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In-Depth Focus: Rail Asset Management
As rail networks modernise and expand, the role of intelligent, resilient asset management has become more vital than ever.
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Rail Articles
Infrastructure projects are an engine for growth
1 August 2012 | By Doris Bures, Federal Minister of Transport, Innovation and Technology, Austria
As a starting point for the following considerations, I would like to choose two well-founded assumptions. Firstly, mobility is a basic prerequisite of our modern society and economy. Secondly, both passenger transport as well as cargo transport will see an increase in mobility in the years to come. The respective…
Swiss rail construction projects on track – in cities, through the Alps and across borders
1 August 2012 | By Philippe Gauderon, Head of SBB Infrastructure and Raffael Hirt, Communications Manager for the Zurich Cross-City Link, SBB Infrastructure
Throughout 2012, SBB Infrastructure is undertaking a number of construction projects across Switzerland: in the two largest Swiss cities, Zurich and Geneva, in the St. Gallen and Schaffhausen conurbations, in the canton of Ticino, in the Alps, and even beyond Switzerland’s borders. This article presents an overview of the major…
Gotthard railway systems now being installed and the Ceneri is on course
1 August 2012 | By Renzo Simoni, CEO, AlpTransit Gotthard Ltd
Since the second final breakthrough on 23 March 2011, fitting-out of the Gotthard Base Tunnel has made rapid progress, and since September 2011, installation of the railway systems has been taking place from the north. Elsewhere in the Ceneri Base Tunnel, work has begun on the main drives from the…
ÖBB’s approach to sustainable maintenance of infrastructure
1 August 2012 | By Andreas Matthä, Speaker of the Board, ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG
Increasing route utilisation, higher transport tonnages, shorter train intervals and greater speeds are, from the customers’ viewpoint, the most important characteristics of Austria’s railway network, which highlights the need for further maintenance of the lines. Since 2008, ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG has placed particular emphasis on the sustainable maintenance of its infrastructure…
Vienna’s City Airport Train – unique in Europe
1 August 2012 | By Elisabeth Landrichter, Managing Director, City Air Terminal Betriebsgesellschaft mbH
The Vienna City Airport Train (CAT) has been operating since 2003 and is Europe’s only air-rail link which offers a ‘City Check-In’ facility. In just 16 minutes, passengers in Vienna can travel on a non-stop service between the city centre and the airport, and vice versa, from early in the…
New U.S. standards create safer trains
1 August 2012 | By
With experience from Voith Turbo, latest specifications help define Crash Energy Management systems for U.S. rail systems. The U.S. rail system has always trailed behind those in the global rail market in utilising the latest technology, but new regulations institut - ing Crash Energy Management (CEM) is accelerating them into…
Building on success: the liberalised and competitive Italian railway market
1 August 2012 | By Vincenzo Soprano, Chief Executive Officer, Trenitalia SpA
The European railway industry has radically changed over recent years following the introduction of high speed networks which have revolutionised society. Italy was the first country in Europe to launch the railway market liberalisation process by opening up to competitors. In just a few years, the economy of the sector…
Italo – now a reality
1 August 2012 | By Giuseppe Sciarrone, Managing Director, Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori S.p.A. (NTV)
On 28 April 2012, the first passenger-filled Italo train left Naples station heading to Rome, Florence, Bologna and Milan. It was a highly emotional moment for everybody at NTV: the personnel, the partners and, of course, for me. After approximately four years of startup plans, the project finally became a…
A new type of railway mono-block sleeper
1 August 2012 | By Marco Guerrieri, Faculty of Engineering, University of Perugia
A railway sleeper is the structural element which transversally connects the two rails by means of fastening components, thus ensuring its gauge. Its additional function is to firmly secure the track to the ballast and to distribute the loads transferred from railway carriages to the ballast. One of the most…
Bogies / Wheelsets supplement 2012
In this supplement: Testing the bogie (Igor Alonso-Portillo, Director for Strategy and Business Development, CETEST); A status report on FLEXX Speed bogies for ZEFIRO 380 trains (Heiko Mannsbarth, Head of Product Management of the Business Unit Bogies and Steffen Vogt, Team Leader of the Vehicle Dynamics Department, Bombardier Transportation GmbH)...
Level Crossing Safety supplement 2012
In this supplement: Infrabel progressively increases safety at level crossings (Ann Billiau, Director-General, Rail Access, Infrabel); Portugal raises the tempo of level crossing safety initiatives (Paulo Soares de Melo, Director of Level Crossings, REFER); Level crossing misuse - not a traditional policing solution (Miles Flood, Chief Superintendent Territorial Policing, British…
150 years of Finnish railways – still a vital part of the transport system
8 June 2012 | By Merja Kyllönen, Minister of Transport, Finland
2012 marks a special occasion in Finnish railway history: our railways celebrate their 150th anniversary. Scheduled train services began on 17 March 1862 between Helsinki and Hämeenlinna, and ever since then, rail transport has had a huge influence on the development of our society and landscape. Over the years, a…
High Speed Rail supplement 2012
In this High Speed Rail supplement: Russia’s future high-speed plans (Vladimir Yakunin, President, Russian Railways); Fast forwarding to a high-speed future (Alistair Gordon, CEO, Keolis UK); Show Preview: UIC HIGHSPEED 2012...
Norwegian railways enter a year of intensive planning
8 June 2012 | By Elisabeth Enger, Director General, Jernbaneverket
Since the beginning of 2012, three important reports on Norwegian railways have been issued in quick succession. First was the major high-speed study, followed by Jernbaneverket’s concept study for expansion of the InterCity network in eastern Norway. Subsequently, the central government agencies for sea, air, road and rail transport tabled…
The railway accident investigation process in Norway
8 June 2012 | By Kurt A. Olsen, Director, Head of Rail Department, Accident Investigation Board Norway (AIBN)
The Accident Investigation Board Norway (AIBN) is a Norwegian Government agency under the Ministry of Transport and Communications, responsible for investigating accidents and incidents in the transport sector. The history of the Board dates back to 1989. Earlier ad hoc investigation commissions only investigated fatal aviation accidents. At that time…
