International & UK Railway News. Friday 5th April 2013

International Railway Journal


EXPRESSIONS of interest from between three and five bidders are being sought by Transport Scotland for a new 15-year franchise to operate overnight sleeper services between Scottish cities and London.

TESTING has begun in Barcelona of the first Alstom Metropolis train for Panama metro Line 1, which is due to open next year.

ZARAGOZA celebrated the opening of the final phase of a 6.9km extension of the city's first light rail line last week after four years of work and an investment of €400m.

DESPITE a slowdown in economic growth, Brazil's freight railways invested nearly Reais 4.9bn ($US 2.4bn) in new infrastructure and equipment last year, a 6.6% increase over 2011, according to figures released by the National Association of Rail Transport (ANTF) on April 3.



www.progressiverailroading.com US News

AAR: Feeble final week capped off mixed U.S. traffic performance in March
FRA studying 15 options for Northeast Corridor's future growth
Long Beach harbor commission supports city's appeal of proposed BNSF intermodal facility
Texas DOT seeks public feedback on passenger-rail study
Sound Transit to solicit input on Tacoma Link corridor alternatives
TransLink logged 2 percent ridership increase in 2012
Union Pacific to upgrade Nebraska line
Pennsylvania college offers introductory course for engineers, conductors



www.railway-technology.com Updates

ST Electronics wins multiple orders for rail electronics and satcom systems ST Engineering's electronics division, ST Electronics, has secured contracts worth S$151m ($121m) for its rail electronics and satellite communications (satcom) and smart utility systems.       
 
Thales and Prospects College introduce new apprenticeship programme for rail engineers
Thales UK and Prospects College have introduced a new apprenticeship scheme to recruit and train the next generation of rail engineers. 
      
Chicago Transit Authority to upgrade cellular service for Red and Blue lines
The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) in the US is planning to modernise its wireless communication network and increase mobile services in the city's subways and underground facilities. 
      
Bombardier to deliver 12 Twindexx Vario trains to Deutsche Bahn
Bombardier Transportation has secured a €113m order from Deutsche Bahn (DB) to supply 12 four-car Twindexx Vario electric multiple units.




www.siemens.com

Siemens – a vision of the urban future


The Siemens Infrastructure & Cities Sector is presenting innovative products, solutions and concepts for the urban world of the future at Metropolitan Solutions 2013 in Hanover, Germany. In line with the motto "Answers for infrastructure and cities," this Siemens sector demonstrates how cities can cope with the challenges posed by their rapid development and responds to questions regarding infrastructure sustainability and efficiency worldwide. In an area covering 250 square meters (hall 1, booth B09), presentations, demo points and models highlight the leading role played by Siemens as a pioneer and partner for cities and other infrastructure customers.

"Cities are still the engines of growth in our age," says Dr. Roland Busch, CEO of the Infrastructure & Cities Sector and Member of the Siemens Managing Board. "By the year 2050, the urban population will grow by 70 percent – from 3.6 billion people today to more than 6 billion. There is already a huge demand for urban infrastructures, and this trend will continue in the future."
 

Siemens offers solutions for integrated mobility and logistics, efficient buildings, security, smart power grids, water resources management and project financing. Being a pioneer in energy efficiency and intelligent infrastructure solutions, Siemens has the portfolio and the expertise required to improve the quality of life in urban environments.

Highlights at the stand include the following:

• An interactive model of an intelligent building demonstrating the efficiency of a building management system and the central role played by such buildings in the smart power grids of the future.
• A demo point showing how the Smart Grid Compass gives energy providers and grid operators reliable guidance for planning smart power grids.
• A model of the Siestorage energy storage system illustrates how load and voltage fluctuations in the power grid can be brought into balance. Siestorage acts as an energy buffer, storing energy and releasing it within milliseconds to stabilize electrical power grids.
• The Avenio low-floor tram can be integrated into existing urban infrastructures and covers capacity requirements ranging from S to XXL. Visitors can configure "their own Avenio" at one of the demo points at the stand.
• A demo point dedicated to e-ticketing realistically shows how smooth and easy it is to pay for tickets using a smart card solution that can be integrated in a number of different modes of transportation.

Network Rail

Archie opens new Duffield Road railway bridge

Ardent railway enthusiast Archie Swell will be bursting with pride today (1.30pm, Thursday, 4 April).

