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Rail industry news / 17 October 2011 /
Österreichische Bundesbahnen Infrastruktur AG, the Austrian railway infrastructure company, has awarded an order to Siemens Mobility and Logistics to equip the Nordbahn route between Vienna and Břeclav (Czech Republic) with the European Train Control System (ETCS). An ETCS Level 2 of the Trainguard 200 RBC type will be installed along the 87 km rail link and eleven stations will also be equipped. The overall volume amounts to some 7 million Euros. Commissioning is scheduled for the end of 2013. The scope of the contract also includes an option for equipping the Central Station in Vienna for around 4.5 million Euros. (more…)
Issue 4 2011 / 4 August 2011 /
After years of preparation and comprehensive calls for tenders from suppliers, Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) has placed all orders for the implementation of the European Train Control System (ETCS). In February 2010 the final purchase order was placed, concerning system integration. During the past two years, a company-wide programme group has been working on the implementation of ETCS in Austria. This marks the beginning of a new era in automated train control and protection for ÖBB and is simultaneously a further step towards deregulated and efficient rail traffic throughout Europe.
Harmonised standards thanks to ERTMS
Due to the many differences in the historic development of national railways in Europe, various non-compatible train control systems have emerged (see Figure1). This circumstance has impaired cross-border traffic and poses a significant operational and economic obstacle for the railways, especially with regard to the European common market. The EU has therefore been keen to standardise and deregulate train services throughout Europe – with the goal of establishing interoperable and efficient crossborder rail traffic for all operating companies. (more…)
Rail industry news / 20 April 2010 /
Siemens has reached an agreement with Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) on the supply of up to 200 regional passenger trains over the next five years. During that period, ÖBB will be able to call for delivery of Desiro ML type multiple-units that are specially equipped to meet the needs of the operator. (more…)
Issue 4 2009, Past issues / 21 July 2009 /
ÖBB-Infrastruktur Betrieb AG is a modern and customer-oriented infrastructure operator allowing the 22 railway undertakings authorised to operate in Austria access to ÖBB’s approximately 5,700km-long railway network. To this end, ÖBB’s operation control strategy plays a decisive role. ÖBB heralded a new high-tech era with the launch of the operation control centre in Innsbruck at the end of 2008.
Aspects of quality, operating reliability and non-discrimination towards these customers as well as the safeguarding of cost effectiveness, productivity and efficiency form the basis of our operational and strategic work.
The tasks of ÖBB-Infrastruktur Betrieb AG include the provision, operation and maintenance of a safe infrastructure in line with demand. The objectives are the continuous improvement of the infrastructure’s quality and safety and the increase of productivity. The potential for streamlining results from the technical and organisational measures and the use of innovative systems.
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Issue 2 2009, Past issues / 26 March 2009 /
The Technical Specification for Interoperability (TSI) relating to the infrastructure subsystem of the trans-European high-speed rail system, requires that every infrastructure manager draws up a Maintenance Plan. This must set out the necessary inspections, the frequency, the qualification of staff, the measuring methods and the necessary action to be taken. At Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) the Maintenance Plan went into force in 2007.
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Issue 4 2007, Past issues / 30 July 2007 /
ÖBB is on the way to renewal – and on the way to European achievement. One thing is clear to all members of the Group; ÖBB must be fit for European competition. This will require extensive work in major activities – ranging from the new main railway station of Vienna (the most important Central European transport hub of the future), to making sure they are number one on the Eastern and South-eastern European goods transport market. Some areas have already been achieved, but other areas remain incomplete. (more…)
Issue 4 2007, Past issues / 30 July 2007 /
Reorganisation of the ÖBB into a group with market orientated companies is the passport to successful participation in a liberalized rail transport market. Aiming to be among the best, ÖBB-Infrastruktur Betrieb AG is improving the quality of its existing network while intensifying the push for internationalisation to embrace the economic growth of South and South-Eastern Europe. (more…)
Issue 4 2007, Past issues / 30 July 2007 /
In early 2005, European Railway Review’s sister publication, Eurotransport, published an article describing the main functions and the development of SUPERNOVA – the evaluation tool of ÖBB Passenger Transport Department. Since 2005, there have been some relevant improvements of SUPERNOVA which has enlarged widely the possibilities to use the model. This article will discuss those improvements and give an update on the SUPERNOVA evaluation tool.
