All In depth articles – Page 13
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In depthStations & Terminals: Solving the problem of Budapest Nyugati
As the busiest station in the Hungarian capital, Nyugati pályaudvar has reached capacity. The favoured solution is to convert the existing terminus into a through station at the heart of a reshaped regional rail network. Benjámin Zelki reports.
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In depthJapan: Kintetsu plans a post-pandemic recovery
Regional operator Kintetsu is looking to refocus its business in the Kansai region with real estate and leisure developments aimed at changing lifestyles and reflecting new working patterns. Mike Bent investigates.
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In depthSwitzerland: Timetable recast in Luzern could add capacity
The congested terminus at Luzern is one of the main infrastructure bottlenecks preventing an increase in services on the busy lines in central Switzerland. Reshaping the timetable pattern to make the most of the two-track approach to the terminus from the north could free up more paths to generate up to a 40% increase in capacity.
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In depthTicketing: Expanding the use of Japan's IC cards
Originally developed as a form of smart travel ticket, IC cards are now in widespread use across Japan. They can be used for many types of transaction, and further applications are being added as rail operators strive to make travel more convenient.
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In depthStations & Terminals: Delta 3 aims to drive modal shift
Operation of the Dourges Delta 3 intermodal and logistics hub in northern France is being transferred to a public sector organisation as part of a strategy to boost rail freight’s market share in France and western Europe. Laurent Charlier reports.
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In depthMoldova: Looking to a better future
With European investment being channelled into infrastructure and rolling stock renewals, plans are in place for structural reform of Moldova’s state-owned railway. Toma Bačić investigates.
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In depthViewpoint: DAC needs a migration strategy
Roll-out plans for Europe’s digital automatic coupler must take account of the business case and operating requirements in different countries, suggests Armand Toubol.
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In depthBrazil: Private participation keeps metro momentum building
Led by São Paulo, Brazilian cities are making use of private sector funding and operating models to accelerate urban rail development across the country. Benjámin Zelki reports.
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In depthUruguay: Ferrocarril Central reconstruction gathers pace
Despite delays caused by the pandemic and late alterations to the scope of the programme, work to rehabilitate Uruguay’s strategically important north-south main line between Montevideo and Paso de los Toros is on course for completion in 2023. Marcelo Benoit reports.
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In depthMarket trends: Cautious builders eye slow recovery
While existing contracts have sustained the global rolling stock industry through the worst of the coronavirus pandemic, future prospects will be determined by the pace of recovery in rail travel over the next few years.
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In depthInterview: ‘We have the tools – it is in our hands to deliver’
The next decade will be crucial for the global fight against irreversible climate change, and rail is the only mode that is well placed to deliver significant decarbonisation in the transport sector, UIC Director-General François Davenne explains to Chris Jackson.
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In depthComment: The politics of infrastructure
Rising geopolitical complexity around the world raises a challenge that policymakers and railway planners will have to overcome if ambitions for modal shift to rail are to be realised in the years ahead, argues our Managing Editor Nick Kingsley.
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In depthEurope: Night train renaissance gathers pace
A slew of new overnight passenger services and significant investment in rolling stock is on the agenda for the next couple of years as both state-owned and independent operators revive sleeping car and couchette services across Europe. Toma Bačić investigates.
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In depthJapan: road-rail midi-buses on a rural railway
This month is expected to see the launch of commercial passenger services with ‘dual-mode’ road-rail midi-buses on a rural railway in southern Shikoku. Mike Bent reports.
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In depthComment: The COP26 cop-out
Despite unambiguous evidence that global emissions from transport are heading in the wrong direction, there was a notable lack of emphasis on the role sustainable mobility including rail could play in mitigating climate change at the recent COP26 summit in Glasgow.
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In depthJapan: Nishi-Kyushu Shinkansen nears completion
Due to open in autumn 2022, the 66 km Nishi-Kyushu Shinkansen is isolated from the rest of Japan’s high speed network. Mike Bent investigates.
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In depthAustralia: ARA targets modal shift
The Australasian Railway Association has launched a new strategy that it hopes will bring a greater share of Australia’s expanding freight market on to the country’s railway network.
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In depthSmart maintenance: Locomotives find a new lease of life
The delicate economics of rail freight and rapidly changing regulatory conditions have seen the emergence of a healthy market across a swathe of eastern Europe focused on the overhaul, modernisation and life-extension of Soviet-era locomotives. Vladimir Waldin provides an overview.
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In depthEurope: Harmonising rail capacity strategies
Development of a single European railway area is being hampered by nationally led approaches to the development of route utilisation strategies. Now a pan-European programme is underway to harmonise the planning and management of network capacity.
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In depthSmart Maintenance: Digital depot takes shape
Due to accept its first trains in December, a depot now under construction near Augsburg is where TMH International will initially maintain two EMU fleets for operator Go-Ahead Bayern. Managing Director for Germany Klaus Hock explains the vision to Nick Kingsley.