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Latest issue / 6 December 2011 /
On 8 September 2011, Réseau Ferré de France (RFF) inaugurated the first part of the eastern branch of the Rhine-Rhône high-speed line. Included in the design and construction of this line, with its major socio-economic challenges, was a series of innovative environmental measures to ensure its long-term sustainability.
Rhine-Rhône HSL: the project
A European dimension
The Rhine-Rhône HSL will further strengthen France’s position in a Europe that is gradually expanding towards the East. Financial support from Switzerland and EU ‘priority link’ status, under the Trans-European Transport Network programme, both underline its recognised importance at community level.
Looking at the map of the present and future European network of high-speed lines, the strategic position of the Rhine-Rhône line is immediately apparent, as a major feeder at the core of mainland Europe and as a link between the different European territories. (more…)
Latest issue / 6 December 2011 /
Today’s European rail networks are getting busier with trains travelling at higher speeds, and carrying more passengers and heavier axle loads, than ever before. This combination of factors is putting considerable pressure on the existing infrastructure, leading to increased demands in inspection and maintenance of rail assets.
To maximise safety efficiency in rail travel the rail industry has applied a pro-active maintenance policy for wheelsets. This policy combines on-line monitoring and manual inspections during production and maintenance. Minimising wheel set failures not only improves safety but also helps reduce maintenance costs, and is a consideration for both train and light-rail vehicle operators.
A European collaborative research project called SAFERAIL, jointly led by TWI and the University of Birmingham, has spent the last three years developing new inspection technology. This technology is intended to extend on the current state-of-the-art for both trackside monitoring and manual inspection of rolling stock wheelsets in a bid to minimise wheelset failures and improve safety and reduce maintenance costs. (more…)
Issue 4 2011 / 9 August 2011 /
Featuring articles “Network Rail committed to reducing the risk at level crossings” by Martin Gallagher, Head of Level Crossings, Network Rail and “Level crossings still biggest safety challenge in Norway” by Liv Bjørnå, Safety Director, Jembaneverket. (more…)
Issue 4 2011 / 4 August 2011 /
Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) has the densest rail network in the world in terms of the number of trains per kilometre per day – and the number is still rising. This is a challenge that must be met without compromising on safety. Trains must therefore be monitored and scheduled with the utmost care. SBB’s Switzerlandwide integrated system of networked Wayside Train Monitoring Systems (WTMS) is one of the key elements in this process.
SBB is faring well: in 2010, 951,000 people a day travelled on the company’s train services – more than ever before. SBB Cargo also increased its output significantly, carrying 200,000 tonnes of freight a day. Utilisation of SBB network capacity had already been high, and the increase in demand has raised it even further. An average of 95.4 trains a day travelled over each kilometre of SBB track in 2010. This figure is unequalled anywhere in the world – and is still rising. (more…)
Rail industry news / 10 June 2011 /
The European Railway Agency has published its fourth Annual Report on the development of Railway Safety in the European Union. (more…)
Rail industry news / 13 May 2011 /
Network Rail has been fined £3m for safety failings over the Potters Bar train crash, which killed seven people. (more…)
Rail industry news / 29 March 2011 /
High-speed train travel has become the travel of choice during recent decades and passenger numbers have increased drastically.
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Issue 6 2010 / 10 December 2010 /
The railway is a highly complex system relying on a vast number of electrical and mechanical components working properly together to keep the 24,000 trains that operate in Great Britain running safely, reliably and efficiently. Every minute, thousands of electrical components are called upon to carry out critical functions to keep services running smoothly and on time. (more…)
Issue 5 2010 / 17 September 2010 /
The mainline railway in Great Britain has a responsibility to understand and measure safety risk to be able to manage safety of its operations properly. However, the task of quantifying levels of safety meaningfully can be difficult, especially for those rare accidents with potential for serious consequences. RSSB’s Safety Risk Model provides a solution to the problem and is a vital component of the GB railway safety management system. (more…)
Rail industry news / 14 April 2010 /
Groupe Eurotunnel has taken a significant step towards the implementation of new SAFE stations (firefighting stations) in the Channel Tunnel designed to combat fires using detection and aspersion. (more…)
Issue 2 2010 / 5 April 2010 /
With the German Railway Reform in 1994, the sovereign functions were transferred from the former state railways Deutsche Bundesbahn and Deutsche Reichsbahn to the Eisenbahn-Bundesamt (EBA). These comprise primarily the issuing of approvals and the supervisory function. The approval function of the EBA encompasses the authorisation of technical products and systems in the form of authorisations for placing into service. It does extend, however, to ‘authorising’ companies by way of licences and issuing safety certificates and/or safety authorisations to railway undertakings and/or infrastructure managers based on an audit of their safety management systems. Since 2007, the EBA has thus been the safety authority pursuant to Article 16 of the Safety Directive. (more…)
Rail industry news / 1 March 2010 /
Lloyd’s Register EMEA has won a framework contract from Banedanmark to provide independent safety assessment and Notified Body (Interoperability Directive) (NoBo) services as part of the approval process for the euro 2.4 billion renewal of Denmark’s signalling systems. The value of the NoBo and generic safety assessor (G-ISA) work is estimated to be DKK 48 million. The contract will cover the period from January 2010 until the end of Banedanmark’s Signalling Programme projected to be in 2021. (more…)
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