Railway policy news – Page 56
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NewsStrategic partner sought for RENFE freight
SPAIN: Unveiling on December 14 the government’s 2017-23 rail freight development plan, Development Minister Íñigo de la Serna announced that a ‘strategic partner’ is to be sought for RENFE’s freight business. This partner would hold up to 50% of a new company to be established in 2019, focused on continuing ...
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NewsLatvia's cabinet backs electrification financing proposal
LATVIA: The cabinet has accepted a Ministry of Transport report setting out how the first phase of the electrification programme envisaged under the national development plan for 2014–20 can be undertaken without requiring funding from the state budget. The first phase covers 25 kV 50 Hz electrification of the routes ...
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NewsStrategic vision to bring infrastructure and operations closer
UK: On November 29 Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling published the government’s ‘strategic vision’ for rail, containing what it says are ‘sweeping proposals’ to bring infrastructure and train operations closer together. In what is described as ‘an evolution’ of the franchising system, single management teams are to be ...
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NewsRail market share falling in France, says regulator
FRANCE: In a report on rail passenger services covering 2015 and 2016, regulatory body Arafer found that rail’s market share had fallen by an average of 0·5% a year since 2011, whereas that of other modes had increased. Published on November 16, the report said that rail had a 9·2% ...
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NewsSNCF to assist PRASA with renewal programme
SOUTH AFRICA: Under a tripartite agreement signed on November 27, SNCF and French government development agency AFD have agreed to provide technical and financial assistance worth R6·2m to suburban passenger operator Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa. Commencing from the start of December, the 12-month partnership will provide technical expertise, ...
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NewsThameslink Programme completion deferred by a year
UK: The Department for Transport has agreed to a proposal from Network Rail and train operator Govia Thameslink Railway which would see introduction of the full 24 trains/h timetable on the Thameslink route through central London deferred by a year to December 2019. With a total value of £7bn, of ...
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NewsBrexit must not undermine the Single European Rail Area, says CER
EUROPE: The UK’s impending departure from the European Union must not undermine the ongoing development of the Single European Rail Area, Community of European Railway & Infrastructure Companies Executive Director Libor Lochman said on November 22. Speaking at a hearing organised by the European Parliament Committee on Transport & Tourism ...
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Rail in the November 2017 UK budget
UK: A new railcard, replacement of the Tyne & Wear Metro fleet, signalling and communications upgrades and the East West Rail corridor were among the rail projects highlighted in the budget presented to parliament by Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond on November 22. A £1·7bn Transforming Cities Fund will ...
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NewsWay forward seen as Hudson Bay Railway dispute escalates
CANADA: Investment group Fairfax Financial Holdings has expressed interest in partnering with the Missinippi Rail and One North first nations consortia to acquire the flood-damaged Hudson Bay Railway, the Port of Churchill and associated assets from short line group OmniTRAX, the federal government announced on November 16. Minister of Natural ...
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NewsARA emphasises the Value of Rail
AUSRAIL: Australia’s rail industry contributed around A$26bn to the national economy in 2016, according to the Value of Rail report launched by the Australasian Railway Association at AusRail Plus on November 21. Prepared for ARA by Deloitte Access Economics, the report is intended to highlight the many ways that rail ...
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NewsEU vehicle authorisation process agreed
EUROPE: A major step towards implementation of the technical pillar of the Fourth Railway Package was achieved on November 16, when the European Commission’s Railway Interoperability & Safety Committee voted to adopt the Implementing Act setting out the practical arrangements for the unified vehicle authorisation process. Since the package was ...
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NewsNetwork Rail to sell commercial property business
UK: Network Rail announced plans to sell its commercial property business in England and Wales on November 17. The infrastructure manager said it was the largest provider of small and medium-sized business space in the UK, and the sale of ‘non-core’ property assets, the majority of which are spaces under ...
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NewsTransport for the North to become statutory body
UK: Legislation to turn the Transport for the North partnership of 19 local authorities, business leaders and 11 local enterprise partnership areas into a statutory sub-national transport body with legal powers and duties was laid in Parliament on November 16. Once approved, TfN would become a statutory body with effect ...
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NewsSwitzerland to participate in EU Agency for Railways
EUROPE: The European Commission has asked the Council for a mandate to negotiate an amendment to the 1999 bilateral Land Transport Agreement with Switzerland, which would enable the country to participate in the European Union Agency for Railways. On November 15 the Commission said Swiss involvement was foreseen by the ...
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NewsSBB targets 15 min frequencies in 'next quantum leap'
SWITZERLAND: Swiss Federal Railways is drawing up long-term proposals to run its long-distance services at 15 min intervals. Describing this as ‘the next quantum leap in Swiss public transport’, SBB was responding on November 9 to a government consultation document on long-term investment in the national rail network. The government’s ...
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NewsERS 2017: Looking beyond the Fourth Railway Package
EUROPE: ‘Implementation’ was the watchword of speakers and delegates at Railway Gazette Group’s third European Rail Summit, which was hosted by the Representation of the Free State of Bayern to the EU in Brussels on November 7. Entitled ‘Beyond the Fourth Railway Package’, the Summit addressed the policy challenges facing ...
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NewsShift2Rail updates its action plan
EUROPE: The latest Multi-Annual Action Plan for the Shift2Rail research programme was formally presented to EU Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc in Tallinn on November 9, as part of the Commission’s Digital Transport Days event. Recently adopted by the joint undertaking’s management board, the ‘Part A’ Executive View of the MAAP ...
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NewsSwiss long-distance concession delayed
SWITZERLAND: The Federal Transport Office, BAV, has decided to postpone the award of new concessions to operate long-distance passenger services on the national network, and to directly award SBB a two-year extension to its existing contract until the December 2019 timetable change. SBB had been in negotiation with regional operators ...
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NewsEIB approves rail infrastructure financing
EUROPE: A total of €1·8bn of financing for rail and road transport projects was approved by the European Investment Bank on October 18. The rail projects are: €20m for infrastructure modernisation in Poland, including station, signalling and level crossing upgrade projects;€650m for upgrading routes to Polish ports;€133m to upgrade ...
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NewsPrivate operator to haul iron ore in Turkey
TURKEY: Omsan Logistics is set to become the country’s first private train operator under the 2016 legislation liberalising the rail market. It is a subsidiary of investment group Oyak, the pension fund of the Turkish armed forces, and will be hauling traffic for other group companies. The company announced on ...