All Policy articles – Page 5
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News
Bulgarian ETCS support scheme approved
BULGARIA: The European Commission has approved under EU state aid rules a €32m Bulgarian scheme to encourage freight and passenger modal shift from road to rail. To be funded through the Recovery & Resilience Facility, the scheme aims to remove technical barriers to rail interoperability and ...
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News
‘We need more capacity’ urges DB’s Nikutta as she takes on Rail Freight Forward leadership
EUROPE: DB Board Member for Freight and DB Cargo CEO Sigrid Nikutta has succeeded Rail Cargo Group Chief Executive Clemens Först as Chair of the Rail Freight Forward alliance.
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News
German government urged to revise pessimistic rail freight assumptions
GERMANY: The leaders of six private rail freight operators have published an open letter to federal Transport Minister Dr Volker Wissing urging the government to revise pessimistic forecasts for the sector’s future growth.
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In depth
UK: East Coast collaboration is delivering
Almost uniquely among UK train operators, LNER is seeing ridership on its inter-city services well above pre-pandemic levels, while a collaborative approach between operator and infrastructure manager is driving up performance. Tony Miles investigates.
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In depth
UK: Quality crumbles as rail reform programme inches forward
While preparations continue for the establishment of Great British Railways as a ‘guiding mind’ for the national rail network, cost cutting across both operations and infrastructure is starting to impact on the quality of service and rail’s ability to contribute to meeting ambitious decarbonisation targets.
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News
European Commission investigates possible anticompetitive practices in online rail ticketing
SPAIN: The European Commission has opened a formal investigation to assess whether national incumbent RENFE may have abused its dominant position in the passenger rail market by refusing to supply all ticketing information and real-time data to rival retailing platforms. RENFE sells tickets offline and online ...
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News
Converting Finland’s rail network to standard gauge is not financially viable, study finds
FINLAND: A study has concluded that converting the 1 524 mm broad gauge national railway network to the European standard of 1 435 mm would not be financially viable. Recognising that regauging would facilitate international passenger and freight traffic and could simplify rolling stock procurement, the ...
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News
ANTT prepares to relet Malha Oeste concession
BRAZIL: ANTT has launched the process to relet the Malha Oeste operating concession, which is currently held by Rumo Logística.
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News
Amtrak backs New York – Scranton passenger revival
USA: Amtrak has unveiled proposals for the restoration of inter-city passenger trains between New York and Scranton.
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News
Rail improvements should be central to TEN-T revision, MEPs say
EUROPE: Major EU transport infrastructure projects should focus on sustainable transport, avoid delays, improve links with Ukraine and Moldova and make provision for military transport, according to the European Parliament’s Transport & Tourism Committee. On April 13, the TRAN Committee formally adopted its position on the ...
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In depth
Montenegro: EU funding is key to rehabilitation
Montenegro’s small network has seen only intermittent investment in recent years, and the poor state of the strategically vital main line between Bar and Beograd is an ongoing concern. Putting the country on the TEN-T map is now a priority for policymakers, as Toma Bačić explains.
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News
South Australia to take back Adelaide suburban operations
AUSTRALIA: Keolis Downer has reached agreement with the state government of South Australia to hand back the operation of the Adelaide suburban rail network progressively from January 2025.
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News
German government promises more rail funding
GERMANY: The coalition government has reached agreement on a package of transport and climate protection-related reforms that includes streamlining the planning process for road and rail projects. After three days of debate, on March 28 the leaders of the Social Democrat, Green and Free Democrat parties, ...
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News
Audit Office warns of ‘chronic crisis’ at Deutsche Bahn
GERMANY: The Federal Audit Office has strongly criticised Deutsche Bahn and the federal government for failing to deal with the national railway’s ‘permanent crisis’, its ongoing financial failings and its inability to cope with operational problems. In a 33-page report published on March 15, the Office ...
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In depth
Sweden: Investment volte-face exposes fragility of EU rail vision
The decision last December by the incoming Swedish government to scale back radically the national high speed rail programme and remove the routes from the pan-European TEN-T network has raised profound questions about the country’s commitment to EU rail ambitions, as Nick Kingsley explains.
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In depth
European Policy: Making the case for cross-border rail
As part of the vision for a Single European Railway Area, a coalition of member states and European institutions is pushing to revitalise and expand cross-border passenger services as a key element in driving modal shift to rail and decarbonising the EU transport sector. Chris Jackson investigates.
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News
Goiás seeks private investors in rail schemes
BRAZIL: Goinfra, the agency responsible for infrastructure and transport within the state of Goiás, has put forward legislation designed to facilitate the construction of rail projects by private sector companies. The draft bill was unveiled at a workshop on railways held on March 8 in Goiânia ...
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In depth
Comment: Greek train crash highlights a tragic system failure
A horrific head-on collision at Evangelismos on the Athens – Thessaloniki main line raises many questions about investment in railway safety and the human factors implications facing front-line employees.
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Rail Business UK
Derby selected as Great British Railways headquarters
UK: Derby has been selected to host the national headquarters of Great British Railways, with the Department for Transport saying it had come top in both the assessment process and the public vote. There were 42 expressions of interest in being the home of GBR, and ...
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News
Kururi Line closure plan fuels fears for Japan’s rural railways
JAPAN: East Japan Railway has confirmed that it is to launch consultations for the partial closure of the 32·2 km Kururi Line east of Tokyo.