1403i

BRANCH LINE NEWS INTERNATIONAL

INTERNATIONAL SUPPLEMENT TO BLN 1403 18 JUNE 2022

This newsletter covers the World outside the British Isles from information supplied by members.
Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the Compilers or of the Society.
International Editor: Pete Skelton, 1 rue Traversière, 16450 BEAULIEU SUR SONNETTE, France
to whom all email contributions should be sent. Email: [email protected]
Postal Contributions should be sent to: Paul Stewart, 4 Clarence Close, MALVERN, WR14 3HX
Deputy International Editor: Derek Woodward, 68 Church Street, MATLOCK, DE4 3BY

Email: [email protected]

EUROPE
[248] Points & Slips
(BLNI1402.225) The Nowy Sącz – Chabówka Specials, in fact, make only one round trip on 17 July, 31
July, 14 August, 28 August departing Nowy Sącz at 10:50 and arriving Chabówka at 14:30 with the
return journey departing Chabówka at 16:30 and arriving Nowy Sącz at 20:00. [My apologies for the
error, it was a result of my mistranslation from Polish – Ed]

[249] Albania – Current Services
There are currently two trains on two different routes. Elbasan – Durrës and back runs only on
Saturdays and Sundays: Elbasan 06:00 – Durrës 09:12 and Durrës 13:55 – Elbasan 16:38. Shkodër – Laç
and back runs only on Tuesdays: Shkodër 06:00 – Laç 08:02 and Laç 13:00 – Shkodër 15:13.

The station at Laç – Perhaps as busy as it gets!

[250] Belgium – What’s happening in Gent’s Part of the North Sea Port to Increase Rail Capacity?
The port of Gent, part of the broader North Sea Port complex in Belgium, is experiencing a boom in rail
investments. The Belgian government and Infrabel, the country’s infrastructure manager, are on a
mission to renew existing rail infrastructure and build new to accommodate the growth of rail
connections to and from the port. The rail projects at Gent are based on two different focus areas.
The first is the upgrade of rail infrastructure at the Zeehaven marshalling yard, while the second is the
improvement of rail connectivity for industrial sites in the port area.

With almost 60 tracks, the Gent-Zeehaven marshalling yard is the logistical hub for the port. Freight
trains arrive here, depart again, are assembled and switch between electric and diesel locomotives
when necessary. The Belgian infrastructure manager started implementing some upgrade projects in
the marshalling yard in 2019. The marshalling yard consists of three track bundles - D, E, and G. The
upgrade project focuses on bundle D which has three tracks. The goal is to extend two tracks to
receive freight trains up to 750 metres long. These longer tracks have been high on the wish list of the
port and its customers for some time. Other work done by Infrabel in Zeehaven’s Bundle D includes
installation of 23 new points, renovation the existing tracks and sleepers and modernisation of the
signalling and overhead wires. The total investment in Bundle D amounts to €7·4 million.

An image from a few years ago – A mixed freight train en route to Gent Zeehaven

Investments in Gent also focus on facilitating access to and from industrial sites located inside the
port. Specifically, works concern three companies - Disteel, a subsidiary of ArcelorMittal, EOC
(chemistry and latex products) and TWZ (tank cleaning). In Wondelgem, industrial Line 216 is currently
undergoing a renovation that started last October and will finish this July. This line concerns Disteel,
which receives a freight train with steel beams from Luxembourg every day. These products are
further processed and sent to large industrial customers and other construction contractors. This is
not possible without this rail connection. Also, Infrabel renewed 4·3 kilometres of track, three points
and a level crossing on the industrial Line 217 in Evergem which serves companies EOC and TWZ. EOC
receives one of the main ingredients to make latex only by rail; without this rail connection, the
company would find it difficult to carry out its activities. The same story goes for TWZ; this company is
responsible for, among other things, the internal deep cleaning of railway coaches and, of course, you
need a connection to the rail network for that.
[251] Belgium/The Netherlands – Cross-Border Tram-Train Project Scrapped
After many years of discussion and planning, the government of the Belgian region of Vlaanderen has
decided not to go ahead with plans to for a tram-train service running from Hasselt across the Dutch
border to Maastricht.
The route would have been around 30 km long with 27 km in Belgium and would have offered a
journey time of 30 minutes compared to 70 minutes by bus. The line would partly use the alignment
of the disused railway Line 20 from Bilzen to Lanaken which closed in 1994. The Dutch section was
later rehabilitated for freight use at a cost of €32m but not used and has since closed again.

