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Rail, Metro and Tram Networks in Russia
15 February 2012 | By Mack Brooks
Russia is currently undergoing fundamental changes to its national railway network – the second most extensive in the world...
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Safety & Security
Railways face continued growth in passenger ridership numbers and increased demand for rail freight operations. To cope, rail systems must adapt to their changing environment and provide networks that are both safe and secure.
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“The railway will be the transport mode of the 22nd century”
6 February 2012 | By Etienne Schouppe, State Secretary for Mobility, Belgium
“The railway will be the transport mode of the 21st century, if it survives the 20th.” I had to use this phrase on numerous occasions during my time as Chief Executive of the Belgian National Railway Company in the 1990s, in order to make my colleagues aware of the necessity,…
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Raising the profile of the SEETO Comprehensive Rail Network
6 February 2012 | By Nedim Begovic, Railway Expert, SEETO
The European Commission’s proposal on new TEN-T guidelines adopted on 19 October 2011 was welcomed by the Regional Participants, since it includes important achievement of South East European regional cooperation. For the first time, the SEETO (South East Europe Transport Observatory) Comprehensive Network was included in the TEN-T Comprehensive Network…
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Detection of wheel-rail contact conditions for improved train control
6 February 2012 | By Professor T X Mei, School of Computing Science and Engineering, Salford University, UK
The contact between wheels and track is fundamental to railway operations, but the contact conditions are affected by often unpredictable external sources of contamination such as fallen tree leaves, snow and rain which can substantially reduce the level of adhesion of the track that is essential to the delivery of…
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Enhancing investments for a quality network
6 December 2011 | By Pavel Habarta, Executive Director, Czech Railway Infrastructure Administration, SŽDC
The Railway Infrastructure Administration, state organisation (SŽDC) is the infrastructure manager in the Czech Republic and, in addition to other duties is responsible for the modernisation and development of the railway network. It launched its operations on 1 January 2003 as one of two successors of the former Czech Railways…
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Rhine-Rhône HSL: sustainable development in a rail sector environment
6 December 2011 | By Xavier Gruz, Project Director for the eastern branch of the Rhine- Rhône HSL, Réseau Ferré de France (RFF)
On 8 September 2011, Réseau Ferré de France (RFF) inaugurated the first part of the eastern branch of the Rhine-Rhône high-speed line. Included in the design and construction of this line, with its major socio-economic challenges, was a series of innovative environmental measures to ensure its long-term sustainability.
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SAFERAIL – improving inspection to keep rolling stock on track
6 December 2011 | By Mayorkinos Papaelias, Scientific Coordinator, SAFERAIL and Ian Nicholson Project Coordinator, SAFERAIL
Today’s European rail networks are getting busier with trains travelling at higher speeds, and carrying more passengers and heavier axle loads, than ever before. This combination of factors is putting considerable pressure on the existing infrastructure, leading to increased demands in inspection and maintenance of rail assets.
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Siemens to equip ÖBB Nordbahn route with ETCS
17 October 2011 | By Siemens
Siemens Mobility and Logistics to equip the Nordbahn route between Vienna & Břeclav with ETCS...
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The TEN-T Executive Agency and the financing of railway projects
22 September 2011 | By Dirk Beckers, Executive Director, Trans-European Transport Network Executive Agency (TEN-T EA)
The Trans-European Transport Network Executive Agency (TEN-T EA) is an Executive Agency of the European Union which was created in 2006 by the European Commission to implement the TEN-T programme on its behalf and in particular to monitor the technical and financial implementation of all TEN-T projects. The Agency is…
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What does the McNulty Rail Value for Money Study mean for Europe’s railways?
22 September 2011 | By Mary Bonar, Recognised leading rail and project finance lawyer, Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport and Member of the Independent Transport Commission
The Rail Value for Money Study commissioned in 2010 by Britain’s then Transport Secretary, Lord Adonis, and the Office of Rail Regulation, and continued by the Coalition government, Transport Secretary, Philip Hammond, was published in its final form in May 2011. It is to be followed by a government White…
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Wayside Train Monitoring Systems: Networking for greater safety
Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) has the densest rail network in the world in terms of the number of trains per kilometre per day – and the number is still rising. This is a challenge that must be met without compromising on safety. Trains must therefore be monitored and scheduled with…
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ETCS for ÖBB: The beginning of a new train control era in Austria
4 August 2011 | By Stefan Rameder, System Integration Officer for the ÖBB ETCS Programme, ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG
After years of preparation and comprehensive calls for tenders from suppliers, Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) has placed all orders for the implementation of the European Train Control System (ETCS). In February 2010 the final purchase order was placed, concerning system integration. During the past two years, a company-wide programme group…
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Railway Safety Performance Report 2011
10 June 2011 | By European Railway Agency
The European Railway Agency has published its fourth Annual Report on the development of Railway Safety in the European Union...
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Sat Nav technology to help drive down level crossing incidents
10 June 2011 | By Network Rail
Network Rail and Garmin aim to improve awareness of level crossings and encourage safer driving...
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CER’s commitment and involvement with the progress of ETCS throughout Europe
31 May 2011 | By Libor Lochman, Deputy Executive Director, the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER)
The legal environment of the European rail system has dramatically changed during the last two decades. The three rail packages have caused a completely new structure of the railway business and induced an introduction of a number of new actors on the European railway market. Furthermore, in order to enable…
