International & UK Railway News Thursday 27th June 2013

 

 

 

Christian Wolmar - Britain's leading transport commentator 

 

HS2 spending plan puts project at risk

 

It’s hardly surprising that the Spending Review announcement was seen as a good day to bury the bad news that the projected cost of HS2 has now soared to £42.6bn which amounts to £50bn if rolling stock is included. This is pretty catastrophic for the project – it effectively means that if the business case is recalibrated, it will barely come up with a benefit cost ratio of 1 -1 which under normal circumstances would spell the death knell for the scheme.

Don’t be fooled by the rubbish about this extra merely being contingency added to previous estimates since they, too, included contingency, a Treasury requirement of all schemes.

It is quite astonishing, therefore, that it still receives all party support at a time when very basic support for transport, far more effective in terms of ensuring people get out of their cars, is being cut. There would be so many better things to do with £50bn, like ensuring all our towns and cities had good public transport systems, with lots of trams – all of which would be much better value than the Edinburgh scheme I saw yesterday – modern frequent bus services, good cycle infrastructure  and so on. Supporters of the scheme must be starting to have doubts.

Talking to a senior transport planner the other day, he made it abundantly clear that very few of them believe this is a worthwhile scheme. They did a straw poll of how the money would be better spent, and the top two ideas were a nationwide fast broadband network and a series of tram and guided busway schemes in towns and cities across the country.

The gobbleydegook from HS2 Ltd suggests they are floundering. Here is what Alison Munro, the Chief Executive said: ‘We have managed the scope for Phase 1 to arrive at a reference design that meets the objectives set by DfT for HS2 and have done so broadly within the cost and contingency envelope of £16.3 bn set out by the previous Secretary of State in Jan 2012.’ Capice?

As I have said before, the fact that there is all party support means that there is no proper debate on the project. Last night’s Commons vote saw 37 MPs voting for a wrecking amendment on the paving bill, but I suspect there is much more dissent on both sides of the House. It is time for more MPs to speak out.

 

 

 

 

 

MPs launch new inquiry for passenger transport in isolated communities

 

27 June 2013

The Transport Committee is today calling for evidence on passenger transport in isolated communities. This inquiry was outlined in the Committee’s recent report setting out its future work programme for 2013/14. 

• Transport Committee

The Chair of the Committee, Louise Ellman MP, has said:
“People from different communities across the UK should have access to adequate transport services. We will be looking at how best to meet the needs of passengers in isolated communities, including rural areas, island communities, and suburban or urban areas with poor transport connections. We are particularly interested in the provision of bus and rail services, as well as the role of Community Transport services.”
The Committee intends to hear oral evidence in the Autumn. Ahead of this, it would like to receive written evidence on the following points:

• How do Government and local authorities identify demand for passenger transport in isolated communities (including rural and urban areas and island communities)?
• To what extent are the needs of different groups of passengers (e.g. people with disabilities, older people, young people) taken into account in determining the provision of public transport to isolated communities?
• What are the main challenges associated with providing better and more consistent bus and rail services to isolated communities? How can these challenges be overcome?
• How effectively do Community Transport services address the needs of passengers in isolated communities? How could Community Transport be improved?
• To what extent should passengers in isolated communities be expected to rely on taxis and other demand-responsive transport services?
• What are the main challenges associated with funding transport services in isolated communities? How can these services be made more affordable?

We would be grateful to receive written submissions by Monday 2 September.
Notes on the submission of written evidence
                                                                                       
It assists the Committee if those submitting written evidence adhere to the following guidelines:

