A headline regarding New York City says..NYC Can't Afford to Build the Second Avenue Subway, and It Can't Afford Not To... which rather echoes sentiments expressed elsewhere around the globe by countries anxious to improve their transport, especially rail, infrastructure .
Wales would rather like better transport links in the north... so perhaps the UK Parliament's Transport Select Committee's remarks about Community Rail Partnerships are very apropos.
Though progress should not be made at the expense of safety..which is the thrust of the Press Release from the Office of Rail Regulation(ORR)..
Click on the links for more details.....
Headlines
UK
Birmingham tunnels: How to take pressure off city's roads?(BBC News).
Call for better transport links across north Wales.(BBC News).
What's happening in the North? - Network Rail.
Police crackdown on people using train stations as toilets.(BBC News)..
Fresh attempt to settle rail electrification row.(ITV Wales).
Hitachi's hi-tech train offers new levels of comfort.(heraldscotland).
East Anglia: Task force out to improve rail reliability.(EADT24).
New light rail networks key to spreading the benefits of HS2.(eurotransport).
HS1′s Economic Effects on Kent still unassessed.(StopHS2).
Groupe Eurotunnel SA: Results and Traffic up in the First Half of 2014.(Wall Street Journal). .
Vossloh España unveils Direct Rail Services Class 68 - Railway Gazette.
Crossrail
22 July 2014
PRESS RELEASE
Crossrail casts its final concrete tunnel segment
· Kent-based team of 120 play a crucial role in the delivery of Crossrail
· River transport of tunnel segments saved 10,000 lorry movements
· Crossrail tunnels are now 82% complete
Crossrail has manufactured the last of its 250,000 concrete segments, used to line the tunnels of Europe’s largest infrastructure project.
The final piece was cast at a specially built Crossrail factory in Chatham, Kent. The factory has produced 110,000 tunnel segments to line Crossrail’s 12km long eastern twin tunnels, from east London to Farringdon. Segments for the western tunnels from Royal Oak to Paddington were manufactured at a separate facility at Old Oak Common. Segments for the Thames Tunnel between Plumstead and North Woolwich were manufactured in Ireland.
At peak, the Chatham factory operated 24 hours a day, five days per week and on average manufactured 330 segments per day. Each segment weighs 3.4 tonnes. Seven segments and a key stone form a complete tunnel ring in the new Crossrail eastern tunnels, which are being built by joint venture Dragados Sisk.
The Chatham factory sustained 120 jobs for local people, including two apprentices. Maidstone-based Brett Concrete supplied 140,000 cubic metres of concrete for the segments and Medway Ports facilitated 260 river barge movements from Chatham to Limmo Peninsula, near Canning Town, where segments feed Crossrail’s 1,000 tonne tunnel boring machines. Using river transport removed approximately 10,000 lorry journeys from the roads of Kent and east London.
Andrew Wolstenholme, Crossrail Chief Executive said: “Crossrail is Europe’s largest construction project with an immense supply chain spread across the country. The team at Chatham have done a superb job supplying our eastern tunnels with concrete segments.”
Crossrail worked closely with the Port of London Authority (PLA), who shared their marine expertise to support the supply of tunnel segments by river.
James Trimmer, PLA’s director of planning and environment said: “Crossrail has really made the most of the river, both for shifting tunnelling spoil away and getting essential materials like the tunnel linings to site. Their use of the river has taken the tonnage of freight moved on the Thames to record levels.”
When Crossrail opens it will increase London's rail-based transport network capacity by 10%, supporting regeneration and cutting journey times across the city. Crossrail services are due to commence through central London in 2018.
ENDS
Office of Rail Regulation(ORR)
'Manage increases in rail traffic safely', warns rail regulator
22 July 2014
The Office of Rail Regulation's (ORR) annual safety report published today warns the industry of safety challenges in managing record levels of rail traffic and calls for better infrastructure management. Britain's railways remain amongst the safest in Europe, however latest data highlights an increase in track workers coming to harm and safety incidents on platforms, such as when passengers get on and off trains.
