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14 RailwaysAbout
March 2011
Contents
About Railways 14, March 2011
© Strukton Rail bv
Leo Koster (p. 4)
David Larsson (p. 29)
Mario van Maaren (p. 17)
Carry van der Maas (p. 9, 10, 40, 43)
Eva-Lotta Pettersson (p. 24)
Göran Prage (p. 28)
Vincenzo Rotolo (p. 34)
Ronald Tilleman (p. 36)
Martin Uitvlugt (cover, p. 12, 15, 19, 20, 23, 30, 39, 44)
Layout/post production
The Public, Rotterdam
printing
Quadraat, Oud-Beijerland
contributors
Antoinette de Bes, Bart Beuving (HanzaRailTeam), Roland Bongenaar (Eurailscout),
Silvia Borghi, Vanessa Cannemeijer, Ann Claes, Jens Otto Daugaard, Joost den Decker,
Jo Derie, Pierre Emans, Lasse Fjell, Oskar Fröidh (TU Stockholm), Anders Gustafsson,
Jan Lucas van Koppenhagen, Leo Koster, Sven Kristiansen, Gert Kwikkers,
Léon Linders (Alstom), Mario van Maaren (Eurailscout), Jochen Meister, Werner Naar,
Gerrit Nieuwenhuis, Rob Redeker, Aike Schoots, Erik Schutte, Klaas Toet, Dennis Tuls,
Ron Velthuis, Patrick Vanhie, Truus van der Vegt, Harold Verbruggen,
Dominique Vleminckx, Ingmar Wijnoogst, Aad van der Zouwen (Eurailscout)
coLophon
About Railways is a Strukton Rail publication which
appears once a year
concept/editor
Martin Uitvlugt, Den Haag
production/coordination
Irene van Dam-Aaldijk
editoriaL consuLtants
Aike Schoots, Jacob Zeeman
editoriaL contributions
Øystein Hagen, Oslo (p. 5)
Göran Prage, Stockholm (p. 26)
Paul Vreuls, Amsterdam (p. 14, 32)
transLations
Accuwrite English Language Services,
Kevin N. Martley, Pumerend
photography
Bombardier Transportation (p. 27)
Anna Groot (p. 33)
Øystein Hagen (p. 5, 6)
Jeroen Lange (p. 4)
04
05
06
09
12
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17
18
20
24
26
29
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32
34
36
38
40
44
From Toulouse to ChittaranjanWork to be done for Rolling Stock.
The steep climb to the topNorway prepares for a top sport event:
Oslo upgrades its oldest metro line for the occasion.
“Work aplenty and more to come”Lasse Fjell about a rich country with a poor railway network.
“Invariably in cooperation with the client”About the almost countless possibilities and one crucial
limitation of POSS.
A difficult choreDominique Vleminckx describes the scope of her work,
a project named Diabolo.
The Hanze Line, a status reportA big work in progress as experienced by a bicycling
reporter.
MilestoneEurailscout makes its debut in Norway.
Breakthrough in the world of measurementEurailscout is marketing SIM, a locomotive-driven measurement
system that records the geometry of points.
“Getting the job done together, that’s the best part of it.”Pierre Emans, a railway man in heart and soul, about the
turning points in his career.
The finishing touchesIn three short summer seasons Strukton Rail built 100 km
of the Bothnia Line.
High-speed lines at a snail’s paceThe Swedish government puts the construction of
high-speed lines off to the future.
Strength through unityStrukton Rail and Balfour Beatty join forces in Sweden on a
project basis, together winning a major maintenance contract.
The tram is on its way!From car, car, car to tram, tram, tram - about a tram work
in Kassel.
“Simply trying things out; it’s a trait I already had as a child”Highly praised, recipient of numerous accolades, Jo Derie
developed software for the railways.
Hunting for bigger gameStrukton Rail’s Italian subsidiary Clf joined in a powerful trio
and secured a first tender.
All electricity under the same roofStrukton Systems reorganised. A vision and an overview of
the business operations.
“Rock-solid reliability”About a 24/7 core business of keeping things running,
at railway stations and on and around waterways.
A bitter seed bears sweet fruitOff to a bumpy start! Léon Linders (Alstom Transport) about
how ERTMS kicked off on Dutch soil.
Green and WirelessBattery-powered trams and diesel trains. Tracks with no
catenary system. Strukton Rolling Stock has embarked
on a long-term campaign.
From Toulouse to Chittaranjan
The steep climb to the top
French transport company Tisséo
commissioned Strukton Rolling Stock to
deliver a new traction system within the
scope of upgrading 28 VAL trains belonging
to Toulouse Metro. These automated light
vehicles that run on rubber wheels will be
equipped with new drive systems and
electronic controls based on IGBT chopper
technology. This assignment is the second
of its type. Rolling Stock previously
equipped the unmanned shuttles at O’Hare
airport in Chicago with similar life-extending
technology.
Winning the assignment from Toulouse was
a major achievement, as it was plucked from
the lion’s den. The VAL system is based on
French designs, was developed in practice
by French engineers and - with the
exception of foreign cities including Turin,
Taipei and Chicago - is applied mainly in
French cities. Rolling Stock’s greatest rival
was French, and far bigger too. Favourable
references from across the Atlantic count for
a lot, it appears. “It’s far from simple, but
France is opening up”, explains Werner
Naar, member of the sales team. “A new
generation of managers is on the rise with
an eye for price and quality beyond the
country’s national borders.” Conversion of
the first VAL train will be completed in 2011,
the last in 2013.
Norway, winner of fourth place in the 2010 Olympic Winter Games
in Vancouver, has something to look forward to - the Nordic World
Ski Championships in February and March 2011. The location is
legendary: Holmenkollen. The world famous ski jumping hill, located
west of Oslo, has hosted no less than nine world championships
as well as the Olympic Winter Games in 1952. Throughout the
world, events of this scale provide good cause to upgrade local
infrastructure. And Oslo is no exception; the Holmenkoll Line
underwent a complete upgrade - including rolling stock - in the
run-up to this prestigious event.
The Holmenkoll Line is the oldest and steepest light rail connection
in the Oslo network. It opened in 1898 as a tramline and has,
since 1916, been carrying passengers along the 14 kilometre
stretch from Central Station through more sparsely though luxuriously
populated areas to the Frognerseteren end station at an altitude of
478 metres. The upgrade was extensive, switching from overhead
lines to a third-rail system and increasing the standard platform
length to 120 metres. The old red metro carriages will be fading
into the mists of time, too, making way for new, non-pantograph
Siemens MX3000 electric trains. Once ready, the line will be able
to carry up to 9,000 passengers an hour.
Strukton Rail was one of a handful of specialised contractors involved
in the upgrade. The company carried responsibility for building the
new superstructure and third rail, as well as the rectifier stations,
cable ducts and power supply system. The level crossings along the
way were quite a challenge. Strukton Rail had to ensure pedestrian
safety, given the ground-level power supply system. The solution:
no continuous power supply at level crossings. The trains,
themselves longer than the width of a level crossing, were equipped
with front and back contact shoes to enable them to travel through
the gap unhindered.
In February and March 2011, the Holmenkoll Line will ensure easy
access to a sports extravaganza of international allure. After the
world championships, the metro line will continue to be the quietest
connection on the metropolitan network, and the only stretch that
remains largely above ground. Local city dwellers and tourists will
definitely continue to use the line all year round as well. Travelling the
line for the fun of it has always been a tourist attraction in itself,
offering outings at the Holmenkoll stop and unrivalled views of Oslo
and the Oslofjord. Even in summer, the new ski jump is an
Somewhat further afield, in Chittaranjan, India,
a 6000HP electric locomotive with flowers on
its sides left the Indian Railways engine plant
in October 2010. As the first in a series of
115 locomotives up for revision, it was
equipped with a new drive system and
on-board electricity supply system developed
by order of industrial giant BHEL and
manufactured by Rolling Stock in
Alblasserdam. Following its festive send-off,
the locomotive headed for Hyderabad, where
it will undergo three months of final testing at
top speeds, carrying a full load.
At the same time, BHEL also placed two
supplementary orders with Rolling Stock for
drive, on-board electricity supply and control
systems - 30 sets for locomotives and 40 for
electric trains - in line with premises
established in earlier framework agreements,
where the gradual transfer of knowledge plays
a key role. Initially, Rolling Stock will be
supplying complete sets. After this, it will then
switch to ready-to-use, tested modules and
a limited number of ready-to-build sets. In the
last phase, these sets will be complemented,
assembled and tested at BHEL’s
establishment in Bangalore.
New prospects are arising in the worldwide
refurbishment market. The position of Rolling
Stock - that of an emerging niche soloist -
appears to be growing into that of a
prominent ensemble player in an international
orchestra. Gert Kwikkers, Managing Director
of Strukton Rolling Stock: “Major train
manufacturers now see us as a highly skilled,
professional subcontractor; as a potential
preferred technology partner within the scope
of refurbishment projects. We have come to
understand that serving key players as a
preferred subcontractor greatly enhances our
effectiveness in the market. We are forcing
ahead with structural alliances.”
About Railways 14 I March 2011 54 About Railways 14 I March 2011
There’s work to be done in France, and still more in India
Norway prepares for Nordic World Ski Championships 2011.
Oslo upgrades its oldest metro line for the occasion.
architectural marvel, and the nearby museum outlines thousands of
years of skiing history. Facilities for dining, drinking, overnight stays
and conferences are also available. And, from this point, you can head
off into the woods, cross-country skiing or Nordic walking - originally
known as ski walking, this involves walking with specially designed
poles - keeping you fit year-round, sunshine or snow.
About Railways 14 I March 2011 76 About Railways 14 I March 2011
“Work aplenty and more to come”
What strikes him most as someone who had
little to do with rail prior to becoming CEO of
Norwegian Strukton Rail AS at the beginning
of 2009? “The enthusiasm of the people.
Their passion for their work”, says Lasse Fjell
without hesitation. “Rail work appears to be
infectious. It either grabs you or it doesn’t.
If it does, there’s no remedy.” That was his
reply to the last question; the first was how
he came to join Strukton.
Norway is a rich country, but its railway network is
sorely in need of repair - the perfect setting for
Strukton Rail to achieve explosive growth.
Lasse Fjell is the man at the helm. This is his vision:
past, present and future.
Lasse K. Fjell began at the other side of the table. As a management
consultant and information manager for Gjermund Sogn, he was
around when Sogn hived off his railway company Jernbaneservice to
Strukton Rail in 2006. It came as a surprise when Strukton Rail asked
him if he would become CEO of the newly established Strukton Rail AS
following a second takeover in 2008. He had become more acquainted
with the world of rail by then. “I found it an interesting world.”
What makes it interesting?
