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September 10, 2013

International & UK Railway News Tuesday 10th September 2013


"....And Brno is a beautiful place. Prague without the tourists....".





UK Office of Rail Regulation (ORR)


Network Rail fined £125,000 following death of Essex track worker

10 September 2013
ORR/19/13
Network Rail has today been fined £125,000 and ordered to pay costs of £85,000 following a prosecution brought by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) for breaches of health and safety law which were identified following the death of Malcolm Slater, a Network Rail track maintenance worker, in June 2008.
On 11 June 2008, Network Rail track maintenance workers were repairing damaged overhead lines at Margaretting, near Chelmsford in Essex. They were working at a height of approximately 15 feet on a mobile elevated platform attached to a vehicle, when the platform became detached and fell to the ground. All three occupants of the platform sustained injuries in the fall including fractured bones and bruising, while one, Malcolm Slater, suffered far more serious injuries and tragically died on 1 July 2008.
Today's sentencing at Chelmsford Crown Court follows an extensive ORR investigation into the incident which found that Network Rail had failed in its duty to provide suitable work equipment for its employees and therefore failed to properly plan the repair work. The court heard that Network Rail had not provided its staff with training on working within the platform and did not identify that the overload alarm had been switched off despite evidence showing the platform weight limit of 350kg had been significantly exceeded on a regular basis. Network Rail pleaded guilty to charges brought in connection with the incident at Chelmsford Crown Court on 30 August 2013.
Ian Prosser, ORR’s Director of Railway Safety, said:
"Network Rail must do all it can to ensure the safety of those working on our railways. On this occasion, unacceptable failings by the company were identified following the death of Malcolm Slater, and my thoughts are with his family and friends.
"ORR's investigation found that Network Rail had not properly planned work to repair overhead lines near Margaretting in Essex. The company did not provide relevant training or ensure appropriate equipment was being used for lifting heavy materials. These failings were identified after the tragic death of Mr Slater, and serious injury of two others also undertaking the work.
"While Network Rail has significantly increased its focus on worker safety, there remain too many occasions where a lack of appropriate training, poor management or inadequate planning leads to a catastrophic event. ORR inspectors are closely monitoring how Network Rail manages worker safety and will always step in or take action if failings are found."


www.networkrail.co.uk

Hidden tunnel beneath New Street platforms opens for first time in almost 10 years.

For the first time in almost ten years, a network of tunnels underneath Birmingham New Street station has been opened by Network Rail to allow West Midlands Fire Service to conduct a live training exercise.

Situated just 4m beneath the station’s 12 platforms and spanning 132m in length, the tunnel, which closed in 2004, was previously used for Royal Mail postal trains to transport mail from the station out to regional sorting offices.
 
Crew Commander Mark Clifton, of Highgate Fire Station White Watch, who organised the exercise, said: “As firefighters we train daily and we were extremely grateful to Network Rail for the chance to test ourselves and our methods in this unusual environment.
 
“The tunnels were a perfect place to test new breathing apparatus, which can be worn for virtually double the time compared to kit we usually use.
“Around 40 firefighters from seven of our stations were involved in the two-hour exercise, which was based on a rescue scenario.”
 
Steve Lewis, Network Rail station manager said: “The tunnel beneath New Street is part of the station’s wealth of history and I’m sure the thousands of passengers that travel above have no idea of the maze of tunnels that lie below and across the wider city. We were delighted to be able to offer our colleagues at West Midlands Fire Service the tunnel as an environment for their exercise.”
 
When the station redevelopment completes in 2015, the tunnel will be used by the station’s train operating companies to access their staff accommodation and also CrossCountry Trains’ national rail catering centre.


Improvements at Denmark Hill station unveiled by transport minister

Improvements at a key railway interchange in south London have been formally unveiled by minister for transport, Norman Baker MP.

Easier access for passengers at Manchester Oxford Road

Passengers will soon benefit from better access at Manchester Oxford Road station thanks to a £1.8m investment to provide new lifts and reopen a subway at the station.




