International & UK Railway News Thursday 29th May 2014

 Total Railway News






Devastating floods in Serbia and Bosnia have moved the international community to lend financial assistance to help recover the damaged infrastructure of the affected areas as quickly as possible.
Not an easy undertaking. Floods and disasters of this kind seem to be the norm in the early part of the 21st century.


Of course, disasters of any sort leave their mark. It is of interest to note the stoic response of those who were affected personally by the Cheadle Hulme (Lollipop Express) crash, which claimed lives 50 years ago.


The famous Caledonian Sleeper service has been awarded to Serco, but not to everyone's liking, it seems.
And will electrification of the main line extend beyond Cardiff?


And just when you thought that high speed rail was the answer, Russian Railways are apparently thinking on the idea of maglev technology for , according to one scientist, "building of railways on the basis of mag-lev technologies, amid the harsh climatic conditions of Russia’s North would be very reasonable and will associate with significant benefits."


To read the full stories, click on the links...



Headlines



Delivering a better railway for the North West and West Midlands.(Network Rail)
Our upgrade of the West Coast Main Line has been one of the transformational successes of the last decade. Looking ahead to 2019, the landscape across the London North Western route will have dramatically shifted again.
By then, tens of thousands of passengers will be travelling on electric trains across the north west. The fantastic new facilities at Birmingham New Street will have become part of the daily lives of millions of people.
The improvements at Manchester Victoria will have made daily life easier for hundreds of thousands of passengers. The Northern Hub will be driving economic growth by better connecting the great cities across the north of England: Liverpool, Manchester and on to Yorkshire and the North East. 
This is the reality of investing in the railway – investment makes a real difference to people’s lives. The nature of rail investment means that the benefits can sometimes be seen only on the horizon, but as soon as they are complete they change the way that people live their lives....











In June 2013, Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin confirmed Siemens plc and Cross London Trains had been awarded a contract to build 1,140 state-of-the-art carriages for the Thameslink route.

Most, if not all, trains on the expanded Thameslink route will be new by the end of 2018, with the first new trains entering service in 2016.
They will run on both the Thameslink and Great Northern routes significantly increasing capacity. By the end of 2018, Thameslink trains will flow into and out of central London every 2-3 minutes at the busiest times - a metro-style service of up to 24 trains per hour in each direction across the Capital.

Better performance and more space

These lighter, energy-efficient trains will cause less wear to the track, allowing faster acceleration, more efficient braking and greater reliability for passengers.
Many trains used on the Thameslink route will be longer with 8 or 12 carriages.
They will also be far more intelligent. Advanced technology will deliver faster, real-time updates and travel information. Design features include more space for luggage, improved access for people with reduced mobility and air conditioning.
For more information on the new trains, including facts and figure, click here.

Kirkstall Forge and Apperley Bridge rail stations get go-ahead.(BBC News)

 

Great Central Railway museum £10m lottery bid fails.(BBC News)

 

LS Lowry's Station Approach, Manchester in rare public showing.(BBC News)

 

The Lollipop Express train crash remembered 50 years on.(BBC News)

 

Serco awarded contract to run the famous Caledonian Sleeper railway line.(The Independent)

 

Anger as Serco is awarded London sleeper contract.(heraldscotland)

 

Welsh Government pushed to make a definite commitment to rail electrification beyond Cardiff to Swansea .(WalesOnline)


Dunrobin – The Little Royal Engine

 

Africa

Transportation is fundamental in the growth and development of Africa's economy and its people. Africa's richness in natural resources creates a need for safe, secure and reliable transportation services and opportunities in order for exportation and importation.

The costs of transport in Africa are some of the highest globally and are particularly high in landlocked African countries.

The need for improved security infrastructure and resources has grown exponentially and runs across all modes of transportation.

Download the eBook here>

Serbia
The economic cost of the floods in Serbia and Bosnia.(EBRD)
(extract)


The devastating floods in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina have already damaged their economies and will hit growth and inflation in the future as well..
Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina have suffered their worst flooding since records began, with some 60 people killed in the disaster and well over a million affected by damage to housing, schools or hospitals, arable land or public infrastructure.


