Railway policy news – Page 33
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NewsFlixTrain seeks to enter French passenger market
FRANCE: FlixMobility GmbH has lodged an application with rail regulator Arafer to launch five inter-city routes from January 1 2021. The FlixTrain-branded services would cover four domestic routes as well as one international route. The proposed services are seven return trains per day between Paris Nord and Brussels Nord ...
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NewsERA becomes cross-border authorisation body
EUROPE: The European Union Agency for Railways has taken on responsibility for vehicle authorisation, safety certification and ERTMS trackside system approval with effect from June 16, opening what it called ‘a new era of single and simplified authorisation and certification processes in Europe’. This forms part of the technical pillar ...
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NewsPassengers prevail over freight in capacity allocation dispute
SWITZERLAND: The need to provide a minimum level of network capacity for freight operators should not be understood in absolute terms, but instead all relevant interests need to be weighed up, the Federal Administrative Court has ruled in a dispute about train paths. As a result, its says the needs ...
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NewsIllinois votes to fund rail expansion
USA: Dedicated funding for two new inter-city rail services and urban rail expansion is included in a $45bn package of infrastructure investment approved by the Illinois state legislature on May 31. The six-year programme put together by Governor J B Pritzker allocates $33·2bn for transport projects. The majority of this ...
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NewsLevel crossing safety ‘the most important stop of the day’
INTERNATIONAL: ‘The most important stop of the day!’ is the slogan for this year’s International Level Crossing Awareness Day on June 6, which is targeting professional drivers of lorries, buses, coaches, farm, industry and emergency vehicles with the message that a brief stop is always preferable to a serious accident ...
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NewsCompetition authority opposes online ticket monopoly
SWEDEN: Competition authority Konkurrensverket has called on the government to review the regulations governing the online sale of rail tickets, in order to address the dominant position of the sj.se website run by state-owned incumbent operator SJ AB. Two new entrants – MTR Express and Saga Rail – filed complaints ...
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NewsThello bids to run Milano – Paris high speed service
FRANCE: Trenitalia subsidiary Thello has notified rail regulator ARAFER of its intention to launch the first open access passenger services on the French high speed network. The regulator announced on June 4 that Thello had requested paths from SNCF Réseau for a twice-daily service between Milano and Paris to start ...
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NewsBorne backs early extension of Rhin-Rhône high speed line
FRANCE: Transport Minister Elisabeth Borne has agreed to ‘look again’ at the timescale for completing the second phase of the LGV Rhin-Rhône high speed line, serving Dijon and Mulhouse. LGV Rhin-Rhône opened with the December 2011 timetable change, covering an initial 140 route-km between Auxonne, east of Dijon, and Petit-Croix, ...
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Rail Business UKFirstGroup concerned about UK franchise risk and reward
FIRSTGROUP: ‘We have concerns with the current balance of risk and reward being offered’ by UK passenger rail franchises, warned FirstGroup Chief Executive Matthew Gregory when presenting the train and bus operator’s annual results on May 30. Gregory said FirstGroup would await the government’s Williams review of the structure of ...
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NewsRail investment better than cutting travel, EIB says as Danish loan signed
DENMARK: The European Investment Bank has signed a €200m state-guaranteed loan agreement with Femern Landanlaeg, the state-owned company which is managing Danish railway upgrading works associated with the Fehmarn Belt fixed link to northern Germany. The loan will finance work to double-track, electrify, install ETCS and raise the line speed ...
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Rail Business UKLegal action over ‘inappropriate’ risks in new West Coast franchise
UK: The West Coast Trains Partnership joint venture of Stagecoach Group (50%), SNCF Holding (30%) and Virgin (20%) confirmed on May 24 that it had begun legal action against the Department for Transport. This follows DfT’s decision to disqualify it from bidding for the West Coast Partnership contract covering the ...
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Rail Business UKDoncaster hub prepares to maintain Azuma fleet
UK: Hitachi Rail Ltd is ramping up maintenance activity at Agility Trains East’s new Doncaster depot as the roll-out of Class 800/801 Azuma trainsets begins on the East Coast Main Line. The first Azuma entered service on May 15, and four more were being used for driver training in late ...
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NewsMultiple failures led to Amtrak derailment
USA: Failure to provide effective mitigation or warning for a hazardous curve and inadequate driver training led to the fatal derailment of an Amtrak passenger train in Washington state on December 18 2017, the National Transportation Safety Board announced on May 21. The inaugural run of Amtrak Cascades train 501 ...
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NewsSlow growth in private finance of rolling stock
EUROPE: Private sector funding accounted for 42% of all rolling stock orders placed in 2015-17, but only 23% by volume, according to a market study published on May 20. Undertaken for the Rail Working Group by Roland Berger, the study is the third to look at the evolution of the ...
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NewsFederal funding for California high speed rail pulled
USA: The Federal Railroad Administration announced on May 16 that it had terminated a $928·6m 2010 funding agreement with the California High-Speed Rail Authority. This follows a notice of intention to cancel the funding which had been issued by the FRA in March, after newly-elected Governor of California Gavin ...
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NewsStandard gauge plans on hold in Kenya
KENYA: Little more than a year after the opening of the Chinese-built 1 435 mm gauge railway between Mombasa and Nairobi, there are signs that East Africa’s love affair with China’s Belt & Road Initiative may be waning. On May 8, Kenya’s Transport & Infrastructure Minister James Macharia and ...
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Rail Business UKTransport for the South East seeks statutory status
UK: The Transport for the South East group of 16 local authorities covering the region from Hampshire and Berkshire to Kent has begun consultation on its draft case for acquiring statutory status as a subnational transport body. This would give it the right to be consulted on new franchises, a ...
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NewsMore Frecciarossa trains to come as FS unveils €58bn investment plan
ITALY: State railway holding FS Group’s 2019-23 business plan envisages total investment worth €58bn across various modes, with a core focus on enhancing the conventional rail network and improving suburban passenger services. According to FS, the ‘unprecedented’ spending programme, unveiled in Roma on May 10 by Chief Executive Gianfranco Battisti, ...
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Rail Business UKStagecoach goes to court over East Midlands franchise disqualification
UK: Stagecoach Group commenced legal action against the Department for Transport on May 8, following DfT's decision to award of the next East Midlands franchise to Abellio. The NS subsidiary was named preferred bidder on April 10, and the initial 10-day standstill period was extended to midnight on May ...
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NewsLiberian railway could carry iron ore from Guinea
LIBERIA: A memorandum of understanding which could see iron ore from a proposed mine at Zogota in Guinea exported by rail through Liberia has been signed by mining project developer Niron Metals plc and the Liberian government. Various proposals have been put forward over the years for the exploitation of ...