All Policy articles – Page 80
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NewsEuropean Commission outlines 2050 transport vision
EUROPE: ‘Curbing mobility is not an option’. That is the one of the central tenets of the European Commission’s latest transport White Paper published on March 28. Building on the previous document issued in 2001, the Commission has entitled its White Paper a ‘Road Map to a Single European Transport ...
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NewsSetting up a Saudi railway regulator
SAUDI ARABIA: Arcadis is currently supporting the Saudi government's Railways Commission as it moves from the set-up phase to full operation. According to Arcadis Safety & Risk Director Stef Scannali, the process involves an extensive transfer of skills and knowledge, which draws on Arcadis staff's global experience of safety-critical industries, ...
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NewsNTV brands RFI access changes 'illegal'
ITALY: In an exceptionally strongly-worded statement, private high speed operator Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori has urged the Italian government to intervene to resolve an increasingly bitter dispute with infrastructure manager RFI over paths. NTV convened an emergency board meeting on March 25 after receiving notification that RFI’s Network Statement had been ...
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NewsNS and SNCF shortlisted for West Coast franchise
UK: The Department for Transport announced on March 24 that it had shortlisted four bidders that will be invited to tender in May for the replacement InterCity West Coast franchise, covering the operation of long-distance passenger services from London to Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Glasgow. As well as incumbent Virgin ...
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NewsMixed welcome for ERA ruling on Channel Tunnel safety
EUROPE: Welcoming the Technical Opinion on safety in the Channel Tunnel issued by the European Railway Agency on March 21, Deutsche Bahn’s Board Member, Passenger, Ulrich Homburg said he was ‘optimistic’ that the Intergovernmental Commission would approve the operation of ICE trainsets through the Tunnel in ‘early summer this year ...
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NewsERA recommends changes to Channel Tunnel safety regime
EUROPE: There is no intrinsic reason why trainsets with distributed traction should be banned from operating through the Channel Tunnel, according to a Technical Opinion issued by the European Railway Agency on March 21. The Channel Tunnel Intergovernmental Commission had asked ERA to review its findings on proposed changes to ...
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NewsNortheast Corridor to get high speed funding
USA: Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood has officially designated the Northeast Corridor between Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Washington DC as the country’s 11th high speed rail corridor, making it eligible for federal funding under the Passenger Rail Improvement & Investment Act 2008. LaHood recently invited applications from states interested ...
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NewsCommuter spin off
RUSSIA: RZD's ongoing structural reform programme will see its suburban passenger activities spun off into separate businesses this year, along with the end of cross-subsidy from freight. By the end the year RZD will have 27 commuter rail subsidiaries including Moscow airport train operator Aeroexpress, up from 22 ...
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NewsGrowth to continue
CHINA: The Ministry of Railways announced on February 15 that 850bn yuan will be invested in rail during 2011, including 700bn yuan for new construction, 126bn yuan for the purchase of rolling stock, and 24bn yuan for renovation and upgrading. This is up from 837bn yuan in 2010. Yunnan province ...
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NewsPKP Cargo privatisation strategy approved
POLAND: On March 1 the Prime Minister’s office confirmed that the government intends to press ahead with plans to privatise the national state-owned rail freight operator PKP Cargo As with other freight operators across Europe, PKP Cargo was hit hard by economic slowdown, reporting an operating loss of 497m złoty ...
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News30-year railway master plan
SAUDI ARABIA: Saudi Railways Organization is compiling a 30-year master plan which SRO President Abdul Aziz bin Mohammed Al-Hokail said would provide 'an integrated and clear future vision' for a 'safer, better and bigger railway'. A joint venture of Fayez Zuhair and Germany's GTZ and Dornier has been awarded a ...
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NewsIndian Railways faces testing times, says minister
INDIA: Presenting the Indian Railways budget for 2011-12 to Parliament on February 25, Minister of Railways Mamata Banerjee warned that IR was facing a ‘testing time’, citing a significant jump in fuel costs, and wage increases imposed following a review by the Pay Commission. With 1·4 million employees and 1·2 ...
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NewsDB completes Arriva Deutschland sale
GERMANY: Deutsche Bahn announced on February 28 that it had successfully completed the sale of the Arriva Deutschland Group to a consortium led by Italy’s Ferrovie dello Stato in partnership with Cube Infrastructure. Details of the purchase agreement are being kept confidential. DB had committed to dispose of Arriva’s German ...
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NewsZSSK signs long-term train operating contract
SLOVAKIA: National passenger operator ZSSK and the Ministry of Transport have signed the first long-term contract for the provision of subsidised services, replacing a three-year contract covering 2008-10. The 10-year contract guarantees a fixed annual subsidy, which should help to stabilise ZSSK which made an operating loss of €78m ...
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NewsUnbundling of Pakistan Railways proposed
PAKISTAN: The Planning Commission published a paper in January proposing the 'unbundling' of Pakistan Railways, with the outsourcing of activities such as station management. Intermodal and suburban trains could be operated independently, and the Ministry of Railways is considering a plan for a Lahore - Karachi business train. The Ministry ...
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NewsTEN-T rail funding allocations announced
EUROPE: The European Commission announced the projects selected to receive €170m of trans-European transport network infrastructure co-funding grants on February 21. The grants are based on the TEN-T annual and multi-annual calls published on May 19 2010. They are intended help EU member states build missing transport links, remove bottlenecks ...
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NewsCross-border construction soon
LAOS: The Laotian government has asked consultants assessing the environmental impact of the planned 481 km line to link Kunming with Vientiane to accelerate their work to allow construction to begin in April. Local reports put the cost of the railway at US$7bn, with completion planned for 2015. The new ...
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NewsNetwork Rail announces restructuring to devolve control
UK: Infrastructure manager Network Rail is to be restructured to create 'a number of new, powerful, devolved business units', Chief Executive David Higgins announced on February 21. The new structure is aimed at better aligning with the needs of NR's customers and passengers. Route directors will become managing directors, 'running ...
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NewsKallas makes call for change at European Railway Awards
EUROPE: 500 senior railway executives, politicians and suppliers gathered in Brussels on February 9 for the fifth annual European Railway Awards, organised by CER, EIM and UNIFE. In his keynote address, European Commission Vice-President for Transport Siim Kallas once again emphasised the need for the emergence of a ‘Single European ...
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NewsSix-year US high speed rail programme proposed
USA: Vice-President Joseph Biden and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood unveiled an ambitious $53bn six-year high speed and inter-city passenger rail programme on February 8. Biden said that clarifying the role of federal funding would provide states and cities with the certainty needed to make long-term plans, however the proposal ...