Railway policy news – Page 41
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NewsNorthland line renovation funded
NEW ZEALAND: The government has approved the first NZ$94·8m tranche of an expected NZ$300m from the Provincial Growth Fund to fund renovation and upgrading works on KiwiRail’s 181 km North Auckland Line between Swanson and Whangarei. Speaking in Helensville on September 5, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane ...
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NewsSwiss Combi buys stake in SBB Cargo
SWITZERLAND: Swiss Combi AG, a joint venture formed of four road transport and logistics companies in the private sector, has bought a 35% stake in SBB Cargo AG for an undisclosed sum.
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Rail Business UKHS2 benefits ‘substantially undervalued’ amid rising costs
UK: The Chairman of High Speed 2 Ltd Allan Cook believes that ‘the benefits of the current scheme are substantially undervalued’, according to a ‘stocktake report’ presented to the House of Commons by Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps on September 3. Updating Parliament on progress ...
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NewsČD fined for anti-competitive bidding
CZECH REPUBLIC: National operator ČD has been fined KC274·8m after anti-monopoly office ÚOHS ruled that it had abused its dominant position in an effort to prevent competitors entering the passenger market. ÚOHS found that ČD had violated Czech and EU competition laws by submitting artificially low bids ...
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Rail Business UKLNER to pilot UK rail ticketing reform
UK: East Coast Main Line operator LNER is to pilot proposed reforms to Great Britain’s fares system from January 2 2020, with tickets going on sale from November 29. Announcing the trial on August 29, the Department for Transport said its aim was to ‘significantly boost customer ...
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NewsERFA Secretary General appointed at an ‘exciting moment’
EUROPE: Conor Feighan became Secretary General of the European Rail Freight Association on August 26, succeeding Acting Secretary General Carole Coune. Feighan has joined ERFA from the FEPORT association which represents terminal operators and private port companies. He has had previous roles at the European Parliament and the European ...
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NewsRed Férrea de Atlántico operational support contract awarded
COLOMBIA: National infrastructure authority ANI has awarded Spanish engineering and technology consultancy Airtificial a €1·5m contract to optimise operations on the Red Férrea de Atlántico. The contract covers operations on the 876 route-km linking Bogota, Belencito, La Dorada and Chiriguná. These 914 mm gauge lines had been out of ...
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NewsEstonia plans rail electrification to meet 2030 climate goals
ESTONIA: The Ministry of Economic Affairs & Communications and the Ministry of the Environment are preparing a railway electrification strategy after receiving cabinet backing for the development of proposals. The government envisages that electrification works could be undertaken in 2022-28, supporting the aim of reducing greenhouse gas ...
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NewsBLS and SBB agree to share long-distance concession
SWITZERLAND: Swiss Federal Railways and BLS AG have reached ‘an amicable solution’ to share the operation of long-distance services, the Federal Ministry of Environment, Transport, Energy & Communication announced on August 22. This will enable BLS to re-enter the long-distance passenger market with effect from the December 2019 timetable change. ...
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Rail Business UKReview to consider whether and how to proceed with High Speed 2
UK: The terms of reference and timeline for an independently-led government review of whether and how to proceed with the High Speed 2 project were published by Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps on August 21. The ‘independent, thorough and objective’ review is to be chaired by Douglas ...
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NewsTender favours state incumbent, new entrants’ group claims
SLOVAKIA: The ALLRAIL group of new entrants to the rail market has expressed concerned about tender for the operation of passenger services on the Žilina – Rajec line, saying it believes that the process favours state incumbent ZSSK and ‘it seems that real competition is not wanted’. The tender ...
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NewsSBB and ÖBB to strengthen overnight services
EUROPE: Citing a significant increase in demand for international passenger services during the first half of 2019, Swiss Federal Railways announced on August 19 that it intended to strengthen its long-term co-operation with Austria’s ÖBB and expand the provision of both daytime and overnight trains. Suggesting that increased awareness ...
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NewsBrenner rolling motorway to be expanded to reduce impact of lorry traffic
AUSTRIA: Rolling motorway services are to be massively expanded in a bid to switch more traffic from road to rail on the Brenner corridor. Under plans agreed at a high-level meeting of officials in Innsbruck on August 9, operator ÖBB will step up the number of rolling motorway trains ...
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Rail Business UKFirst Trenitalia awarded West Coast Partnership
UK: The consortium of FirstGroup (70%) and Trenitalia (30%) has been selected for the West Coast Partnership franchise to operate intercity services on the West Coast Main Line and the first phase of High Speed 2, the Department for Transport announced on August 14. Final award is ...
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Rail Business UKSouth Eastern franchise competition cancelled pending Rail Review
UK: The Department for Transport terminated the competition for the next South Eastern franchise on August 7, saying it had ‘significant concerns’ that continuing with the process ‘would lead to additional costs incurred to the taxpayer, with no certainty that this would deliver envisaged benefits for passengers ...
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Editorial CommentComment: Jumping on the night train
After years of decline, overnight trains in Europe could be on the cusp of a renaissance. Rail is increasingly being hailed as a sustainable alternative to short-haul flying, encouraged in part by the flygskam (flight shaming) movement that originated in Sweden, and bolstered by the success of ...
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NewsMonopolies Commission urges more competition on German network
GERMANY: Further separation of infrastructure provider DB Netz from the Deutsche Bahn group is amongst a raft of measures recommended by the Monopolies Commission to enhance quality and competition on the rail network. In its seventh report, published on July 25, the Commission highlights the need for better service ...
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Rail Business UKNine recommendations for rail in northern England
Nine recommendations are set out in a review of the Rail North Partnership between the Department for Transport and Transport for the North which manages the Northern and TransPennine Express passenger franchises. UK: Nine recommendations are set out in a review of the Rail North Partnership between ...
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NewsLegal row over track safety rule change
BELGIUM: Infrastructure manager Infrabel said on July 30 that it had been forced to defend itself and changes in its maintenance policy in a case brought before the Brussels Francophone Business Court by freight operator Lineas. Services run by Lineas and other operators had been affected by ...
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NewsAustria referred to court over driver certification
AUSTRIA: The European Commission announced on July 25 that it would refer Austria to the Court of Justice of the EU for failing to comply with rules regarding the certification of train drivers. At present, the licensing of train drivers in Austria is managed by SCHIG, the public railway ...