German railway news – Page 8
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In depthComment: Contrasting approaches to fixing things
The transport ministers of Britain and Germany are taking contrasting approaches to addressing the problems facing their railways. Dr Volker Wissing believes management reorganisation cannot solve DB’s problems, but his counterpart Louise Haigh is taking the opposite view with Labour’s rail reforms. Nick Kingsley suggests they could learn much from each other.
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Metro Report InternationalRhein-Ruhr fares reform to cut through the ‘tariff jungle’
GERMANY: Rhein-Ruhr transport association VRR is to implement its largest-ever fares reform in March 2025, aiming to clear the ‘tariff jungle’ by eliminating 500 of the current 650 ticket types and reducing the number of price levels from seven to three. VRR is committing to the ...
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Metro Report InternationalKarlsruhe tram-trains get smarter operations control
GERMANY: Tram-trains operating around Karlsruhe are to be equipped with the DatNet operations control system from ETC Solutions GmbH, boosting the capability of the existing onboard Intermodal Transport Control System supplied by Karlsruhe-based INIT. ITCS provides constant communication between moving vehicles and the operator’s central control ...
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NewsHomburg – Zweibrücken railway reopening agreement signed
GERMANY: A financing and implementation agreement has been signed to enable the reopening of the Homburg – Zweibrücken line with the December 2028 timetable change ‘After years of discussions and negotiations a major step has now been taken for local public transport’, said Minister-President of Rheinland-Pfalz ...
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Metro Report InternationalBremen tram depot rebuilding completed
GERMANY: Bremen transport operator BSAG has completed a €100m four-year project to rebuild the Gröpelingen public transport interchange and the adjacent century-old tram depot. The 11 000 m2 fully accessible transport interchange opened two years ago, and the rebuilt 13 000 m2 depot with nine stabling ...
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NewsCottbus – Görlitz route modernisation agreed
GERMANY: Upgrading and electrification of the Cottbus – Görlitz line has been approved by the government. It is one of 10 projects aimed at helping economic regeneration in regions where coal mines are due to close. The 93·7 km Cottbus – Weißwasser – Horka – Görlitz ...
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Metro Report InternationalBielefeld buys narrow gauge rail grinder
GERMANY: Windhoff has delivered the first narrow gauge version of its VentuS NV rail grinder to Bielefeld tram operator moBiel. The VentuS SF 50 has been designed for the grinding and cleaning of various types of rail head across the 1 000 mm gauge network. It ...
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Metro Report InternationalLogIKTram freight tram demonstrates urban distribution alternative
GERMANY: Small volumes of freight can be handled on urban rail networks using freight trams or similar vehicles, a research project conducted in Karlsruhe has concluded.
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NewsEuregiobahn electrification funded
GERMANY: Funding has been confirmed for the 15 kV 16·7 Hz electrification of the 47 km Euregiobahn network of local passenger routes in the Aachen area. The federal government has agreed to cover 90% of the €43m cost, with the Land and infrastructure owner Euregio Verkehrsschienennetz ...
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Metro Report InternationalBerlin calls tramway extension planning tender
GERMANY: Berlin transport operator BVG has called tenders for the provision of planning services to support the development of a proposed extension of tram Route M17 from Johannisthal to Gropiusstadt in the southeast of the capital. Preliminary feasibility and economic viability studies were completed in 2023, ...
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NewsFederal budget increases equity in DB InfraGO
GERMANY: The federal government has agreed to changes in the national budget for 2025 that will replace a provision for grants worth €4∙5bn by equity increases in Deutsche Bahn’s infrastructure business, DB InfraGO. In the same statement on August 16, the government announced that DB would ...
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NewsBrussels – Venezia night train to serve winter sports and city break destinations
EUROPE: Open access night train operator European Sleeper is to launch a seasonal Brussels – Utrecht – Köln – München – Innsbruck – Verona – Venezia service to winter sports and city trip destinations. The service is being planned around school holidays, the peak winter sports ...
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Metro Report InternationalObstacle detection technology testing on the Berlin S-Bahn
GERMANY: An obstacle detection system is to be tested in regular daily service on the Berlin S-Bahn under various weather and operating conditions.
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NewsTesla shuttle returns with battery trains
GERMANY: The free shuttle train to Tesla’s Gigafactory plant in Grünheide to the east of Berlin restarted on August 7, using two Siemens Mobility Mireo B battery-electric multiple-units instead of a pair of Bombardier Transportation Talent diesels.
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News‘More digitalisation for more sustainability’ is Siemens Mobility’s InnoTrans message
Photo: Bernd Piplack INNOTRANS: The key message from Siemens Mobility for InnoTrans 2024 is similar to that the company promoted at recent editions of the show: enhancing digitalisation and sustainability. But this year, it is placing particular emphasis on how software tools can further reduce the ...
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NewsAlstom in ‘constructive’ discussions over future of Görlitz factory
GERMANY: Alstom has confirmed that it is in ‘constructive’ discussions with an unnamed industrial partner regarding the future of the rolling stock factory at Görlitz in Sachsen. According to local media, staff at the plant were informed on July 26 that the site is likely to ...
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NewsAutomated wagon inspection to make rail freight more competitive
GERMANY: The Digital Inspection by Machine Intelligence project has been launched to automate and accelerate the manual wagon inspection process which need to be undertaken before an intermodal train can leave a terminal. The aim is to use sensors, cameras and AI to make wagon and ...
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NewsStrikes, weather and ageing infrastructure hold back DB’s first half performance
GERMANY: Hopes that the flow of investment in the Deutsche Bahn network would lead to a rapid improvement in operational and financial performance were dashed on July 25 when DB published its half-year results. One highlight was a 4∙9% rise in the total number of passengers ...
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Metro Report InternationalRegional-Stadtbahn Neckar-Alb tram-train design unveiled
GERMANY: Project promoter Zweckverband Regional-Stadtbahn Neckar-Alb has unveiled the appearance of the Stadler Citylink tram-train vehicles ordered for the future regional light rail network.
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NewsAlstom wins €4bn contract to supply ‘tailor-made’ Köln S-Bahn trains
GERMANY: Transport authorities go.Rheinland and Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr have selected Alstom to supply and maintain 90 custom-designed Adessia Stream electric multiple-units for S-Bahn services through Köln. Alstom said the order announced on July 24 was the largest it had won in Germany, with an overall value of ...