All Policy articles – Page 25
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Rail Business UKNational Rail Contracts to succeed ERMAs as cost cutting envisaged
UK: The future direction of passenger contracts is becoming clearer, as insiders confirm that successful negotiations between owning groups and the Department for Transport would see franchised operators move from Emergency Recovery Measures Agreements to new National Rail Contracts. NRCs are expected to continue until post-Covid passenger ...
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NewsNigerian standard gauge network takes shape
NIGERIA: The 1 435 mm gauge north-south railway linking Itakpe, Ajaokuta and Warri has been formally opened for commercial operation, following an inauguration ceremony at Agbor in Delta state.
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NewsFull electrification in record infrastructure spend
AUSTRIA: ‘More than €17bn is being spent on railway projects across the whole country’, said Federal Minister for Climate Protection Leonore Gewessler on October 16, announcing with Austrian Federal Railways CEO Andreas Matthä ‘the biggest railway investment package that the Republic has ever seen’.
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NewsEU track access rebates approved
EUROPE: A regulation permitting European Union member states to waive or defer track access charges in order to support the rail sector through the coronavirus pandemic has been formally adopted by the EU Council and European Parliament.
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NewsEuropean transport sector calls for b2b data framework
EUROPE: The Community of European Railway & Infrastructure Companies and UITP have joined other logistics and manufacturing industry associations in making a joint call for the creation of an EU-wide framework for the governance of business-to-business data which would provide a level playing field ‘for all partners ...
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NewsCall for booking platforms to be given access to train operators’ data
EUROPE: The ALLRAIL association of independent passenger train operators and retailers has called on EU member states to ensure that market-dominant incumbent operators share their data with third party journey planning and ticket selling platforms. Commenting on calls by EU stakeholders for the creation of a rail ...
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NewsPassenger groups raise concerns about EU passenger rights recast
EUROPE: Following three years of negotiations the European Parliament and EU Council reached a provisional agreement on October 1 for changes to EU rail passenger rights legislation. However, customer groups immediately raised concerns about limitations in the scope of the recast. Announcing the agreement, European Commissioner for ...
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NewsThree-way co-operation agreement to promote European interoperability
EUROPE: A three-way agreement for administrative co-operation to promote technical interoperability, in particular for the transport of dangerous goods, has been signed by the Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail, the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Mobility & Transport and the EU Agency for Railways. The agreement ...
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NewsBrazilian passenger rail revival agreement
BRAZIL: An agreement intended to pave the way for the eventual introduction of more passenger services on the national rail network has been signed by the ANPTrilhos association of passenger operators and the Ministry of Infrastructure. The technical co-operation agreement was signed on September 14 by ANPTrilhos ...
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Rail Business UKDfT clarifies ERMA end dates as next steps negotiated
UK: The Department for Transport has confirmed the timescales for the Emergency Recovery Measures Agreements which were signed with franchised train operating companies earlier this month. Industry insiders note that the staggered end dates reflect a sensible approach to the situation, and create a ‘manageable pipeline’ for ...
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NewsRail Broadcast Week reaches a global audience
INTERNATIONAL: Around 1 700 registered viewers across the globe participated in Railway Gazette Group’s inaugural Rail Broadcast Week from September 21 to 25 2020. Supported by headline sponsor Siemens Mobility, Rail Broadcast Week brought together a wide mix of industry leaders, decision-makers and academics from around the ...
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NewsBerlin protest train calls for fair play for independent operators
GERMANY: The Netzwerk Europäischer Eisenbahnen association of more than 25 independent freight operators arranged a special train through Berlin on September 28 to draw attention to the federal government’s failure to provide financial support for its member companies while offering compensation to state-owned Deutsche Bahn to deal ...
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NewsSNCF sets green targets to cut TER emissions
FRANCE: National operator SNCF has launched an ambitious programme designed to reduce the environmental impact of its TER regional services as a contribution towards combatting climate change. The PlaneTER programme is also intended to help win passengers back to rail and attract customers from new markets after ...
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NewsLegal dispute over aborted NRZ investment plan
ZIMBABWE: National Railways of Zimbabwe’s decision to terminate a US$400m recapitalisation agreement is being challenged in court by the Diaspora Infrastructure Development Group, which is seeking damages worth US$236m. In mid-September, DIDG instructed its lawyers to sue NRZ and Transport Minister Joel Biggie Matiza following the termination ...
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NewsEU ministers commit to foster freight corridors
EUROPE: EU transport ministers endorsed a formal declaration in Berlin on September 21 committing them to ‘support international rail freight and further strengthen the Rail Freight Corridors’. Acknowledging that the Rail Freight Corridors had ‘proven to be very effective in developing common measures facilitating the enhancement of ...
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NewsTrans-Europ-Express renaissance proposed
EUROPE: A network of international long-distance high speed passenger services spanning much of western Europe could be launched by 2025 if proposals announced by Germany’s Federal Minister for Transport Andreas Scheuer at a virtual conference of Europe’s transport ministers on September 21 are taken forward. The proposals ...
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NewsMazzola to succeed Lochman at CER
EUROPE: Alberto Mazzola was elected as the next Executive Director of the Community of European Railway & Infrastructure Companies at the CER General Assembly on September 21.
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Rail Business UKUK government announces the end of rail franchising
UK:·The government has announced the end of rail franchising, with Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps saying ‘the model of privatisation adopted 25 years ago has seen significant rises in passenger numbers, but this pandemic has proven that it is no longer working’.
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NewsKeolis Downer to run Adelaide suburban network
AUSTRALIA: Keolis Downer has been awarded an A$2·1bn contract to operate the 122 km Adelaide Metro suburban rail network for eight years from the end of January 2021, with an optional four-year extension.
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In depthNGOs propose five policies for climate-friendly European rail renaissance
A group of European climate NGOs has proposed five policies to encourage modal shift to rail in support of EU greenhouse gas reduction targets. Lena Donat, Policy Advisor Low-Carbon Mobility at development and environment organisation Germanwatch, explains what is needed