A day when railway news may pass us by, what with other events.....
London Underground staffing levels are under review and discussion, so London Evening Standard's headline is understandable...Cleaning staff are proposing strike action..
The North (of the UK) should have more transport decision powers...
Copies of "The Big Issue" can be now obtained at London Euston from tomorrow... a case of supporting those who want to help themselves, but in another entirely unconnected situation, a few people have been caught helping themselves..to the tune of £150,000 ..running a fake ticket and Oyster card scam...
And Birmingham New Street has seen the light...
The USA wants to accelerate high speed rail.. Indonesia wonders whether to have high speed rail..
Plus ....
Click on the links...
Headlines
UK
80 per cent of London Underground stations facing staff cuts .(London Evening Standard)
Plan to give North new transport powers to be unveiled with weeks - Nick Clegg.(The Northern Echo)
Rail workers on 24-hour strike.(heraldscotland)
Train workers jailed over £150,000 scam in which they issued 'fake' tickets and Oyster cards to passengers and pocketed cash for themselves.(Mail Online)
Network Rail.
Station first as The Big Issue finds a home at Euston
The first permanent Big Issue vendor’s pitch inside a railway station will be unveiled by Network Rail and The Big Issue Foundation at Euston station on Friday 19 September. The pitch will support the selected vendor to earn a legitimate income, with the new partnership including activities to help support the charity’s work with the homeless and those at risk of homelessness.
The 1.5m2 spot on the station concourse will be marked with a floor vinyl similar to those used by London Underground buskers and will formalise the vendor’s presence in one of the network’s busiest stations, used by 70m people a year. In addition, Network Rail will enrol the vendor on a customer service training programme, which includes work experience at the station, and time spent shadowing and being mentored by Network Rail staff.
The pilot initiative will be closely monitored and could be made available to other Network Rail managed stations after the successful completion of a six-month trial.
Stephen Robertson, chief executive of The Big Issue Foundation, said: “We are delighted that Network Rail are taking the lead in welcoming a Big Issue vendor to Euston station. We’re looking forward to working on an exciting programme of awareness and fundraising events whilst providing the selected vendor with a valuable development opportunity.”
Chris Stuchbery, distribution team leader for The Big Issue in London said: “The Big Issue Company is thrilled to be working in partnership with Network Rail, British Transport Police, Euston stakeholders and The Big Issue Foundation to pilot this vendor pitch. It’s a fantastic opportunity for the vendor to become part of the Euston community, raising awareness of The Big Issue and serving rail customers within the station.”
Network Rail Photograph
Launched in 1991, the Big Issue is a magazine sold by people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Vendors buy their magazines for £1.25 and sell them at £2.50, thereby taking charge of their finances and developing the skills required to run a micro-business. Their aim is to support their vendors and ‘help them to help themselves.’
Beks Richards, part of Network Rail’s station team at Euston, said: “We’re extremely proud that Euston will host the first permanent Big Issue vendor pitch inside a railway station and we look forward to helping someone who is homeless run their business in a safe and welcoming environment.
“It will be fantastic to have a familiar face on the station selling the Big Issue and also gaining valuable training and work experience with the team here at Euston.”
This is the first time a Big Issue vendor will sell the magazine inside a railway station, and also the first time they’ll be provided with a permanent, branded pitch. Other vendors within Euston the area will continue to operate on their designated pitches and it is anticipated that increased awareness of the magazine and the endorsement from the station will generate increased sales across the area.
Customers who would like to support the initiative are encouraged to buy the magazine from the vendor in the station or from other official Big Issue vendors. Individuals may also like to register to be involved in community events such as carol singing in December 2014 and a Big Sleep Out that will take place on the station’s platforms in June 2015 by emailing events@bigissue.com
New Street station concourse soon to be flooded with natural light as new roof is completed (with new timelapse footage)
The pilot initiative will be closely monitored and could be made available to other Network Rail managed stations after the successful completion of a six-month trial.
