News NTV and RFI in row over new Adriatic service


Marco Chiandoni Correspondent


DISPUTE between Italy’s open-access high-speed operator NTV and infrastructure manager Italian Rail Network (RFI) over NTV’s plan to launch a new service between Milan, Rimini and Ancona on the Adriatic coast came to a head at the beginning of March. NTV wanted to start a service on June 9 of three round trips a day between Milan and Ancona using the high-speed line as far as Bologna. However, Trenitalia - which together with RFI are subsidiaries of Italian State Railways (FS) - announced on March 2 that it would introduce a twice-daily Milan - Ancona Frecciarossa high- speed service on April 13. This would supplement the nine Frecciabianca trains Trenitalia already operates between Milan, Ancona and towns


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along the Adriatic coast. Trenitalia’s announcement


prompted NTV managing director Mr Giuseppe Sciarrone to publically voice his dissatisfaction with RFI on March 5. Sciarrone claimed that RFI had failed to respond to NTV’s request for paths, space at Rimini station for an NTV Casa Italo lounge, and platform height adjustments at Pesaro and Rimini stations. This provoked an angry


response on March 6 from RFI which categorically denied the statements made by Sciarrone about “alleged obstacles” by RFI to NTV’s requests. RFI said it sent NTV proposals for the track in question on March 5, one month in advance of the two-month deadline by which it must respond to such requests. RFI says this “reflects the maximum cooperation offered by RFI to NTV.” NTV had offered to pay up


to ƒ1m towards the cost of raising the platform at Rimini,


but RFI says in its letter to NTV that this is not allowed under Italian law and anyway such works have to be planned in advance.


NTV pointed out that an RFI


press release contradicted its statement on funding infrastructure works as it said that funding by operators is not “contemplated” by the rules rather than being prohibited by law. As a result, NTV says it will discuss its proposal with the Ministry of Infrastructure “to allow the people of Rimini to have an adequate service.”


NTV suggested temporarily terminating its trains at Rimini Fiera instead. However, RFI says that the platform at Rimini is in fact suitable for NTV’s AGV trains as there are two standard platform heights in Italy. RFI then accused NTV of using the platform height issue at Rimini as a ruse to call at Fiera station, an accusation NTV refutes.


UNGARIAN State Railways (MÁV) was due to begin the merger of its passenger, traction, and rolling stock maintenance subsidiaries into a single business unit from April 1 as part of reforms which will also see the creation of an independent infrastructure manager. Passenger unit MÁV Start was spun off from the parent company in 2007, while MÁV Trakcio and Gépészeti became independent in 2008. This restructuring aimed to end the cross-subsidisation of passenger activities from freight revenues. However, with the privatisation of MÁV Cargo in 2008, the structure has become more of a hindrance to the passenger business than a benefit. From April, MÁV Start will take ownership of the MÁV Trakció locomotive fleet, meaning it will no longer need to pay other companies to provide traction services. However, MÁV Trakció will remain as an entity to “manage” the fleet, and the


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Hungary launches MÁV restructuring H


Spain to open passenger market


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HE Spanish government has issued a decree outlining its final plans to partially open profitable passenger rail routes to competition, particularly those which operate on the extensive high-speed rail network. Under the proposed regime, the details of which are still to be finalised, operators interested in running services on one or more lines will have to bid in an open tendering process for a permit, which will run for a fixed period. Only a limited number of companies will be issued with permits for each line. State-owned Renfe will be exempt from this process and will be allowed to continue to operate its services without a permit or time limit on every line. There are also provisions to split Renfe up by forming four limited companies covering passenger, freight, rolling stock maintenance, and rolling stock leasing. Although the cabinet last year committed itself to the total deregulation of rail transport in Spain by July 1, the decree does not specify a deadline. However, it does set out special conditions for the tourist train market, which will be fully open from July 31.


Bertling to succeed Navarri at Bombardier


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MÁV Start and GySEV awarded Stadler a É266.8m contract at the end of February to supply 48 Flirt emus, which will be similar to MÁV’s existing class 5341 trains. Stadler was the sole bidder for the contract, which includes 42 trains for MÁV and six for GySEV. Deliveries will take place between March and September 2015. Photo: Ferenc Joo


transfer of activities will be phased, meaning it will not be completed until late-2014. April 1 will also see the


creation of the National Rail Network Operator (NVP), a new infrastructure manager which will be institutionally separate from MÁV. This


means MÁV will effectively become a holding company, overseeing the activities of its remaining business units. Mr Zsolt Völgyesi, general manager of infrastructure maintenance company MÁV FKG, has been appointed director general of NVP.


OMBARDIER has appointed Mr Lutz


Bertling as president and chief operating officer of Bombardier Transportation with effect from June 3. Bertling (right) succeeds Mr André Navarri who will continue as strategic advisor to Bertling until he retires on June 1 2014.


Bertling is currently CEO of


Eurocopter, a subsidiary of Eads which he joined in 1999. Between 1993 and 1999, Bertling worked for Adtranz, which is now part of Bombardier.


IRJ April 2013


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