ORR's latest health and safety report provides an in-depth analysis of statistical trends with insight from its inspectors' 'on the ground' interventions. The report shows that Britain's railways continue to have one of the best safety records in Europe, with passenger and workforce fatality rates well below the European average. Britain is ranked best at managing passenger and level crossing safety, and among the best at managing employee and public safety.
However, ORR's report highlights Network Rail must improve its management of the network so that it predicts and prevents problems before they create a safety risk or cause disruption for passengers. In the past year, ORR took enforcement action to address serious issues which impact on safety, including earthworks which were too overgrown to be inspected, and increases in repeat track twist faults. The industry also faces pressures from rising passenger numbers, up 5.7% to more than 1.5 billion passenger journeys in 2013-14. Managing crowd congestion is a major challenge on stations and platforms, particularly during service disruptions and temporary construction works. ORR inspectors will be working with the industry as it develops a long-term strategy on station crowd safety.
The report also shows that workforce safety continues to be a significant challenge for the industry. The trend in track workers being injured increased to its highest level in seven years, with 79 workers suffering major injuries and 1,641 reported minor injuries. There were also three rail worker fatalities during the past year, subject to ORR's on-going investigations. The regulator wants to see rapid progress across the industry to introduce new technology and reduce risks and protect workers. ORR has approved more than £250m in funding to improve protection and warning systems for track workers.
ORR's Director of Railway Safety, Ian Prosser, said:
The Office of Rail Regulation's (ORR) annual safety report published today warns the industry of safety challenges in managing record levels of rail traffic and calls for better infrastructure management. Britain's railways remain amongst the safest in Europe, however latest data highlights an increase in track workers coming to harm and safety incidents on platforms, such as when passengers get on and off trains.
ORR's latest health and safety report provides an in-depth analysis of statistical trends with insight from its inspectors' 'on the ground' interventions. The report shows that Britain's railways continue to have one of the best safety records in Europe, with passenger and workforce fatality rates well below the European average. Britain is ranked best at managing passenger and level crossing safety, and among the best at managing employee and public safety.
However, ORR's report highlights Network Rail must improve its management of the network so that it predicts and prevents problems before they create a safety risk or cause disruption for passengers. In the past year, ORR took enforcement action to address serious issues which impact on safety, including earthworks which were too overgrown to be inspected, and increases in repeat track twist faults. The industry also faces pressures from rising passenger numbers, up 5.7% to more than 1.5 billion passenger journeys in 2013-14. Managing crowd congestion is a major challenge on stations and platforms, particularly during service disruptions and temporary construction works. ORR inspectors will be working with the industry as it develops a long-term strategy on station crowd safety.
The report also shows that workforce safety continues to be a significant challenge for the industry. The trend in track workers being injured increased to its highest level in seven years, with 79 workers suffering major injuries and 1,641 reported minor injuries. There were also three rail worker fatalities during the past year, subject to ORR's on-going investigations. The regulator wants to see rapid progress across the industry to introduce new technology and reduce risks and protect workers. ORR has approved more than £250m in funding to improve protection and warning systems for track workers.
ORR's Director of Railway Safety, Ian Prosser, said:
Britain's railways continue to report one of the best safety records in Europe, particularly for passengers on trains and at level crossings. Despite this success, there is no room for complacency. Station and platform safety presents a major challenge as the industry faces pressures from rising numbers of passengers and trains, and the large volume of enhancement projects underway to improve the rail network.
The regulator has approved dedicated funding for the next five years to improve the safety and performance of Britain's railways. More than £250m has been allocated for better track worker protection and £100m made available to close level crossings. ORR's on-going programme of targeted inspections will focus on station management, electrical and worker safety, level crossings and the condition of tracks, bridges and tunnels, to ensure that there is no compromise on safety.
A proactive approach to managing risk on the railways is both the safest and most efficient way of working. ORR will work with the rail industry to improve its management and culture so that it 'predicts and prevents' problems before they create a safety risk or cause disruption, protecting all those travelling or working on Britain's railways.This year's report highlights a number of successes, including:
- Network Rail helped to improve safety at levels crossings across Britain, with more than 800 closed over the past five years.