Stephen Robertson, chief executive of The Big Issue Foundation, said: “We are delighted that Network Rail are taking the lead in welcoming a Big Issue vendor to Euston station. We’re looking forward to working on an exciting programme of awareness and fundraising events whilst providing the selected vendor with a valuable development opportunity.”
Chris Stuchbery, distribution team leader for The Big Issue in London said: “The Big Issue Company is thrilled to be working in partnership with Network Rail, British Transport Police, Euston stakeholders and The Big Issue Foundation to pilot this vendor pitch. It’s a fantastic opportunity for the vendor to become part of the Euston community, raising awareness of The Big Issue and serving rail customers within the station.”
Network Rail Photograph
Launched in 1991, the Big Issue is a magazine sold by people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Vendors buy their magazines for £1.25 and sell them at £2.50, thereby taking charge of their finances and developing the skills required to run a micro-business. Their aim is to support their vendors and ‘help them to help themselves.’
Beks Richards, part of Network Rail’s station team at Euston, said: “We’re extremely proud that Euston will host the first permanent Big Issue vendor pitch inside a railway station and we look forward to helping someone who is homeless run their business in a safe and welcoming environment.
“It will be fantastic to have a familiar face on the station selling the Big Issue and also gaining valuable training and work experience with the team here at Euston.”
This is the first time a Big Issue vendor will sell the magazine inside a railway station, and also the first time they’ll be provided with a permanent, branded pitch. Other vendors within Euston the area will continue to operate on their designated pitches and it is anticipated that increased awareness of the magazine and the endorsement from the station will generate increased sales across the area.
Customers who would like to support the initiative are encouraged to buy the magazine from the vendor in the station or from other official Big Issue vendors. Individuals may also like to register to be involved in community events such as carol singing in December 2014 and a Big Sleep Out that will take place on the station’s platforms in June 2015 by emailing events@bigissue.com
New Street station concourse soon to be flooded with natural light as new roof is completed (with new timelapse footage)
The final piece of Birmingham New Street station’s new atrium roof covering was put into place yesterday (Tuesday 16 September 2014), marking another important milestone in the station’s redevelopment.
Made from the same high-tech material as the Eden Project in Cornwall and the Allianz Arena in Munich, the translucent roof covering will allow natural light to stream down through the atrium onto the huge new concourse below – but not before demolition experts remove around 6,000 tonnes of concrete over two floors of the old Pallasades shopping centre.
Chris Montgomery, Network Rail’s project director for the Birmingham New Street project said: “As our work to transform New Street station continues, excitement among our 1,000-strong workforce is really starting to build. Piece by piece, the design and concept for the station is being brought to life and it’s great to see the last section of the new roof covering lifted into place.
“Completing the atrium structure and covering it in its Eden Project-like material is a real milestone but we’re already looking forward to the next step. Demolishing part of the former Pallasades will flood the new concourse with natural light from above, transforming the experience of millions of passengers who will use this fantastic new station when it opens in about a year's time.”
Transport Minister Baroness Kramer said: “Birmingham needs a station that reflects the city’s growing reputation as a strong, vibrant and modern city and I am confident that, with just over a year to go before the work is complete, New Street will deliver that.
“This is a great achievement and a fantastic example of how the £38billion being invested in the UK’s rail network, as part of our long-term economic plan, is making real improvements for passengers.”
Demolition engineers from specialist contractor Coleman & Company will work round-the-clock over the next six months to remove thousands of tonnes of concrete, creating what will become the heart of the new station structure. To keep noise levels down during night time work, a special machine has been designed, known as the “Mega Muncher”, that ‘eats’ the concrete. This approach is significantly quieter and less disruptive than traditional jackhammer-type methods.
Martyn Woodhouse, Mace’s director of project delivery said: “Demolition by its very nature can be noisy work so we have carefully planned this work with Coleman’s so we cause as little noise as possible. During the demolition we are using a machine which has been specially made to ‘munch’ through or crush the concrete beams. The traditional method of ‘hammering’ or ‘pecking’ the concrete would have been much noisier. The noisiest work, concrete slab breaking, will be restricted to the daytime.”