“In Norway, Jernbaneverket acts as the rail infrastructure management
body. It did all the work; private enterprise didn’t exist. When Gjermund
Sogn started his railway company in 2003, a mere 12.5 million euros
was put out to public tender. In 2005, the conservative government in
power at the time decided privatisation was the way forward.
Jernbaneverket had to be reduced in size; the rail market expanded.
National elections were held in that same year and the
red-green coalition took over in government. Although they wanted to
reverse the move towards privatisation, they failed. Many people had
already left Jernbaneverket; it no longer had the capacity to do all the
work itself. The market for rail contractors subsequently sprang to life
and growth was incredible. This dynamism makes it interesting.”
As a rail country, how would you describe Norway - largely a
country of long roads?
“It’s a country of trains and aircraft. The roads are poor across large
sections of the country. We have airfields all over. And, supplementary
to that, we have more than 4,000 km of track, thousands of bridges
and hundreds of tunnels. Goods transport dominates the scene.”
Strukton Rail grew up in this world, boosting turnover from 6
million euros at the start to 50 million within four years. How
was this possible?
“Minimal maintenance had been carried out on the infrastructure for
decades. We were working with systems from before the Second World
War. Enjoying a monopoly as Jernbaneverket had done, you become
sloppy and lazy sooner or later. Disruptions and delays were mounting.
The public became increasingly irritated. Politicians squabbled. This
started seriously in 2004 and grew worse by the year. Problems became
more pressing by the day. The political parties agreed that something
had to be done about the railways. And from one year to the next,
the funds for track maintenance doubled. Then, in the wake of the 2009
crisis, an additional injection of 125 million euros a year followed on the
basis of the National Transport Plan. In a single blow, growth in the
market for maintenance and modernisation had skyrocketed by a factor
of 2.5. This is an interesting situation for several reasons. There is a
market, beyond. There are too few hands to get the job done. We’re
emerging from a situation void of private enterprise. We needed to build
an industry from practically nothing. And that’s exactly what we’re doing.”
How did you begin?
“Strukton Rail began by purchasing Jernbaneservice, a small-scale
rail contractor and then took over Betonmast Bane, a railway company
comprising two businesses with supplementary expertise in energy,
signalling and telecom. As such, Strukton acquired three companies,
merging them at a time when the market became flooded with work.
From then, Strukton began to grow explosively.”
And what about the competition?
“In house Jernbaneverket - the rail infrastructure management body -
remained the biggest. The second, Baneservice, was a new company
established by Jernbaneverket and the third biggest, also a new
company, Norsk Jernbanedrift, was established by people who left
Jernbaneverket. It is now half our size. All the big companies from
abroad are represented as well. Balfour Beatty is doing everything to
stay in the Norwegian market. And then there are the German
companies with their big machines. What you see is explosively
growing competition in an explosively growing market. But there’s still
more work in the market than the competition and our own company
can cope with. Although I’m not afraid of the competition in terms of
turnover, I am a little concerned about the competition in terms of
high-output equipment. The battle is fierce in this respect.”
How would you describe today’s market?
“Work aplenty and more to come. We’re a rich country. And all the
politicians - left and right - have since agreed that we need to
modernise our rail infrastructure. The remarkable thing now is that
the conservative parties are pushing even harder for this than Red
and Green. They’re very busy with HSL routes from Oslo to Trondheim,
Bergen and Stockholm. Environmental awareness also plays a role.
Norway is still far too dependent on air transport.”
What kind of vision exists in the political arena, say for the next
ten years?
“Punctuality is a big point. People have to regain confidence in the
railways. Especially in and around the cities, people must switch from
their cars to the train and tram. What’s more, train frequencies must be
raised along with the number of stations. In order to achieve this, we
will need to lay new tracks, especially for passenger services, because
many of the existing structures are single track. Also, the relatively high
number of bends in our tracks needs to be reduced as far as possible.”
But there is an absence of structural input in relation to the
Norwegian maintenance market. As far as possible,
Jernbaneverket carries out the maintenance work itself.
“We need to define the border between modernisation and
maintenance. It is shifting ever more towards maintenance. We now
carry out maintenance work within the scope of renewal contracts.
About Railways 14 I March 2011 98 About Railways 14 I March 2011
At present, there are no tenders assigning responsibility for track
maintenance to any given party. This is not Jernbaneverket’s policy,
not yet. But if you look at signalling systems, a maintenance contract
could appear in the market again. We have a one-year contract to
maintain the safety system on one stretch of track. Things are
beginning to take shape, and the politicians can see that this leads to
greater efficiency. The main argument for Jernbaneverket to hang on to
much of the work itself, is to retain crucial knowledge. And yes, that’s
quite valid. But it’s not only about what knowledge you possess. More
importantly, it’s about what you do with this knowledge. There is good
cause for optimism: to the left or to the right, a structural maintenance
market will take shape.”
Odd Erik Berg, head of maintenance at Jernbaneverket, said last
year in an interview in this magazine that all the players in the
rail market need a certain measure of predictability. I’m sure you
must agree with him.
“Yes, of course. That’s what we all want. If you enter each year
together as things are now, with an option for the next year at most,
it’s difficult to look ahead. If you have big projects one year, it’s hard to
say whether the next year will bring the same.”
What does this mean for Strukton Rail? Good prospects in a
blossoming yet unstable market?
“That it’s difficult to consolidate, that is if you don’t want to take risks.
You need to keep your core competencies up to scratch while hiring in
extra manpower during the busy months. Flexibility is the watchword.
The contracts will keep coming, but it remains a question of when and
in what form. I also think we can carry out a lot more work in the winter
period than we do at present. We have more than 700 tunnels. It’s
possible to work in them comfortably most winters, which would bring
some stability to the market. But that will only be possible if
Jernbaneverket succeeds in putting the contracts on the market in
time.”
What are your plans for the coming years?
“When we were growing at that pace, we probably engaged more
people than strictly necessary to make sure we deliver in time. In the
past and still today, our central staff units suffer from understaffing, and
scheduling and logistics need to be improved. We are critically
evaluating our procedures. We are taking a step back to have a good
look at ourselves. I’m sure that our 200-strong workforce is capable of
taking on even more work. Our equipment could also be used more
effectively than now. And we must invest in what I call ‘a sense of
business urgency’: it’s great to achieve explosive growth in turnover,
but this must bring increased profitability.”
Strukton Rail in Norway: what will it look like in five years time?
“I hope that we’ve hammered out long-term maintenance contracts by
then. I also hope that we will be making better use of modern
technologies such as POSS. In terms of size, we will have cornered
somewhere between a third and a quarter of the market, generating a
turnover of 100 million euros, which is roughly twice today’s figure. We
have become an efficient company. We do the job properly the first
time round. The relationship with Jernbaneverket could tip the scales in
this story. I hope that it develops into a good buyer of services and
products. That it preserves its knowledge by utilising ours. That fair
competition rules apply and that ‘soft issues’ are considered in
tendering along with the price - as in Sweden.”
One thing’s for sure: money will not be the problem.
“No. And the Icelandic ash clouds gave us an unintended boost.
This again served to demonstrate just how good it is to be in the
railway business. Not a single train stood still during that period,
while on some days not a single aircraft took to the skies from Norway,
not even an air ambulance. There was only one correct answer:
the train.”
The contractor was keen to move towards more efficient, and
preferably also preventive maintenance - that was how it all started. For
instance, it urgently wanted to know how it might prevent faults in
points. In 1999, Strukton Rail first published news of a system it had
developed itself, known as POSS, which is a Dutch acronym for
Strukton preventive maintenance & fault diagnosis system. It turned
out that points need close monitoring - albeit remotely, if at all
possible - as they were, after all, responsible for over half of all ‘units
of operational disruption’; breakdowns in other words. The newly
developed POSS - basically no more than a simple multimeter - was
Invariably in cooperation with the clientGerrit Nieuwenhuis, project manager Monitoring & Travel Systems, speaks about the
almost countless possibilities and one crucial limitation of a successful monitoring
system developed in-house: POSS
10 About Railways 14 I March 2011 About Railways 14 I March 2011 11
designed to monitor the moving parts of
points, and to plot the readings on a graph.
The idea was that if significant numbers of
these reports were recorded, then one could
compile historic records which would
eventually enable the prediction of future
points behaviour. And if POSS did live up to
these expectations, one would actually be
able to prevent a points failure. And this might
help to considerably increase the availability
of the line. That would yield incredible
benefits.
So, Strukton conceived the idea and put it
into practice. A pilot project was launched
later that year whereby 22 sets of points in
various areas of the Netherlands were put into
intensive care, as it were, for a period of 18
months. And Strukton almost simultaneously
connected 14 sets of high-speed points
1:34.7 to POSS, purely out of an urgent
sense of self-interest. These were new points,
which were technically not yet entirely in
order. Their lengthy switch movements had
been continually causing problems. Strukton
was doing its utmost to make them operate
properly, without actually allocating further
budget. The infrastructure operator first
wanted to be assured of the nature and
scope of the problem. POSS was designed to
yield clarification.
And POSS did indeed provide clarity. In
practical use in the Netherlands, it proved that
one could avoid between 50% and 70% of
points failures. And now - 11 years after the
conception of the ‘technical device’ -
POSSonline 6.0 is the trade name for an
online monitoring system that is used
worldwide. POSS currently monitors literally
thousands of rail objects in the Netherlands,
the UK, Germany, Belgium, Sweden,
Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Hungary and
Australia. In the Netherlands, it has become
the standard applied by the infrastructure
manager and process contractors throughout
the rail sector. In the UK, Network Rail has
connected the 600 crucial sets of points on
the West Coast Main Line to the system,
while the Stockholm Metro is also benefiting
from its implementation. Use of the system in
other countries is currently more modest, and
it is basically still being tried out on vital points
concentrations. One of the most noticeable
side effects of the development of POSS, is
that it has proven much more widely
applicable than originally envisaged.
technoLogy and domain knowLedge
Gerrit Nieuwenhuis, project manager at
Strukton Systems, PMC Monitoring & Travel
Systems, can explain the success of the
system: “It’s simplicity! We like to describe
POSS in the simplest possible terms, by
explaining that it is no more than a multimeter
fitted with pins, from which we have removed
the display and put it on the Internet instead.
We have installed a database in between,
and an application that converts the data into
information. And people can access this
information, be it current or in an historical
context, wherever they happen to be at the
time. That’s the concept in a nutshell.
However, if that was all that it was - simply an
ICT gadget -it would still be pretty
insignificant. The added value of the system is
that we also provide knowledge that is vital in
the railway domain. That is also actually very
simple, but it literally took us years to simplify
it to such an extent.”
This combination of simple technology and
highly extensive domain knowledge proved
crucial to the further development of POSS in
a broader sense. Each new application was
basically developed in response to existing
market demand, on the part of operators,
managers and contractors, both on the tracks
and in the trains. Gerrit Nieuwenhuis: “You are
constantly involved in discussion with one
another. Let me give you three examples,
which were developed almost simultaneously,
though independently of one another and
within our knowledge domain.
