International & UK Railway News Friday 3rd October 2014

..Total Railway News




London infrastructure heads today's news review....Rail Minister Claire Perry visits a Crossrail tunnel....London Bridge is falling down, falling down....to make way for a new concourse....and learn about the Visitor's Oyster card..and some special offers..


Better news for Iarnrod Eireann....the temporary pay reductions have been accepted by the unions ..so why not take advantage of the special fares on offer this autumn..??


The Californian High Speed Rail Project comes a step closer ....rolling stock is in view...
For the details..and more stories...


Click on the links.....


Headlines
UK


Introducing the Visitor Oyster card (Transport for London on YouTube)

Travel in London is easy with a Visitor Oyster card – buy your card before you leave home and save time and money…   www.tfl.gov.uk/visitinglondon




Enjoy special offers and discounts with a Visitor Oyster card – save money and get the most out of London… www.tfl.gov.uk/visitinglondon


The challenge to make London's Victorian Tube network accessible.(BBC News)


'Helpful' valleys rail upgrade discussion, says Edwina Hart.(BBC News)


Haywards Heath railway station redevelopment work begins.(BBC News)


Network Rail.
VIDEO: Demolition at London Bridge makes room for Britain's biggest railway station concourse



New timelapse footage from London Bridge station shows the scale of demolition work taking place underneath the platforms to create space for the station’s new street-level concourse.

Timelapse of demolition at London Bridge station

Watch the demolition of the arches underneath London Bridge station's platforms 10 & 11 between 12-15 September 2014 to make room for a new concourse.

Network Rail is completely rebuilding London Bridge – the capital’s oldest rail terminal – as part of the £6.5bn Thameslink Programme, which will increase capacity and reliability on one of Europe’s busiest rail routes.

The new London Bridge station will give passengers more space and easier connections to the Tube thanks to a new concourse the size of the pitch at Wembley Stadium, as well as extra tracks and platforms so more trains can run through central London.

The work to rebuild the station is being carried out in phases to keep the station open for business and minimise disruption to passengers. This latest timelapse video, taken in September, shows the demolition of 19^th century brick arches underneath platforms 10 and 11, which are currently being rebuilt and will reopen to passengers in January.

Network Rail Picture

The first part of the new station concourse at London Bridge will open in 2016, with the entire concourse complete in 2018.

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Improving the railway at Manchester Oxford Road and Piccadilly stations.
(Video)


GOV.UK


Rail Minister Claire Perry takes tour in Crossrail tunnel.
Minister sees the ongoing work to link Canning Town and Victoria Dock as part of Europe’s biggest infrastructure project.
Rail Minister Claire Perry visited one the Crossrail project’s 1,000-tonne tunnel boring machines in east London today (2 October 2014) to see how the work was progressing on the Canning Town to Victoria Dock tunnel.
The machine is named Ellie, in honor of Paralympic champion Ellie Simmonds OBE. It is facing one of Crossrail’s most complex tunneling drives which runs close to the Docklands Light Railway, the London Underground’s Jubilee Line and the Thames and Lea rivers.
Once Ellie’s work is completed over the coming months it will pave the way for the first trains to start running through the central section from 2018, when they will carry an estimated 200 million passengers a year.
Rail Minister Claire Perry:

It was such an incredible privilege to see for myself how the work is progressing. Investing in our national infrastructure is an important part of our long-term economic plan and Crossrail is at the forefront of that plan.

This is project is already delivering real benefits for the economy even before the first trains are operational. It is helping to create jobs, new apprenticeships and business opportunities across the country.

