Rhine-Alpine News

01.02.2023

10 EU pilot services to boost cross-border rail

Source: European Commission

Source: European Commission

The European Commission announced on 31 January 2023 that it will support 10 pilot projects to establish new rail services or improve existing ones. Together, they will improve cross-border rail connections across the EU, making them faster, more frequent and more affordable.

Among the proposals for cross-border pilot services selected by the Commission, one project is partly located in the Rhine-Alpine Corridor:

  • Nederlandse Spoorwegen, enhancement of the existing Amsterdam – London service, in cooperation with Eurostar;

The proposals were submitted by the rail sector and relevant authorities in response to the Commission’s Action Plan to boost long-distance and cross-border passenger rail, adopted in December 2021. The Action Plan identified obstacles hindering the uptake and operation of cross-border passenger rail services, and measures to address them. One of these measures is the pilot services announced, which will help railway operators and authorities to break down remaining barriers in practice, with the support of the Commission. The Commission will now invite those behind the 10 selected proposals to launch their projects. Source: https://transport.ec.europa.eu/news/connecting-europe-train-10-eu-pilot-services-boost-cross-border-rail-2023-01-31_en

A coordinated plan for port and urban development in Basel

Source: Kanton Basel-Stadt, Regierungsrat

Source: Kanton Basel-Stadt, Regierungsrat

A port in the middle of the city inevitably leads to conflicts of use. In a joint process led by the Canton Basel-Stadt together with the Ports of Switzerland and the Federal Office of Transport BAV, a coordinated development plan was found that takes the demands of the port and urban development into account. With a newly designed harbor railway, space is created for urban development and the functionality of the harbor is preserved and secured for future development with harbor basin 3. The port railway will be relocated to the port core area, the existing track systems south of the meadow will be abolished. According to the rough estimate, the total costs for the relocation amount to 275 million Swiss francs (plus/minus 30 percent). These costs include the entire railway project, the replacement and relocation measures to free up the required plots of land and the purchase of land. These investment costs are offset by the economic potential: Based on the current planning, an analysis by external experts assumes annual additional tax revenue of up to CHF 60 million and a one-off increase in the value of the land of around CHF 230 million – this compared to a development of the Klybeckquais/Westquais without relocating the port railway. Sources: https://www.medien.bs.ch/nm/2023-stadtentwicklung-am-klybeckquai-und-am-westquai–projekt-zur-verlegung-der-hafenbahn-liegt-vor-rr.html and https://www.linkedin.com/posts/peter-f%C3%BCglistaler-a73a0760_hafen-stadt-aktuell-activity-7026580213379559425-HGe_?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

German funding for electrolysis systems for the production of green hydrogen

Source: Roman on Pixabay

Source: Roman on Pixabay

The German Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs and Transport (BMDV) is funding electrolysis systems for the production of green hydrogen for the transport sector and is providing up to 80 million euros for this. A corresponding call for funding was published today. The construction of electrolysis systems with a minimum electrical output of the entire system of 1 megawatt is eligible for funding. The prerequisite is that the system is operated 100 percent with electricity from renewable energy sources. Applications for funding can be submitted until 28 April 2023. The call for funding is part of the National Innovation Program for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology Phase II, which runs until 2026, and is part of the funding guidelines for market activation measures. This is intended to prepare for a later market ramp-up. Products are funded that are technically ready for the market but not yet competitive. Source (in German): https://bmdv.bund.de/SharedDocs/DE/Pressemitteilungen/2023/010-wissing-foerderung-wasserstoff-elektrolyse.html

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