One. We were talking to railway manager
ProRail about points, when the topic of
conversation suddenly turned to level
crossings. ProRail was keen to carry out trials
with timetableless service on the Amsterdam-
Eindhoven route, comprising six intercity and
six slow trains an hour. It was keen to
establish that this increased train frequency
would not lead to unacceptably long ‘closure
periods’ for road traffic on the various level
crossings along the route. We concluded that
it should be possible to measure these
closure periods using POSS. And it did
indeed prove successful.
Two. Swedish regional Metro manager,
Storstockholms Lokaltrafik (SL), uses POSS to
monitor 150 vital sets of points. The people
we spoke to there were particularly interested
in the possibilities of also using POSS for the
measurement of rail temperature and train
detection using axle resistance. Our simplified
explanation of the multimeter had inspired
them to make their own associations. And
that’s the way things are developed; invariably
in cooperation with the customer.
Three. During the course of talks between our
colleagues at Strukton Rolling Stock and
representatives of the maintenance firm
NedTrain and Lloyds Register, the question
was raised whether POSS might possibly
measure the electrical performance of a train.
Surely if it were possible on the track, then it
should also be possible from inside the train?
The issue in question related to the status of
train systems, and was once again aimed at
preventive maintenance. And that was how
POSS came to be introduced as an energy
meter in trains.”
in search of energy
POSS has therefore been allocated an
impressive list of monitoring functions during
the past few years: points, train detection,
axle resistance, interfering currents, axle load,
wheel quality, train passage, self-
measurement, rail temperature, energy
consumption, camera surveillance, axle
counter, return current, bridge vibration and
construction site security. Gerrit Nieuwenhuis
is the first to put this series into perspective.
poss in 2010
■ Railway manager ProRail switched to POSSonline. Its own system, ProPOSS, in fact the
first version of POSS produced exclusively for ProRail, was phased out gradually.
Using POSSonline, ProRail and the maintenance contractors are monitoring more than
1,300 points at more than 110 locations.
■ As in 2009, POSS was utilised in the timetableless pilot project on the Utrecht - Eindhoven route.
Commissioned by ProRail, POSS monitored closure periods at 25 level crossings; approach
times were monitored especially closely at six level crossings. POSS was successfully deployed
during the test and the system remained operational.
■ POSS served as an analytical instrument. For several years now, a number of high-speed points
in the vicinity of Amsterdam had been causing problems because a point-operating unit regularly
skipped inspection. POSS was put to use to more accurately identify which of the seven or nine
point-operating units was causing problems for the points.
■ On the Harka - Szentgotthard line in Hungary, POSS was connected to 46 points to increase
track availability. The line forms part of the Raaberbahn, an international connection for goods
and passenger traffic. The Austrian-Hungarian firm Gysev operates the line.
■ POSS was connected to six points on a mine railway track at Port Hedland in northwest Australia.
The points are located in such remote areas that maintenance staff have to fly there to sort out
any malfunctions. POSS must help to prevent malfunctions and therefore save costs resulting
from interruptions in regular traffic. The connections will be taken into operation in 2011.
“Points monitoring nevertheless continues to
account for 90% of the market. However, the
other applications will undoubtedly also
become commonplace; we increasingly
receive enquiries about them. This just goes
to show that we have so far been able to
come up with an answer to every additional
question that the rail market has posed, in
both technical and commercial areas.”
Gerrit Nieuwenhuis also has great
expectations in terms of the possible
applications for POSS in a second, hitherto
unexplored, field of knowledge. “Strukton
Systems has always had a sound
understanding of electricity, particularly in the
medium-voltage segment. We build
substations. This is a highly dynamic market.
There are currently only a few suppliers,
namely the major power stations. However,
this model is about to change. We are already
talking about solar panels on your roof, a
windmill in your meadow. A major shift is
about to take place in the distinction between
producers and consumers.
The passage back and forth of currents
involves entirely different dynamics. And you
need to be able to monitor them accurately in
order to settle accounts with one another.
However, there is also a particular need to
gain a clear impression of the status of the
infrastructure, the circuit elements, as these
are also subject to the key issue of our
operations: enabling preventive maintenance.
And that calls for a smart grid monitoring
system. This future development is just
around the corner.”
Are there limits to what POSS can actually
do? “Yes”, Gerrit Nieuwenhuis admits. “It is
not without good reason that I continue to
raise the issue of maintenance. Technically
speaking, the imaginable possibilities of
POSS as an ICT application are almost
endless. However, POSS is becoming
increasingly successful because it is based
on domain knowledge. And this is also where
its limitations lie. After all, if something is so
widely applicable, it generally never excels
in any one particular area.”
About Railways 14 I March 2011 1312 About Railways 14 I March 2011
A difficult choreOnce upon a time, when the car still appeared
to be the answer to almost all of our mobility
desires, a section of the four-lane highway
between Brussels and Antwerp comprised a
central reservation a mile wide. Broad enough
- was the idea - to convert the road into a
six-lane highway, should the need arise.
At the time, this appeared to be a prudent
move on the part of the authorities, which had
obviously taken future developments into
consideration. However, events occurred
contrary to expectations. It was not the car, but
the train and tram, which proved more promising
in terms of sustainable mobility. And this
explains why the aforementioned central
reservation has not been asphalted over, but
currently contains a ballast bedding, sleepers
and the first of the rails, which have already
been neatly riveted to form a track several
kilometres long. And it will not be long before
trains start running here, as Strukton Rail is
hard at work to make that possible.
The master plan is better known as Diabolo,
which was conceived by the rail infrastructure
manager, Infrabel. Brussels and the national
airport located nearby were suffering from
chronic road traffic congestion. Zaventem,
which is basically Brussels Airport, therefore
had to be rendered more accessible. And the
plan was to do so by means of new rail links,
with connections to through trains, and tunnels
beneath the airport itself. Once Diabolo has
been completed, in fact, the airline authorities
will be able to justifiably claim that they are
directly connected to the Paris-Brussels-
Antwerp-Amsterdam and Paris-Brussels-
Liege-Frankfurt axes. And when it becomes
fully operational, furthermore, Diabolo should
considerably reduce congestion on the
labyrinth of motorways in and around Brussels.
The improved international connections,
timesavings at a national level, and regional
air-quality improvements that this will bring
about are all sorely needed.
Dominique Vleminckx is Strukton Rail’s project
manager. Armed with eight years of experience,
she proceeds to a steel site hut, hidden away in
the shrubbery between the motorway access
and exit lanes just south of the city of Mechelen.
In a swift businesslike manner, she briefly
describes the extent of the work to be
performed, layer upon layer.
baLLast and concrete
“We are building a 14-kilometre stretch of
classic dual track laid on a ballast bedding
along the central reservation of the E19
motorway, which is the connection to
Mechelen. In addition, we are to lay some
six kilometres of concrete line with chemical
anchoring in the new tunnels. We are to start
work on the latter at Zaventem, in a tunnel
containing two tracks, which splits after 400
metres into two single-line tubes, which are
the branch lines to Brussels and Mechelen.
Laying the ballast lines would be pretty much
a routine job, were it not for the fact that it is
subject to stringent quality standards, comparable
to those applicable on the high-speed rail link
between Rotterdam and Antwerp. Although the
specifications are based on a speed limit of
160 kph, this is to be eventually raised to 220.
The tolerance margins are therefore very tight.
As soon as the track is laid, it has to be within
two centimetres of true direction, before the
tamping machine has even touched it.
Then we will proceed to do around four to five
tamping runs and two or three runs with the
stabiliser to ensure that dimensions are to within
a millimetre. The concrete line in the tunnels is
new to us. Grooves have to be cut in the
concrete, in which the rails are then laid.
Our greatest challenge is to maintain the
highest possible levels of accuracy in terms of
the gauge, direction and height. A surveyor will
therefore be present every minute of the day
during these operations, until they are finally
completed.
The logistics are pretty complicated. The
physical distances can be significant. This is a
highly extended site, with very, very few access
points. People sometimes have to walk long
distances to reach the workplace. And this also
applies to the supply of materials. There is only
one access route in the zone comprising almost
14 kilometres of classic line. You can’t simply
lay an access road, as you are flanked by
motorway on either side. Furthermore, materials
and equipment can only be delivered to the
tunnels during the night, via the Zaventem
entrance. This calls for particularly tight
scheduling. And there is very little opportunity to
depart from schedule, either in terms of time or
place.
We are therefore working in stages, 16 in all,
and not always consecutive. Certain zones only
are made available during the course of time.
Towards the close of 2010, we were working at
four sites consecutively. We are dependent on
The aim of the Diabolo Plan launched by the Belgian
network infrastructure manager, Infrabel, is to improve
the accessibility of its national airport. Strukton Rail is
involved in the construction project. Project manager,
Dominique Vleminckx, describes the scope of the work.
the completion of the civil engineering works
that precede us, while we ourselves are closely
followed by the overhead lines and cabling
operations. A lot of work has to be performed
within short periods of time. And we were
already delayed in getting started on Stage 1;
we effectively commenced work three months
later than initially envisaged. Furthermore, we
were recently informed that Stage 4 is to be put
back two weeks. And this is not in line with the
schedule of work in progress. However, we will
simply have to reshuffle things, re-plan
operations, and reschedule the deployment of
our machinery. We are supposed to complete
this work by October 2011. Delays are therefore
simply not an option to us. If the civil
engineering works suffer delays, however, then
we are expected to make up for lost time.”
standards and circumstances
“A difficult chore”, is the way Dominique
Vleminckx sums it all up in her remarkably
cheerful manner. Under the pressures of both
time and quality, at a site enclosed by
motorways, dependent on other people’s
scheduling, the friction between tight planning
and flexibility, while late completion is hardly an
option - and facing these aspects in a vast
range of combinations. If anyone knows, then
it’s Dominique, given her eight years in the rail
construction industry, throughout the length and
breadth of Belgium, and in the Netherlands, too
- on the Betuwe Route. Having completed her
general studies in Industrial Architecture, she
entered the rail industry. She might just as easily
have ended up building factories or offices, or
laying roads, or bridges or even canals. She
ultimately opted for railways: “I was absolutely
captivated by the industry during my first ever
job interview, and I still am basically.”
This raises the question of what is so
captivating about doing a difficult job. She leaps
to her feet in response: “Exactly that. The
simple fact that it is so complicated is what also
makes it exciting. The combination of standards
and circumstances makes it difficult alright, but
that is also the challenge. Driving yourself on all
the time, continually endeavouring to do things
even better. Architects often view the field of
railway works with a look of pity; rumour has it
that it is all pretty simple stuff. Well I’ll tell you,
nothing could be further from the truth.”