- The well-managed industry response to severe weather across the rail network. This required the rail industry to work together and ensure the safety of passengers and staff while continuing to run services as normally as possible. Network Rail is now better at managing the safety risks associated with severe weather and there were fewer incidents of trains running into landslips or hitting trees than in previous storms.
- Transport for London (TfL) continues to maintain a high-level of safety for its passengers and workforce with ever-increasing passenger numbers and service frequency. There were 1.72 billion passenger journeys on TfL systems in 2013, with no railway operational-caused fatalities. ORR inspectors found that well practiced station monitoring procedures are used to ensure the risks from station crowd congestion are properly managed.
- The industry has worked hard to make platforms safe for passengers, but overall harm to people at the platform train interface has increased. There were four fatalities and over 1,250 other platform related injuries in 2013-14. As passenger numbers grow and station improvements continue this is a priority. The industry's long-term strategy on station crowd safety, currently under development, will be supported by research into passenger behaviours and use of new technologies such as automated passenger congestion monitoring systems.
- The number of signals passed at danger (SPAD – where a train passes a red stop signal without permission) increased by 17%, with 293 of the highest risk category occurring across the mainline rail network in 2013-14. ORR inspectors continue to challenge train operators' to reduce SPAD numbers, focussing on driver training and management. The regulator is also pressing train operators to upgrade on-board equipment which applies an emergency brake if the driver makes an error.
- ORR inspections found too many instances where work was taking place without appropriate risk assessment. Examples include workers at height with insufficient protection, such as handrails, netting or other risk control equipment. The regulator has taken enforcement action, including prosecution, to force improvement and continues to focus attention on this issue.
Network Rail
Rail operating centre officially opened in Manchester
A new signalling centre which will eventually control large parts of the railway in the north west of England has been officially opened in Manchester.
The leader of Manchester City Council, Sir Richard Leese, was joined by representatives from Network Rail, TransPennine Express and Northern Rail to formally open the state-of-the-art rail operating centre (ROC) earlier today (21 July).
The rail operating centre, near Ashburys station in Manchester, is one of 12 which will eventually manage the entire rail network across Britain, replacing more than 800 signal boxes and other operational locations currently used to control trains.
All 12 centres will have more advanced signalling tools and technology that will help reduce delays, improve performance, increase capacity, provide better information to passengers and offer better value for money for passengers and taxpayers.
Sir Richard Leese, leader of Manchester City Council, said: “This new centre will be an important part of a major overhaul of the north west's rail network, vastly improving the service and making it easier for tens of thousands of people to access jobs in and around Manchester using public transport.”
Jim Syddall, Network Rail’s acting route managing director for the north west region, said: “This new rail operating centre means that Manchester will be one of the most important places on the railway map in the north west.
“When fully operational, it will help to boost performance, increase capacity and provide a better level of service to passengers across the north west and help the railway recover more efficiently during periods of disruption.
“As well as contributing to a better railway, it will also help boost the local economy and help with the regeneration of this part of the city, with several hundred jobs to eventually be relocated here.”
A spokesperson for First TransPennine Express and Northern Rail said: "The railway across the north of England is subject to massive investment and improvement and the dedicated signalling centre at Ashbury's is another example of that.
"It will allow for teams from Network Rail and rail operators such as FTPE and Northern to work more closely together thus ensuring that customers benefit from quick and collaborative decision making.
“This type of investment will allow for improved service reliability and performance which benefits everyone."
The line between Huyton and Roby, near Liverpool, is the first section of railway being controlled from the Manchester ROC following the recent resignalling and upgrade work carried out earlier this month. The next sections of railway to be controlled from the ROC will be parts of central and north Manchester in 2015.
Later this year the ROC will be home to Network Rail, TransPennine Express and Northern control staff who monitor the operational railway and help to deal with incidents as and when they arise. Working together in the same building as the increasing number of signallers will help the railway industry as a whole react to disruption in a quicker and more efficient way, reducing delays and providing passengers with better, more accurate real time information.
