Rail industry viewpoints – Page 2
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In depthViewpoint: French lessons from North America
Radical changes to France’s state-owned rail freight sector are needed following the threat of punitive action from the European Commission. Iker de Luisa, General Manager of the Mexican railway industry association, asks what lessons can be learnt from America.
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NewsViewpoint: What station users need from information screens
High speed line concessionaire HS1 Ltd has undertaken in-depth research to help it improve the usability of information screens at London’s St Pancras International station.
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Rail Business UKViewpoint: ‘Provocative’ industrial relations measures put rail recovery at risk
The exclusion of striking workers from Network Rail’s bonus scheme and the introduction of the Minimum Service Levels Act are not going to have a positive impact on industrial relations in the rail industry, argues Stephen Morrall, Consultant at Hunters Law LLP.
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In depthComment: Rail safety credentials matter
Politicians contines to raise doubts with rail safety, despite railways being one of the safest forms of land transport. Benjámin Zelki considers that while continuous improvement is welcome, sweeping claims about rail safety may not always align with the evidence.
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In depthViewpoint: The challenge of pricing South African rail access
Predictable and evidence-based regulation will be needed to support a viable pricing model for access to a vertically separated South African rail network under the government’s reform programme. Economist Sarah Truen explains the challenge.
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Rail Business UKViewpoint: Passenger experience must be protected if ticket offices close
If the proposed closure of station ticket offices in England is not purely about cost-cutting, then carefully considered customer-centric interventions will be needed to make it work, argues David Watts, Managing Director of human-centred design agency Mima.
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In depthComment: Cost control must improve
Australia’s Inland Rail programme is the latest megaproject to face major cost control challenges, reflecting a wider problem for promoters of major infrastructure schemes. The case for developing railways is arguably more compelling than ever, but the industry must offer realistic proposals which can be put into practice cost-effectively, believes our Executive Editor Nick Kingsley.
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In depthComment: Greek train crash highlights a tragic system failure
A horrific head-on collision at Evangelismos on the Athens – Thessaloniki main line raises many questions about investment in railway safety and the human factors implications facing front-line employees.
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In depthComment: Money alone is not enough
The Indian government is pouring money into rail investment in record quantities, but cash alone will not be enough to ensure that policymakers’ ambitious aims for railway development are achieved.
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In depthComment: Stations really matter
The opening on January 25 of Long Island Rail Road’s deep-level hub at Grand Central Madison in New York encapsulates the challenges facing station developers, who must balance urban regeneration objectives with operational improvements to rail services. This is no simple task, argues our Executive Editor Nick Kingsley.
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In depthComment: Productivity not exploitation
Poor working conditions risk impacting on railways’ ability to recruit the people they need to be competitive for the future, argues Railway Gazette’s Senior Editor Chris Jackson.
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Rail Business UKInterview: c2c focuses on climate and community
Sometimes misrepresented as a recently modernised operation, the c2c suburban business which runs trains between London and Essex is in need of investment. Managing Director Rob Mullen sets out his priorities to Nick Kingsley.
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In depthComment: Transport back on the climate agenda
The recent COP27 climate summit in Egypt received a broadly underwhelming response, but for the rail and public transport sectors at least, there were signs of hope that the mobility transition is edging back on to the global climate agenda after being largely absent at COP26 in Glasgow last year.
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In depthComment: Taking the pulse in Berlin
The global rail sector gathered in Berlin in September for InnoTrans for the first time in four years, in what the organisers termed ‘a spirit of optimism’. Our Executive Editor Nick Kingsley reflects on the week and the mood among the supply chain as the industry grapples with an era of macro-level instability.
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In depthViewpoint: California’s high speed programme is back on track
After years of twists and turns, the most ambitious and controversial high speed rail project in America is moving purposefully towards fruition. Andy Kunz, President & CEO of the US High Speed Rail Association, and Ezra Silk, Co-Founder of the US High Speed Rail Coalition, explain how the programme has reached this point.
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In depthViewpoint: We cannot afford another failure
The European rail sector risks sleepwalking into an existential crisis if it cannot accelerate the funding and deployment of the Digital Automatic Coupler, argues Dr Jürgen Wilder of Knorr-Bremse.
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In depthViewpoint: Institutional fragmentation has undermined Rail Baltica
On paper Rail Baltica is a perfect match for the EU’s Connecting Europe Facility programme. But three issues need to be addressed, argues Kaspars Briškens, who recently stepped down as Head of Strategy & Development at the standard gauge railway project.
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In depthViewpoint: Legacy railways need cybersecurity too
Rail professionals are increasingly aware of the risks posed by cyberattacks and how to mitigate them, but much of this attention focuses on new assets and infrastructure, rather than legacy equipment. The industry cannot let this become a major oversight, believes Nicolas Goupil of Cylus.
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In depthComment: Cheap fares alone are not enough
Many more rail trips were made in Germany this summer than in 2019 thanks to the much-publicised €9 ticket allowing unlimited travel on local and regional trains and other public transport. But our Consultant Editor Murray Hughes suggests that cheap fares alone will not be enough to deliver policymakers’ modal shift ambitions.
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In depthComment: No time to delay
The rail industry is emerging from the pandemic facing an urgent need to prioritise investment and ensure tangible operational, productivity and technological benefits are delivered within the next five years, argues our Executive Editor Nick Kingsley.
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