Tram-train services would have ended near the town hall in the centre of Maastricht because the
Wilhelmina Bridge over the River Maas to the railway station could not carry the weight of the trams;
however the Belgian side of the project was unhappy with this approach. An electric bus service is
now planned to replace the existing diesel bus routes.

What might have been……………………

Considerable sums of money have already been spent on consultancy and preparatory works and,
following the Belgian side’s unilateral decision not to go ahead, the Dutch authorities are reported to
be seeking reimbursement of €23m.
[252] France – Raccordement Réding

The Raccordement Réding before the opening of this section of the LGV

Since Dec 2021 the following two TGV trains are routed over the Raccordement Réding which connects
the Réding – Diemeringen line to the LGV Est-Européenne:

 5516 - 06:52 Nice – Nancy
 5537 - 12:26 Nancy – Nice
This should have happened much earlier but has been delayed by the two major incidents on the LGV.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LGV_Est_Racc_R%C3%A9ding_2.JPG
[253] France – Visit to the Tacot des Lacs
On Sunday 22 May, a hot day in the fortnight of extreme weather that France experienced, one of our
members made a visit to the Tacot des Lacs narrow-gauge line, to the south-west of Moret Veneux-les-
Sablons, an hour’s journey from Paris Gare de Lyon. After a 16 kilometre walk, mainly along the
towpath of the Canal du Loing, he arrived at the site at about 13:15 and for 60 minutes there was no
sign of life with the gates closed. At 14:17 the gates were opened and the small crowd of interested
people were soon being sold their €9 tickets by a lady. By 14:45 there were about 40 people on board
the 2 open-sided carriages that formed the train which set off behind a small diesel loco towards the

Canal leaving the main site which was littered with locos of all sorts, too many to describe, but they
are illustrated on the web-site. After some 430 metres the train reached the canal-side where the
sand obtained from the quarries alongside the railway was originally transhipped to barges on the
Canal. It then reversed some 150 metres on the second side of a triangle after information, in French
of course, had been given out by the chef du train. It then went forward on the third side of the
triangle passed through the main site again and on for some 1200 metres between two of the lakes
formed by the sand extraction, across a substantial bridge over the River Loing to terminate at a run-
round loop. After further explanations the loco ran round the train and returned it to the main site, a
total distance of some 3·5 km after a trip lasting about 80 minutes in all. It is a wonderfully
idiosyncratic site which has no chance of any expansion but every chance to further increase its
collection of narrow-gauge locomotives and stock. It only remained to walk a further six kilometres
along the Canal to Nemours, have a well-deserved drink in the nearest bar to the station and catch the

next train back to Gare de Lyon. The whole trip took place in the outer reaches of the île de France
region and was done using a 7-day Navigo Découverte Pass, costing just €22·80, what a bargain!
[254] Germany – Changes in the Museum Kursbuch
SH/HH 05 Vorwerker Kleinbahn Lübeck is a 2 km-long Feldbahn. There are no operating dates in either
the kursbuch or on their website. However the operators report the operating days for 2022 are: 18
June, 02, 23 July, 06, 20 August, 03, 17 September, 01 and 15 October. Departures at 10:00 and 10:30
NI/HB 03 Bispingen – Lüneburg. No information about rail journeys
NI/HB 12 Soltau – Döhle. No operating days in 2021, nothing on the website and now the entry has
been removed
NI/HB 14 (previously 15) Rinteln Nord – Stadthagen West. The bridge closure has been resolved and
there are trains again over the entire route.
NI/HB 17 (previously 18) Vorwalsrode – Klein Eilstorf. The extension to Vorwalsrode was expected to
open in spring 2022 according to the website. Between Altenboitzen and Klein Eilstorf there is, as in
2021, no scheduled traffic but the route is passable.
NI/HB 23 (previously 25) Bad Bederkesa – Bremerhaven Fischereihafen. From Bremerhaven to
Bremerhaven Fischereihafen will return to service by 05 June at the earliest according to the website.
However, the northern part of the route will be closed between Drangstedt and Bederkesa all year.

