German railway news – Page 63
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NewsUntere Edertalbahn reopening works begin
GERMANY: Work to reopen the out-of-use 30 km Untere Edertalbahn between Korbach and Frankenberg was launched when Hesse Transport Minister Florian Rentsch attended the start of vegetation clearance at Korbach on February 15. The project aims to improve access to tourist destinations around the Edersee, providing a direct route between ...
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NewsStuttgart 21 called into question again
GERMANY: Deutsche Bahn’s controversial Stuttgart 21 project to replace its present terminus with a through underground station is under threat once more, because of a steep rise in costs. In a report handed to DB’s Supervisory Board on December 12, the official cost of the scheme is shown as increasing ...
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NewsKatzenberg cut-off inaugurated
GERMANY: Federal Transport Minister Peter Ramsauer joined the celebrations at Efringen-Kirchen on December 4 to mark the formal opening of a 17·6 km cut-off at the southern end of Deutsche Bahn’s Rhein Valley line in Baden-Württemberg. He was accompanied by DB Chairman Rüdiger Grube, Baden-Württemberg’s Transport Minister Winfried Hermann and ...
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NewsSiemens agrees to buy Invensys Rail
INTERNATIONAL: Siemens AG confirmed on November 28 that it had agreed to purchase Invensys Rail, the signalling arm of the UK-based industrial automation group Invensys. Valued at €2·2bn, the deal is expected to be completed by mid-2013, subject to regulatory approval and endorsement by the Invensys shareholders at a General ...
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NewsHKX prepares to take on DB
GERMANY: Open access operator Hamburg-Köln Express expects to launch revenue services between the two cities on July 23, having opened its ticket sales channels on July 4. HKX will initially operate one train per day from Monday to Wednesday in competition with Deutsche Bahn, serving six intermediate ...
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NewsDB ready to link London with Amsterdam and Frankfurt
EUROPE: Deutsche Bahn expects to launch regular services from London to Frankfurt and Amsterdam in 2013, DB Chairman Rüdiger Grube confirmed on October 19, presenting an ICE3 trainset at St Pancras station for the first time. Grube was joined for the announcement by UK Minister of State ...
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NewsDB confirms Arriva takeover bid
EUROPE: Deutsche Bahn continues its rapid expansion across the European rail and bus sectors, with the announcement on April 22 that it had agreed terms to acquire Arriva plc. The cash bid had been for the UK-based rail and bus operator was discussed by the DB AG ...
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Metro Report InternationalBombardier signs Berlin tram order
GERMANY: On September 1 Bombardier Transportation announced it had signed the contract to supply Berlin transport operator BVG with 99 Flexity Berlin trams. The order was placed within a framework agreement for up to 210 trams which was reached by Bombardier and BVG in 2006. Testing of ...
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NewsDB announces €250m Voith loco order
INNOTRANS: Deutsche Bahn has placed a contract with Voith Turbo Lokomotivtechnik for 130 Gravita 10 BB diesel-hydraulic shunting locomotives worth around €250m. To be designated Class 260, the locomotives will replace Class 291 and 295 locos when they enter service with DB Schenker Rail in 2010-12. The ...
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NewsVertical integration on the German branches
GERMANY: DB AG’s Regio Netze are joint businesses run by DB Regio and DB Netz. The model for this concept was the Kurhessenbahn in Kassel, followed by the SüdostBayernBahn based in Mühldorf, which is the largest operation to date. Then came the Schwarzatalbahn with the Oberweissbacher ...
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Funding cutbacks threaten German regional revival
The 1994 reform of German Railway transferred responsibility for local and regional rail services from the federal government to the Länder. Traffic blossomed as investment flowed into new trains and better services, but Ralf Roman Rossberg reports that a financial axe threatens to undermine the success of the last 10 ...
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Track engineers look to get more from materials and possessions
As well as giving exposure to the latest technologies, the triennial exhibition of track maintenance equipment organised by the Association of German Railway Engineers (VDEI) provides an opportunity to reflect on industry trends. Exhibits focus on getting the most out of material and track possessions, finds David Burns
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Nürnberg airport U-Bahn link opens
OBERBURGERMEISTER Ludwig Scholz and Bavaria’s Interior Minister Günther Becker were the guests of honour on November 27 when Nürnberg Transit celebrated the extension of U-Bahn Line 2 to the city’s airport. The 3·5 km extension northwest from Herrnhütte cost DM180m, including an intermediate station at Ziegelstein which lifts the network’s ...