Features & Analysis – Page 28
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In depthPolicy: 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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In depthInterview: 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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In depthFrance: 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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In depthFrance: 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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In depthRussia: 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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In depthSwitzerland: 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 depthInterview: ‘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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In depthTraction 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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In depthTraction: 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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In depthComment: 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 depthElectrification: 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 depthTraction: 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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In depthRussia: 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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NewsNight train strategy should include open access operators, says RegioJet
VIEWPOINT: The vision for an expansion of night train services presented by state railways DB, SBB, ÖBB and SNCF should be expanded to include other operators, says Aleš Ondrůj, Director of Communications & Sales at open access operator RegioJet.
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In depthTraction: 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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In depthPassenger 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.
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In depthPassenger rolling stock: Adapting to falling numbers
Due to enter service on three routes north of Tokyo next year, JR East’s Series E131 EMUs are intended to be more economical to operate in semi-rural areas with a declining population. Mike Bent investigates.
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In depthEuropean policy: Fostering a positive safety culture
Learning from the experience of other high-risk industries, the EU Agency for Railways has developed a Safety Culture Model to support the embedding of safe practices within the European rail sector, as Programme Manager Grégory Rolina explains to Nick Kingsley.
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In depthInterview: ‘Freight has had a good crisis’
Post-coronavirus financial pressure on governments and mounting public concern about climate change may finally prove the catalysts to unlock substantial private investment in European rail freight. Stephen Layburn and Tim Jackson of transport finance house Centrus describe the outlook to Nick Kingsley.
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In depthEuropean policy: A responsive approach to timetable planning
Revised handbooks developed by RailNetEurope will shape the planning of Europe’s 2022-23 timetable, marking an important step towards the harmonisation of fragmented national processes