All posts tagged: Railways

Andalusia wipeout spells trouble for Spain’s Sánchez in 2027 election – POLITICO

Andalusia wipeout spells trouble for Spain’s Sánchez in 2027 election – POLITICO

The conservatives aren’t happy either This is a bitterly disappointing result for Moreno. While the PP confirmed its overall dominance in Andalusia, winning in all eight provinces, the loss of five seats and its parliamentary majority by a narrow margin is a blow. “It’s an overwhelming victory, but it’s not enough,” said José Manuel Trujillo, a political scientist at Seville’s Pablo de Olavide University. Trujillo largely attributed the loss of seats to voters to the PP’s left and right, who had not turned out four years ago, but did so this time. The Andalusian president has become the most prominent moderate voice in the PP, marking out a centrist path away from the theatrics of Madrid. Going into this election, Moreno’s vía andaluza (“Andalusian way”) was being touted as a possible strategy for PP national leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo to replicate, who has struggled to find a clear position on the political spectrum. But, with Moreno falling short, attention will shift to the approach of the conservatives’ other high-profile regional baron, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, the hard-line president …

Commission pushes to simplify EU cross-border rail travel with single-ticket plan – POLITICO

Commission pushes to simplify EU cross-border rail travel with single-ticket plan – POLITICO

A second proposal would significantly strengthen passenger rights for multi-operator rail journeys by introducing a new category of “single ticket,” covering journeys booked in one transaction even when they involve multiple operators and separate transport contracts. Passengers who miss a connection because of delays or cancellations on earlier legs of the trip would have the right to be rerouted, and request reimbursement, assistance and compensation for the entire journey, even if later legs are with other operators. To prevent circumvention of the rules, railway undertakings, ticket vendors and tour operators would be prohibited from artificially splitting journeys into separate bookings when they could technically be sold under a single ticket. The Commission also wants rail tickets to go on sale earlier. Railway operators would be required to make tickets available at least five months before departure. Alongside the rail-specific measures, the package includes a third, broader regulation on so-called multimodal booking, covering digital platforms across rail, air, bus and waterborne transport. That proposal would impose “neutral display” obligations on major booking platforms, requiring them to …

Russian strike on Ukraine apartment block kills 7 in Kharkiv – POLITICO

Russian strike on Ukraine apartment block kills 7 in Kharkiv – POLITICO

Russian missiles and drones claimed the lives of at least seven people, including children, in the city of Kharkiv, as Moscow’s forces attacked civilian infrastructure across Ukraine, according to Ukrainian officials. The overnight attacks, which involved 480 drones and 29 missiles, also caused casualties in the capital Kyiv as well as Odessa and Dnipro, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on his Telegram channel. In Kharkiv, a Russian ballistic missile partially destroyed a residential apartment building, killing civilians, said Zelenskyy. The Ukrainian president said that emergency responders were still combing the rubble in the search of victims. Source link

Meloni slams ‘enemies of Italy’ for railway sabotage and anti-Olympics protests – POLITICO

Meloni slams ‘enemies of Italy’ for railway sabotage and anti-Olympics protests – POLITICO

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Sunday condemned anti-Olympics protesters and the unknown perpetrators of railway sabotage that caused train delays, particularly on the line between Bologna and Venice. “Then you have them, the enemies of Italy and Italians, who demonstrate ‘against the Olympics,’ causing these images to be broadcast on television around the world. After others cut the railway cables to prevent trains from leaving,” Meloni wrote in a social media post that included FoxNews footage showing firecrackers and smoke bombs during anti-Olympics protests in Milan on Saturday. Hours after the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics were officially launched, suspected attacks damaged the Bologna-Venice railway line. On Saturday, Italy’s railway operator Ferrovie dello Stato reported “serious damage to railway infrastructure attributable to acts of sabotage.” One track switch was set on fire near Pesaro, while a few hours later cables were damaged, causing delays on Saturday morning, the operator said. Source link

