On July 15 the board of Russian private freight operator Globaltrans (RG 5.07 p324) approved the creation of a Ukrainian subsidiary. 'Ukraine provides significant current and future opportunities', said CEO Sergey Maltsev.
Steer Davies Gleave is studying business models for the development of a station to serve both Badajoz in Spain and Elvas in Portugal, which are less than 10 km apart. Opening is planned for 2013.
Last month Italian firm Team Engineering sold its 80% stake in Polish electric locomotive repair company ZNLE to Newag for an undisclosed price. An initial 24·9% stake has been transferred, with the remainder subject to regulatory approval.
BLS has sold a 25% stake in BLS Cargo to DB Schenker, which now holds 45% of the Swiss freight operator. The deal was an option on a 2002 agreement to co-operate on trans-Alpine freight traffic. BLS AG intends to remain the majority shareholder in BLS Cargo.
On June 23 Dutch Transport Minister Camiel Eurlings signed off a €2·1bn package of rail and road infrastructure investment to improve links to the Netherlands' northern provinces. It replaces the planned Zuiderzee line between Lelystad, Heerenveen and Groningen which was abandoned in 2007 on the grounds of cost.
With the December 14 timetable change Keolis subsidiary Eurobahn will take over regional services currently operated by DB between the German towns of Münster, Dortmund, Soest, Hamm and Warburg.
On July 4 passenger services operating between Córdoba and La Calera in Argentina (RG 09.07 p525) were extended by 36 km to Cosquín. A further extension of the Tren de las Sierras to Cruz del Eje is planned.
On June 19 Tanzania Railways Corp reinstated services on the northern line from the port of Tanga to Moshi and Arusha. Operations had been suspended in October 2007 because of serious infrastructure deterioration, largely due to vandalism.
Rheinland, Westfalen-Lipper and SPNV Nord transport authorities have confirmed DB Heidekrautbahn as the winner of a tender to operate Rhein-Sieg-Express services between Aachen, Köln and Siegen in Germany from December 12 2010 until December 13 2015.