The minister saw for herself how Ellie is more than just a giant digger. She is one of 8 underground factories that digs, removes the earth and builds the tunnel’s concrete lining at an average of 100 metres a week.
Crossrail is the biggest infrastructure project in Europe and is sponsored by the Department for Transport and Transport for London. Once the project is fully operational it will link Reading and Heathrow in the west to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east.
It will transform the national transport network and is already becoming the catalyst for the economic regeneration along the route and around its network of 40 stations. It will also increase London’s rail capacity by 10% and reduce journey times.
The programme will bring over 1.5 million people to within 45 minutes commuting distance of London’s main business districts including Heathrow, the West End, the City and Canary Wharf.
Over the course of the project, Crossrail is expected to create enough work to support 55,000 full time jobs across the country. Businesses of every shape and size are securing contracts to supply Crossrail with a range of goods and services with over 62% of these being outside London.


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International
Canada
CP Rail rises on new plan, but analysts say targets may be difficult to meet.(Seeking Alpha)


Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd expects earnings per share to more than double by 2018.(Financial Post)


China
Shanghai railways handle record number of passengers on National Day.(Shanghaiist)


Ireland

Iarnród Éireann Photos

Iarnród Éireann News Release

                                             3^rd October 2014
 

Iarnród Éireann welcomes acceptance of LRC proposals by SIPTU and NBRU

 

Iarnród Éireann has received the results of ballots by SIPTU and NBRU on Labour Relations Commission proposals arising from the implementation of a temporary pay reduction for Iarnród Éireann employees, which are as follows:

-      SIPTU Yes 71%, No 29%

-      NBRU Yes 61%, No 39%

The company welcomes the acceptance of these proposals by SIPTU and NBRU.  Together with the previous acceptance of the temporary pay reduction by TSSA, TEEU and UNITE, this represents a strong commitment by employees across the company to the future of Iarnród Éireann. 

 

Most importantly, the acceptance ensures that customers will not experience further disruption from industrial action, as occurred on 24^th and 25^th August last.

 

Payroll savings are an essential element in addressing Iarnród Éireann’s financial situation, which will also include:

-      Further non-payroll savings above and beyond the 40% reduction achieved in recent years, including those identified through the management / trade union Cost Management Committee

-      Continued business and revenue growth, with passenger numbers increasing once again

-      Engagement with the National Transport Authority and Department of Transport to ensure the company is sustainably funded

 

The temporary pay reductions are in place for a total of 25 months, and range from 1.7% for employees earning €56,000 or less (74% of employees) up to 6.1% for those earning over €100,000.  The measures were implemented on 24^th August last, and were paused for three weeks to facilitate the SIPTU and NBRU ballots.

 

Iarnród Éireann Photo


Japan
Japanese railway test centre opens to support export drive.(Railway Gazette)


Saudi Arabia 
Saudi Arabia – Riyadh Metro $682.5 mln power contracts signed.(menarailpost)


USA

Siemens Press Release.

Amtrak chooses Siemens for Technical Support of Northeast Corridor Passenger Locomotives

Berlin, 2014-Sep-29

Siemens announced today that it has started a 15-year technical support and spare parts supply agreement with the U.S. passenger rail operator Amtrak for its 70 new Siemens ACS-64 electric locomotives in operation on the Northeast Corridor. This is Siemens' largest technical support contract for passenger locomotives to-date in the U.S. In 2010, Amtrak ordered 70 Amtrak Cities Sprinter electric locomotives from Siemens. The first locomotives are already in passenger service.

The 125-mph locomotives being serviced are manufactured at Siemens' Sacramento CA plant. Siemens' proven track record in more than 50 maintenance contracts around the world ensures reliability and availability along Amtrak's most highly-traveled route, the Northeast Corridor between Boston and Washington DC.

