Railway policy news – Page 32
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NewsFreight RAILCAR bill aims to support US wagon industry
USA: The Railway Supply Institute which represents more than 200 companies has welcomed the bipartisan introduction to the House of Representatives of the Freight Rail Assistance & Investment to Launch Coronavirus-era Activity & Recovery Act, which would offer a time-limited 50% tax credit for purchasing new wagons ...
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NewsCovid-19 aid package unfair, say independent operators
GERMANY: Financial aid earmarked for national operator Deutsche Bahn in the form of a €5bn equity increase as compensation for the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic constitutes unfair state aid under European Union law, according to Netzwerk Europäischer Eisenbahnen, an association of around 60 independent rail freight ...
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NewsVoters reject Liechtenstein S-Bahn proposal
LIECHTENSTEIN: Plans for a cross-border S-Bahn service linking Austria and Switzerland through the principality were rejected by 62·3% of voters in a referendum held on August 30. A letter of intent to go ahead with the long-planned project had been signed by Liechtenstein’s Deputy Prime Minister and ...
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NewsEuropean Rail Partnership to succeed Shift2Rail
EUROPE: The European Commission has invited expressions of interest in becoming founding members of a new European Partnership on Rail Research & Innovation, which is being put forward as a successor to the current Shift2Rail Joint Undertaking.
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Metro Report InternationalBerlin S-Bahn tenders invited
GERMANY: Verkehrsverbund Berlin-Brandenburg has launched the competitive tendering process for the remaining two portions of the 331 route-km Berlin S-Bahn network, covering the North-South and east-west Stadtbahn service groups.
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NewsHauts-de-France tenders regional services
FRANCE: Following a year of consultation over the competitive tendering of up to 10 groups of local rail services, the Hauts-de-France regional council formally invited expressions of interest on July 30 for three nine-year public service contracts to operate routes in Nord-Pas de Calais and Picardie.
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NewsILSA-Trenitalia aims to launch Spanish high speed service from March 2022
Photo: Christophe Masse Trenitalia is planning to launch high speed services in both France and Spain; some testing of its Frecciarossa 1000 trainsets has already been undertaken in France. SPAIN: The ILSA-Trenitalia joint venture has pinpointed March 1 2022 as the start date for its Spanish open ...
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NewsGrand Est seeks Alsace branch concessionaire
FRANCE: Passenger trains on the Saint-Dié-des-Vosges – Épinal line are expected to resume running in 2025 under plans unveiled by the Grand Est regional authority on July 29.
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NewsAlstom’s acquisition of Bombardier Transportation cleared by European Commission
INDUSTRY: Alstom’s proposed acquisition of Bombardier Transportation was approved by the European Commission on July 31, subject to full compliance with a number of commitments offered by Alstom. ‘Thanks to the comprehensive remedies offered to solve the competition concerns in the areas of very high speed, main ...
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Rail Business UKONS reclassifies Train Operating Companies as public non-financial corporations
UK: Train Operating Companies which are operating under Emergency Measures Agreements with the UK and Scottish governments have been reclassified as public non-financial corporations, the Office for National Statistics announced on July 31. The reclassification, which is backdated to April 1, is a statistical matter which affects ...
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NewsBatteries beat hydrogen on cost and efficiency, VDE study shows
GERMANY: A study of climate-neutral traction technology by VDE, the Association for Electrical, Electronic & Information Technologies, has concluded that over a 30-year life-cycle battery-powered multiple-units are substantially cheaper and more efficient than those powered by hydrogen. The study published on July 21 concludes that the costs ...
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Rail Business UKInquiry to consider implications of the pandemic for public transport
UK: The longer-term implications of the coronavirus pandemic for public transport are to be examined by the House of Commons’ Transport Select Committee, which has called for written evidence on the extent that the pandemic ‘could, and should’, be used as an opportunity to influence how people ...
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NewsGrand Est to pilot revitalisation of France’s rural branch lines
FRANCE: The Grand Est region has invited tenders for a 22-year concession to rehabilitate, operate and maintain the Nancy – Mirecourt – Vittel – Contrexéville line in Lorraine.
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NewsPays de la Loire launches regional rail and tram-train tenders
FRANCE: Operation of the Nantes – Châteaubriant tram-train route and regional rail services in western France is to be competitively tendered, the Pays de la Loire regional government confirmed on July 17.
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Metro Report InternationalGovernment sets out details of Transport for London financial review
UK: Cost efficiencies, workforce modernisation, alternative potential operating models and ‘exploring the feasibility of extending driverless operation from the Docklands Light Railway to other lines which are already automatic’ are to be considered by a government review into the financial structure of Transport for London. TfL ...
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News‘Very strong emphasis’ on rail as EU allocates €2·2bn for 140 transport projects
Rail Baltica. EUROPE: The European Commission said there was a ‘very strong emphasis’ on rail in the list of 140 transport projects which are to receive almost €2·2bn of Connecting Europe Facility grants announced on July 16. A total of 55 rail infrastructure projects on the TEN-T ...
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NewsCER blueprint to increase rail’s role under EU Green Deal
EUROPE: A clear timescale for the decarbonisation of European transport and a greater role for rail are the key objectives of a ‘green mobility blueprint’ put forward by the Community of European Railway & Infrastructure Companies.
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NewsIndependent operators raise night train competition concerns
EUROPE: Private open access operators RegioJet and RDC have seen higher than expected demand for the overnight services they launched this month, and Snälltåget has set out plans for expansion. However, the ALLRAIL association of independent passenger operators has expressed concern that incumbent state railways may come ...
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NewsWestern Australia rail investment targets agriculture sector
AUSTRALIA: A package of infrastructure enhancements has been put forward by the Western Australia state government in a bid to attract more agricultural traffic onto rail.
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News‘Rail comeback’ could reopen 4 000 km of closed lines
GERMANY: More than 200 closed, mothballed or freight-only lines could be reopened to serve 291 towns and a population of around 3 million people, according to proposals drawn up by the Association of German Transport Companies VDV and rail lobby group Allianz pro Schiene. The two organisations ...