Issue 4 2006

The communication and signalling network of ÖBB

Issue 4 2006 / 28 July 2006 /

At the beginning of the 1990s, and due to the occurrence of some heavy accidents, ÖBB began to look for a new train protection system to fit the requirements of an increased traffic capacity on the lines and as a result of this, the necessity to increase safety on the whole network of ÖBB. Subsequently, ÖBB started evaluating different products existing on the market.

At this time, the system development of ERTMS/ETCS had started but no products where available. As a future member of the European Union, Austria was invited and forced by the Commission to participate in the development process of ERTMS/ETCS.

The Hungarian State Railways, MÁV Co, and ÖBB – as possible future users of the new system – together with the industry partners Alcatel Austria, Ansaldo, Alstom, CSEE Transport and ARSENAL research, as an independent body, first started operational trials of an ETCS Level 1 system in Europe in 1999 on a section of the Vienna-Budapest line covering sections in Hungary and Austria. The successful finalisation of those operational tests consequently lead to a project to install ETCS Level 1 on the complete Vienna-Budapest line. The Austrian part of the project for the 67km line section from Vienna to the Hungarian boarder station Hegyeshalom started in 2001 and the implementation was finished in 2005. The ETCS system is interfaced with three different kinds of interlocking (two type relay-interlocking and one type electronic interlocking), within the project the ETCS system has been installed on 13 double traction locomotives of the type 1116 (Taurus). (more…)

Tagged with: August Zierl, Austria, ERTMS, ETCS, Friedrich Cerny, GSM-R, Herbert Müller, ÖBB-Infrastruktur Betrieb AG, Signalling

Condition detection – an intelligent solution

Issue 4 2006 / 28 July 2006 /

In view of free network access, it is important for railway companies to detect the condition (loading, driving stability, out-of-roundness of wheels) of their trains as they run along the track.

In 1998, the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) began research in the field of intelligent local measurement. The ARGOS system covers this entire field of application. The main goal of local ARGOS checkpoints is to detect the dynamic condition of the trains travelling on the track at operating speeds with the highest accuracy and reliability.

Today in the liberalised European railway market, every rolling stock operator is allowed to use national and local railway networks. The infrastructure owner has to trust that the rolling stock of the railway companies are in good running condition and that the declared loads are accurate. However, the railway company and the infrastructure owner have contrary interests. The railway operator wants to transport as much as possible using inexpensive rolling stock. However, cheap rolling stock frequently has inferior running characteristics. The infrastructure owner wants to charge for every transported load. And, loads should be transported in ‘rail-friendly’ wagons which generate little noise, low forces on the track, minimal wear, and have no risk of derailment. Furthermore, the infrastructure owner has many customers who use his railway network and he has to charge fairly for every single train depending on its use of the network.

These duties and responsibilities can only be fulfilled economically through the use of automatically operating measurement stations. (more…)

Tagged with: Dietmar Maicz, Hottinger Baldwin Messetechnik, ÖBB-Infrastruktur Bau AG, Rolling stock, Wolfgang Zottl

Swiss ETCS implementation

Issue 4 2006 / 28 July 2006 /

ETCS has now become fully operational on one of Switzerland’s main lines.

Since July 2006, ETCS Level 2 has been activated during the evenings to ensure the safe operation of revenue-earning services on the newly built Mattstetten–Rothrist route. At present, therefore, approximately 20 trains a day are being controlled by ETCS.

From the end of 2006, all 240 trains operating on this route every day will be controlled by ETCS, and by mid-2007, ETCS Level 2 will also go into service in the new Lötschberg base tunnel. On the rest of the SBB network, ETCS is due to supersede the existing ZUB and SIGNUM train control systems by 2015. By becoming fully ETCS-compatible within the next ten years, Switzerland will have become a European leader in this field.

(more…)

Tagged with: ETCS, Hansjörg Hess, SBB Infrastructure, Switzerland

The Kaizen method for SBB

Issue 4 2006 / 28 July 2006 /

Rolling stock maintenance at SBB AG has been affected by a number of trends: increasingly fierce competition, rising pressure on costs, Europe-wide overcapacity, increasingly heavy use of rolling stock with each timetable change, and ever shorter idle periods. Against this backdrop, there is a pressing need to deploy existing resources more efficiently and thereby improve productivity. SBB Passenger Traffic has set itself the goal of raising productivity at Operating Maintenance by 20% within three years and to shorten rolling stock throughput times by 30%.

SBB has a passenger fleet of 330 main-line locomotives, 63 multiple units, 251 self-propelled cars, 456 driving trailers, 2,650 passenger coaches and 58 shunting locomotives. Each day, 1,143 long-distance trains cover a total of 190,752km and 3,212 regional-service trains cover 144,755km.

(more…)

Tagged with: Philippe Gauderon, Rolling stock, SBB, Switzerland

Portugal – plans, projects and priorities

Issue 4 2006 / 28 July 2006 /

In the wake of Directive 440/91 CEE, Portugal decided to set up a new model for the railway sector.

(more…)

Tagged with: Environment, Portugal, Rail infrastructure, REFER, Regulation, Romeu Costa Reis, Safety

High-speed and GSM-R: Portuguese overview

Issue 4 2006 / 28 July 2006 /

By decision of the Portuguese Government, a High Speed Transportation System shall be developed which offers both international high-speed and national high-speed train services (passenger and freight) accommodating the increasing requirements for cross-border mobility and which contributes to the strengthening of the economic position and social cohesion, in particular between neighbouring regions of Portugal and Spain.

