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Interview Spotlight: Gerd Aurich

8 June 2012 | By

What products/solutions can Voith Turbo Scharfenberg offer the European railway marketplace? Based on standardised modular components, Voith Turbo Scharfenberg has made its mark as a system provider of energy absorbing components for trains. Our product range covers automatic and semi-permanent couplers, impact protection modules and crash buffers, up to complete…

2014 Winter Olympics construction projects of Russian Railways

8 June 2012 | By Vladimir Yakunin, President, Russian Railways

In February 2010, Russian Railways and the Sochi 2014 Organising Committee signed a partnership agreement, which gave Russian Railways official status as the general partner of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games. Organising such a major event necessitates a high level of arrangements, and transport accessibility plays one of the…

Making rail booking easy for all

8 June 2012 | By Jamie Andrews, Co-founder & Managing Director, Loco2

Loco2 is the first independent, non rail operator owned company to sell train tickets to destinations within Europe. The company has been featured in the Guardian, Observer and Wired.co.uk and has recently launched a partnership with popular train booking site, Seat61.com. Jamie Andrews, Co-founder and Managing Director, talks to Global…

Encouraging railway transport growth in Germany

14 April 2012 | By Dr. Peter Ramsauer, Federal Minister of Transport, Building & Urban Development, Germany

In 1993, Germany initiated its structural railway reform. Bundesbahn became Deutsche Bahn AG (DB AG) and the aim of the reform was to get more traffic on the railways to limit the burden on the budget and to create more competition. Today, one can say that this comprehensive reform was…

DB’s continual programme of investments and developments

11 April 2012 | By Craig Waters, Editor, Global Railway Review

Deutsche Bahn AG (DB AG) was founded in 1994 and is now one of the world’s leading passenger and logistics companies. Operating in 130 countries, approximately 290,000 employees, of which about 190,000 are located in Germany, are committed to ensuring that customers are provided with effective and efficient mobility and…

Focused on highquality services

11 April 2012 | By Bernard M. Kemper, CEO, Abellio Rail NRW GmbH

Abellio was established in 2003 as a subsidiary of ‘Essen Verkehrs AG’ (EVAG), the local public transportation service for the city of Essen. The purpose was to profit from opportunities of a liberalised traffic market and to utilise more than 100 years of experience. The company’s bus and rail service…

Open-access between Hamburg and Cologne

11 April 2012 | By Eva Kreienkamp, CEO and Carsten Carstensen, COO, Hamburg-Köln-Express (HKX)

In 2012, the Hamburg-Köln-Express (HKX) will start operations, thus breaking new ground for open-access operators in Germany. With three six-wagon trainsets, HKX will provide space and comfort combined with modern services on the long-distance route between Hamburg and Cologne. Although the railway sector deregulation in Germany started as early as…

Working together to find adequate solutions

11 April 2012 | By Dr. Libor Lochman, Executive Director, CER

he Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER) brings together more than 70 European railway undertakings, infrastructure companies and vehicle leasing companies, including long-established bodies, new entrants, and both private and public-sector organisations. In EU, EFTA and EU accession countries, CER members represent approximately 75% of the rail network…

2012: the most exciting year yet for Crossrail

11 April 2012 | By Andy Mitchell, Crossrail Programme Director

2012 is going to be the most exciting year yet for the £14.8 billion Crossrail project with construction moving up a few gears as we enter our tunnelling phase. The year has started with great expectations and excitement for the project not just within Crossrail but also amongst Londoners who…

Turkey’s continuing developments

11 April 2012 | By Süleyman Karaman, Director General and Chairman of the Board, Turkish State Railways (TCDD)

The history of railways in Turkey can be analysed in four periods. First was the Ottoman Period between 1856 and 1922 when foreigners were granted concessions and 4,136km of railway lines were constructed. Second was the Republic Period between 1923 and 1950 when developments were fast and bright and 3,764km…

“The railway will be the transport mode of the 22nd century”

6 February 2012 | By Etienne Schouppe, State Secretary for Mobility, Belgium

“The railway will be the transport mode of the 21st century, if it survives the 20th.” I had to use this phrase on numerous occasions during my time as Chief Executive of the Belgian National Railway Company in the 1990s, in order to make my colleagues aware of the necessity,…

Infrabel is putting the finishing touches to its Diabolo project

6 February 2012 | By Luc Lallemand, CEO, Infrabel

Infrabel, the manager of the Belgian railway infrastructure, is currently putting the finishing touches to Diabolo – the new direct rail link to and from Brussels Airport. With four months before the rail link goes into service, Luc Lallemand, Infrabel’s CEO, exclusively tells Global Railway Review the most important achievements…

BGN 1.3 billion to be invested in Bulgarian railway infrastructure by 2014

6 February 2012 | By Milcho Lambrev, Director General, National Railway Intrastructure Company (NRIC)

The State Enterprise ‘National Railway Infrastructure Company’ (NRIC) has been established by the Law on Railway Transport – a law which came into force from 1 January 2002. The company is with a statute of a state-owned entity as per the meaning of the Trade Act. The company is registered…