All Policy articles – Page 22
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NewsArriva eyes night trains to Schiphol
NETHERLANDS: Arriva Netherlands has applied for rights to operate open access night trains linking Maastricht and Groningen to the Randstad region and Schiphol airport, challenging the current NS monopoly of the core national network.
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NewsOperating contract tender cancelled after incumbent submits only bid
SLOVAKIA: The Ministry of Transport has cancelled a public tender for the operation of passenger services on the 95 km Bratislava – Komárno line, after the only bidder was national passenger operator ZSSK which offered a price that far exceeded the ministry’s expectations. A direct award ...
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Rail Business UKGreat British Railways to provide ‘united, accountable leadership’ for the rail sector
UK: Replacing ‘a quarter-century of fragmentation’ with ‘single, accountable national leadership’ is at the core of the government’s Williams-Shapps Plan for reform of the railways in Great Britain, with passenger services to be provided by private sector concessionaires under contract to a new public body Great British ...
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Rail Business UKLIVE: Rail sector responds to the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail
Live blog with the latest updates and reactions to the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail published on May 20 2021, the UK government’s white paper based on the Williams Review of the future structure of the rail industry.
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NewsTEE 2.0 Letter of Intent signed at third Rail Summit
GERMANY: Agreement to take forward plans for a European network of high speed day and overnight inter-city services was reached on May 17 when European transport ministers signed a Letter of Intent for the Trans-Europ-Express 2.0 programme at the third Rail Summit staged by Germany’s Federal Ministry ...
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NewsVia Vindobona deal promises 4 h Berlin – Wien timing
GERMANY: Plans for a dramatic acceleration of inter-city passenger services between the capital cities of Germany, the Czech Republic and Austria were outlined at the third German Rail Summit held virtually on May 17. Federal Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer highlighted plans agreed by the three countries in ...
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NewsDOT backs return of Gulf Coast passenger trains
USA: The Department of Transportation has endorsed efforts to revive inter-city passenger train services on the Gulf Coast route east of New Orleans, which were suspended following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Writing to the Chairman of the Surface Transportation Board Martin Oberman on May 10, DOT ...
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NewsConnecting Europe Express to tour 26 countries in 36 days
EUROPE: Marking Europe Day on May 9 and the EU Year of Rail, the European Commission has confirmed the programme for its Connecting Europe Express exhibition train. Intended to demonstrate ‘the power of rail to connect people and businesses’, the project will also celebrate the cultural, economic ...
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NewsNew Zealand’s 10-year Rail Plan prioritises resilience and reliability
NEW ZEALAND: The government has published a 10-year Rail Plan, setting out its ambitions for a ‘resilient and reliable’ rail network and outlining its investment priorities. The plan does not provide a definitive list of investments or funding commitments, but is intended as a sign of ...
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NewsPandemic brings ‘bleak’ first quarter for European railways
EUROPE: The coronavirus pandemic continues to have a heavy impact across the rail sector, according to the Community of European Railway & Infrastructure Companies’ Covid Impact Tracker.
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NewsRegulations agreed for Luxembourg Protocol rolling stock registry
INTERNATIONAL: Draft regulations have been approved outlining the operation of the international rolling stock registry that is being established under the Luxembourg Protocol to the Cape Town Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment. The regulations have been drawn up by a Preparatory Commission which includes ...
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NewsProvence – Côte d’Azur upgrade funding agreed
FRANCE: The government has agreed a €3∙5bn funding package to launch the first two phases of the long-planned upgrade of the route along the Mediterranean coast between Marseille and Nice, including sections of new line.
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NewsAccess charge reductions fairer than direct support, says ERFA
Duisburg (Photo: DB). EUROPE: The European Rail Freight Association has reiterated its belief that reducing track access charges would be the best way of supporting the rail freight sector through the pandemic in a transparent and non-discriminatory manner, rather than providing direct support for individual operators. ...
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NewsSnälltåget will not bid for Stockholm – Brussels night train contract
EUROPE: Open access operator Snälltåget has decided not to bid for the contract to operate the Swedish government’s proposed overnight service between Stockholm, Malmö, Hamburg, Köln and Brussels.
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NewsCross-border Irish rail review to study sustainable expansion
EUROPE: A Strategic Rail Review is to be commissioned to examine the potential for enhancing and expanding the island of Ireland’s rail networks, the republic’s Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan and Northern Ireland’s Minister for Infrastructure Nichola Mallon have announced. The ‘all-island’ review will ...
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NewsRule change calls SNCF Réseau investment into question
FRANCE: Management independence and business productivity at infrastructure manager SNCF Réseau are in jeopardy, according to President & Director General Luc Lallemand. Describing a government decision to consolidate SNCF Réseau’s debts into the state accounts as ‘catastrophic’, Lallemand warned that the infrastructure manager would ...
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NewsWorksite safety in spotlight after fatal collision
TAIWAN: Investigations have started into the management of engineering work following a fatal collision on Taiwan Railway Administration’s East Coast line north of Hualien on the morning of April 2.
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NewsInternational rail travel revival endorsed by European stakeholders
EUROPE: Stakeholders from across the rail sector have endorsed political proposals for the revitalisation and expansion of international passenger services, and committed to assist with future development to make rail ‘the preferred mode’ for international travel.
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NewsYear of Rail must focus on modal shift
EUROPE: ‘We need to have a medium and long-term vision for rail’, emphasised Portugal’s Minister for Infrastructure & Housing Pedro Nuno Santos on March 29, officially launching the European Union Year of Rail with a virtual conference hosted from Lisboa.
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NewsItalian support packages approved
ITALY: Two packages of Italian government support provided to the rail sector during the coronavirus crisis have been approved by the European Commission under EU state aid rules. One was a €270m measure to reduce track access costs for freight and commercial passenger operators between March ...