14 About Railways 14 I March 2011 About Railways 14 I March 2011 15
You simply cannot deny the man a little pride. According to schedule, the B and C layers of
the track bed for the Hanze Line were to be completed by 15 September 2010. “We did
indeed empty the final shipload of rail ballast just the day before”, as Operational Manager,
Harold Verbruggen, puts it himself.
The work is being executed as part of a four-party consortium - HanzaRailTeam - which, apart
from Strukton Rail itself, comprises VolkerRail, Alstom and Arcadis. One cannot help but feel
respect for the fact that this mega-project is to be concluded - the ink on the contract was
still wet in May 2009. This also reflects the considerable pressure on those involved to
perform: while HanzaRailTeam proceeds with the superstructure, other parties are still in the
design phase.
If one follows the route of the Hanze Line from Lelystad towards Zwolle, it gradually becomes
clear just how tightly scheduled the construction process is. While the cables have already
been laid and the overhead lines erected in the west, the rails have yet to be laid in the east,
near Zwolle. However, there is not even a hint of chaos present, which is quite miraculous
when one considers that a completely new, fifty-kilometre-long railway line is being built,
featuring a total of 88 engineering structures along the way. Total cost: one billion euros.
The fact that HanzaRailTeam managed to secure the contract for the superstructure, was
largely due to the combination of its keen price and a range of measures designed to promote
sustainability, both during the construction and operational phases. Examples of such can be
found spread along the length of the line, like the first railway yard close to Lelystad, which
serves as both a pre-construction site and the logistics centre for the entire superstructure.
“For instance, we have set up a workshop there which makes glued insulated rail joints for
electric welding”, Mr Verbruggen explains. “We used to purchase these from a manufacturer,
but now we make them ourselves. First of all, we avoid lengthy and unnecessary road haulage
journeys, namely from the rail joint supplier’s workshops to the site. And secondly, eight-metre
lengths of rail which were previously sawn out and disposed of as scrap, are now recycled in
the manufacture of the same glued insulated rail joints.”
a sketch on the horizon
The presence of mechanical excavators bears witness to the fact that cable and pipe laying
operations are already in full swing. And although the majority have already been laid and the
trenches backfilled, the job cannot be completed a moment too soon in the eyes of Bart
Beuving, the site safety officer. “I don’t pause to take a deep breath until everything’s safely
buried beneath sixty centimetres of soil.”
The Hanze Line, a status reportThe Hanze Line is designed
to bring the north of the
Netherlands and the
Randstad conurbation
closer to one another.
The laying process is in full
swing. ‘About Railways’ got
on its bike in September
2010, cycled as close as
possible alongside the
route, and spoke to people
it encountered along the
way.
As one cycles towards Dronten, the Hanze Line seems to evaporate
into the background of the landscape. Just like everything else here, it
appears very distant, nothing more than a pen sketch on the horizon.
This is the stretch where the trains will be able to accelerate to around
two hundred kilometres an hour, thanks to the ERTMS system
provided by Strukton’s partner, Alstom. What do the area’s residents
think of the arrival of this railway line, though? A resident of a village
near Lelystad considers it a favourable development in terms of the
accessibility of the province. “Children in particular are bound to
benefit from its construction. They are more or less all obliged to travel
to a secondary school in Zwolle. It’s just a pity that we’re not getting a
station in our village itself.”
A little further on, stands a dairy farm that had to give up two (of their
total eighty) hectares of land. The farmer’s wife: “It’s quite a pity really,
because the land in question is part of the plot on which our house is
built. We can appreciate why we were forced to sell, but would much
rather have surrendered land a bit further away from the farmhouse.
16 About Railways 14 I March 2011 About Railways 14 I March 2011 17
“No problem”, said the Norwegian pilot. And the train drew to a halt,
stationary against the bleak landscape upon a somewhat uneven
plateau, not exactly welcoming. Out the train, up the hill, took the
shot. The image of a milestone, literally and figuratively. On the left
the milestone itself; on the right, Eurailscout’s ultrasonic UST 02
inspection train passing the polar circle for the first time in its working
life.
Norway. In November 2009, Eurailscout Inspection & Analysis was
commissioned by rail infrastructure operator Jernbaneverket to
measure the national rail network, both ultrasonically to detect internal
defects and using eddy-current technology to identify surface flaws.
This involved some 4,000 km of track. Things got off the ground in
June and July 2010. A thirty-day stretch followed from the south in
Kristiansand to the north in Bodø. It took some getting used to.
Norway is not like Switzerland, Germany or the Netherlands, familiar
ground for the ultrasonic inspection train. Norway only resembles
Norway.
A landscape of steep mountains and deep valleys dictates the
character of the infrastructure and that, in turn, would determine the
direction of the work. Like Norway, Switzerland may be made largely
of rock, but it doesn’t have loads of fjords around which the rails
have to wind in tight bends. Norway’s rail network is close to 40%
shorter than in the Netherlands, despite the country being nine
MilestoneIt seems no other monumental place in Europe could move Mario van Maaren to ask:
“Could we stop for a moment? I’d like to take a photo.”
times as big. The Dutch railway network has 2,000 km of dual track;
Norway only has 200 km. Both countries have tunnels - Norway 700,
the Netherlands 13. Single track followed by more single track, sharp
bends and an endless series of long tunnels to challenge you.
That’s where it started.
Mario van Maaren was the measurement campaign manager on the
UST 02. More than half way through the project, just back in Oslo from
another day of measuring in the field: “You get to deal with stretches of
single track between stations that could be dozens of kilometres away
from each other, with absolutely no signs. Consequently, you have
to wait at stations until a train has passed in the opposite direction.
This could take up to two hours. And the risks are only compounded
by the combination of worn single track with sharp bends. You need
to move slowly to take accurate measurements while adhering to the
permissible line speed - and, yes, you may be set aside at the next
station. Tunnels have no impact on the measurements, but do affect
location since the GPS signal dies. It’s then down to the kilometre
markings. At yards, you still see rails dating back to the 1930s -
I’ve even seen some from 1916. Their profiles are foreign to us now.
Then, mostly en route, you have to reset your profiles. And if you
come across a twisted rail with a half worn head, it’s practically
impossible to continue measuring.”
That’s why it took some getting used to.
I suppose we mustn’t really grumble though, as our neighbours were
obliged to sell seven hectares. The polder can only benefit from the
construction of the Hanze Line, in terms of the economy. However,
a farmer doesn’t relinquish lightly all that he has worked hard for to
acquire. And the compensation is never quite as much as one would
like to receive. We’ll just have to wait and see how things turn out.
The trains will pass just half a kilometre from our home. What sorts
of noise will we hear, and will it also continue at night? How frequently
are the trains going to run? And how might the wind affect the noise
level?”
One of the places that will certainly benefit from the Hanze Line is
Dronten. Fifty years after being founded, it is finally being connected
to the rail network, which should put an end to its relative isolation.
Although the station has yet to be built, the residents are already
looking forward to it. Lettie Schimmel, who just happens to be
walking her dog, expects that young people will now more readily
opt to set up home in Dronten, given that they will be able to travel
to work in Lelystad or Kampen by train within the foreseeable future.
A lady neighbour explains that the Hanze Line is ‘ideal’ even for her.
“I will shortly be able to reach Amsterdam by train in a jiffy and finally
be released from the monotony of traffic jams.”
in a smooth Line
Halfway between Dronten and Kampen, no overhead power lines or
gantries at all have been built yet. Harold Verbruggen nevertheless
has every faith in the team’s ability to achieve the delivery date of
Summer 2011. “Construction will be complete by then. Absolutely!
This does not imply that the line will immediately become operational.
That will take another eighteen months, up to around December
2012. That much time will be needed to test all the systems, which
will take place in three phases. Firstly, we will test everything that
we built ourselves. Then, we will proceed to carry out tests with the
other parties involved. And finally, it will be ProRail’s turn to perform
test runs.”
Close to substation five - substations transform the high-voltage
current from the power stations into a compatible voltage to power
the trains - a security officer suddenly appears from nowhere.
An alarm has gone off in the control centre in Diemen, and given
that substations and their equipment need to be closely monitored,
he has come to check things out. There are some thirty security
containers situated along the entire Hanze Line, the man explains,
which are fully equipped with cameras and PA systems. “If we had
to, we could therefore basically order the man there in the red shirt
to leave the site immediately.”
On approaching Kampen, the Hanze Line makes a ninety-degree
bend in a smooth line to the southeast, bound for Hattem. There,
another ninety-degree bend awaits, curving to the northeast this time,
over the river IJssel towards Zwolle. Although we have now returned
to traditional terra firma - recognisable from its crooked dykes and
T-shaped farmhouses on ancient dwelling mounds - the Hanze Line
continues through the great outdoors featuring the same sort of
scenery as that of Flevoland.
Slap bang in the middle of all this open space lies Kampen-Zuid
railway station, perched high on the railway embankment created here.
And here we also encounter enthusiastic residents, pleased with the
construction of the Hanze Line. Ton Kruithof, a former photographer,
is already eagerly looking forward to taking the train via Lelystad to
Schiphol airport. “I will then no longer run the risk of missing a flight,
due to problems on the line at Amersfoort for instance. And I have
no fear whatsoever of the pack of thieves that some people suggest
the train will convey to our fair city of Kampen to burgle our homes.
This fear really exists, as does the fear that hoards of westerners are
champing at the bit to buy up our homes, as soon as Kampen
becomes more accessible.”
aLong the steeL motorway
The closer we get to Zwolle, the barer the line becomes. While
previously only the overhead power lines and gantries appeared to
have run out, this also seems to be the case with the rails as we
approach our destination - first on the one side, and later on both
tracks. The sleepers have been laid, however, as have the bases for
the catenary system. How did they get here? These bases are normally
not installed until the rails have been laid. The answer looms large
before us as we ride along the access road. The road is suddenly
blocked by a low-loader truck, which is in the process of lifting steel
plates.
When asked to explain, Harold Verbruggen says the following: “That is
what is known as the steel motorway, an innovation that we also used
when laying the Betuwe Route. It enables heavy plant to access the
track embankment, so that one does not have to transfer freight to
dumpers. This was one of the principles that we applied for the entire
logistics process. We were keen to ensure that materials were only
handled once or twice at most; literally ex works, straight to the site.
The steel motorway also enabled us to install the bases for the catenary
system in advance. This offers the added advantage of not having to
excavate in a ballast bed that has just been laid, which would only
disturb its settlement. Furthermore, use of the steel motorway
considerably reduces fuel consumption, as vehicles no longer have
to plough through loose sand.”
