On 14/05/1951 the Talyllyn Railway (Wales) was reopened by the Talyllyn Railway Preservation Society, and generally reckoned to be the first such voluntary body to operate a railway... and still doing so, 63 years later! Congratulations on another milestone to all concerned!
If only the Edinburgh trams were running.... well, the date has been set (31st May 2014), and ticket prices confirmed. And who knows, there could be a time in the future when they are known as Virgin trams....if Sir Richard prevails......That is, if they run consistently, which is not at all obvious, given the strike warnings given by the next would be RMT union leader..
In other news, the Lac Megantic railroad disaster is recalled to mind after details of the prosecution of key individuals in the disaster were announced by the Quebec prosecutor.
And the prospect of a China to US high speed line continues to raise eyebrows...
Click on the links for the full stories....
Headlines
House of Commons Transport Select Committee
The Committee has agreed to publish its Nineteenth Special Report of Session 2013–14, Safety at level crossings: Government Response to the Committee's Eleventh Report of Session 2013–14, (HC 274) at 11.00 am on Friday 16 May 2014.
Media representatives wishing to receive a copy of the document should contact Hannah Pearce pearcehm@parliament.uk.
The report will be available on the Transport Committee’s website shortly after the publication hour has passed.
The Report may also be purchased from TSO—Tel: 08457 023474.
14/05/1951 Talyllyn Railway (Wales) reopened by Talyllyn Railway Preservation Society, generally reckoned to be the first such voluntary body to operate a railway
Recycling railways. (Global Rail News)
Africa
NEW SA-BOTSWANA COAL LINE
COAL LINE SHUTDOWN
LOOTSBERG PASS
TRANSNET MAY GENERATE OWN ELECTRICITY
www.progressiverailroading.com
MARTA revamps information technology department to better serve customers, build employee skill sets
USDOT
BTS Releases Freight Transportation Services Index (TSI)
The amount of freight carried by the for-hire transportation industry rose 1.6 percent in March from February, rising for the second consecutive month, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics’ (BTS) Freight Transportation Services Index (TSI) released today. The March 2014 index level (116.7) was 23.2 percent above the April 2009 low during the most recent recession (Tables 1, 2, and 2A).
The level of freight shipments in March measured by the seasonally-adjusted Freight TSI (116.7) was 0.8 percent below the all-time high level of 117.7 in November 2013 (Table 2A). BTS’ TSI records begin in 2000. See historical TSI data.
The February index was revised to 114.9 from 115.2 in last month’s release. The monthly numbers for October through January were all revised up slightly.
The Freight TSI measures the month-to-month changes in freight shipments by mode of transportation in tons and ton-miles, which are combined into one index. The index measures the output of the for-hire freight transportation industry and consists of data from for-hire trucking, rail, inland waterways, pipelines and air freight.
Analysis: The March increase in the freight index reflected growth in all modes except pipeline. Trucking and rail intermodal grew most rapidly. March was the second month in a row that trucking and rail intermodal were the fastest growing modes. The growth in trucking represented continued recovery from unusually severe winter weather that hampered freight shipments in earlier months. Severe weather can affect the demand for goods to ship as well as the ability to move goods. The decline in the Freight TSI in December and January and its rebound in the succeeding two months took place while GDP growth slowed to an annualized rate of 0.1 percent during the first quarter of 2014 from 2.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2013, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis.
Trend: The freight TSI increased for the second consecutive month after declining in the two previous months. Freight shipments in March were at the third highest all-time level, below only the two highest months: November and December 2013. After dipping to 94.8 in April 2009, the index rose by 23.2 percent in the succeeding 59 months. For additional historical data, go to TSI data.
Index highs and lows: Freight shipments in March 2014 (116.7) were 23.2 percent higher than the recent low in April 2009 during the recession (94.8). The March 2014 level is down 0.8 percent from the historic peak reached in November 2013 (117.7).
Year to date: Freight shipments measured by the index were down 0.2 percent in March compared to the end of 2013 (Table 3)
Long-term trend: Freight shipments are up 21.8 percent in the five years from the recession level of March 2009 and are up 6.1 percent in the 10 years from March 2004 (Table 5).
Same month of previous year: March 2014 freight shipments were up three percent from March 2013 (Tables 4, 5).
1st quarter change: The Freight TSI fell 0.2 percent in the first quarter of 2014 (Table 10).
The TSI has three seasonally adjusted indexes that measures changes from the monthly average of the base year of 2000. The three indexes are freight shipments, passenger travel and a combined measure that merges the freight and passenger indexes. TSI includes data from 2000 to the present. Release of the April 2014 index is scheduled for June 2014.
Passenger Index: The TSI for passengers rose 0.3 percent in March from its February level (Table 6). The Passenger TSI March 2014 level of 117.7 was 1.2 percent above the March 2013 level (Table 7). The index is up 8.6 percent in five years and up 15.0 percent in 10 years (Table 5). The passenger TSI measures the month-to-month changes in travel that involves the services of the for-hire passenger transportation sector. The seasonally adjusted index consists of data from air, local transit and intercity rail.
