Europe – Page 135
-
NewsGreen hydrogen partnership targets rail sector
SPAIN: CAF and electricity company Iberdrola have signed an agreement to co-operate to promote the use of ‘green’ hydrogen to replace diesel power on railways which would be difficult or expensive to electrify. The companies aim to offer a comprehensive package of technologies, including rolling stock, ...
-
NewsRegioPanter EMUs arrive in southern Bohemia
CZECH REPUBLIC: Škoda Transportation has delivered the first two of a batch of 10 Class 650 RegioPanter EMUs to national operator ČD. The two-car trainsets are due to replace rolling stock dating back to the early 1990s on regional routes across southern Bohemia. ...
-
NewsFramework contract agreed for 50 passenger locomotives
BELGIUM: National passenger operator SNCB has awarded Alstom a framework contract for the supply of up to 50 third-generation Traxx electric locomotives, with a €120m firm order for an initial 24 to be delivered from 2026. The 200 km/h locomotives are be used on domestic and cross-border ...
-
NewsDB orders more ICE3neo sets as first unit is unveiled
GERMANY: Deutsche Bahn has placed a €1∙5bn firm order for a further 43 Siemens Mobility ICE3neo trainsets, CEO and Chairman of the management board Dr Richard Lutz announced on February 1. Speaking at an event held in DB’s Berlin-Rummelsburg workshops to unveil the first of 30 ...
-
NewsHŽ Infra picks Leskovac – Karlovac route modernisation preferred bidder
CROATIA: HŽ Infrastruktura has selected Strabag as preferred bidder for a contract for infrastructure and station enhancements and double-tracking on the 44 km Hrvatski Leskovac – Karlovac line, after a rejecting a lower-priced bid. Strabag’s offer was valued at 1·71bn kuna excluding VAT, and was ranked ...
-
NewsDB Regio to operate Netz 18 electric services
GERMANY: The Land of Baden-Wurttenberg and local authority body Zweckverband ÖPNV im Ammertal have awarded sole bidder DB Regio the Netz 18 contract to operate service RB63 between Herrenberg, Tübingen, Metzingen and Bad Urach from December 2022. The regional passenger service will use the 21 km ...
-
News200 km/h trial running underway in Serbia
SERBIA: Trial running at up to 200 km/h has begun on the extensively upgraded and double-tracked Beograd – Novi Sad line, ahead of the planned launch of passenger services in March. This will be the first route suitable for 200 km/h running in the former Yugoslavia. ...
-
In depthStations & Terminals: Solving the problem of Budapest Nyugati
As the busiest station in the Hungarian capital, Nyugati pályaudvar has reached capacity. The favoured solution is to convert the existing terminus into a through station at the heart of a reshaped regional rail network. Benjámin Zelki reports.
-
NewsTendering ahead as Finnish operating contract signed
FINLAND: The Ministry of Transport & Communications and national operator VR have signed a directly-awarded public service obligation contract for the operation of loss-making passenger services over the next nine years, with provision for the procurement of new rolling stock and greater regional involvement in funding ...
-
Metro Report InternationalStudy to assess moving freight on trams and buses
GERMANY: The Federal Ministry of Transport & Digital Infrastructure has awarded a €2·7m grant for the CargoSurfer project, which aims to explore use of spare capacity on buses and trams to carry freight such as parcels and fresh produce. The initiative will use artificial intelligence to ...
-
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 ...
-
NewsCustom-designed chemical tank wagon certified
RUSSIA: United Wagon Co has obtained federal certification for a custom-designed liquid chemical and hydrocarbon tank wagon, with the first batch being produced for the RN-Trans logistics subsidiary of oil company Rosneft. ‘In response to a request from our customer, we have custom designed a new ...
-
Metro Report InternationalBremen tram extensions cleared to proceed
GERMANY: With funding and planning permission already in place, the Administrative Appeals Court of Lüneburg has removed any remaining obstacles and objections to the extension of Line 8 of the Bremen tram network. A late challenge to the ruling was dismissed. Construction will take place in ...
-
NewsRussian line double tracked
RUSSIA: Russian Railways inaugurated a second track on the 62·6 km line between Tikhoretsk and Kozyrki in Krasnodar Krai on January 25, doubling the final section of the 700 km corridor from the Volga region to the ports of the Azov-Black Sea basin. The second track ...
-
In depthSwitzerland: Timetable recast in Luzern could add capacity
The congested terminus at Luzern is one of the main infrastructure bottlenecks preventing an increase in services on the busy lines in central Switzerland. Reshaping the timetable pattern to make the most of the two-track approach to the terminus from the north could free up more paths to generate up to a 40% increase in capacity.
-
NewsRailpool orders Traxx locomotives
EUROPE: Leasing company Railpool has awarded Alstom a contract to supply 15 Traxx 3 locomotives for use in Norway, Sweden and Italy, with an option for five more. The electric locomotives with last mile diesel engines are to be delivered from Alstom’s plants at Kassel in ...
-
NewsBattery train passenger trials begin
GERMANY: Alstom’s prototype battery-electric Talent 3 multiple-unit has entered trial passenger service with DB Regio. On January 24 the battery-powered train was launched on the Stuttgart – Horb line in Baden-Württemberg, where it will operate on weekdays. From February 5 it will also operate on the ...
-
Metro Report InternationalHamburg to study second S-Bahn tunnel
GERMANY: After years of discussions, Deutsche Bahn, the federal government and the Hamburg municipality signed an agreement on January 21 to conduct a €1·5m feasibility study into building a second cross-city S-Bahn tunnel linking Hamburg Hbf, Dammtor and Altona. The stations are currently linked by the ...
-
NewsIce-free shipping route could open opportunities for rail
INTERNATIONAL: Year-round ice-free access to north Russian ports and investments in the trans-Siberian rail corridor offer opportunities for the further development of rail freight, Yulia Kosolapova, Managing Director of RZD Logistics in Europe, told the European Silk Road Summit. She said the volume of inter-continental rail ...
-
In depthStations & Terminals: Delta 3 aims to drive modal shift
Operation of the Dourges Delta 3 intermodal and logistics hub in northern France is being transferred to a public sector organisation as part of a strategy to boost rail freight’s market share in France and western Europe. Laurent Charlier reports.