All Policy articles – Page 21
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NewsGhana Railway Development Authority board appointed
GHANA: Deputy Minister for Railway Development Kwaku Asante-Boateng has inaugurated a newly board of directors at the Ghana Railway Development Authority. GRDA was formed following the Railway Act 2008 to advise the government on railway matters, create a regulatory framework with opportunities for private sector participation, ...
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NewsDAC programme selects Scharfenberg digital coupler
EUROPE: Following extensive testing with various prototypes, a Scharfenberg latch design has been selected as the basis for the future European Digital Automatic Coupler. Meeting on September 21, the supervisory board of the European DAC Delivery Programme adopted a recommendation from the ...
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NewsMacron puts high speed projects back on track in ‘decade of the TGV’
FRANCE: In a speech at Paris Gare de Lyon during an event held on September 17 to mark 40 years since the launch of TGV services, President Emmanuel Macron announced the revival of plans to expand the high speed network, describing the 2020s as ‘the decade of the TGV’.
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NewsConnecting Europe Express puts spotlight on Western Balkan rail vision
EUROPE: Welcoming the EU’s Connecting Europe Express to Beograd Centar on September 13, Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabić announced that her country’s rail investment programme would be worth up to €6bn and focus on ‘reconnecting’ the Western Balkan countries’ fragmented networks.
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NewsKCS cements CP merger as CN agrees early termination
NORTH AMERICA: Canadian Pacific Railway and Kansas City Southern confirmed on September 15 that they had entered into a definitive merger agreement, valuing the smaller railroad at approximately US$31bn.
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NewsFunds confirmed to support rail freight relaunch strategy
FRANCE: Transport Minister Jean-Baptiste Djebbari has affirmed that the government will provide €170m a year to support the rail freight sector until 2024 as part of a National Rail Freight Development Strategy.
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NewsJR Central targets Shinkansen business travellers with work-oriented offering
JAPAN: Central Japan Railway Company is to revamp its offering for business travellers using Tokaido Shinkansen services, in response to changing travel patterns and working practices driven by the coronavirus pandemic.
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NewsPro Trilhos programme kickstarts 10 rail projects worth R$53∙5bn
BRAZL: Designating this month as ‘Railway September’, the government has introduced legislation to simplify the process of authorising the construction of new rail projects.
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NewsTransdev picked to run Région Sud TER package
FRANCE: Région Sud has selected Transdev for a 10-year concession to operate regional trains between Marseille, Toulon and Nice, ahead of rival bids from SNCF and Thello.
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NewsFour policies to boost German rail freight
GERMANY: Four policies to increase rail’s share of the freight market are set out in a position paper which rail advocacy group Allianz pro Schiene has produced ahead of the federal election on September 26. These are: infrastructure investment, including increasing electrification from 61% of ...
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NewsKCS reopens talks with CP after CN merger setback
USA: Kansas City Southern has agreed to reopen discussions with Canadian Pacific, after its Board of Directors determined that CP’s latest offer could potentially lead to a superior proposal when compared to its current merger agreement with Canadian National. Having originally agreed a merger with KCS in ...
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NewsCentral European high speed rail co-operation proposed
EUROPE: Central European state operators and infrastructure managers are planning to co-operate to develop a network of ‘high speed’ passenger services connecting Warszawa, Praha, Bratislava, Ljubljana, Wien and Budapest, but independent operators have raised concerns that they could be shut out. A declaration of intent is ...
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NewsConnecting Europe Express sets off on 26-country tour
EUROPE: The Connecting Europe Express organised to celebrate the European Year of Rail set off from Lisboa Oriente station on September 2, marking the start of a five-week journey through 26 countries which will include more than 100 stops before reaching Paris on October 7.
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NewsCanadian National bid for Kansas City Southern in doubt after STB blocks voting trust
USA: Canadian National’s US$33·6bn bid to acquire Kansas City Southern received a major setback on August 31, when the federal Surface Transportation Board rejected an application to use a voting trust as part of the process. Announcing the unanimous decision of the five-strong board, STB said ...
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NewsSome trains still running amid Taliban takeover
AFGHANISTAN: Newly-appointed head of the Ministry of Public Works Rumi Bakht-ur-Rehman Sharafat held an initial meeting with ministry staff and the Afghanistan Railway Authority on August 21 following the Taliban’s takeover of the country. The acting minister said the Taliban leadership was committed to the rehabilitation ...
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NewsRENFE completes acquisition of 50% stake in Leo Express
EUROPE: Spanish national operator RENFE has gained access to the passenger markets of the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia and ‘the necessary licences and resources’ to enter the German market, following the completion of its purchase of a 50% stake in Czech open access operator Leo Express.
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In depthItaly: Speeding up rail schemes
As part of its post-Covid recovery strategy, the Italian government has launched a wide-ranging programme to accelerate the delivery of major infrastructure projects, and rail is set to be a prime beneficiary. Christian Scasso investigates.
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In depthHigh Speed: Competition enlivens the European market
Instead of our regular World Speed Survey, we offer a snapshot of high speed rail developments at a time when the world is still grappling with the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic. Murray Hughes investigates.
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NewsRail organisations welcome Senate backing for US infrastructure bill
USA: Rail associations have welcomed the passage of the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act through the upper house of the US Congress on August 10, marking the latest step in the process to pass a bi-partisan infrastructure bill which could deliver significant funding streams for main line and urban rail enhancements.
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NewsCalls for cross-industry support as coronavirus state aid approved
GERMANY: State aid measures to support the rail freight and long-distance passenger sectors and reduce track access charges during the coronavirus pandemic have been approved by the European Commission. However, private operators’ association Mofair is calling for further funding proposed by the government to be used ...