While the shocked reaction to the sight of the floodwaters has so far focussed on the suffering caused by the devastation, it is probably time to start looking at the economic damage they will inflict as well. It is likely to be substantial.    


No official estimates as to the cost of this natural disaster are available as yet. However, some very rough preliminary estimates put the damage at around €1.5-2 billion in Serbia, and about €1.3 billion in Bosnia and Herzegovina.


Power generation and mining has been heavily disrupted, especially in Serbia, where the damage to the state-owned power company EPS is likely to be extremely costly.
Serbia’s largest mining complex Kolubara, crucial for the country’s energy system as it provides coal to the thermal power plants that produce more than 50 per cent of the energy Serbia needs, has been flooded.


Roads and railways (as well as water supply and energy transmission infrastructure) have been badly hit too, which will cause major problems for the free movement of goods and people and affect businesses across the region.
To make matters worse, the stricken areas in Bosnia are also at risk from mines, a legacy of the war in the 1990s, dislodged by the floods and landslides. And public health is under threat from the contamination of drinking water supplies and therefore disease.

EBRD helps Bosnia and Herzegovina to recover from the floods

EBRD Vice President for Policy travels to the affected areas

As part of the regional flood response, the EBRD will place a priority on the rehabilitation of damaged roads, railways and water supply systems as well as damaged power stations and transmission and distribution networks. In the private sector, the Bank is looking to provide extra capital to SMEs, especially in the agribusiness and farming sectors. Longer term, the Bank will also place an emphasis on working with authorities to develop improved flood protection systems and help reduce the risk of such widespread damage in the future. Support from the EBRD will be provided in coordination with other international financial institutions.

Taiwan

 

High-speed rail posts NT$52.2 billion in accumulated losses (update)(FocusTaiwan)

 

United States of America

 

 

PTC: Meeting the Challenge and Getting It Right(freightrailworks on YouTube)

 

Positive train control (PTC) describes technology designed to automatically stop or slow a train before certain accidents occur. In particular, PTC is designed to prevent train-to-train collisions, derailments caused by excessive speed, unauthorized incursions by trains onto sections of track where repairs are being made and movement of a train through a track switch left in the wrong position.

USDOT
BTS Releases March North American Freight Numbers(extract)

Trade by Mode

            In March, commodities moving by pipeline grew the most of any mode, 25.2 percent. Vessel freight increased 9.9 percent, air rose 6.7 percent and truck freight rose 6.3 percent. Rail declined 5.2 percent from year to year (Figure 1, Table 2). The increase in the value of freight carried by pipelines reflects both a rise in the volume and prices for oil and other petroleum products, the primary commodity transported by pipelines.

Although the value of freight carried by rail decreased from year to year, rail remained the second largest mode moving 14.8 percent of all U.S.-NAFTA trade, followed by vessel at 8.4 percent, pipeline at 8.2 percent and air at 3.7 percent. The surface transportation modes of truck, rail and pipeline carried 83.1 percent of the total U.S.-NAFTA freight flows (Table 2).

 

 U.S.-Canada trade by rail declined 10.5 percent, with a 15.0 percent fall in imports, due in part to a decrease in trade of vehicles and parts (Figure 2, Tables 2, 4).


With U.S.-Mexico trade more dependent on trucks than trade on the northern border, a 10.2 percent rise in truck freight fueled the overall 8.8 percent increase in southern border trade.
Trucks carried 67.4 percent of the $44.9 billion of freight to and from Mexico, followed by rail at 14.0 percent, vessel at 12.2 percent, air at 2.9 percent and pipeline at 0.9 percent. The surface transportation modes of truck, rail and pipeline carried 82.3 percent of the total U.S.-Mexico freight flows (Table 6). 

www.progressiverailroading.com

 

Senators announce $235 million in Sandy relief grants for NJ Transit, PATH
 
All Aboard Florida unveils plans for Miami station
 
Squires assumes additional responsibilities at NS
 
Short Lines: OmniTRAX affiliate acquires Sand Springs Railway; Koile assumes sales role at Nebraska Central
 