As part of this agreement, Siemens technicians will be on-site at four locations (Boston, New York City, Wilmington DE and Washington DC) to provide technical expertise, spare parts and engineering support. These crews also will be utilizing Siemens remote monitoring, which analyzes data sent wirelessly from each locomotive and enables proactive condition-based maintenance.
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High-Speed Rail Authority takes first step toward buying trains.(Sacramento Business Journal)

www.progressiverailroading.com

UP to build classification yard in east-central Texas

Two senators call on USDA to analyze grain-by-rail delays; 30 ag organizations call on USDOT to reconsider proposed tank-car rules

California HSR authority to gauge interest in trainsets, maintenance facility work

Montreal transit agency budgets more than $500 million to replace subway equipment

U.S. roads scored seventh-straight monthly carload gain in September

STB extends TTX's flat-car pooling authority for 15 years

Austin transit agency approves FY2015 budget

Crossings: GAO report cites growing congestion; Ohio commission OKs 11 upgrades

Rail supplier news from Siemens, RESIDCO, Bombardier, Dewberry, Burns, AVENTICS and Railway Interchange 2015 (Oct. 3)

Other Railway Press
www.railway-technology.com
Future Rail: Issue 19
California's high-speed project continues at a rather pedestrian pace, with the most significant hurdle being the legal legitimacy and availability of funding. Between support from the Obama administration and opposition from Republicans, and in the light of rising costs and public apathy, what are the US flagship high-speed line's chances of success?

The new Indian Government is pushing ahead with a rail reform plan that's been in the making for decades. We find out whether the country could finally see the much-needed new networks being built. We also investigate the feasibility of China's - perhaps overly ambitious - plans to build international networks including a China-Russia-Canada-America line, and take a look at Japan's proposal to end America's high-speed woes with its maglev technology.

Moreover, we profile Bombardier's new Omneo trains which will be rolled out in France as Regio 2N, find out how new traffic control software developed in Scandinavia helps reduce delays by prioritising trains in real time, and round up opinions on the ongoing debate between politicians and London Underground about the closure of all staffed ticket offices on the network.
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Singapore's LTA and rail operator SMRT to add 29 new trains
Singapore's Land Transport Authority (LTA) and rail operator SMRT are set to increase the train fleet operating on the North-South and East-West Lines (NSEWL) by 40% with the addition of 29 new trains. 
       
TfL launches public consultation for Bakerloo line extension
Transport for London has launched a public consultation on plans to extend London Underground's Bakerloo line from Elephant & Castle station through Southwark towards Lewisham, Bromley and Hayes. 
       
Fort Worth's Tex Rail project receives Federal approval
Texas' proposed Tex Rail project has been awarded a record of decision (ROD) from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to begin construction in 2016. 
       
Swedish Transport Administration and APM Terminals conduct train trial run at Gothenburg port
The Swedish Transport Administration and APM Terminals have started the trial run on the Western Main Line with a 730m-long freight train at the Port of Gothenburg.

Coming up in Eurotransport Issue 5 2014...

Eurotransport Issue 5 2014 will take a look at what’s new in Vienna, Zurich and Geneva. One stand-out article in this section comes from Günter Steinbauer – CEO of Weiner Linien who explains the role of public transport in achieving Vienna’s future urban development goals. Wiener Linien already transports 2.5 million customers every day and Günter explains that if the modal split remains the same, that figure could reach 2.9 million passengers every day in around 20 years’ time. Günter highlights what network expansion needs to be considered in order to meet the growing demand for public transport in the city.

For the first time in Eurotransport we also present our Winter Operations Supplement featuring three articles to highlight how city transport operators prepare their networks and vehicles for continuous operations during the harsh winter months? Articles in this section will come from Christer Olsson at Västtrafik, Ollipekka Heikkilä at HKL, and Gabriel Haller from the RTA.

Sustainable Mobility is another area we focus on, specifically how the industry is using low carbon buses for their operations.

Other topics in the issue include looking at what measures need to be considered to reduce the risks of bus fires, an overview of the OPTICITIES project, plus Metro de Madrid’s Chief Executive, Ignacio González Velayos gives details about their track maintenance investments.

Ahead of Eurotransport’s Real-Time Passenger Information 2014 conference in November 2014, we also give three speakers from the event the opportunity to showcase their latest developments in this area.

Eurotransport Issue 5 2014 will be published on 22 October. To guarantee that you receive the magazine, become a subscriber today by directly emailing Karen Hutchinson at khutchinson@russellpublishing.com.