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Tagged with: Eduardo Frederico, GSM-R, High-speed rail, Portugal, RAVE, Spain

PEIT: a bet on the future

Issue 4 2006 / 28 July 2006 /

On 15 July 2005, the Spanish Government approved the Infrastructure and Transport Strategic Plan 2005-2020 (PEIT). Infrastructure is considered the indispensable support for citizens to have quality transport services, and also an efficient instrument to foster economic development as well as social and territorial cohesion.

The PEIT predicts a total investment cost amounting to €250,000 million, which implies an annual average of €15,500 million, and an average investing effort of approximately 1.5% of the GDP as long as the period lasts.

(more…)

Tagged with: ADIF, High-speed rail, Rail infrastructure, Spain, UIC, Vicente Gago Llorente

An engineering change

Issue 4 2006 / 28 July 2006 /

Since its inception seven years ago, Freightliner Heavy Haul has grown to become a business with a turnover in excess of £75m. Part of the company’s success is the recognition that engineering expertise has a key role to play in delivering and improving service and efficiency. Now, with capacity approaching saturation point – and the railways under ever greater strain – Freightliner continues to find new solutions to old problems.

Over the past few years, the Freightliner Engineering Department have achieved what can only be described as a revolution in asset performance. The team, which draws upon an experienced blend of chartered and technician trained engineers, have undertaken technical procurement of over 100 locomotives and 1,000 wagons (in six distinct fleets), over 150 trucks, 300 road trailers and 26 container handlers, as well as civil engineering projects at numerous Freightliner sites across the UK.

(more…)

Tagged with: Freightliner Group Ltd, Rail freight, Rolling stock maintenance, Tim Shakerley

Tunnelling for European high-speed railways

Issue 4 2006 / 28 July 2006 /

Since the 1980s railway traffic for passengers has experienced a renaissance. Especially France and some time later Germany started to construct and operate their first high-speed lines with speeds between 300 and 350km per hour. Later, other European countries followed; such as Italy, Spain and the UK, and even the Alpine countries with an extremely difficult topography.

The history of modern heavy railway systems began in Europe for passenger transport in 1830 with the line between Liverpool and Manchester in the UK. Soon afterwards, the continental countries followed and introduced the British system in their areas, for example Germany in December 1835 between Nuremberg and Fürth using the famous Stephenson Locomotive ‘Adler’ (‘Eagle’) applying the British gauge of 1,435mm. During the following few decades a real boom in constructing railways was seen.

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Tagged with: High-speed rail, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Alfred Haack, Tunnelling

Prestressed-concrete sleepers

Issue 4 2006 / 28 July 2006 /

The basis for design work for prestressed-concrete sleepers in Europe is EN 13230, valid since October 2002: “Concrete sleepers and bearers.” A supplement to this standard is UIC 713: “Design of Monoblock Concrete Sleepers,” which provides a design example for a prestressed-concrete sleeper. The design bending moment calculated here accounts for the dynamic live loads for a track-system with a lifetime of 40 years. The sleeper must be capable of assuming this design moment without cracking.

In the USA, design of prestressed-concrete sleepers is based on Chapter 30, Part 4 of the AREMA specification “Concrete Ties”, in the version dated 2003. Here as well, the specification calculates a design moment that the sleeper must assume without cracking. The difference between AREMA and EN 13230 consists in calculation of the design moments, for which more rigorous requirements are specified by AREMA, especially with regard to the rail seat.

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Tagged with: Dr. Stephan Freudenstein, Franz Haban, RAIL.ONE GmbH, Track maintenance & engineering

Visible improvements in Hungary

Issue 4 2006 / 28 July 2006 /

Hungarian State Railways (MÁV Co) celebrates the 160th anniversary of its foundation this year.

The first railway line running between the capital city of Pest and Vác, a town situated 30km from the capital and operated by steam engines, opened on 15 July 1846. István Széchenyi and Lajos Kossuth, eminent reformers in the period after the turn of the 18th-19th centuries, recognised the social and economic importance of the railways and dedicated their talents to the creation and development of the Hungarian railway network.

(more…)

Tagged with: Hungary, István Heinczinger, MÁV Co, Rail infrastructure

The SF 400 bogie

Issue 4 2006 / 28 July 2006 /

The modular-design SF 400 trailing bogie with air suspension was designed approximately ten years ago at Siemens Transportation Systems’ center of excellence for running gear in Graz, Austria.

This bogie was first used for DB’s high-speed intercity train ICE® 2. Since then, the design has been developed to create a top-class range of universal bogies known not only for their characteristically high degree of riding comfort but also for their exemplary cost effectiveness.

Built for a top speed of 280km/h and the comfort standards of high-speed passenger service and displaying excellent safety characteristics, the SF 400 – ICE had a major hand in the success of that second version of the German high-speed train. A total of 291 intermediate coaches and 22 driving trailers of the ICE 2 fleet were fitted out with the bogie, which demonstrated utmost reliability in day-to-day operations.

(more…)

Tagged with: Roland Paar, Rollin, Siemens Transportation Systems