Museumbahn Bremerhaven

NI/HB 28 (previously 19) Stade – Bremen-Burg. The usual timetable operates again this year.
BE/BB 06 Finsterwalde – Crinitz. The Niederlausitzer Museumseisenbahn has announced its
dissolution and there will be no more trains.
NW 01a Bad Holzhausen – Bohmte. The section from Bad Holzhausen – Preußisch Oldendorf
reopened on 26 May, after ‘decades of slumber’.

NW 01b Minden – Kleinenbremen and Hille. Services restored in 2022 but despite what it says in the
Kursbuch, according to the website trains operate only as far as Specken rather than Hille.
NW 03 Historischer Schienenverkehr Wesel. No timetable in the kursbuch but details can be found at:
https://www.hsw-wesel.de/index.php/
NW 05b Osnabrück – Mettingen. The entry for this line has reappeared in the kursbuch and there are
a least two operating days. One footnote says that St. Niklaus (Christmas period) trips will use freight
lines including Gütersloh Nord – Hövelhof, Bad Laer – Lengerich, Neubeckum – Wadersloh and
Ennigerloh – Münster.

Steam Train at Mettingen

NW 08 Rahden – Uchte. Although operating days are listed, the line is, since June 2021, closed for
repairs and expected to reopen in 2023.
NW 14 (old number) Rheinisches Industriebahnmuseum Köln. There have been no operating days for
several years and this entry is now deleted.
NW 18 St. Tönis – Krefeld Nord – Hülser Berg. There were no trips in 2021 and none for 2022 were
announced in the kursbuch but the website reports an operating season from mid-May to the end of
September with three return trips every Sunday.
NW 20 (previously 21) Muttenthalbahn (based below Schloß Steinhausen by the River Ruhr in Witten-
Bommern). The storm damage has apparently been repaired faster than expected, so trains will run in
2022. Details can be found at: https://www.muttenthalbahn.org/en/eventsprices
NW 25 Düren – Euskirchen. The weekend trains have become daily, with a service every two hours.
TH 04 Ilmenau – Rennsteig – Themar. Neither the kursbuch nor the website report any activities.
SN 14 Feldbahn Glossen (east of Leipzig by the Döllnitzbahn. Operating days planned on three
weekends, but two are past so only 10/11 September left.
SN 23 Waldeisenbahn Muskau. The kursbuch mentions only fares for the new section of the railway
(Schwere Berg) but dates for trains on this section are on the website.
SN 28 (previously 27b) Schienentrabifahrten Muldentalbahn. The Amerika - Penig section is referred
to as a "long route" on offer for a single weekend (18/19 June).

RP/SL 04 (old number) Brexbachtalbahn (Siershahn-Grenzau). The operating license expired 9 years
ago and finally the entry has been deleted.
RP/SL 12 (previously 13) Schwarzerden – Ottweiler (Saar). No dates in the kursbuch but details are
available at: https://www.ostertalbahn.de/en/
BY 10c (old number) Nördlingen – Wilburgstetten. No use in 2022.
BW 06 Dörzbach. The Jagsttalbahn (Möckmühl – Dörzbach) will have its first trains on a short section
inside Dörzbach station with operating days from May to September on the second Sunday of each
month. Details can be found at: https://www.jagsttalbahn.de/
[255] Germany – Domestic Waste Trains return to Buschhaus
This is on the northern end of the former line Braunschweig – Wolfenbüttel – Jerxheim – Helmstedt of
which the middle section is closed. South of Helmstedt the section to Schöningen is open then a
branch runs north-west to Buschhaus. Domestic waste from Braunschweig arrived here by rail for
incineration until the contract was lost in 2008. From February 2022 the traffic resumed, with 48,000
tonnes per year to be delivered by train three times a week.

