Tuesday Brief: Norway moves DAC towards commercial testing
Plus: Zürich–Winterthur expansion due in 2037 / Voestalpine secures EUR 500m orders
Norway moves DAC towards commercial testing
NORWAY: Norway is testing Digital Automatic Coupling (DAC) in winter conditions ahead of a planned Bergen Line freight test in 2027–2028.
The development gives Norway a defined place in the next DAC pre-deployment phase, linking national testing to a wider European programme.
For operators and programme managers, the key shift is from controlled technical validation towards use on an identified freight service. That makes the next step more operationally specific.
It also clarifies governance on the Norwegian side, with Jernbanedirektoratet and Onrail attached to the planned Bergen Line case.
Zürich–Winterthur expansion due in 2037
SWITZERLAND: Preliminary works have begun on the 9 km Brüttener Tunnel, the centrepiece of a project to expand the Zürich–Winterthur main line in northeastern Switzerland to four tracks. Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) expects the project to be completed in 2037.
SBB has now fixed the construction programme with the appointed contractors.
Preparatory works are starting first, with tunnel boring scheduled from 2029 and first trains due through the tunnel at the end of 2037.
Voestalpine secures EUR 500m orders in Germany and Switzerland
EUROPE: Voestalpine has secured EUR 500 million in Deutsche Bahn and SBB orders, with the contracts tied to infrastructure renewal in Germany and long-term signalling standardisation in Switzerland.
In Germany, the orders are linked to named works including Frankfurt Central Station and the Hamburg–Berlin corridor.
In Switzerland, the SBB agreement runs for up to 20 years and covers axle counters, diagnostics, cybersecurity and standardized signalling technology under the EULYNX standards.
First Škoda EMU unveiled for Bulgaria
BULGARIA: The first new Škoda EMU for Bulgaria has been officially presented as the country’s passenger fleet renewal programme moves into testing and certification.
The train was unveiled at Sofia Central Railway Station on March 20.
The first two units are due to begin testing on Bulgarian infrastructure in the week of March 23, ahead of entry into regular passenger service.
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