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Issue 1 2007, Past issues / 6 February 2007 /
After a long period of time characterised by the lack of major investments in railway infrastructure, particularly in rolling stock, Serbian Railways has made serious steps towards the creation of a solid basis for working conditions. This was an important precondition for the fulfillment of permanently growing requests for freight services. These activities have specifically been emphasised over the last two years.
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Issue 6 2006, Past issues / 28 November 2006 /
As the ‘E’ in EWS becomes more European than English it is timely to reflect on the opportunities for rail freight in both Britain and Europe.
Rail freight’s prospects in Britain are very positive. We are already forecasting a growth of 50% by 2014 on top of the 70% growth achieved since the mid 90s but the increasing importance of a sustainable transport system point to even bigger opportunities. The environmental benefits of rail have always been recognised – four times more energy efficient than road and producing one-tenth of the polluting emissions per tonne moved. But as global warming and climate change preoccupy governments and voters alike, the benefits of using rail to transport goods are recognised by senior politicians in all political parties. EWS knows that its customers will not buy its services on environmental benefit alone – we must also provide the right economics and logistics solution to meet their transport needs. Our 100 million tonne portfolio is testament to EWS’s ability to meet those needs.
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Issue 6 2006, Past issues / 28 November 2006 /
Having won their inaugural contract hauling Infrastructure trains for Railtrack, Freightliner Heavy Haul have been servicing the UK railway network for over seven years. In an interview for European Railway Review, Mark Anderson, Senior Operations Manager of Freightliner Heavy Haul, explains the company’s commitment to delivery, their “reliability as standard” motto and how they have been entrusted to operate the £25 million state-of-the-art High Output Ballast Cleaner (HOBC) – the most expensive piece of machinery ever to grace the rail network.
The national rail network, covering over 20,000 miles of track, is a behemoth. The preservation and enhancement of its’ apparatus is a feat of equal proportions. From engineering, to transit services, to the laying of ballast and track, it is imperative that the operators asked to handle Infrastructure work have a track record for service, reliability and above all, delivery. (more…)
Issue 4 2006, Past issues / 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.
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Issue 2 2006, Past issues / 3 April 2006 /
Efficient and effective vehicle maintenance is a key competitive factor for any railway undertaking operating freight rail services. To this end maintenance must be consistently geared towards operations. Flexibility in respect of time and location, quality and ideal cost structures are success factors that bring about the most efficient use of vehicles. Thanks to its long-standing experience, area-wide service network and high capacity levels, Railion is in a position to offer these success factors to all railway undertakings operating rail freight services.
Deutsche Bahn AG’s freight rail services are incorporated in the Railion Unit in the DB Logistics Division. In addition to Railion Germany, Railion boasts undertakings in Denmark, the Netherlands and Italy. With some 23,000 employees, turnover approaching €3.3 billion and a transport capacity in excess of 77 million ton-kilometres (tkm), Railion is Europe’s largest freight rail undertaking.
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Issue 1 2005, Past issues / 2 March 2005 /
Observers in the logistics business, as well as in the media, have broadly interpreted the recent Railion strategy as an example of single-dimension expansion motivation.
Such critics, however, have failed to perceive that the primary intention of Railion in this context is to develop international rail cargo transport throughout the relevant markets in such a way as to enhance competitiveness. At the same time, of course, Railion intends to secure and expand its own volume of business. The growing Eastern European transport market can serve as a prime example to illustrate the fact that Railion is pursuing a number of different approaches here, in accordance with the respective market constellations. (more…)
Issue 1 2005, Past issues / 2 March 2005 /
In part 1 of his article on the Betuweroute project, Patrick Buck looks at the background and characteristics of the route.
In 1995, the Dutch government took the decision to construct the Betuweroute: a freight line between the port of Rotterdam and the German border.
Preparatory work was initiated shortly after this. Now, almost ten years on, 80% of the work is complete and the crucial phase of testing the various technical systems is about to get underway.
The Betuweroute will become operational in 2007. This article discusses the background to the decision to construct the Betuweroute and provides an overall description of the largest rail construction project ever undertaken in The Netherlands. (more…)
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