Research, training & skills news – Page 25
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NewsDigital automatic couplers on test
Source: DB/Volker Emersleben EUROPE: Trials with prototype digital automatic couplers from four manufacturers are to start this month, with a view to selecting a single type of coupler that could be introduced across Europe. Testing will continue through to December 2022. The pilot project aims to obtain ...
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NewsColas Rail and Adecco join forces to seek a more inclusive workforce
FRANCE: Infrastructure contractor and open access freight operator Colas Rail has entered into a long term partnership with employment agency Adecco to develop a more inclusive approach to its recruitment processes. The two parties signed a ‘social pact’ in Paris on June 17 aimed at ‘developing ...
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NewsEU funds rail cybersecurity research
EUROPE: The Safety4Rails research programme to improve the resilience of railways and metros to cyber and physical attacks is one of five projects that will share €38m in funding from the EU’s Horizon 2020 research budget.
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NewsEurostar to test facial biometrics for ‘walk-through’ check-in
EUROPE: A walk-through facial biometric verification system is to be tested which would enable Eurostar passengers to complete ticket checks and border exit processes at London’s St Pancras International station without contact with people or hardware. Passengers opting the use the accelerated pre-boarding option would use ...
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Rail Business UKFirst of a Kind funding awarded for 25 rail innovation projects
UK: The Department for Transport and Innovate UK have announced the 25 projects which are to share £9·4m of funding under the 2020 round of the First of a Kind rail industry innovation programme.
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Rail Business UKHS2 Ltd launches innovation accelerator
UK: HS2 Ltd announced the launch of an ‘innovation accelerator’ programme on June 16 aimed at attracting start-ups and small businesses to put forward ideas to be incorporated into the first phase of the high speed line between London and the West Midlands. The project promoter ...
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Rail Business UKData-driven performance and short term planning projects funded
UK: RSSB has announced the three winners of funding under the second round of its Data Sandbox+ programme, which aims develop data-driven ways of improving operational performance, and two projects to be funded under the Dynamic Train Planning competition. The selected Data Sandbox+ projects are: Utilising ...
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NewsUniversities study options for battery traction to replace diesel
GERMANY: A three-month study of the extent to which battery-powered trains could replace diesel traction in Germany is being undertaken through a collaboration between rolling stock financing company Rock Rail, Technische Universität Dresden and the UK’s University of Birmingham. According to lobby group Allianz pro Schiene, electrified ...
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NewsLatest Shift2Rail call for proposals attracts strong market interest
EUROPE: The 2020 Shift2Rail call for proposals has prompted requests for railway research funding worth €113∙3m, the joint technology initiative announced on May 29. A total of 43 proposals have been submitted with a total value of €185∙8m, of which S2R would support €113m. Eight were reserved ...
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NewsFreight innovation funding applications invited
GERMANY: The Federal Ministry for Transport & Digital Infrastructure has invited applications for funding of projects designed to improve the economics and efficiency of rail freight. Proposals should relate to digitalisation, automation and vehicle technology, and applications should be made via the Federal Railway Office in Bonn. ...
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NewsAutomatic operation of regional passenger trains to be tested
GERMANY: The automatic operation of regional trains in passenger service is to be tested in a ‘regulatory sandbox’ in Niedersachsen, the project partners announced on May 27. Due to launch in 2021, the project brings together Alstom, aerospace research centre DLR, the Technical University of Berlin, train ...
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NewsShort Line safety culture resources published
USA: The Short Line Safety Institute has released Strong Safety Culture Best Practices, a resource which draws on more than five years of safety culture assessments and the 10 core elements of a strong safety culture as defined by the Department of Transportation’s Safety Council. Best practices ...
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NewsClimate change question in REMSA’s 2020 scholarship application
USA: The Railway Engineers Maintenance Suppliers Association has made climate change the focus of its 2020 scholarship programme, for which applications close on May 29. Applicants are being asked to draft an essay addressing ‘in what ways can the freight rail industry can benefit our environment? Do ...
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Rail Business UKInvestigation into human performance in signalling operations published
UK: The Rail Accident Investigation Branch has published the results of an investigation into human performance during signalling operations, looking at what affects decisions made by signallers and the systemic factors which may influence them. The investigation examined five categories of incident: user worked crossing irregularities; ...
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Metro Report InternationalVery light rail track under development
UK: The Coventry Very Light Rail scheme to develop a low-cost transport system for medium-sized cities has been awarded £1∙5m of West Midlands Combined Authority funding to support the design and development of track for use by lightweight battery powered vehicles. The project aims to design an ...
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Rail Business UKSiemens Mobility receives 200 applications for Goole apprenticeship programme
UK: Siemens Mobility Ltd has selected Selby College as the training partner for its future £200m production plant at Goole, and has received 200 applications for the first 12 apprentice roles. The apprentices will be the first of up to 700 employees for ...
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Rail Business UKLNER FutureLabs innovation programme launched
UK: The LNER FutureLabs programme has been launched to provide an opportunity for technology start-ups to test their ideas in the railway environment. The programme has three ‘challenges’: More Journeys, More Often: digital services that encourage more people to travel by train; Personalised Customer Experience: simplifying, ...
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Rail Business UKRailway embankment loading research contract
UK: Network Rail has awarded Mott MacDonald a contract to lead the overall technical direction of Stage 2 of the Embankment Traffic Loading applied research programme, which is investigating the response of embankment clay fill to increased traffic loads and the implications for trackbed impact assessment. ...
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Rail Business UKSignaller training centre to keep trains moving through the pandemic
UK: Network Rail has converted former testing workshops and meeting rooms at Newport into a temporary training centre to ensure it has enough skilled signallers to keep trains in the Wales & Western Region moving during the coronavirus crisis. More than 200 people ...
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Rail Business UKSoftware speeds up Network Rail’s track renewals planning
UK: Network Rail has adopted the University of Salford’s Thinklab tool to support its track renewal programme. Thinklab is a UE4-powered 4D simulation platform intended to model engineering possessions in a virtual simulation environment. NR is using the tool to improve the efficiency, cost and time ...