He’s been invited to open the new Duffield Road railway bridge near his grandparent’s home in Reading.
Archie, aged nine, wrote to Network Rail to ask if he could open the new bridge when work on it was completed.
He said: “I am mad about trains. I have been watching the bridge with much interest. Nearly every week, I and my grandma walk down the road to see the bridge being developed. I would be so honoured to be part of this ceremony and be able to open this bridge.”
Archie’s wish has been granted by Network Rail and their contractor, Murphy. Richard Turner, community relations advisor for Network Rail said: “Archie is obviously a very young but keen railway enthusiast and we’re delighted to invite him to re-open this bridge.”
The Duffield Road railway bridge has been replaced as part of a project to ensure that trains can pass under it when the Great Western Main Line is electrified from London Paddington to Bristol and then Cardiff and Swansea by 2018.
The work involved removing the old bridge and installing a new bridge to achieve the height clearance needed for the overhead electric lines to allow the trains to pass safely under it. New safety barriers have also been fitted.
Richard added: “Achieving the necessary structural clearance is a critical part of our Department for Transport remit to electrify the line between Paddington and Cardiff, including Didcot to Oxford and Reading to Newbury, by 2017.”
Work on the new structure started in October 2012. The bridge will be fully re-opened to traffic as of 13:30hrs today (Thursday 4 April).


South Wales rail upgrade nears completion

Work on a £48m project to replace the Loughor Viaduct near Swansea and redouble a 5.25-mile stretch of railway through Gowerton is close to completion.

One of the most exciting parts of the project, replacing the old Loughor Viaduct with a new bridge, has been completed and there is now a full focus on the redoubling of the former bottleneck through Gowerton, which is scheduled to be complete ready for the start of services on Monday, 8 April.
The project is being jointly funded by Network Rail and the Welsh Government in partnership with the South West Wales Integrated Transport Consortium (SWWITCH).
The work is taking place during a 16-day closure of the line between Swansea and Llanelli that began on 24 March and ends on 8 April. This has enabled engineers to carry out extensive work to redouble the track, provide a new platform and footbridge, and upgrade Duffryn level crossing.
Mark Langman, route managing director, Wales, said: “The difficult and exciting task of replacing the Loughor Viaduct is now complete and progress with the redoubling of the five-mile stretch of line is going to plan. This new viaduct and redoubling of the railway through Gowerton will remove the current bottleneck created by the stretch of single line and provide capacity to run more trains in the future.
“This project joins a number of other rail improvement projects in South and West Wales that will help deliver better journeys and boost economic growth in the area. The new viaduct at Loughor and the redoubling, as well as the new station platform and footbridge at Gowerton are part of a package of station and infrastructure improvements to make rail travel more comfortable and attractive to the public.
“As well as making it easier to travel to and from West Wales, they will help to boost local employment opportunities. I would like to thank people for their patience while we have worked to improve the viaduct and lay the second track.”

Tarka Line investment makes for a smoother ride

Network Rail has invested more than £3.75m on improving the Tarka Line in North Devon during the past financial year, the company disclosed today.

During 2012-13, the company has re-laid a total of 3.8 miles of track on the Exeter to Barnstaple line to improve reliability and performance.

The total investment includes the track re-laying work that has taken place during the recent blockades in November 2012 and March 2013 and drainage works at Colleton Mills, Kings Nympton and Portsmouth Arms.

Tim Maddocks, Network Rail’s customer services manager for the Westcountry, said: “Our aim is to improve performance, reduce maintenance costs and make the Tarka Line a more reliable, safer and smoother ride for passengers.”

The work includes track renewals to provide continuous welded rail and other essential maintenance and repair work on structures such as drainage, bridges and viaducts.

The track re-laying work has taken place at Chenson (0.2 miles), Umberleigh (1 mile), Lapford (1.5 miles) and on the north side of Eggesford (1.25 miles) with the aim of providing a smoother ride for passengers.

The dates and times of all the works were chosen to minimise the disruption to train services and reduce the impact on passengers travelling on the line.

Rail Delivery Group invites applications for Associate Membership of the Rail Delivery Group.

The Rail Delivery Group is inviting applications for Associate Membership of the Group.

