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…
Category: Infrastructure
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…
Russia assigns lowest priority to freight on rail network
Russia is getting a new set of rules determining priority on the rail network from September onwards. Freight is forced to yield to all other types of rail transportation. It remains at the bottom of the priority list, even as crucial trade infrastructure is already at maximum capacity. The new priority system in Russia does…
Kazakh minister beats back: tariff hikes justified
Kazakhstan is in the wake of a series of tariff hikes on the Kazakh rail network. Businesses and parliamentarians have protested the frequent price increases, and the government cancelled an earlier planned hike. Now, the Kazakh transport minister is beating back: the Kazakh network is cheap and the hikes are justified. “We need to point…