The Swiss Federal Office of Transport (FOT) updated the country’s strategy for the deployment of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS). The new programme focusses on implementing cab-signalling with European Train Control System (ETCS)...Read more
File: Greening Freight Package With the EU Commission’s proposal for the revision of the Combined Transport Directive (CTD), the Greening Freight Transport Package (GFTP) is now complete and ready to undergo the needed procedures before becoming official. The GFTP...Read more
File: Greening Freight Package The revision proposal for the Combined Transport Directive (CTD), part of the Greening Freight Transport Package (GFTP), was recently announced by the European Commission (EC). According to the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies...Read more
File: Greening Freight Package The EU Commission has unveiled its combined transport Directive revision proposal, closing the cycle it opened in July when publishing the proposals of the Greening Freight Transport Package (GFTP). The sentiment following the announcement is...Read more
analysisOne of the next steps for the rail freight industry is to become fully digitised and digitalised. A key step towards digitisation would be a strong switch to paperless documents, which currently are used in...Read more
File: Greening Freight Package The European Rail Freight Association (ERFA) recently published two position papers on the Directives included in the Greening Freight Transport Package (GFTP). One concerns the Weight and Dimension Directive (WDD), for which ERFA claimed that...Read more
The German Ministry of Transport presented a draft regulation to extend the possibility of using Type 1 long trucks, (up to 17.88 metres in total length), until 2026. The policy was set to expire at...Read more
File: Greening Freight Package EU legislators are moving closer to publishing the revised Combined Transport Directive (CTD). It is a matter of a few days before it becomes public, and the industry awaits to see what changes it could...Read more
One of the hottest debates in the European rail freight sector is the deployment of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) and its signalling and control component, the European Train Control System (ETCS). Alberto...Read more
The European Investment Bank (EIB) will loan 992 million euros to the Czech Ministry of Finance “in support of a major railway upgrade”. This is the largest loan from the EIB to the Czech Republic.Read more
The German Federal Parliament (Bundestag) approved a new package of legislations aimed at boosting the rail sector in the country, making its implementation official. The package includes the greenlighting of the ‘road funds rail’ scheme...Read more
The European Commission (EC) stated it will bring Spain in front of the EU Court of Justice because the country failed “to correctly transpose and apply Directive 2012/34/EU establishing a single European railway area (SERA)”....Read more
The Italian Ministry of Transport unlocked a new package of subsidies for the rail freight industry, the FerroBonus. The money will cover the period between 2023 and 2027 with 22 million euros available every year....Read more
INTERVIEWFor many countries, Switzerland is an example to look up to when setting up a rail freight transport and infrastructure policy. Just like Swiss clocks, the rail industry is working with accuracy. That, however, does...Read more
The Italian government cut 1,5 billion euros that were to be destined for the doubling of the Rome-Pescara railway, which connects the Italian west and east coasts. This was confirmed by the country’s Minister of...Read more
Romanian farmers appear discontent with the status of Ukrainian products imported to their country. They have sent an official letter to the EU Commission head, Ursula von der Leyen, demanding the reintroduction of an import...Read more
INTERVIEWAndrew Haines, the chief executive of Network Rail, has called for unity in the rail industry in order to prosper. The appeal comes in the wake of the UK Government’s announcement that it will cancel...Read more
File: Greening Freight Package Concerns about the EU Commission’s Greening Freight Transport Package (GFTP) approach are intensifying. The initial optimism of July is now transforming into increasing scepticism and fear about what is expected from the legislative proposals and...Read more
The European Commission (EC) approved Spain’s request to unlock the funds from the Recovery and Resiliency Facility (RRF) without implementing road freight tolls. The alternative proposed by the country’s Ministry of Transport is that rail...Read more
exclusive interviewThe French national rail freight company Fret SNCF is currently undergoing major changes to avoid sanctions from the European Commission (EC). RailFreight.com interviewed two spokespersons from the company. The main conclusion is that Fret SNCF...Read more
The European Commission (EC) recently published the eighth monitoring report on the development of the rail market in Europe, with a focus on the 2015-2020 period. Despite various positive conclusions that may be drawn by...Read more