News – Page 99
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NewsFret SNCF to be wound up as deal sought with European Commission
FRANCE: State support for France’s rail freight operators will rise to €200m a year from 2025 while €4bn will be invested in related projects in 2023-32. The French government meanwhile is proposing radical changes to the state-owned rail freight sector to avoid punitive action by the European Commission, writes Jérémie Anne.
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NewsJapanese railway to test biofuel
JAPAN: West Japan Railway is to test the use of biofuels to power diesel multiple-units on the Sanin Main Line between Shimonoseki and Nagatoshi.
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NewsEuropean Sleeper begins operations with Berlin – Brussels night train
EUROPE: Night train start-up European Sleeper has begun passenger operations, providing an overnight rail connection between Brussels and Berlin for the first time since 2008. The inaugural service left Berlin Gesundbrunnen on May 25, engineering works having prevented the use of Hauptbahnhof. The train comprised 11 ...
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NewsCross-border local train service proposed in the Basque Country
EUROPE: Plans for frequent local passenger services between San Sebastián in Spain and Bayonne in France are being developed by local authorities on each side of the border.
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Rail Business UKInterview: ‘You can’t innovate as a monopolist’
UK: Avanti West Coast and c2c parent Trenitalia is ready to make significant investment in Britain’s railways, mirroring its recent expansion in Spain. But this is contingent on the government relaxing its grip on the industry, the company’s UK Managing Director Ernesto Sicilia explains to Nick Kingsley and Sophie Burton.
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NewsMetre-gauge line to be modernised
SPAIN: Infrastructure manager ADIF has called tenders for a comprehensive upgrade of the 1 000 mm gauge Cercedilla – Los Cotos mountain railway, which is operated as Madrid suburban Line C9.
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Rail Business UKNetwork Rail reports cost savings from London Waterloo lubrication trial
UK: Network Rail reports significant cost and time savings following the trial installation of novel lubrication equipment on switch & crossing components on the approach to London Waterloo station. The turnouts experience very high levels of traffic, resulting in high rates of rolling contact fatigue and ...
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NewsTax exemptions help fund Brazilian rail projects
BRAZIL: The Federal Ministry of Transport has announced that a number of privately-funded rail projects will qualify for tax exemptions under the REIDI programme intended to encourage infrastructure investment. Details of the qualifying projects were published in the Official Gazette towards the end of April. Three ...
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NewsElectrification contract awarded
SLOVAKIA: Infrastructure manager ŽSR has awarded ELTRA a €216·1m contract to modernise and electrify the 33·5 km Bánovce nad Ondavou – Humenné line east of Košice. The single-track line will be electrified at 3 kV DC with provision for future conversion to 25 kV 50 Hz. ...
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Metro Report InternationalParis suburban services show real-time occupancy
FRANCE: Paris suburban operator SNCF Transilien and transport authority Ile-de-France Mobilités have launched a real-time train occupancy information system on routes H, J, K, L, N, P, R and E, which use Francilien and Regio 2N EMUs equipped with suitable data systems. Infrared sensors at every ...
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NewsRumo-Inpasa partnership keeps ethanol flowing
BRAZIL: Rumo Logística has signed a 10-year agreement with ethanol producer Inpasa Group to operate a ‘rail pipeline’ from Rondonópolis in Mato Grosso state to serve markets in the São Paulo area. Inpasa has invested around R$100m in the project, acquiring a dedicated fleet of 50 ...
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NewsWest Africa rail action plan agreed
AFRICA: Transport ministers from Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Niger, Benin and Togo have agreed an action plan for the development of an international rail network. The proposed network connecting the cities of Abidjan, Ouagadougou, Niamey, Cotonou and Lomé would have a total length of 3 034 ...
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NewsAirport link maintenance contract extended
POLAND: Pomorska Kolej Metropolitalna has awarded Alstom a further two-year contract to maintain signalling and train control systems on its 19·5 km route serving Gdańsk airport. The contract running from May 1 covers repair and periodic inspections of equipment manufactured by Alstom, including balises, axle counters ...
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Rail Business UKEast West Rail plans updated and Bedford – Cambridge preferred route confirmed
UK: Project promoter East West Railway Co has published updated plans for the development of the future Oxford to Cambridge rail corridor, and confirmed its preferred alignment for the Bedford to Cambridge section of the route. The latest plans take into account the results of public ...
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NewsLeo Express targets significant market share by 2030
CZECH REPUBLIC: Open access and public service contract operator Leo Express says it is aiming to gain a ‘significant’ share of the Czech passenger market by 2030, and to launch further services in neighbouring countries. In 2022 its train and coach services in the Czech Republic, ...
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NewsContract let to build first section of Salerno – Reggio Calabria high speed line
ITALY: Infrastructure manager RFI has awarded a €2bn design and build contract for a consortium of Webuild (60%) Ghella (20%) and Impresa Pizzarotti (20%) to build the Battipaglia – Romagnano section of the Salerno – Reggio Calabria high speed line. The project is to be financed ...
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NewsRENFE to provide third party access to travel data
SPAIN: National operator RENFE has agreed to provide third party ticket retailers with access to real-time ticketing and train running information which is currently only available through its own platforms. On May 19 RENFE met with the UNAV travel agency association which has 120 full members. ...
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NewsSBB consults on second Zürich – Winterthur route
Source: SBB SWITZERLAND: During June Swiss Federal Railways is to undertake public consultation on plans to build a new double-track line including a 9 km tunnel which, along with the existing route, would provide a total of four tracks between Zürich and Winterthur. The new alignment ...