
OEBB and DB Present Brenner Base Tunnel Northern Approach Ro...
Austrian Federal Railways and Deutsche Bahn have presented the overall best route for the northern approach to the Brenner Base Tunnel.
Austrian Federal Railways and Deutsche Bahn have presented the overall best route for the northern approach to the Brenner Base Tunnel.
Toyota Motor Europe will supply the fuel cell modules for the CAF-manufactured CIVIA EMU that will be the prototype for the FCH2RAIL project.
France: members of parliament in the National Assembly have voted on the climate and resilience bill which bans short-haul domestic flights.
Four French regions have placed their first order for dual mode electric-hydrogen trains from Alstom, via co-ordinating party SNCF Voyageurs.
RegioJet is partnering with Dutch start-up European Sleeper to provide night train services connecting Prague, Berlin, Amsterdam and Brussels.
Following its acquisition of Bombardier Transportation in January, Alstom has obtained a five-year services contract for Dubai Airport's APM.
Freight manufacturer UWC has delivered 50 box cars to rail operator Locotrans.The parties signed the contract for the railcars in early 2021.
Alstom has installed and commissioned its electronic interlocking system on another section of the Beni Suef-Asyut line in Egypt.
Almost 260 shippers and railroads have submitted letters of support to the STB for the proposed Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern merger.
The University of Birmingham and Siemens Mobility have signed an MoU for a centre of excellence for rail research and innovation in Goole.
HS2 has presented its design of the Oxford Canal Viaduct that will measure 62.5m and span the canal and towpath between Banbury and Daventry.
Alstom has acquired Helion Hydrogen Power and Flertex to expand its expertise in the hydrogen and braking system markets respectively.
Us President Biden has laid out his American Jobs Plan that will see more than $600 billion of spending on infrastructure, including rail.
Hitachi Rail has completed its acquisition of digital technology company Perpetuum, giving it a broader digital portfolio.
Following Alstom's acquisition of Bombardier Transportation, Alstom has won the contract to supply 234 metro cars for Mumbai's Line 4.
After a three-year test period Stadler's FLIRT Akku battery-powered train has demonstrated a range of 185km, exceeding expectations.
Spain: Renfe has signed a contract with Alstom for 152 high-capacity X'Trapolis commuter trains worth in excess of 1.4 billion euros.
HS2 Ltd has published its shortlist of companies it has asked to tender for the high-speed railway's high-voltage power supply systems.
Metra, Chicago's rail operator, has ordered 200 push-pull railcars from Alstom. The board approved a procurement of 500 units in total.
Hitachi Rail has contracted Knorr-Bremse and two of its subsidiaries to provide braking, entrance and HVAC systems for 30 trams for Turin.
Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern, two Class 1 railroads, have agreed on a merger deal worth 29 billion USD.
Greenbrier will build 100 60' intermodal twin wagons for GB Railfreight. Porterbrook will purchase the units and lease them to GBRf.
The Transport Committee has published a report, Trains Fit for the Future?, which calls for a 30-year rolling programme of electrification.
Siemens Mobility and VTG Rail Europe will test the Brake Monitoring System which can perform automated brake testing for freight trains.
We've published our first issue of 2021 with a new, intuitive look and more interactive features such as embedded videos.
HS2 has cast the first of 112,000 wall segments for the high-speed railway's 10-mile Chiltern tunnel outside of London.
Webuild has won a railway contract in Sicily worth €1 billion. The contract is for doubling the railway line between Messina and Catania.
Siemens Mobility has been awarded two contracts by the New South Wales Government to upgrade the signalling technology on the Sydney metro.
Network Rail has published an updated report on the resilience of the railways following the Stonehaven derailment.
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority has awarded Hitachi a contract for 256 8000-series railcars with options for 544 more.
Work has begun on what will be the UK's longest rail viaduct – the Colne Valley Viaduct to the northwest of London, measuring 3.4km.
The Sydney Metro West project has received two major planning approvals in readiness for the TBMs to start working by the end of 2022.
United Wagon Company (UWC) will manufacture and deliver 1,000 large-capacity container flat cars to intermodal operator Trans Synergy LLC.
The German Centre for Rail Transport Research (DZSF) has a positive outlook on its activities during the European Year of Rail.
HS2 will use retired wind turbine blades originally destined for the incinerator to make reinforced concrete that is carbon-friendly.
Following increased demand and with the help of Congressional funding, Amtrak will restore daily services to 12 long-distance services.
Train operating company ODEG (Ostdeutsche Eisenbahn GmbH) has been awarded the contract to run services on the Ostseeküste II network.
