Federal Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder has announced plans to secure financial and legal backing for the Germany-wide railway ticket, the D-Ticket, from 2026. At the NRW Mobility Forum in Gelsenkirchen, he emphasised the need to clarify the operational implementation steps by October 2025. Schnieder is planning to complete the legislative process by summer 2025 and bring it before the cabinet. The federal states must agree on a distribution key for the funds, with the federal government playing a central role. Schnieder emphasises the involvement of all relevant stakeholders in the process.
Source: NRZ 08.05.2025

The Hungarian Ministry of Construction and Transport has put out to tender the construction of a new light rail transit (LRT) line in western Budapest. The project, estimated at EUR 12.3 million (HUF 5 billion), involves the construction of a 2.8 km line on the west bank of the Danube from Szent Gellért tér to the future Nádorkert station on the suburban rail line between Kelenföld and Ferencváros. The new line will include seven new stations and is part of a project to connect the existing lines 17 and 14/61. It will serve the university complex and the Infopark along the Danube, the MOL campus and the planned BudaPark residential project. The tender deadline is 29th May 2025, with the price representing 70% of the tender value. Construction is expected to take 39 months, and if the contract is signed in 2025, the new LRT line could be operational by summer 2029. However, the contract will be cancelled after six months if government funding, which is expected to come from EU funds, is not approved.
Source: Magyar Epitök 23.04.2025

Alstom has signed a service contract with Stockholm\'s public transport company Storstockholms Lokaltrafik (SL) to support and further develop the digital systems of the Stockholm Metro. The five-year contract, with an option for a two-year extension, extends the existing procurement order for new metros (SCI RAILDATA Issue 11/2024) and covers the C20 and C30 types. Alstom will provide technical support, cyber security, software updates, and systems for real-time analysis of train performance. The agreement also includes remote monitoring, rolling stock communication systems, CCTV and energy monitoring.
Source: Alstom press release 06.05.2025

Pecovasa has awarded GMF Railway Maintenance Services, a subsidiary of Comsa, a EUR 10.3 million contract to modernise 100 PM3 car transport wagons. These wagons are used by Spanish state-owned operator Renfe Mercancías to transport newer cars that are larger and heavier than older models. The contract will run for 12 months.
Source: El Mercantíl 04.03.2025

The Slovenian city of Ljubljana is expanding its electric bus fleet with 16 new battery-powered vehicles. The investment includes six 18 m articulated buses, five 12 m buses and five 9 m buses and is co-financed by the EU Cohesion Policy Programme 2021–2027. The project is worth around EUR 11.57 million, of which EUR 3.5 million comes from EU funds. The new buses will replace older diesel models and help reduce emissions.
Source: Sustainable Bus 05.05.2025