Over the next 20 years all of the railway in the north west of England will be controlled from the ROC, bordered by Crewe to the south, Todmorden in the east, Carlisle in the north and the Welsh border to the west.
When fully operational, up to 400 staff will work from the ROC, operating the railway 24 hours a day.
Construction of the ROC building was carried out by Morgan Sindall on behalf of Network Rail.
The rail operating centre, near Ashburys station in Manchester, is one of 12 which will eventually manage the entire rail network across Britain, replacing more than 800 signal boxes and other operational locations currently used to control trains.
All 12 centres will have more advanced signalling tools and technology that will help reduce delays, improve performance, increase capacity, provide better information to passengers and offer better value for money for passengers and taxpayers.
Sir Richard Leese, leader of Manchester City Council, said: “This new centre will be an important part of a major overhaul of the north west's rail network, vastly improving the service and making it easier for tens of thousands of people to access jobs in and around Manchester using public transport.”
Jim Syddall, Network Rail’s acting route managing director for the north west region, said: “This new rail operating centre means that Manchester will be one of the most important places on the railway map in the north west.
“When fully operational, it will help to boost performance, increase capacity and provide a better level of service to passengers across the north west and help the railway recover more efficiently during periods of disruption.
“As well as contributing to a better railway, it will also help boost the local economy and help with the regeneration of this part of the city, with several hundred jobs to eventually be relocated here.”
A spokesperson for First TransPennine Express and Northern Rail said: "The railway across the north of England is subject to massive investment and improvement and the dedicated signalling centre at Ashbury's is another example of that.
"It will allow for teams from Network Rail and rail operators such as FTPE and Northern to work more closely together thus ensuring that customers benefit from quick and collaborative decision making.
“This type of investment will allow for improved service reliability and performance which benefits everyone."
The line between Huyton and Roby, near Liverpool, is the first section of railway being controlled from the Manchester ROC following the recent resignalling and upgrade work carried out earlier this month. The next sections of railway to be controlled from the ROC will be parts of central and north Manchester in 2015.
Later this year the ROC will be home to Network Rail, TransPennine Express and Northern control staff who monitor the operational railway and help to deal with incidents as and when they arise. Working together in the same building as the increasing number of signallers will help the railway industry as a whole react to disruption in a quicker and more efficient way, reducing delays and providing passengers with better, more accurate real time information.
Over the next 20 years all of the railway in the north west of England will be controlled from the ROC, bordered by Crewe to the south, Todmorden in the east, Carlisle in the north and the Welsh border to the west.
When fully operational, up to 400 staff will work from the ROC, operating the railway 24 hours a day.
Construction of the ROC building was carried out by Morgan Sindall on behalf of Network Rail.
Network Rail Photos...
The Manchester Rail Operating Centre (ROC)
United Kingdom Parliament Transport Committee
Passenger transport in isolated communities
Extract from 4th Report - Passenger transport in isolated communities
Community Rail Partnerships
25. Around 170 railway stations serve isolated communities.[48] Many of those stations are supported by Community Rail Partnerships (CRPs). We heard that CRPs
- bring together a number of disparate interests who have an interest in the success of their local railway. The core membership includes the local transport planning authority (county or unitary councils in England), the train operator and the rail user group. Other members may include district, town or parish councils, Network Rail, National Parks, universities or heritage railways. A wide spectrum of supporters are drawn from local people, amenity groups, the Women's Institute, local traders and indeed anyone who wants to see improvements to their railway.[49]
- CRPs are typically run by a paid partnership officer, usually employed by the local authority, sometimes on a part time basis. Much of the financial support for promoting the lines and making minor improvements comes from train operators, the tourism sector and (until recently) from local authorities. The work is mainly done by volunteers, from customer service and leaflet distribution to landscaping, station gardens and running special events such as music trains. In particular, volunteers provide new ideas and are ambassadors for the railway within their communities. The value of time of the volunteers supporting CRPs has been estimated at £27 million a year.[50]
- The train companies are extremely supportive of community rail partnerships, to the extent that they are now an integral part of the rural railway. It is quite difficult to imagine the rural railway operating without those CRPs. They bring benefits in terms of local focus and practical support in a range of ways for train companies and rail services. They provide innovation at a local level. In particular, they engender the kind of partnership working that is quite important to ensure that rural routes are successful.[52]
- The best example I can give is the line between Blackburn and Clitheroe, where they did not have a Sunday service for a long time. By community agreement, they agreed to have the fares slightly increased on Monday to Saturday in order to offset the cost of running a Sunday service. Now the Sunday service is very successful, and very popular because it was by community diktat.[53]
- obviously cannot fill the gap that is left by central or local government funding, because that is where the substantive amount of funding for local services comes from. We are always prepared to help at the margin.[56]
UK Heritage News
Friendly engines and friendly people at the Ribble Steam Railway.
