German railway news – Page 47
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Rail Business UKUniversity alliance to promote high speed rail
INTERNATIONAL: The International Union of Railways has moved to strengthen its nascent network of academic institutions which are intended to work together to promote the development of high speed rail. UIC first announced plans for its alliance of universities at the World Congress on High Speed Rail in Tokyo in ...
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NewsGermany told to fully transpose EU safety legislation
GERMANY: On May 17 the European Commission sent a reasoned opinion requesting that Germany fully comply with Directive 2004/49/EC. This requires EU member states to establish an independent safety authority, an independent accident investigation body and coherently allocate safety responsibilities. The Commission said Germany had failed to ensure that its ...
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NewsVossloh to pay dividend
GERMANY: Vossloh AG shareholders approved a proposed dividend distribution of €1 per share at the annual general meeting held in Düsseldorf on May 9. No dividend had been distributed for the fiscal years from 2014 to 2016 as part of the restructuring of the group. ‘Paying a dividend is ...
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NewsCompetition is key as high speed rail keeps growing
Global ridership has surged by 40% in the three years since UIC last staged its World Congress on High Speed Rail. Yet operators and policymakers must work hard to keep the rail mode ahead as competition grows both in and for the market. Benjámin Zelki reports from the latest summit ...
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NewsVirtual Bodensee line testing for MTU Hybrid PowerPack
GERMANY: Rolls-Royce has used a computer-controlled simulation of operating conditions on the Radolfzell – Friedrichshafen route for bench testing of a real MTU Hybrid PowerPack to demonstrate its potential for use on services around the Bodensee. This included a demonstration of the feasibility of using battery power to provide locally ...
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NewsHupac expands port hinterland network with ERS acquisition
EUROPE: Intermodal freight operator Hupac announced an agreement on May 2 to purchase ERS Railways from Genesee & Wyoming Inc. This includes ERS’s 47% stake in Hamburg-based operator boxXpress. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of this year, subject to regulatory approval. ERS would remain a ...
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NewsDB Regio selected for operating contract
GERMANY: A group of four transport and local authorities in Germany and the Czech Republic have selected DB Regio subsidiary Start Ostsachsen as the winner of the Ostsachsen II passenger operating contract. The decision was announced on April 26, with formal award subject to the regulatory standstill period. Services ...
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NewsHigh speed services from London to Bordeaux, Frankfurt and Genève under discussion
EUROPE: ‘Advanced planning’ is being undertaken to facilitate the possible launch of a direct London – Bordeaux high speed rail service, HS1 Ltd confirmed on April 30. The manager of the high speed line between London and the Channel Tunnel also confirmed it was in very early stage discussions for ...
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NewsFlixTrain plans new routes
GERMANY: FlixMobility has applied for paths to operate open access services from Berlin to Köln and München from the December timetable change, the company confirmed on April 26 when its first FlixTrain-branded service ran on the Berlin – Stuttgart route. FlixBus has been handling ticketing for the Berlin – Stuttgart ...
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NewsLocomotive maintenance business sold
GERMANY: Paribus Group has sold its Northrail Technical Service locomotive maintenance and repair business to Railpool Group, which is to operate it under the Railpool Lok-Service brand. Paribus Group partner Dr Volker Simmering said NTS had made a valuable contribution to maintaining locomotives owned by its Northrail leasing business, but ...
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NewsLondon to Duisburg and China freight service launched
UK: The inaugural scheduled freight service from DP World’s London Gateway terminal east of London to the Duisburg freight hub in Germany set off on April 10, with the load including containers bound for China. This follows demonstration China to London and London to China services which ran last year. ...
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NewsRail.One opens Aschaffenburg concrete sleeper plant
GERMANY: Rail.One officially began series production of concrete sleepers at a new plant in Aschaffenburg with an inauguration ceremony on April 11. The site will produce the B70 sleeper design which is widely-used in Germany, as well as other types of sleeper for German and European main line and urban ...
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NewsAlstom awarded two DMU contracts
GERMANY: Alstom announced two orders to supply a total of 25 Coradia Lint regional diesel multiple-units from its Salzgitter factory on March 29. DB Regio Bayern has placed a €93m order for eight Coradia Lint 41 DMUs with 125 seats and 12 of the longer Coradia Lint 54 units with ...
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NewsRail to benefit from reduction in wind energy surcharge
GERMANY: The European Commission has ruled that Germany’s plan to grant railways a reduction on a planned offshore energy surcharge is permitted under EU state aid rules, because it would contribute to the rail sector’s competitiveness without unduly distorting the single market. Under an amendment to the German Energy Act ...
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NewsGo-Ahead prepares for German launch
GERMANY: The first of 45 Flirt3 electric multiple units ordered by UK-based transport group Go-Ahead as part of its entry into the German passenger market has been completed at Stadler’s Pankow factory in Berlin. In November 2015 the Land of Baden-Württemberg selected Go-Ahead for the Stuttgart Netz Lot 1b (Rems–Fils) ...
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NewsBombardier Transportation completes negotiations for ‘reorientation’ in Germany
GERMANY: Bombardier Transportation has announced the completion of negotiations with employee representatives for the ‘reorientation’ of its German activities. The company said the programme scheduled for completion by 2020 would offer all of its German sites a ‘long-term and sustainable perspective’, although there would be a loss of up to ...
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NewsFlixTrain launches on Hamburg – Köln route
GERMANY: FlixMobility’s first FlixTrain open access passenger service left Hamburg’s Altona station for Köln on the morning of March 23. Services run from Thursday to Tuesday, with market-based prices starting at a headline fare of €9·99. FlixMobility has launched FlixTrain to build on its FlixBus long-distance coach network, using a ...
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NewsDB Netz commissions first IP-based interlocking
GERMANY: Infrastructure manager DB Netz AG has put into operation its first digital interlocking which uses an IP network architecture to connect with the field equipment. DB Netz has been using computer-based interlockings for many years, but the Siemens installation at Annaberg-Buchholz on the Erzgebirgsbahn is the first in Germany ...
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NewsFlixTrain to launch Köln – Hamburg service this month
GERMANY: FlixMobility is to launch a FlixTrain-branded open access service on the Köln – Hamburg route on March 24, taking over the rolling stock formerly used by Hamburg-Köln-Express which suspended operation last year. The Berlin – Stuttgart open access service, originally launched by Locomore and is now operated by LEO ...
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NewsSmartron freight locomotive launched
GERMANY: Siemens has launched the Smartron electric locomotive, a version of its successful Vectron modular locomotive family which is intended to provide German freight operators with faster delivery times and a lower price through the use of a standard configuration. Smartron offers ‘one standard version, one standard contract, one standard ...