As described in the article in Eurotransport Issue 2 2005, SUPERNOVA at that time was already a very detailed VISUM-based public transport model which covered the whole railway network and timetable and all regional bus services routed on a very fine road network. The model was intensively used to evaluate the effects of timetable changes (rail and connecting bus services) on the public transport demand. One effect of the intensive timetable evaluations under usage of SUPERNOVA was that the costumers of ÖBB PV AG in 2005 were more satisfied with the timetable than in the years before, although train kilometers were reduced compared with the previous years. (more…)
Issue 2 2007, Past issues / 3 April 2007 /
The European rail network is becoming increasingly integrated and, with its attractive range of long-distance passenger services, Deutsche Bahn is one of the principal players.
The construction of new infrastructure which has led to shorter journey times as well as the liberalisation of the rail transport markets has accelerated this trend even further. As a result, rail will replace the aeroplane as the major transport mode on many important routes. Deutsche Bahn is absolutely determined to exploit the potential of the international long-distance passenger transport market, to attract new customers and substantially expand its international operations.
No other EU Member State has as many neighbouring countries as Germany, and no other railway crosses as many borders as DB AG. Day in, day out, 35,000 passengers use our international long-distance trains to travel to other countries, or come to Germany from neighbouring countries. Cross-border traffic already makes a substantial contribution to our overall revenues. Almost 100 cities in 20 different countries can now be reached conveniently by ICE, EuroCity, Nachtzug or Autozug without the need to change trains. On several routes, we have deployed new rolling stock over the past few years, reduced journey times, introduced attractive fares and harmonised timetables and products in cooperation with our neighbouring railways.
The ICE from Frankfurt/Main to Paris will go into operation in June 2007; in return, the TGV will come to Germany, on the Paris-Stuttgart line. Deutsche Bahn and SNCF, the French railway, have joined forces to develop an impressive product that will also encourage airline customers to switch to rail.
Fast mobility beyond national borders
Journey times between both Frankfurt and Paris and also Stuttgart and Paris will be reduced by approximately 40%, to less than four hours. When transfers and airport procedures are taken into account, this means that rail now offers competitive journey times compared with air. Moreover, international passengers enjoy more comfort on board and have the freedom to use the travelling time as they please. Our forecasts predict that 30% of our future passengers between Frankfurt and Paris will be people who have switched from plane to rail.
Subject to the approval of the European competition authorities, SNCF and Deutsche Bahn will market both these routes together in the form of a joint venture. An introductory product will be launched in June 2007 and, as from December, there will be four direct daily TGV connections been Stuttgart and Paris and five direct daily ICE connections between Frankfurt and Paris.
The train crews deployed to and from Paris will be tri-lingual. This is also the first time that train personnel from both DB and SNCF will serve customers on these two routes. BahnCard holders will now be entitled to discounts on the French sections of both routes.
The extremely complicated retrofitting of ICE for the French high-speed network and a comprehensive test programme have already proved that even technical differences are not insurmountable.
The ICE is well established as a European brand
While the ICE will celebrate its premiere in Paris in 2007, it is already a familiar sight in Amsterdam, Brussels, Vienna and Zurich. In recent years, Deutsche Bahn has steadily introduced its premium product in important foreign markets: Switzerland ranks first in that list, followed by Austria, The Netherlands, Belgium and France. We also cooperate successfully with other European railways, such as the Dutch NS on the ICE route Frankfurt-Cologne-Amsterdam, where we operate a joint route management system with a pool of vehicles. Our passengers experience the ICE product regardless of whether they travel on a DB or NS train, guaranteeing a consistently high standard of comfort.
At the end of 2007, Deutsche Bahn will introduce a similar model on the Frankfurt/Main – Passau – Linz – Vienna line. In cooperation with the Austrian federal railways, ÖBB, we shall replace the previous conventional EuroCity services with an ICE service running at attractive two-hourly intervals.