Great Railway Treasure Hunt | North Yorkshire Moors Railway :: A steam train adventure through the stunning Yorkshire Moors.
International
Australia
Regional Rail Link: June progress (DTPLI on YouTube)
Published on 21 Jul 2014
June 2014: This flyover video shows the progress on the Regional Rail Link project compared to the same locations in our first flyover video in September 2012.
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
Five graphs that show why politicians are actually terrified of high-speed rail.(Business Spectator).
China
Rail sector sets 200,000 km target.(ecns.cn).
Russia
UITP - Advancing Public Transport.
Press Release..
UITP reacts to Moscow metro accident
Following the tragic derailment of a metro train in the Russian capital Moscow on the 15 July 2014, UITP (the International Association of Public Transport) extends its condolences to the victims and reassures regarding the safety of metro systems.
Every day, 148 metro systems around the world safely carry over 150 million passengers on 540 lines, over 11,000km and to/from 9,000 stations. Such terrible accidents as happened in the Moscow metro yesterday are extremely rare events; taking into account the safety record of metros worldwide, they can be considered the safest mode of transport.
In the last 15 years, 56 people lost their lives in four accidents in Valencia, Rome, Washington and Tokyo. This makes for a safety record of less than four casualties per year, compared to the 400,000 people who lose their lives in car accidents in urban areas each year.
"UITP extends its deepest sympathies to the victims and their families of this terrible accident in Moscow,” commented UITP Secretary General, Alain Flausch. “Ensuring citizens around the world get to school or work safely every day is the number one priority for the public transport industry, although we realise that ‘100% safety’ does not exist. While such incidents put metro systems in the spotlight, we can take some solace from the fact that such events remain extremely rare”.
USA
NYC Can't Afford to Build the Second Avenue Subway, and It Can't Afford Not To.(CityLab)
Self-Taught Photographer Travels the US Capturing Extraordinary Photos of Steam Locomotives (PetaPixel)
www.progressiverailroading.com.
CN scores sub-60 operating ratio, sets volume record in Q2
Foxx, 11 former USDOT secretaries call on Congress to pass long-term solution to transportation funding
U.S. Class I workforce widened a bit in June
Connecticut to hire consultant for Bridgeport station development
Minnesota DOT to host meetings on Rochester-Twin Cities 'Zip Rail' plan
Yuhuang Chemical to build partially rail-served methanol plant at Louisiana port
DFW Airport station to open next month
Bridger to supply Bakken crude to Monroe Energy's Pennsylvania refinery
Other Railway Press
www.railway-technology.com.
Abellio Greater Anglia unveils new rail services between Cambridge and Stansted
UK train operator Abellio Greater Anglia (AGA) has unveiled new rail services between Cambridge and Stansted Airport, in a bid to offer better travelling options for passengers.
Queensland's Gold Coast light rail system begins passenger services
Australia's Queensland Government has started passenger services on the Gold Coast new light rail system.
Hitachi Rail Europe launches new AT200 commuter train
Hitachi Rail Europe has launched a newly developed AT200 commuter train, which aims to improve the travelling experience for future commuters.
UK TfL to award £1.4bn contract to MTR to operate Crossrail services
The UK Transport for London (TfL) is set to award an eight-year, £1.4bn contract to MTR Corporation (MTR) to serve as a key partner in delivering the new Crossrail services.