Graham Smith, Director-General of the Rail Delivery Group, said
“As the leadership group for the rail industry the Rail Delivery Group is able to draw on the resources of its Members to pursue a range of priorities including improvements in asset management, the application of innovative technology and ensuring that the fresh approach to franchising provides benefits to passengers and taxpayers. We are also fortunate to be able to rely on the support of industry partners in undertaking our work including suppliers, manufacturers and the Rolling Stock Leasing Companies”
Graham Smith continued
“As the scope of the RDG’s work increases we want to bring in other organisations and companies to help us in our work and to contribute to the objectives of the RDG.”

The objectives of the Rail Delivery Group Limited include leading the rail industry in Great Britain through:

(a) Being the leadership body and collective voice of the rail industry on cross-industry issues; and

(b) Developing and issuing policies, strategies and plans for the rail industry; and promoting their adoption by industry participants.

These objectives will enable the Rail Delivery Group to advance the provision of a safe, efficient, high quality rail service in Great Britain for users and for taxpayers.

An application form is available in the formalisation section of the Rail Delivery Group’s website http://www.raildeliverygroup.org/files/2013/02/021913associatemembership.pdf
Graham Smith concluded
“The Rail Delivery Group is pleased to invite companies and organisations that are able to contribute to the work and objectives of the Group to become Associate Members. By becoming Associate Members of the RDG, companies and organisations can make a material contribution to the achievement of the RDG’s objectives, which will, in turn, benefit passengers, freight customers and taxpayers”


