Features & Analysis – Page 54
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Fret diesels are fruit of Franco-German partnership
The first of a large fleet of diesel-electric locos built by Alstom and Siemens will shortly enter service with SNCF, reports Laurent Charlier
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Regional franchises benefit from an international perspective
Over the past decade, several state-owned railways from mainland Europe have looked at participating in the UK passenger rail franchising market. So far the only successful entrant has been NedRailways, which runs Merseyrail and Northern Rail in partnership with Serco. Chief Executive Anton Valk explains
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NewsCapacity crunch looms on busy UK network as policy failures bite
Contrasts abound in the complex UK railway business, with high costs militating against network enhancements despite the urgent need to raise capacity
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British franchising policy rewards high bids
LAST NOVEMBER the UK House of Commons Transport Committee published a hard-hitting report about the franchising process for passenger services (RG 12.06 p768), describing the current structure as a 'complex, fragmented and costly muddle'. In terms of cost, the Association of Train Operating Companies estimates that it costs between £3m ...
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NewsCross-London projects languish on the back burner
WHILE the East London Line is finally being rebuilt to provide rapid and frequent services along a corridor linking London's northern and southern suburbs, two major projects to make it simple for rail passengers to travel across London have made spectacularly little progress over the last 15 years. The Thameslink ...
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NewsQR on course to move freight throughout Australia
A transformation is taking place in Australian rail freight, as Queensland's state-owned railway emerges as the stronger of two major players and Pacific National seeks a new backer under Toll ownership. Richard Hope asked CEO Bob Scheuber where QR is heading now
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Extension takes East London Line from Underground to Overground
Due for completion in June 2010, Phase 1 of the East London Line extension programme will see one of London Underground's shortest routes become part of a new orbital link connecting the main line network north and south of the Thames
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DB reform proposals bring more shadows than light
Next month, a working party convened by the German transport ministry is due to come up with legislative proposals for the partial flotation of Deutsche Bahn. However, there are still many policy discrepancies, which may impact on the European strategy for greater liberalisation of the continent's railways
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TCDD celebrates as high speed line nears completion
Delegates attending two seminars in December to mark the 150th anniversary of railways in Turkey were able to inspect progress on the first sections of the Ankara - Istanbul high speed line, reports Felix Schmid, Associate Professor in Railway Systems Engineering at the University of Birmingham
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Common standards regime needed to assure engineering competence
DETAILED ANALYSIS of the way the competence of individuals is assured in the UK rail industry has been undertaken by the Railway Engineers Forum, which brings together the established institutions representing civil, mechanical, electrical, signalling and track engineers. A paper published in November includes proposals that could reconcile inconsistencies in ...
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Delhi metro launches second phase
Phase 1 of Delhi's metro network was completed in November, and work has now begun on an extension programme to take the metro to 120 km by 2010
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NewsBritain grapples with main line smart ticketing
Roger Ford reviews progress with smart ticketing in the UK heavy rail market
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Belgian Railways profits from investment
SNCB is starting to harvest the benefit from recent Infrabel investment projects, reports Harry Hondius
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Further Belgian funding approved
ON DECEMBER 5 Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstad joined SNCB Holding Chief Executive Jannie Haek and his Infrabel counterpart Luc Lallemand to mark the signing of regional pre-financing accords that will release €400m for three railway infrastructure investment projects. The deal provides €298·2m for the €458·7m upgrading of the Brussels ...
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Closing the gap from Bam to Zahedan
Steady progress is being made with construction of the international link from Kerman to Zahedan. Dr John Stubbs, Lecturer in Geography at the Univeristy of Derby, reports from Iran and Pakistan
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More US cities board the commuter rail train
Commuter rail is arguably the most dynamic segment of North America's urban rail sector, reports Julian Wolinsky, with two new networks opening, construction underway on three more and others in various stages of preparation. Existing systems are expanding, and orders for rolling stock are robust
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Investment will underpin RZD reforms
The third phase of Russia's railway reform process is due to see the introduction of competition by 2010, and will require the separation of infrastructure management from train operations. Chris Jackson asked Russian Railways President Vladimir Yakunin to explain how RZD is changing, and how it will fund much-needed investment ...
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NewsChiltern tries mobile tickets
ON DECEMBER 14 Chiltern Railways and YourRail began a three-month trial of ticket delivery by mobile telephones, using the mobi-ticket system developed by Mobiqa for use at concerts and sporting events. During the trials Chiltern Railways' E-Day advance-purchase ticket can be booked on line 24 h ahead of travel, ...
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Transit freight booms on Bafgh - Mashhad link
As predicted in previous articles (RG 6.05 p320), a considerable amount of freight traffic is moving over the railway that opened between Bafgh and Mashhad in 2005, according to Dr John Stubbs. Three passenger trains a week operate between the port of Bandar Abbas on the Gulf of Hormuz and ...
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News1520 partners debate co-operation
Common technical specifications and improved border procedures will help the railways of Central Asia to work closer with their Russian neighbours to capture growing international business. Chris Jackson reports from Almaty