Railway policy news – Page 19
-
News
Access charge reductions fairer than direct support, says ERFA
Duisburg (Photo: DB). EUROPE: The European Rail Freight Association has reiterated its belief that reducing track access charges would be the best way of supporting the rail freight sector through the pandemic in a transparent and non-discriminatory manner, rather than providing direct support for individual operators. ...
-
News
Snälltåget will not bid for Stockholm – Brussels night train contract
EUROPE: Open access operator Snälltåget has decided not to bid for the contract to operate the Swedish government’s proposed overnight service between Stockholm, Malmö, Hamburg, Köln and Brussels.
-
News
Cross-border Irish rail review to study sustainable expansion
EUROPE: A Strategic Rail Review is to be commissioned to examine the potential for enhancing and expanding the island of Ireland’s rail networks, the republic’s Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan and Northern Ireland’s Minister for Infrastructure Nichola Mallon have announced. The ‘all-island’ review will ...
-
News
Rule change calls SNCF Réseau investment into question
FRANCE: Management independence and business productivity at infrastructure manager SNCF Réseau are in jeopardy, according to President & Director General Luc Lallemand. Describing a government decision to consolidate SNCF Réseau’s debts into the state accounts as ‘catastrophic’, Lallemand warned that the infrastructure manager would ...
-
News
Worksite safety in spotlight after fatal collision
TAIWAN: Investigations have started into the management of engineering work following a fatal collision on Taiwan Railway Administration’s East Coast line north of Hualien on the morning of April 2.
-
News
International rail travel revival endorsed by European stakeholders
EUROPE: Stakeholders from across the rail sector have endorsed political proposals for the revitalisation and expansion of international passenger services, and committed to assist with future development to make rail ‘the preferred mode’ for international travel.
-
News
Year of Rail must focus on modal shift
EUROPE: ‘We need to have a medium and long-term vision for rail’, emphasised Portugal’s Minister for Infrastructure & Housing Pedro Nuno Santos on March 29, officially launching the European Union Year of Rail with a virtual conference hosted from Lisboa.
-
News
Italian support packages approved
ITALY: Two packages of Italian government support provided to the rail sector during the coronavirus crisis have been approved by the European Commission under EU state aid rules. One was a €270m measure to reduce track access costs for freight and commercial passenger operators between March ...
-
News
Turkey extends rail subsidies to the end of 2023
TURKEY: Parliament has passed legislation extending state support for infrastructure manager TCDD and national train operator TCDD Taşımcılık until at least the end of 2023, with a clause allowing the President to extend subsidies for up to a further 10 years without recourse to parliament. The ...
-
Rail Business UK
Scottish Government to take over ScotRail in March 2022
UK: The ScotRail franchise is to be taken over by the Scottish Government on the expiry of the current contract with Abellio in March 2022, Transport Secretary Michael Matheson has confirmed. Services are to be operated by an arm’s length Operator of Last Resort, wholly owned ...
-
News
SGR operating contract to be terminated
KENYA: The government has given notice that it intend to transfer control of operations on the country’s standard-gauge railway to Kenya Railway Corp from May 2022.
-
News
AAR proposes transport decarbonisation initiatives
USA: The Association of American Railroads has outlined a series of policy proposals aimed at leveraging the improved environmental performance of rail freight to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector, ‘safely and effectively combatting climate change’.
-
News
Improving access to rail to get freight off the roads
GERMANY: A package of measures to improve access to the rail network and incentivise companies to switch freight from lorries to more environmentally-friendly trains has come into effect this month. The initiative is designed to support the Ministry of Transport & Digital Infrastructure’s aim of increasing ...
-
News
Grand Est concession attracts ‘good response’
FRANCE: ‘Between four and 10’ companies or consortia have prequalified for a concession to operate a group of branch lines in the Grand Est region, according to the region’s Vice-President responsible for Transport David Valence.
-
News
Lithuania and Poland told to comply with EU railway rules
EUROPE: The European Commission is undertaking infringement procedures against Lithuania and Poland regarding compliance with two directives affecting railway matters. On February 18 the Commission sent Lithuania a letter of formal notice regarding the incorrect transposition and implementation of the single European railway area rules in ...
-
News
Saudi Arabia approves merger of railway companies
SAUDI ARABIA: The merger of Saudi Railways Organization and Saudi Railways Company has been formally approved. The combined entity will be responsible for all inter-city railways in the country, and will use the Saudi Railways Company name, abbreviated SAR. The merger and associated legislative changes would ...
-
News
Three step plan to improve Australian rail services
AUSTRALIA: The Australian Railway Association has published a report commissioned from Arup which sets out a three-step plan to provide faster, more reliable and more frequent rail services through upgrades to the existing network and the creation of dedicated fast lines. The ...
-
Rail Business UK
Passenger Experience and Economics, Policy & Operations rail research centres planned
UK: The UK Rail Research & Innovation Network has called on academic institutions to express interest in establishing two centres of excellence. The Inclusive Passenger Experience centre would focus on topics such as inclusive design, digital connectivity, future passenger preferences, and demand and performance metrics. The ...
-
News
ERFA calls for reduction in freight access charges to help meet EU targets
EUROPE: The European Rail Freight Association has welcomed reductions in track access charges in Austria, France, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, and called for further waiving or reductions of charges in other EU member states. ERFA said it was ‘of utmost importance that ambitious measures are ...
-
Rail Business UK
Wales & Borders rail franchise taken into public ownership
UK: The Welsh Government took Wales & Borders passenger services into public ownership on February 7, insisting that the move which had been announced in October would provide longer-term financial stability to ‘protect services, safeguard jobs and deliver infrastructure improvements in light of the ongoing challenges of coronavirus.’