Tuesday Brief: EuroDual authorised for Slovenia and Croatia
Plus: Dutch ERTMS rollout risks missing 2050 target / Railpool secures EUR 100m loan
EuroDual authorised for Slovenia and Croatia operations
CROSS-BORDER: European Loc Pool has received ERA authorisation to operate Stadler’s EuroDual hybrid locomotive in Slovenia and Croatia, extending its authorised operating zone to the Adriatic corridor.
The authorisation covers a single locomotive type across three countries — Austria, Slovenia and Croatia — reducing the traction changes that have historically added delay to southeast European freight movements.
Slovenia permits immediate diesel operation. Croatia requires pantograph installation before electric traction is available.
Combined with the Serbia authorisation secured in 2023, ELP can now field a single EuroDual across a continuous corridor reaching Koper and Rijeka.
Dutch ERTMS rollout risks missing 2050 target by decades
NETHERLANDS: The Dutch ERTMS Programme Directorate has told parliament the national rollout will not complete until 2060–2070, and proposes a new approach to accelerate.
The assessment, published 9 April, identifies the current sequential rollout model — one section at a time — as incompatible with national-scale delivery within any viable timeframe. The directorate proposes a parallel approach as the alternative.
The only active installation front is the Northern Lines project in Friesland, where ProRail began laying fibre-optic cable between Harlingen and Leeuwarden in January 2026.
Railpool secures EUR 100m loan for fleet expansion
GERMANY: Railpool has secured a EUR 100 million promotional loan from KfW, Germany’s state development bank, to finance new locomotives, supporting rail freight growth in Germany.
The facility is structured under KfW Programme 269, which provides subsidised financing for rolling stock acquisitions tied to modal shift from road to rail. The same programme previously backed wagon lessor VTG with EUR 340 million for freight wagon procurement.
New locomotives will be deployed primarily in Germany, where Railpool operates as part of a fleet covering 19 European countries.
Iryo signs first collective agreement after two years of disputes
SPAIN: Spain’s second private high-speed operator has signed its first collective bargaining agreement, as Ouigo concluded its own deal in June 2024.
The agreement, signed 8 April with four trade unions, covers 460 non-driving staff with retroactive effect from 1 January 2026 and pay commitments through 2028. Train drivers remain outside this agreement, covered instead by a separate sector-level deal that expires at the end of 2026.
Sweden’s night train has a fleet but no operator
COMMENTARY: Trafikverket has signed a EUR 485m contract for new night train rolling stock — and has no operator lined up to run it.
Talgo will deliver 91 coaches and 10 Siemens Vectron locomotives for the Stockholm–Narvik and Stockholm–Umeå corridors from 2030. The operating tender was cancelled in March after bids exceeded the financial framework for the second successive time; no new procurement has been announced.
SJ holds a direct award on the route that expires in December 2026 — the same month a Swedish government review of its long-term night train commitment is due.
That’s The Rail Agenda for today. If someone in your network should be reading this, send it their way