International & UK Railway News Thursday 25th September 2014

..Total Railway News




In the week that Slough witnessed a double death on the railway, the Office of Rail Regulation published the latest safety statistics....and of the 345 deaths recorded in  the period 1st April 2013 to 31st March 2014, 304 were suicides.... very nearly one per day.....


Included in this edition, a video from Transport for London showing the work that goes on behind the scenes....and more.. to replace the older escalators on the Underground system......
And speaking of the Underground, some of the disused sites are being given the chance of another life......


In Canada, the fines that would be imposed on the railroads for failing to meet wheat movement tonnage was a "weekly" figure, not a "daily" one... a typo, apparently, but not everyone sees it that way.....


There are also a couple of notices regarding forthcoming international seminars and conferences...and a feature on the work of the excellent charity "Railway Children".....please offer your support as you are able. Thank you.


Click on the headline links.....


Headlines
UK


Action group makes Beattock station case.(BBC News)


Virgin train driver gets electric shock on Runcorn railway.(BBC News)


New HS2 petitioning period opens.(Bucks Free Press)


Meet the men transforming London Underground's derelict stations. (The Independent)




Lifts across London Underground - Tube improvements (full video)
Transport for London on YouTube
Keeping lifts in top condition helps ensure the safety and accessibility of our network.
Find out what we have been doing across the Tube network, watch our video.
To find out more about Tube improvements, visit http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tube-improvements


=========================================




Slough railway deaths could be murder-suicide, say police.(The Guardian)


Trainspotting was a harmless kids' pastime in an age when everything was different - Paul Routledge - Mirror Online


Trains: The Only Way To Travel With Andrew Martin and Christian Wolmar
Date: Friday 26th September 2014
Start Time: 2pm
Room: Soho Theatre Upstairs
Book tickets

Regulator publishes key safety data statistics for 2013-14

The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) today published the annual statistical release presenting trends in rail safety in Great Britain from 1 April 2013 to 31 March 2014.
The data shows that during 2013-14:

• There were 345 fatalities on the mainline network, London Underground and other networks such as tramways and heritage railways, an increase of 19 compared with 2012-13. Of these fatalities, 304 were recorded as suicide.
• The number of passenger injuries on the mainline, London Underground and other networks rose to 11,047, an increase of 0.9% compared with the previous year. Slips, trips and falls – often a result of congestion or bad weather – accounted for the highest proportion of injuries on both the mainline network and London Underground. This category has accounted for the highest proportion of passenger injuries in every year of the time series. 
• The number of workforce injuries on the mainline network increased by 206 (3.5%). Workforce injuries on the London Underground network rose by 302 (8.3%) and other networks by 34 (16.9%).

ORR's Director of railway safety, Ian Prosser, said:

"Managing safety on the rail network presents a major challenge to the industry as it faces pressures from rising numbers of passengers and trains. This is why there is no room for complacency and ORR is focusing attention on safety at stations and at track and rail constructions sites. The regulator wants to see improvements in safety culture with strong leadership across the rail sector."

ORR’s Director of railway safety, Ian Prosser will be hosting a Twitter Q&A on safety challenges facing Britain’s railways on Thursday, 2 October from 1:30-2:30pm. Follow @railregulation on Twitter for the latest updates, news and data from the regulator and join the discussion on rail data trends using #openrail.
====================================================================International


Australia
Regional Rail Link August 2014 progress  
DTPLI on YouTube








Published on 24 Sep 2014

August 2014: This flyover video shows the latest aerial view of the Regional Rail Link project, and compares it to the same locations in our first flyover video from 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 has been built) and Tarneit (where the new station can be seen). Numerous road over rail crossings and waterway crossing structures can also be seen in this area.

The new rail then joins the existing rail corridor near Deer Park and follows it in to Southern Cross Station. Major works in this section include the rebuilt Sunshine railway station, the Anderson Road level crossing grade separations, the new West Footscray railway station, the upgraded Footscray station with two new platforms, and the new Maribyrnong River rail bridge.

Find out more about the project at www.regionalraillink.vic.gov.au


====================
The History of Steam Trains.(abc) AUDIO
In the 1800s Australia was being opened up by railway lines and the steam trains that ran on them. Michael Pavlich discussed the history of steam trains with Bob Sampson who is Executive Officer of the National Railway Museum.




High speed rail.(Echo Netdaily)
====================   




Canada
Ottawa quietly reduces Fair Rail grain fines.(The Globe and Mail)


China


Across China: Pilgrims put faith in Tibet railway.(xinhuanet.com)

India and China sign high-speed MoU (IRJ)


Spain
RENFE to order 30 high speed trainsets.(Railway Gazette)




USA
Kansas City is crossroads for crude by rail, documents show.(McClatchyDC)


www.progressiverailroading.com
Govs. Cuomo, Christie to increase security on transit infrastructure in New York and New Jersey

NTSB releases report, issues recommendations on roadway worker safety

Ferromex, Ferrosur order 34 SD70ACe locomotives from EMD

CEO Sarles to leave WMATA in January

CN sells part of Ontario line to Metrolinx

Rep. Lowenthal unveils sustainable freight infrastructure bill

New Haven Line to gain additional trains, Gov. Malloy says

In memoriam: Former Grand Trunk Western leader John Burdakin

 

BTS Releases July 2014 North American Freight Numbers

(Extract from report..)

