15th VPI Symposium: Rail infrastructure needs reliability in renovation
The 15th VPI Symposium of the Association of Freight Wagon Owners in Germany took place in Hamburg on January 14, 2025. VPI Chairman Malte Lawrenz described the poor condition of the railway infrastructure as the “biggest pain point in the industry”. In front of the 250 participants, the VPI chairman named other key areas of action: securing innovation funding for projects such as ETCS and DAK, reforming the track pricing system, separating InfraGo from the DB Group, securing single wagon traffic and strengthening combined transport.
Stable upswing for Austria’s railway infrastructure: framework plan 2023-2028 with 19 billion euros
The new ÖBB framework plan for the expansion of climate-friendly rail transport exudes optimism. Compared to the previous plan for 2022-2027, 19 billion euros are to be spent, 800 million euros more than previously planned.
Germany: Master plan to accelerate the expansion of the electric charging infrastructure
“The charging infrastructure master plan II creates the basis for a comprehensive, needs-based and user-friendly car and truck charging infrastructure,” emphasised the German Federal Minister for Digital Affairs and Transport, Dr. Volker Wissing. And the Federal Minister for Economics and Climate Protection Dr. Robert Habeck explained: “The charging infrastructure must be integrated into the power grid in a system-friendly way. An interministerial steering group will coordinate further work.”
Siemens Mobility starts investing millions in Berlin-Adlershof
Berlin’s district of Adlershof is booming. On April 13, 2022, Siemens Mobility presented its planned investment to the rail infrastructure department as a commitment to the Berlin location.