A train of domestic waste en route from Watenbüttel depot in Braunschweig to Buschhaus

[256] Germany – Parkbahn Berlin Britzer Garten resumes Operation
This circular narrow gauge park railway in the Britzer Garten in Berlin has reopened after a two-year
break, during which much of the track has been renewed. Trains operate daily and the round trip of
about 6 km takes about an hour.
[257] Germany – Public Trains return to the Sassnitz Mukran Branch, but…..
From 21 May to 22 October (not 01 and 08 October) railcars of the Hanseatic Railway (HANS) run as
"RE line 27" between Bergen auf Rügen and Sassnitz Fährhaven to connect with ferry sailings:

 RB 56708 Bergen auf Rügen 10:37 – Sassnitz Fährhaven 10:55
 RB 31392 Sassnitz Fährhaven 11:52 – Bergen auf Rügen 12:11

 RB 31384 Bergen auf Rügen 13:26 - Sassnitz Fährhaven 13:44
 RB 9449 Sassnitz Fährhaven 13:56 – Bergen auf Rügen 14:20 (except 02 July to 06 August as In

this period the POVL ANCHOR from Bornholmslinjen leaves at 17:15).

Sassnitz Fährhaven

Unfortunately only passengers for the ferries can travel on the trains because the platform is in the
secure area of the port where, since the post-9/11 changes to the rules of the international shipping,
only registered persons have access.
[258] Germany – Scheldetalbahn Revival
In the middle of the long winding non-electrified line between [Siegen] – Kreuztal and Colbe is the little
town of Wallau. From here Line 3721 used to run south to Dillenburg and this was the Scheldetalbahn.
In April 2004, the section between Wiesenbach and Breidenbach was dismantled and partially built
over. The section from Wiesenbach to Wallau was not dismantled because the Kurhessenbahn

planned to set up an excursion service to the Perfstausee near Wiesenbach. However, these plans
were rejected. Since April 2007, goods traffic in the form of timber collection has been taking place
between Wallau and Wiesenbach, initially at Wiesenbach and more recently at Breitenbach. Three
years ago traffic was low and the 2·4 km section was being considered for closure. In a reversal of
fortune, the Breitenbach timber loading point was in great demand last year with 100,000 cubic
metres of wood transported to Bayern, Austria and Sachsen-Anhalt. Long term operation seems to be
assured.

[259] Germany – Stuttgart Western Avoiding Line to see Passenger Services again
For those who missed last year’s diversions, S-Bahn Line 15 services will run from 01 August to 09
September 2022 (Mondays to Fridays) from Stuttgart-Vaihingen to Stuttgart-Feuerbach and vice versa
via the normally freight-only curve at Stuttgart Nord.

[260] Germany – Table 209.60 Eberswalde - Frankfurt (Oder)
For around three months from 15 April to 19 June and 15 July to 21 August 2022 due to construction
work on the bridge over the Ostbahn, trains from Eberswalde are using the normally freight only
Werbig curve for 1·5 km to a temporary platform in Werbig Gbf parallel with the Ostbahn for buses
forward to Frankfurt (Oder).

[261] Germany - The Town of Friesoythe wants to save its Railway
The Friesoyther Eisenbahngesellschaft (F.E.G.) is responsible for the railway line between Friesoythe
and Cloppenburg but is in financial difficulties due to liabilities of around €0·5 million. The town of
Friesoythe, which currently has 68·5% of the shares, is the main shareholder of the company and is
now faced with the task of finding the money. How this massive debt was accrued has not yet been
clarified. A rescue package was presented on 23 February 2022 and a decision is awaited.

[262] Germany – Two Heritage Lines in a Day
National holidays in Germany often see heritage railways running on weekdays, rather than the usual
summer Sundays, so a careful perusal of the 2022 Deutschen Museums-Eisenbahn Kursbuch was made
to identify suitable opportunities on Thursday 26 May 2022. The heritage railway from Bohmte Ost to
Preußisch Oldendorf had been travelled before by our member but now the line was fully open again
with services extended from Preußisch Oldendorf to Bad Holzhausen for the first time in decades. The
reason for this is that the line’s major freight customer wished a second rail connection to ensure
security of supply and paid for the section to be restored to operating order, ensuring connection to
the national network at both ends. The Museumsbahn is taking advantage of this with trains
scheduled to run on 26 May, 19 June, 27/28 August (to a market in Bad Essen), 3 October and the
usual Christmas trains.