Freight by Mode 

 

In July, the value of commodities moving by pipeline grew by the largest percentage of any mode, 10.8 percent. Rail freight increased 10.0 percent followed by a truck increase of 8.5 percent, vessel increase of 5.6 percent, and an air increase of 1.2 percent (Figure 1, Table 2). 

Of the $7.9 billion increase in the value of US-NAFTA freight from July 2013, truck freight contributed the most, $4.7 billion, followed by rail, $1.4 billion (Table 2). The trucking increase was due to growth in truck freight with both Mexico, up $2.5 billion, and Canada, up $2.2 billion (Tables 4, 6).

 

See tables....HERE

Other Railway Press Releases..
www.railway-technology.com.




Alstom launches new predictive maintenance tool for trains
Alstom has launched a new predictive maintenance tool, HealthHub, to examine the health of trains, infrastructure and signalling assets using advanced data analytics. 
        
Parsons to undertake preliminary design of phase 2 East West Rail scheme in UK
Network Rail has awarded a £8m design contract to engineering consultant Parsons Brinckerhoff for the second phase of the East West Rail scheme in England. 
       
Knorr-Bremse to supply platform screen doors for Crossrail
UK's Crossrail has selected Knorr-Bremse Rail Systems to provide platform screen doors for deployment in various stations. 
        
Denmark's Port of Esbjerg invites bids to develop its new terminal
Denmark's Port of Esbjerg has issued an expression of interest for a private operator to run and develop its new combi terminal, located in the Sydhavn section of the port, from the first quarter of 2015 onwards.