Miller succeeds Begeman as STB's vice chair
 
Caltrain seeks public feedback on long-term strategy
 
Committee to prioritize project recipients for Oregon funding program
 
Massachusetts' CapeFlyer service posts ridership growth during Memorial Day weekend






Russia
Maglev trains could be launched in Russian North.(RailwayBulletin.com)
Climate effective for maglev
                 
The Russian government is considering building a railway network, based on maglev technologies in the northern parts of the country, as a result of numerous researches, conducted by Russian scientists.
According to Anatoly Kisselenko, a senior researcher of the Institute for Socio- economic and energy problems in North Komi" building of railways on the basis of mag-lev technologies, amid the harsh climatic conditions of Russia’s North would be very reasonable and will associate with significant benefits.
According to scientists, taking into account the geographical and climatic characteristics of the Russian North, maglev train may be more effective in comparison with other modes of transport. According to specialists, on long distances of 850-1000 km maglev trains will be more effective, compared to road, rail and air transport.

Russian Railways


May 24, 2014

Russian Railways to take part in reconstruction of Serbian transport infrastructure affected by floods Experts from RZD International LLC, a subsidiary of Russian Railways which implements infrastructure projects abroad on behalf of the RZD holding company, and the Serbian Project Institute have began surveying the damage to Serbia's transport infrastructure caused during the severe floods recently. Experts have already identified 700 active landslides, and more than 20 national and hundreds of municipal railway lines have been damaged. At greatest risk are the Belgrade - Bar line (Corridor XI) and Corridor X, where 52 sections of lines, including bridges, have been damaged according to preliminary estimates. Reconstruction work will begin after a Serbian Railways' commission has approved project solutions. It is planned that 60 Russian and Serbian experts, as well as 50 pieces of equipment, will be involved. The combined forces of RZD International and the subcontractors to be involved will reconstruct the damaged stretches on International Corridor XI – Belgrade - Bar line. Its reconstruction was already provided for in a contract signed in December 2013, with work on the stretch previously been scheduled to begin in 2015. Following the floods, however, work will now be brought forward. The reconstruction work planned by RZD International LLC will provide substantial assistance to the Serbian side to overcome the consequences of the floods.   Russian Railways expands cooperation with Finnish Railways "Logistics has always been one of the pillars on which the close links between the economies of Finland and Russia have been built for more than half a century. Together with Finnish Railways, Russian Railways is now for the first time beginning to establish joint subsidiaries in the field of container logistics and rolling stock operations. Time has shown that these solutions were correct and experienced demand on the market," said Vladimir Yakunin, President of Russian Railways and Co-Chairman of the Russian-Finnish Business Council. Yakunin was speaking during a business roundtable on developing integrated logistics in order to lift Finnish-Russian economic integration to a new level. The roundtable was held at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum According to Yakunin, passenger traffic in recent years had grown by up to 30% per annum. A key role in this increase has been played by a new transport product, the Allegro high-speed train operating between St. Petersburg and Helsinki. In 2014, Russia and Finland started trial runs of transporting freight using paperless electronic invoices. All the technical issues should be resolved by the end of the year, and the service is scheduled to be launched in 2015. These documents are used not only during the actual transportation, but also for decision-making by the customs and border services and other supervisory bodies in the two countries. It is no exaggeration to say that this move represents a technological revolution in the design of cross-border international traffic and creates new business opportunities. Vladimir Yakunin said that in the near future, Russian Railways was planning to launch a completely new product jointly with Finnish Railways - piggyback container shipments. Experts on both sides are currently working out issues of pricing, marketing and improving customs procedures in order to create a competitive product. "All of this is a graphic illustration that logistics is a powerful driver of Russian- Finnish relations. It is important to understand how logistics can be exploited to an even greater extent in order to develop the border regions of both Russia and Finland and which additional synergistic effects can be discovered," said Vladimir Yakunin. Comprehensive audit of Moscow - Kazan High-Speed Line project presented at SPIEF The construction project for a high-speed railway line between