Friday Brief: Spain and Ukraine launch gauge-change freight bogie project
Plus: First tunnel machine delivered for Lyon–Turin / GoVolta starts Amsterdam–Berlin open-access service
Spain and Ukraine launch gauge-change freight bogie project
CROSS-BORDER: Spain and Ukraine have launched a project to develop a freight bogie able to change automatically between 1520 mm and 1435 mm gauges.
The relevance lies in reducing friction where the two rail systems meet. A working gauge-change bogie could ease freight movement across the border between the 1520 mm and 1435 mm networks.
This is a funded development project involving named institutions. So the story is about project delivery and cross-border coordination, not service deployment.
For operators and public bodies, the key question is whether the bogie can be developed and tested within a formal cross-border framework.
First tunnel machine delivered for Lyon–Turin
ITALY: Lyon–Turin has reached a new construction milestone after the first tunnel machine for the Italian side was officially delivered, marking the next excavation phase from Chiomonte.
TELT said the machine was handed over on March 11 at Herrenknecht’s plant in Germany and will now be transferred to the Chiomonte site in Italy’s Susa Valley.
From there, it is due first to excavate the Maddalena 2 access tunnel before continuing work on the southern tube of the base tunnel towards Susa.
Ukraine starts Kyiv–EU high-speed rail study
CROSS-BORDER: Ukraine and South Korea have begun preparing a feasibility study for a high-speed rail link from Kyiv to the country’s western border, starting work on a potential westward passenger corridor.
Ukraine’s development ministry said a South Korean delegation met officials in Kyiv on March 18 to begin work on the study.
Ukrainian media reports said the work is backed by around EUR 7 million in South Korean grant funding.
Joint regional train tender launched for Rail Baltica
BALTICA: Estonia’s Elron, Latvia’s Vivi and Lithuania’s LTG Link, the three national passenger operators, have launched a joint procurement for Rail Baltica regional trains.
The procurement was announced in Tallinn on March 18 and covers up to 20 electric trains for the future 1435 mm network.
The trains are intended for regional services on the new line and are being specified for speeds of up to 200 km/h.
Trenitalia France establishes Paris high-speed depot
FRANCE: Trenitalia France has signed a 35-year lease for a rail site near Paris where it plans to build a high-speed maintenance depot.
The agreement with SNCF Réseau covers a site at Maisons-Alfort Pompadour in the Île-de-France region. FS Italiane said the future depot would support Trenitalia France’s current French operations and potential future services to London.
The company said the project represents an investment of around EUR 80 million, with entry into service planned by the end of 2029.
GoVolta starts Amsterdam–Berlin open-access service
NETHERLANDS: Dutch startup GoVolta has started open-access passenger services between Amsterdam and Berlin, adding a new operator on the Netherlands–Germany corridor.
The first Amsterdam–Berlin service began running on March 19, with Amsterdam–Hamburg services due to follow from March 20.
The service is running three times a week, using refurbished former SNCB coaches.
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