A trial run of the first train in Russia to use new double-deck coaches was successfully carried out by Russian Railways' (RZD) Federal Passenger Company (FPC) subsidiary in Murmansk region on February 20.
FOLLOWING a difficult winter on Britain's railway network where flooding and more recently snow and ice have had a major impact on service punctuality, the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) says that infrastructure manager Network Rail (NR) must improve the resilience of Britain's railways.
FRENCH National Railways (SNCF) says turnover increased by 3% last year thanks mainly to growth in passenger income and the infrastructure maintenance it carries out on behalf of French Rail Network (RFF).
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The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the UK's Transport for London (TfL) for the development of the metro rail network...
Bombardier has completed its one-week course on railway applications at La Sapienza University in Rome, Italy, to prepare future engineers for the railway...
UK-based engineering firm Mott MacDonald has won a contract from Larsen and Toubro (L&T) to design six stations for the Hyderabad Metro Rail project..
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From alstom.com - The Alstom site of Le Creusot has surpassed a historic record delivering 2,201 bogies between 1 January and 31 December 2012. This level of production had never been attained before:
Network Rail
Impact of severe weather on train services ‘is a wake-up call to us all’, says Network Rail chief executive.
Commenting on the Office of Rail Regulation’s quarterly performance monitor, which highlighted the impact of extreme weather on train performance, Network Rail chief executive David Higgins said: "We recognise that this has been a difficult period for passengers, with disruption on many lines due to extreme weather. Our staff worked tirelessly, often in difficult circumstances, to get the railway back up and running and we would like to thank passengers and train operators for bearing with us during this time."
“The damage that extreme weather can do to a Victorian rail network which was neither designed nor built for such challenges is clear. Whole lines were closed by flooding and tracks came close to being washed away by rivers which burst their banks. On the worst affected parts of the network, torrential rain caused up to sixty landslides in a single day.
“This has been a wake up call for the whole industry, which we ignore at our peril. As we set out when we launched our strategic business plan in January, we are playing catch up on decades of under-investment. Nowhere is this more apparent than with the embankments, cuttings, bridges, tunnels and other structures which have struggled to cope with extreme weather, alongside the burden of carrying more passengers than they were designed for. Our submission to our regulator for the next five-year funding settlement reflects our plan to tackle this.
“Despite considerable challenges, the industry still managed to move more than 3m people a day by train during this period, with almost nine-out-of-ten trains arriving on time. This is testament to the hard work of all our staff and those working for our partners. However, this does not undermine the need for us to do even more, including better investment in our assets, to be able to improve resilience and recovery during extreme weather in the future."
“The majority of our structures and earthworks assets are over a century old. They degrade very slowly which, meaning their longevity, can lead to a perception that the asset is more robust than is actually the case. In the last periodic review, the case was not fully established for our proposed increase in expenditure of around £300m. During this control period we have carried out extensive further analysis of the required activity and expenditure levels. This analysis supports a significant increase in renewals to address the previous under investment.”
Rail Delivery GroupFormalisation of the Rail Delivery Group enhances its leadership role
passenger Train Operating Companies, Freight Operating Companies and Network Rail
Director – General: Graham Smith MBE
increasing expectation that RDG will provide leadership to the industry it is now the right time to put the Group on a formal footing. Leadership comes from deeds and actions; it is not something that is created by legal structures. However, by making participation the Rail
Delivery Group an obligation we can ensure that the most senior people in the industry are
focused on achieving the Group’s objectives of setting the policies and strategies for a
growing railway.”
has been instrumental in the development of the Group since its formation ensuring that the
RDG focuses on cross-industry efficiencies in areas such as asset management, technology,innovation and working practices”
Tim O’Toole continued
“The Rail Delivery Group is the principal resource for Government as it tackles the critical
issues for the railway such as franchising, capacity provision and improved efficiency. We
look forward to working with all those who have an interest in the success of Britain’s
railways.”
the Group have an unparalleled breadth and depth of knowledge and experience and I look
forward to supporting them in their leadership of the rail industry. I recognise that leadership
brings a responsibility to communicate and engage with the wider railway industry, its users,
funders, suppliers and representative bodies. I will ensure that the Rail Delivery Group listens to the views of all these stakeholders and keeps them informed of the Group’s progress.”