Moscow – Vladimir – Nizhny Novgorod – Kazan was presented to participants at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on 22 May 2014. The line is designed for trains travelling at up to 400 kph. The event was attended by Alexander Misharin, First Vice-President of Russian Railways, Svetlana Orlova, Governor of Vladimir region, Rustam Minnikhanov, President of the Republic of Tatarstan, Valery Shantsev, Governor of Nizhny Novgorod and representatives from international and Russian railways, auditing and construction companies. During the presentation, the results of the technical audit and price feasibility study for the construction of the first domestic high-speed rail were presented. As Alexander Misharin noted in his address, Russian and international auditors confirmed the stated cost of constructing the Moscow - Kazan line at 1.06 trillion roubles, of which the state will invest about 380 billion roubles. Oliver Pitz, CEO of DB International GmbH, presented the results of the project's technical audit and confirmed its compliance with international standards. Olga Arkhangelsk, a Partner at EY, spoke about the work done in preparing the project: a comparison of the project with its international counterparts was presented which showed the structure of the construction costs by region. During the project presentation, regional leaders put forward an initiative to establish an Association of Mayors and Governors of Regions Linked by the Moscow –Kazan – Yekaterinburg High-Speed ​​Line and Moscow – Rostov- on-Don – Adler High-Speed ​​Line. In addition to mayors and governors of regions in the high-speed rail network, the Association will also include state and federal politicians and public figures, as well as transport industry professionals. The aim of the Association will be to collaborate on promoting the advancement and implementation of high-speed ​​line projects in the Russian Federation. During the presentation, it was announced that the President of the Republic of Tatarstan, the head of the Chuvash Republic and the governors of Nizhny Novgorod and Vladimir regions had made ​​a written appeal to President Vladimir Putin asking him to support the project to build a high-speed rail line between Moscow – Kazan. "Improving transport accessibility will strengthen ties between Russia's largest cities. The construction of this line is supported by more than 80% of the population living in our regions," said the regional leaders in their letter. Caspian corridor agreement.(railwaygazette) Railway Gazette reports on the agreement by Iran, Azerbaijan and Russia to complete the 167 km missing section of the planned north–south corridor along the west of the Caspian Sea.     Other Railway Press SmartRail World $1 million a year revenue boost is the target as BART approves platform digital displays for advertising and news. The Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Board has voted to move forward with converting up to 34 existing poster ads located in three downtown San Francisco stations to 17 digital screens that will display a mix of advertising, news, weather and BART messages. The rapid transit system serves the San Francisco Bay Area and has an average of 373,945 weekday passengers, 176,616 Saturday passengers, and 119,247 Sunday passengers making it the fifth-busiest heavy rail rapid transit system in the United States and an appealing platform for advertisers. Many of BART's passengers work in tech industries so this form of advertising links particularly with a tech-savvy crowd.  Read more »   www.railway-technology.com Transport Scotland selects Serco to operate new £800m Sleeper rail franchise Transport Scotland has selected Serco Group to handle the 15-year rail franchise for the Caledonian Sleeper service.            Light Rail Manila consortium bids for $1.5bn LRT 1 extension project A consortium led by Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC) has submitted its bid for the Phillipine Government's $1.5bn Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT 1) cavite renovation and expansion project in Manila.            Alstom tests ISM module for railway operational security French train maker Alstom has showcased the performance of the integrated security manager (ISM) module for its Iconis integrated control centre.            Bombardier supplies TRAXX diesel multi-engine trains to SOB Bombardier Transportation has delivered its TRAXX multi-engine diesel trains to German railway network Südostbayernbahn (SOB).   