In 2006, we set up a joint marketing company, ‘Rheinalp’ with registered office in Freiburg, together with our partner railway SBB in order to expand cross-border services between Germany and Switzerland. Thanks to innovative marketing concepts, we succeeded in attracting new customers in both the business and tourism segments last year.
Further improvements to our services are to follow. As from the end of 2008, we shall offer the first ICE link from Frankfurt/Main to Brussels which takes less than three hours, which is roughly 40 minutes faster than the present product. As from 2010, a rail journey from Frankfurt to London will take just four hours, 40 minutes. Deutsche Bahn is linking up Europe!
Every single case will be examined to decide whether cooperative or competitive products should be offered. However, our performance will initially depend on whether we succeed in winning market shares from the private car and air sectors. This also means that we have to guarantee high quality standards on cross-border services. That is why Deutsche Bahn also supports the establishment of the international quality alliance ‘Railteam’, a cooperative project between seven partner railways – DB, SBB, ÖBB, SNCF, SNCB, NS and Eurostar. The overriding target is to harmonise quality standards. We wish to develop services which do not end at the national borders. Railway can only exploit its full market potential throughout Europe if it offers an attractive range of products over and beyond the national borders.
I am confident that rail in Europe looks forward to a brilliant future.
About the author
Dr. Nikolaus Breuel has been Chairman of DB Fernverkehr AG with registered office in Frankfurt am Main since 2004. The company has 14,000 employees and generates annual sales of approximately €3 billion.
Issue 2 2007, Past issues / 3 April 2007 /
ÖBB, The Austrian Federal Railway Company, transports approximately 183.3 million passengers and 90.6 million tons of freight traffic per year. The ÖBB railway network consists of approximately 3,600 kilometres of main railway lines and in the region of 2,200 kilometres supplementary network (Figure 1).
At the moment, the maximum line speed is 200 kilometres per hour. This will increase to 250 km/h in the near future. The maximum axle loads are approximately 22.5 tons and the total length of our tracks is 10,500 kilometres. 7,100 kilometres of them are electrified and the network contains about 16,700 switches and crossing units.
Ballastless track at ÖBB
At the beginning of the 1980s, the ÖBB started using ballastless track systems. During the first phase (from 1982 until 1995), several different types of ballastless track systems were tested. In that period, approximately 22,600 meters of ballastless track were built. The main types used at that time were monolithic systems (RHEDA), booted sleeper systems (STEDEF) and precast slab systems (ÖBB/Porr). After this first period, the experience with the different systems gained by ÖBB was evaluated. The following main aspects were investigated:
- Specific design aspects (needed space etc.)
- Construction process (sensitivity in order to site situation)
- Quality (track quality, acoustic behaviour etc.)
- Economic situation (initial investment costs and life-cycle costs)
The result of this detailed investigation was that for use in the network of ÖBB, the ÖBB/Porr ballastless track system fitted best. Furthermore, it has been established that the main field of use of the ballastless track system are on tunnel-lines.
Due to these facts, only the ÖBB/Porr system has been used in the network of the ÖBB after 1995. For switches and crossing areas, special ballastless systems consisting of booted monobloc sleepers were developed and are still in use now.
At the moment, approximately 130 kilometres of ballastless track systems are under operation within the ÖBB railway network – used mainly in tunnels but also on bridges and on surface lines. For noise and vibration reduction, many of these systems are combined with floating slabs. The system is tested for a maximum train speed of more than 300km/h and has a certification for a maximum train speed of 330km/h. The system is licensed for use in the Austrian, German and Swiss railway network.
Worldwide use of ballastless track systems
The development of ballastless track systems started in the second half of the 20th Century in Japan (due to high speed train traffic). A few years later, these developments reached Europe. The Japanese developments focused on precast elements, but the developments in Switzerland were based on booted sleeper systems while in Germany, the developments were based on monolithic cast in place systems. The worldwide distribution of the main ballastless track system is shown in Figure 2.
