Photo: SEV

The Swiss transport workers' union SEV is vehemently protesting the actions of DB Cargo's subsidiary in Switzerland (formerly Brunner Railway Services), which laid off 20% of its staff in Muttenz just before Christmas and without prior notice, including two members of the employee representation. 

 Photo: Volocopter

The German Federal Ministry for Digital and Economic Affairs (BMDV), under Volker Wissing, would like to see "Advanced Air Mobility" implemented in Germany as early as the beginning of the next decade. A strategy outlining test routes starting in 2026 was defined in Berlin today.

 Fig.: BMDV

The German Federal Government has adopted a strategy for autonomous driving in road traffic in its cabinet, the focus of which, according to Transport Minister Volker Wissing, is to be on local public transport and freight transport.

M. Ritter

Stadler established its US headquarters in Salt Lake City in 2016, thereby complying with the "Buy America Act," which requires that at least 60 percent of the value added in public contracts be generated in the USA. Since then, Stadler, which now employs 500 people there, has regularly won new contracts. Time for a dedicated "North America Division.".

Automotive supplier ZF has won the German Sustainability Award for its circular economy at its Bielefeld plant. There, around 180,000 clutch pressure plates and discs, 10,000 torque converters, and approximately 55,000 release systems are disassembled into their individual components, inspected, and remanufactured each year.

 Photo: admin.ch

The Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC) has appointed Mathias Gantenbein as the new Deputy Director of the Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA), effective January 1, 2025. He currently heads the Strategy and Command Support division there.

 Source: MDR

DHL confirmed yesterday that in the early hours of Monday morning, a Swiftair aircraft, a third-party provider operating on behalf of DHL, caught fire around 4:30 a.m. CET while attempting an emergency landing about one kilometer from the airport on its way from Leipzig to Vilnius.

Photo: DLR

According to reports from the German news agency DPA and the US news agency Bloomberg, the flying taxi manufacturer Volocopter is on the verge of being acquired by its Chinese shareholder Geely, which currently holds a 40 percent stake in the company. eVTOL competitor Lilium filed for insolvency in October.

 Photo: DB

The half-year figures from the German rail industry, of which Stadler Rail is a member (VDB), reflect slightly increasing infrastructure investments. Now, manufacturers are warning of renewed stagnation and demanding "legislative-independent" financing and planning certainty.

Mercedes-Benz Trucks' largest assembly plant in Wörth am Rhein, where around 4.4 million trucks have rolled off the production lines to date, is electrifying its own logistics for trucks supplying the plant with six additional fast-charging stations. The goal is to have 100 percent of delivery traffic electrified by the end of 2026.

B. Simons

The gateway to the world for Rhine shipping from Basel to the world's oceans is not Hamburg, but Rotterdam, as is well known. From January 2025, Berte Simons will be at the helm there as Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the port authority, succeeding Boudewijn Siemons in day-to-day operations.

The transport service provider Krummen Kerzers aims not only to keep pace with changes, but also to be at the forefront, particularly in the areas of digitalization and sustainability. To successfully manage the transformation in the transport sector, the management team is currently being strengthened.

Schneider Environmental Services in Volketswil has 140 heavy commercial vehicles registered. To achieve a 90 percent electric vehicle conversion rate by 2028, they already have seven battery electric vehicles (BEVs) in operation. Their own e-charging park, with 800 kW capacity and 16 charging points, has now gone into operation.

 Photo: DB/Niedermüller

Deutsche Bahn has filed a lawsuit with the Administrative Court of Baden-Württemberg, demanding that the state, Stuttgart itself, and the airport contribute to the additional costs of the Stuttgart 21 project. According to current estimates, the costs are expected to rise from the originally planned €4.5 billion to over €10 billion.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued regulations mid-week for the qualification and training of pilots who will be allowed to fly air taxis in the future. It is described as "the first completely new category since the introduction of the helicopter in the 1940s.".