The German transport minister was due to meet his French counterpart in Berlin at the end of last month with the aim of settling a dispute between DB and SNCF over access to the French network. Keith Barrow asks whether the row reflects an indifference to liberalisation in France or broader failures in European policy.

With an estimated 400,000 foreign visitors making the trip and hundreds of millions from all over the world watching on television, South Africa rode the crest of a wave as this summer’s feast of football played out. But as the country returns to normality, regional editor John Batwell reflects on the future of passenger services post World Cup 2010.

 

OUR exclusive report this month on SCI Verkehr’s hot-off-the-press study of the world market for railway equipment and services confirms that the railway industry will enjoy steady growth during the next five years. It also reveals some interesting trends.

Last year the International Union of Railways (UIC) appointed a new management team with the aim of extinguishing an internal conflict, and restructuring the organisation to better reflect its global role. UIC director general Jean-Pierre Loubinoux explains to Keith Barrow how the UIC is working to reinforce international cooperation.

At the end of this year Australia will see its largest privatisation since the mid-1990s, when Queensland Rail (QR) will float its freight business, QR National, on the Sydney stock exchange. QR CEO Lance Hockridge explains to Keith Barrow why the sale is vital to the future of the company.

IF more evidence is needed of the growing resurgence of rail transport, then look no further than the August issue of IRJ. Expansion is underway in many parts of the world from Asia via the Middle East and Africa to Europe and across the Atlantic to the Americas. For someone who has been writing about railways for 30 years, the contrast between now and the 1980s could not be greater as the outlook back then was far from certain and in many cases decidedly bleak.

 

Atos Origin’s acquisition earlier this year of Shere, Britain, expanded its presence in the rail IT services market. Kevin Smith spoke to Tony Lacy (pictured), general manager for transport at Atos Origin, about the company’s latest developments and where he sees the market heading in the next few years.

 

Three years after it was launched, the results and recommendations of Ferrmed’s global study detailing its great axis railfreight network are ready for consideration by the European Commission. Kevin Smith was at the 3rd Ferrmed Conference in Barcelona to hear insights into the project’s potential impact on future European freight transport.

 

THE decision by the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER) to wheel out its big hitters at the European Parliament in Brussels last month to argue the case for more stable funding of railways was commendable. While the five CEOs chosen for the task put the case forcefully, unfortunately the exercise also revealed a deepening schism between Europe’s state-owned railways on the future of liberalisation and its consequences for rail transport.

 

RAIL transport has demonstrated a remarkable resilience to the arctic blasts from the global economic and financial crisis. In many countries, rail has bucked the downturn as it has benefited from government economic stimulus packages. But can rail continue to prosper in the light of the latest crisis in the Euro currency zone and the dawning realisation by many governments that they need to reduce their bloated budget deficits and fast?