Latest news with #PatrickSchnieder
Local Germany
3 days ago
- Business
- Local Germany
Germany and the UK take next step towards direct train connection
Germany and Great Britain took the next step toward creating a direct rail connection between London and Berlin this week. German Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder (CDU) and his British counterpart Heidi Alexander (Labour Party) signed a declaration in Hamburg this week, which will see a task force created to move the project forward. "We are committed to ensuring that the first trains under the English Channel can roll directly from Germany to Great Britain in the coming years," said Schnieder. Alexander emphasised that the project should "open up new opportunities for tourism, business and cultural exchange". "A direct rail connection would contribute to the creation of new jobs and strengthen the important trade links that are the basis of our economic relations with Germany." The two transport ministers also emphasised the project's importance for boosting train travel in Europe. "A continuous connection would simplify travel enormously and significantly increase the attractiveness of train travel," said Schnieder. The travel ministers did not announce a timeline for when services would begin on the direct connection. Currently, rail transport between Germany and Great Britain is only possible with a stopover to change trains, for example in Brussels or Paris. Plans for a direct Germany-Great Britain connection have been in the works for some time. In June, the railway company Eurostar announced that it wanted to offer a direct connection between Germany and Great Britain for the first time in the coming years. Eurostar is cooperating with Deutsche Bahn on connections with transfers between Germany and Great Britain. At the beginning of the year, plans for a direct connection between London and Cologne or Frankfurt were also reported. READ ALSO: Where can you go by direct night train from Stuttgart? Advertisement Among the top issues to be clarified is how border controls would be managed on the rail connection. The German-UK joint task force is set to examine how how security controls could be implemented, along with infrastructure operators and railway companies. Germany has recently announced that it plans to extend stepped-up border controls at all of its land borders beyond the prior September 15th deadline.
France 24
4 days ago
- Business
- France 24
Germany sacks rail chief with train network in crisis
Once widely admired for its punctuality and efficiency, Germany's rail service has worsened dramatically in recent years owing to what critics say is chronic underinvestment. Passengers now often complain of long delays and cancelled trains in Europe's biggest economy -- last year, almost 40 percent of long-distance services were late. Richard Lutz, who took the helm of the publicly owned institution in 2017, will leave his chief executive post two years before the end of his contract, the government confirmed. "The situation at Deutsche Bahn is dramatic, if you look at customer satisfaction, punctuality figures or profitability," Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder told a press conference to announce Lutz's departure. "The company must become faster, leaner, more effective and also more economical." The 61-year-old will stay on until a successor is found, with the government saying the hiring process would start immediately. Funding pleas Karl-Peter Naumann from rail passenger association Pro-Bahn warned that changing the boss would not solve Deutsche Bahn's problems. The situation would only change if policies improved and funding was increased, he told AFP. "All previous transport ministers have more or less failed and have contributed greatly to the railways being in the situation they are in today," he said. Lutz's days had seemed numbered since a new coalition under Chancellor Friedrich Merz took power in May. Schnieder had publicly complained earlier this month about the railways' poor punctuality and suggested he was looking at personnel changes. Workers on the railways -- Deutsche Bahn has some 220,000 employees -- had also spoken out against Lutz, with the GDL train drivers union calling in July for him to be sacked. The transport minister also said he would present a major plan to fix the network in late September. The government's is seeking to fix crumbling infrastructure more broadly, establishing a 500-billion-euro fund. Deutsche Bahn has already embarked on a push to renew parts of the network but it is likely to take years to complete. It has seen falling profits in recent years and is also saddled with more than 20 billion euros in debt.
