Estonia rail news – Page 2
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NewsOperail sells more wagons from its lease fleet
ESTONIA: National freight operator Operail has sold a further 807 wagons from its lease fleet for €22·1m as part of a programme of divestment of non-core assets. More than 40 companies were invited to participate and 20 tenders were submitted. After what Operail said was a ...
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NewsElron orders 10 more EMUs
ESTONIA: Passenger operator Elron has awarded Škoda Group a firm order to supply a further 10 electric multiple-units. The order announced by the Czech manufacturer on January 24 has been placed using an option in a 2021 contract for initial six EMUs which are now being ...
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NewsAŽD offers Estonia an alternative to Russian equipment
ESTONIA: Infrastructure manager Eesti Raudtee has awarded AŽD Praha a contract to supply 800 point machines. The large order ‘is very important for AŽD and creates an interesting alternative to existing Russian-made products in the Baltic countries’, said Petr Žatecký, the Czech company’s Director of Foreign ...
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NewsOperail agrees sale of Finnish rail freight business
FINLAND: Nurminen Logistics has signed an agreement to purchase the Finnish activities of Operail, the Estonian state freight operator which is divesting its non-core activities. Subject to Finnish regulatory approval of €27·7m sale and purchase agreement announced on January 13, the entire share capital of Operail ...
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NewsOperail sells Ukrainian wagon fleet
UKRAINE: Estonian state-owned rail freight company Operail has sold 552 wagons located in Ukraine to a joint venture of local transport, infrastructure and agriculture investor Fortior Capital and Estonian wagon leasing company Teslar Trans for €6·51m Operail said the sale was ‘not related to the Russian ...
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News€353m Rail Baltica grant agreement signed
EUROPE: A grant agreement which will see the EU’s Connecting Europe Facility provide €353·9m for the Rail Baltica project has been signed by the European Climate, Infrastructure & Environment Executive Agency, ministries from the three countries and tri-national implementation agency RB Rail. This will fund the ...
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In depthViewpoint: Institutional fragmentation has undermined Rail Baltica
On paper Rail Baltica is a perfect match for the EU’s Connecting Europe Facility programme. But three issues need to be addressed, argues Kaspars Briškens, who recently stepped down as Head of Strategy & Development at the standard gauge railway project.
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NewsOperail to sell non-strategic assets
ESTONIA: Eight bidders have been shortlisted to participate in the potential sale of state rail freight group Operail’s locomotive assembly and repair, wagon leasing and Finnish operating businesses. The government has deemed these as non-strategic activities. The state began the partial privatisation process around 1½ years ...
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NewsAmber Train links the Baltic States to western Europe
EUROPE: A trial Amber Train service between the Baltic States left the Estonian port of Muuga on September 13, arriving the following day at Kaunas in Lithuanian where its load of semi-trailers was transferred to 1 435 mm gauge wagons for onward transport to destinations including ...
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NewsRail Baltica shadow operator appointed
EUROPE: A joint venture of the German national railway’s DB Engineering & Consulting business, Spanish national operator RENFE Operadora and consultancy Ineco is to act as shadow operator for the Rail Baltica project. The €8m contract was signed by Rail Baltica project promoter RB Rail and ...
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Metro Report InternationalTallinn tram extension contract signed
ESTONIA: A contract has been awarded for the design and construction of the Vanasadama tramway extension which will connect Tallinn’s Old Harbour with the future Rail Baltica station at Ülemiste. Valued at €36·5m +VAT, the contract was signed on August 9 by the city’s public works ...
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NewsOperail reports sharp decline in freight volumes
ESTONIA: National rail freight, wagon leasing and repair group Operail reports that it has lost more than half of its traffic volumes as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Operating income in the first half of 2022 was €30m, down from €37m in the ...
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NewsFreight company Operail facing ‘complicated circumstances’
ESTONIA: National rail freight operator Operail says 2022 has brought ‘complicated circumstances’, with the Russian invasion of Ukraine impacting on its operations. The management board is taking steps to find replacements for sanctioned traffic and to direct its wagons on lease away from high-risk regions. ‘Despite ...
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NewsCOTIF uniform rules applied across Estonian network
ESTONIA: The Convention concerning International Carriage by Rail’s CIV rules for international passenger traffic and the CIM equivalent for freight apply to the entire Estonian network with effect from June 16. Estonia acceded to the COTIF convention in January 2009, the last of the then EU ...
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NewsRail Baltica electrification procurement begins
EUROPE: Rail Baltica project promoter RB Rail has begun procurement of the electrification systems for the future standard gauge line between Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, saying it will be the largest railway electrification scheme in Europe to be implemented as a single project. The energy ...
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NewsBusiness opportunities as Rail Baltica looks 150 years ahead
EUROPE: ‘What will this look like in 150 years?’ is a question being asked by Rail Baltica project promoter RB Rail, which sees the greenfield construction project as offering opportunities to take a very long-term view of where rail technology is heading, and to apply best ...
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NewsInvasion of Ukraine ‘has increased the geopolitical relevance of Rail Baltica’
EUROPE: ‘The Russian invasion of Ukraine reaffirms the need to connect the Baltic states to the rest of Europe’, said Catherine Trautmann, the European Commission’s co-ordinator for the North Sea – Baltic TEN-T corridor, on April 13, when Rail Baltica project promoter RB Rail set out ...
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Metro Report InternationalPesa wins Tallinn tram tender
ESTONIA: Pesa has been named the winner of a €50m contract to supply up to 23 trams to Tallinn from the second half of 2024. The contract is due to be signed in May. The trams will be based on the Polish manufacturer’s Twist family; the ...
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NewsOperail sees intermodal traffic shift to rail
ESTONIA: National freight operator Operail reports that it shifted a record volume of container traffic from road to rail in 2021 despite facing some challenging market conditions. Operail services replaced 16 000 lorry journeys with rail transport, and the company grew its intermodal freight traffic by ...
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NewsRail Baltica contracts awarded and Tallinn station name announced
EUROPE: Further contracts have been awarded for the Rail Baltica standard gauge line project, and the name of the future terminal in Tallinn has been announced.