Today's news is all about choices..... How much of a repair for the damaged Great Western Route at Dawlish.. an alternative route is being sought by some... (in exchange for HS2 support??)
The South West depends on a good rail link and tourist earnings... so an interesting set of choices are in the offing..with Network Rail saying the repairs will take six weeks...or, how long is a piece of string, given the prevailing weather.
The Sochi Olympics have got off to an explosive start.. well, a train carrying gas containers exploded, making for some initial nervousness for the Russian security services....
Choices have been made regarding the Crossrail rolling stock....and Bombardier (at Derby) are the key beneficiaries.
And if railway based engineering is your career choice, then what better place to start to learn the skills required than at the Severn Valley Railway.........
Read on....
Minister Promises To Look At Alternative Rail Route For Plymouth Avoiding Dawlish. (Plymouth Herald)
In Pictures: Strong Winds And Rain Batter The UK (BBC News)
Dawlish storm damage rail line close "to cost millions"(BBC News)
Dawlish ..in happier times..(1963)
Mourning The UK's Most Celebrated Stretch Of Railway (BBC News Magazine Monitor)
Tunnel Vision? Gautrain's challenge...Railways Africa
PRASA: Ambitious Station Upgrade. (Railways Africa)
Is LRT Sustainable For Every City?(Total Rail)
Train Carrying Gas Containers Explodes in Russia..A Day Before Sochi Olympics (Daily Mail)
Severn Valley Railways Looking For Trainees (Express and Star)
Calls for HS2 College To Be Built In Derbyshire (Ilkeston Advertiser)
High Speed 2 Company Invites Potential Suppliers To Give Their Views. (Nuneaton News)
Crossrail: BombardierWins £1 billion Contract (BBC)
Bombardier Wins £1billion Crossrail Deal (BBC News)
GOV.UK
Department for Transport Press Release
Crossrail rolling stock and depot contract to be awarded to Bombardier
65 trains to be built in Derby, with over 1,000 jobs and around 100 apprenticeships supported in the UK.
The intention to award a contract to deliver rolling stock and a new depot for Crossrail with a capital value of around £1 billion to Bombardier has been announced today (6 February 2014) by Transport for London (TfL) and The Department for Transport (DfT).
The contract between TfL and Bombardier covers the supply, delivery and maintenance of 65 new trains and a depot at Old Oak Common. The contract award is subject to a 10 day standstill period.
TfL will run Crossrail as part of its integrated transport services for London, including ticketing and customer travel information.
Bombardier has confirmed that the new trains will be manufactured and assembled at their plant in Derby. This contract will support 760 UK manufacturing jobs plus 80 apprenticeships. An estimated 74% of contract spend will remain in the UK economy.
The construction of the maintenance depot at Old Oak Common will support 244 jobs, plus 16 apprenticeships. When fully operational the depot will support 80 jobs to maintain the new fleet of trains.
Mayor of London Boris Johnson said:
Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said:The Crossrail project is now rolling on full-steam ahead. The manufacture of these new trains will not only revolutionise rail travel in London, they will deliver jobs and economic growth in their birthplace in Derby and across the UK. With a firm on board to deliver a fleet of 21st century trains and the tunnelling more than halfway complete, we’re on track to deliver a truly world-class railway for the capital.
Sir Peter Hendy CBE, London’s Transport Commissioner said:This announcement will mean state of the art trains providing quick, comfortable journeys for the millions of people Crossrail will serve. It is also great news for British manufacturing and for Derbyshire, where Bombardier will support 760 new jobs and 80 apprenticeships.
Andrew Wolstenholme Chief Executive of Crossrail said:Crossrail is already generating jobs in London and the UK. When it opens it will continue to provide jobs and the growth it will bring will boost the whole economy. Crossrail is a fantastic example of the widespread benefits that sustained investment in transport infrastructure brings.
Crossrail will transform rail services in London and the south-east. Procurement of the rolling stock and depot is just one more step in delivering this new railway and making it a reality for millions of passengers.London’s population is set to grow from 8.4 million today to around 10 million by 2030. Government, the Mayor of London and Transport for London are investing in Crossrail and other transport infrastructure to support access to jobs, education, housing and to boost economic growth.
Crossrail Limited has conducted this procurement in a fair, objective and transparent manner and in full compliance with the regulatory framework.
Crossrail will boost London’s rail-based capacity by 10% connecting Maidenhead and Heathrow in the west and Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east. It is connecting people and places, providing faster journey times and up to 24 trains per hour between Paddington and Whitechapel during the peak.
In addition to the jobs created through the rolling stock and depot contract it is estimated that Crossrail will generate at least 75,000 business opportunities and support the equivalent of 55,000 full time jobs right around the UK. Three out of 5 businesses currently winning work on the project are based outside London and over half are small and medium sized companies (SMEs).
Each Crossrail train is 200 metres long and able to carry up to 1,500 passengers. Key features of the new high-capacity Crossrail trains include air conditioning and inter-connecting walk-through carriages. On-train passenger information systems will deliver real-time travel information to allow passengers to plan their onward journeys.
The new lightweight Crossrail trains will be built with an emphasis on energy efficiency and use of intelligent on-train energy management systems.
All bidders were asked to set out how they would engage with their wider supply chains and maximise opportunities for SMEs. Bombardier will target at least 25% of the value of this contract going to SMEs. Bidders were required to manage the project through a London-based office and to commit to have plans to deliver job and training opportunities, including apprenticeships.
TfL will introduce the new trains from May 2017, with the fleet progressively introduced to the existing rail network well in advance of services commencing through Crossrail’s central section in December 2018.
