News


HE SPANISH government was expected to vote at the end of July on draft legislation that could bring sweeping liberalisation of the rail market within a year, together with the privatisation of Renfe. Prime minister Mr Mariano Rajoy and deputy prime minister Mrs Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría announced the proposals last


Spain plans sweeping rail reforms within a year T


Barry Cross Regional editor


month. Rail unions have been told that this will result in the “total deregulation of railway transport” in Spain as of July 1 2013.


Renfe will be divided into four limited companies; maintenance, passenger services, freight services and rolling stock. Initially, at least, Renfe will own 100% of each of the four companies, although these will eventually be subject to an IPO. Railway unions have reacted


Bologna high-speed tunnel opens


angrily to the proposals and have vowed united action to block the reforms. At the same time, the government also plans to proceed with its policy of eventually allowing


competition on the high-speed network. However, for suburban and regional services, it is expected that the government will follow by offering regional franchises. The development minister, Mrs Ana Pastor, has indicated


that this will not take place before 2014.


Reform cannot come soon enough for Spain’s private freight operators, who have recently accused Renfe of price dumping. Comsa Rail has called on its rival to provide “transparency in its costs and prices” because it is no longer viable “to maintain a deregulated sector when the incumbent operator has an 88% market share but often makes a 25% loss on sales.”


Downer to end loco production in Australia


agreement with EMD that will see EMD manufacture all future Downer locomotive orders for the Australian market at one of its overseas facilities.


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TALIAN infrastructure manager Italian Rail Network (RFI) opened the new 180km/h high-speed tunnel beneath Bologna on June 21.


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The 17.8km line, which is equipped with ERTMS, runs north-south across the city and includes a 10km tunnel with a three-level underground station at Bologna Central. The station has two island platforms at a depth of 23m,


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with a passenger service area on the central level and taxi and car parking on the upper level.


The new station will open in December, and while stopping high-speed services continue to use the existing station, through trains have been diverted to the direct line, which has reduced the journey time for Rome Termini - Milan Central Frecciarossaservices by four minutes to 2h 55min.


Downer will continue to sell EMD locomotives within Australia and focus on sales, repairs and maintenance. During a transition to the new arrangement, which is expected to take one-to-two years to complete, Downer will continue to manufacture locomotives in Australia. It currently produces two standard designs, the 3.21MW standard-gauge GT46C-ACe model in Newcastle, New South Wales, and the 2.26MW 1067mm- gauge GT42CU-AC model at Maryborough in Queensland. Downer says that with the growth in mining and the


OWNER EDI has signed a five-year


ageing Australian fleet, long- term demand for new locomotives in Australia will remain strong. However, the market is changing, with increased competition from abroad, customer requirements for lower capital costs, and shorter lead times for delivery. The agreement brings to an end more than a century of locomotive building in Australia by Downer and its precedents, stretching back to the first steam locomotive built by Clyde Engineering for New South Wales Government Railways in 1907. From the early-1950s until the mid-1990s, Clyde Engineering was the dominant provider of diesel traction to the government railways in Australia. The move will leave UGL as Australia’s only established locomotive manufacturer.


IRJ August 2012


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