It is probably the longest-running dispute over rail development in the UK. It certainly ranks among the most acrimonious. However, time may have been called on forty years of fighting over the future of a former airfield. A legal ruling has thrown out objections from a long-standing campaign group. A High Court judge has rejected…
Category: Infrastructure
EU’s Council of Ministers approves European-gauge railway to Klaipeda
The EU’s Council of Ministers has approved the construction of a European-gauge railway to the Lithuanian port city of Klaipeda. The newly approved railway is part of the revised TEN-T regulation. According to the Lithuanian transport ministry, the European-gauge railway to Klaipėda will improve transport and logistics links in the Baltic region and Eastern Europe.…
EIB to lend Czechia half a billion euros for rail modernisation
The European Investment Bank (EIB) will lend Czechia 13 billion crowns (526 million euros) for the modernisation of the country’s rail infrastructure. The money will be used to increase both freight and passenger capacity, as well as to strengthen the three TEN-T lines on Czech territory. Apart from a multitude of exclusively passenger-related projects, the…
Ukrainian Railways receives half a billion euros in international support
Ukrainian Railways (UZ) is receiving approximately 500 million euros in international financial support. The money comes from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in the form of a loan, as well as from the World Bank and Switzerland as a grant. The money is to be spent on electric locomotives and infrastructure. UZ,…
China, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan come to CKU line agreement
China, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan have signed an agreement on the construction of the railway between the three countries. The document specifies financing, the route to be taken, operation and maintenance. Reportedly, construction will begin in October. The three countries took part in an online signing ceremony on Thursday, 6 June. The agreement sets in stone…
Freight to contribute little to billions of Rail Baltica-induced growth
Rail Baltica is an economically viable undertaking. While its projected cost has grown immensely in recent years, the high-speed rail line is expected to contribute up to 23,5 billion euros to the Baltic economies. Freight, however, is not likely to contribute much. An independent cost-benefit analysis (CBA) found that Rail Baltica will likely add between…
Finland to study European gauge connection to Sweden
Finland wants to study the possibility of creating a European gauge (1435 mm) connection to Sweden to facilitate trade and military mobility with the rest of the European Union. The first option would be to create a 1435 mm railway line connecting Oulu, to Haparanda, on the border with Sweden, where goods have to be…