A look at the Gotthard Tunnel, the working relationship between Alstom and PRASA, and Christian Wolmar's view that Londoners don't want a soulless, staffless Tube system.
Click on the links.....
Headlines
UK
East Midlands Trains staff strike over pay and conditions.(BBC News)
Selby swing bridge closed for repairs.(BBC News)
MP calls for Pokesdown station disabled access.(BBC News)
Labour lines up public-sector rail plan.(heraldscotland)
Labour to allow cooperatives and mutuals to run railway franchises.(The Guardian)
New transport minister vows to curb rising rail fares.(Daily Express)
Victory for HS2 campaigners.(Daventry Express)
Manchester rail link is vital for economy.(The Clitheroe Advertiser and Times)
Uncontrolled evacuation of a London Underground train at Holland Park station.(RAIB)
Londoners don’t want a staffless, soulless Tube system .. (Christian Wolmar)
The London Underground is the single most important piece of public infrastructure in the capital. Over three million people use the Tube each day, to get to work, visit family or see friends. A healthy Underground network is at the heart of a healthy, vibrant London. It is a fantastic system that is the envy of the modern world, but we must ensure we do not neglect our crown jewel.
Later today, I will be addressing a conference on the future of the Underground at Congress House and setting out my Mayoral vision for a people focused Underground built on sound investment and proper engagement with staff and customers.
Firstly, sound investment: This of course means investment in the network and new technologies, but also in the staff. The current Mayor’s vision for the Tube is built on doing away with ticket office staff and drivers. This is a mistake. Having spoken to people at my campaign meetings across the capital it is clear that Londoners don’t want a staffless, soulless Tube system. The millions of people who use it daily want the Tube system to remain safe and welcoming with staff on hand to deal with emergencies and provide information.
The current Mayor’s plans for cabless and driverless new trains are not about improving the system or encouraging people to use the Underground but are part of a campaign to destaff large swathes of the system which will deter many users. In fact, they are a smokescreen. The truth is that for safety reasons, London Tube trains will always need to be staffed because the tunnels are so small and stations so far apart. Moreover, the only convenient place for a staff member would be at the front, so the idea of ‘cabless’ trains are merely a way of suggesting that it is possible to run the service without people which in fact will never happen. It is dishonest anti-union propaganda that needs to be dispelled.
Stations, too, must remain staffed for the whole time they are open. People use the Tube because they know that they are safe and that help is at hand if there is trouble. The unstaffed stations of the National Rail network are often little used at night precisely because people fear for their safety. Even in ticket offices at the lesser used stations, there must always be a member of staff available to help people buy tickets and to provide information for people negotiating the system for the first time. I remember trying to use the metro system in Seoul last year at stations where there were no staff available and the system was difficult to understand. We must ensure the London Underground remains a welcoming place for people and easy to navigate.
Secondly, we must have a management model built on far proper engagement with staff and a Mayor that is willing to listen. The current Mayor has gone out of his way to antagonise workers and has refused to engage with the unions. Moreover, he has used the threat of removing staff from both ticket offices and trains as a way of causing confrontation. A much more co-operative approach with the staff would benefit both sides.
Maintaining the quality of the Underground system is vital. Through proper investment and better engagement between managers and staff, we can ensure that the Underground is able to power London for decades to come.
Translink and the Department for Regional Development have been working in conjunction with the Strategic Investment Board and have identified the potential to create a class leading integrated Public Transport Hub that will be a high class Gateway for Belfast.
Located on the site of the Europa Buscentre and Great Victoria Street Train Station, the new Hub will create an excellent first impression of Belfast as a confident and progressive capital city offering state of the art links to national and international markets, create new jobs, provide investment opportunities, reduce congestion and share and support Belfast’s successful growing economy.
www.translink.co.uk/thehub/
UK Heritage News
International
Cambodia
Work starts to bridge Thailand – Cambodia missing link - Railway Gazette
Canada
Update: Canadian National Railway Q2 Earnings Are Impressive.(seekingalpha)
Mexico
Mexico tenders for high-speed train linking capital and Queretaro.(Reuters)
Peru
Lima metro opens Line 1 extension - Railway Gazette
South Africa
Alstom and PRASA
The Lapa Unit , located in São Paulo , was part of the team Involved in the project PRASA ( Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa ) , one of the largest in the world rail transport . The contract Consists of the supply of 600 trains X ' Ttrapolis Mega , being the first que 20 trains of the project will be produced in Lapa .
Alstom on YouTube
SwitzerlandThe journey through the tube - Safe passage through the Gotthard Base Tunnel
Siemens on YouTube
The longest railway tunnel in the world is under construction in Switzerland: the 57km-long Gotthard Base Tunnel. Passenger trains can run through the tunnel at a maximum speed of 250km/h, and heavy traffic will be transferred to the rails. The control technology for continual monitoring is supplied by Siemens.
Experience a 360° view inside Gotthard Base Tunnel: http://www.siemens.com/innovation/poo...
USA
www.progressiverailroading.com.
Other Railway Press Releases
SmartRail World
SmartRail Speaks: Mr. Atsushi Yokoyama, Director, Technical Center, East Japan Railway Company
Today SmartRail journeys to Tokyo, to gain some insights into our industry from the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) - the largest passenger railway company in the world. Incorporated on 1 April 1987 after being spun off from the government-run Japanese National Railways (JNR), the numbers that JR East support are huge - 59,000+ employees, 1,688 stations, on average 12,784 trains a day travelling across 7,512.6 kilometres transporting 16m passenger a day. To find out some more details of their work both in Japan and abroad we talk to Mr. Atsushi Yokoyama, Director, Technical Center at JR East...
LU: Hello Mr. Yokoyama, asmeans of an introduction, could you inform our readers a little about the international work of the East Japan Railway Companies?
AY: Of course. Currently, JR East is developing an overseas railway consulting business in upstream fields such as business feasibility studies and design around Japan International Consultants for Transportation Co., Ltd. (JIC), a subsidiary JR East established in 2011. We will of course focus on fast-growing Asia as a priority region but we also intend to address railway projects in various other regions.
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Analyst: GE/Alstom deal strengthens Alstom’s competitive position. (Railway Age)
www.railway-technology.com.
MBTA to equip commuter rail lines with new Wi-Fi system
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) in the US has signed a new licence agreement with inMOTION Wireless to install a new Wi-Fi system on its commuter rail line network.
US DoT opens Phase I of Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project
The US Department of Transportation (DoT) has opened Phase I of the $3.14bn Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project, which is also known as Silver Line.
Morocco's ONCF selects Thales consortium for GSM-R
Morocco's national railway operator Office National des Chemins de Fer has selected a Thales consortium to modernise telecommunications on the country's rail network.
Ansaldo STS-led consortium to deploy electromechanical systems on Indian metro
A consortium led by Ansaldo STS has secured a €78m turnkey contract to construct a new metro system in Navi Mumbai, India.
CER - 2nd European Railway Photography Contest
"Railways and modern mobility"
CER is happy to launch the 2nd edition of its European Railway Photography Contest!
The contest is open to residents of the 28 Member States of the European Union, Albania, Bosnia Herzegovina, Georgia, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland and Turkey. Only photos taken in the above mentioned countries can be submitted.
The theme of this year is "Railways and modern mobility". Twelve pictures, highlighting the modern, environmentally-friendly and human dimensions of railways will be selected. Winners will receive each a 200 euros prize.
High resolution photographs (preferably in a horizontal format) should be submitted electronically on this page before 15 October 2014.
For the winning pictures from last year, click here.
Please consult the complete rules of the contest by clicking here.
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