All Policy articles – Page 72
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NewsUK rolling stock strategy published
UK: Great Britain's passenger rolling stock fleet might need to double in size by 2042 to accommodate increased ridership, electrification and other proposed enhancements, according to a high-level analysis of future scenarios published on February 12. The 'Long Term Passenger Rolling Stock Strategy for the Rail Industry' has been produced ...
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NewsRail franchising programme revised
UK: Following the publication of Eurostar Chairman Richard Brown's independent review of the Department for Transport's franchising programme earlier in the month, on January 31 the government announced its plans to restart three passenger franchise tendering competitions. These were put on hold in October 2012 after 'significant errors' led ...
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NewsCompliance Verification Clause unlocks the Fourth Railway Package
EUROPE: Proposals to ensure open and transparent infrastructure management have been incorporated into the draft Fourth Railway Package, which was finally unveiled by the European Commission on January 30. The ‘comprehensive package of measures to deliver better quality and more choice in railway services’ had been delayed for several months ...
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NewsHS2 Phase II preferred route selected
UK: The Department for Transport issued its preferred route options for the second phase of the planned High Speed 2 network on January 28. This second phase builds on the 190 km first stage running from London Euston to Birmingham and a junction with the West Coast ...
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NewsDomestic suppliers sought in Argentina
ARGENTINA: On January 16 Industry Minister Débora Giorgi and Transport Secretary Alejandro Ramos announced an initiative aiming to increase the participation of domestic suppliers in the government's rail investment programme. Three working groups are being set up for track materials (including electrification equipment), rolling stock and signalling equipment to ...
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NewsAustralia consolidates rail safety regulation
AUSTRALIA: A consolidation of safety regulation and accident investigation for the rail industry comes into force on January 20, when National Rail Safety Regulator Rob Andrews officially takes up his post and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau becomes the National Rail Safety Investigator. Replacing separate state and territory regulatory regimes ...
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NewsAmtrak and California join forces on high speed fleet procurement
USA: Amtrak and the California High Speed Rail Authority held a joint event at Washington Union station on January 17 to issue a joint Request for Information with a view to the procurement of a common fleet of high speed trains. The partnership agreement is intended to ...
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NewsLooking into the future of Northern Ireland Railways
UK: Northern Ireland's Department for Regional Development has begun public consultation on the future of the rail network, seeking views on how to prioritise transport investment in 2015-35. A consultation document sets out a range of options, starting with a basic package necessary to retain the rail network at current ...
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NewsRZD sells stake in suburban rail operator
RUSSIA: Moscow Passenger Co paid 780m roubles to beat off one other bidder for a 25% minus three shares stake in Central Suburban Passenger Company which was auctioned by Russian Railways on December 21 2012. Central PPK is Russia's largest suburban operator, operating in 10 regions. It carries around 1·3 ...
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NewsRail franchising 'not fundamentally flawed', Brown review finds
UK: The Department for Transport published the Brown Review of the Rail Franchising Programme on January 10, the second of two independent inquiries launched in the wake of the collapse of the Inter-City West Coast refranchising process in October last year. Authored by Eurostar Chairman Richard Brown, the report was ...
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NewsNetwork Rail publishes 2014-19 Strategic Business Plan
UK: Network Rail published its Strategic Business Plan on January 8, setting out proposals to spend £37·5bn in 2014-19. The plan is the infrastructure manager's response to the publication last year of the UK and Scottish governments' High-Level Output Specifications outlining what the railway is required to deliver in Control ...
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NewsInterCity West Coast interim contract agreed
UK: The Department for Transport announced on December 6 that it had agreed terms with Virgin Trains for the continued operation of InterCity West Coast services following the end of the current franchise on December 9. DfT has been seeking to ensure the continuity of service following the collapse of ...
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NewsRail motorway, electrification and passenger plans announced
FRANCE: Visiting Boulogne-sur-Mer on November 12, Transport Minister Frédéric Cuvillier announced that a third piggyback service is to be launched to connect Bayonne near the Spanish border with Dourges south of Lille. Expected to start operations around 2015, the Autoroute Ferroviairie Atlantique would run via Bordeaux and Longueau. Cuvillier also ...
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NewsCentral Asian strategic transport plan agreed
ASIA: Meeting at Wuhan in China at the end of October, ministers from the 10 Central Asia Regional Economic Co-operation Program countries agreed an action plan to implement transport infrastructure projects costing more than US$23bn, together with energy and trade initiatives aimed at improving connectivity. The majority of the medium-term ...
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NewsFrench reforms will focus on streamlining infrastructure management
FRANCE: Speaking at celebrations in Paris on October 30 to mark the 75th anniversary of SNCF, Transport Minister Frédéric Cuvillier outlined his thinking on the forthcoming reform of the rail sector, following the ‘national debate’ held last year. Structural reforms to create ‘a French model’ are explored in a ...
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NewsADB reviews Myanma Railways' needs
MYANMAR: As part of its re-engagement with Myanmar after ceasing operations there in the 1980s, the Asian Development Bank has published a report recommending a restructuring of the 'complex and overlapping institutional structure' which it believes is impeding effective management of rail, road water and air transport. ADB says Myanma ...
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NewsIndia plans inter-city EMUs to raise speeds
INDIA: The Ministry of Railways is developing plans to procure electric multiple-units to raise average speeds on Indian Railways' premium inter-city routes under a strategy to provide 'safer, faster, cleaner and comfortable' passenger trains The EMUs would be suitable for running at speeds of 130 to 160 km/h on Shatabdi ...
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NewsPrivate passenger operators in six years
UKRAINE: Private companies could be involved in the Ukrainian passenger rail market within six years, according to Minister of Infrastructure Borys Kolesnikov. Speaking at the inauguration of the renovated Slavyansk station on the Donetsk Railway on October 22, Kolesnikov said current passenger operations are not profitable, and it would not ...
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NewsIndependent Transport Company selected for Freight One privatisation
RUSSIA: On October 16 Russian Railways announced the completion of competitive negotiations with potential buyers of the 25% plus one share stake in Freight One which was retained by RZD when this subsidiary was privatised last year. RZD said the best offer of 50bn roubles was received from Independent Transport ...
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NewsSpain announces €4·7bn rail spend
SPAIN: With total planned spending of €4·7bn, rail forms 47% of the Ministry of Development's proposed investment budget for 2013, unveiled by Development Minister Ana Pastor on October 1. Of this total, €3·3bn or 71% is to be spent on high speed projects, with €332m allocated to the conventional ...