Spanish rail disaster ramps up pressure on Sánchez – POLITICO

Spanish rail disaster ramps up pressure on Sánchez – POLITICO

The opposition zeroed in on that same weakness last year after an energy blackout hit the country for several hours in April. Much of the latest criticism has been aimed at Transport Minister Óscar Puente, who has been the government’s frontman on the Adamuz crash. A divisive figure, nicknamed “Sánchez’s Rottweiler,” he is a natural lightning rod for opposition ire. In the immediate aftermath of the accident, Puente insisted it hadn’t been caused by poor maintenance, obsolete infrastructure or a lack of investment. But the opposition is demanding his resignation, claiming he misled the public by suggesting that the whole line on which the accident occurred had been replaced recently, which was not the case. Government spokesperson Elma Saiz said Puente “has been where he has to be and is still there, giving explanations in search of the truth and always with empathy and accompanying the relatives of victims.” Regional tensions Meanwhile, the rail chaos in Catalonia has revived a longstanding grievance of nationalists there: that the Spanish state has chronically underinvested in their regional …

Great British Railways: How much of your cash has been spent on trains rebrand? | Politics News

Great British Railways: How much of your cash has been spent on trains rebrand? | Politics News

More than £30,000 of taxpayer money has been spent on creating a new logo for nationalised rail services, Sky News can reveal. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander unveiled the emblem for Great British Railways (GBR) last month, the brand which nationalised trains in England will fall under. Politics Hub: Follow latest updates As well as a fresh logo, which features the familiar double arrow symbol used by British Rail when the country’s trains were last publicly owned, carriages are also getting a paint job. Image: The new livery of Great British Railways. Pic: Department for Transport Ms Alexander insisted this “isn’t just a paint job”, and said the design “represents a new railway, casting off the frustrations of the past”. But it can now be revealed that the exercise to design the logo and paint job cost £32,400. A Freedom of Information request sent by Sky News found more than £27,000 – excluding VAT – was spent on audience and accessibility testing for the redesign, using a specialist agency. The total £32,400 figure included creating a …

Eurostar services resume after major Channel Tunnel disruption – POLITICO

Eurostar services resume after major Channel Tunnel disruption – POLITICO

A Eurostar spokesperson told POLITICO that services were to resume at 7 p.m. Brussels time (6 p.m. London time) on Tuesday evening, after a “partial reopening of the Channel Tunnel.” Getlink, the company that operates the Channel Tunnel, said work continued through the night to fix the power issue, allowing rail traffic in both directions to restart early Wednesday, BBC reported. Eurostar apologized to passengers for the disruption and warned of possible knock-on delays and last-minute cancellations on Wednesday as services return to normal. Travelers were urged to check their journeys before heading to stations. On Tuesday, Eurostar “strongly” advised passengers to postpone travel where possible and not to head to the train station if their train had been canceled. Source link

Eurostar services to restart after tunnel disruption caused travel chaos – POLITICO

Eurostar services to restart after tunnel disruption caused travel chaos – POLITICO

Earlier in the day, multiple issues caused transport chaos for thousands of people traveling ahead of New Year celebrations. “Due to a problem with the overhead power supply and a subsequent failed Le Shuttle train the Channel Tunnel is currently closed. Unfortunately, this means we have no choice but to suspend all services today until further notice,” the company said in an earlier update on its website. Le Shuttle, the rail service that transports vehicles and passengers through the Channel Tunnel, was experiencing delays of up to three-and-a-half hours, according to a message on its website. Eurostar had urged passengers not to travel to stations, which include Brussels-Midi, Gare du Nord in Paris and St Pancras in London. British media reported there were traffic jams in front of the tunnel terminal in Folkestone, England and stations crowded with stranded passengers in London and Paris. Eurostar denied reports about stranded train passengers in the tunnel. “It is a broken shuttle (LeShuttle) that has now been moved out of the tunnel,” a spokesperson said. The Channel Tunnel links Great …

Why Europe’s night-train renaissance derailed – POLITICO

Why Europe’s night-train renaissance derailed – POLITICO

It’s a stalemate that has frozen the revival. “Those that could act don’t want to — and those that want to don’t have the means,” said railway expert Jon Worth. “Try booking a night train months ahead. You can’t. Demand is through the roof. But customer demand doesn’t drive railway behavior.” What does drive it are balance sheets — and most night services lose money. By definition, sleeper trains can run only once per night per trainset, need extra staff on board, and require rolling stock that is highly specific and very expensive. “A coach costs around €2 million, that’s pretty expensive,” said Thibault Constant, founder of French startup Nox Mobility. “Investors look at the history of night trains and say: ‘No way this can be profitable.’” European Sleeper, a Belgian-Dutch company, currently runs with carriages “basically saved from the scrap heap,” Worth noted. “You can’t scale up night trains without building more night trains,” he added. “But no one is making those orders.” Constant described the same chicken‑and‑egg problem. “There is no proof that …