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Safe and reliable operation of mainline rolling stock under all weather conditions is an essential prerequisite for enhancing passenger safety and comfort and thus increasing the attractiveness and acceptance of rail travel. The low temperatures, ice and snow conditions prevailing in winter can cause huge problems and malfunctions of certain…
Winter is the longest season in Finland and in northern parts of the country the cold weather can last up to seven months. During the winter months, the temperature drops below zero degrees and snow covers the ground across the entire country. But despite these harsh weather conditions, the Finnish…
This issue features a UK Profile, Winter Operations Supplement. Plus, David Whitley at London Midland discusses RTPI strategies in an era of cost-cutting, Jean-Pierre Audoux takes a look at French railway reform and Libor Lochman assesses Noise-Differentiated Track Access Charges...
In our latest free-to-view Rail Winter Operations Supplement, industry experts take a look at the work needed for infrastructure and rolling stock in Norway and Finland to keep operations open during harsh winter months, and what tests do trains and tracks go through in a climatic wind tunnel?
3 December 2014 | By Libor Lochman, Ethem Pekin and Enno Wiebe, CER
Railways have an almost negligible impact on climate and environment compared to other modes of transport. The only remaining environmental challenge for the European rail sector is noise – a side effect of railway operation. For Global Railway Review, Libor Lochman, Executive Director of The Community of European Railway and…
3 December 2014 | By Jose P. Neves, REFER Telecom and Fernando Vendas, REFER Engineering
Interoperability has become a key word in the European transport policy, with the aim of improving transport services. The application/renewal of signalling and telecommunication systems in the Portuguese railway network will follow this legal requirement and migrate to the new European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS). Jose P. Neves from…
3 December 2014 | By Jean-Pierre Audoux, FIF
2014 may not have run its full course quite yet, but it has already been marked in France by the adoption of the French railway system reform in early-August, therefore heralding the advent of a new public-sector organisation englobing SNCF and the infrastructure manager set-up in 1997, RFF (Réseau ferré…
3 December 2014 | By Stefan Schrader, Bombardier Transportation
Stefan Schrader at Bombardier Transportation explains the development of the latest generation of BOMBARDIER FLEXX Power bogies.
3 December 2014 | By David Whitley, London Midland
Keeping people informed is one of the simplest ways to reduce complaints, increase satisfaction and gain a reputation for good customer service, writes David Whitley – Head of Regional Services at London Midland. It’s all part of thinking like a passenger, and arguably more important than operational performance itself: a…
3 December 2014 | By Jim Steer, Greengauge 21
In January 2006, when Greengauge 211 was launched, the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (HS1) in the UK was incomplete, and there was no expectation that it would be followed by further high-speed lines. For Global Railway Review, Jim Steer – Director of Greengauge 21 – the not-for-profit organisation established to…
3 December 2014 | By David Wornham, LOROL
Since taking over the London Overground concession in November 2007, passenger safety has been of paramount importance to London Overground Rail Operations Limited (LOROL) and despite a huge increase in passenger numbers – with daily passenger journeys up from 100,000 in 2007 to more than 450,000 today – we have…
3 December 2014 | By Dr Michael de Silva, Crossrail
At £15 billion, Crossrail in the UK is the largest infrastructure project in Europe. The new railway will connect 40 stations across London, including Heathrow Airport and Reading in the west with Canary Wharf, Abbey Wood and Shenfield in the east. Crossrail will add 10% extra rail capacity for London…
3 December 2014 | By Hugh Wark, The Borders Railway
The Borders Railway will re-establish passenger railway services in the Scottish Borders and Midlothian for the first time since 1969. It is the longest new domestic railway to be constructed in Britain for over a century; and represents one of the most significant pieces of infrastructure investment seen in Scotland…
3 December 2014 | By Jeremy Candfield, Director General, RIA
Since privatisation of British Rail in the 1990s, one of the strengths of the UK railway industry has been the active involvement of a wide range of private sector companies, bringing technologies and skills from other sectors as well as adding the commercial and competitive disciplines of the private sector,…
For the third year in a row, the Norwegian railway achieved its punctuality goal of 90% with trains running somewhat punctually despite the menace of snow and ice – an achievement that requires both science and manpower. In this article, Jernbaneverket’s Guttorm Moss and his colleagues who make sure the…