1. Written submissions should be as short as is consistent with conveying the relevant information. As a rough guide, it is usually helpful if they can be confined to six pages or less. Paragraphs should be numbered for ease of reference. A summary of the main points at the start of the submission is sometimes helpful.
2. Evidence should be submitted by e-mail to transev@parliament.uk in Word or Rich Text format, with as little use of colour and images as possible. If you wish to submit written evidence to the Committee in another format you must contact a member of staff to discuss this. The body of the e-mail should include a contact name, telephone number and postal address. It should be absolutely clear who the submission is from, particularly whether it is on behalf of an organisation or in the name of an individual.
3. Once accepted by the Committee, written evidence becomes the Committee’s property and it may decide to publish it or make other public use of it. If the Committee decides to accept your contribution as evidence we will email you formally accepting it as such. You may publicise or publish your submission yourself, once you receive the formal acceptance of your evidence to the Committee. When doing so, please indicate that it has been submitted to the Committee.
4. The Committee will usually publish the majority of written evidence that is received, but some submissions will be placed in the Parliamentary Archives for public inspection rather than being printed or published online. If you do not wish your submission to be made public, you must clearly say so, and should contact a member of staff to discuss this. Though the Committee is happy to receive copies of published material or correspondence sent to other parties, formal submissions of evidence should be original work produced for the Committee and not published elsewhere.
5. Committee staff are happy to give more detailed guidance on giving evidence to a select committee, or further advice on any aspect of the Committee’s work, by phone or e-mail.

Additional information on submitting evidence to a Select Committee is available online in the House of Commons Guide to Witnesses.



CER - The Voice of European Railways

European railway sector welcomes the provisional agreement on Public Procurement

The European Parliament and the Council of the European Union reached a provisional agreement on the Public Procurement legislative package on 24 June. The Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER) welcomes the compromise reached on the Directive on procurement by entities operating in the water, energy, transport and postal services (replacing Directive 2004/17/EC – the so-called “Utilities” Directive) as it is a step forward in enhancing the flexibility of existing rules.   Representing the rail sector in Europe, CER is thankful to the rapporteur MEP Marc Tarabella (S&D, BE), his colleagues of the European Parliament Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) Committee and the Irish Presidency of the EU for their efforts made to strike an agreement, which brings further legal clarity and takes into consideration the special characteristics of the utilities sectors.   Since the beginning of the legislative procedure, CER has welcomed the revision of the existing legal framework in as much as it aimed at simplifying and clarifying the provisions of the ‘Utilities Directive’ with a view to ultimately reduce unnecessary administrative and legal costs.   CER Executive Director Libor Lochman declared: “CER is pleased to see that crucial aspects for the development of a competitive railway market in Europe have finally been taken into account during the trialogue negotiations. In particular, we are happy to see that both the Parliament and the Council listened to the utilities sectors’ concerns adopting flexible thresholds and time constraints especially insofar as they concern framework agreements and substantial modifications of the provisions of a contract.”   In view of the final agreement on the legislative package, CER invites both the European Parliament and the forthcoming Lithuanian Presidency to continue their dialogue with the utilities sectors as they share a common responsibility and concern for delivering the best possible service to citizens and businesses in the countries in which they operate.

International Railway Journal

THE Thiess John Holland Dragados joint venture has been awarded a $A 1.15bn ($US 1.1bn) contract to build the tunnels and underground stations for Sydney's North West Rail Link (NWRL).

THE budget for the construction of the new HS2 high-speed line linking London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds has been increased by the British government from £33bn to £42.6bn.

GUATEMALA's National Alliance Agency for the Development of Economic Infrastructure (Anadie) intends to issue a tender worth $US 120m in 2014 for technical, legal and financial studies required to establish a concession to operate Line 1 of Guatemala City's commuter rail service.

A strained climate continues to persist in the global rail industry as the abundance of new orders expected to spur a turnaround have not yet materialised.


www.progressiverailroading.com US News

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Canadian potash exporter opens rail-car maintenance facility

Rail supplier news from TUV Rheinland, PCL Construction, Protran, AECOM, Cubic and CMA (June 27)

US HSR

"California high speed rail is the most important and innovative project in America!"

  