Hitachi Rail Europe
Hitachi Rail Europe launches new train design heralding
the future of commuter travel
200 for AT200 - train launch draws 200 industry attendees
vying to experience new train first hand
vying to experience new train first hand
London, 21st July 2014 - Hitachi Rail Europe Ltd. today revealed its newly designed AT200 commuter train to an audience of 200 rail industry representatives. A life-size replica of the new train design was on show in London, giving attendees a first glimpse of the future of commuting.
Andy Barr, Chief Operating Officer at Hitachi Rail Europe, who unveiled the train, said: “At today's train reveal, we presented our newly developed commuter train to the rail industry. Our team of engineers and designers have gone to great lengths to take passenger needs, operator requirements and our wealth of experience in train manufacture and maintenance into account. The AT200 is our new, exciting offering to the commuter rail market, a highly standardised yet flexible design that improves the travelling experience for tomorrow's commuters.”
Developed by Hitachi Rail Europe following close consultation with Train Operating Companies and key stakeholders, the AT200 is a new, modular electric suburban product platform. The concept which gives design flexibility from a range of options, allows operators to tailor trains to passenger needs, while reducing risk and maintaining highly competitive lead times. Famed for its 100% on-time delivery record, Hitachi's European rail arm is set to continue this success with the introduction of the standardised AT200 train platform.
Passenger needs played a major consideration during the design phase of the AT200.
The result is a comfortable passenger environment including inter-vehicle gangways for better use of passenger space, tables and toilet facilities, ambient LED lighting throughout, air conditioning as standard, USB and power sockets available at every seat as well as passenger wifi provision. Adequate luggage storage for commuter travel and cantilever seats in both standard and first class ensure that passengers find enough space for their possessions, while also allowing for fast and efficient cleaning and maintenance.
Ease of maintenance was an additional key consideration of the AT200 design cornerstones. At its core, the train has a high level of onboard diagnostics which continuously and proactively monitor the train and feed back to the maintenance base regarding aspects of its performance. This reduces maintenance, as inspections can be directed according to indications given by the diagnostic system instead of frequent checking. Using Japanese rolling stock maintenance philosophy as successfully demonstrated with the Class 395 Javelin™ trains, Hitachi's next generation commuter train applies real-time data collection and management solutions to make rapid and efficient maintenance in the shortest possible time a reality.
Hitachi Rail Europe's new AT200 commuter train can be provided in 3-car to 12-car formations depending on route line requirements. Made of lightweight aluminium alloy extrusions using friction stir welding, the trains are highly resistant to corrosion, further reducing maintenance requirements. The choice of material and welding technique also offers the best of strength and lightness for a highly crashworthy structure.
Hitachi has a proven strategy for managing all statutory and regulatory approvals for new train fleets including testing and passenger service. The AT200 for the UK market includes only proven technology from existing rolling stock products that are either in passenger service or in manufacture, greatly reducing the time to market.
The trains will be manufactured in Hitachi's new train factory, which is currently under construction in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham.
| Design criteria | AT100 Metro | AT200 Commuter | AT300 Intercity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Design Life | 35 years | 35 years | 35 years |
| Train configuration | 3 - 12 car | 3 - 12 car | 5 - 12 car |
| Speed range | 75 mph - 100 mph | 100 mph - 125 mph | 125 mph - 140 mph |
| Max acceleration | 1 m/s/s | 1 m/s/s | 1 m/s/s |
| Nominal vehicle length | 20 m | 23 m | 26 m |
| Power supply | Dual voltage 25kV AC / 650 - 750 V DC / battery | Dual voltage 25kV AC / 650 - 750 V DC / battery | Bi-mode (25 kV AC and / or diesel operation) |
| Door type and positions | Sliding pocket - 1/3 2/3 | Sliding plug - 1/3 2/3 | Sliding pocket vehicle / end doors |
| Cab design | Cab end gangway | Full cab gangway | Full cab gangway |
| Interior |
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