Europe – Page 49
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NewsSemmering Base Tunnel fit out contract awarded
AUSTRIA: ‘Never change a winning team’, Porr Group and Rhomberg Sersa Rail Group said when they announced that their joint venture which is fitting out the Koralm Tunnel has been awarded a contract for similar works on the 27 km Semmering Base Tunnel project. The €176m ...
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Metro Report InternationalCluj-Napoca breaks ground for first metro line
ROMANIA: Construction of Cluj-Napoca metro Line 1 was launched with a groundbreaking ceremony on June 5, attended by Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, Minister of Transport & Infrastructure Sorin Grindeanu and Mayor Emil Boc. The country’s first driverless metro will run over a 21 km route with ...
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NewsSurvey finds perceived cost deters rail travel
TER train. FRANCE: A survey of rail passengers and potential users has found that national train services are perceived as too expensive and too inflexible. Carried out by market research group IFOP for the National Federation of Transport User Associations (FNAUT), the survey also determined that ...
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NewsSNCF Voyageurs plans to launch open access high speed train services in Italy
ITALY: French national passenger operator SNCF Voyageurs has announced plans to launch open access high speed train services within Italy from 2026, with the target of obtaining a 15% market share by 2030. SNCF Voyageurs Italia has applied to infrastructure manager RFI for access rights for ...
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Metro Report International‘Extremely exacting’ Madrid metro train order signed
SPAIN: Metro de Madrid has signed a contract for sole bidder CAF to supply 40 six-car trainsets to operate on large-profile lines 6 and 8. The €400m deal announced by CAF on June 17 includes a programme to optimise the fleet’s life cycle, and there is ...
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Metro Report InternationalParis opening doubles length of metro Line 11
FRANCE: The length of the Paris metro’s rubber-tyred Line 11 is almost doubled with the opening of a 6 km six-station extension from Mairie-des-Lilas to Rosny-Bois-Perrier.
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Metro Report InternationalErlangen voters back StUB inter-urban light rail plan
GERMANY: The latest plans for the Stadt-Umland-Bahn 26 km inter-urban extension of the Nürnberg tram network from the Am Wegfeld stop to Erlangen and Herzogenaurach have been backed by voters in Erlangen. The project is being developed by a joint venture of Nürnberg, Erlangen and Herzogenaurach ...
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In depthInterview: Rail Europe finds its niche
Divested by SNCF and SBB more than two years ago, distribution and ticketing business Rail Europe is focusing on its core remit of facilitating international rail bookings, with 80% of its revenue coming from non-European travellers. CEO Björn Bender sets out his strategy to Nick Kingsley.
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Metro Report InternationalVoters reject Regensburg tram proposal
GERMANY: The further development of plans for a 15 km two-line light rail network in Regensburg was rejected by 53·6% of voters in a referendum held alongside the European Parliament election on June 9. The city council now plans to wind up the Stadtbahn Regensburg committee. ...
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NewsBUND calls for DB to retain non-digital fare options
GERMANY: Environmental association BUND has called for Deutsche Bahn to ensure people can access all products including reduced fares, BahnCard discounts and seat reservations without creating an online account. This follows DB’s decision that BahnCards would only be issued digitally and not as physical plastic cards. ...
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NewsArenaways selects Fairtiq ticketing platform
ITALY: Arenaways is to use Fairtiq’s mobile pay-as-you-go ticketing system on the Cuneo – Savigliano and Ceva – Ormea routes which it is to operate from January 2025 under a 10-year PSO contract awarded by the Piemonte region. Swiss company Fairtiq said this would be its ...
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Metro Report InternationalFrankfurt light rail extension plans to be developed
GERMANY: The development of plans for a further extension of Frankfurt Stadtbahn Line U5 beyond Europaviertel to the Römerhof area has been approved by the city’s transport committee.
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NewsBLS undertakes Lötschberger mid-life refurbishment
SWITZERLAND: BLS has returned to service the first of its RABe535 Lötschberger electric multiple-units to undergo mid-life refurbishment at its Bönigen works. The 25 four-car EMUs were supplied by Vevey Technologies and then Bombardier Transportation in 2008-12. The SFr17m refurbishment programme running to 2027 aims to ...
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NewsAlstom signs talent development and R&D agreement
HUNGARY: Alstom and the University of Miskolc are to co-operate to bring practical training and theoretical knowledge closer together, support talent development and undertake R&D to support the production of steel structures in Hungary. ‘Today’s biggest challenge for production companies is to secure well-educated specialists and ...
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NewsRhätische Bahn’s replacement Albula tunnel opens
SWITZERLAND: More than 300 guests from the rail industry, politics, business and tourism attended opening celebrations held at both ends of Rhätische Bahn’s replacement Albula tunnel on June 8, ahead of the start of regular services on June 12. The 5 860 m long Albula II ...
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NewsSale of Estonian national rail freight operator gets underway
ESTONIA: The government has formally launched a two-stage process to privatise national rail freight operator Operail. The public auction approved by the cabinet on June 6 will cover Operail’s entire business, including freight operations, rolling stock repairs, all contracts and the brand name. It is being ...
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NewsPesa confirmed as winner of Romanian EMU contract
ROMANIA: Railway reform authority ARF has confirmed Pesa Bydgoszcz as the winner of a contract to supply 20 electric multiple-units for InterRegio services, after a court required a review of the bids following an appeal by Alstom. The contract is worth €168m for the rolling stock ...
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Metro Report InternationalStuttgart light rail extension approval process gets underway
GERMANY: The Stuttgart regional council has launched the approval process for a planned light rail extension to an industrial estate and a new depot. The 4·8 km branch would start at the existing Rastatter Straße stop on U13 and run through Weilimdorf and Hausen to the ...
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NewsHigh speed train start-up Proxima announces €1bn launch plan
FRANCE: High speed rail start-up Proxima has announced a €1bn plan backed by investor Antin Infrastructure Partners to acquire 12 Alstom trainsets and launch open access services from Bordeaux, Nantes, Rennes and Angers to Paris. Proxima has been established by former Voyages SNCF CEO Rachel Picard, ...
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In depthFreight: ‘Nobody is writing us a cheque for €13bn’
European policymakers and the larger rail freight operators are confident that the Digital Automatic Coupler programme can move from vision to reality by 2028. Nevertheless, significant financial and logistical barriers remain. Toma Bačić reports.