International & UK Railway News Thursday 13th November 2014

..Total Railway News

Its that time of year..and already some are getting jittery about Dawlish...and whether the line will be breached again......The prospect has quickened the minds of some to urge the appropriate authority to build an avoiding line..or, at the other end of the scale...boycott the line altogether.
The first Hitachi Class 800 trainset has been unveiled....they'll look good on First Great Western lines.... and London St Pancras saw the first new Eurostar (e320 built by Siemens).. Although Germany itself isn't seeing too many trains at the moment.....


Plus plenty of offerings from eurotransport, Rail Staff, UITP ..


Click on the links....




Headlines
UK
Dawlish sea wall is damaged again by waves.(BBC News)


Fears raised over Dawlish railway line after cracks appear just months after £35million repair job following winter storms.(Mail Online)
Includes a very large photo of minor damage....


Rough Seas 10th November 2014 Time Lapse  




Courtesy: Dawlish Beach on YouTube.


'Boycott Dawlish rail line' campaign launched after storms hit.(Torquay Herald Express)


Opinions sought over Borders railway.(ITV News)


Northern Line extension to Battersea and Nine Elms given go-ahead.(BBC News)





Greater Anglia trains from Norwich to London affected by Kelvedon wire damage.(BBC News)


Wheelchairs or pushchairs: Who should take priority?(BBC News)


Coleraine to Londonderry rail project: Danny Kennedy denies 'cosy' relationship with Translink.(BBC News)


New generation of bullet trains on show.(ITV News)


Birmingham unveils £4bn transport plan for next 20 years.(BBC News)


£4bn Birmingham transport improvements revealed.(Birmingham Mail)


Tata Steel Europe boss warns on import risk.(insider media)


Small wonders of the railway age.(Sheffield Telegraph)


Underwater tunnel between North Wales and Ireland 'could be built by end of century' - Daily Post


First Hitachi Class 800 trainset unveiled(Railway Gazette)


Simon Calder:Why I'm a Eurostar sceptic. (The Independent) 
 

Eurostar orders seven more e320s - Railway Gazette
Sleek, according to one source.... but too much blue ( a personal view....a cold colour) and only a half carriage buffet......!!








#TeamCrossrail Blog: Thomas Wechner, Senior SCL Methodology Engineer




Rail Accident Investigation Branch.




Class investigation into rail breaks on the East Coast Main Line

Report name:
141113_R242014_ECML

Incident date:
14 September 2012

Category:
Heavy Rail

Summary: This class investigation considers the occurrence and management of rail breaks on Network Rail’s East Coast Main Line (ECML). It includes consideration of rail breaks which occurred at three locations during 2012 and 2013 and which, together with reports that the occurrence of rail breaks on the ECML was relatively high, triggered the investigation. None of these three rail breaks resulted in injuries or damage to trains.

A rail break at Corby Glen, near Grantham was triggered by wear of the pad intended to separate the rail from the underlying concrete sleeper. Breaks at Copmanthorpe, near York, and at Hambleton, about 15 miles (24 km) south of York, were due to movement at rail joints caused by inadequate support from the underlying ground.
Rail break statistics show that, after allowing for differences in route length and the amount of traffic, the ECML has more rail breaks than comparable main lines. After considering both the types of rail break occurring on the ECML and the measures being taken by Network Rail to manage these, the investigation concluded that the most significant factor in the relatively high number of rail breaks on the ECML between 2009 and 2013 was the relatively high proportion of older track.

Network Rail has recognised the relatively high level of rail breaks on the ECML and is replacing older track components on this line. It has also altered the maintenance criteria on the ECML to increase the likelihood of replacing moving (dipped) joints before they cause rail breaks. These measures appear to be reflected in a recent reduction in the occurrence of rail breaks.

The RAIB has made four recommendations relating to rail breaks and addressed to Network Rail. The first seeks research to improve detection of the very small precursor cracks which usually occur in rails a significant period before the rail breaks. The second relates to the wider adoption of lessons learnt from managing rail breaks on the ECML while the third seeks a routine process for identifying and replacing defective rail pads. The fourth recommendation seeks implementation of improved techniques for detecting precursor cracks if trials using equipment recently fitted to Network Rail’s test trains (ultrasonic testing units) prove successful.
A fifth recommendation, also addressed to Network Rail, arises from an observation not directly related to rail breaks and deals with improved highlighting of updated information in safety critical documents.

