All Germany articles
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News
Refurbished Stuttgart S-Bahn trains ready to return to service
GERMANY: The first three Stuttgart S-Bahn electric multiple-units to be refurbished have been unveiled by operator DB Regio and transport authority VRS ahead of their return to passenger service in February. The €200m programme to refurbish 215 Class 423 and 430 EMUs is being undertaken at ...
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In depth
Interview: It is time to embrace open source software
Set up by UIC and three national railways, the recently formed Open Rail Association is seeking to grow its membership to drive adoption of open source software in the rail market, as Swiss Federal Railways’ CIO Jochen Decker and Nicole Göbel, Chief Executive of Deutsche Bahn’s information technology arm DB Systel, explain to Nick Kingsley.
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In depth
Regional Railways: Technology offers hope of secondary line revival
Around 17 000 km of abandoned or poorly used lines in France and Germany could be revived using small, frequent or on-demand vehicles as part of a decarbonisation drive. Thanks to rapidly progressing technologies with minimal investment and low operating costs, there is an opportunity to tap political support to make them a reality. Reinhard Christeller reports.
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Rail Business UK
UK firm wins rolling stock electronics export orders
EUROPE: British electronic and electro-mechanical component and systems supplier LPA Group has announced three export orders in the rail sector with a total value of £4m. SNCF Voyageurs has ordered bespoke interior LED lighting for retrofitting to regional and inter-city fleets over the next five years. ...
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In depth
Operations: Shadow operators help to optimise commercial service
Early operator engagement is essential to ensure the success of rail projects, particularly those that are highly complex in terms of planning, contracting approach and implementation.
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Metro Report International
Complex custom tram junction produced for Bremen
GERMANY: Czech turnout manufacturer DTVS in Prostějov has completed a €2m six-month project to manufacture a custom-design complex junction 82 m long and weighing 162 tonnes for the Bremen tramway. ‘This particular project involves an enormous and complex structure with various combinations ...
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News
Nevomo and Captrain launch MagRail Booster trials on steelworks railway
GERMANY: Rail automation and maglev start-up Nevomo and freight operator Captrain Group have launched practical trials of the MagRail Booster concept at a steelworks in Bremen. The trials will be undertaken by the Hansebahn Bremen joint venture of Captrain Deutschland and steel company ArcelorMittal Bremen which ...
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News
Paris – Berlin direct high speed train service launched
EUROPE: A daily high speed train service has been launched between Paris and Berlin.
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News
Matchmaking platform for locomotives goes live
EUROPE: A digital tool which aims to streamline the freight locomotive leasing business by matching operators’ demand with leasing companies’ availability has gone live. Resource Sharing Broker aims to increase the efficiency of short and medium-term locomotive leasing, which the developers said is often characterised by ...
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Metro Report International
Hamburg U-Bahn orders engineering wagons
GERMANY: Hamburg U-Bahn operator Hamburger Hochbahn has awarded GBM Gleisbaumechanik Brandenburg a contract to supply up to 15 custom-designed wagons for engineering trains. GBM has previously supplied the operator with nine LB7 wagons from its factory in Brandenburg an der Havel. The LB8 will be a ...
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News
DB Cargo state aid approved
GERMANY: The European Commission has concluded that Germany’s provision of €1·9bn to support the national railway’s freight business DB Cargo is in line with EU state aid rules. Following a complaint from a competitor, the Commission opened an in-depth investigation in January 2022 looking at four ...
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News
Diesel trains to temporarily replace hydrogen on Germany’s Taunus network in 2025
GERMANY: Ongoing technical problems with a fleet of hydrogen-powered iLint Alstom multiple-units on part of the Taunus network has prompted the operator to replace them with Lint41 diesel multiple-units on route RB15 between Bad Homburg and Brandoberndorf. The change in traction will take effect progressively from ...
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News
Devastating floods hit Stadler supply chain
EUROPE: Stadler says three ‘severe weather disasters’ in the last five months have had a ‘massive impact’ on its supply chain and forced the company to adjust its financial guidance. A new double-deck trainset was also lost to flooding. Spain The company’s ...
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News
DB stops ICE5 high speed train procurement
GERMANY: Deutsche Bahn has stopped its planned procurement of the fifth generation of InterCity Express high speed trainsets. On November 8 the operator told Railway Gazette International it had not received any offers meeting the tender requirements within the specified deadline. A DB spokesperson said ‘we are ...
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Metro Report International
Karlsruhe light rail extension plan dropped
GERMANY: The Karlsruhe district authority has dropped plans to extend Stadtbahn Line S2 from Stutensee-Spöck via Bruchsal and Hambrücken to Waghäusel. Preliminary studies forecast ridership of around 3 000 additional passengers per day, which did not justify the estimated cost of more than €575m and the ...
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In depth
Interview: ČD sees fleet renewal opportunity despite ‘tedious’ approval task
Michal Krapinec, Chairman & Director General of Czech national operator České Dráhy, unveils his strategy for developing domestic and international passenger services to Toma Bačić.
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News
Eifel railway electrification begins
GERMANY: Work to electrify the 164 km line through the Eifel region between Hürth-Kalscheuren near Köln and Trier-Ehrang was launched with a ceremony in Kyllburg on October 28. The €500m project is being funded by the federal government and the Länder of Rheinland-Pfalz and Nordrhein-Westfalen. The ...
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News
Austria’s Westbahn adds more destinations amid growing ridership
AUSTRIA: Open access operator Westbahn has announced plans to expand its network of services with effect from the timetable change on December 15. From that date the company will extend two of its five daily Wien – München return services ― launched in 2022 ― to ...
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News
NS ends foreign activities with the sale of Abellio Deutschland
GERMANY: BeNEX has completed the acquisition of 100% of Abellio Deutschland from Dutch state passenger train operator NS, which has ended its activities wholly outside the Netherlands in order to focus on its core business within its home country. The acquisition on October 15 includes regional ...
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News
Niers-Erft-Bahn contract awarded
GERMANY: Rhein-Ruhr transport authority VRR has awarded incumbent TRI Train Rental a contract to continue to operate Niers-Erft-Bahn service RB37 from December 2024 to December 2027. The contract announced on October 2 following a European tender covers the operation of 145 000 train-km/year between Krefeld and ...