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Issue 5 2008
Issue 5 2008 / 27 September 2008 /
With traffic increasing steadily, Banverket is seeking more money to finance new lines, adding extra capacity and improving maintenance in the Swedish rail system.
Over the past decade, rail traffic growth in Sweden has been impressive. Passenger loadings are up by almost three quarters, while freight traffic has grown by more than a quarter.
Banverket, the state-owned company responsible for the infrastructure of the rail system, argues that these rates of growth mean that there is a need for more money to be invested in the network to boost capacity. Both investments and maintenance needs to be increased to meet the needs.
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Tagged with: Banverket, James Abbott, Rail infrastructure, Sweden
Issue 5 2008 / 27 September 2008 /
The new European signalling system, ERTMS, will have a big impact on how the driver operates the train. ERTMS is in fact a signalling system that gives possibilities to support the driver in planning and driving of the train. This is a big difference for a lot of countries where the ATP-system of today is ‘punishing’ the driver.
In ATP-systems without driver support, the system acts as a ‘watch-guard’, meaning that as long as the driver keeps below a speed making it possible to stop in due time before a dangerous point, then the driver will be in control of braking the train and the signalling system will remain inactive. However, if the driver does not brake the train in the correct manner, some of the systems will alarm the driver that it is time to start braking the train. All systems do not alarm the driver though but rely on the driver knowing when to brake based on line side optical signal aspects or boards. For instance, if the driver is making a mistake and not braking the train sufficiently, the signalling system will intervene and the emergency brake will be activated to brake the train.
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Tagged with: Banverket, ERTMS, Signalling, Sven-Hakan Nilsson
Issue 5 2008 / 27 September 2008 /
Two severe accidents in 2004 and 2005 brought focus on the dangers of level crossings. According to ‘Vision Zero’, fatalities and severe injuries are not acceptable in the transport system. Since level crossings concern many key players, Banverket took the first steps to cooperation and Vägverket provided the OLA working approach.
‘Vision Zero’ was passed in the Swedish Parliament in 1997 and was the start of an entirely new way of thinking regarding traffic safety. The system designer was given the primary responsibility for safety of the transport system. The long-term goal is that no-one will be killed or seriously injured. ‘Vision Zero’ accepts that preventing all accidents is unrealistic. The long-term objective is to achieve a transport system which allows human error but without it leading to serious injury.
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Tagged with: Banverket, Helena Höök, Level crossings, Olle Mornell, Sweden, Vägverket
Issue 5 2008 / 27 September 2008 /
During the Easter period of 2008, Banverket Produktion carried out the biggest ever signal replacement in Sweden and one that could possibly be considered the biggest in the whole of Europe.
For the normal train or commuter passenger, the extraordinarily comprehensive work that has been carried out is not visible, but it is noticeable by the fact that rail traffic can run at much closer intervals and is less sensitive to disturbances than previously. In addition, the new signal boxes are a precondition to be able to build the new City Track.
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Tagged with: Ann Linblad, Banverket, Engberg Information AB, Helen Hellströmer, Henrik Engberg, Signalling, Sweden
Issue 5 2008 / 27 September 2008 /
Building of the Bothnia Line began on a modest scale in 1999. In October 2008, Stage 1 is expected to be taken into operation – this is when a subsection is being opened for goods traffic. The entire line will be ready for goods and passenger services in autumn 2010.
Recent opinion polls show that people living in the vicinity of the line have never been more positive about the project. 81% give the thumbs up – a very high figure.
The Bothnia Line, an integral part of the European rail network, is a new railway in northern Sweden. Its building was prompted by the need for such a facility along the coast. The Bothnia Line aims to enable higher efficiency in goods transport and establish regional passenger services and high-speed inter-regional traffic. Functionally, the new railway and the old limited-capacity main line will form a double-track network. This will reduce the vulnerability of rail traffic. Furthermore, transport will be faster and safer. The arrival of the Bothnia Line also brings major environmental benefits.
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Tagged with: Botniabanan AB, Lennart Westberg, Rail infrastructure, Sweden
Issue 5 2008 / 27 September 2008 /
Sitting at the heart of Madrid’s extensive rail network, Atocha station is the biggest public transport interchange in the Spanish capital. Local rail lines, high-speed intercity services and metro lines from across the city come together here to provide an essential link for commuters, tourists and local residents alike. With hundreds of thousands of commuters and other rail travellers using the station every day, our primary aim is to ensure they are able to use transit safely and comfortably.
In recent years, passenger numbers at Atocha have risen sharply, putting pressure on the 19th century station. Of particular concern is the morning rush hour, when commuters arriving at Atocha via the suburban train lines transfer onto the Platform 1 services that take them into the centre of Madrid.
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Tagged with: Manuel Rodríguez Simons, Renfe, Spain, Stations
Issue 5 2008 / 27 September 2008 /
The railway in Spain was created only a few decades after the railway in Great Britain. In 1848, the first stretch of railway line between Barcelona and Mataró was opened for operation in precisely the same corridor in which the Madrid-Barcelona-French Border line is being built today.
