Estonia rail news – Page 2
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News€353m Rail Baltica grant agreement signed
EUROPE: A grant agreement which will see the EU’s Connecting Europe Facility provide €353·9m for the Rail Baltica project has been signed by the European Climate, Infrastructure & Environment Executive Agency, ministries from the three countries and tri-national implementation agency RB Rail. This will fund the ...
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In depthViewpoint: Institutional fragmentation has undermined Rail Baltica
On paper Rail Baltica is a perfect match for the EU’s Connecting Europe Facility programme. But three issues need to be addressed, argues Kaspars Briškens, who recently stepped down as Head of Strategy & Development at the standard gauge railway project.
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NewsOperail to sell non-strategic assets
ESTONIA: Eight bidders have been shortlisted to participate in the potential sale of state rail freight group Operail’s locomotive assembly and repair, wagon leasing and Finnish operating businesses. The government has deemed these as non-strategic activities. The state began the partial privatisation process around 1½ years ...
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NewsAmber Train links the Baltic States to western Europe
EUROPE: A trial Amber Train service between the Baltic States left the Estonian port of Muuga on September 13, arriving the following day at Kaunas in Lithuanian where its load of semi-trailers was transferred to 1 435 mm gauge wagons for onward transport to destinations including ...
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NewsRail Baltica shadow operator appointed
EUROPE: A joint venture of the German national railway’s DB Engineering & Consulting business, Spanish national operator RENFE Operadora and consultancy Ineco is to act as shadow operator for the Rail Baltica project. The €8m contract was signed by Rail Baltica project promoter RB Rail and ...
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Metro Report InternationalTallinn tram extension contract signed
ESTONIA: A contract has been awarded for the design and construction of the Vanasadama tramway extension which will connect Tallinn’s Old Harbour with the future Rail Baltica station at Ülemiste. Valued at €36·5m +VAT, the contract was signed on August 9 by the city’s public works ...
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NewsOperail reports sharp decline in freight volumes
ESTONIA: National rail freight, wagon leasing and repair group Operail reports that it has lost more than half of its traffic volumes as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Operating income in the first half of 2022 was €30m, down from €37m in the ...
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NewsFreight company Operail facing ‘complicated circumstances’
ESTONIA: National rail freight operator Operail says 2022 has brought ‘complicated circumstances’, with the Russian invasion of Ukraine impacting on its operations. The management board is taking steps to find replacements for sanctioned traffic and to direct its wagons on lease away from high-risk regions. ‘Despite ...
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NewsCOTIF uniform rules applied across Estonian network
ESTONIA: The Convention concerning International Carriage by Rail’s CIV rules for international passenger traffic and the CIM equivalent for freight apply to the entire Estonian network with effect from June 16. Estonia acceded to the COTIF convention in January 2009, the last of the then EU ...
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NewsRail Baltica electrification procurement begins
EUROPE: Rail Baltica project promoter RB Rail has begun procurement of the electrification systems for the future standard gauge line between Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, saying it will be the largest railway electrification scheme in Europe to be implemented as a single project. The energy ...
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NewsBusiness opportunities as Rail Baltica looks 150 years ahead
EUROPE: ‘What will this look like in 150 years?’ is a question being asked by Rail Baltica project promoter RB Rail, which sees the greenfield construction project as offering opportunities to take a very long-term view of where rail technology is heading, and to apply best ...
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NewsInvasion of Ukraine ‘has increased the geopolitical relevance of Rail Baltica’
EUROPE: ‘The Russian invasion of Ukraine reaffirms the need to connect the Baltic states to the rest of Europe’, said Catherine Trautmann, the European Commission’s co-ordinator for the North Sea – Baltic TEN-T corridor, on April 13, when Rail Baltica project promoter RB Rail set out ...
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Metro Report InternationalPesa wins Tallinn tram tender
ESTONIA: Pesa has been named the winner of a €50m contract to supply up to 23 trams to Tallinn from the second half of 2024. The contract is due to be signed in May. The trams will be based on the Polish manufacturer’s Twist family; the ...
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NewsOperail sees intermodal traffic shift to rail
ESTONIA: National freight operator Operail reports that it shifted a record volume of container traffic from road to rail in 2021 despite facing some challenging market conditions. Operail services replaced 16 000 lorry journeys with rail transport, and the company grew its intermodal freight traffic by ...
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NewsRail Baltica contracts awarded and Tallinn station name announced
EUROPE: Further contracts have been awarded for the Rail Baltica standard gauge line project, and the name of the future terminal in Tallinn has been announced.
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In depthSmart maintenance: Locomotives find a new lease of life
The delicate economics of rail freight and rapidly changing regulatory conditions have seen the emergence of a healthy market across a swathe of eastern Europe focused on the overhaul, modernisation and life-extension of Soviet-era locomotives. Vladimir Waldin provides an overview.
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NewsClockface timetable plan and contract awards as Rail Baltica makes progress
EUROPE: A strategy for a Swiss-inspired national clockface timetable in Latvia has been published as part of the Rail Baltica programme, and further contracts for development of the 870 km standard gauge line have been awarded.
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NewsDiesel locomotives to be converted to hydrogen power
ESTONIA: National freight operator Operail and technology company Stargate Hydrogen have signed a letter of intent for the conversion of diesel-electric shunting locomotives to fuel cell power. The project is to be undertaken in two phases, starting with the completion of a prototype by the end ...
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NewsShunters converted to gas dual-fuel operation
EUROPE: Shunting locomotives in Estonia and Poland have been converted to diesel and gas dual-fuel operation using the NYSMART technology developed by Latvian company DiGas. A TEM2 shunting locomotive belonging to Estonian state-owned oil shale company Enefit Kaevandused has been converted to ...
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NewsOperail unveils LNG freight locomotive
ESTONIA: Operail has unveiled a General Electric C36 main line freight locomotive which it has converted to dual-fuel operation using natural gas as well as diesel. ‘It will help us reduce our fuel costs by 30%, and the machine emits 20% less carbon dioxide and as ...