Not a single one of the four young fellows with whom the cyclist strikes
up a conversation at his final destination, Zwolle station, has ever
heard of the Hanze Line. Nor are they really interested. However, their
attitude suddenly changes on learning that they should be able to
travel to Amsterdam 15 minutes quicker by the close of 2012. It turns
out that they’re football fans, not of the local first division team, but of
the pride of the nation’s capital, Ajax. “This Hanze thingy is cool
then, innit? The sooner I arrive at the Arena, the better.”
18 About Railways 14 I March 2011
For many years, the best worldwide efforts on the scientific sidelines to resolve the issue
invariably drew a blank. However, the puzzle has finally been solved. A measurement system
has been developed which can accurately record the geometry of points to within a margin
of half a millimetre, at speeds of up to 40 kilometres per hour. It has been dubbed SIM,
which stands for Switch Inspection and Measurement. Thanks to a group of Italian engineers,
Eurailscout Inspection & Analysis was able to introduce the system at the InnoTrans in Berlin,
in September 2010. This truly is a breakthrough; manual measurement and inspection train
video footage of points at stations and railway yards were previously the most one might
expect.
The points measurement system comprises a measurement setup mounted on a flat bogie -
driven by a light locomotive - a measurement method and a management & analysis system
that is compatible with the generic management systems. The measurement method was
developed by the Turin engineering firm DMA. The Italians had already acquired a reputation
for precision and reliability by cooperating with Deutsche Bahn (DB) in the development of a
system for the measurement of the equivalent conicity and all related wheel-rail contact
parameters. This led to the execution of another joint project - in partnership with DB once
again - aimed at developing a points measurement system, suitable for use at high speeds.
Eurailscout, which was primarily interested in application of the measurement system at
speeds below 80 kilometres per hour, was the third partner in the project. This enabled DMA
to test and perfect its invention in two markets, which were entirely distinct from one another in
terms of speed.
New techNology
What made the development of a points measurement system such a difficult issue? Roland
Bongenaar, project leader at Eurailscout, puts it as follows: “It was a combination of factors.
The main issue was that the UFM (Universal Rail Geometry Measurement Train) simply wasn’t
suitable to perform measurements on those stretches of line containing the most sets of
points. This is due to the fact that the UFM was designed to operate at high speeds.
A new technology therefore had yet to be developed to enable the measurement of points
geometry at low speeds. The theory had been around for years already. In order to measure
profiles and geometry without making contact, one has to establish exactly the spatial
trajectory of the measurement system above the line. Furthermore, you need to establish the
distance between this spatial curve and the inner edges of the two rails, as this provides the
relative position of the track. In order to achieve this, however, one required both a sufficiently
rapid measurement system and a high frequency profile meter that was capable of doing two
things. Not only did it have to take measurements every two centimetres, but it also had to
have a broader measurement range than was customary, in order to measure not only the rail,
but also measure guard rails and common crossings alongside it. Only when you have solved
these problems - which DMA has now succeeded in doing - can you actually proceed to build
a measurement system that operates on the basis of accurate positioning.”
Breakthrough in the world of measurementThe invention originated in
a cooperation programme
between Deutsche Bahn
Systemtechnik (DB) and
DMA. Eurailscout is
marketing it: a locomotive-
driven measurement
system that records the
geometry of points.
The benefits are evident.
Fewer line closures and
improved track safety, as
well as the provision of
precise information to the
maintenance managers.
It is exactly what rail
infrastructure managers
have been looking forward
to for years.
The ultimate design and content of the
system originally developed by the Italians
were then established in cooperation with
employees of DB and Eurailscout, who
possess a great deal of experience in the
field. “In order to measure the geometry, you
require an extremely high level of knowledge
in the area of systems integration”, Roland
Bongenaar explains. “You have to connect
personal computers to a series of
measurement instruments in such a manner
as to ensure that they continue to operate in
unison, despite the difficult conditions that
may be encountered. Test beds are therefore
simply not sufficient. You have to be able
to perform practical tests, while not only
establishing that the system works properly,
but also that it will continue to do so.
What’s more, you have to be fully acquainted
with the concept of rail geometry, and how it
relates to the measurement data you produce.
This calls for a rather unique combination of
disciplines.”
From operatioNs to coNsultaNcy
The introduction of this measurement system
is highly significant for a number of reasons.
It offers greater accuracy, further availability
and improved safety. Until now, the only
means of accurately establishing the position
of a set of points was to take measurements
using manual equipment. Every single
measurement called for the presence of
people on the track, which is hazardous,
and therefore led to reduced availability of
tracks. From now on, however, it will be
sufficient to simply include the points
measurement system and its locomotive in
the train timetable, to acquire data on the
geometry of the points of a level of precision
that exceeds that of manual measurement,
without having to put people on the line.
This should provide the maintenance
managers with the best possible arguments
in favour of efficient preventive management.
And this is expected to bring about a further
reduction in the incidence of points failures.
Eurailscout proposes to adopt a different
market position with the measurement system
than has so far been customary. In stark
contrast to the large internationally operating
measurement trains and the video inspection
trains currently run in Dutch railway yards,
Eurailscout envisages leaving the actual
measurement operations to the customer,
should it so request. Roland Bongenaar:
“We intend to supply the system on the basis
of a lease or licensing construction, where
the infrastructure manager retains responsibility
for all the operational aspects. We will
naturally remain responsible for all matters
relating to the actual measurement
technology, including data computing,
organisation and analysis, and the attendant
quality control. In this respect, our core
business will shift from the field of operations
to consultancy. This might entail our setting
up and manning data processing centres for
customers in other countries, for example.
In the meantime, however, we will naturally
also continue to provide our services in ‘old
school’ fashion: the customer calls us, and
we do the rest.”
The first order based on the lease concept
has already been secured. In December,
the SIM 09 embarked on a fourteen-week-long
measurement campaign commissioned by the
Italian rail infrastructure manager, RFI,
commencing with four Turin railway yards.
About Railways 14 I March 2011 19
20 About Railways 14 I March 2011 About Railways 14 I March 2011 21
In Pierre Emans’ opinion, there are certain
dates one should remember. And if those
dates commemorate an event you are still
proud of, then they are certainly worth a
mention. Other dates, however, mark events
one should learn from, and then forget.
“I started working for Strukton on
29 June 1979.”
Rail layer, foreman, site manager, contract
manager, production manager - step by step,
during a period spanning thirty years, Pierre
Emans has developed in the footsteps of a
firm that expanded from a humble supplier
of the brute force and calloused hands of a
couple of hundred men, into an ambitious
European full service provider with a workforce
of over 3,000.
“ Getting the job done together, that’s the best part of it.”Pierre Emans and Strukton Rail have in a way grown
together, the one from a rail layer to production
manager, the other from a local supplier of manpower
to a full service provider throughout Europe.
A railway man in heart and soul tells us about the
turning points in his career.
From manhandling sleepers to operating
major machines, from backache to headaches,
from doing what you are told to devising one’s
own solutions. Mr Strukton? Don’t be silly;
there are plenty of others. But it isn’t far short
of the mark. A Struktonite in heart and soul;
he certainly is.
“I was assigned to a local crew. My first job
was the preparatory work for the construction
of a set of points. I was told to bring along the
rail spikes. And that very first day, I learned the
hard way that there were three or four different
types, and that I just seemed to have brought
the wrong ones every single time. It was simply
a matter of pestering the new boy, trying me
out. As were the cases of the square
screwdriver and the long stand. Until I informed
them that I lived just round the corner, and
could easily go home if they would continue
like that. The world was still a small place in
those days, while the site manager was God
himself, to put it plainly.”
A farmer’s son with a clear tenor voice; softly
spoken from close by, but extending over
considerably large construction sites, with a
ready laugh. From pretty much the outset, he
was the sort of bloke who wanted things done
quickly, but correctly, so that one did not have
to return to carry out repairs. It was your duty
to work hard to earn a living; not just for
yourself, but for the boss too - that was just
the way he’d been brought up to think.
And the characteristics he had in those days
are present to this very day. “I have to keep
myself busy all the time. There needs to be a
certain sense of tension. My target has to lie
just one step beyond what might reasonably
be expected.” The site manager spotted him
as one to hold on to.
a brief excursion
If you were to take someone back in time,
tracing your footsteps through the world of
the railways, where would you pause?
Pierre Emans prefers not to speak in terms
of footsteps, but rather turning points.
After all, you never know what sort of lasting
impression a footstep will make. The arrival of
young people and the launch of mechanical
innovation were the first really important issues.
That must have been back in 1986, or 1987.
“The change came along with the lads who’d
been trained, and therefore had a different
perspective of the labour process. A truly
new generation took charge of matters.
And suddenly everyone had a greater say in
the way things were done. You were accepted
more for what you were. However, there was
no question of working less hard. Productivity
nevertheless remained key. Although one did
have more of a sense of belonging to a team.
Up until then, the foreman had kept the
measuring tape. No one else even dared
glance at it, as there was only one person who
knew what it read. Things were changing
though; you now had the option of going to
headquarters for training.”
A peacock screeches, then a donkey brays,
but Mr Emans doesn’t appear to register their
cries, despite the fact that they are quite close:
“The traditional manual actions were followed
up by mechanical innovation. Prefabricating
sections and loading them aboard the train,
embedding and positioning rails alongside the
track, then renewing some 25 to 30-metre
sections at the weekend, using Donelli gantry
cranes. Whether manual or mechanical,
however, it remained a race to see which site
manager’s crew could lay the most sections.
They pitted their wits against one another; no
time for idle chatter, but get laying as though
your life depended on it.”
Pierre had worked his way up to foreman by
this time. Everyone viewed him as site
manager, but he wasn’t. He opted for security.
With sadness weighing heavily on his heart, he
embarked on a brief excursion that would
ultimately last three years. He became the
overseer of a 16-man crew working on DSM’s
industrial lines. And although Strukton
continued to appeal to him, he simply isn’t the
sort of man who comes crawling back at the
first time of asking. “DSM was an entirely
different world. The things that I learned there, I
guess, enabled me to become the man I am
today. Discussing the job extensively with one
another in advance. Invariably pausing for a
moment to reflect whether you are working as
safely as possible. Weighing up all the factors
involved in relation to one another. Operating
as partners, rather than bosses and workers.”
Time for a short break, during which Pierre
Emans very calmly pours glasses of milk for a
group of toddlers, lovingly extracts a splinter
from a child’s hand, and ushers two little mites
towards the playground. He is beaming, just as
much in his element here as on a railway line.
It won’t be long before he starts waxing lyrical
about Italy, the biggest turning point of all. The
story of Italy and his introduction to the renewal
train, the epitome of mechanisation. It appears
that we’re about to get two turning points for
the price of one this time. About Strukton’s
audacity in marching straight into Italy and
proceeding to secure the contract for a highly
substantial four-part renewal project, which
About Railways 14 I March 2011 2322 About Railways 14 I March 2011
included the Porrettana. How he had just a
week to decide whether he wanted to be
the site manager on that particular series
of projects. Ah, the Porrettana… a grand
old lady who had fallen on hard times;
who dated from 1862, and wound her weary
way through the middle of the Apennine
range, from Bologna to Pistoia. It was almost
100 kilometres long, comprising 73 viaducts,
45 tunnels measuring over 18 kilometres in
total, and one of the Italian rail network’s most
stunning and daring construction projects.
