SWITZERLAND: Swiss Federal Railways and BLS AG have reached ‘an amicable solution’ to share the operation of long-distance services, the Federal Ministry of Environment, Transport, Energy & Communication announced on August 22. This will enable BLS to re-enter the long-distance passenger market with effect from the December 2019 timetable change. The

RMT calls strikes at Merseyrail, WabtecNEW strikes have been called on Merseyrail by the RMT, after talks over train despatch failed to find a solution. Members of the union will walk out for 24 hours on Saturday, and on 3, 5 and 30 September, and on 2 and 4 October.

RMT calls strikes at Merseyrail, WabtecNEW strikes have been called on Merseyrail by the RMT, after talks over train despatch failed to find a solution. Members of the union will walk out for 24 hours on Saturday, and on 3, 5 and 30 September, and on 2 and 4 October.

Late August saw the final regular workings of France’s most powerful diesel locomotives. Ben Jones looks back at their varied career.  AFTER the devastation of the Second World War, the railways of France recovered quickly during the 1950s. Electrification was a priority, with most of the

SWITZERLAND: Swiss Federal Railways has awarded Deutsche Bahn a contract to refurbish 93 Einheitswagen IV coaches at its Wittenberge and Neumünster workshops from 2020. The first of the EW IV coaches were delivered to SBB in 1981, and they are expected to remain in service until the 2030s. The operator began

THE Telford Steam Railway (TSR) is hopeful that a proposed redevelopment of the former Ironbridge power station could see steam-hauled services return to Coalbrookdale and the banks of the River Severn once again. The 350-acre power station site was acquired for development in 2018 by the Harworth Group, a project

COLLETT ‘Manor’ No. 7802 Bradley Manor has been withdrawn from traffic at the West Somerset Railway (WSR) after suffering a broken piston rod while in service on the line. The Erlestoke Manor Fund’s (EMF) 4-6-0 was working the 10.15 Bishops Lydeard- Minehead service on July 7 when the incident occurred, busting

GERMANY: The first of 160 articulated flat wagons which Deutsche Bahn has ordered from United Wagon Co’s Tikhvin factory in Russia have been sent for testing, with TSI certification expected by the end of the year Static testing and trial running is to be undertaken over several months, with a particular

UK: The terms of reference and timeline for an independently-led government review of whether and how to proceed with the High Speed 2 project were published by Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps on August 21. The ‘independent, thorough and objective’ review is to be chaired by Douglas Oakervee, whose

POLAND: National long-distance train operator PKP Intercity has signed a contract for Stadler to supply a 12 eight-car Flirt electric multiple-units and maintain them for 15 years. Stadler and a consortium of Pesa Bydgoszcz with its subsidiary ZNTK Mińsk Mazowiecki submitted bids in response to the operator’s December 2017 call for