Our member made his way to Bohmte and walked across the road to the Bohmte (Ost) platform which
is immediately behind the bays of the bus stop. The first train from Preußisch Oldendorf arrived,
discharged one passenger and ran 200 metres into the sidings for the locomotive to run round before
pulling back into the platform to form the 08:20 departure to Bad Holzhausen. There were about a
dozen passengers, though more joined at the various stations en route. There were industrial
branches onto the canal-side and into a large steel coil plant, served by a very well used spur. A one
and a half hour break was given in Preußisch Oldendorf which is a pleasant enough small town with
some nice old buildings but everything was shut and it didn’t take long before people were wandering
back to the train. The Museumbahn’s workshops are here, on either side of the railway, but were not
open and the small steam engine could be glimpsed only through a window.

Time dragged until departure. There is one small intermediate station, which produced no custom and
a lot of road crossings which were approached with horn blaring. So much so that intending
passengers at Bad Holzhausen could hear the train coming several kilometres away! There was a final
stop to set the points before the DB Netz station and the first passenger train for decades pulled into

Locomotive 263-006 has shut down during its 90 minute layover at Preußisch Oldendorf

the platform at Bad Holzhausen. Another member, fresh (well, half dead actually) from an overnight
train from Switzerland was in the crowd of people waiting to join and make the journey back to
Bohmte Ost. On arrival a few people got off, more got on and it became apparent that the well loaded
train was going to run round in the sidings again but this time with passengers on board, so our two
members, having time to spare before their onward trains, stayed on for the extra 210 metres.
Now for the second Museumsbahn, and an on time arrival by the train from Osnabrück to Bremen was
needed if this was to have a good chance of happening. The train was, indeed, on time arriving at
Bohmte but a couple of minutes late at Kirchweyhe. Our member left the train rapidly, cursing the
steps and lengthy tunnel which initially took him in the opposite direction he wished to go. There
followed a half walk, half run (with heavy rucksack) for the 1·9 km to Kirchweyhe Ort which is a station
on the Pingelheini Museumsbahn Bremen – Thedinghausen. This was achieved, puffing and sweating,
in 25 minutes, giving 5 minutes before the Museum train departed for Thedinghausen. Made it!

Kirchweyhe Ort features a short grass platform and a battered station name board

The Bremen – Thedinghauser Eisenbahn (BTE) is a standard-gauge branch line that is used for freight
traffic as well as the trains of the Pingelheini. The railway line belongs to the neighbouring
communities and districts and the Pingelheini is operated by the non-profit association Kleinbahn
Leeste eV. Trains run on 08 and 26 May, 10 July, 17 and 18 September and 4 and 24 December
[Details available at: https://www.pingelheini.de/unser-fahrplan-2022-1/ - Ed.]. You can see why our
member was keen to fit in these two heritage railways with their very restricted dates of operation.
The two coach train was hauled by a diminutive Schöma diesel, number 992-001 and our member
boarded and made himself known to the guard who turned out to be an Englishman who had been
living in Germany for 30 years. A fare to Thedinghausen then back to Stuhr was quickly sorted out and
a lively conversation ensued.
Some of the old station buildings still exist, often in a poor state and there is one (complete with
station name board) in the grounds of a scrap yard! There is nothing at the Thedinghausen terminus
which is outside the town now but it is a short walk into town where there is a café and a doner
restaurant. These will need to be patronised as you have over two hours to kill and once you have
seen the Rathaus that’s about it for the sights.

Schöma V22 (922-001) is seen with its two coach train (and one bicycle van) at Thedinghausen

The loco having run round the stock outside the station, we left on time at 17:00 and after Kirchweyhe
Ort our member was on new track to the terminus station of Stuhr. The line carries on to join the
Bremen – Oldenburg main line but a dodgy bridge beyond Stuhr means that Museum trains cannot
safely go further. The track bed from near the Huchting tram terminus to Stuhr and on to Leeste is
due to be converted into tramway but this project has been stalled for years due to public opposition.
Once it is converted and the dodgy bridge replaced, it is unclear whether the Museumsbahn will be

