All Germany articles
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NewsDB begins work to electrify to the Austrian border
GERMANY: Deutsche Bahn has begun work to install 15 kV 16·7 Hz electrification on a 1·5 km section of line between Pfronten-Steinach and the Austrian border at Schönbichl. This will allow electric operation of trains to Garmisch-Partenkirchen and München via Austria’s Ausserfernbahn, which is not connected ...
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Metro Report International
SmartWindow trials begin on Karlsruhe tram-train
GERMANY: SmartWindow technology for displaying live and context-based journey information on vehicle windows is being tested on a tram-train operated by AVG in Karlsruhe. The six-month trial starting this month will be used to assess the situations under which passengers will interact with the SmartWindow, which ...
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News
DB and CFL co-operate on ‘extended reality’ rail training technology
EUROPE: An agreement to co-operate to develop the use of virtual and augmented reality tools in specialist rail industry training has been signed by Germany’s Deutsche Bahn and Luxembourg’s CFL. DB says the relevance of immersive technologies in vocational training is increasing, enabling a merger of ...
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News
Battery electric multiple-unit demonstrated
GERMANY: Alstom has demonstrated its prototype battery-powered Talent 3 electric-multiple unit in Sachsen, with the company’s President for Germany, Austria & Switzerland Müslüm Yakisan emphasising that the company ‘has the clear goal of becoming the international leader in alternative drive technologies for rail travel’. The prototype ...
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News
Four policies to boost German rail freight
GERMANY: Four policies to increase rail’s share of the freight market are set out in a position paper which rail advocacy group Allianz pro Schiene has produced ahead of the federal election on September 26. These are: infrastructure investment, including increasing electrification from 61% of ...
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Metro Report International
Berlin S-Bahn runs vaccination train
GERMANY: A special coronavirus vaccination train ran on the Berlin S-Bahn’s ring line on August 30, with people over 18 who had not been vaccinated able to get the Johnson & Johnson single dose vaccine onboard. The Class 484 trainset made three anti-clockwise circuits on Route ...
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News
EMUs lengthened to handle Baltic Sea resort traffic
GERMANY: Siemens Mobility has lengthened existing Desiro ML electric multiple-units from three to four cars for the first time, and with the support of national authorities has obtained EU Agency for Railways approval for their operation. Leasing company Alpha Trains ordered seven ...
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Metro Report International
AStriD demonstrates autonomous tram in Potsdam depot
GERMANY: ViP Verkehrsbetrieb Potsdam and Siemens Mobility have successfully demonstrated the operation of an autonomous tram as part of the Autonomous Tram in Depot project. Backed by the federal Ministry of Transport & Digital Infrastructure’s mFUND innovation initiative, the AStriD project is working to develop a fully ...
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In depth
My Life in Rail: Verena Schraml
Germany has more work to do to spread the message that rail roles are increasingly attractive for women, explains Verena Schraml, a local operations manager for Go-Ahead Deutschland, based in Stuttgart.
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News
‘Industrial espionage’ train maintenance dispute resolved
GERMANY: A dispute over Go-Ahead Bayern’s decision to appoint a subsidiary of Russian company Transmashholding to maintain a fleet of Stadler Flirt3 electric multiple-units has been resolved, and the manufacturer handed over the first of the units to the future operator in Augsburg on August 18. ...
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News
Leasing company takeover to provide funding for growth
GERMANY: Swiss Life Asset Managers and Vauban Infrastructure Partners have proposed the acquisition of wagon leasing company Aves One, and following a successful takeover intend to provide additional capital of €100m to optimise the capital structure and finance further growth. The deal would be worth €12·80 ...
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Metro Report International
Groundbreaking for Berlin tramway extension
GERMANY: Construction of the 2·2 km five-stop extension of Berlin tram line M10 westwards from Hauptbahnhof to Turmstraße U-Bahn station in the city’s Moabit district was officially launched with a groundbreaking ceremony on August 11. The €33m project is being funded by the Berlin Sustainable Development ...
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News
DB buys hydroelectric power from Norway
GERMANY: Deutsche Bahn has signed its first cross-border long-term green power purchasing agreement, a 10-year deal covering 190 GWh/year of electricity generated by the Mågeli hydroelectric power plant operated by Norway’s state-owned energy provider Statkraft. Equivalent to powering the 40 000 daily electric trains in ...
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News
ŽOS Trnava to maintain RDC night train stock
GERMANY: Railroad Development Corp’s vehicle leasing and management business RDC Asset has awarded ŽOS Trnava a three-year contract to maintain its overnight train coaches, with a guaranteed minimum order of 10 vehicles per year. The work will start with Bvcmz couchette cars. ...
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News
Calls for cross-industry support as coronavirus state aid approved
GERMANY: State aid measures to support the rail freight and long-distance passenger sectors and reduce track access charges during the coronavirus pandemic have been approved by the European Commission. However, private operators’ association Mofair is calling for further funding proposed by the government to be ...
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News
German associations seek more competition in second rail reform
GERMANY: An alliance of industry associations has called for a major reform of railway policy that would introduce full vertical separation of infrastructure and operations and foster more on-rail competition. In a position paper published on August 2, seven organisations assert that climate change objectives can ...
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News
Prototype refurbished Coradia Continental EMU rolled out
GERMANY: ‘This is a prime example of how tried and tested rolling stock can be upgraded and refurbished to provide passengers with a level of convenience similar to that of new trains’, said Thomas Schmidt, Managing Director of Alpha Trains Europa, when Talbot Services unveiled a ...
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News
Friesen Bridge replacement project gets underway
GERMANY: A ceremony has been held to symbolically launch work to build the largest swing bridge of its kind in Europe, which will replace the Friesen Bridge over the River Ems near the Dutch border which was irreparably damaged by a cargo ship in December 2015. ...
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News
‘Enormous potential’ to cut CO2 emissions with battery traction
GERMANY: A strategy for widespread adoption of battery-electric trains for local and regional passenger services has been put forward by Germany’s Railway Industry Association. With academic input from the technical universities of Berlin and Dresden, the report is presented as a background and position paper ...
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News
Suburban train of the future concepts on show
GERMANY: DB Regio has unveiled IdeenzugCity, a full-scale mock up built to showcase ideas to improve the comfort, capacity and reliability of future suburban trains. Developed at DB Regio’s own initiative and assembled by Hubl Hubl, the mock-up incorporates technologies from more than 40 specialist ...
