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Rail Articles

The Railway Infrastructure Manager’s challenge

4 June 2015 | By James Lewis, Network Rail

As the railway Infrastructure Manager in the UK, Network Rail is entering uncharted territory – new possibilities in traffic management are opening up through the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS), and the ability to measure the performance of the infrastructure in ways not previously imagined is becoming increasingly available.…

Smart ticketing on rail

4 June 2015 | By Steve Wakeland, General Manager at ITSO Limited

The future of rail in Britain has been at the centre of much political debate recently, especially during the run-up to the General Election on 7 May 2015. Public or state ownership plus whether High Speed Two is a good investment or a waste of money were two of the…

Supporting competition and an innovative single European railway

4 June 2015 | By Julia Lamb, ERFA Secretary General

ERFA, the European Rail Freight Association, brings together the newcomers on the European rail market. ERFA’s members range from railway undertakings to wagon keepers, freight forwarders, leasing companies and national rail associations, covering the whole value chain of rail transportation across Europe. All members are united in a commitment to…

The future of Germany’s railways – intermodal and digitally interlinked

7 April 2015 | By Alexander Dobrindt, Federal Minister of Transport and Digital Infrastructure, Germany

In international comparisons, Germany is a world leader in terms of infrastructure, logistics and connectivity, writes Alexander Dobrindt, Federal Minister of Transport and Digital Infrastructure, Germany. This safeguards our competitiveness as an exporting nation, thereby securing growth, prosperity and jobs. Linked with this is a continuous growth in the demand…

The Fehmarnbelt Tunnel: From vision to reality

7 April 2015 | By Johnny Restrup-Sørensen, Contract Director, Railway at Femern A/S

The Fehmarnbelt Tunnel will become the world’s longest immersed tube tunnel for combined road and rail traffic. It will provide a double-track railway and four-lane highway connection between Puttgarden on the German island of Fehmarn and Rødbyhavn on the Danish island of Lolland. After years of detailed investigations, the planning…

Upholding high safety levels on the Estonian railway network

7 April 2015 | By Heigo Saare, Head of the Railway Infrastructure Department, National Safety Authority (NSA) for Estonia

The Technical Regulatory Authority in Estonia is an agency working under the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications with a broader objective to help implement national economic policies through the improvement of safety, organising sensible use of limited resources and increasing the reliability of products in the fields of manufacturing…

Finland concentrates on rail network development

7 April 2015 | By Kari Ruohonen, Director General of Projects at the Finnish Transport Agency

The greatest challenge in Finland is an insufficient amount of maintenance funds which have resulted in maintenance backlogs in both railway and road infrastructure management. In a report completed in autumn 2014, the parliamentary working group under the Minister of Transport and Local Government proposed an additional annual appropriation of…

Scandinavian rail freight: Time for change

7 April 2015 | By Gottfried Eymer, CEO, DB Schenker Rail Scandinavia A/S

National governments have to create level playing fields between rail and road, writes Gottfried Eymer, CEO of DB Schenker Rail Scandinavia A/S. Driven by globalisation and changes within manufacturing industries, the demand for freight transportation is increasing to levels never seen before. Various things like raw materials, consumer goods and…