What we can do now for you, Mexico-Siemens in Mexico


(Siemens on YouTube)
===================

2nd UITP MENA Public Transport for Large Events Summit & Showcase

SECURITY & SAFETY FOR LARGE EVENTS25-27 November 2014 in DOHA, QATAR. Under the Honorary Patronage ofHis Excellency Jassem Bin Saif Ahmed Al Sulaiti, Qatar Minister of Transport,Ministry of Transport, Doha - Qatar Once again we meet after two years with the 2nd edition of Public Transport for Large Events Summit in Doha, Qatar. Many events have taken place in the past two years and many are set to take place in the coming years but more imperative is the ticking time which brings us closer to the delivery date of our event. Learning from previous experience is the best prevention to problems that are encountered among the millions of check points before due date. One of the most important elements in this category of event is safety and security as large events are attracting more and more visitors within a shorter time span. The aim for this summit is to highlight the preparation that Doha is undertaking for the FIFA World Cup 2022 as we are only eight years away from hosting more than 3 million people. Moreover a very interesting bid of World Expo 2020 is awarded to city of Dubai in the Middle East which was not a surprise witnessing the development that Dubai has undertaken over the past decade. These two activities and others, such as the Hajj & Formula One that take place every year brings us to the mass of infrastructure development that the Middle East is foreseeing in the next 10 years. Experts from all over the world will share their experiences of large events such as Brazil FIFA World cup 2014, Korea Asian Olympics 2014 and many others. A successful hosting offers global exposure, prestige and legitimacy to the host city and the entire country, which is strongly desired by emerging economies and gives motivation to the youth. The 2014 summit in Doha will highlight safety and security elements in large events. Register Here. ==================================================================== SmartRail World Welcome to the latest issue of SmartRail News. As always, the team have endeavoured to find and report on the most innovative rail stories from around the world. We find an answer to that age-old question – what happens when a man races a metro train? Find out how London commuters credit cards now double as tickets. Talk to a SmartCard expert about how you roll out the new technology to a sometimes sceptical public, visit Dubai on the occasion of its Metro’s fifth birthday and much more. With just over a month to go until our sister event, SmartRail USA held in Charlotte on 29-30th October we urge all our railroad, government and transit agency readers to claim their free pass before they run out. And if you are a PTC or Operations expert and want to share your expertise with the industry, the PTC World Congress & Rail Capacity Summit in Orlando, Florida in March 2015 is now accepting submissions. Plus we have some exciting new features on SmartRail World including a Reports & Research page and a LinkedIn directory for the rail industry. Thanks for reading! Regards, Luke Upton (Editor, SmartRail World). SmartRail Features, interviews and news: Video: Man vs Metro Train. Who wins? News: How London commuters awoke to a contactless way to pay US SmartCard Expert: Cynthia Jones Parks, President & CEO, Jones Worley News: Intermodal Europe-China service launched; 14 days total journey time. Feature: Dubai Metro’s speedy growth continues as 5 year landmark reached News: 'Appy birthday to TriMet's industry leading mobile solution Feature: How drones are already being deployed by railways around the world. Experts Required: PTC World Congress & Capacity Summit 2015 Feature: Crossrail update: Automatic Train Operation, CBTC & more. InnoTrans 2014 Special Astra Passengers presents new coach at InnoTrans Romanian rolling stock manufacturer Astra Passengers (Astra Vagoane Calatori) presented at InnoTrans a new version of the Class Bpmz passenger coach for Czech railway passenger operator RegioJet.The 76 seats coach with a capacity of running up to 200 km/h is designed by Eng.arch.Patrik Kotas and Clagi – Colplas. Astra Passengers and RegioJet signed a EUR 72 million for 73 passenger coaches in 2013. The first ten cars will be gradually put in operation on Prague-Zilina route, starting with October this year. More Deutsche Bahn AG and Alstom unveil new generation of H3 hybrid shunting locomotives Deutsche Bahn AG and Alstom unveiled the first of a new generation of H3 hybrid shunting locomotives at InnoTrans 2014. Starting in 2015, five locomotives will be tested to verify the technical and economic readiness of the train in daily use. Operational reliability of the hybrid technology as well as the reduction in fuel consumption, pollutant emissions and the maintenance outlay are set to be tested. More Pesa Gama locomotive presented in Berlin The first Gama diesel locomotives produced by Pesa for PKP Intercity was unveiled at InnoTrans. The Polish operator placed the order for 10 locomotives ( 2.4MW 140km/h) this year. The contract value is PLN 131 million (EUR 31) More Stadler’s EMU for Serbian Railways to be tested on Romania’s Faurei testing ring Stadler’s first electric low-floored multiple-unit train for Serbian Railways (Zeleznice Srbije) arrived on Friday at Subotica railway station. Flirt3 will enter operations in December this year, on high-traffic suburban and regional routes. Further testing of the four-carriage EMU will be carried on in October, at Romania’s Faurei testing ring, the largest rail test ring in South-Eastern Europe (length 20.2 km; maximum speed 200 km/h). More The total world market will amount to EUR 176 billion per year by 2017-2019 Despite low economic growth and public deficit problems in several important countries, the world rail supply industry steadily grew at approximately 1.5% per annum in the period from 2011 to 2013, according to the 2014 UNIFE World Rail Market Study released today at InnoTrans. More Alstom launches Atlas 400 and 500, the first scalable ERTMS solutions Alstom launched at InnoTrans tradeshow Atlas 400 and 500 to offer scalable ERTMS for traffic density from 6 to 600 trains per day, whether on passenger, freight or mixed traffic lines. They are applicable for a resignalling upgrade or a new-build project. More Russian Railways, INFOTRANS and Siemens AG sign memorandum on cooperation on integrated railway infrastructure diagnostics Valentin Gapanovich, Senior Vice-President of Russian Railways, Igor Mikhalkin, Managing Director, Research and Production Centre of Informational and Transport Systems (RPC INFOTRANS), and Dietrich Moeller, President of Siemens Russia and Vice-President of Siemens AG, signed at InnoTrans a memorandum on cooperation on integrated railway infrastructure diagnostics. More Infrastructure Macedonia to launch tender for Beljakovce – Kriva Palanka railway section by end of 2014 Macedonia’s Prime Minister, Nikola Gurevski announced that the tender for the construction and reconstruction works of Beljakovce – Kriva Palanka (33.9 km) railway section will be launched by the end of this year. Works will include the construction of twelve new bridges and four new tunnels, construction of 33 km main track and 7.5 km station track.More Bucharest Metro Line 2 modernisation works to start in 2015 Bucharest underground operator, Metrorex SA announced that the project on Improving public transport services on Line 2 (Berceni – Pipera) will start in 2015. Modernisation works will include: the replacement of 19 km double-track, in order to achieve compliance with EU requirements concerning noise and vibration, the upgrade of automated traffic, electrical, ventilation and passenger information systems. More =============================================================== Children run to the streets for many different reasons, escaping poverty, violence and abuse. Unfortunately life on the streets is often far more dangerous. Where possible, the best place for every child to grow is within the family home. However, if we rescue children and send them back home with no support, many will end up back on the streets again. Help us break the cycle and keep children off the streets for good. It’s not a quick fix for many of these children, the problems that made them flee to the streets in the first place are often still there when they go back home. Our approach of supporting the whole family through our Family Intensive Programme breaks this cycle and help generations to come.   Meet Joshua, he found himself alone and vulnerable on the streets of Kenya.With your support, Railway Children has helped heal Joshua and his family. Please support our appeal and donate today so we can heal more families like Joshua’s.