International & UK Railway News Monday 24th February 2014

 Total Railway News

 

 

Amsterdam is hosting the SmartRail World Conference, where discussions will centre on innovation, trends and developments.


In the US, high speed rail roll out will be high on the agenda of the USHSR conference, where a key speaker will be Anthony Foxx,US Transportation Secretary.


In the UK, the HS2 project received a bit of a dampener, with some senior MPs suggesting that the works involved could lead to more flooding..... and a Planet Earth Online study  reports how "Scientists have developed a new model to predict how much a new high-speed railway would shake the ground around it, and the effect this could have on those living near the line."


Whilst the present and future are mired in uncertainty, there is nothing uncertain about the support for steam traction, as evidenced by the crowds attending "The Great Good-Bye" (of the 6 A4s), and the progress of the latest new build ..the Gresley P2 locomotive, which has received some useful publicity courtesy James May (BBC "Top Gear")...


Read On....


Headlines..




New tool tests vibration caused by high-speed rail.(Planet Earth Online)


Nürnberger Spielwarenmesse 2014 - Teil 1| Nuernberg Toy Fair .(Eisenbahn-Romantik on YouTube)


Top Gear's James May on track for York rail project.(York Press)



Latest News Here.....

Record numbers flock to Locomotion to see Mallard and her sisters together for final time (The Northern Echo)



Pushy train passengers are public transport enemy number one.(Express)


Euston redevelopment at heart of HS2 project, says George Osborne.(The Guardian)


MP's Grayrigg train crash concerns. (ITV News)


South West Trains reports up to four times more customer contact.(BBC News)


Seaton tramline undergoing 'urgent clean-up' (BBC News)


HS2 could increase risk of local flooding, say Tory MPs.(BBC News)

Regional Rail Link: ARTC Flyover works, Footscray (www.regionalraillink.vic.gov.au)

During the December/January rail line closure, works were carried out on the ARTC Flyover in Footscray.
At this location, the Bendigo/Ballarat/Sunbury lines cross over the interstate freight lines before arriving at Footscray station.
New bridge deck panels were installed over the ARTC freight line to accomodate the two new Regional Rail Link tracks that will also cross over at this point before arriving at Footscray's new platforms 3 & 4.

Russian Railways

Adler - Alpika-Service combined motorway and railway route in Sochi is the most complex infrastructure project of the Winter Olympics in Sochi. SK MOST Group of Companies has been building 12 tunnels, 23 motorway bridges and 22 railway bridges. Despite a complicated mountainous terrain, a substantially straight-line high-speed route will connect coastal Adler with the mountain cluster of Olympics-2014.

The divisions of SK MOST Group of Companies have completed a huge scope of work by October 2012 within their contracted sections (between the 14th and 46th kilometer marks of the route). All tunnels have been completed, the tracks have been installed on all railway bridges, and the railway line now stretches up to 37th kilometer milestone. Highway bridges are close to completion, and asphalt pavement is being placed on the motorway route.

A five-minute video conveys an idea of the scale and complexity of construction operations it shows the equipment that has been used and a number of construction technologies, while also presenting unique installations that have now been integrated in Sochi landscapes.

Original video -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8n2S3L...




NEWS: After a week of strikes, Automatic Train Operation (ATO) is again on the agenda in London. (LinkedIn Discussion)
Technology will continue to transform the Tube, and in the next decade we will see automatic train operation being introduced on other London Underground lines such as the Northern, Piccadilly and Sub Surface Lines..."

Read the full story here: http://bit.ly/NxHjSG

If you like Thor and want to know how you get to Greenwich, TfL can help you with that!









CER - The Voice of European Railways

Future of rail sector at stake with European Parliament vote on Fourth Railway Package

The European Parliament will vote on the Fourth Railway Package in plenary this week. The Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER) reminds policy makers that the future of the European rail sector is at stake: if good legislative solutions are approved by the Parliament, it will be a milestone on the way towards a better legislative framework for Europe’s railways.