Italy: Trentialia has awarded an integrated logistics support contract to Hitachi Rail for its high-speed Frecciarossa fleet.
Germany: Siemens Mobility will digitalise Finnentrop interlocking, which controls around 60km of railway line, by the end of 2021.
Alstom will supply 34 Coradia Stream High-Capacity electric multiple units to Lower Saxony, Germany, to enter into service in December 2024.
HS2 Ltd has started its search for a specialist contractor to deliver the high-speed railway's engineering management system (EMS).
Following the formal handover of the Heathrow Express depot to Network Rail, NR will begin its decommissioning work in preparation for HS2.
Deutsche Bahn, the federal government and the state governments will invest a total of 12.7 billion euros in Germany's rail network in 2021.
Stadler Deutschland has contracted Knorr-Bremse to supply the braking, entrance and HVAC systems for the new Berlin metro vehicles.
Following an 8.5 million GBP investment at its site in Newton Aycliffe, Hitachi Rail has started welding and painting UK passenger cars.
Transport for London and Siemens Mobility have unveiled the detailed design for the new trains for the London Underground Piccadilly line.
Webuild has been chosen as the best bidder for a Brenner Base Tunnel rail extension project. It will be the majority leader in a consortium.
The contract for the construction of the Rail Baltica Riga International Airport station and associated infrastructure has been signed.
Transport for New South Wales has extended Network Rail Consulting's digital systems integration contract until 2024.
Deutsche Bahn and SCNF have signed a cooperation agreement on digitalisation and technology to help drive ahead the European rail sector.
Railway staff in Britain are receiving disability awareness and equality training as part of requirements in the ORR accessibility guidance.
The USDOT and DART have agreed a refinancing of a $908 million loan for the Silver Line that will save DART $190 million in interest payments.
Hitachi Rail is to deploy its ERTMS technology on 140km of the Malmbanen line in Sweden, a single-track line that crosses the Arctic Circle.
Collins Earthworks has completed the preparation of the HS2 site in Warwickshire in readiness for tunnelling to start this summer.
ARCT has awarded a 30 million AUD signalling contract to Arcadis for the Inland Rail freight project that will connect Melbourne to Brisbane.
Private Swiss train operator BLS says it is putting in place immediate measures after the Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board (STSB) discovered unus...
MSC launches a new rail freight connection between Antwerp and Terminal Wien Süd, one of Austrian Federal Railways' terminals in Vienna.
Czech rolling stock manufacturer CZ LOKO has sold an EffiShunter 1000 shunting locomotive to Trainpoint Norway. It will be delivered in 2021.
The European Commission has officially proposed the successor to Shift2Rail – Europe's Rail JU – to the European Council and Parliament.
Network Rail completes the Southampton Freight Train Lengthening project, allowing freight trains of up to 775m to Southampton.
Transfesa Logistics has added regular weekly services to Dourges, France to its portfolio and is hoping to expand the number of services.
Austrian Federal Railways and Siemens Mobility have unveiled the exterior design of the new generation of Nightjet trains in Vienna.
Alstom has completed the installation of its interlocking system on 328km of the mainline railway between Eskisehir and Balikesir in Turkey.
Downer EDI has won the contract to upgrade stations on the Bankstown Line, which will become part of the Sydney Metro network.
EMR is retiring its fleet of InterCity 125 trains, comprising Class 43 power cars and Mark 3 coaches, in May 2021.
HS2 Ltd has started its search for a contractor to build the rolling stock depot and control centre at Washwood Heath in Birmingham.
Deutsche Bahn's head of digitalisation and technology, Prof. Sabina Jeschke, is leaving the railway company in May 2021.
CZ LOKO has won a contract with Poland's national carrier for long-distance services, PKP Intercity, for 10 EffiShunter 300 locomotives.
Škoda Transportation has won a contract to supply 24 trams to two towns and a city in Germany's federal state of Brandenburg.
Germany has suffered some severe winter weather in February, with heavy snowfall across much of the country, affecting the railway too.
HS2 Ltd has revealed the design of the Euston tunnel headhouse that will sit alongside the West Coast Main Line in London.
The Route 2020 metro line in Dubai, United Arab Emirates has entered revenue service. It connects Jabal Ali Station with the World Expo site.
Alstom has completed a further section of the 240km Beni Suef-Asyut railway line in Egypt. 100km of the line are now commissioned.
Tottenham Court Road station has reached a major milestone: works are sufficiently progressed for final commissioning activities to begin.
Coca-Cola is partnering with DB Cargo to transport its goods for all long-distance journeys in Germany to become a greener business.
HS2 Phase 2a, connecting the high-speed line from London to Crewe via Birmingham, has received royal assent in parliament.
