Features & Analysis – Page 17
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In depthMorocco: High speed lines spearhead ONCF’s development programme
Christian Scasso assesses proposals to expand the Moroccan national network, including a further 1 300 km of high speed line.
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In depthHigh Speed: Keeping track of new line costs
Bane Nor and Civity have conducted econometric research into the factors influencing how far high speed rail project costs can be kept under control, with a view to learning lessons for future major rail schemes in Norway and elsewhere.
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In depthPoland: Airport scheme catalyses high speed network plan
Government plans to build a central airport and make it the hub of a revamped passenger network for Poland will require the construction of 1 981 km of new lines, almost half of which will be dedicated high speed corridors. Work on the Warszawa – Łódź route is due to start next year. Benjámin Zelki reports.
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In depthComment: Money alone is not enough
The Indian government is pouring money into rail investment in record quantities, but cash alone will not be enough to ensure that policymakers’ ambitious aims for railway development are achieved.
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In depthHigh Speed: The right speed for our planet
More than 1 500 delegates and exhibitors from around the world will be converging on Marrakech this week for the 11th UIC World Congress on High Speed Rail.
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In depthTechnology: Expanding the scope of condition monitoring tools
Swedish company Railway Metrics & Dynamics has developed a low-power monitoring unit initially aimed at addressing rolling stock faults such as wheel flats. Now, as CEO Jan Lindqvist explains, the company is exploring how infrastructure can be monitored more effectively as well.
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In depthUSA: Hurricane-resistant workshop inaugurated
A ‘storm-resilient’ depot has opened to serve New York City Transit’s Staten Island Railway.
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In depthFleet Management: DB invests to keep ICE fleet in trim
By 2030 Deutsche Bahn plans to spend around €2bn on new and expanded maintenance workshops to keep pace with its steadily expanding fleet of ICE trainsets. Murray Hughes investigates.
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In depthFrance: Developing concepts to revive rural lines
France’s policy of abandoning rural lines has been halted and the stage is set for a revival of lightly used or closed routes. Driven partly by efforts to decarbonise the economy, several low-cost operating and maintenance concepts are being developed with state support, reports Reinhard Christeller.
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In depthFrance: Start-ups energise the passenger market
Open access passenger operators have so far had limited success in penetrating the French market, but a medley of ambitious entrepreneurs is now tackling the task. Jérémie Anne reports.
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In depthComment: Stations really matter
The opening on January 25 of Long Island Rail Road’s deep-level hub at Grand Central Madison in New York encapsulates the challenges facing station developers, who must balance urban regeneration objectives with operational improvements to rail services. This is no simple task, argues our Executive Editor Nick Kingsley.
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In depthPortugal: National plan to boost rail’s market share
Ambitious plans to connect Portugal’s 10 largest cities by high speed rail form the centrepiece of a comprehensive railway development package unveiled by the Portuguese government late last year. To be completed by 2050, the plan also envisages new suburban corridors and a third bridge over the River Tagus. André Pires reports.
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In depthEurope: Authorising modifications — time to learn from experience
Practical experience suggests that changes to the vehicle authorisation process introduced in the EU’s Fourth Railway Package have clarified the requirements covering the approval of modifications to existing rolling stock deployed in more than one country.
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In depthSoutheast Asia: Rising costs force ASEAN nations to redefine Belt & Road projects
Ballooning costs and imprecise contract terms have led to significant changes to major projects and in some cases to renegotiation of terms. Toma Bačić investigates schemes in three ASEAN countries.
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In depthTrack Technology: Going underground down under
Tracklaying is underway on 1 067 mm gauge cross-city rail links in Brisbane and Auckland, both of which are using resilient slab trackforms to minimise noise and vibration.
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In depthAustria: Mobile milling supports preventive rail maintenance
Wiener Linien has been exploring how a combination of mobile milling and investment in premium rail steels can help to optimise its maintenance costs and move from reactive to preventive interventions on its metro lines.
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In depthTrack Technology: Modular elements could offer cheaper and more flexible slab trackform
Field trials are expected to start near Marseille in the coming months of a lower-cost modular slab trackform developed by Systra and construction group Stradal as a potential replacement for conventional ballasted track. Technical consultant Jean-Claude Zabée explains the concept to Nick Kingsley.
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In depthTrack Maintenance: Alleviating suffering on the metre gauge
Following severe wheel-rail interaction problems on Swiss metre-gauge networks, the RailPlus association has launched a technical study to investigate and address the issue, as Technical Manager Markus Barth explains to Reinhard Christeller.
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In depthComment: Productivity not exploitation
Poor working conditions risk impacting on railways’ ability to recruit the people they need to be competitive for the future, argues Railway Gazette’s Senior Editor Chris Jackson.
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In depthGreece: Rail revival struggles to gain momentum
Despite a macroeconomic recovery and an injection of EU funding for infrastructure, Greece’s rail recovery is still facing headwinds, typified by the low-key launch of Pendolino services between the country’s two principal cities. Toma Bačić reports from Athens.