Regarding the technical pillar of the Package, CER supports all amendments which aim at providing streamlined and transparent procedures for safety certification and vehicle authorisation, and at strengthening the role of the European Railway Agency. These provisions will be key to reducing the time-to-service of railway vehicles, and making it possible for all undertakings to have a faster return on their investments.   CER also hopes that modifications to the text approved by the TRAN Committee in December 2013 on public service obligations [Regulation EC 1370/2007] are kept to a minimum. Compared to the initial proposal of the European Commission, the adopted report represents an improvement in terms of a flexible organisation of public transport by rail. It should however be noted that the lack of experience gained from the application of the regulation does not justify the original Commission proposal for such a massive recast in general. Moreover, CER looks forward to the vote on the revision of Directive 2012/34 EU on governance and market opening and fully supports the amendment tabled by a number of MEPs which would correct the text approved by the TRAN Committee in a very positive way. Flexible governance models must reflect the variety of national environments. While keeping firm provisions on financial transparency as well as on the strong role of regulatory bodies guaranteeing non-discriminatory track access, this text would give Member States a real choice between separated and integrated models.   More information on the Fourth Railway Package is available on the CER website.       US HSR             U.S. TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY ANTHONY FOXX, 12 MEMBERS OF CONGRESS TO HEADLINE USHSR HIGH SPEED RAIL SUMMIT   Summit starts tomorrow in Washington, DC (February 25-27)             Washington, DC - The US High Speed Rail Association (USHSR) is pleased to announce U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx will headline the upcoming High Speed Rail Summit in Washington, DC starting tomorrow February 25.  Joining Secretary Foxx are 12 Members of Congress, Federal Railroad Administration Deputy, and other leaders.  This three-day rail conference brings together the nation's top government officials and many of the world's leading experts to discuss the roll out of high speed rail across America.   "We are very proud to have Secretary Foxx headline our conference," said Andy Kunz, USHSR President & CEO. "Secretary Foxx's experience at the local level as mayor of Charlotte is extremely valuable for shaping national transportation policy. We look forward to working with the Secretary to advance high speed rail in America across party lines," added Kunz.   Rod Diridon, Chairman of the USHSR Advisory Board stated "Transportation Secretary Foxx is a seasoned, no-nonsense leader who's record of support for sustainable transportation, including high speed rail, has been well earned by his policies as the Mayor of Charlotte and his staunch support for the President. He also has the confidence of the US Conference of Mayors, a powerful, bi-partisan element of our national advocacy community supporting infrastructure investments."   As U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Foxx leads an agency with more than 55,000 employees and a $70 billion budget that oversees air, maritime, and surface transportation. His primary goal is to ensure that America maintains the safest, most efficient transportation system in the world.   Joining Secretary Foxx at the High Speed Rail Summit are 12 members of Congress, Federal Railroad Administration officials, international high speed rail experts, private rail operators, financial and investment professionals, engineers, construction leaders, real estate development professionals and national transportation advisors.    For more information on the association and the conference, visit ushsr.com       SmartRail World 10 speaker insights from Day One of SmartRail Europe Posted on February 24, 2014 by Luke Upton Reproduced here by kind permission.      Over 1000 industry professionals have gathered in Amsterdam this week to attend the SmartRail Europe Congress & Expo. Delegates have journeyed from Europe, Asia, Australasia, Asia, North America and the Middle East to engage with the most innovative trends, developments and innovations. Two and a half days of fantastic speaker led sessions will be rounded off with an exclusive site visit to Rotterdam Station offering a valuable insight into the working of one of Europe’s key developments. SmartRail World, reporting from Amsterdam, picks out ten of the speaker highlights from Day One: “The railway of the future will need to provide efficient and competitive solutions to both societal and individual mobility needs.” Libor Lochman, Executive Director, CER “It’s more and more important to be able to justify the governmental spending of Euros within the rail industry.” Monika Heiming, Executive Director, EIM Rail “Passengers are technology-savvy and expect to have personalised solutions at their fingertips in a few clicks.” Libor Lochman, Executive Director, CER “In campaigning for a rail innovation four key things to consider; be realistic, be patient – it won’t happen tomorrow, be prepared to do some research and aim for consensus.” Trevor Garrod, Chairman, European Passenger Federation “There’s growing recognition that providing a service that is easy to use is a key indicator of customer loyalty. It’s about putting the customer in control and not the industry.” Ian Wright, Head of Research, Passenger Focus   “Because of the connection that some of the passengers have with rail companies they feel almost like shareholders!” Steven Barney, Telefonica “Commercialising the network makes it better and safer.” Clayton Nash, Head of Telecom Product, Network Rail “I still think that Virgin is one of the few rail companies that sells on experience and not just price.” Paul Priestman, Designer, Director, Priestmangoode “Good standard = driving innovation Bad Standard = blocking innovations” Baseliyos Jacob, Technology Specialist, DB Netz AG “A Trans-European Network calls for seamless enabling solutions across borders.” Rob Postema, Feasibility Manager, Integrated Telecommunications Applications, ESA (The European Space Agency).   www.progressiverailroading.com US News   U.S. freight roads launch voluntary safety initiative targeting crude-by-rail operations    (There's a lot at stake in the tank-car design discussions — by Toby Kolstad) Mexican rail industry is working with government to address proposed railroad law amendments, KCS says     Illinois DOT kicks off high-speed rail Tier 2 environmental studies     Short line rejects proposed reroute that would accommodate Twin Cities' light-rail project     CSX touted ethanol services at Renewable Fuels Association event     SEPTA marks 50 years in service   Court rulings clear way for Honolulu rail project Crossing projects advance in Illinois, Montana and Washington www.railway-technology.com Updates NSW Transport releases utilities model delivering Sydney's light rail New South Wales Transport has released a video model of utilities under George Street that is being used to prepare for construction of the new light rail line between Circular Quay, Randwick and Kingsford.          LACMTA receives $670m construction grant from FTA The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) has received a $670m grant from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to build the two-mile Regional Connector light rail transit line in the city.          British rail passengers unaware of compensation and refunds rights Around three quarters of rail passengers across Britain have been found unaware of their compensation and refunds rights, according to the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR), an independent safety and economic regulator for Great Britain's railways.          Škoda Transportation's new Konya tram enters revenue service in Turkey European manufacturer Škoda Transportation's new 28T Konya tram has entered into revenue service in Turkey, as part of Konya municipality's plans to expand its 21km-long tram line. International Railway Journal THE municipal governments of Seine-Saint Denis and Val-de-Marne signed the declaration of public utility on February 17 for the 7.7km eastern extension of Paris light rail Line T1 to Val-de-Fontenay. PORTUGUESE Trains (CP) witnessed a continued decline in passenger numbers last year according to the company's annual figures, which show ridership fell by 4% in 2013 to 111.7 million, although there was some cause for optimism with the situation showing signs of improvement in the final four months of the year. THE US Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has signed a $US 670m construction grant agreement with Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) to fund the city's Downtown Regional Connector light rail line, which is due to open in 2020. Other News.... First electric train runs in Adelaide - Railway Gazette (Portugal)Government consults on privatisation options - Railway Gazette Foxtrot tram for Moscow unveiled - Railway Gazette