Use of the ÖBB/Porr system outside Austria
Due to the very good experiences gained by ÖBB with the ÖBB/Porr Slab Track System, many other railway companies showed interest in the system. Therefore, this ballastless track system has been used at new, large railway connection projects in Berlin: North-South intercity railway connection and East-West connection near the Lehrter Bahnhof. In total, there are approximately 18 kilometres of the ÖBB/Porr ballastless track system currently under operation. The system is situated in tunnels and on bridges with short sections on earthwork.
Main features of the ÖBB/Porr system
The ÖBB/Porr system was designed to replace the typical behaviour of the ballasted track by several elastic elements in the ballastless system. The typical behaviour of a ballasted track shows the elasticity in the ballast itself and in the rail fastening system. These two elastic elements have to be copied by the elasticity of the rail fastening system in the ballastless track and of the elasticity of a second layer which is situated at the bottom of the prefabricated slabs.
This system (shown in Figure 3) leads to a distribution of the elasticity between the elastic coating of the slabs and the rail fastening system of 10% to 90%. Usually, the rail fastening system IOARV 300-1 from Vossloh realises the needed elasticity in the rail fasteners. The elastic coating consists of a PUR-bound granular rubber.
During train operation this leads to rail deflections of 1.5 millimetres under a Taurus locomotive (about 22.5 tons axle load). The main advantages of the system are:
- Very small space needed (width of slabs is 2.40m and can be reduced down to 2.10m, thickness of slabs is 16cm which leads to a construction height of 50cm from top of rail down to e.g. tunnel floor) which leads to reduction of the necessary cross-section of e.g. tunnels
- Very good vibration attenuating performance (the system can be addressed as a floating track slab system with about 1 ton per meter sprung mass)
- Use of the standard rail fastening system Vossloh IOARV 300-1 which makes an easy maintenance possible
- Simple construction procedure on site (most of the sensitive works are transferred into the prefabrication site)
- High track quality standard is documented by intensive measurements of all realised projects up to no
- Quick construction procedure on site because of use of only few concrete on site (most of the fabrication is done at the prefabrication site)
- Easy and effective repair concept (exchange of rail fasteners or whole slabs can be done very easily in very short time)
- Very good-natured behaviour in order to extra ordinary events as for example derailment
- Nearly no regular maintenance work necessary
Possible use of the system for the Turkish railway network
Today, the situation of the Turkish federal railway company, TCDD, shows the following statistic performance (source: www.tcdd.gov.tr): 8,700km main lines, 11,000km total network, about 8,000 units switches and crossings. The maximum line speed is V = 140km/h at the moment. The yearly transportation volume is approximately 77 million passengers and in the region of 20 million tons of freight traffic.
This means that in comparison with ÖBB, the length of the network of TCDD is of comparable size but the transportation volume is significantly lower. These facts have to be reflected – having in mind that the country is several times larger than Austria – which leads to the following statements:
Statement 1
A lot of additional railway lines would be needed to reach a similar density of railway network and furthermore a lot of improvements of the existing network would be necessary to enlarge the transportation volume of the net. Especially the differences in the number of switches and crossings are an indicator for the improvement needs of the existing network.
Statement 2
At the moment, and in the near future, a couple of new high-speed railway lines will be built in Turkey. The maximum line speed of these projects is up to V = 250km/h. Therefore, questions of superstructure are of major importance. Not only in tunnels but also on viaducts, ballastless systems lead to economic (especially in order of long-time aspects) and safety advantages.
Due to the advantages of the ÖBB/Porr system described in this article, in theory it seems to fit very well for the Turkish Railway network. Especially for use in tunnels, which is the main area of application, seems to be effective as well as in Austria. The reasons for that are the much reduced maintenance necessities, the safe run of the trains and the good behaviour of the system in case of derailment events. Furthermore, it is possible to equip the ÖBB/Porr system with a lot of optional elements. For example it is possible to make the whole system rideable for road vehicles (e.g. fire engines, ambulance) by using additional elements. To increase the safety of railway tunnels, this field of usage gets more and more important in Austria. As mentioned above, the system is well suited for combination with noise and vibration attenuating systems (floating track slab systems).