Pierre Emans, proudly relates: “I worked in Italy
from 25 February till 19 November 1996.”
an adventure
Suddenly, it’s the summer of 1996 once again:
“I thought: We’ll go to Italy, establish a
schedule and set to work according to that
schedule. And that was the general line of
thought. The idea was: the Italians are hard
workers; they’re good with machinery and
can improvise at the drop of a hat. All we
have to do is carry out the preparatory work,
planning and monitoring, while making the
necessary adjustments now and then. At that
point we had no insight whatsoever into the
problems we would later encounter. And I’ll
tell you straight, they were worse than
anything we could have previously imagined
in our wildest dreams.”
(…)
However, the horrors that lurked in the
darkest depths of those tunnels, which were
absent from the twelve-metre-long plans
dating from 1892, which were not visible
to the naked eye, and which Ferrovie dello
Stato’s infrastructure management team
either couldn’t or wouldn’t tell us even if
we asked a hundred times, remained a
harrowing secret which was only gradually
uncovered day by day.
Graders breaking when they hit the rock just
beneath the track bedding. The 475-metre
section of track in the Galleria Pisanacco that
rises due to the effects of the injection of
quick-dying cement. A tunnel, which it
transpires needs to be extended a further
20 centimetres during the process; some 350
cubic metres of concrete, rock and cement
were ultimately excavated. The forks
of conversion trains bending when they collide
with rocks and concrete cement situated just
a few centimetres beneath the sleepers.
Water cunettes in tunnels, which turn out to
be porous. Water that sometimes rises as high
as the top of the sleepers, and continues to
pursue you as you work moving downhill.
Old water pipes, which sometimes run on
the left of the track, then on the right, and
sometimes right underneath it. Sleepers so
rotten that they fall to pieces when lifted by
the renewal train, only to turn sideways and
become jammed in the machinery. These often
prove to be in such a state of decomposition,
that they simply turn to dust if left outside the
tunnel in the sunlight for a few days.
Diagnosis on a 132-year-old: hardening of the
arteries, incontinence; both of which she had
adeptly kept concealed. Pierre Emans:
“The Italians wouldn’t have dared tackle this
project without our assistance, although we
ourselves would never have completed the
job without the Italians.”
(…)
The schedules simply became a bit less
ambitious, while consultations were held more
readily; that’s what it basically came down to.(1)
Back in the here and now, in the garden of his
home. “It was fire and brimstone at the start.
You met with opposition everywhere. Until I
reverted to screaming at one subcontractor in
my own dialect, to such effect that he caught
my drift exactly. We finally ended up
cooperating almost like siblings. Basically,
anyone who dared drag their heels the one
day, needn’t bother coming back the next.
Getting the job done together, that’s always
the best bit of it. Oh yes, and that wagon
wheel pasta at lunchtime, of course. I left
home weighing 82 kilos, and returned a
proud 93. And I’ve never been able to lose
the weight again since.”
Having experienced an adventure he still fondly
reflects on, Pierre Emans returned from the
Apennines with a love and understanding of its
people, as well as a thorough knowledge of
operating High Output machinery. Strukton Rail
got the job done, acquired a long-term interest
in Italy’s leading rail construction firm, Clf, and
introduced the first ever track renewal train to
the Dutch network. “The arrival of that train”,
he admits, “was the major turning point in the
company’s history.” He insists that it was
destined to be that way. If you really wanted to
stand up and be counted among the world’s
major contractors, and there was nothing you
wanted more than to become Europe’s largest
and most highly skilled contractor, then you
simply had to own such a train. However,
the way you actually use such a piece of
equipment can often prove an entirely different
story. “We in the Netherlands do things
differently to the Italians and Germans. While
this sort of machinery is kept continually busy
there; I sometimes got the impression that we
were doing our best to keep ours looking clean
and new. It’s one of those typical throwbacks
of the former Dutch Railways culture.”
a stroLL
A stroll across the chunk of land that he owns
follows. Little paradises still exist it appears;
just past the city of Weert, straight on for a
good while, then turn left. The final turning
point: “The business has outgrown me.” It is
no more than a dry remark in passing. Three
hectares of land surround his home like a shell.
He points out the tall lime trees, which he
planted himself as a young man. The outer ring
is for the animals; the ram, the donkeys, the
piglets, the peacocks, the chickens, the
cockerel. The middle one comprises the
vegetable garden, pond, English country
garden, arbour, tool shed, and a warm porch
for the grapevines. All of them are neatly
demarcated with fences and hedges,
organised according to a certain autonomy, an
indubitable logic. And everything reflects care,
dedication and pleasure.
“The company has outgrown me. I was able to
keep pace with developments until a couple of
years ago. A whole range of reorganisations
and job changes meant that I increasingly had
to spend my time indoors. Performing other
duties, taking care of different matters. Initially, I
was supposed to focus on acquisitions and
pricing only, but then I got involved in
specification supervision, from calculation to
execution. Although it’s a good job, it is carried
out very much on the sidelines. Before you
know it, you’ve become old school. And that’s
not so much fun anymore. I am the sort of
person who has been forced indoors, but
cannot really hack a sedentary job. The latest
reshuffle enabled me to get out and about
again, thankfully. Supervising projects enabled
me to get involved in calculation again, which
is real rail work. I’ve actually got too much on
my plate again now. However, that’s just the
way I like it. You need a little enjoyment now
and then.”
The inner ring of land, just behind the house
itself, features a sprawling lawn with an
artificial cow, next to the day nursery run by
his wife, Riet. You would be pleased to send
your kids there. There’s a playground next to
the nursery, and a tree house just behind it.
On his days off from work, Pierre Emans plays
grandfather to all of them. The little people
really do live at the end of the garden in this
case. There are pathways on either side, in
the shade of the tree house, where they’ve
arranged their little birch chairs. And while the
children doze, they discuss what needs to be
done next, while laughing just as often and
heartily as Pierre Emans himself.
Pierre, would you go to work on the railways
again? Would you do it all again, given the
chance? “I would never have been more busy,
and perhaps I’d never have got around to
renovating furniture. I would certainly have
started earlier, that’s for sure. If I were 18 or 19
again, and they were to ask: ‘Pierre, what shall
we do?’ Then my reply would be: ‘I’ll start work
for Strukton tomorrow, just tell me where!’”
However, he’s not quite sure when he wants to
retire at the time of the interview. Then, a few
months later, when another season has slipped
by unnoticed, he knows for sure. “I have
decided to take early retirement; 31 January
2011 will therefore be my last day at work.”
(1) Snippet from Railwork 2, February 1998
About Railways 14 I March 2011 2524 About Railways 14 I March 2011
The finishing touches
The Bothnia Line is ready. Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf took the
new rail connection into operation at the end of August 2010. The
passenger and goods line skirts the eastern coastline from Nyland
to Umeå, and the trains can travel at speeds of up to 250 kph.
In just three brief summer seasons, Strukton Rail built 100 km of
the 190-km stretch. Here, at the bridge over the river Umeälven,
Strukton Rail makes the finishing touches to the tracks.
About Railways 14 I March 2011 2726 About Railways 14 I March 2011
High-speed lines at a snail’s paceNice words from a departing authority, the Swedish national rail infrastructure
operator, recorded in its closing annual report and signed by its last managing
director Minoo Akhterzand:
“Banverket has now completed its task and operations will be shut
down on 31 March 2010. Banverket’s responsibilities will be
assumed by the Transport Administration from 1 April 2010 onwards;
it is a transport authority created to initiate a new era in Swedish
transport policy and ensure a coordinated and comprehensive
approach to traffic and traffic infrastructure. It is my belief that there
are great benefits to be gained from the implementation of an
integrated traffic authority with a faster and more integrated planning
process. The overall approach to all modes of transport will afford
greater benefits to customers, and the railways will have a key role in
resolving future key transport issues. The Transportation
Administration will certainly become a model for many countries and
put Sweden on the map in the area of infrastructure and transport.”
From sector-based to holistic; the whole being more than the sum of
its parts - Trafikverket shapes shifting political and administrative
perceptions. After several years of preparation, Trafikverket will be
replacing the four existing authorities for road, rail, water and air
transportation. They need to develop broader, more cohesive, long-
term transport plans while simultaneously carrying out the daily tasks:
the construction, operation and maintenance of infrastructure on land,
at sea and in the air. The level of optimism expressed by Minoo
Akhterzand in terms of the benefits of Trafikverket above those of the
departing sector-based management bodies is not shared by everyone.
Political rhetoric certainly leans towards combining concepts such as
broad, cohesive and long term, inviting a diverse response. Some
recognise balance and due care, while others wander off track in
search of honey.
Left and right
For example, the rail arena faces the dilemma of whether to embark
on laying high-speed lines in earnest, or to calmly postpone such
endeavours. In Sweden, numerous stretches of track are already
built for speeds of 200 to 250 kph. This raises doubt about whether
the timesavings are worth the investment. What’s more, service is
unreasonably expensive in a network characterised primarily by its
limited size in relation to the country, while being too large for its
population.
There are two HSL candidates: Götabanan and Europabanan.
Götabanan would bring Sweden’s two biggest cities of Stockholm
and Göteborg, one to the east and the other on the west coast
closer together: 500 km in two hours. Europabanan branches
southwards from Jönköping to Copenhagen - the potential starting
point for a high-speed connection with Northwest Europe. Even before
the parliamentary elections last year, the left and centre-right rivals
expressed their views on the future. The Red-Green alliance earmarked
more than 12 billion euro to invest in the lines and had calculated
that annual CO2 emissions would be reduced by 100,000 kg.
Construction was set to commence as early as in 2014. More asphalt-
oriented critics argued that a reduction of this magnitude could also be
achieved on the basis of cheaper investments in road traffic. The
former centre-right cabinet minister responsible for infrastructure, Asa
Torstensson, said that as long as her party was in power, laying the
high-speed lines would not get off the ground before 2021, only
opening up for operation in 2027. Centre-right won the elections and
therefore remained in power. And thus the focal points remained:
improving metropolitan networks, upgrading existing rail connections,
electrification of diesel lines and improving port connections. HSL?
We’ll see at a later date. Layout studies were conducted by Götabanan
to appease proponents.
Too little, believes supporter and scientist Oskar Fröidh, a Swede who
saw that things could be done differently elsewhere in Scandinavia.
