All Policy articles – Page 17
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NewsState aid for Italy’s long-distance train operators approved
ITALY: The European Commission has approved under EU state aid rules a €687m Italian government package intended to compensate operators of commercial long-distance passenger rail services for the impact of the coronavirus pandemic over the period between July 1 2020 and April 3 2021. The decision ...
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NewsEuropean Year of Rail raised awareness of sustainability credentials
EUROPE: ‘2021 was an extremely challenging year for railways’, European rail industry bodies said in a joint message marking the formal end of the European Year of Rail. ‘The Covid-19 pandemic hit the sector hard, and its impact is still felt today with more than €50bn ...
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NewsPolish operators call for track access charge cut to stem loss of market share
POLAND: The ZNPK federation of independent train operators has called for a ‘serious debate’ on access charges and a ‘radical’ 50% cut in fees, saying infrastructure manager PKP PLK’s current charges for freight trains are amongst the highest in Europe. ZNPK says that PKP PLK’s draft ...
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NewsEU pandemic relief measure for rail extended
EUROPE: Members of the European Parliament have voted to extend a Covid-19 relief measure that allows rail infrastructure access charges to be reduced, waived or deferred.
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NewsBulgarian train operations reintegrated
BULGARIA: The state rail operations holding company BDZ Holding and its passenger BDZ Ptnicheski Prevozi passenger and BDZ Tovarni Prevozi freight businesses have been reunited as one organisation, Minister of Transport & Communications Nikolay Sabev announced on February 4.
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In depthInterview: Turning Budapest into a European rail hub
A 20-year strategy for expanding Budapest’s regional and long-distance rail connections envisages the construction of new and upgraded cross-city links to alleviate the bottlenecks caused by the River Danube and the capital’s three termini, explains Budapest Development Agency CEO Dávid Vitézy.
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NewsCzech passenger rail lobbying group targets bigger market share
CZECH REPUBLIC: Four passenger operators have established lobbying group SVOD Bohemia to jointly promote passenger rail transport against other modes. The group is modelled on the rail freight lobbying group Žesnad which was established in 2016. SVOD Bohemia has set a target of increasing rail’s share ...
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NewsEuropean Commission investigates German support for DB Cargo
EUROPE: The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation into whether German government support for state-owned DB Cargo is in line with state aid rules. The commission said DB Cargo has been persistently loss-making, with its losses fully and continuously covered by parent company DB AG. ...
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NewsRail spending to boost economic growth
INDIA: The construction of 400 Vande Bharat inter-city trainsets over the next three years and the installation of short-range radio-based anti-collision devices on 2 000 route-km of Indian Railways are highlights of the 2022-23 national budget presented to parliament by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February ...
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In depthJapan: Kintetsu plans a post-pandemic recovery
Regional operator Kintetsu is looking to refocus its business in the Kansai region with real estate and leisure developments aimed at changing lifestyles and reflecting new working patterns. Mike Bent investigates.
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NewsPro Trilhos projects could add ‘more than 50%’ to Brazilian network
BRAZIL: As many as 76 proposals for privately-funded railways have now been submitted to the Ministry of Infrastructure under the Pro Trilhos programme launched in September 2021. National Secretary for Land Transport at the Ministry of Infrastructure Marcello Costa said the national rail network would expand ...
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In depthMoldova: Looking to a better future
With European investment being channelled into infrastructure and rolling stock renewals, plans are in place for structural reform of Moldova’s state-owned railway. Toma Bačić investigates.
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In depthMarket trends: Cautious builders eye slow recovery
While existing contracts have sustained the global rolling stock industry through the worst of the coronavirus pandemic, future prospects will be determined by the pace of recovery in rail travel over the next few years.
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In depthInterview: ‘We have the tools – it is in our hands to deliver’
The next decade will be crucial for the global fight against irreversible climate change, and rail is the only mode that is well placed to deliver significant decarbonisation in the transport sector, UIC Director-General François Davenne explains to Chris Jackson.
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In depthComment: The politics of infrastructure
Rising geopolitical complexity around the world raises a challenge that policymakers and railway planners will have to overcome if ambitions for modal shift to rail are to be realised in the years ahead, argues our Managing Editor Nick Kingsley.
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NewsCall for cross-border freight action plan
EUROPE: The International Union for Road-Rail Combined Transport has called on the European Commission to produce an action plan to boost long-distance and cross-border rail freight, similar to the plan for the passenger sector which was published in December. UIRR said half of EU freight trains ...
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In depthEurope: Night train renaissance gathers pace
A slew of new overnight passenger services and significant investment in rolling stock is on the agenda for the next couple of years as both state-owned and independent operators revive sleeping car and couchette services across Europe. Toma Bačić investigates.
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NewsKeolis finalises Eurobahn sale
GERMANY: Groupe Keolis has reached agreement to sell its German rail operating business to Team Treuhand GmbH with effect from December 31, the company confirmed on December 23.
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NewsFrench Prime Minister promises rural line revival
FRANCE: Speaking in Saint-Dié-des-Vosges to mark the reopening of the line to Épinal which had been closed since December 2018, Prime Minister Jean Castex promised the ‘regeneration’ of rural lines right across France. Describing the reopening on December 12 as ‘a very symbolic moment’, Castex said ...
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NewsRailway bill clears Brazilian Congress
BRAZIL: Legislation setting out a new regulatory framework for railway concessions and simplifying the approval of new rail projects was passed by the Chamber of Deputies on December 14.