Mark Coleman, managing director at Coleman & Company, said “To demolish 6,000 tonnes of cast reinforced concrete from the centre of a busy city centre construction site, above a live operational rail station, without noise, dust and disruption is a huge engineering challenge. Some of these beams weigh more than the equivalent of 30 Range Rovers. Our engineers have been working closely with Network Rail and MACE, assessing the structure and crunching the numbers, to ensure that all works are completed to the highest standards.”
To view the new timelapse on youtube go to http://youtu.be/GXWJRxiY6tM?list=PL7FD65AF6C9A22BE4
Known as ETFE – or ethylene tetrafluoroethylene – the translucent material is strong, durable, has a high corrosion resistance, is self-cleaning and recyclable. It is also much lighter than glass, a significant benefit when the new development is being built directly on top of Birmingham New Street station underneath.
As well as the Eden Project in Cornwall, the ETFE material has also been used to cover the outside of Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena and the Beijing National Aquatics centre.
Demolition facts:
The “Mega Muncher”, the primary demolition tool, is the only one of its kind in the world. It has been specifically designed for work on the atrium.
Over 95% of material from this project has been recycled and the concrete from the demolition will be recycled too.
4,000 tonnes of concrete is being removed form the roof of the former Pallasades and a further 2,000 tonnes is being removed form the floor below which previously made up the ceiling of the concourse.
The demolition work will take place between September 2014 and March 2015 between 7am and 3am.
Acoustic screens are being erected to minimise noise reaching our neighbours and constant noise monitoring takes place around the site.
The redeveloped Birmingham New Street station and Grand Central development are due to open in 2015.
Chris Montgomery, Network Rail’s project director for the Birmingham New Street project said: “As our work to transform New Street station continues, excitement among our 1,000-strong workforce is really starting to build. Piece by piece, the design and concept for the station is being brought to life and it’s great to see the last section of the new roof covering lifted into place.
“Completing the atrium structure and covering it in its Eden Project-like material is a real milestone but we’re already looking forward to the next step. Demolishing part of the former Pallasades will flood the new concourse with natural light from above, transforming the experience of millions of passengers who will use this fantastic new station when it opens in about a year's time.”
Transport Minister Baroness Kramer said: “Birmingham needs a station that reflects the city’s growing reputation as a strong, vibrant and modern city and I am confident that, with just over a year to go before the work is complete, New Street will deliver that.
“This is a great achievement and a fantastic example of how the £38billion being invested in the UK’s rail network, as part of our long-term economic plan, is making real improvements for passengers.”
Demolition engineers from specialist contractor Coleman & Company will work round-the-clock over the next six months to remove thousands of tonnes of concrete, creating what will become the heart of the new station structure. To keep noise levels down during night time work, a special machine has been designed, known as the “Mega Muncher”, that ‘eats’ the concrete. This approach is significantly quieter and less disruptive than traditional jackhammer-type methods.
Martyn Woodhouse, Mace’s director of project delivery said: “Demolition by its very nature can be noisy work so we have carefully planned this work with Coleman’s so we cause as little noise as possible. During the demolition we are using a machine which has been specially made to ‘munch’ through or crush the concrete beams. The traditional method of ‘hammering’ or ‘pecking’ the concrete would have been much noisier. The noisiest work, concrete slab breaking, will be restricted to the daytime.”
Mark Coleman, managing director at Coleman & Company, said “To demolish 6,000 tonnes of cast reinforced concrete from the centre of a busy city centre construction site, above a live operational rail station, without noise, dust and disruption is a huge engineering challenge. Some of these beams weigh more than the equivalent of 30 Range Rovers. Our engineers have been working closely with Network Rail and MACE, assessing the structure and crunching the numbers, to ensure that all works are completed to the highest standards.”