The California High-Speed Rail Authority has issued its revised draft business plan, which will go to the California Legislature in April.
Network Rail to begin works at London King's Cross station at the end of February as part of the 1.2 billion GBP East Coast Main Line.
The University of Extremadura in Spain will work with Talgo to develop the visual identity of the TPH2 hydrogen test train.
The first of 270 Bombardier Electrostars has been overhauled and returned to passenger service for train operator Govia Thameslink Railway.
Skoda Transporation has won a contract to supply six electric multiple units (EMUs) to Estonia, to be delivered by the end of 2024.
Following its annoucement of this plan in October 2020 the Welsh government has now taken the Wales & Borders franchise into public ownership.
The German government will provide more financial assistance to businesses wishing to connect their facilities to the rail network.
Finland's state railway company VR Group has started producing energy. It has installed solar panels on Pendolino Hall at its Helsinki depot.
HS2 has revealed its final design for the headhouse and vent shaft at Chalfont St Giles which will provide ventilation to the Chiltern tunnel.
Talgo has started the dynamic testing of its very high-speed train, the Talgo Avril. All 30 units will go to Spain's national operator Renfe.
TMH has shipped two shunting locomotives, type TEM18DM, to Mongolia. TMH signed the contract with Ulaanbaatar Railway in 2019.
CAF will supply four 4-car electric multiple units to Euskotren over the next two years in a contract worth almost 32 million euros.
Albanian State Railways has signed a contract for the rehabilitation of the Durrës-Tirana line and the construction of a new 5.7km line.
The rail link to Bucharest's airport is complete. There is a new station at T1, connecting passengers to the city centre in 20 minutes.
The US Senate has confirmed Pete Buttigieg as Secretary of Transportation in the Biden Administration, with 83 votes in favour, 13 against.
Alstom is to equip 13 DB Cargo locomotives, type EG3100, with its ETCS solution. They will operate in Germany, Denmark and Sweden.
Siemens Mobility will supply 31 regional trains for the passenger network in Bavaria. The order comprises 25 Desiro HC and 6 Mireo trainsets.
Amtrak Midwest has been testing the new Siemens Mobility Venture railcars, which are being manufactured in Sacramento, California.
Hitachi Rail has successfully trialled its first battery-powered tram in Italy. Battery-powered trams can make do without overhead lines.
On 29 January 2021 Alstom has completed the acquisition of Bombardier Transportation with a combined order backlog of 71.1 billion euros.
Network Rail has announced Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) works to take place in the first two weeks of August.
The Voice of European Railways (CER) says railways in the EU27 made losses of 26 billion euros in 2020 because of COVID-19.
Comments in the Commissioner's report stating the government is exploring cutting down platform numbers at HS2 Euston have sparked concern.
Avlo, Renfe's new low-cost high-speed passenger service that will run between Madrid and Barcelona, will launch on 23 June 2021.
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Comment
by Josephine Cordero Sapién
Published
19 May 2020
Tags
Allianz pro Schiene
coronavirus
Regions Germany
Recently, industry bodies including Allianz pro Schiene, an association that promotes rail as a safe and environmentally friendly transport option and that counts 24 non-profits and 150 rail industry companies as its members, called for more measures from the German government to support the sector through the coronavirus pandemic.
Our editor Josephine Cordero Sapién interviewed Allianz pro Schiene’s Executive Director Dirk Flege to find out more.
Railway-News: The coronavirus pandemic – Allianz pro Schiene, together with the Netzwerk Europäischer Eisenbahnen, the Verband Deutscher Verkehrsunternehmen and the Verband der Güterwagenhalter in Deutschland, says the German federal government must do more for the rail freight sector. You suggest a ‘stability fund’. Who specifically is it meant to support? What are the major challenges for rail freight during this pandemic?
Dirk Flege: The federal government rightly expects rail freight undertakings to reliably ensure the supply of vital goods to the population. The sector must fulfil this important task, even when fluctuations in demand caused by the coronavirus create high additional costs without corresponding increased earnings. The sector has fully met the high, but well-justified expectations of government. The rail freight sector is a stabilising factor in this crisis.
There must be compensation for this effort. The German government has provided general support to companies across all industries with measures to secure liquidity. This is important, but it’s not enough. There must also be a stability fund that comes into effect when a crisis creates additional burdens. These include things like storage and interim parking costs. Allianz pro Schiene, along with other associations, suggests that the financial framework for the stability fund should be in the region of several hundred million. The exact figure would depend on the duration and severity of the crisis as well as on the restrictions.
RN: Germany is setting a positive example in that railway undertakings don’t have to pay cancellation fees for services not run. But you’re also of the opinion that the federal government should increase its funding of track access charges to 100 percent. The ERFA and UIP have demanded the same from the European Commission. Has progress been made here?
