Features & Analysis – Page 48
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Powerful freight locos take shape at Dalian
Under construction at Dalian are the first of 500 Co-Co electric freight locomotives being built under a contract with Bombardier Transportation. Less than two years after a €1·1bn contract was signed in February 2007 (RG 3.07 p131), the first of 500 high power freight locomotives will be delivered for ...
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More mega locos join the Chinese coal traction fleet
The first of 180 eight-axle locomotives with Siemens traction equipment has started test running in China
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Niche luxury train market offers profitable opportunities
The luxury train market has a high profile, but it requires a bespoke service from railway management and staff. So what are the benefits for the train operators and their host railways?
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Wayside and on-board storage can capture more regenerated energy
Japan's railways are demonstrating how lithium-ion batteries and double-layer capacitors can save energy, reduce diesel emissions, and even keep electric trains moving where there is no power source
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NewsThrusting forward in a changing diesel market
VOITH AG is committed to a strategy of steadily increasing its role in the worldwide traction market. At its 'Fit for the Future' customer day in Würzburg, Voith Turbo set out its ambition to deliver all components needed for propulsion, including drive shafts and axle gears. The company is seeking ...
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NewsRegenerative braking boosts green credentials
Amid a growing focus on environmental issues, British operators are embracing regenerative braking as a means of saving energy and reducing maintenance costs. Roger Ford explains the benefits of the technology, and acknowledges the challenges standing in the way of wholesale adoption
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NewsOrbita shows the way to optimised maintenance
Focused and dynamic performance data is helping operators to improve rolling stock reliability and optimise predictive maintenance.
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NewsDuoTrack cuts cabling costs
'THIS IS a cost-efficient solution, not a cheap solution', notes Harald Büthe, Nexans' Product Development Engineer, of the DuoTrack cabling application that Nexans is introducing on the Odenwaldbahn in Hesse, Germany. DuoTrack is a trunk cabling installation process that incorporates not only a cable, but also all the related ...
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Economic growth drives Indian Railways spending
With India's economy growing at more than 8% per year, demand for both freight and passenger transport is rising rapidly. Outgoing IR Chairman J P Batra tells Chris Jackson that the biggest challenge is to absorb growth on the existing network and add capacity as quickly as possible
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NewsBetuwe Route opens for business
The dedicated freight route running for 160 km between the port of Rotterdam and the German border finally welcomed its first commercial services on June 18.
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NewsGE unveils hybrid locomotive
GENERAL Electric officially unveiled its prototype hybrid road switcher at Los Angeles Union Station on May 24, one of the first outings of a locomotive which GE says has taken five years and $250m to develop. Numbered 2010 to indicate the year when GE plans to roll out its first ...
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Dualis extends the reach of the Citadis family
Alstom's latest design of tram-train vehicle builds on its successful modular tram family
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Europe's private freight operators under siege
THE NEWS that Deutsche Bahn has been actively discussing acquisition of the UK's largest freight carrier, English Welsh & Scottish Railway, and is considering a 'partnership' with Fret SNCF, which lost €840m in 2006, has once again set alarm bells ringing among the fledgling private sector rail freight operators in ...
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NewsHybrid technology enters the real world
Fuel savings of up to 20% are anticipated during tests of a power car and three DMUs fitted with a prototype hybrid battery-diesel system which reuses braking energy for acceleration
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Funding changes could unlock Russian metro expansion
A shortfall in federal funding has delayed work on metro construction in a number of Russian cities. A recent review has recommended changes in responsibility for funding future projects, whilst innovations such as light metro and light rail are being developed as cost-effective alternatives, reports Boris Lukov
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Orex upgrade targets more capacity
Longer trains and a new locomotive fleet are key elements in a programme to raise capacity on Spoornet's heavy-haul iron ore line linking mines at Sishen with the deep-water port at Saldanha. Rollo Dickson reports on progress
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NewsManaging rail degradation on the Malmbanan
An upgrading programme started in 1998 and due to be completed by 2010 is allowing the introduction of heavier axleloads on Sweden's heavy haul iron ore line, permitting gross train weights to be increased to more than 8 000 tonnes. But the transition requires careful management if degradation of the ...
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RFF explores PPP models to fund infrastructure enhancements
Infrastructure manager RFF is now taking forward more than 20 major projects agreed by the French government. At an estimated €40bn, the total investment is well beyond the capacity of traditional public finance, but RFF has a new tool to accelerate network development in the shape of public-private partnerships
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SNCF prepares to face the competition
Liberalisation of rail freight services in France last year has provided a foretaste of the competition that can be expected in the future as EU policies come into effect. SNCF Chief Executive Guillaume Pepy tells Chris Jackson how this one-time bastion of state enterprise is facing the prospect of change
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Northeast France joins the high speed network
June 10 sees the launch of revenue services on LGV Est Européen, slashing journey times from Paris to Metz, Nancy, Strasbourg and a host of other towns, as well as expanding international and inter-regional links. Chris Jackson reports from Strasbourg