Railway policy news – Page 40
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NewsTejas Express pilots passenger privatisation
INDIA: The first step towards opening up the provision of inter-city passenger services on the IR network began on October 4, with the launch at Lucknow Junction of a new Tejas Express service by the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath. Operating over the 500 km ...
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Metro Report InternationalGamifying transport planning in San Diego
USA: San Diego Metropolitan Transit System has launched the Vision Builder Challenge which allows the public to show their support for different transport investment options. This forms part of the Elevate SD 2020 public engagement programme, which MTS will use to decide whether to put a transport ...
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NewsCourt annuls directly awarded ÖBB operating contract
AUSTRIA: The Federal Administrative Court in Wien on October 3 annulled the direct award to ÖBB of a 15-year contract to operate passenger services in eastern Austria from December 2019. The court’s decision was welcomed in a statement issued by open access operator Westbahn, which had lodged ...
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NewsFerrmed launches modal shift optimisation study
EUROPE: Rail freight association Ferrmed has begun work on a study of modal shift optimisation on the European Union’s TEN-T corridors. Scheduled for completion by the end of next year, the study is intended to help EU member states prioritise actions to support modal shift, and to ...
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Metro Report InternationalPrivate sector drives Brazilian urban rail revival
The private sector is expected to play a crucial role in meeting Brazil’s urban rail needs.
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Metro Report InternationalWarszawa metro loan agreement signed
POLAND: The city of Warszawa signed a loan agreement with the European Investment Bank on September 26 covering extensions of metro Line 2. The 1·5bn złoty loan is to be put towards extensions at both ends of the east-west line. A 9·3 km western extension is to ...
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NewsThalys-Eurostar merger planned under Green Speed initiative
EUROPE: SNCF, SNCB and the Patina Rail investment vehicle announced on September 27 their intention to combine the Eurostar and Thalys high speed rail operations, reporting that outline proposals were being presented to their respective boards. The proposed merger is being taken forward under a project ...
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NewsVDB calls for faster digital roll-out strategy
GERMANY: Rail industry association VDB has put forward a seven-point plan to accelerate the introduction of digital train control across the national rail network, suggesting that an industrial scale roll-out of digital interlockings and ETCS could begin as soon as 2022. The proposals follow the signing on ...
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NewsAmsterdam – London through train agreement to be signed shortly
EUROPE: The international agreement which would permit the operation of through passenger services between the Netherlands and the UK is expected to be signed in October, State Secretary for Justice & Security Ankie Broekers-Knol told the Dutch parliament’s lower house on September 25. Eurostar told Railway Gazette ...
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NewsFritzson re-elected as CER looks ahead
CER Chairman Crister Fritzson and Executive Director Libor Lochman EUROPE: SJ AB President & CEO Crister Fritzson has been re-elected as Chairman of the Community of European Railway & Infrastructure Companies, following the CER General Assembly in Gdańsk on September 23. Fritzson, who also chairs the Swedish ...
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NewsSurface Transportation Board proposes rule changes
USA: The Surface Transportation Board has begun consultation on proposed rule changes intended to reduce the cost and complexity of its rate review procedures, particularly in small cases, and to provide a streamlined market dominance process. The proposals build on recommendations made by STB’s rate reform task ...
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NewsAmber Rail Freight Corridor up and running
EUROPE: An event was held in the Slovenian port of Koper on September 18 to mark the launch this year of the Amber Rail Freight Corridor, the first RFC to be established since the original nine defined in 2010. The corridor is a ...
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NewsFirst ETR1000 trainsets arrive in France for testing
Photo: Christophe Masse FRANCE: The first of two Trenitalia ETR1000 Frecciarossa trainsets arrived in France on September 19 for type approval tests in Bretagne. Trenitalia plans to launch a Paris – Milano high speed service in summer 2020 using a fleet of five ETR1000 trainsets modified for ...
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NewsDB to order more high speed trains as government cuts VAT on fares
Photo: DB AG/Georg Wagner GERMANY: Rail spending is to be increased significantly as part of a €54bn package of measures to mitigate the effects of climate change, which was announced by Chancellor Angela Merkel on September 20. In order to reduce the environmental impact of transport and ...
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NewsDB rejects Audit Office claims
Photo: DB AG/Volker Emersleben GERMANY: Deutsche Bahn has strongly rejected concerns raised by the Federal Audit Office that it had failed to manage federal funds effectively and that its finances were in disarray. Reports published by press agency Deutsche Presse-Agentur and subsequently in national media said that ...
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NewsCambodia Freight Forwarders call for rail improvements
CAMBODIA: The rail network is not yet working well for freight shippers despite recent improvements, a trade body told the 17th ASEAN Ports & Shipping Conference in Phnom Penh. Moving containers on the 266 km metre-gauge route from the capital and business hub Phnom Penh to the ...
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Metro Report InternationalNew York MTA proposes ‘largest ever’ capital plan
Photo: Gregory Grice USA: New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced its 2020-24 Capital Plan on September 16. The proposed $51·5bn investment is 70% more than the current five-year plan, making it the largest capital plan in MTA history, according to the authority. The investment is to be ...
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NewsRovana Plumb nominated as European Commissioner for Transport
EUROPE: Rovana Plumb was nominated as European Commissioner for Transport by Commission President-elect Ursula von der Leyen on September 10. Plumb is a Social Democratic Party (PSD) member of the Romanian and European parliaments. She has almost two decades of experience in politics, serving as Romania’s Minister ...
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NewsUkrainian railway reform legislation introduced
UKRAINE: Bills for the reform of the railway and inland waterway sectors were introduced to parliament on September 6. The proposed changes follow on from Ukraine’s 2017 Association Agreement with the European Union. ‘These bills present a European model for the rail and inland waterway market’, said ...
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NewsUS$5bn ‘Chile On Rails’ strategy unveiled
Chile on Rails CHILE: President Sebastian Piñera has announced an ambitious US$5bn ‘Chile On Rails’ strategy which includes 25 investment projects covering 1 000 km of railway. The aim is to triple ridership to 150 million passengers/year by 2027, double freight to more than 21 ...