“This has been a wake up call for the whole industry, which we ignore at our peril. As we set out when we launched our strategic business plan in January, we are playing catch up on decades of under-investment. Nowhere is this more apparent than with the embankments, cuttings, bridges, tunnels and other structures which have struggled to cope with extreme weather, alongside the burden of carrying more passengers than they were designed for. Our submission to our regulator for the next five-year funding settlement reflects our plan to tackle this.
“Despite considerable challenges, the industry still managed to move more than 3m people a day by train during this period, with almost nine-out-of-ten trains arriving on time. This is testament to the hard work of all our staff and those working for our partners. However, this does not undermine the need for us to do even more, including better investment in our assets, to be able to improve resilience and recovery during extreme weather in the future."
Notes:
Network Rail’s strategic business plan (England & Wales) for control period 5 (2014-19) was published on 8 January 2013. The plan contains details on the need to future-proof critical infrastructure against the impact of changing weather patterns, including more frequent flooding:“The majority of our structures and earthworks assets are over a century old. They degrade very slowly which, meaning their longevity, can lead to a perception that the asset is more robust than is actually the case. In the last periodic review, the case was not fully established for our proposed increase in expenditure of around £300m. During this control period we have carried out extensive further analysis of the required activity and expenditure levels. This analysis supports a significant increase in renewals to address the previous under investment.”
Rail Delivery Group appoints Director-General
19 February 2013
The Rail Delivery Group’s leadership of
Britain’s railways has been reinforced by its
formalisation as Rail Delivery Group Limited.
At its meeting on 18 February the Rail
Delivery Group became a company limited by
guarantee with its Members and Directors
being drawn from the owners of Britain'spassenger Train Operating Companies, Freight Operating Companies and Network Rail
The meeting of Rail Delivery Group Limited
made the following appointments…
Chairman: Tim O’Toole CBE, Chief Executive of
First Group plc
Deputy Chairman: Sir David Higgins, Chief
Executive of Network RailDirector – General: Graham Smith MBE
The Chairman of Rail Delivery Group Limited,
Tim O’Toole, said
“The Rail Delivery Group has been a voluntary
organisation since its inception but with anincreasing expectation that RDG will provide leadership to the industry it is now the right time to put the Group on a formal footing. Leadership comes from deeds and actions; it is not something that is created by legal structures. However, by making participation the Rail
Delivery Group an obligation we can ensure that the most senior people in the industry are
focused on achieving the Group’s objectives of setting the policies and strategies for a
growing railway.”
Announcing the appointment of Graham Smith as
the Rail Delivery Group’s Director General Tim O’Toole said
“Graham brings a wealth of knowledge and
experience to the post of Director-General. Hehas been instrumental in the development of the Group since its formation ensuring that the
RDG focuses on cross-industry efficiencies in areas such as asset management, technology,innovation and working practices”
Tim O’Toole continued
“The Rail Delivery Group is the principal resource for Government as it tackles the critical
issues for the railway such as franchising, capacity provision and improved efficiency. We
look forward to working with all those who have an interest in the success of Britain’s
railways.”
Graham Smith said
“It is an honour to be appointed as
Director-General of the Rail Delivery Group. Members ofthe Group have an unparalleled breadth and depth of knowledge and experience and I look
forward to supporting them in their leadership of the rail industry. I recognise that leadership
brings a responsibility to communicate and engage with the wider railway industry, its users,
funders, suppliers and representative bodies. I will ensure that the Rail Delivery Group listens to the views of all these stakeholders and keeps them informed of the Group’s progress.”
End
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