Download report:
141113_R242014_ECML_Rail_Breaks.pdf (15,036.73 kb)

Network Rail

Signal power supply failure

How signal power supply failure can cause delays - and what we're doing to reduce them.

Signallers in Rugby signalling centre. (Network Rail Picture)


The power supply to our signalling system can fail for a variety of reasons, for example due to a power cut or a blown fuse in the circuit.

Our signalling system is designed to fail safe: when the power fails, the signals turn black; if the driver can’t see a green or yellow signal, they must stop the train.

What we’re doing to reduce signal failure and resulting delays

• We’re introducing uninterruptable power supplies (UPSs) which take over when the power supply is cut, minimising the delays felt by passengers. UPS systems were introduced on the West Coast Mainline during the upgrade works and further UPSs will be introduced as part of re-signalling schemes.
• We monitor the health of our power supply system using wireless monitoring backed up with annual inspections.
• For areas without UPS, we're replacing aging cable to improve power supply reliability.
• Our power suppliers notify us of any planned interruptions to the power supply so we can make sure backup supplies are in place.
• We’ve invested in fault finding equipment for our older systems so we can fix problems before they affect services.
• Our modern “intelligent” systems immediately identify the location of faults as soon as they occur, enabling us to respond more quickly and get trains running faster.
• Sometimes the quickest and simplest option is to switch to another power source, so in some situations we use portable generators to restore power.

International

www.cer.be - The Voice of European Railways

Can rail help deliver a brighter future for Europe?
Thursday, 4 December 20149:00 - 10:30
Stanhope Hotel
Rue du Commerce 9 - 1000 Brussels

In Europe, demand for transportation is set to increase in the coming decades, both for passenger and freight. At the same time, Europe faces pressing challenges such as congestion, energy scarcity and the rising price of petrol. If solutions are not found urgently, these challenges are likely to have a negative impact on mobility and the economy.

Can Europe successfully address the strategic challenges it faces without compromising on mobility?

The European Commission´s 2011 Transport White Paper presented a strategy to address these challenges. In particular, the White Paper advocates a substantial modal shift towards rail. CER and its members recognise that for this vision to become reality, a number of actions need to be implemented, and not just within the rail sector. At the political level, strategies also need to be deployed. Only then can rail become the preferred transport mode of the future for both passengers and freight customers.

How can the EU support this transition towards the railways of the future?

What can the Member States do?

 This will be the focus of an event organised by CER in Brussels, on 4 December, with the kind support of the








 Italian Presidency. Please find attached the agenda for this event.

If you wish to register, please fill in this form before 28 November 2014.

Should you need more information on this event, please contact Agnese Danelon

(Agnese.Danelon@cer.be / +32 (0)2 213 08 66).

_________________________________________________
Chile
Chile publishes $US 4.2bn urban transport plan   (IRJ)


China
China interested in Singapore-Malaysia high-speed rail, Chile ports: Xinhua (reuters)




Beijing-Moscow high-speed rail could solve China's food shortage (WantChinaTimes)

France

Alstom set for €4bn share buyback.(FT.com)

Germany

Germans turn to dark humour as strike rhetoric goes off rails.(FT.com)

USA
www.progressiverailroading.com

Construction begins on Amtrak service to Roanoke

CSX to cut 300 management positions at Florida HQ

All Aboard Florida kicks off construction on West Palm Beach station

RailTrends ready to roll in New York City next week

Sasol to build $8.1 billion chemical manufacturing complex in Louisiana

Lower Makefield Township lands Pennsylvania funding to create quiet zones

CTA steps up monitoring of fare cards

TSA grants help TriMet step up security during holidays

Rep. Hunter backs U.S. attorney investigation into Desert Line lease agreement

Other Railway Press

Sustainability in the city 
The biggest event in public transport will take place in Milan from 8-10 June 2015


The biennial World Congress & Exhibition (8-10 June 2015) is the only worldwide event that covers all urban and regional transport modes, combining a full programme of Congress sessions with an Exhibition displaying the latest industry-defining products and services. The event brochure is available! In the brochure you will find..
•Themes: what you have got to smile about
•Programme: get a closer look at the sessions (Simultaneous interpretation in ENG/FR/DE/ES/IT)
•Expo Focus Sessions: putting the spotlight on innovations
•Speakers: more than 120 speakers will share their expertise
•Partnership opportunities: raise your brand awareness
•Practical details: join your peers and become a delegate