Combined Index: The combined freight and passenger TSI rose 1.2 percent in March from its February level (Table 8). The combined TSI March 2014 level of 117.1 was 2.5 percent above the March 2013 level (Table 9). The combined index is up 17.6 percent in five years and up 8.5 percent in 10 years (Table 5). The combined TSI merges the freight and passenger indexes into a single index.
Revisions: Monthly data has changed from previous releases due to the use of concurrent seasonal analysis, which results in seasonal analysis factors changing as each months data are added.
For a webinar on the TSI, see Past Webinars. For a video explanation of the TSI, see Overview of the Transportation Services Index. A BTS report explaining the TSI, Transportation Services Index and the Economy, is available for download.
Australia
Published on 13 May 2014
April 2014: This flyover video shows the construction currently taking place as part of the Regional Rail Link project.
Far East, China
GAME CHANGER: Malaysia-Singapore high-speed rail put on fast track.(Malaysia Chronicle)
China Plans to Build High Speed Rail to America.(Sourceable)
Other Railway Press
RailStaff
Jacques Gounon: Imaginative, clever guy
www.railway-technology.com
Network Rail to upgrade railway lines around Colchester station
São Paulo's Line 17 monorail to receive Thales telecommunications systems
VIA Rail to continue passenger rail service on Newcastle subdivision
Sensys to equip Finnish rail network with pantograph monitoring systems
The video starts at the West Werribee Junction where the new rail over rail bridge and the new rail over road bridge is complete. It follows the eventual alignment of the new railway line through Wyndham Vale (including the cutting on the approach to Manor Lakes Blvd where the new station is being built) and Tarneit (where the new station can be seen). Numerous road over rail crossings and waterway crossing structures can also be seen.
The video then follows the existing corridor from Deer Park Sunshine to Southern Cross Station. Major works in this section include the new Sunshine railway station building, the new West Footscray railway station, the Anderson Road level crossing grade separations, works underway at the Footscray station, and the new Maribyrnong River rail bridge.
Find out more about the project at www.regionalraillink.vic.gov.au
Eurotunnel’s 20th anniversary marks a personal triumph for Jacques Gounon, the quietly spoken headmaster’s son from Créteil in south-east Paris.
Crossrail’s operations director, Howard Smith, talks to Marc Johnson about where the project is going in 2014.
During the last week of April, professionals from across the freight industry gathered at Birmingham’s NEC for the annual Multimodal exhibition.
Railway stations have always been inspiring places. The neo-classical columns of Huddersfield, Penn Central in New York and the Gare du Nord in Paris were built as statements of faith in the future.
Colin Wheeler reflects on the key messages that came out of this year's Rail Safety Summit.
See the full digital edition here - now downloadable
UK's Network Rail is set to upgrade the tracks around Colchester station to meet the increasing passenger traffic on the Great Eastern Main Line, with an investment of £7m .
São Paulo's Line 17 monorail to receive Thales telecommunications systems
Brazil's Companhia do Metropolitano de São Paulo (CMSP) has contracted Thales to deliver integrated telecommunications systems for Line 17-Gold of the São Paulo monorail.
VIA Rail to continue passenger rail service on Newcastle subdivision
Canada Transport Minister Lisa Raitt and New Brunswick Premier David Alward have announced that VIA Rail and the Canadian National Railway (CN) have entered into a tentative agreement to continue VIA's passenger rail service on the Newcastle subdivision.
Sensys to equip Finnish rail network with pantograph monitoring systems
Swedish traffic safety and informatics developer Sensys Traffic has secured a contract from Finnish Transport Agency for the supply of train pantograph monitoring systems.
Think Railways
Critical Thinking
José Viegas, Secretary-General of ITF: “I do hope that the current geopolitical crisis will not harm the prospects of better and more Eurasian land transport”
Critical thinking in railway transport development in a dialogue with Mr. José Viegas, Secretary-General of the International Transport Forum, on the macro factors impacting on the sector. TR: The International Transport Forum – 2014 Annual Summit will focus on analysing the major factors that change our world and on identifying solutions to keep the transport sector agile in facing these trends. Thinking of railway transport, which one of the economic, political, social or technological factors do you consider having the greatest impact on its development?JV: They are not profoundly different from those that affect other modes. Demographic change will mean urban rail transport will become much more important, as people in emerging countries flood into cities. And ageing societies in the west mean rail will become more important as a mode that is more suited to the needs of elderly than cars are. New technology provides huge possibilities for a mode like rail that is a mass-transport mode bound to timetables, because real-time passenger information can take away some of the inconvenience of having to wait for a train. New technology also changes the infrastructure side, with smart sensors making maintenance much easier and more cost effective, and new construction technologies pushing the frontier of what is possible. Just think of the planned Fehmarn Belt tunnel between Germany and Denmark, for which construction will start next year. It will be the longest “sunk” tunnel in the world, and it will cut rail travel time from Copenhagen to Hamburg to just over two and a half hours. Read more
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