Today’s Railways Europe 301 – March 2021

The March 2021 issue of Today’s Railways Europe contains all the very latest news and features from mainland Europe including main line railways, light rail and heritage lines. All our regular monthly features are here as usual, and our feature articles visit the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden and Hungary, as well as covering international topics from across the continent. The main feature articles in this issue are:

• Alstom-Bombardier: A new rail industry giant emerges: The need for the European rail industry to remain globally competitive in the face of a growing challenge from Asian suppliers has fuelled the drive towards a combination of two of Europe’s “big three” manufacturers. Keith Fender looks at the history behind Alstom’s takeover of Bombardier and considers its potential impact.
• Tramwaje Slaskie: Interurban light rail in Poland’s industrial heartland: The Katowice metropolitan area boasts one of the world’s largest light rail networks. Andrew Thompson continues his journey through Górny Slask to explore the fascinating Tramwaje Slaskie system.
• Endangered Species: Sweden’s X10–X14 EMUs: Frank Edgar charts the colourful history of the standard Swedish regional and suburban EMUs of the 1980s and 1990s, which are now reaching the end of their careers.
• Rail freight around the Scheldt Estuary Part 1: Sloehaven: Quintus Vosman explores a thriving rail freight hub in the south-western corner of the Netherlands.
• Freeze frames: 2021 arrived with an icy blast with heavy snowfall blanketing much of western and central Europe in January. We present a portfolio of images from those of our regular photographers who managed to venture out to capture the railway at work in winter.
• Tram-trains arrive in Hungary: The Szeged–Hódmezovásárhely tram-train project will provide a useful link between two urban areas and sets a precedent for tram-trains in Hungary. Ferenc Joó looks at the development of the system, which is due to open in the autumn.
• Traction Archive: An Italian double-deck curiosity: In the early 1980s the success of double-deck suburban coaches in France and Italy spurred the development of an unusual prototype diesel railcar. Marco Cacozza tells the story of A2n 001.