Features & Analysis – Page 18
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In depth
Italy: Building a Roman node
The imminent reopening of a moribund railway in the northern suburbs of the Italian capital and start of construction of a multimodal hub at Pigneto are signs that a multi-year programme of investment in the Roma suburban network is making headway. Benjámin Zelki provides an update.
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Norway: Onboard testing drives ETCS rollout
The completion of hardware durability testing and start of trial running with a new generation of onboard equipment in October mark key steps in Norway’s national ERTMS programme.
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South Korea: KRRI eyes smart trains from 2030
Korea Railroad Research Institute has started testing 5G-based autonomous train control technology at the New Transport Science Technopolis in Osong, with a view to introducing ‘smart trains’ on key routes from 2030. KRRI Chief Researcher Dr Jeong Rag-gyo outlines the project objectives and key findings to Benjámin Zelki.
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Comment: A zeal to electrify
The scale and pace of delivery of India’s vast national electrification programme could serve as an inspiration for other countries, argues Managing Editor Nick Kingsley.
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Catering: Making the customers smile again
Roger Williams, Chairman of International Rail Catering Group, shares his view on the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on rail catering and strategies to recover customer confidence.
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Policy: Passenger rail in the age of coronavirus
The rail sector continues to grapple with the implications of a drastic drop in ridership and the need to deploy extensive Covid-19 mitigation measures. However, the passenger experience is not uniform around the world: Mike Bent presents a snapshot of reports from Japan, Spain and Poland.
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Interview: Stabilising CP to face the future
With new rolling stock on order and proposals for a national investment programme taking shape, Portuguese national operator CP has been taking steps to revitalise its business, as President Nuno Freitas explains to André Pires.
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France: Government acts to lift freight from last year’s nadir
A promise by Transport Minister Jean-Baptiste Djébbari to help turn round France’s rail freight business was warmly welcomed, but it still falls short of what is needed to meet Europe’s climate change objectives. Murray Hughes reports from the 10th OFP freight seminar.
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France: Confort 200 to trim trip times on two routes
Along with a programme of track upgrades, a fleet of 10-car articulated EMUs is set to transform travel on the inter-city routes from Paris to Toulouse and Clermont-Ferrand in the second half of this decade. Murray Hughes investigates.
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Russia: Driverless shunter completes autopilot trials
By combining vision systems developed for obstacle detection with satellite location and artificial intelligence, Cognitive Pilot has successfully modified a Russian Railways shunting locomotive for automated operation.
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Switzerland: Ceneri Base Tunnel opening completes NEAT jigsaw
The December timetable change marked the start of regular commercial services through the Ceneri Base Tunnel at the southern end of Switzerland’s busy Gotthard corridor. Toma Bačić reports.
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In depth
Interview: ‘We have to win back our customers’
Just when the French national operator’s passenger sector is coming to terms with Covid-19 and the collapse of business travel, it faces the arrival of competition in both the regional and long-distance markets. Chris Jackson asked Christophe Fanichet, President-Directeur Général of SNCF Voyageurs, about his strategy at a time of unprecedented challenges.
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Traction technology: Harnessing the potential of lithium powerpacks
The rail sector is on the cusp of widespread adoption of battery technology in rolling stock, both for self-powered vehicles and to support hydrogen fuel cells. Pierre Prenleloup outlines the factors that fleet owners need to consider as uptake gathers pace.
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Traction: Rail can lead the way with hydrogen deployment
The rail sector is at the forefront of the commercialisation of hydrogen technology, with trains running in Germany attracting interest from around the world, says Amy Adams, Vice-President of Fuel Cell & Hydrogen Technologies at Cummins
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Comment: Time to seize the moment
An unprecedented year is drawing to a close. Time and again, that adjective has been rolled out to describe the tumultuous challenges that 2020 has brought to the global economy and wider society as the world continues to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic.
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In depth
Electrification: Saving energy on DC networks
Despite being an early pioneer of regenerative braking with AC electrification, much of the Spanish main line network uses 3 kV DC. Building on earlier developments in the metro sector, ADIF Alta Velocidad is now making progress in recovering braking energy on DC routes, explains Mike Bent.
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In depth
Traction: India to trial fuel cell trainset
Indian Railways expects to roll-out a four-car hydrogen fuel cell multiple-unit by the end of 2021, as the country looks to alternative fuels as a way of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector.
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Russia: Distributed traction moves the crowds
RZD rolling stock strategy is being driven by the need to provide better connectivity within its constituent regions and faster links between them, reports Vladimir Waldin.
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Traction: In search of the zero-emission train
Low or zero-emission trains will play an essential role in decarbonising the rail mode, but the choice of technologies involves a complex trade-off between rolling stock, infrastructure and operational constraints.
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Passenger rolling stock: Rail can rise to clean air challenge
Policymakers need to support investment in this field to reap wider social, economic and public health benefits even after the Covid-19 crisis subsides, argues Dr Peter Radina of Knorr-Bremse.