul 2008 | Don't re-regulate rail freight
REGULATION: Rail has a major role to play in reducing energy use and addressing environmental concerns in North America, but proposals being debated in the US Congress to increase regulation of the sector could halt much-needed investment in additional capacity, argues Ed Hamberger. More...
28 Jul 2008 | Energy metering is on the way
EUROPE: One compelling message to emerge from IQPC's Greener Rail conference in London on July 17-18 was that on-train metering of electric power use is coming in one form or another. As soaring energy costs reinforce more subtle pressures to cut CO2 emissions, the realisation that what can't be mea More...
17 Jul 2008 | Swedish high speed strategy
SWEDEN: Infrastructure manager Banverket has submitted a report to the government recommending the construction of two high speed corridors over the next 20 years, at an estimated cost of SKr100bn to SKr150bn. According to BV Director General Minoo Akhtarzand, the rail network will need 50% more c More...
16 Jul 2008 | Pacific transfer approved
COLOMBIA: National concession agency INCO has given its approval for the concession to upgrade and operate the 498 km Pacific rail network to be transferred to a new owner, Ferrocarril del Oeste SA. The 30-year concession had originally been awarded in 1998 to Tren de Occidente, but in 2006 INCO be More...
07 Jul 2008 | A long haul on the Lunatic Express
KENYA: Barely 18 months after the Rift Valley Railways consortium finally took control of the 900 km Kenya-Uganda railway on November 1 2006, pressure is growing for the 25-year concession to be cancelled. RVR is clearly having a tough time, with the railway linking Mombasa with Nairobi and Kampala More...
04 Jul 2008 | DB sacked over S-Bahn quality failings
GERMANY: A dispute erupted in the Ruhr area on June 12 when local transport agency Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr announced that it had decided to cancel its S-Bahn operating contract with DB Regio Nordrhein-Westfalen with immediate effect. An extraordinary resolution to do so had been approved during a More...
02 Jul 2008 | KiwiRail launch marks end of 'failed' privatisation
NEW ZEALAND: Prime Minister Helen Clark unveiled KiwiRail as the name for the rail and ferry operations which were transferred from Toll New Zealand into government ownership on July 1. Services will initially be unchanged, with KiwiRail controlled by an establishment board chaired by former Prime More...
24 Jun 2008 | Bulgaria commissions strategic transport study
BULGARIA: The Ministry of Transport has appointed consultancy Faber Maunsell to produce a national multi-modal transport masterplan. Much of Bulgaria's transport infrastructure is in a poor condition as a result of past underinvestment, but accession to the European Union in January 2007 has made More...
24 Jun 2008 | Working towards a sustainable future
ENVIRONMENT: Despite growing concerns about climate change and energy efficiency, imbalances in the pricing of different transport modes continue to distort the market across Europe. But CER Chairman Aad Veenman sees signs of progress at last. More...
