A joint initiative between rolling stock suppliers and major train operators was launched in Zürich on August 28 with the aim of simplifying rail vehicle development and procurement.

Raymond Betler, Wabtec president and CEO, talks to Kevin Smith.

The Railsponsible initiative was founded in 2015 with the goal of supporting sustainable practices throughout the railway industry supply chain. Amandine Noureldin from Alstom’s Sustainable Sourcing and Institutional Relations Management team, outlines the initiative’s work so far.

IRJ at Fourth Railway Forum, Berlin: German Rail's (DB) chief procurement officer Mr Uwe Günther has urged railway suppliers to ditch their 'conservative approach' to bidding and offer "real technological innovation" in future DB tenders.

DESPITE the expansion of the number of private rail operators in Europe, state funding still makes up 88% of rolling stock procurement.

JAPAN is the European Union's (EU) biggest trading partner after China, but the trade in railway equipment between the two economic powers is a poor reflection of this status and the scale of their respective railway markets.

Despite few immediate prospects for new line construction, an ageing rolling stock fleet and changing government attitudes towards light rail are set to sustain demand in the Russian tram market, as Vladimir Savchuk, deputy director general, for Russia's Institute of Natural Monopolies Research (IPEM), and Igor Skok, senior analyst in IPEM's Railway Research Department, explain.

With declining traffic and volumes the current condition of Russia's railfreight market reflects the poor state of the Russian economy. Alexander Polikarpov, deputy head of the Railway Research Department, at Russia's Institute of Natural Monopolies Research (IPEM), looks at how this situation has come about and considers the prospects for an upturn in fortunes.

IRJ and IRITS hosted the International Railway Summit 2015 in Barcelona on February 18-20, welcoming 80 delegates to the conference and parallel supplier-buyer matchmaking sessions. Keith Barrow and Kevin Smith pick out the highlights from this well-received event.