All Policy articles – Page 70
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NewsRENFE restructuring approved
SPAIN: Meeting on June 27, the RENFE board approved plans to restructure the state operator into four companies responsible for passenger operations, freight, rolling stock maintenance and train leasing. The proposals will be submitted to the Spanish cabinet for approval next month, in preparation for the domestic passenger market opening ...
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NewsArriva selected to operate Den Haag - Brussels inter-city service
EUROPE: A letter of intent to launch a direct inter-city service linking Den Haag and Brussels was signed by the City of Den Haag, Brussels Airport and DB subsidiary Arriva on June 21. The Lage Landenlijn trains would re-instate a through service which was lost when the Benelux trains ...
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NewsBDZ freight privatisation called off
BULGARIA: In agreement with the Ministry of Transport and Communications, on June 20 the Privatisation & Post-Privatisation Control Agency announced it was suspending plans to sell a 100% stake in the national railway's freight division BDZ Tovarnni Prevosi. BDZ's holding company had been unable to tell the privatisation agency when ...
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NewsGrup Feroviar Roman is sole bidder for CFR Marfa
ROMANIA: After two other pre-qualified bidders withdrew, Grup Feroviar Roman was the sole bidder for Romanian national freight operator CFR Marfa by the June 20 deadline. Transport Minister Relu Fenechiu said GFR would pay €202m for a 51% stake, however there were still details to be finalised before the ...
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NewsEuropean Commission seeks changes to Channel Tunnel regulation
EUROPE: On June 20 the European Commission formally requested that France and the UK 'comply with EU rules against excessive track access charges for passenger and freight trains in the Channel Tunnel'. The Commission claims the countries have failed to comply with the requirements of the First Railway Package, ...
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NewsIGC grants Deutsche Bahn access to Channel Tunnel
EUROPE: The Intergovernmental Commission which oversees access to the Channel Tunnel has granted a ‘Certificate B’ operating licence to Deutsche Bahn, the tunnel’s owner Groupe Eurotunnel announced on June 14. The announcement paves the way for more work to be undertaken to enable the introduction of DB’s long-planned high speed ...
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NewsALL concessions revoked
ARGENTINA: Minister of the Interior & Transport Florencio Randazzo announced on June 4 that the government was revoking the two freight operating concessions held by América Latina Logística SA of Brazil. Comprising the former San Martín and General Urquiza networks, at 8 000 route-km ALL Argentina has operated the country’s ...
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NewsStrategic authority envisaged under French reforms
FRANCE: The Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development & Energy outlined on May 29 the conclusions of two reports exploring in detail a proposed restructuring of the rail industry. Transport Minister Frédéric Cuvillier had announced in October 2012 that structural reform of the industry was planned in an attempt to improve ...
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NewsMoscow - Kazan should be Russia's first dedicated high speed line, says RZD
RUSSIA: An 803 km Moscow - Vladimir - Nizhny Novgorod - Kazan route should form the first stage of a high speed rail programme, Russian Railways President Vladimir Yakunin told President Putin and other guests at recent conference held to discuss the prospects for developing dedicated high speed lines. ...
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NewsRail boost in 2014-19 Nation Building investment plan
AUSTRALIA: Announcing its 2013-14 budget on May 14, the federal government set out a preliminary schedule for the major rail projects to be undertaken within the next Nation Building five-year investment programme, which will run from July 2014 to 2019. The biggest rail projects are A$3bn for the Melbourne Metro ...
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NewsDecember timetable change date questioned
GERMANY: Staff representatives at Deutsche Bahn's passenger business have proposed to the DB AG board that the date of Europe's annual timetable change should revert to the end of October, arguing that the decision in 2002 to move the annual revision to the second weekend in December has not been ...
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NewsAll CFR Marfa privatisation bids rejected
ROMANIA: The Ministry of Transport announced on May 15 that it was to start afresh with its attempt to sell a 51% stake in national rail freight operator CFR Marfa. This follows its rejection of all three of the applications to prequalify which had been submitted by the May ...
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NewsCompetitive tendering planned for Queensland
AUSTRALIA: The Queensland state government has accepted recommendations to open up the passenger rail operations and infrastructure maintenance markets in its response to the final report of the Queensland Commission of Audit which was set up last year to provide strategic economic advice. In 'A Plan: Better services for Queenslanders', ...
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NewsBonds fund commuter projects
CHILE: State railway EFE has completed a second local bond issue worth the equivalent of US$93m, issuing a total of 379 units. The annual interest rate of 3·54% and the fact that the issue was 3·3 times oversubscribed demonstrated the confidence of investors in the company and its support from ...
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NewsTurkish railway liberalisation approved
TURKEY: On April 30 President Abdullah Gül approved legislation which will enable the private sector to invest in rail infrastructure and operate open-access trains on the national network. State railway TCDD is to become an infrastructure manager under the new legislation, which was passed by parliament the previous week. TCDD's ...
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NewsFoxx to succeed LaHood as US Transportation Secretary
USA: Mayor of Charlotte Anthony Foxx has accepted President Obama’s nomination to succeed Ray LaHood as US Secretary of Transportation. Foxx has been mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina, since 2009, during which time he has been a keen advocate of public transport, and light rail and streetcars in particular. Charlotte’s ...
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NewsPrivate funding planned for Bayern passenger project
GERMANY: Bayern railway authority BEG is negotiating a private funding model that could facilitate the reintroduction of passenger services on the 24 km Dombühl – Feuchtwangen – Dinkelsbühl line. The route is leased from DB by BayernBahn and has only carried freight and heritage trains since regular passenger services ceased ...
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NewsInter-city investment in 2014-23 transport plan
NORWAY: The government has published its national transport strategy for 2014-23, setting out proposals to spend a total of NKr168bn on rail, up 49% from the current 10-year plan. Double-tracking the central section of the inter-city network radiating from Oslo to Tønsberg, Hamar and Fredrikstad is seen as a priority. ...
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NewsZwolle - Enschede operations to be tendered
NETHERLANDS: An agreement to call tenders for the operation of passenger services on the Zwolle - Enschede line was reached by Overijssel province and Regio Twente on April 18. It is envisaged that tenders will be called later this year, with the new operator to take over in December 2014. ...
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NewsThree countries agree rail link co-ordination
ASIA: The first meeting of a working group to co-ordinate the construction of railway branches from Turkmenistan and Tajikistan into Afghanistan and a line linking them through northern Afghanistan was held on April 18. This follows the signing of a memorandum of understanding by the presidents of the three countries ...