allowed to run beyond Leeste. The diesel loco in use on this day had a top speed of 40 km/h so would
be far slower than the trams.
There is freight on the line, accessed by a curve from the Osnabrück to Bremen mainline. Because the
line is single track DB had to renovate the line all the way from Leeste to Thedinghausen because that
is where the trains need to run to for the loco to run round. Very fortunate for the Pingelheini!
There is not much of a bus service from Stuhr to the Huchting tram terminus and it’s a good walk, so
the friendly English guard offered to take our member in his car. That was at the depot at Leeste, so a
journey on the ECS would be needed. This proved interesting. Having dropped the few remaining
passengers off at Stuhr the train was propelled back to a loop where the loco would run round. To do
so it has to pass through a wood yard on the loop with two locked gates to open and close! Another
run round is needed at Leeste station to get the loco on the right end of the stock to shunt into the
carriage siding which is where our member got off, of course. The guard dropped our member off at
the Huchting tram loop for the journey into Bremen and the end of a very successful day.
[263] Hungary – Miskolc Avoider gets Regular Train
Since 10 April 2022 there is a single Sundays only train which takes the Miskolc avoiding line (Szinva
elágazás – Miskolc Rendező curve). Timings are: Train 15403 (Kazincbarcika 16:35 –) Miskolc-Gömöri
17:00 – Budapest-Keleti 19:05.
[264] Hungary – The Kemence Narrow-Gauge Railway
In 2020/21 track replacement works were carried out were carried out with the line completely closed
at times. In 2022 trains will run from Kemence to Feketevölgy kitérő from 12 March to 27 November
on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. The basic timetable is three train pairs with two or three
additional pairs of trains during the high season from May to September. The plan is extend from
Feketevölgy kitérő (km 4·0) to Halyagos (km 7·2) but this has been made difficult by floods which
necessitate extensive earthworks and the associated increased costs.

On the Kemence Narrow Gauge Line

[265] Latvia – New Electric Trains to be delivered to Latvia Disassembled
The first new electric trains will be delivered to Latvia disassembled at the end of June or beginning of
July. According to the original plan the trains were supposed to arrive in Latvia by rail but because of
the war in Ukraine it is no longer possible which is why the manufacturer, Czech company Skoda
Vagonka, has decided to deliver the trains by road. It was planned that from the production plant in
the Czech Republic the trains would be delivered to Latvia via Slovakia, Ukraine and Belarus. Now this
is no longer possible, the manufacturer has chosen to transport each carriage separately by road. This
is a large-size and very specific cargo the transportation of which requires permits and making sure
that all bridges and other structures can withstand the weight.
Latvia will receive the first train carriages disassembled at the end of June or beginning of July. Once
they are in Latvia, they will be assembled again, tested and certified; it is expected that
the new electric trains will start carrying passengers at the beginning of next year.
[266] Lithuania/Poland – LTG Link and Polregio Resume Cross-Border Trains
Lithuanian operator LTG Link and Polish operator Polregio will start up the cross-border trains between
the countries again this summer, after being suspended due to Covid-19. Trains on the route Kaunas –
Białystok will run again from 01 July. Ticket sales on the relaunched route started on 01 June. There
are 140 seats on the trains to Białystok and the journey time to this city will be 4½ hours with a
standard ticket price of €11.

The pleasant station frontage at Kaunas

To continue to Warszawa, passengers have to transfer to another train in Białystok. The trip from
Kaunas to Warszawa, including the transfer time in Białystok, is currently almost 8 hours; the
Lithuanian operator is currently working with partners in Poland to negotiate the possibility of
connecting the two capitals Vilnius and Warszawa by a direct train.

PKP is upgrading the railway from Lithuania to Warszawa as part of the Rail Baltica project. Currently,
work is underway from Czyżew to Białystok, after which work on the section from there to Ełk and
Trakiszki near the Lithuanian border is planned. On the Lithuanian side developments are also being
made. When the entire section is completed, planned for 2026, travelling from Kaunas to Warszawa
will take 3½ hours.
[267] Portugal – Beira Alta Services Suspended
Train services were suspended on the Beira Alta line (Pampilhosa – Guarda – Vilar Formoso) on 19
April 2022 for an estimated 9 months for a €550m modernisation programme. The priority is to
increase the capacity for freight traffic, allowing the operation of 750m long trains rather than the
existing 400m.
[268] Sweden – Museum Railways Programme Available on Line
The directory of museum railways in Sweden for the year 2022 is now on the new website:
https://www.tagsommar.se/images/TS2022.pdf
[269] Switzerland – Aigle/Älen - Leysin Grand Hôtel
The Aigle – Leysin railway line is 6·5 km long and rises 1047 metres from its terminus outside the main
line station in Aigle to its summit at the Grand Hôtel at Leysin. The first 1 km of the route is through
the streets of Aigle from the railway station to the railway depot where the train reverses to enable
the powered vehicle to be at the rear of the train for the uphill journey, normal working on a rack (cog-
wheel) railway.

