German railway news – Page 6
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NewsDB stops ICE5 high speed train procurement
GERMANY: Deutsche Bahn has stopped its planned procurement of the fifth generation of InterCity Express high speed trainsets. On November 8 the operator told Railway Gazette International it had not received any offers meeting the tender requirements within the specified deadline. A DB spokesperson said ‘we are ...
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Metro Report InternationalKarlsruhe light rail extension plan dropped
GERMANY: The Karlsruhe district authority has dropped plans to extend Stadtbahn Line S2 from Stutensee-Spöck via Bruchsal and Hambrücken to Waghäusel. Preliminary studies forecast ridership of around 3 000 additional passengers per day, which did not justify the estimated cost of more than €575m and the ...
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In depthInterview: ČD sees fleet renewal opportunity despite ‘tedious’ approval task
Michal Krapinec, Chairman & Director General of Czech national operator České Dráhy, unveils his strategy for developing domestic and international passenger services to Toma Bačić.
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NewsEifel railway electrification begins
GERMANY: Work to electrify the 164 km line through the Eifel region between Hürth-Kalscheuren near Köln and Trier-Ehrang was launched with a ceremony in Kyllburg on October 28. The €500m project is being funded by the federal government and the Länder of Rheinland-Pfalz and Nordrhein-Westfalen. The ...
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NewsAustria’s Westbahn adds more destinations amid growing ridership
AUSTRIA: Open access operator Westbahn has announced plans to expand its network of services with effect from the timetable change on December 15. From that date the company will extend two of its five daily Wien – München return services ― launched in 2022 ― to ...
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NewsNS ends foreign activities with the sale of Abellio Deutschland
GERMANY: BeNEX has completed the acquisition of 100% of Abellio Deutschland from Dutch state passenger train operator NS, which has ended its activities wholly outside the Netherlands in order to focus on its core business within its home country. The acquisition on October 15 includes regional ...
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NewsNiers-Erft-Bahn contract awarded
GERMANY: Rhein-Ruhr transport authority VRR has awarded incumbent TRI Train Rental a contract to continue to operate Niers-Erft-Bahn service RB37 from December 2024 to December 2027. The contract announced on October 2 following a European tender covers the operation of 145 000 train-km/year between Krefeld and ...
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Metro Report InternationalLong tram unveiled in Mannheim
GERMANY: ‘We are now launching the new flagship of our fleet — the 60 m long tram’, said Christian Specht, Mayor of Mannheim and Chair of the Rhein-Neckar-Verkehr supervisory board at the unveiling of the operator’s first Škoda ForCity Smart 38T LRV. Specht reported that the ...
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NewsComfortJet trainsets deployed on Praha – Berlin route
EUROPE: Czech national operator České Dráhy has begun using ComfortJet long-distance trainsets on the Berliner international service from Praha to Berlin. This follows their entry into service on domestic routes in June. ‘We are symbolically starting a new phase of putting our ...
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NewsGerman government approves sale of DB’s Schenker business
GERMANY: Deutsche Bahn’s planned sale of the Schenker land, air and maritime logistics business to Danish transport group DSV was approved by both the DB supervisory board and the federal government on October 2. The sale forms part of DB’s ‘Strong Rail’ strategy of focusing on ...
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NewsLTO batteries to offer performance advantages for hydrogen trains
GERMANY: Saft is supplying lithium titanium oxide batteries for the hybrid fuel cell and battery traction system on seven Siemens Mobility Mireo Plus H hydrogen multiple-units. The batteries will be mainly used during acceleration to compensate for the power limitations of the fuel cells, and during ...
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NewsNevomo and Captrain to trial MagRail Booster technology ‘in real environment’
INNOTRANS: Nevomo and Captrain plan to test linear motor technology to automate wagon movements in an industrial terminal in Germany in what promises to be the first real-world use of the MagRail Booster concept.
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Metro Report InternationalAachen Regiotram planning funding
GERMANY: A project to build a tram line running north from Aachen to Alsdorf has been allocated €5·5m by federal and state governments to continue with planning. Initially floated in 2017, a feasibility study reported positively in 2022, with follow-up research in July 2023 by Transport ...
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NewsTri-mode München metro maintenance car handed over
INNOTRANS: The first of 10 multifunctional maintenance vehicles for the München U-Bahn has been handed over at an event which included a brass band to create what manufacturer Robel Bahnbaumaschinen called a ‘traditional Oktoberfest atmosphere’ at the Berlin show. The Freilassing-based company is supplying ...
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NewsAlstom highlights the flexibility of Coradia Max at InnoTrans
INNOTRANS: Alstom is highlighting how the highly modular design of its Coradia Max partly double-deck electric multiple-units can meet the varied needs of regional and long-distance markets while offering optimised operating costs. The Coradia Max was previous known as the Coradia Stream high capacity. ...
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NewsAlstom demonstrates retrofitted remote-controlled train
GERMANY: Another step towards automation of main line rail operations was taken on September 23 when Alstom demonstrated a remotely-controlled diesel multiple-unit near Salzgitter. Developed under the Autonomous Regional Train Evolution project, the train ‘was able to travel a few kilometres in autonomous mode, meaning without ...
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Metro Report InternationalFirst tram-train from joint procurement unveiled at InnoTrans
INNOTRANS: Stadler and Saarbahn have unveiled the first of the Citylink tram-trains to be completed as a part of a huge joint order placed by six German and Austrian transport agencies which have teamed up to reduce costs. The operators launched a joint ...
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NewsFrench railway enhancements needed to support European freight modal shift
EUROPE: Combined transport company Hupac says railways in eastern France need to be enhanced to ensure the long-term reliability of north-south European freight services by offering an alternative to routes through Germany. Following three years of preparation, SBB Cargo International, Captrain France, DB InfraGo and SNCF ...
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NewsDB InfraGO set to order Plasser CatenaryCrafter vehicles
INNOTRANS: Austrian Federal Railways has ordered 29 Plasser & Theurer CatenaryCrafter 15.4 E3 electric-battery overhead line maintenance vehicles which will soon begin entering service, and an agreement to supply Germany’s DB InfraGO with 15 from 2029 is expected to be finalised shortly. The CatenaryCrafter 15.4 E3 can ...
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In depthFuture Skills: Software tools can mitigate demographic crisis
Examples from DSB and Transdev Deutschland highlight how use of resource planning software can boost employee recruitment and retention as the rail industry adapts to an endemic staff shortage.