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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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Milling – the new dimension of rail-profiling

28 May 2008 | By Hans-Peter Bartmann, International Sales Manager, Linsinger Maschinenbau GmbH

It was in 2003 when Linsinger Maschinenbau GmbH from Austria launched its new version of the Rail Milling Train SF 03 FFS for German Railways, DB AG, and Alpha-Rail Team for the German Railway Market. Since then, the rail milling technology of Linsinger started a matchless and incomparable victory lap…

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DB’s experience with Y-steel sleepers

8 April 2008 | By Andreas Beck and Thomas Hempe, Specialists in Track Technology Management, DB Netz AG

Permanent way is required to absorb the static and dynamic forces resulting in vertical (z), lateral (y), and longitudinal (x) directions from railway traffic loads, to effectively distribute them, and to transfer them into the sub-grade at reduced magnitudes. Superimposed on these external forces are additional internal forces arising from…

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HSL-Zuid: high-speed importance

8 April 2008 | By Dietmar Wegner, RAMS Manager, Industry Sector, Mobility Division, Siemens AG

European cities are linked by an increasing amount of high-speed transport routes that satisfy growing demand for mobility. Ecological and economical/political aspects are also of immense importance to the expansion of the European high-speed transport network. The Netherlands’ connection to the high-speed network takes Europe another step closer to a…

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Open to equality and accessibility

8 April 2008 | By Walter Hackl-Gruber, Head of Human Factors Working Group and Matthias Barta, Project Engineer, Human Factors Working Group, Technical University of Vienna

Our society has committed itself to provide equal access to the public transport system for all citizens. Despite common efforts to improve the accessibility of the rolling stock, there are still some deficiencies towards the Men Machine Interfaces (MMI’s) on mainline trains for physically and sensory impaired people.

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Know-how, smart strategies and dedicated equipment

8 April 2008 | By Dipl.-Ing. Alfred Gruber, Head of Infra Service Division, ÖBB-Infrastruktur Betrieb AG

In order to be competitive on the liberalised rail transport market, the ÖBB Group must operate with market-oriented companies. A key success factor is the reliable transport handling and, thus, the reliability of the infrastructure facilities. That is where the division Infra Service of ÖBB-Infrastruktur Betrieb AG comes in.

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Adding value

8 April 2008 | By Paul Seller, Director of Technical Sales, Transportation and Chris Knowles, Director of Marketing, Transportation, Lloyd’s Register Rail Ltd

Making sure systems, products and processes are doing the job in the most efficient way, needs a co-ordinated approach and independent scrutiny. Independent assurance is an approach which checks what others have done, are doing and what they plan to do. When this is performed well, it makes a major…

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Ballast Reinforcement: a new vision or just a mirage?

8 April 2008 | By Dr. Nick Thom, Lecturer, School of Engineering, University of Nottingham, UK

Despite modern railways being at the forefront of technologies such as power transmission, signalling, control systems and vehicle dynamics, there is one element which is stuck firmly in the Stone Age – the trackbed. It is true that some tracks are being designed and built with concrete or asphalt bases,…

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Applying the brakes to catastrophic rail freight disasters

29 January 2008 | By Christian Aubry, Project Manager, Freight Wagon Engineering, SBB Cargo AG

The possibility of catastrophe always has to be borne in mind in the case of a train carrying hazardous cargo. The risk can be substantially reduced with the use of derailment detectors, which are designed to immediately apply the brakes if a fault is detected.

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Working towards the railway of 2030

27 November 2007 | By Professor Andrew McNaughton – FREng, CEng, FICE, FPWI, MIOD, Chief Engineer, Network Rail and Global Railway Review Editorial Board Member

Compare our European railway network today with that of 25 years ago. Safety and punctuality have continued to improve, however, traffic growth has been patchy and costs have risen enormously. Meanwhile there have been revolutionary changes in the communications and transport environment. Mobile phones, internet and e-mail didn’t exist 25…

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High Speed 1: A new benchmark in project management

26 November 2007 | By

Britain is finally getting its first new successful railway line in over a century. Nine years after construction began, High Speed 1 (HS1) is ready to commence commercial services from St Pancras International, the glorious new home of British high-speed rail travel.

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Bedding optimisation in turnouts

26 November 2007 | By Harald Loy, System Engineer, Getzner Werkstoffe GmbH

Geometrical discontinuities along turnouts can lead to strong localised variations of superstructure loads. By using Under Sleeper Pads (USP) with varying stiffness, the bedding conditions can be optimised and as a result the turnout area can be smoothed out. Modern railway tracks need to be able to bear the loads…

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ITA COSUF – scope, activities & structure

26 November 2007 | By Dipl.-Ing. Felix Amberg, President of COSUF and Chairman of Amberg Engineering Ltd/Hagerbach Test Gallery Ltd and Prof. Dr.-Ing. Alfred Haack, Past-Chairman, STUVA e.V.,

COSUF – the ITA-Committee on Operational Safety of Underground Facilities, was set-up in May 2005 at the ITA World Tunnel Congress in Istanbul, Turkey. This important step followed a joint initiative of eight European research projects which all aimed at improved tunnel safety after the disastrous fire accidents in various…

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Maintaining tracks for long-term future service

26 November 2007 | By Dr. Konstantin von Diest, Head of Development, Stahlberg Roensch

A railway track represents a large investment that is not only meant to enable safe, fast and comfortable passenger and freight traffic, but is also expected to be permanently available. The track should allow decades of intense utilisation with no major interruptions. Track possessions for maintenance work or premature failure…

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Consistent and positive ballastless track systems

26 November 2007 | By Jens Kleeberg, General Manager for Track Design, RAIL.ONE International GmbH

The international increase in transportation volume throughout the world over recent years has led to a revival in railway traffic. This has in turn resulted in an appreciable number of technical innovations and an enhancement in railway technology in the areas of rolling stock, train control and track engineering.

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Renfe faces the future with confidence

26 September 2007 | By James Abbott, Technical Editor, Global Railway Review

Completion of the first high-speed line in Spain 15 years ago gave Renfe a new confidence and investment in the network is continuing at a sustained pace. Spain has one of the fastest–growing railway networks in Europe. Renfe (Spanish National Railways) gained a new confidence with the opening of the…