The fortunes of the railway in Spain closely mirrored those of the main European railways. Initially, private companies began building different lines through various government tenders and contracts. Subsequently, after a considerable succession of mergers between these first companies, two large private Spanish companies were created, Norte and MZA, which were finally rescued by the State to create the public company RENFE in 1943. The company became the main railway operator in 2005; at the same time, ADIF was founded as a state-operated railway infrastructures administrator.
The first High-Speed Railway opened in Spain in 1992, connecting Madrid with Seville. The line was exclusively for passenger transport and was 470km in length. However, the first studies on the construction of a high-speed railway line actually took place in the 1970s and they were based on the construction of a line covering Madrid-Barcelona-the French Border. Apart from joining the two main cities in the country, this would establish a connection between the Iberian Peninsula and Europe, through what is known as the Mediterranean corridor.
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Tagged with: ADIF, Antonio Fernández Gil, High-speed rail, Rail infrastructure, Spain
Issue 5 2008 / 27 September 2008 /
On 2 June 2008, the launch of the international call for tenders for the Poceirão-Caia Public-Private Partnership rail infrastructure concession took place, which will be part of the high-speed line from Lisbon to Madrid.
The concession will last for 40 years and covers the design, building, financing and maintenance of the railway infrastructures. It also includes the section of line between Évora and Caia, which is part of the conventional freight line running between Sines-Évora-Elvas-Caia and the construction of the new Évora station, which will be built approximately 6km outside of the town.
Direct passenger journey times on the high-speed line between Lisbon and Madrid should take approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes, while the journey from Évora to Lisbon will be made in less than 30 minutes and the 167km section from Poceirão to Caia in 32 minutes.
The construction works on the high-speed line between Poceirão and Caia will begin in 2010 but the complete Lisbon to Madrid service should only open to traffic in 2013.
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Tagged with: High-speed rail, João Pereira Fernandes, Portugal, Rail infrastructure, RAVE, Spain
Issue 5 2008 / 27 September 2008 /
The Portuguese railway has recently seen significant developments with many of its operations including the construction and renovation of its infrastructure, railway systems and equipment, as well as making alterations to management personnel; including those involved in maintenance and traffic management divisions.
Along with the liberalisation of the railway sector, a set of new challenges were enforced which demanded the infrastructure managers to outline their management plans towards a more competitive market, opening, at the same time, a window of opportunity to increase its market share in transportation.
The assumption of this new reality has led REFER to restructure its organisational philosophy – namely on the aspects that are related to the infrastructure management, with the creation of specific areas directed towards the client as well as its maintenance and reinforcement of traffic components’ integration – in such a way as to create an effective means of response to the transport’s requests and also on fomenting its use, for which we must also point out the strategical guidelines defined by the government for the railway sector and the current policies for environmental protection.
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Tagged with: Eduardo Frederico, Portugal, REFER
Issue 5 2008 / 27 September 2008 /
The railways in Bulgaria celebrate their 120th anniversary in 2008. Railway history, of course, is more than just a string of events – it contains stories of achievement, stories of challenges, stories of hard times and most of all, stories of people who lived through their work and contributed to the development of railway transport.
Bulgarian State Railways EAD (BDZ EAD) today, as successors of a century-long history, are more than ever obliged to remain true to the traditions of railway excellence and at the same time to respond flexibly and efficiently to the ever-changing conditions of the transport market.
The enhancement of BDZ EAD competitiveness is the topmost strategic objective of the company and its achievement depends upon the ongoing improvement of corporate structure and the implementation of market-oriented management of the balance between customer demand and service offer. (more…)
Tagged with: Bulgaria, Bulgarian State Railways EAD, Hristo Monov
Issue 5 2008 / 27 September 2008 /
Bombardier, the global leader in rail transportation, never fails to create an impact with its biannual display of products at InnoTrans. This year is no exception, with Bombardier exhibiting no less than four new trains, as well as its latest developments in energy-saving technologies.
Much excitement has surrounded the unveiling of the Bombardier TALENT 2, the train developed for regional services in Germany, for which Bombardier received three inaugural orders from DB Regio at the end of 2007. These initial orders for 61 trains form part of a framework agreement for 321 trains concluded in February 2007 – one of the largest orders in the history of Bombardier Transportation. By December 2009, there will be fleets of 2-car and 4-car configurations in revenue services along the Mosel River, as well as between Leipzig and Cottbus. Initial service operation of the 4-car units on Nuremberg’s suburban rail network is scheduled to commence in December 2010. (more…)
Tagged with: Bombardier Transportation, Rolling stock
Issue 5 2008 / 27 September 2008 /
Between 2003 and 2005, the world high and very-high-speed market represented an average of €2.4 billion1, just over half of which was accounted for by high-speed. In the next ten years, the market is expected to grow significantly, in particular in eastern Europe, where demand for high-speed equipment is expected to grow by 5.1% per year.
Russia, for example, is planning to build no fewer than 18 high-speed lines in the next few years.
Alstom, the undisputed market leader in high and very-high-speed, also leads the market for tilting trains. Since it acquired Fiat Ferroviaria, in the year 2000, Alstom has been at the cutting edge of tilting technology – a technique that enables trains to operate at greater speeds than conventional trains on existing infrastructure, and in particular on winding networks. The tilting technique makes it possible to respond to three major issues facing railway transport operators: comfort, performance and interoperability. (more…)
Tagged with: Alstom, Roberto Rinaldi, Rolling stock
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