The section of the line which passes through the streets of Aigle

The municipal company “Transports publics du Chablais SA” (TPC) is the operator and has long
recognised that the tourist area of Leysin is not well served by the railway. In September 2020 the
company announced that the railways in Leysin would be completely redesigned by 2035.

The one kilometre section between Leysin-Village and Leysin Grand Hotel will close and be replaced by
a new railway with three stations, running in tunnel, which will provide better access to the town of
Leysin. The project will be supplemented by a new funicular railway that will serve those parts of the
town that are not directly accessible by the new railway.
The road running section in Aigle (also used by trains to Les Diablerets) also causes difficulties. By
2024 new rolling stock will allow easier access to the trains, but in the longer term studies are
underway to relocate this section of the line into tunnel, again, by 2035.
[270] Switzerland – Le Locle - Les Brenets
This 4 km-long metre-gauge railway which, today, is operated by the "transN - Transports Publics
Neuchâtelois SA" is to be closed by the end of 2023 and replaced by an electric bus operation in 2025.

Today’s modus operandi between Le Locle and Les Brenets

REST OF THE WORLD
[271] China/Russia – Increase in Freight Traffic while New Rail Line is almost operational
Russian and Chinese railways have agreed to increase the number of freight trains passing through
their shared border crossings. Traffic has already increased in April and the two parties aim to boost
both westbound and eastbound volumes even more. The agreement comes at a time when the two
countries are very close to completing an important railway project. This is the first railway bridge
crossing the River Heilongjiang (Amur in Russian). The railway bridge will be operational in August and
will contribute significantly to the shared targets of the two countries.
In April, compared to March, traffic has already increased by 27% in Zabaikalsk and by 10% in
Grodekovo. Export cargo transportation to China through Kazakhstan and Mongolia is also increasing.

In addition, the cargo transported by rail from Russia to China is becoming gradually more diversified.
As a result, coal will is not the only cargo type moved eastwards. In the first quarter of 2022, more
than 3500 heavy-haul and 1700 combined trains travelled towards the East.

The Tongjiang Railway Bridge

Speaking of border crossings between China and Russia that could help boost bilateral rail traffic, the
Tongjiang Railway Bridge attracts much attention. The railway bridge has been under construction
since 2016 and was completed in 2021. Currently, Chinese Railways are running test trains over the
bridge which will be fully operational by August. Estimates suggest that when operable, the bridge will
shorten the train transit from Heilongjiang to Moskva by roughly 800 kilometres and 10 hours. The
bridge has dual-gauge tracks; standard 1435mm gauge and broad 1520mm gauge. It connects
Tongjiang city in the Heilongjiang Province of China and Lienningskoye, the Jewish Autonomous
Prefecture of Russia. The Russian part is 328 metres long, while the Chinese part covers a length of
1886 metres making the whole bridge 2·2 kilometres long.
[272] USA – Short Lines to Benefit from Round of Federal Grants
A rail project in Berks County, Pa. will receive a $14·7mn (€13·71mn) grant to rehabilitate 13·8 km of
track and either replace or restore 14 bridges between Boyertown and Pottstown. Also included is
funding for two freight transhipment yards and a drainage project.
R.J. Corman will receive $7·3mn (€6·81mn) for its central Kentucky lines. The money will be used for a
project that will build a new freight rail-to-truck transhipment facility close to Frankfort and for
improvements to a yard facility in Lexington. That project will consist of rehabilitating level crossings
and track, point replacements and the expansion of storage facilities.
The Alabama Tennessee River Railway won a $4·96mn (€4·63mn) grant for safety improvements on its
line between Birmingham and Guntersville, Ala. Work will include improving siding and yard tracks to
handle more traffic, improving pointwork and level crossings, reactivating rockfall warning signals to
allow 40 km/h train speeds between Birmingham and Ragland, and rehabilitating nine bridges.
The Gettysburg Northern Railway has been awarded a $1·84mn (€1·72mn) grant to rehabilitate 39 km
of track in Adams and Cumberland counties. Included in the project are the construction of a passing
loop, improvements at 15 crossings and the repair of seven culverts.