The defining theme of the event is 'Smile in the city', where 'smile' is an acronym for the five thematic clusters: Sustainability, Mobility, Innovation, Lifestyle and Economy



Sustainability in the city
There's a lot of work to be done if we want to create truly sustainable cities... Sustainainability is not about restrictions, it's about opportunity, especially for the public transport sector. The mandate to transform for innovation on strategy, design and manufacturing. The public transport sector has been busy, and not just getting citizens from A to Z; we're developing new technologies that offer big opportunities for us to compete and to adapt our solutions to the new worlds of mobility...


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Crossrail of the North
HS2 chairman Sir David Higgins has urged the creation of a new east-west rail link between the two prongs of Britain's future Y-shaped high-speed rail network.

Big top sensation sweeps rail
Andy Milne looks back at the circus that was, quite literally, this year's RailStaff Awards.

More than a match
ASLEF's Chris Nutty tells the story of a little-known piece of London's East End history.

Great War Railwaymen
A railwayman who has served in the Territorial Army has written a book about the sacrifice of the thousands of railway staff who died in the Great War.

Brunel Medal for Orange Army
The team of engineers who worked round the clock to reopen the Dawlish railway following storms that breached the sea wall has been awarded the prestigious Brunel Medal at the 2014 Institution of Civil Engineers Awards.

Read the whole magazine online
See the full digital edition here - now downloadable.




eurotransport

Gloria Esposito from the LowCVP takes a look at the UK low carbon bus market; Esther Kreutz-Hassinen gives details about the CH4LLENGE project she coordinates; and Industry Consultant Doug Jack takes a look at the different low carbon bus vehicles available... Read Now

UK low carbon bus market moves forward The advancement of low carbon vehicles is at the heart of the UK’s climate change agenda that sets an ambitious target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050, writes Gloria Esposito – Head of Projects at the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership (LowCVP). Low carbon buses are a key part of the UK’s roadmap to reducing CO2 emissions, an integral feature of sustainable transportation in cities and driving improvements in urban air quality. In parallel with environmental benefits, the manufacturers of low carbon buses have a role to play in stimulating economic growth through investment in the automotive industry in the UK. Read More   CH4LLENGE …tackling the challenges of sustainable urban mobility planning The development of Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs) in cities is high on the European agenda. The European Commission recognised the need for more sustainable and integrative planning processes in their Urban Mobility package, published in 2013 and numerous projects are supporting cities in developing their plans. Despite all effort, implementation of SUMPs is challenging for cities. The CH4LLENGE project starts from here to figure out and work on the most pressing challenges and barriers in sustainable urban mobility planning. Esther Kreutz-Hassinen – Project Coordinator for CH4LLENGE, explains more. Read More   Sustainability: keeping the wheels turning For many years, there have been increasing warnings that the world will one day run out of fossil fuels, writes Doug Jack – Industry Consultant. Furthermore, some of the most abundant deposits are in countries where there can be trading difficulties or political instability. Just think of he current situations in Iraq, Libya and Russia. In parallel, there have been dire warnings about global warming and CO2 emissions. The developed countries are the largest users of fossil fuels and they are leading the way with tough legislation to reduce carbon emissions. Read More www.railway-technology.com Skanska to expand Hallsberg-Degerön freight line in Sweden Skanska has been awarded a SEK398m ($53.73m) contract from the Swedish Transport Administration to expand a section of the Hallsberg-Degerön freight line in Sweden. Shanghai Railway installs Wi-Fi across eight railway stations China's Shanghai Railway Bureau has installed Wi-Fi across eight railway stations throughout the city with the support of Wi-Fi technology provider Ruckus Wireless. New Fulton Centre opens in New York City, US The New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has opened the Fulton Centre, a fully digital transit and retail hub in the city. Mitsui and Odebrecht TransPort to form new joint venture in Brazil Tokyo-based Mitsui and Brazil's Odebrecht TransPort have signed agreements to create a joint venture to promote concession and public-private partnership (PPP) projects related to urban passenger railway transportation.