This fall, the Swiss transport authority (Bundesamt für Verkehr -BAV) announced the plans to invest heavily in railway infrastructure until 2035. Over 200 Projects and 11.5 bn CHF will be invested in tunnels, concrete and steel across the country. Last Sunday, an NZZ article (in German) has allowed an alternative view on the intended infrastructure … Continue reading Investing in concrete or intelligence
As a child, I instantly recognized the difference between trains in the US and Europe. The rolling stock in the USA stood out due to their bad condition, their perceived age and their perceived inconvenience for passengers. It seemed to me, that the trains there are at least 15-20 years older then comparable counterparts in … Continue reading Why the US is overpaying for Rolling Stock
When reading (and also ordering) the map on the future of railways in SEA (see also Mapping out the future of railways in Southeast Asia ) made by James Clark, I was keen to do something similar for Africa. With the rise of Chinese Investments in Africa, more projects which seemed to be once very visionary have … Continue reading Mapping out the future of Railways in Africa
After I had a look at what is happening in Nigeria regarding railways over the summer, I saw that Nigeria is on the brink of a new railway era. Now I thought why not go a step further and build a little map showing the situation and next development. To digest the infos, that I … Continue reading Snapshot on Railways in Nigeria
Last week, James Clark published a really cool map condensing all the current and proposed railway projects in Southeast Asia. You can find the map under this link. He used multiple sources and published masterplans to come up with a condensed view on where what might be built. The map clearly shows that China … Continue reading Mapping out the future of railways in Southeast Asia
In yesterday's announcement, the open access operator Leo Express confirmed that they seek to expand their operations beyond the Czech Republic towards Poland and even Germany. As explained in the IRJ article the rolling stock could come from CRRC as they signed an agreement with Leo Express for 3 EMUs and 27 options. After the … Continue reading CRRC is coming closer to Western Europe
At this year's Innotrans in Berlin, Stadler presented their new sleeping coach for Azerbaijan. The train shows, that even now there is a potential to compete air travel with a very comfortable and luxurious car. The beds and amenities appear to be very comfortable, each cabin equipped with its own shower and toilet. If it … Continue reading More luxurious overnight travel to counter air travel
In the early days of the railway century after the emergence of the first larger rolling stock manufacturers, OEMs had strong ties to the mostly state owned railway operators and maintainers. The result was a strong operator focus. Even though it might have been not economically sound, it allowed the development of many expensive research … Continue reading Why the rolling stock OEMs’ model will fail
I just read a quite interesting interview of Ulrich Gygi, still President of the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) where he explains the development in the ticketing system in Switzerland. He is dissatisfied with the progress as well as the fact that smaller rail operators, such as the Südostbahn (SOB) and the Bern Lötschberg Simplon Bahn … Continue reading One ticketing system vs. multiple approaches
These days if was announced that the opening of the new Abudja-Kaduna railway line will shift into June. At the same time, Muhammadu Buhari has assigned 60bn Naira, or 260 million EUR, in the 2016 budget for the great costal railway. As an outsider, it does not seem to be fully clear what monies are … Continue reading Nigeria on the brink of a new railway era
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