As major projects come to fruition, infrastructure manager ProRail is now concentrating on making the best use of its existing rail network. The ?1·1bn that the government has allocated to enhancements in 2006-12 will be spent on easing bottlenecks rather than new infrastructure, explains Peter Badcock

PRORAIL's Infra Operations Manager Bart Schmienk believes that 2007 will be a decisive year. Never has so much work been carried out on the existing network, at a time when the commissioning of HSL-Zuid is still underway and the Betuwe Route is due to open on January 2.

The RandstadRail network (RG 4.05 p209) is being created to serve Den Haag, Zoetermeer and Rotterdam, the Amsterdam - Utrecht main line is being upgraded and the track layouts at both 's-Hertogenbosch and Eindhoven are being remodelled. And despite the added complexities of introducing ERTMS to Amsterdam - Utrecht as well as the extra tracks, train operators will expect most of the network to be open for business with minimal disruption from over-running engineering possessions or unreliable infrastructure.

Previously, the strategy has been to relieve bottlenecks by undertaking new construction, by quadrupling routes such as Woerden - Harmelen (9 km) and Amsterdam Bijlmer - Utrecht (28 km). But politicians have been unwilling to commit funding to a long-term programme, with the result that a dense mix of fast and stopping passenger trains is now operating on a network that is still largely double-track.

Furthermore, when Bert Klerk was appointed Chairman of ProRail in 2001, the network was showing the signs of long-term under-investment, lagging behind traffic growth, as well as a maintenance backlog. Urgent measures were required, as well as a cultural change from a production-led to a performance-driven organisation. Klerk also faced the challenge of implementing a long-term strategy for growth and financing renewals.

Major projects such as the Betuwe Route and HSL-Zuid have been financed from the proceeds of exploiting the Netherlands' natural gas reserves, but neither route will have been completed on time or within budget when they both open next year. Thus government cash is now being allocated to more modest and less controversial projects. The Ministry of Transport, Public Works & Water Management expects that funding to relieve bottlenecks on the rail network will dry up after 2012 although a total of €3bn is being made available for road construction up to 2020.

Use first, build later

Faster, clever solutions are therefore needed to meet the national growth targets for passenger (1% per year) and freight. In a marked change to past thinking, current proposals for capacity enhancement on the rail network follow the new policy of Benutten en Bouwen, which seeks to make the maximum use of existing infrastructure before any new build is undertaken.

Following the old policy of new construction would have been too costly, requiring an estimated €35bn against €19bn for the complete Benutten en Bouwen programme. It would also be too time-consuming due to the lengthy public inquiry procedures involved before new works can begin.

ProRail still receives the majority of its funding from the government (grant income in 2005 was €947m compared to access charge income of ?164m), and its 2003 submission led the ministry to draft a recovery plan. ProRail said then that an additional ?962m would be required over the period until 2010 just to maintain a steady-state position, bringing the total infrastructure maintenance budget up to €7·1bn for 2004-10. Rising costs have been blamed on an ageing rail infrastructure, more intensive train services and tighter safety standards for track workers.

Phase I of the recovery programme is now being implemented. Track renewal rates are running at 1·4% of the network per annum, and the number of major engineering possessions causing significant disruption to the timetable rose from 199 in 2004 to 306 in 2005. This was actually less than the 344 originally scheduled, thanks to more efficient planning.

Improvements have already started to show, with train punctuality improving in 2004 to 86% of services arriving within 3 min and delays caused by infrastructure-related defects falling by 18% from 15 080 h in 2004 to 12 354 h in 2005. Over the same period, passenger-km grew by 2·5% according to NS and freight traffic by 2·4%, with the number of freight train-km operated rising to 9·7 million.

As a result of these positive trends, the ministry has earmarked €1·08bn to fund the second phase of the recovery plan. Phase II would also see €593m spent on tackling bottlenecks in major cities such as Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht and Den Haag. The 5·3 km between Utrecht and Houten is to be quadrupled in 2007-10 to create a dedicated pair of tracks for suburban trains as part of the Randstadspoor project.

Smarter operations

Small changes can also be effective in releasing more capacity, such as installing additional signals, lengthening station platforms and easing the restrictions on freight trains through the Willemspoort tunnel in Rotterdam which have all recently delivered improvements. The new timetable introduced in December (p793) aims to create clear paths where international passenger and freight services would run largely under green signals.

Trials with a traffic management system at the busy junction of Lage Zwaluwe have demonstrated punctuality improvements of up to 4% and energy savings of up to 10%. ProRail and the train operators will shortly decide whether to introduce an in-cab system that would provide drivers with real-time advice on optimum train speed. Trials with RouteLint pocket computers for drivers have recently been undertaken on the congested Rotterdam - Dordrecht route.

The new timetable contains other, more general measures to increase network capacity. Semi-fast trains have been abolished, with the faster trains decelerated and new Sprinter EMUs promising faster stopping services. This move to standardise train speeds should mean that fewer train paths are lost to wasteful 'hybrid' services.

Dynamic traffic management has recently been successfully introduced at Schiphol and may spread to other busy locations. At Schipol, 5 min before a train arrives it is decided which of the two faces of an island platform should be used to ensure a punctual departure. Clear indicators direct passengers to the correct train, which if ready may depart at the published time instead of, as before, waiting 60 sec until the departure time specified in the working timetable. This reduces station dwell times and increases train thoughput during the peaks.

Differential maintenance

Infrastructure maintenance accounts for €495m of the €1·08bn allocated to ProRail for Phase II of its recovery programme. With the aid of external consultants, work is now being prioritised to focus on cost-effective projects that deliver maximum network availability, with tendering phased to avoid overheating the supply market.

But is not an easy task to balance train punctuality with infrastructure reliability and availability. ProRail has warned the ministry and train operators that the number of major engineering possessions would rise to 330 over the next few years, with passenger train punctuality suffering and delays due to infrastructure defects rising to 13 000 h.

When track maintenance was contracted out in 1997, the national network was divided up into 39 districts which were shared between contractors BAM Rail, Strukton Railinfra and VolkerRail. This 'gentleman's agreement' is now coming to an end with maintenance work in much of Gelderland province to be opened up to competitive tender during 2007.

ProRail's new Output Process Contracts Plus are expected to further reduce infrastructure defects by 24% in 2007 compared with 2002 and to improve work efficiency by 20%. The new arrangements reflect the contractual relationship that ProRail will enjoy with the ministry from 2008, where performance will be specified in terms of the outputs to be achieved.

To achieve total savings of ?150m by 2010, the ministry has stipulated incremental annual efficiency savings of ?25m since 2001. This can only be achieved by careful comparison of maintenance costs with performance achieved. Rail and sleeper replacement programmes have been determined for several years on the basis of life-cycle costs and this approach is now being adopted for turnouts as well as overhead electrification equipment.

This new approach has involved adopting different maintenance programmes to reflect traffic density. Until now ProRail has applied the same infrastructure standards to both busy NS Randstad commuter routes and rural lines operated under contract, but standards will soon become tailored to the operator's requirements with a price tag to match.

• CAPTION: Originally due for completion in time for the December timetable change, four-tracking of the busy Amsterdam - Utrecht route is now expected to be finished in April. As well as the extra tracks, the project includes installation of ETCS Level 2 and reconstruction of the station at Amsterdam Bijlmer where the recently-opened Utrechtboog curve connects with the line to Schiphol Photo: ProRail
• CAPTION: Under the Benutten en Bouwen strategy, ProRail will channel its spending into upgrading work on existing routes, such as this new bridge at Born, rather than expensive new works projectsPhoto: Marcel Vleugels