USHSR

High speed rail is in the news again! Big news coming from California where the state's new HSR project received a glowing report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office after their critical audit of the project. See story below... Also in the news is Katherine Perez-Estolano - USHSR Advisory Board Member - just appointed to the California High Speed Rail Authority Board! Also, Transit Oriented Development is taking off across America, especially in Los Angeles. In This Issue: U.S. GAO Report Validates CA HSR Katherine Perez-Estolano Appointed to CAHSRA Board Business-Friendly Transportation News Transit Oriented Development Booming in Los Angeles USHSR Featured & Highlighted Members High Speed Rail News GAO REPORT - THUMBS UP FOR CA HSR! GAO REPORT VALIDATES CA HSR PROJECT Congressional watchdog report confirms ridership and financial projections for the CA High Speed Rail U.S. Government Accountability Report just gave the California high speed rail project a glowing review of the state's new mega-rail project. The report supports the ridership and revenue projections outlined in the project's business plan. The authority's business plan forecasts 16 million to almost 27 million passengers every year, and annual revenues of from $1 billion to $1.8 billion in 2030. "This is great news for California, and great news for the entire nation!" said USHSR President Andy Kunz. "As the country embarks on our first true high speed rail system, its great to know the pilot project is starting off with a strong foundation! Congratulations to the leadership of the High Speed Rail Authority." Poised to break ground on the nation's first bullet train this summer, the California High-Speed Rail Authority is pleased the congressional watchdog found its ridership and revenue forecasts reasonable. Jeff Morales, the authority's CEO called the audit "an important validation from a highly respected government watchdog." The Authority's board chairman, Dan Richard, said it "gives us even greater confidence to go forward. This is a very good, very strong, report card." "We are thrilled that the GAO has concluded that estimates of ridership and revenues for California's high-speed rail project are reasonable," stated Daniel Krause, President and Executive Director of Californians For High Speed Rail. "All over the word, high speed rail systems are experiencing high ridership and operating profits. This report confirms what many already understand - that California's project will be a great success in terms of both ridership and profitability." More information KATHERINE PEREZ-ESTOLANO ADDED TO CAHSRA! Governor Brown Appoints Perez-Estolano to California HSR Authority Board USHSR Advisory Board Member Katherine Perez- Estolano has been appointed by Governor Brown to the state's High Speed Rail Authority Board. "We are very excited about this appointment" said USHSR President Andy Kunz. "Ms. Perez-Estolano's experience at the intersection of transportation and cities is a perfect addition to the state-wide rail project's board. Governor Brown selected an individual who understands deeply the things that make cities great and the importance of efficient rail mobility." Ms. Perez-Estolano was a former professor at the USC School of Policy, Planning and Development, and has an extensive background in transportation, land use issues, urbanism, and real estate development. She previously served as Executive Director of the Urban Land Institute of Los Angeles. "Congratulations to Katherine Perez-Estolano," said USHSR VP Joe Shelhorse. "Katherine is a great addition to the High Speed Rail Authority Board, especially because of her background in real estate and Transit Oriented Development. We look forward to working more closely with the Authority," added Shelhorse following the announcement. Rod Diridon, Executive Director of the Mineta Transportation Institute, and CAHSRA board chair emeritus said: "It's as though Katherine's transit oriented development and rail experience specifically prepared her to help deliver high speed rail to California, we applaud the Governor's selection." "Governor Brown has made an excellent choice in picking Ms. Perez-Estolano," said Robert Cruickshank, California High Speed Rail Blog. "She has deep experience in Southern California transportation and land use issues, brings a Latina perspective to the agency, and is already a high speed rail advocate through her work with USHSR." "We commend Governor Brown for his appointment of Katherine Perez-Estolano to the Authority Board," said Dan Richard, Chairman of the CAHSRA Board. "Ms. Perez-Estolano possesses outstanding qualifications, with an impressive record of accomplishment in business, local government, and as an educator. She is an expert in transportation planning, land use policy, and transit-oriented development issues, areas at the heart of building a successful high-speed rail project in California. More info HSR: BUSINESS-FRIENDLY TRANSPORTATION FLORIDA HSR HIRES DISNEY EXECUTIVE Private HSR operator All Aboard Florida has hired a former Disney executive to head up its new private passenger rail operation. Donald Robinson is now the president and chief operating officer of All Aboard Florida owned by Florida East Coast Industries, a Coral Gables real estate company. "We've now solidified the executive management team for All Aboard Florida," said FECI President and CEO Vincent Signorello. With stops expected in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, All Aboard Florida hopes to start running by 2015. More info TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT IN LA New projects are springing up along Los Angeles' new Expo metro line in South LA and Culver City. Multiple large scale projects are going up adjacent to Expo Line stations. At the 23rd Street station, riders can see the massive wood frame of the Lorenzo under construction on a site that was once a parking lot that nearly covered an entire block. The developer, G.H. Palmer Associates, is pouring roughly $250 million into the project including 495 apartments, with space for 1,990 residents, primarily USC students, says Meshay Talae, the Lorenzo's marketing manager. One block down Crenshaw Boulevard from the Expo/Crenshaw station, a $93 million shopping center to be called District Square will replace a Ralph's grocery store and its sprawling parking lot. According to the project website, it will include two stories of shops, including a Target. Metro is heavily involved in transit oriented development, owning 16 developments close to Metro Rail stations, according to the LA Times. There still remains an abundance of room for further development. A study of development opportunities by the Center for Transit Oriented Development identified hundreds of developable properties along the Expo Line. This includes 80 acres of underutilized land near the Jefferson/USC station, 104 acres near the Culver City station and 89 acres near the La Cienega/Jefferson station. More information CHINA HIGH SPEED RAIL - FULL SPEED AHEAD By 2015 China is projected to nearly double to 18,000 kilometers of high-speed rail. By 2020 they plan on expanding to 50,000 kilometers! China launched the connector between Beijing and Guangzhou this past December. The 2,298 kilometer long rail is the longest HSR line in the world. It would span the distance from Los Angeles to Dallas in the US. The route is one of China's busiest, connecting the capital to Guangzhou's Pearl River Delta, a region that has grown eleven-fold between 1980 and 2000, and includes 9 cities currently being connected with 150 major infrastructure projects including 10 HSR lines connecting the cities into a single megacity 4 times the population of NY. More info USHSR FEATURED MEMBER Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) is one of the largest architectural firms in the world. Formed in Chicago in 1936 by Louis Skidmore and Nathaniel Owings; in 1939 they were joined by John O. Merrill. They opened their first branch in New York City, New York in 1937. SOM has built several of the tallest buildings in the world, including the John Hancock Center (1969, second tallest in the world when built), Sears Tower (1973, tallest in the world for over twenty years), and Burj Khalifa (2010, currently world's tallest building). SOM is an award winning architecture and engineering firm that has seven decades of experience in planning, designing, and implementing large-scale airport and transportation projects on a global level. Using their full capabilities, from architecture and urban design to environmental graphics and way-finding, SOM creates terminals and transit centers that connect on every level. Travelers negotiate transfers with ease thanks to clear planning and signage; commuters take care of errands in the station; and increasingly, new development above and around downtown hubs creates new centers of social and economic activity. Whether SOM is designing a new international air terminal or a multi-modal rail station, their strong technical expertise and history of managing large complex projects allows them to translate their clients' investments into regional benefits. More information HIGHLIGHTED NEW MEMBER ENVIRO AgScience is a provider of construction, construction management, landscape and design services for a wide range of government and private sector projects. ENVIRO AgScience is a SBA 8(a) and HUBZone qualified provider of general construction and construction management services. Their target markets include government facilities, military bases, educational buildings and detention centers in the Southeast ENVIRO AgScience expanded its services by opening a construction management division, and partnering with local leaders in the industry and joining the Small Business Association's 8(a) and mentor-protégé programs. ENVIRO soon became known as much for its construction management ability as for its award-winning landscaping services. Taking on expansion once again, ENVIRO strengthened its succesful construction division by adding prime contracting and general construction services. Like the previous expansion, ENVIRO AgScience quickly became successful in its new line of work, recently being awarded several government contracts for projects on military bases around the Southest. Headquartered on a 12-acre campus in Columbia, SC in a HUBZone and Empowerment Zone , ENVIRO AgScience currently has 85 full time employees. More information In Case You Missed It... KEEPING CNN HONEST - HSR CONTROVERSY CNN's 'Keeping Them Honest' airs dishonest show attacking HSR Anderson Cooper again attacked HSR in America on his "Keeping Them Honest" show as he dishonestly distorted the true picture of the US high speed rail program. Even after we all educated him following his last misadventure critiquing HSR in America. It was quite obvious the entire show was a deliberate attempt to discredit the high speed rail program with the title "HIGH SPEED RAIL BOONDOGGLE" in big letters across the bottom of the screen during the entire show. Below that was this additional statement: "Billions spent on projects, little to show for expense". The biggest thing the show overlooked is the fact that it takes a lot longer than 4 years to launch a new national program, have new high speed rail systems fully engineered, miles of land purchased, and construction already underway. It also takes more than $10B to be building multiple HSR systems. To question results after only 4 years demonstrates considerable ignorance of the complexity and timelines of these mega projects, even after we carefully spelled this all out for CNN and Anderson Cooper last time. MediaMatters had this to say about CNN's HSR hatchet job: "CNN shouldn't be so quick to declare these investments failures. Developing a high-speed rail system in America that rivals those in Europe and Japan is a massive undertaking akin to the construction of the interstate highway system in the 1950s. As Federal Railroad Administration Chief Joe Szabo noted last year, "The Interstate Highway System took 10 administrations, 28 sessions of Congress, to be completed." It also cost taxpayers more than $100 billion". The major criticism throughout the show was the high speed rail program was not ambitious enough... 'we were promised European and Asian style bullet trains, but got slow Amtrak improvements'. CNN then proceeds to ignore the European style HSR mega project we have underway (California), which is set to start construction this summer. This mega HSR project is where a sizable percent of the stimulus money is being invested, and with construction about to start, we haven't yet seen those results. To further slant and distort the HSR story in America, CNN carefully chopped up the interview with Secretary LaHood to remove mention of the California HSR project, its construction start, and a number of key statements explaining the progress of the comprehensive national program. "Once again, CNN attacks high speed rail in America, Fox News style," said USHSR President Andy Kunz. "The big story about CA HSR being omitted deliberately from LaHood's interview to create a false picture of the national HSR program is pretty disgraceful behavior by CNN." USHSR has the exclusive full LaHood interview, the video CNN doesn't want you to see: DC SUMMIT WRAP-UP VIDEO "There's no reason why Europe or China should have the fastest trains!" -President Obama "Thanks to hard work by the folks here at DOT and by our partners--like those in the US High Speed Rail Association--the future of passenger rail in America has never been brighter." -Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood JOIN USHSR TODAY! USHSR membership puts you at the forefront of a new revolution in 21st century, sustainable transportation in America. Be out in front of the trends and play a leading role in America's next industrial revolution, and real estate boom! Join today

Our mission is to build widespread public, business, and political support for a major investment in a national high speed rail network.