To view the new timelapse on youtube go to http://youtu.be/GXWJRxiY6tM?list=PL7FD65AF6C9A22BE4
Notes:
ETFE facts:Known as ETFE – or ethylene tetrafluoroethylene – the translucent material is strong, durable, has a high corrosion resistance, is self-cleaning and recyclable. It is also much lighter than glass, a significant benefit when the new development is being built directly on top of Birmingham New Street station underneath.
As well as the Eden Project in Cornwall, the ETFE material has also been used to cover the outside of Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena and the Beijing National Aquatics centre.
Demolition facts:
The “Mega Muncher”, the primary demolition tool, is the only one of its kind in the world. It has been specifically designed for work on the atrium.
- 25 tonnes in weight
- Remote control
- Infra-red safety zone fencing for auto cut out
- Jet ski style safety pull chord
- Rubber tracks
- Formula 1 re-fuelling system
- Bio oil
- LED lighting
Over 95% of material from this project has been recycled and the concrete from the demolition will be recycled too.
4,000 tonnes of concrete is being removed form the roof of the former Pallasades and a further 2,000 tonnes is being removed form the floor below which previously made up the ceiling of the concourse.
The demolition work will take place between September 2014 and March 2015 between 7am and 3am.
Acoustic screens are being erected to minimise noise reaching our neighbours and constant noise monitoring takes place around the site.
The redeveloped Birmingham New Street station and Grand Central development are due to open in 2015.
Cross section of the demolition (Network Rail Graphic)
Looking throught the ETFE atrium at Birmingham New Street Station
(Network Rail Photograph)
Final piece of ETFE going onto the atrium at Birmingham New Street Station - portrait
(Network Rail Photograph)
Timelapse of the building of New Street Birmingham Atrium, March 2013 - July 2014
(Network Rail on YouTube)
Office of Rail Regulation
Press Release.
Regulator publishes latest rail freight usage data
18 September 2014The Office Of Rail Regulation (ORR) has today published a new statistical release which shows that the amount of freight carried on Britain’s railways in 2014-15 Quarter 1 (Q1) declined by 7.1% to 27.5 million tonnes compared to same period last year. This decrease could be explained by the milder weather in this quarter as there was a reduction in transport of coal for to power plants.
ORR’s “Freight Rail Usage” statistical release contains information on rail freight on Great Britain covering the period from 1999-00 to 30-June 2014. Freight usage data provides a useful barometer of economic activity and is closely linked to other industries such as manufacturing and imports/exports.
The data for 2014-15 Q1 (01 April to 30 June 2014), highlights:
- This quarter has seen a dip by 2.3% in freight moved, from 5.69 billion net tonnes kilometres to 5.56 billion net tonnes kilometres when compared with the same quarter last year.
- Two of the seven commodities, experienced a decrease compared with the same quarter the previous year. These were coal and oil and petroleum decreasing by 19% and 7.2% respectively. The amount of infrastructure moved by rail also decreased in 2014-15 Q1 compared with the same time last year.
Follow @railregulation on Twitter for the latest updates, news and data from the regulator. Join the discussion on rail data using #openrail on Twitter
To read the report in full visit: http://orr.gov.uk/__
===============
Rail Accident Investigation Branch.
Passenger becoming trapped in a train door and dragged a short distance at Newcastle Central station.
At 17:02 hrs on Wednesday 5 June 2013, a passenger was dragged by a train departing from platform 10 at Newcastle Central station. Her wrist was trapped by an external door of the train and she was forced to move beside it to avoid being pulled off her feet. The train reached a maximum speed of around 5 mph (8 km/h) and travelled around 20 metres before coming to a stop. The train’s brakes were applied either by automatic application following a passenger operating the emergency door release handle, or by the driver responding to an emergency signal from the conductor. The conductor, who was in the rear cab, reported that he responded to someone on the platform shouting at him to stop the train. The passenger suffered severe bruising to her wrist.
This accident occurred because the conductor did not carry out a safety check before signalling to the driver that the train could depart. Platform 10 at Newcastle Central is a curved platform and safe dispatch is particularly reliant upon following the correct dispatch procedure including undertaking the pre-dispatch safety checks.
