Features & Analysis – Page 13
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In depthIsrael: Light rail is not the only fruit
Due to open later this year, Tel Aviv’s light rail Red Line is the first route in a planned six-line network to serve the rapidly expanding conurbation.
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In depthTurkey: Currency crunch dents metro expansion
An array of urban and suburban rail projects is underway across Turkey, but political squabbles between central government and city administrations and major currency fluctuations could yet hinder delivery of the investment, as David O’Byrne explains.
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In depthResearch: Extending the role of backup batteries
Projects in Chengdu and Moscow have confirmed that nickel battery technology, originally developed to provide onboard backup services on metro trains, can also provide a cost-effective source of power for emergency traction, eliminating the need to install separate battery packs.
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In depthResearch: Towards a low-carbon slab track
The inclusion of recycled plastic and other materials in precast and continuous in-situ concrete track slabs would help to reduce the environmental impact of track construction and could also deliver improved dynamic performance.
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In depthInterview: Turning Budapest into a European rail hub
A 20-year strategy for expanding Budapest’s regional and long-distance rail connections envisages the construction of new and upgraded cross-city links to alleviate the bottlenecks caused by the River Danube and the capital’s three termini, explains Budapest Development Agency CEO Dávid Vitézy.
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In depthResearch: Shifting to Europe’s Rail
Established under the EU’s Horizon Europe research programme, the Europe’s Rail joint undertaking came into effect on November 30, taking over from the Shift2Rail JU which has co-ordinated rail research for the past five years.
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In depthResearch: Putting R&D at the heart of recovery
The global rail community will gather in Birmingham in June for the 13th World Congress on Railway Research, providing a unique opportunity to discuss in person the role of rail R&D in a post-pandemic environment.
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In depthComment: Rail freight’s big battery booster
A string of recent orders for battery-electric locomotives from railways in North America and Australia offers hope of decarbonising the heavy haul freight sector, as well as the promise of innovations which railways elsewhere could adopt in the future.
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In depthStations & Terminals: Solving the problem of Budapest Nyugati
As the busiest station in the Hungarian capital, Nyugati pályaudvar has reached capacity. The favoured solution is to convert the existing terminus into a through station at the heart of a reshaped regional rail network. Benjámin Zelki reports.
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In depthJapan: Kintetsu plans a post-pandemic recovery
Regional operator Kintetsu is looking to refocus its business in the Kansai region with real estate and leisure developments aimed at changing lifestyles and reflecting new working patterns. Mike Bent investigates.
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In depthSwitzerland: Timetable recast in Luzern could add capacity
The congested terminus at Luzern is one of the main infrastructure bottlenecks preventing an increase in services on the busy lines in central Switzerland. Reshaping the timetable pattern to make the most of the two-track approach to the terminus from the north could free up more paths to generate up to a 40% increase in capacity.
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In depthTicketing: Expanding the use of Japan's IC cards
Originally developed as a form of smart travel ticket, IC cards are now in widespread use across Japan. They can be used for many types of transaction, and further applications are being added as rail operators strive to make travel more convenient.
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In depthStations & Terminals: Delta 3 aims to drive modal shift
Operation of the Dourges Delta 3 intermodal and logistics hub in northern France is being transferred to a public sector organisation as part of a strategy to boost rail freight’s market share in France and western Europe. Laurent Charlier reports.
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In depthMoldova: Looking to a better future
With European investment being channelled into infrastructure and rolling stock renewals, plans are in place for structural reform of Moldova’s state-owned railway. Toma Bačić investigates.
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In depthViewpoint: DAC needs a migration strategy
Roll-out plans for Europe’s digital automatic coupler must take account of the business case and operating requirements in different countries, suggests Armand Toubol.
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In depthUruguay: Ferrocarril Central reconstruction gathers pace
Despite delays caused by the pandemic and late alterations to the scope of the programme, work to rehabilitate Uruguay’s strategically important north-south main line between Montevideo and Paso de los Toros is on course for completion in 2023. Marcelo Benoit reports.
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In depthMarket trends: Cautious builders eye slow recovery
While existing contracts have sustained the global rolling stock industry through the worst of the coronavirus pandemic, future prospects will be determined by the pace of recovery in rail travel over the next few years.
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In depthComment: The politics of infrastructure
Rising geopolitical complexity around the world raises a challenge that policymakers and railway planners will have to overcome if ambitions for modal shift to rail are to be realised in the years ahead, argues our Managing Editor Nick Kingsley.
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In depthEurope: Night train renaissance gathers pace
A slew of new overnight passenger services and significant investment in rolling stock is on the agenda for the next couple of years as both state-owned and independent operators revive sleeping car and couchette services across Europe. Toma Bačić investigates.
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In depthJapan: road-rail midi-buses on a rural railway
This month is expected to see the launch of commercial passenger services with ‘dual-mode’ road-rail midi-buses on a rural railway in southern Shikoku. Mike Bent reports.