While farmers outside are demonstrating against cuts to their diesel subsidies, the railway in Cottbus has reason to celebrate. With the new maintenance depot, at least some progress is being made in this area, said Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the opening ceremony.

"Once again thwarted," one could say about the German federal government's repurposing of original Corona billions in favor of new energy and mobility solutions, which was stopped by the courts: Funding for digitalization and rail expansion alone is to be cut again by 810 million euros in 2024.

Performing track work, repairing points, adjusting contact wires, and positioning overhead lines are among the numerous tasks for which so-called "road-rail trucks" are used. Scania tested two of these specialized vehicles on a disused section of track between Etzwilen and Singen.

Photo: DB Cargo

“We don’t need to reinvent the wheel in Germany,” says Rouven Kötter (SPD), First Deputy of the Frankfurt Rhine-Main Regional Association, “to get more freight traffic onto the rails.” But a little more assertiveness seems to be needed. That’s why there are now “rail coaches.”. 

The last remaining gap in the Stuttgart-Ulm high-speed rail line has been closed. Unfortunately, this does not close a newly discovered funding gap, which, according to multiple press reports, is expected to increase by another €1.7 billion for the new through station in the Baden-Württemberg state capital and the overall €11 billion Stuttgart 21 project. 

Photo: Siemens Mobility

Seven Mireo Plus H hydrogen trains, built by Siemens in Krefeld, are now completing their first kilometers on a test track in Wegberg-Wildenrath. Accompanied by extensive testing, they will be gradually put into operation.

Everyone who is anyone in Swiss railway policy – ​​and beyond – is expected to attend the National Railway Congress on Thursday, May 2, 2024, at the Novartis Campus in Basel. The focus will be on the future of rail transport in 2050.

 Port of Poti (Georgia)

, the transport market is seeking – instead of via Moscow – new routes from Europe through the Caucasus to the Chinese border. A new corridor has emerged as an alternative. Hamburg-based HHLA is participating in this route with its "hinterland transport" by rail. 

Fig.: Siemens

MIREL is a train control system developed to ensure the safe operation of railways in Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland. With an interface compliant with European railway standards, it is capable of integration into the European ETCS. 

Photo: SBB

SBB Cargo handles one-seventh of Switzerland's freight traffic, transporting 180,000 tons daily within the country via wagonload, block train, and combined transport. The maintenance facility in Chiasso, renovated at a cost of 12 million Swiss francs, has now been reopened – a significant milestone, according to the company.  

Approximately 300 meters of the 7-kilometer-long damaged track are currently being renewed each week at the badly damaged Gotthard Base Tunnel. The estimated cost of the damage is between 100 and 130 million Swiss francs. According to Swiss Federal Railways (SBB), the work will continue until at least autumn 2024.

Following the accident in the Gotthard Base Tunnel, 22 carriages and two locomotives have so far been pulled from the tunnel. According to the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB), eight carriages remained inside as of yesterday. Recovery operations are expected to continue until the end of September, while repairs to the track will take several more months. 

Photo: Siemens

The framework agreement between rail manufacturer Siemens and Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) for the purchase of up to 540 Mireo trains for local and regional transport amounts to approximately five billion euros. The first trains are scheduled to enter service from 2028. 

A total of 21 ETCS trackside control centers are planned by 2038 to cover the main rail network. ÖBB aims to double the capacity of its rail network by 2040. Thanks to high-tech vehicle tracking, trains can run at shorter intervals – as is already the case on the Lötschberg line. 

Photo: SBB

Last night, the first freight train – a RailCare unit – was able to pass through the eastern tube of the Gotthard Base Tunnel. A mail train from Härkingen to Cadenazzo followed later from the north. According to Swiss Federal Railways (SBB), starting today, almost 100 freight trains per day can again travel through the intact parallel tube.