NEW DIRECTION FOR TRANSPORTATION IN AMERICA

As we move into the 21st century, it's becoming ever more obvious that we need major changes to the nation's transportation systems, and how they are funded.  Our current modes are struggling with crumbling infrastructure, skyrocketing fuel costs, overloaded systems, dwindling revenues, and tight budgets.  All indications point to every one of these factors getting worse over time. In a recent article by noted urban planner Stu Sirota entitled "Our trillion dollar dirty little secret", he outlines the situation we find ourselves in saying "It's time to recognize that we can't maintain the roads we have now, and that continuing down the path of highway expansion is both unaffordable and unnecessary." Sirota highlighted the fact that highway expansion has followed the trend projections of continued increases in driving for 6 decades.  That all changed in 2005 when driving in America reversed and began declining and has continued downward ever since.  There are many reasons for this continued decline in driving, most of which are new trends in urban lifestyles, changing demographics, high fuel costs, increasing congestion - most of which look like permanent trend shifts. The bottom line is that if transportation agencies updated their models to acknowledge that the VMT (vehicle miles traveled) trend line of the 20th Century can no longer be used to predict traffic volumes of the 21st Century, many of the planned highway expansion projects now on the books could no longer be justified.  Now that money is tight, every dollar must be carefully spent in ways that deliver the most mobility in the modes most in demand, where the trends are headed - such as rail. From USPIRG: -Americans drive fewer total miles today than we did eight years ago -New generation (Mil­lennials) demand new urban American Dream with less driving -Transportation policy in the United States, however, remains stuck in the past -It's time for America to hit the reset button on transportation policy-replacing the policy infrastructure of the Driving Boom years with a more efficient, flexible and nimble system that is better able to meet the transportation needs of the 21st century   From Transportation for America: -One in nine U.S. bridges is structurally deficient -There's 66,405 deficient bridges in America -Laid end to end they would stretch from Mexico to Canada -Americans take 260 million individual trips over   deteriorating bridges every day   More info

HIGH SPEED RAIL offers the largest, most comprehensive solution to many of the serious problems we face as a nation including crumbling outdated infrastructure, major congestion in every region, rising energy costs, dependence on foreign oil, climate change, shaky economy, declining second-tier cities, and loss of manufacturing jobs.  Addressing ALL of these problems simultaneously with high speed rail makes it the bargain of the century, and the smartest thing we can invest in as a nation. High speed rail is proven successful and profitable everywhere its built, and has nearly a 50 year track record of safe, efficient operations moving billions of people.  High speed rail is currently in operation in more than 20 countries, under construction in more than 10 countries, and in development in another 14 countries.  It's time for America to be part of this winner's list!  More info

www.railway-technology.com Updates... Siemens expands rail automation portfolio with acquisitions Siemens has acquired Sky Eye Transportation Systems and SONA BLW Präzisionsschmiede's marshalling yard technology business, expanding its portfolio in the rail automation solution.          First Capital Connect starts services on Hitchin flyover Rail operator First Capital Connect has started passenger services on the new £47m Hitchin flyover, after Network Rail completed work to build the new stretch of track in order to help reduce delays and increase future capacity.          New South Wales awards tunnelling contract on North West Rail Link The New South Wales (NSW) Government in Australia has awarded a A$1.15bn ($1.06bn) contract to a joint venture between Thiess, John Holland and Dragados, to build tunnels and excavate new underground stations as part of Sydney's North West Rail Link (NWRL) project.          Transport for London shortlists bidders for Crossrail operation Transport for London (TfL) has shortlisted four bidders, including Arriva Crossrail, Keolis / Go Ahead, MTR Corporation (Crossrail) and National Express Group, to operate Crossrail services. Shedmaster Railway News Public Transportation Industry Sues to Halt Frivolous Patent Claims BBC News - Rio Tinto suspends coal exports from Mozambique 76084's Journey South - Steam Tube MENA Rail News Israel Should Electrify Tracks Says Bombardier Laurent Troger, a Senior Executive at Bombardier Group, has recommended that Israel should go ahead with electrifying its 420 km railway network as soon as possible. Speaking at the International Transportation Conference this week in Ramat Gan, he said, “It would provide a significant opportunity to enhance the transportation.” Investment in rail infrastructure to bring it up to Western standards and modern operating systems would save more energy and provide citizens with a sustainable transportation solution, “The climate is right for trains all over the world” he continued. Railways account for only 0.6% of carbon dioxide emissions from transportation in the European Union, while road traffic accounts for around 70%. Metro systems, trains and trams address a range of city challenges, including congestion, urbanisation and population growth. There have been environmental objections raised over the required high-voltage electricity lines if the country goes ahead with electrification. However, Troger stressed this is a stable and secure proven solution that is employed all over Western Europe and the rest of the world. Bombardier currently operate on many Israeli railway routes and Troger confirmed that they would hope to offer a competitive tender should the government take forward its long-standing plans to electrify tracks. The post Israel Should Electrify Tracks Says Bombardier appeared first on MENA Rail News.