PLANNING approval has been granted by the Australian state government of New South Wales for the start of construction on the North West Rail Link, a 23km line to Rouse Hill to Epping via Castle...
KENYA Railway Corporation (KRC) has revived an international tender for a design and build turnkey project for a 7km commuter line in Nairobi after it was suspended in the second quarter when Kenya put on...
ACTOM Signalling recently completed a Rand 83m ($US 10.1m) signalling upgrade on a 480km section of the Johannesburg - Durban mainline from Union Junction near Germiston to Cedara near Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal. Altogether 92 stations...
www.railway-technology.com Updates
Train service performance remains the main cause of passengers' complaints
New statistics published today by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) show that train service performance remains the main cause of passengers’ complaints.
Updated rail complaints data highlight that between 1 April 2012 and 30 June 2012 (2012-13 quarter 1) nearly one third (32%) of rail passengers’ complaints were about train service performance. Complaints about fares, retailing and refunds received the second highest number of complaints (17%). However, the proportion of passenger complaints about train service performance is 8% lower than the same quarter in 2011-12, and 2% lower for fares, retailing and refunds. There have been small increases, compared to the same quarter in 2011-12, in other complaints categories, including quality on train, staff conduct and availability, and complaints handling.
Data also shows that the overall number of complaints has been steadily decreasing over the past decade – declining from a high of 148 complaints per 100,000 journeys recorded in 2002-03 to the lowest annual number in 2011-12 with 39 complaints per 100,000 journeys. In 2012-13 quarter 1 there were 32 complaints per 100,000 train journeys - the lowest number of complaints per 100,000 journeys ever recorded.
To view these statistics, visit ORR's National Rail Trends (NRT) Portal at: http://dataportal.orr.gov.uk
Wabtec buys rail maintenance firm LH Group US-based rail parts manufacturer Wabtec has for $48m acquired UK company LH Group, provider of maintenance and overhaul services to the passenger transit market.
Bombardier to supply signalling system for Sungai Buloh-Kajang line in Malaysia
Canadian rail manufacturer Bombardier Transportation has secured a five-year, MYR281m ($91.7m) contract from Malaysia's Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) to supply its Cityflo 650 control system in the greater Kuala Lumpur area in Malaysia.
Canadian rail manufacturer Bombardier Transportation has secured a five-year, MYR281m ($91.7m) contract from Malaysia's Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) to supply its Cityflo 650 control system in the greater Kuala Lumpur area in Malaysia.
USDOT provides loan to build light rail line in Los Angeles
The US Department of Transportation (USDOT) has approved a $545.9m loan to the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) for the $1.75bn Crenshaw/LAX transit corridor project in Los Angeles, US.
The US Department of Transportation (USDOT) has approved a $545.9m loan to the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) for the $1.75bn Crenshaw/LAX transit corridor project in Los Angeles, US.
UK DfT cancels West Coast main line rail contract
The UK Department for Transport (DfT) has cancelled a $9bn deal with FirstGroup to run the West Coast Main Line citing technical flaws in the bidding process.
The UK Department for Transport (DfT) has cancelled a $9bn deal with FirstGroup to run the West Coast Main Line citing technical flaws in the bidding process.
See also:
Including details of the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway's celebratory day for the reopening of the full GWR line on 30th October.....
Including the opening of another section of High Speed Railway in China...
REMINDER
Unbundling in the railway sector:
Does one size fit all?
Monday, 5 November 2012
18:30- 21:00
Hotel Renaissance
Rue du Parnasse 19 - 1000 Bruxelles
Unbundling in the railway sector:
Does one size fit all?
Monday, 5 November 2012
18:30- 21:00
Hotel Renaissance
Rue du Parnasse 19 - 1000 Bruxelles
Vertical separation ("unbundling") has traditionally been seen as a logical accompanying measure to the introduction of competition in some network industries, including railways. However, recent rail market developments suggest that both overall rail system performance and competition can work well, both in vertically separated and in vertically integrated systems, as well as in various intermediate models.
The Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER) decided to ask external consultants to carry out a study on the economic effects of vertical separation in the railway sector – the EVES-Rail Study. The study investigates both quantitative effects of previous reforms and how structural and institutional mechanisms are involved in driving the performance of rail systems in Europe. The study also evaluates the potential impact of a universal imposition of full vertical separation on an EU-wide basis.
A formal presentation of the study’s methodology and results will be given by EVES-Rail consortium leader Didier van de Velde (Inno-V). This will be followed by a panel discussion with EU policy-makers and representatives from both fully separated and partially integrated railway systems.
The event will close with a cocktail reception where discussions will continue informally.
Train service performance remains the main cause of passengers' complaints
New statistics published today by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) show that train service performance remains the main cause of passengers’ complaints.
