GERMANY: A 54% increase in spending on infrastructure renewals will see €86bn invested in the national rail network over the next decade, Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer announced on July 26. Unveiling a 10-year plan for 2020-29 which he described as ‘the biggest railway modernisation programme’ in Germany's history, Scheuer said the

FRANCE: Plans are in hand to run competitively tendered passenger services over the Abbeville – Le Tréport line in northern France that was closed in May 2018. In a corrigendum published on July 19 to an April notice in the Official Journal of the European Union the region specified the operation

 To celebrate the launch of Azuma train services to York, London North Eastern Railway (LNER) has been working on a special event – bringing Mallard out of its usual exhibition space at the National Railway Museum to meet the newest train on the block, Azuma.  The rare outing is

PRIME Minister Boris Johnson has promised that he will revive the ‘HS3’ project to provide a new high speed rail link between Leeds and Manchester.Speaking in Manchester at the weekend, he said the benefits of such a link would be ‘colossal’, and that it would ‘turbo-charge the economy’. The Prime Minister

RUSSIA: The first 1 520 mm gauge long-distance overnight passenger services on the island of Sakhalin began running on July 18, following conversion of the 500 km Vzmorye – Nogliki route from 1 067 mm to broad gauge. This marks the latest stage in a programme launched in 2003 to regauge the island’s network

Maynard returns to DfTPAUL Maynard has returned to the DfT as a transport minister, as part of Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle. Grant Shapps had already returned to the Department as the new transport secretary, replacing Chris Grayling. Other new arrivals as ministers at the DfT are Chris Heaton-Harris (replacing Michael Ellis),

Work started at Dawlish on June 1 to construct a new higher and wider sea wall to protect the railway and the town from the sea. Teignbridge District Council approved Network Rail’s £30million plans to increase the height of the sea wall in April. Contractors

AUSTRIA: The ÖBB Technische Services subsidiary of Austrian Federal Railways has completed a €29m, 16-month modernisation of its St Pölten rolling stock maintenance workshop. Three new halls have been erected for the maintenance of diesel locomotives, DMUs and components. These are equipped with diesel exhaust extraction systems, enabling engines to be

Work to lengthen and modernise the single platform station at Sheringham in Norfolk overran in May, writes Dennis Lovett.   This view taken on May 11 shows contractors still working to rebuild the platform and install new lighting. The reopening was due for completion on

UK: The Office of Rail & Road has published updated guidance designed to enable train and station operators to provide older and disabled people with greater confidence when travelling by rail. The Accessible Travel Policy replaces ORR’s Disabled Persons’ Protection Policy and broadens its scope. Updated requirements include: better staff training