German railway news – Page 7
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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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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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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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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.
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NewsBayern branding highlights Land’s backing for S-Bahn fleet
INNOTRANS: The future appearance of the 90 extra-long electric multiple-units which Siemens Mobility is to supply for München S-Bahn services was unveiled by Bayern Transport Minister Christian Bernreiter at InnoTrans on September 25. The livery, developed by design studio Neomind, is based on the Land of Bayern’s ...
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NewsRailway electrification training body launched
GERMANY: In a bid to end the shortage of qualified staff at a time when demand for electrification skills is expected to grow rapidly, the German Railway Industry Association (Verband der Bahnindustrie in Deutschland) has partnered with a group of companies to launch a specialist training ...
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NewsPrototype RS Zero hydrogen or battery railcar for secondary lines
INNOTRANS: Stadler has unveiled its prototype RS Zero lightweight railcar, offered in hydrogen or battery powered versions as a locally emission-free successor to the successful Regio-Shuttle RS1 family of diesel railcars for use on secondary routes where a high passenger capacity is not required. ...
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NewsParis – Berlin direct train to launch in December
EUROPE: Plans for the launch of a daily direct ICE train service between Paris and Berlin have been presented by SNCF TGV-Intercités CEO Alain Krakovitch and DB Personenverkehr CEO Michael Peterson at InnoTrans. Booking is to open on October 16 and the service will begin on ...
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Metro Report International10-elephant tram for Berlin tramway trunk line
INNOTRANS: Alstom is showing a nine-section version of the Flexity Berlin family which with a length of 50·89 m – or, as is marked out along the floor, 10 elephants – is the longest tram ordered by the capital’s public transport operator BVG. ...