The investigation found that although the doors complied with the applicable train door standard, they were, in certain circumstances, able to trap a wrist and lock without the door obstruction sensing system detecting it. Once the doors were detected as locked, the train was able to move.
In 2004, although the parties involved in the train’s design and its approval for service were aware of this hazard, the risk associated with it was not formally documented or assessed. The train operator undertook a risk assessment in 2010 following reports of passengers becoming trapped. Although they rated the risk as tolerable, the hazard was not recorded in such a way that it could be monitored and reassessed, either on their own fleet or by operators of similar trains.
As a consequence of this incident, RAIB has made six recommendations. One of these is for operators of trains with this door design to assess the risk of injuries and fatalities due to trapping and dragging incidents and take the appropriate action to mitigate the risk.
Two recommendations have been made to the train’s manufacturer. One of these is to reduce the risk of trapping on future door designs, and the other to review its design processes with respect to hazard identification and recording.
One recommendation has been made to the operator of the train involved in this particular accident. This is related to the management of hazards associated with the design of its trains and assessment of the risks of its train dispatch operations.
Two recommendations have been made to RSSB. One is to add guidance to the standard on passenger train doors to raise awareness that it may be possible to overcome door obstruction detection even though doors satisfy the tests specified within the standard. The other recommendation is the consideration of additional data which should be recorded within its national safety management information system to provide more complete data relating to the risk of trapping and dragging incidents.
Download report:
140918_R192014_Newcastle.pdf (4,366.47 kb)
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VT UK on YouTube
UK Heritage News
Broadway bridge: road opens ahead of schedule.(GWSR).
GWR - Gloucestershire's mainline heritage railway - Thomas and friends to take over the railway!.
Autumn Steam Gala | North Yorkshire Moors Railway :: A steam train adventure through the stunning Yorkshire Moors
International
China
DHL expands China-Europe multimodal rail services.(Lloyd's Loading List)
High-speed rails can transport China's values with them across world.(PeopleDaily)
France
Double-deck EMUs enter service in Aquitaine.(IRJ)
Germany
Avenio LRVs enter service in Munich.(IRJ)
Siemens Avenio for Munich
A Siemens Picture
Hong Kong
Hong Kong releases railway plans - Railway Gazette
Indonesia
Where Should Indonesia Build its First High-Speed Railway?(Global Indonesian Voices)
Poland
Polish Pendolinos gain 250km/h certification.(IRJ)
USA
House panel approves Amtrak overhaul.(Delaware Online)
Accelerating the Future of High-Speed Rail
Photos courtesy Amtrak.
The 457-mile Northeast Corridor, stretching from Boston to Washington, D.C. and serving Amtrak, commuter and freight trains, traverses eight states and the District of Columbia. Carrying over 2,000 daily trains, the Notheast Corridor is among the nation’s most congested rail corridors and one of the highest volume rail corridors in the world. Service reliability, on-time performance, and opportunities for expansion have been negatively impacted by a lack of capacity along many stretches, especially where its operations overlap with regional commuter traffic.
In May 2010, Amtrak released the Northeast Corridor Infrastructure Master Plan. The plan resulted from a precedent-setting regional collaboration among the twelve Northeast states and District of Columbia, Amtrak, the Federal Railroad Administration, eight commuter and three freight railroads. The Master Plan led to a realization that capacity could not be met by improvements to the existing corridor alone. As a result, in September 2010, Amtrak released A Vision for High-Speed Rail in the Northeast Corridor, which presented the bold concept of a new 423-mile dedicated two-track high-speed rail alignment from Washington, D.C. to Boston, MA to increase corridor capacity, improve service reliability and reduce travel times for all rail users.
Since the release of the Master Plan and Vision documents, Amtrak has begun to more clearly define the steps needed to advance an integrated planning initiative to develop a strategy for delivering such a large and complex program. While the program concepts will continue to evolve with stakeholder feedback and input from parallel planning initiatives, Amtrak is committed to maintaining, developing and ensuring the future of the Northeast Corridor.