DF: The conversations are taking place on the political level. And we can feel a lot of support for our requests, both nationally and on the European level. In Germany in particular the automobile lobby is very powerful. That’s why we have to continue fighting for government to pay sufficient attention to rail as an environmentally friendly mode of transport as it makes decisions about the crisis measures. The demand that the track access charges subsidy is increased from, currently, 47 percent to 100 percent and that this is done quickly is one of the top 3 industry demands in response to the coronavirus crisis. It is a way for government to provide targeted support for rail transport from the existing budget.
RN: You also say that electricity costs are a financial burden for railway undertakings and that they mark a loss of competitiveness, since the fall in the oil price benefits lorries. Can you say a bit more about what you propose here?
DF: The coronavirus crisis has led to massive distortions on the international oil markets. This is pushing down prices for petrol and diesel to levels we’ve not seen in years. Government must prevent the environmentally friendly rail freight sector, which runs almost entirely on electrified track, to be at a financial disadvantage. Quite generally, and regardless of the current crisis, it is important to get rid of competitive disadvantages for the rail sector that exist in the form of fees and taxes on energy. Railway undertakings pay an electricity tax, a green tax, a renewable energy contribution and they have to pay for 100 percent of the carbon dioxide certificates in emissions trading. That’s a substantially greater burden than competing transport modes endure. Therefore the federal government must reduce the tax and fee burdens in these areas. They are currently hitting electrified rail freight undertakings twice as hard in light of the significant drop in diesel prices.
RN: Rail freight undertakings have some advantages: border crossings are easier to navigate and the operators require much less staff for the same amount of freight. Will this crisis have a lasting effect on a shift from road to rail for freight?
DF: I very much hope so and I think so, too. The crisis has once again highlighted the advantages of rail freight. The main advantage of rail freight, in both normal times and during this crisis, is that it can transport large volumes with comparatively little effort. Under regular circumstances the good environmental credentials are particularly important. During the coronavirus crisis the low staffing requirements are key. One freight train replaces 52 lorry trips, one train driver 52 lorry drivers. The border closures are also having a much smaller impact on rail transport than on road transport during this coronavirus crisis. Train drivers can switch at borders and the freight can continue its journey. Consequently, freight trains are ready to take over transports that lorries can’t perform anymore as a result of restrictions caused by the pandemic. They are also able to make additional capacities available in order to supply people and business during this extreme situation. They therefore ensure that the vital supply of basic goods for the population and for the economy is maintained. That’s something government must take into account even after the current problems are overcome.
RN: What is the rail sector managing particularly well during this crisis – both freight and passenger rail?
DF: The rail freight sector can fully demonstrate its advantages during this crisis. When it comes to passenger services, the issue at hand is public health during the outbreak. Therefore we support the introduction of the measure to make wearing masks on public transport mandatory in Germany. It is important to us that this requirement is implemented uniformly throughout the country, meaning that there are no differences between the federal states, and that it applies to the entire public transport sector. This includes aviation, taxis and private vehicle services. Expanding public transport is an essential and central element of all policies to protect the climate. It is also necessary, in order to support quality of life, particularly in urban areas which suffer under high vehicle traffic. We have to be very vigilant that public transport does not emerge from the coronavirus crisis in a weakened state.
RN: What would you like to see for the future of rail transport in Germany and Europe? Do you think people will fly less and travel in more environmentally friendly ways instead?
DF: I’m convinced of that. If you look at the long-term trends, when it comes to long-distance journeys within Germany, German citizens are increasingly opting for environmentally friendly rail. Aviation, as the transport mode with a particularly big impact on the climate, is losing market shares. That’s evident from the data published by the Statistisches Bundesamt, which we evaluated for the five-year period from 2015 to 2019. Domestic flights were already on a downward trajectory prior to the coronavirus crisis. More and more people are opting for rail because they appreciate the advantages of travelling by rail and because they want to protect the climate. The coronavirus pandemic won’t change that in the long run. However, we’ve not made enough progress in order to double rail passenger numbers in Germany by 2030, which is the goal. After the coronavirus crisis, government must increase its efforts in order to drive forward the transport transition as promised.
RN: What, in your opinion, are the main issues that government must address with regards to rail transport in order to achieve the climate transition?
DF: Last year public pressure led to progress. The federal government decided to support environmentally friendly rail much more. But we’re still waiting for policies that set clear priorities and that give precedence to climate-friendly mobility. As long as this government supports all modes of transport, regardless of their consequences on the environment, it will continue to miss its climate goals in the transport sector.
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