Updated rail complaints data highlight that between 1 April 2012 and 30 June 2012 (2012-13 quarter 1) nearly one third (32%) of rail passengers’ complaints were about train service performance. Complaints about fares, retailing and refunds received the second highest number of complaints (17%). However, the proportion of passenger complaints about train service performance is 8% lower than the same quarter in 2011-12, and 2% lower for fares, retailing and refunds. There have been small increases, compared to the same quarter in 2011-12, in other complaints categories, including quality on train, staff conduct and availability, and complaints handling.
Data also shows that the overall number of complaints has been steadily decreasing over the past decade – declining from a high of 148 complaints per 100,000 journeys recorded in 2002-03 to the lowest annual number in 2011-12 with 39 complaints per 100,000 journeys. In 2012-13 quarter 1 there were 32 complaints per 100,000 train journeys - the lowest number of complaints per 100,000 journeys ever recorded.
To view these statistics, visit ORR's National Rail Trends (NRT) Portal at: http://dataportal.orr.gov.uk
Franchising and structure bound to be questioned
The chaos over the West Coast bids is a direct result of the process and is bound to raise much wider questions over franchising and indeed the structure of the governance of the railways. The problem with the process arose because the civil servants concerned are, necessarily, separated from the rest of the Department while they undertake assessment of bids. That means their decision making process does not really come under scrutiny until, as is clear, it is too late. Ministers get presented with anonymised bids and select from them – tho one suspects they may guess which company each one represents.
The extent of this catastrophe though is breathtaking. The whole rail industry is now apparently put on hold while a review of the process takes place. This is bound to lead to much external – if not internal – questioning of the franchise process and searches for the answer to the Wolmar question, ‘what is franchising for?’ Given this debacle has cost at least £40m as the bid costs will be reimbursed, and that now another similar sum will have to be spent and that the operation on not only the West Coast but many other lines will be disrupted by the delays and uncertainty, it would be unthinkable that there will not be wider questions about the operation of the railways.
It will also highlight the need for a body separate from the Department to run the railways. The abolition of the Strategic Rail Authority always seemed a strange decision given that it made the Department into the ministry for railways, giving unprecedented power to civil servants to run and make strategic decisions over them. The folly of that has now been exposed. Civil servants come and go, and are deliberately trained to be generalists, while the railways need specialists. They also need stability rather than ministers who come and go at the whim of the Prime Minister. It is all too obvious that the way that the Department has been treated as a dumping ground for ministers on the way up or down is also part of the problem.
There is a lot more to this than simply a one off debacle. It is a result of the structural mistakes made over years and therefore the review needs to be comprehensive. And one last point. This has clearly been known about for quite a few days – one suspects a bit of news management in releasing it to try to move attention away from Milliband’s performance at party conference. Dirty business politics.
Great Railway Revolution
The Epic Story of the American Railroad...
- Find out more
- Order online
The chaos over the West Coast bids is a direct result of the process and is bound to raise much wider questions over franchising and indeed the structure of the governance of the railways. The problem with the process arose because the civil servants concerned are, necessarily, separated from the rest of the Department while they undertake assessment of bids. That means their decision making process does not really come under scrutiny until, as is clear, it is too late. Ministers get presented with anonymised bids and select from them – tho one suspects they may guess which company each one represents.
The extent of this catastrophe though is breathtaking. The whole rail industry is now apparently put on hold while a review of the process takes place. This is bound to lead to much external – if not internal – questioning of the franchise process and searches for the answer to the Wolmar question, ‘what is franchising for?’ Given this debacle has cost at least £40m as the bid costs will be reimbursed, and that now another similar sum will have to be spent and that the operation on not only the West Coast but many other lines will be disrupted by the delays and uncertainty, it would be unthinkable that there will not be wider questions about the operation of the railways.
It will also highlight the need for a body separate from the Department to run the railways. The abolition of the Strategic Rail Authority always seemed a strange decision given that it made the Department into the ministry for railways, giving unprecedented power to civil servants to run and make strategic decisions over them. The folly of that has now been exposed. Civil servants come and go, and are deliberately trained to be generalists, while the railways need specialists. They also need stability rather than ministers who come and go at the whim of the Prime Minister. It is all too obvious that the way that the Department has been treated as a dumping ground for ministers on the way up or down is also part of the problem.
There is a lot more to this than simply a one off debacle. It is a result of the structural mistakes made over years and therefore the review needs to be comprehensive. And one last point. This has clearly been known about for quite a few days – one suspects a bit of news management in releasing it to try to move attention away from Milliband’s performance at party conference. Dirty business politics.
Great Railway Revolution
The Epic Story of the American Railroad...
- Find out more
- Order online
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