Euractiv
5 days ago
- Business
- Euractiv
Berlin, London set up task force to figure out cross-border rail connection links
The transport ministers of the UK and Germany agreed to launch a joint taskforce targeted at getting trains running between the two countries. Meeting in Hamburg on Wednesday, UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander and her German counterpart Patrick Schnieder agreed to tackle the numerous operational, regulatory, and economic challenges that have derailed past attempts to launch direct passenger services between the two countries - a dream rail enthusiasts feared was a train long departed, hopes having risen and fallen repeatedly over the past 15 years. During the meeting, Schnieder said both London and Berlin 'are committed' to enabling trains to cross the Channel in the coming years. 'A continuous connection would greatly simplify travel and significantly increase the appeal of train journeys,' he said. Past efforts to get direct trains between London and Frankfurt have collapsed because of various challenges – from safety rules around access to the Channel Tunnel, to problems with passport controls on inbound services into the UK and trouble building security zones at major train stations across continental Europe. In 2010, Deutsche Bahn showcased its white-red ICE train at London St Pancras, aiming to start a London–Cologne–Frankfurt services by 2013. The state railway secured a Channel Tunnel operating certificate but shelved the plan in 2018, citing economic trouble. Currently, no direct Germany–UK passenger trains operate. Eurostar – a subsidiary of France's SNCF and the Channel Tunnel's passenger monopoly – wants to introduce services from Frankfurt and Geneva by the early 2030s. The company intends to buy up to 50 new trains and grow annual passenger numbers from 19.5 million in 2024 to 30 million. (jp)
Arab News
03-07-2025
- General
- Arab News
Freight shipping on Mosel river in Germany blocked after accident
The river, known as the Moselle in France, is an important transit route for grains and rapeseed between Germany and FranceVessels cannot pass the Sankt Aldegund lock in either direction, the spokesperson saidHAMBURG: Freight shipping on the river Mosel in west Germany has been blocked to shipping after an accident involving a passenger ship that damaged a lock, authorities said on river, known as the Moselle in France, is an important transit route for grains and rapeseed between Germany and France. Transit was halted after an accident on Wednesday damaged a lock at Sankt Aldegund between Koblenz and Trier, a police spokesperson cannot pass the Sankt Aldegund lock in either direction, the spokesperson experts on Thursday were examining the lock, and it is not yet possible to comment on the level of damage or say how long the impact on shipping will last, river navigation authority WSA federal transport minister Patrick Schnieder said in a statement he will visit the accident site later on Thursday.'I will do everything in my power to ensure that the lock can resume operations as soon as possible,' Schnieder river was closed to inland waterways shipping in December after an accident that damaged a lock at Mueden, south of Koblenz, and only reopened in February after lengthy indications are that the lock's concrete structure and drive mechanism were not damaged in the accident, WSA head Eric Oehlmann said in a are currently assessing whether it is possible to resume limited lock operations for the waiting vessels to pass, he said.'If not, we will find another solution, for example, through emergency locks with temporary water control barriers, which have already proven effective,' Oehlmann said.A temporary lock was successful in allowing ships to transit during the winter disruption.'Despite the accident, there is determination that shipping on the Moselle will not come to a complete standstill," Oehlmann said.
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
German checks aim to increase pressure on Russian shadow fleet
German authorities are increasingly focusing on tankers in the Baltic Sea with insufficient insurance, which partly serve to circumvent the sanctions imposed on Russia as a result of the war in Ukraine. Since Tuesday, tanker crews have been asked about their insurance coverage against oil pollution damage, according to the Federal Ministry of Transport and the Foreign Office. Affected are ships travelling eastwards from Fehmarn. At the same time as Germany, Sweden is also carrying out checks. "The more complete the picture, the sooner we can take measures up to and including sanctioning the ships together with our partner countries in the Baltic Sea region," German Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder explained regarding the approach. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul added, "We are increasing the pressure on the Russian shadow fleet and protecting the Baltic Sea habitat." According to the joint statement, the collected documents will be examined. Any irregularities could lead to Europe-wide monitoring, measures by the flag state, and possibly inclusion on the list of sanctioned ships. The insurance coverage of these ships is often unknown, as they avoid reputable insurers and European ports, according to the information provided. The measure is part of European efforts to push back the Russian shadow fleet and improve maritime safety and marine environmental protection. Oil tankers belonging to the shadow fleet are partly old and sometimes employ unsafe shipping practices. They have been suspected, for example, of damaging undersea cables with their anchors.