How best to enhance passengers’ travelling experience on rail

Passenger Information refers to refers to information provided to public transport users about the nature and state of a public transport service. The expectations of today's travelling public regarding 'Passenger Information' have also radically changed due to innovations in display media, smart... read more ›

Safe & Innovative Construction Methods for Metro Tunnels in an Urban Environment
For rail players in developed markets, they are often looking for state-of-the-art solutions to support the construction of their rail projects. The expectations for high safety level coupled with innovative building methods are climbing in these urban countries. As such, solution providers who pioneer innovative technologies to build rail projects in urban countries are able to lead in the rail industry. Learn more about the safest and most innovative construction methods for metro tunnels from AECOM’s Associate Director, Owen Ng. Download his presentation during Asia Pacific Rail 2013.



www.progressiverailroading.com US News

  • About one-fifth of TIGER V grants target port projects, AAPA says
  • Maryland transit officials seek public comments on Purple Line's environmental statement
  • STB adopts new rules on transactions involving interchange agreements
  • Cold Train adds resources to accommodate refrigerated cargo growth
  • MTA, LIRR offer express service to LaGuardia from Long Island
  • WMATA improved escalator availability in second quarter
  • Nebraska Central Railroad marks 20th anniversary
  • HART to install safety gates at 21 rail stations

  • www.railway-technology.com Updates

    CTA begins construction work on Ravenswood Connector rehabilitation project
    The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) has started construction on the Ravenswood Connector rehabilitation project with an investment of $71.2m to provide safer and more reliable service on a key segment of the Brown and Purple Lines of the 'L' rapid transit system between Armitage Avenue and the Loop.
           
    Gulf council to formulate GCC Railway Authority for $200bn project
    The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states are set to establish a governing body, the GCC Railway Authority, to undertake a project involving the development and operation of a railway network for the region.
           
    Arcadis secures €40m Grand Paris Metro contract
    Global engineering and consultancy firm Arcadis has secured a €40m contract to provide project and programme management services to the Société du Grand Paris (SGP), the authority for the Grand Paris Express metro lines in the Île-de-France region of France.
           
    Japan to conduct feasibility study for 534km Indian rail project
    The 534km Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor project in India will now progress to the next level as the country has given approval for Japan to conduct a feasibility study.


    International Railway Journal

    AUSTRIAN Federal Railways (ÖBB) has installed automatic red light cameras at four level crossings as part of a pilot project which seeks to deter motorists from ignoring crossing signals.

    THE government of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh announced on September 10 it will appoint Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to act as interim consultant on the construction of the first phase of the metro network in the state capital Lucknow.

    THE National Gateway coalition, which includes US class 1 railway CSX, announced on September 5 that it has completed the first phase of its $850m project to create a new double-stack intermodal freight corridor between the Atlantic Coast and the Midwest.

    GERMAN Rail (DB) has placed its first firm order for Link dmus from Pesa, Poland, after DB Regio was selected by Westfalen-Lippe Local Transport (NWL)..




    Shedmaster Railway News

    High Speed Rail Conference - Los Angeles

    Railway Gazette | The Capacity Challenge



    World Heritage & Railway News

    Special Feature: National Railway Museum

    Heritage Diesel Gala | North Yorkshire Moors Railway :: A steam train adventure through the stunning Yorkshire Moors


    D1015 Western Champion heading Pathfinder Tours' "The Western Wessexman" through Honeybourne on Saturday 7th September 2013 at 7.30pm.


    Railway Engineering News

    Perth light rail funding - Railway Gazette

    Baku Green Line extension tunnelling begins - Railway Gazette

    Alstom will take part in the "1520 Railway Exhibition" in Scherbinka
    Alstom will take part in the "1520 International Railway Exhibition" and conference that will be organized from 11th to 14th September 2013 in the city of Scherbinka (Moscow) on the territory of the Experimental Ring of JSC Russian Railway Research Institute (VNIIZhT).
    Alstom Transport and its Russian partner Transmashholding (TMH) will showcase their two jointly developed products: new generation mainline freight locomotives 2ES5 and KZ8A, manufactured for Russian and CIS market.

    The 2ES5 is a first freight locomotive of the new electric locomotive family designed by TRTrans, a joint TMH-Alstom engineering center. The design of KZ8A uses an up-to-date traction system developed by Alstom's technology, and the locomotive itself is produced at EKZ production site in Kazakhstan, a joint venture between Kazakh Railways (KTZ), Alstom and TMH. Both new locomotives are among the most powerful in the world.

    President of Alstom Transport Henri Poupart-Lafarge will deliver a speech during the plenary session on railway engineering on 11th September and the panel discussion on the high speed lines as a factor for economic growth on 12th September. In addition to the high speed topic, other Alstom speakers will focus on standartisation and conformity assessment as well as on the light rail transport.
    "EXPO 1520" is a specialised international salon of the latest advances in matters of equipment, technology, infrastructure, services and logistics in the railway industry. It is the only international rail salon on the "1520" gauge space.

    The event will be held for the 4th time to present the latest locomotives, train cars, special railway machinery and technological equipment produced by Russian and foreign railway engineering enterprises. The key customers for these products are the leaders of the national railway companies of the CIS, Europe and Central Asia as well as operator and leasing companies, freight owners and carriers. (Press Release- Alstom)
     

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