Railway policy news – Page 6
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In depthIndia: Mission 100% nears completion
The energisation of more than 6 500 route-km in the 2022-23 financial year has brought the electrified proportion of Indian Railways’ broad gauge network to over 90%, with the remainder on course to be wired during 2023-24.
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In depthIndia: Kashmir link nears completion
The long-planned railway connection to Kashmir is on course to open throughout by the end of this year, after 30 years of mixed progress which has seen the estimated cost spiral to almost Rs400bn. Raghu Dayal reports.
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NewsUNIFE urges supply industry to address PFAS chemical ban proposal
EUROPE: Supply industry association UNIFE has urged its members to pay closer attention to emerging EU legislation restricting the use of PFAS compounds in industrial applications.
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NewsComments sought on RENFE ticketing commitments
SPAIN: The European Commission has invited comments on commitments offered by national operator RENFE to address concerns over its alleged refusal to supply rival ticketing platforms with train information and real-time data. In April the Commission opened a formal investigation into whether RENFE may have restricted ...
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NewsCartel office orders DB to end competition restrictions
GERMANY: On June 26 the national competition authority ruled that state-owned operator Deutsche Bahn must alter its commercial practices to comply with competition laws.
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NewsRail projects receive share of €6·2bn of Connecting Europe Facility grant funding
EUROPE: Various rail enhancement schemes are among the 107 projects on the Trans-European Transport Network which have been allocated a total of €6·2bn under the latest EU Connecting Europe Facility grant provisions.
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NewsRail funding debate begins in France
FRANCE: Negotiations have begun between the government and regional administrative bodies to determine levels of funding for local rail investment projects in 2023-27. The process represents an initial step in the government’s stated ambition to invest €100bn in the nation’s rail network by 2040 as part ...
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NewsImported Chinese couplers damage US manufacturers, trade commission finds
USA: Duties are to be imposed on some imported Chinese wagon couplers, after the United States International Trade Commission determined that they were being subsidised by the Chinese government and sold in the USA at less than fair value. Coupler manufacturer McConway & Torley and the ...
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NewsMinister blocks Cape Town suburban rail devolution ‘for now’
SOUTH AFRICA: ‘For now we are not in the process of devolving railway services, that is why Prasa is busy building up railway services in the Western Cape’, national Minister of Transport Sindisiwe Chikunga told local media during a site visit to Cape Town in May. ...
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In depthComment: Member states hold key to a Single European Railway Area
The European Commission has bold plans to create a Single European Railway Area, but these ambitious aims remain firmly dependent on cooperation from member states across the Eurozone, suggests our Executive Editor Nick Kingsley.
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NewsItalian ERTMS support scheme approved
ITALY: A €300m scheme to provide direct government grants for the acquisition and installation of ETCS onboard equipment has been approved by the European Commission under EU state aid rules. The programme running to the end of 2026 aims to encourage passenger and freight modal shift ...
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NewsTax exemptions help fund Brazilian rail projects
BRAZIL: The Federal Ministry of Transport has announced that a number of privately-funded rail projects will qualify for tax exemptions under the REIDI programme intended to encourage infrastructure investment. Details of the qualifying projects were published in the Official Gazette towards the end of April. Three ...
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NewsWest Africa rail action plan agreed
AFRICA: Transport ministers from Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Niger, Benin and Togo have agreed an action plan for the development of an international rail network. The proposed network connecting the cities of Abidjan, Ouagadougou, Niamey, Cotonou and Lomé would have a total length of 3 034 ...
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NewsMoldova gets access to Connecting Europe Facility transport funding
MOLDOVA: The government has signed an agreement with the European Commission enabling Moldovan promoters to apply for Connecting Europe Facility funding to support projects of common interest in the transport, energy and digital sectors. Moldovan authorities and companies will be able to apply for co-funding under ...
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NewsBroad gauge railways seek closer European integration
EUROPE: Ukrainian national railway Ukrzaliznytsia has signed a memorandum of intent to co-operate with the FREE Rail programme, which aims to develop an operating model that is based on EU rail standards and best practice while being aligned with the specific needs of 1 520 mm ...
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NewsBulgarian ETCS support scheme approved
BULGARIA: The European Commission has approved under EU state aid rules a €32m Bulgarian scheme to encourage freight and passenger modal shift from road to rail. To be funded through the Recovery & Resilience Facility, the scheme aims to remove technical barriers to rail interoperability and ...
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News‘We need more capacity’ urges DB’s Nikutta as she takes on Rail Freight Forward leadership
EUROPE: DB Board Member for Freight and DB Cargo CEO Sigrid Nikutta has succeeded Rail Cargo Group Chief Executive Clemens Först as Chair of the Rail Freight Forward alliance.
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NewsGerman government urged to revise pessimistic rail freight assumptions
GERMANY: The leaders of six private rail freight operators have published an open letter to federal Transport Minister Dr Volker Wissing urging the government to revise pessimistic forecasts for the sector’s future growth.
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In depthUK: East Coast collaboration is delivering
Almost uniquely among UK train operators, LNER is seeing ridership on its inter-city services well above pre-pandemic levels, while a collaborative approach between operator and infrastructure manager is driving up performance. Tony Miles investigates.
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In depthUK: Quality crumbles as rail reform programme inches forward
While preparations continue for the establishment of Great British Railways as a ‘guiding mind’ for the national rail network, cost cutting across both operations and infrastructure is starting to impact on the quality of service and rail’s ability to contribute to meeting ambitious decarbonisation targets.