FOLLOWING competitive tender, state-owned railfreight operator ZSSK Cargo announced on June 5 that it will sell a 66% stake in its Cargo Wagon fleet management subsidiary to Ahaus-Altstätter Eisenbahn Cargo (AAE), Switzerland.
CZECH open-access passenger operator RegioJet has unveiled plans to launch its first long-distance domestic services in Slovakia, which will link the capital Bratislava with the eastern city of Košice.
UNITED Wagon Company (UWC), Russia, and Tatravagonka, Slovakia, have formed a joint venture company, Railway Casted Components (RCC), which will produce Barber bogie castings for 1520mm-gauge wagons.
BRATISLAVA Transport signed a €39m contract with Škoda Transportation on July 18 for a fleet of 15 low-floor 30T LRVs, which will enter service on the metre-gauge network in the Slovak capital in 2015.
THE Slovakian government announced on July 10 that it has adopted proposals to reform struggling state-owned railfreight operator ZSSK Cargo with the creation of three separate business units by the end of next year.
CZECH rolling stock manufacturer Škoda Transportation has been granted an EC Declaration of Conformity for its 109E multi-system electric locomotive, meaning the design complies with the European TSI for High Speed Rolling Stock (TSI-HS RST).
POLISH State Railways (PKP) subsidiary PKP Cargo has become the latest potential buyer to be linked with ZSSK Cargo as the Slovak government continues its search for a strategic partner for the ailing Slovakian state-owned railfreight operator.
THE Czech and Slovak governments are considering plans to merge state-owned railfreight operators CD Cargo and ZSSK Cargo in an effort to improve their financial position and protect them from potential takeover bids from foreign railways.
SLOVAKIA's Transport Minister Mr Ján Počiatek announced on October 8 that a €420m project to build a north-south rail link under the centre of Bratislava will be delayed until after 2014.
Last month the Czech Republic's first open-access long-distance passenger operator extended its services into neighbouring Slovakia, and has ambitions to expand even further. Aleš Ondruj, director, onboard services, for RegioJet tells Keith Barrow how liberalisation of the sector is bringing innovation and greater choice for passengers.