The basic characteristic of the system – most of the construction work takes place in pre¬fabrication sites – makes it useable with a minimum of high-qualified people on site and ensures a very good track quality. Nevertheless, most of the works for the system can be done by local people either in the prefabrication process or on site. The ÖBB/Porr track system can be combined with usual high-elastic rail fastening systems as for example IOARV 300-1 from Vossloh.
Conclusions
At the moment, and in the near future, the Turkish railway network will be enlarged and improved. Therefore, ballastless track forms will be needed as well. The ÖBB/Porr system for ballastless tracks which consists of elastically supported precast concrete slabs is very well suited for the specific situation in Turkey. It shows a lot of advantages for applications in tunnels, on bridges and on surface lines. Due to the prefabrication principle, a very good track quality can be realised with a minimum of high-qualified people on site.
The ÖBB/Porr ballastless track system would be a good contribution to the extension and modernisation of the Turkish railway network. The following points of reference were used for information to help complete this article:
- TCDD: www.tcdd.gov.tr. RPC Department Statistics Office, Ankara
- Schilder, R.: Experience in ballastless track gained on ÖBB. European Slab Track Symposium, Brussels, Belgium, 22 February 2005
- Schilder, R.: Ballastless track application in existing tunnels – experience gained on Austrian Federal Railways. Rail Engineering International Edition 1993 Number 4
- Schilder, R.: Improvement of ballastless track designs for turnouts: experience gained on Austrian Federal Railways. Rail Engineering International Edition 1999 Number 1
Figure 1: Lines of the ÖBB railway network
Figure 2: Distribution of ballast-less systems worldwide
Figure 3: Rail fastening system Vossloh IOARV 300-1
About the author
Rudolf Schilder has a diploma in Civil Engineering from the University of Graz, Austria. He also worked there as a university assistant in the Institute of Railway Technology from 1979 to 1983. During these years he received a Doctors degree in Technical Sciences. In 1983 he joined Austrian Federal Railways and occupied several functions. In 1996, as head of Track&Structure Department, Mr. Schilder was in charge of Track Technologies. Since 2005, Mr. Schilder has been Head of Permanent Way Department at ÖBB Bau AG. Mr. Schilder is a member of several national and international working groups, such as OeNorm (Austrian Standardization Office), ÖVG (Austrian Society for Traffic and Transport Science, Working Committee on Railway Technology), CEN (Committee for European Normalization), UIC (International Railway Union), AEIF (European Association for Railway Interoperability) and ERA (European Railway Agency).
Issue 3 2005, Past issues / 23 August 2005 /
In a joint project, Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB), the Institute for Railway Engineering and Transport Economy of the University of Technology, Graz and voestalpine Schienen GmbH have developed a (LCC) life cycle cost-based evaluation model for track components – rail profiles and steel grades.
Using this model, optimum fields of application and maintenance procedures of different rail profiles and steel grades are identified for various track conditions. Value to customers is achieved by providing assistance for railroaders in terms of minimal LCC based decisions for investment and maintenance.
From the ‘Track Strategy’ project of the Institute and ÖBB, a life cycle cost-based track maintenance system has emerged1-3. The basic idea was to produce cost-effective strategies optimised in relation to life cycle costs, adapted to take account of actual measurement results and the present status of track. Within this project a number of different investment and maintenance options were evaluated from an economic perspective to define basic strategies.
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Issue 2 2005, Past issues / 31 May 2005 /
Austrian Federal Railways (Österreichische Bundesbahnen – ÖBB) has embarked to gradually complete Austria’s rail infrastructure, based on the requirements specified for the 2020 target network to enable it to cope with current and future transport demand. Capacity, cost efficiency and maximum customer benefit are the main drivers of all initiatives concerning operation, planning, construction and maintenance of infrastructure.
In the future, new assessment methods will help to give reasonable, retraceable and transparent answers to the difficult question of defining development project priorities. The goal is to better demonstrate the advantages and disadvantages of individual projects at an early stage, thus making a positive contribution to objective public discussions. ÖBB will capitalise on its new Group structure to quickly and efficiently proceed towards this goal. (more…)
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