Amtrak on YouTube
www.progressiverailroading.com
Other Railway Press Releases
www.think-railways.com
EUR 3.2 bn for developing Hungarian railways in 2014-2020 programming period
Railway development projects are a priority for the 2014-2020 programming period, the total amount allocated for the modernisation of Hungarian railways reaching HUF 1000 bn (EUR 3.2 bn). According to Florian Szalóki Deputy State Minister - Ministry of National Development, transport projects received a total amount of HUF 2700 bn under the Transport Operational Programme (TOP) 2007-2013. More
Budapest to modernise 220 EV3 metro cars and upgrade Metro 3 infrastructure
The mayor of Budapest Mr István Tarlós announced that the open tender for the modernisation of 220 EV3 metro cars, of a total number of 250 composing the fleet of Metro 3, will be launched in the next couple of weeks. The municipality expects the fleet to be modernised by 2016, at an estimated cost of estimated at HUF 60-65 billion (approximately EUR 190 – 230 million). More
Infrastructure
Serbia to upgrade more than 400km of railway lines over the next three years
The Serbian Government plans to upgrade and build more than 400km of railway lines over the next three years with financial support from the EBRD, the Czech Republic, China and the Russian Federation. The value of projects implemented by Serbian Railways so far reaches EUR 1.2 bn. More
CFR SA awarded EUR 3.6 million electrification works contract
CFR SA has awarded Romanian company SC Constructii Complexe Buzau a RON 16 million (EUR 3.6 million) contract for Electrification works on Doaga – Tecuci – Barbosi railway section, including dispatching and coordinating the activity in the CF Galati subsidiary (passenger platforms, canopies, concourses at Galati Railway Station). More
EUR 7.6 million additional state funding for NRIC
The Government launched a public consultation in regarding an additional allocation of BGN 15 million (EUR 7.6 million) from the state budget to the Bulgarian National railway infrastructure company (NRIC). More
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RailStaff
From Wildenrath to Waterloo
Despite controversy over the retention of ageing Pacer units in the north, new fleets now on order, will substantially boost capacity on South West Trains and Thameslink services.
Magenta magic in Birmingham
Midland Metro’s new magenta trams have entered passenger service between Birmingham and Wolverhampton, ticking off the first major milestone in the system’s relaunch.
ACoRP's Scarborough Fair
A walk along the esplanade at Scarborough on an autumn evening is hard to beat...
NCB Collaboration
Two steam trains have stood side by side at Whitby station for the first time in 50 years to mark the opening of North Yorkshire Moors Railway’s (NYMR) second platform.
Scotland's railway staff praised
Among the clear winners of the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games is the Scottish railway industry.
Read the whole magazine online
See the full digital edition here - now downloadable.
www.railway-technology.com
UK's Transport for Greater Manchester orders 16 new Bombardier trams
UK's Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has signed a £34m deal with train manufacturer Bombardier to deliver 16 new trams for use on Greater Manchester's Metrolink.
TfL starts contactless payment system across London's transport network
UK's Transport for London (TfL) has introduced contactless payments on its London Underground, tram, DLR, London Overground and National Rail services that accept Oyster.
Canberra's ACT Government approves Capital Metro light rail line project
Canberra's ACT Government has given its approval for the first stage of its $783m Capital Metro light rail network in Australia.
Mali signs $11bn agreements with China for new rail projects
The Mali Government has signed $11bn agreements with China to support two major railway projects, which will connect the country to the coast.
| The biggest event in public transport will take place in Milan from 8-10 June 2015 Will you be there? |
| The 61st UITP World Congress and Exhibition comes at a time when public transport is facing an unprecedented number of changes. It's the perfect opportunity for the sector to step forward, shape the city and advance the cause of public transport around the world. This 2015 edition will address the challenges that lay ahead facing public transport which are reflected in the slogan 'smile in the city' where 'smile' stands for: ..................  |
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