He is a member of an international group of experts commissioned
by Norwegian rail infrastructure management body Jernbaneverket
to investigate possible ways of expanding the network, including the
option of high-speed lines. The study presents the alternatives along
with their associated costs. He points out that the Norwegians are
perhaps more ambitious than the Swedes, because of the possibility
of big time savings. Oskar Fröidh is a researcher at the Transport and
Logistics faculty of the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm.
In 2005, he published the findings of a study into the market effects
of regional high-speed trains on the Svealand line, a 115-km stretch
between Stockholm and Eskilstuna. From it, he drew the general
conclusion that high-speed trains have a big impact on the transport
market and on traveller behaviour. ‘Prospects for high-speed trains in
the domestic Swedish transport market’ followed in 2008. In this study
he asserts, amongst other things, that the high-speed trains on key
Scandinavian routes such as Stockholm-Copenhagen, Stockholm-Oslo
and Oslo-Copenhagen would have to travel at speeds of between
350 and 400 kph in order to compete successfully against air traffic.
But his initial conclusion, expressed during the UIC World Congress in
Sweden’s fastest: a modified Regina train of Bombardier -
designed for 200 km/hour in daily use - set up the new national
speed record on 303 km/h in 2008
About Railways 14 I March 2011 2928 About Railways 14 I March 2011
Strukton Rail and Balfour Beatty will jointly maintain 726 km of track
in the north of Sweden. To this end, both parties signed a contract with
infrastructure manager Trafikverket in November 2010. The maintenance
area lies in the extension of the new Bothnia Line, embracing the
connection between Holmsund and Boden with two branches to the
ports of Skellefteå and Piteå on the Gulf of Bothnia and one towards the
Norwegian border to Storuman. The contract is valid for a five-year term,
with an option for two years more. Trafikverket expressed admiration for
the cost-effective approach adopted by both companies and how they
responded to the call for maintenance.
Previously in June 2010, Strukton Rail and Balfour Beatty spoke out
in favour of practical forms of cooperation on a project or contract
basis in order to curb operational costs for both parties. Magnus
Jonasson, Managing Director of Balfour Beatty, said the following:
“I believe cooperation of this nature offers great potential.
We will mainly use each other’s equipment, where this is readily
available. It’s extremely costly to move equipment around in Sweden.
We’re becoming more efficient in this respect. At the same time,
this will serve to reduce our CO2 emissions. And, in a similar manner,
we intend to engage the services of each other’s people - depending
Strength through unityStrukton Rail and Balfour Beatty join forces in Sweden on a project basis,
together winning a major maintenance contract in the north of the country
on the location. Typically, cooperation such as this presents everyone
with a win-win situation.”
Strukton Rail and Balfour Beatty have been active for many years in
the Swedish maintenance market. Strukton Rail is the bigger of the
two, carrying responsibility for more than 1,800 km of train, light-rail
and underground tracks. Over the past year, both parties have had
to contend with newborn giant Infranord, the maintenance division of
the former Banverket, which inherited around 65% of the maintenance
market on its foundation at the start of 2010.
For Strukton Rail, the new contract also brings a continuation of its
existing order book. For seven years, the organisation independently
maintained the Boden-Holmsun route; effective May 2011, this will be
done together with Balfour Beatty. As such, employment opportunities
will be safeguarded in the region for the coming five-year period.
Strukton Rail’s Regional Director Anders Gustafsson: “By cooperating
with Balfour Beatty within the scope of this contract, we can offer our
skilled personnel a level of continuity that comes with working for an
employer they know well. This brings security and stability and puts both
our companies in a position to achieve further development locally.”
Amsterdam in 2008 was: “Foresighted
planning is essential to achieve future-proof
infrastructure.” Oskar Fröidh examined the
different approaches adopted by the
Norwegians and Swedes, and wanted
seriously to activate his fellow countrymen
and women to invest in the future of high-
speed trains.
“I want Trafikverket to look into the option of
more tracks along existing main lines - entirely
new tracks for high-speed trains. What’s
more, account must be taken of being able to
combine fast goods transport and passenger
transport on these high-speed lines. If you
want to create space for lots of trains, they all
need to travel at around the same speed. We
will not achieve this on the main lines as long
as commuter, regional, goods and express
trains continue to use the same tracks. We
must find cost effective, safe solutions to
create infrastructure corridors alongside the
existing network. In a nutshell, highways for
trains without any intersections.”
Oskar Fröidh asserts that high-speed lines
generally present economic incentives: “You
could say that the high-speed lines increase
passenger range. After all, you can travel
greater distances than by car or on a slower
train. The economic value of shorter travel
times and increased accessibility are reflected
in higher community earnings, greater
business development potential and lower
public sector costs.” He refers to a study into
the effects of a high-speed link between
Stockholm and Eskilstuna: “The number of
train passengers increased sevenfold and the
share of the market held by rail transportation
grew from 6% to 30%. Before the Svealand
line was built, the population in Eskilstuna was
declining. Now, better accessibility has fuelled
an increase in the number of businesses and
service providers, including Energymyndigheten,
the Swedish Energy Agency. The number of
residents has also risen. The Eskilstuna
training institute serves as another example,
as it succeeded in attracting highly-qualified
teachers from Stockholm.”
Oskar Fröidh argues that the major
investments needed for high-speed lines do
not fit within the current spatial planning
models: “It’s difficult to accurately estimate the
dynamic effects of high-speed lines based on
current economic models. For example, how
much the business community will develop
or how operating the new areas will boost
industrial and residential development
throughout the region. But it’s up to us to
make sure that Sweden does not fall behind
in terms of developing its transport system.
We cannot view high-speed lines solely within
a Swedish context; a Scandinavian perspective
is needed to chart all the potential benefits.”
Supporters of stepping up the pace of
construction, like Oskar Fröidh, will have to
be patient for the time being, however, until
the winds of politics stop blowing from the
centre-right. Until then, the development of
high-speed lines in Sweden will progress
at a snail’s pace.
Boden-Holmsund: a wood transport passes the railway bridge near Vindeln
About Railways 14 I March 2011 3130 About Railways 14 I March 2011
Nowadays, Kassel is blessed with a highly enviable public transport
system, which comprises urban trams, regional trams and buses.
It conveys some 50 millions passengers a year from the depths of the
region to the heart of the city and back. However, the city had only
very narrowly missed going down the same road as many other
European cities, which dug up their tramways during the first few
decades following the Second World War. They did away with them
in an endeavour to create a sumptuous, open city, which was light
and airy, as well as being prepared for considerable motor traffic flows;
that was the dominant ideal during the post-war period of reconstruction.
The ultimate in mobility was viewed as a system that travelled on
pneumatic tyres. In the former West Germany alone, the tram
disappeared entirely from the streetscape of some 50 cities during
the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Kassel itself had a narrow escape.
Kassel had always been a tram town, as well as a cultural city and home
to heavy industries, including the firm known as Henschel - currently
called Bombardier. Firms like Henschel prompted a night visit by a
squadron of British bombers in 1943: Resulting in the devastation of
the city and ten thousand fatalities. The war was then followed by the
political aftershock: Kassel was no longer a prominent city in the centre
of an undivided nation, but rather a concrete jungle just thirty kilometres
from the Ostzone, surrounded by American garrisons - not really a cosy
spot. The reconstruction of Kassel therefore commenced much later
than that of many other German cities further to the west. And it began
with broad streets and sumptuous squares there, too. All the stops had
to be pulled out just to render a minor portion of the tram network
operational. And it was to remain a matter of simply making do for quite
some time to come. In fact, when Jochen Meister took the tram to
school as a ten-year-old boy, in 1965, he still passed through streets
lined with ruined buildings on either side.
The actual switch from the car to the tram came much later, in 1980.
It followed two years of heated debate, both within and without pressure
groups. Yes, it was time to finally call a halt to all that tram expansion
nonsense, or better still, do away with the existing infrastructure, in the
interests of making further progress. And no, the same interests would
actually be better served if the tram system were finally comprehensively
extended. The proponents of public transport ultimately won the battle.
The municipal council opted for the plans put forward by the Kasseler
Verkehrs Gesellschaft (KVG). “This largely comprised the replacement of
the old-fashioned urban trams”, the mayor at the time admitted. It would
take over a decade longer before the first of the new lines were actually
commissioned. Slowly but surely, they made inroads into the depths of
the region, with the Kassel-Vellmar connection forming the final piece in
the puzzle for the time being.
However, Kassel was also to become worthy of a sightseeing visit for
other reasons. It was to re-establish itself as a city of culture, albeit in a
different form. The 5-yearly Documenta was held there for the first time
in 1955, making the city an internationally renowned place of pilgrimage
for visual arts enthusiasts. These visitors had the added benefit of being
able to travel everywhere they wished by tram. And the chances were
that they would also encounter an equally varied group of city
councillors, urban planners and developers in the process. In the
meantime, Kassel’s regional network had begun to serve as an example
to other European cities. As a city of some 190,000 inhabitants,
it boasted 9 tram and 28 bus routes. This included dual use of railway
lines by both ordinary trains and a sort of hybrid, halfway between a train
and a tram. Direct connections were also made to the urban network, as
the vehicles changed from direct to alternating current to convey
passengers right into the city centre. This coherence, the smooth
interconnection of urban and rural areas, could hardly fail to make the
city a force to be reckoned with. Kassel had it all, and one simply had
to witness it personally. Dutch urban planner Rob van der Bijl, who is
internationally renowned as an expert in the field of light rail, described
the approach adopted by Kassel as follows: “As a regional tram, this
network represents a new icon in the world of rail.” The Head of the
District Authority, Udo Schlitzberger, was also particularly pleased with
this investment in the future: “Wherever the regional tram goes, new
houses are being built.”
Back at the crossroads on the periphery of the city, however, the
infrastructure bound for Vellmar is being constructed by a cooperative
comprising three civil engineering companies and two rail construction
firms, one of which is Georg Reisse. This particular firm already had ties
with the local rail and public transport organisations back in the days
when the rail company still had the designation ‘Kaiserlich’ or Imperial,
and Kassel was still spelt with a C. During the past two decades of
growth in particular, Georg Reisse was regularly involved in various
aspects of the network’s construction. Wilhelmshöher Allee,
Holländischer Platz, Wilhelmshöhe ICE station, Baunatal and
Lossetalbahn, among numerous others, are examples of projects in
its own city, in which the firm is proud to have participated. One of the
queries the interviewer posed Jochen Meister, while they stood there
at the crossroads, was whether the Kassel-Vellmar connection had
also been readily accepted by the inhabitants from the very outset.
It proved to be a naive question. After all, even Kassel is not that ideal.
Jochen Meister reflects with a wry smile: “Although basically everyone
here wants to travel either by tram or train, none of them want a stop
outside their front door. Nor do they want to live alongside the line,
or with a view of a terminal loop.”
