NUREMBERG Transport (VAG) announced on November 17 that it will replace the oldest rolling stock in its U-Bahn fleet with new trains from mid-2018.
BERLIN Transport Authority (BVG) plans to set up a finance company in January to help fund the renewal of life-expired U-Bahn trains and trams and expand its fleet during the next 20 years at a cost of €3.1bn.
BADEN-Württemberg premier Dr Winfried Kretschmann announced on November 16 that the German state's Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure has selected Netherlands Railways (NS) subsidiary Abellio Germany and Go-Ahead, Britain, as preferred bidders for three contracts to operate Network 1 regional services centred on Stuttgart.
VOITH, Germany, has handed over the first three of its RailPack 400DE power-packs for installation on 30 three-car hybrid trains which Changchun Railway Vehicles is building for China Railway Corporation (CRC) for use on non-electrified or partially-electrified suburban lines.
THE Bremen senate announced on November 10 that it has allocated Bremen Tramways (BSAG) €210m for the acquisition of 67 new low-floor LRVs.
CROSS-border railfreight operators can now access simplified tariffs and timetables through so-called one-stop shops on two of Europe's growing network of freight corridors following the opening on November 10 of corridors 3 and 8.
BAVARIAN Railway Company (BEG) has selected Transdev subsidiary Bavarian Regional Rail (BRB) to operate regional passenger services on Augsburg Diesel Network 1, which encompasses 1.35 million train-km per year on the Munich - Füssen, Augsburg - Füssen and Augsburg - Landsberg lines.
POLISH open-access operator Lotos Kolej extended its business into Europe's largest railfreight market on November 3 when it operated its first revenue-earning freight train in Germany.
A ceremony was held on October 30 at Shenyang East station in China to mark the first trial run of a Far East Land Bridge (Felb)-operated railfreight service to Hamburg using the northern route of the Transsiberian Railway.
IN what looks likely to be a rail industry first, Locomore, Germany, launched a crowdfunding campaign on October 29 in a bid to finance a new Stuttgart - Berlin open-access service, which could begin operating in September 2016.