Background
Bids were evaluated by Crossrail Limited. A pre-determined process was followed and the tender documents set out the criteria used to select the successful bidder with a recommendation made to Crossrail’s sponsors – Department for Transport and Transport for London.The overarching aim of the procurement is to obtain the right train at the best price and it is on this basis that Bombardier has been selected.
All bidders remain bound by confidentiality arrangements and are unable to release information relating to their bids.
Bombardier will supply 65 trains for Crossrail services. Each Crossrail train will be around 200 metres long, made up of 9 carriages. The contract includes options for 18 additional trains. New Crossrail rolling stock will be introduced between Shenfield and Liverpool Street (mainline platforms) in May 2017.
An OJEU notice for this procurement was published in December 2010. On 12 August 2013, revised bids were received for the contract from Bombardier Transportation UK Limited, Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles SA (CAF), and Hitachi Rail Europe Limited.
Bombardier and all of its suppliers are committed to paying their London-based employees the London Living Wage which is a requirement of all Transport for London and Crossrail Limited contracts. To maximise opportunities for local recruitment, Bombardier will advertise all new jobs using the Crossrail Jobs Brokerage service which is linked to JobCentre Plus.
Transport for London will award the contract for the operation of Crossrail services at the end of 2014. The successful train operator will start running the first services from May 2015 between Liverpool Street (mainline platforms) and Shenfield, taking over the stopping services currently operated by Greater Anglia.
The current planning assumption is that new Crossrail trains will be introduced to run Crossrail services as follows:
- Liverpool Street to Shenfield – May 2017
- Heathrow to Paddington (mainline platforms) – May 2018 (when the Crossrail concession takes over the Heathrow Connect service)
- Paddington (Crossrail platforms) to Abbey Wood – December 2018
- Paddington (Crossrail platforms) to Shenfield – May 2019
- Full through service (including services to Maidenhead) – December 2019
Crossrail's Bond Street Station (Eastern Ticket Hall) Site. 1st February 2014
Footbridge Installed At Stroud Near-Miss Level Crossing (BBC News Gloucester)
Corby To Kettering Line Restoration (BBC News)
Tube Strike: London Underground Action Enters Second Morning (BBC News)
London Tube Strike: Union and TfL Clash As Action Looks Set To Enter Second Day. (The Independent)
International Railway Journal
2 Year Delay For Swiss Double Deck Trains from Bombardier
EUROPEAN railfreight reported negative results in terms of transport performance and profits in 2013 and with the weak economic situation continuing, performance remains someway off matching the pre-economic crisis high of 2007.
CONTRACTORS are preparing to start work on a $US 100m project funded by the Colombian government to rehabilitate two 914mm-gauge lines which are currently out of service with a view to starting freight operations by mid-2015.
www.railway-technology.com Updates...
Bombardier wins £1bn deal to supply trains for Crossrail project
The Transport for London (TfL) and The Department for Transport (DfT) have selected Bombardier Transportation to deliver new rolling stock and a new depot for the Crossrail project.
BNSF Railway to spend $2.3bn on core network in 2014
BNSF Railway has agreed to spend $2.3bn on its core network and related assets, and about $1.6bn on locomotive, freight car and other equipment acquisitions in 2014, as part of its $5bn capital commitment plan.
AXION secures second purchase order for Ecotrax rail ties
Recycled plastic technologies provider AXION International Holdings has secured a second purchase order from an international freight line for its Ecotrax 100% recycled plastic rail ties.
Grindrod and Northwest Rail to develop new 590km cape gauge railway
Grindrod Mauritius, the wholly owned subsidiary of freight service provider Grindrod, and Zambian firm Northwest Rail Company (NWR) have signed an agreement to build, operate and maintain a new 590km cape gauge railway from Chingola to the Angola border.
www.progressiverailroading.com US News New
CN: New pact in place with Teamsters conference; line abandonment plan questioned by Unifor
PHMSA fines three oil companies for misclassifying crude shipments
Metra to establish chief audit officer post
Greenbrier to craft 'Tank Car of the Future,' offer DOT-111 retrofits
CTA awards contract for three station restoration projects
FRA to deploy new track inspection program in North Dakota town, Sen. Heitkamp says
Sound Transit slates open houses for East Link light-rail extension
Confederation Line tunnel construction reaches milestone
US HSR New
$10IN RAIL INVESTMENTS
The Federal Railroad Administration, along with its 32 state partners and the District of Columbia, is laying the foundation for a 21st century passenger rail network. With $10.1 billion in federal funding available through the High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Program, we have invested in more than 150 planning and construction projects.
52 construction projects amounting to $2.7 billion in funding are underway or complete in 21 states and the District of Columbia, and an additional 12 projects amounting to $1.4 billion in funding are expected to be underway in the next six months. 39 projects of all types are substantially complete, while six more are expected to be complete in the next six months. More |
 The Texas Department of Transportation is conducting a study on the benefits of building a high-speed rail connecting Dallas, Waco, Austin and San Antonio. The plans for the rail include 16 trains a day that would run along a dedicated 100-foot right of way. While Texas DOT officials have said the costs of the rail are undetermined, they estimate that it would cost around $10.5 billion.The trains would average 100 to 140 mph and have peak speeds of 220 mph. In addition, officials estimate tickets would be about 80 percent the cost of flying.
A rail system that would connect the four cities along a 300-mile stretch of land is a great idea, especially because it would run through Waco. The study is ongoing and will be completed by the end of the year.
This newly proposed line, along with the other two will be discussed at the upcoming High Speed Rail Summit in Washington, DC February 25-27. More | Dallas | Tex-Mex HSR |
Other News...........
Priority rail investment projects identified - Railway Gazette
Heathrow Airport western rail link could be completed by 2021 - Railway Gazette
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