www.think-railways.com Headline articles.... EU backing realization of all planned infrastructure projects in Ukraine Principal tasks of today for the Infrastructure Ministry of Ukraine are to create conditions for shipment of domestic goods to the European countries, to use in full the transit potential of the country and draw investments into modernization of Ukraine’s infrastructure. The Infrastructure Minister of Ukraine Maxym Burbak stressed on opening on May 27 a plenary session of the International Transport Week in Odessa. “Ukraine has signed already the political section of the Association Agreement with the EU, and we are expecting, based on the statements of the European partners, to sign in the near future FTA as well, not to mention that now frontiers of the EU were opened in one direction for our goods, so we, being transporters, must ensure their transit along Europe. More Bombardier Delivers TRAXX Diesel Multi-engine Locomotives to Sudostbayernbahn in Germany Bombardier Transportation has started delivering its innovative BOMBARDIER TRAXXdiesel multi-engine locomotives. One of the first customers, Südostbayernbahn (SOB), presented the locomotive on the SOB premises in Mühldorf, Germany. More Half of Romania’s rail network might be transformed into bicycle and pedestrian lanes According to the Memorandum on “Measures to improve the efficiency of the Romanian railway sector necessary to approve the General Transport Master Plan of Romania”, between 25% and 40% of the 20.077 km national railway network of is subject to closure or leasing to a private operator. In the case of closure, the document suggest building bicycles lines or pedestrian areas. More China to finance electrification of Tehran-Mashhad railway Iran plans to electrify Tehran-Mashhad railway in joint venture with a Chinese investor. Manager of the Electrification Project of Iran’s Railways Qassem Saketi told FNA that his department is now “obtaining the necessary licenses for implementing the project through 85 percent of foreign finance”. More WELCOME EVERYONE TO OUR THIRD ISSUE OF ON-TRACK NEWS Welcome everyone to our third issue of On-Track News. We now have a circulation of over 40,000 readers globally, overwhelmingly surpassing all our expectations with subscription numbers growing by the week. Our YouTube channel and website have also benefitted significantly, attracting a considerable increase in traffic, and, we've just launched our new Facebook page. We sincerely hope that you will find this issue of On-Track News informative and an enjoyable read. All newsletters are archived on our website. Feel free to download and circulate On-Track News to your contacts. NEWS AND EVENTS As a global player, we like to keep you up to date with what's happening and where. Network Rail 18th and 19th June Long Marston, Warwickshire, UK Network Rail, in association with The Rail Alliance, The Rail Engineer and Macrail, is proud to present Rail Live 2014: a showcase for railway infrastructure. 2014 will see the whole rail industry continue to embark on one of the longest sustained periods of investment the railway has seen since Victorian times. Network Rail will be continuing its focus on safety and delivering value for money through working more closely with suppliers. Exhibitors: Vortok International Network Rail 18th and 19th June Our sister company Vortok offer an incredible range of internationally acclaimed, award winning products. One of these commended products will feature at Rail Live; the Vortok Stressing Rollers (VSRs) VSRs are the most productive and safest roller system in the world and can reduce possession times significantly. Their radical approach and thinking to the management of rail stressing has resulted in Vortok becoming the undisputed leaders in this field. Press Releases Alstom   Alstom participates in the European PROTECTRAIL security programme and presents the ISM module for its Iconis Plateform. 27/05/2014 Alstom, alongside about thirty other European companies, has been taking part in the PROTECTRAIL1 programme which has just come to an end after four years of product development. The company has successfully demonstrated the performance of the ISM2 module for its Iconis Integrated Control Centre. The module is fully integrated into the Iconis supervision software, and is specially designed for railway operations, to counter terrorist attacks, vandalism, malicious acts, armed attacks and other day-to-day operational problems. Alstom's Iconis Integrated Control Centre is capable of supervising and monitoring all aspects of an operator’s network.   As part of the PROTECTRAIL programme, the solutions offered by the various parties involved in the transport sector were tested in the presence of a number of European clients (SNCF and RATP from France, PKP from Poland, TCDD from Turkey and ItalCertifer Scpa from Italy for example) to evaluate their precise needs and obtain initial feedback. Alstom was thus able to verify that its ISM module can be incorporated equally well into not only its own existing fleets but also into those of its competitors.   Alstom's solution facilitates better global traffic security management on a day-to-day basis, both out on the track and within stations. "Our solution stands out from the others because it is highly intuitive for operators in the sector," explains Pascal Cléré, Alstom Transport's Senior Vice-President for the Transport Information Solutions division. "The solutions offered so far were created primarily for the aeronautical industry and then used for rail."   European rail operators must deal with abuse on a daily basis, including problems such as vandalism, alarms being triggered unnecessarily etc. A feeling of security is a key factor for the majority of passengers in deciding whether to use the rail network.