POLICY & LEGISLATION
04 Jun 2008 | DB restructures in run-up to sale
GERMANY: Details of Deutsche Bahn's future structure were agreed at an extraordinary meeting of the company's supervisory board held on May 15. To permit sale to the private sector of an initial 24·9% stake, the transport businesses are being moved into DB Mobility Logistics AG (below), which alrea More...
01 Jun 2008 | New Zealand nationalises
NEW ZEALAND: The government is to buy the New Zealand rail and ferry business of Toll Holdings, Prime Minister Helen Clark and Finance Minister Michael Cullen confirmed on May 5. The price had been a sticking point in negotiations (RG 4.08 p222), but has been agreed at NZ$665m to be settled by June More...
30 May 2008 | Commission clarifies rules on state aid
EUROPE: The European Commission adopted guidelines clarifying the rules on state aid for railways on April 30. Drawn up to replace inconsistent national 'custom and practice', the guidelines set out how the particular requirements of the rail sector, especially in the most recent EU members, mean th More...
29 May 2008 | Polish regions to own local services
POLAND: Ownership of the state railway's regional passenger business PKP PR is to be transferred from the national to provincial governments under a restructuring programme which was approved by parliament on May 15. Railway holding company PKP SA is to be paid 2·16bn zloty from the state budget t More...
29 May 2008 | Is it mission impossible?
Bangladesh is really a large city, and raill-based mass transport will be a necessity. But how should the railway develop its role when it has lost almost all its traffic to road? More...
26 May 2008 | Funding debate rolls on
USA: California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has reached agreement with local Democratic party leaders over private-sector participation in the state's proposed 1 287 km high speed rail network (RG 3.08 p151). This is reflected in a bill introduced to the Sacramento legislature at the end of Marc More...
22 May 2008 | Global traffic keeps rising
INTERNATIONAL: The strong Asian market is continuing to drive up railway traffic across the world, according to the International Union of Railways' analysis of 2007 statistics published on March 31. Collation of passenger and traffic figures submitted by 62 UIC member railways around the world hig More...
20 May 2008 | UIC crisis could last until Christmas
Current tensions over the leadership and direction of the International Union of Railways could last until the end of this year, according to insiders attending the organisation's statutory meetings in Seoul on May 18 – 19. Chris Jackson reports from Korea More...
20 May 2008 | Pepy charts an expansionist future
FRANCE: Ambitious is the adjective that best describes SNCF's plans for the next five years. Newly-appointed President Guillaume Pepy went public on March 19 with his proposals to expand and develop the French national railway, promising 'a change in pace and scope'. Declaring that SNCF was 'now fi More...
13 May 2008 | Cross-acceptance accord
EUROPE: Meeting in Paris on April 16, the President of Germany's Federal Railway Office Armin Keppel signed an agreement with his counterpart Jean-Paul Troadec from France's Railway Safety Authority endorsing cross-acceptance of railway vehicles between the two countries. The move follows discussion More...