Georg Reisse becomes Strukton RailAs of 1 January 2011, the firm of Georg Reisse Bauunternehmung
GmbH & Co KG has changed its name to Strukton Rail GmbH &
Co KG. This should make the firm a more prominent subsidiary
of Strukton Rail in the German market, too. This German subsidiary
of Strukton Rail was originally founded in 1913, as the family
business known as Georg Reisse GmbH & Co KG.
Three generations of Georg Reisses actually managed the
business, until it was acquired by Strukton Rail in 2007.
The tram is on its way!Jochen Meister stands by a crossroads
on the northern periphery of the city,
which is a prime example of the history
of sixty years of public transport
philosophy
Jochen Meister was born and bred in Kassel, and is currently project
leader at the rail construction firm of Georg Reisse GmbH & Co KG.
The firm, which has been associated with the city since 1913, was
renamed Strukton Rail GmbH & Co KG in January 2011. Turning his
gaze towards the city centre, he sees a terminal loop - that’s as far as
the tram goes. Turning his back on the city again, his eye falls upon the
four-lane provincial highway, with its service road and central reservation
and, there on the asphalt, a tram line in the making. It won’t be long
before the swift connection is completed, comprising eight stops on
a line connecting the big city of Kassel to the much smaller town of
Vellmar, four kilometres away. Along this short stretch, the tramlines will
nevertheless cross the road twice. First, from the left-hand lanes to the
central reservation: traffic lights. Then again, from the central reservation
across the right-hand lanes: another set of traffic lights. The cars once
had right of way here, and could proceed at full speed to Vellmar.
Shortly they will have to stop twice for the tram. From 1950 to 2010,
and from car, car, car to tram, tram, tram.
About Railways 14 I March 2011 3332 About Railways 14 I March 2011
“ Simply trying things out; it’s a trait I already had as a child”Highly praised, recipient
of numerous accolades,
Jo Derie developed
software for the railways
Great ideas should really be announced with eureka - which is ancient Greek for ‘I have found
it.’ So, when did Jo Derie think ‘Eureka!’? When did the project manager at the Survey
department of Strukton Rail’s Belgian division come up with the idea of making a software
toolkit that would render the railways both more readily and accurately measurable and
checkable?
After all, the idea was not only good for a check to the tune of 11,000 euros from the boss,
but also a bronze medal in the Dutch Creativity Prize 2009, and the Innovation Award at the
Belgian Building Awards. Can he still recall when he conceived the idea? Sitting on the couch
at home, or driving the car perhaps, or even when awakening one morning?
Unfortunately, his ideas do not come to him as a sudden brainwave. As the healthy looking
forty-something-year-old gazes out of the window at the trees, he admits: “That’s not the way
it works at all. It’s more of a process that continues to grow and grow, on the basis of the
problems that you encounter. And if I could attribute any reason at all to making this particular
discovery, then it would have to be the fact that I can readily envisage the solutions that
software offers to problems encountered on the railways. And writing software is one of my
hobbies.”
What Jo Derie fails to mention and what only transpires towards the close of the interview,
however, is perhaps far more significant. And this is the fact that his hobby arose as part of
a sort of philosophy, which very much typifies Jo Derie and which he himself describes as
“simply trying things out, or exploration in the broadest sense of the term.”
Jo Derie originally trained as a land surveyor. Having spent some twelve years producing highly
specialised topographical maps at Eurosense, however, he considered it time for a move to
something different. “I was keen to witness the more tangible effects of my work. And I fancied
the challenge of major infrastructure works. And because the Dutch have made a name as a
nation of major infrastructure works, I applied for a job at Strukton. They were looking for
someone for their Survey department at the time.” It ultimately proved quite a ‘confrontation’
as Jo Derie describes it. “I had been accustomed to applying the most highly advanced
technologies at Eurosense. What I encountered here in terms of surveying was archaic to say
the least. It was as though time had stood still. At the same time, however, I also cherished the
huge challenge I was posed to raise the department to a higher plane.”
never sit stiLL
On reflection, he admits that it certainly wasn’t water off a duck’s back. “Even to this day, I still
encounter a certain reluctance to innovate; and certainly among surveyors we engage through
a third party. Change is always difficult for people to accept. However, my motto is: ‘Never sit
still. Dare to innovate’. Just look at the company itself. What is it doing in the tunnelling & road
building sector? And what about the field of hydraulic engineering? There are always overlaps,
always aspects you can use to your own benefit.” He was determined from the very outset to
bring the world of land surveying closer to that
of the machinery used to build and maintain
the railways respectively. “Surveyors used to
go out in the field to take two-dimensional
measurements manually, on the basis of which
the machinery was put to work. When that
was done, they simply moved on to the next
section. However, one could never be
completely sure that it had been surveyed
using the same method as the previous
section. One never had a complete picture of
the entire - say, thirty-kilometre - stretch of line
to be laid, but just a little piece at a time.”
The first thing that Jo Derie envisaged making
was an inspection wagon capable of recording
three-dimensional data. “That is much quicker
and more reliable than sending surveyors into
the field with a measuring tape.” And it was
indeed an excellent idea, were it not for the
fact that the Swiss firm Amberg Technologies
and its partner Leica Geosystems were just
one step ahead of him, which prompted two
responses from Jo Derie: “That we were on
the right track, but still just a little too sluggish!”
His next concern was how to bring about the
launch of the inspection wagon in such a
traditional market. “The strange thing about
the matter is the following: within the year,
specifications were drawn up for the high-
speed rail link from Antwerp to the Dutch
border, and said specifications prescribed
the use of precisely this new form of
measurement technique. That was my
chance!”
Jo Derie’s system has since been developed
into a platform which enables measurement
equipment on the one hand, and tamping
machines, track work machines and levellers
on the other, to exchange data, for the
purposes of either laying or checking track.
Smart software is the key to this whole
process, and while many are still very cautious
in this regard, Jo Derie insists that software is
simply a modern-day equivalent of the
hammer and pliers. This is perhaps also the
reason that he prefers to refer to his award-
winning invention as a toolkit. “In the old days,
people opted to buy a new hammer, or a
better screwdriver. Nowadays, we’re talking
software. My toolkit therefore contains all
sorts of software tools and accessories.
These enable measurement equipment and
machinery to operate in one and the same
world, as they all speak the same language.”
the benefits of software
His concept offers a number of major benefits.
For instance, it generates cost savings because
the machinery that carries out the work is more
accurately controlled, and therefore needs to be
deployed less often. This also helps reduce the
costs of failures caused by the poor operation
of track. What’s more, it makes things less
dangerous, as the inspection teams spend less
than half the time that they used to on the line.
Jo Derie adds: “Much of the work that used to
be performed in the field, is now carried out by
software which provides a digital solution.”
Jo Derie claims that the fact he was able to
develop software on his own, while entire
office blocks full of IT experts were left
scratching their heads, is “due to the
coincidence that I encounter problems in a
professional capacity, which my hobby -
writing software - enables me to resolve.”
At the age of 45, however, he is not a child
of the computer era. So, how did he manage
to make this world his own? “When the
evolution occurred, I had a clear sense of
wanting to learn what it was all about. I wanted
to know how it actually worked. It’s a trait that I
already had as a child. Making things up, trying
things out: exploration in the broadest sense of
the term.”
Incidentally, how did he spend the eleven
thousand euros?
“Bought new running gear - as I always come
up with my best ideas when jogging. And I
intend to invest the remainder in solar panels.
However, that project is still very much in the
exploratory stages.” And we all know what
that means in Jo Derie’s case.
About Railways 14 I March 2011 3534 About Railways 14 I March 2011
Genoa, Sampierdarena station, May 2009 -
Bulldozers set off with several symbolic
digging gestures on a project set to last
seven years, completely replacing the
railway yard in Italy’s biggest port. The aim is
twofold. The need to untangle international,
transit, regional and urban traffic is urgent;
each of these arteries requires its own
tracks. At the same time, the city is set to
become the efficient start and finish of the
envisaged ‘corridor of two seas’ - the
European Genoa-Rotterdam transport
connection with the Betuwe Route at the
other end.
The work involves renewing the lines
between Genoa Voltri and Genoa Brignole,
expanding the four lines between Genoa
Voltri and Genoa Sampierdarena, increasing
six-fold the lines between Genoa Principe
and Genoa Brignole, renewing the systems
at the various stations, and installing new
safety and security systems. The actual
work on the tracks began in February 2010.
The Eureca consortium won the EUR 363
million tender. The total investment amounts
to more than EUR 600 million.
Consortio Stabile Eureca? It appeared that
three already weighty construction parties
had pooled their resources like genuine
musketeers in hunting for bigger game. And
that was indeed the case. Their first venture
met with success: ‘Genoa’ was the first
tender for which Eureca competed.
Hunting for bigger game
There can be no misunderstanding about
Eureca’s ambitions. “We’re taking our first
steps in a complex market offering enormous
potential, within and outside of Italy”, says
Eureca’s Chairman of the Board Aldo Tognetti.
“Companies of our scale are compelled to go
international; take North Africa, the Gulf States
and even Eastern Europe.” Vice-President
Stefano Immovilli adds: “We intend to play a
leading role in both the public and private
sectors. We need to put forward our own
plans, including financing models. The three
of us will be able to compete on levels neither
of us could individually.” From one day to the
next, Eureca became the third largest
construction conglomeration in Italy. In June
2010, the Ministry of Infrastructure and
Transport awarded its ‘General Contractor
Qualification - Grade III’ certificate, making it
possible for the organisation to vie for work in
excess of EUR 700 million. Without this
certificate, the individual parties would only
have been able to take on work representing
lower values.
a cooperative tradition
The three parties that make up Eureca
originate from a cooperative tradition in the
environments of Bologna and Modena. CMB
Società Cooperativi Muratori e Braccianti - a
cooperative of bricklayers and workers - was
established in Carpi in 1908, and today
counts among Italy’s Top 10 construction
companies, generating an annual turnover of
more than EUR 600 million. The second party,
Unieco, is roughly half the size of CMB, and
was founded in 1904 as ‘Cooperativa Muratori
di Campagnola’ - a cooperative of bricklayers
only. The third in the group, Costruzione Linee
Ferroviarie or simply Clf, was once called
Cooperativa Lavori Ferroviarie, and has for
many years operated as one of Italy’s leading
railway contractors. It certainly holds the lead
in terms of how many kilometres of high-
speed track can be attributed to its name.
Together, the trio possesses experience in
practically all fields of construction.
Strukton Rail has held a participating interest
in Clf since 1998. In that year, the Dutch
company acquired 40% of the shares in what
would then have been considered a medium-
sized railway company - by Italian standards -
with a workforce of 120 employees and an
annual turnover of EUR 8 million. Unieco
retained ownership of the remaining 60%. Clf
then invested in Arfer - also rail works - and
in taking over Sifel, in complementary rail
disciplines including signalling and catenary
systems. Clf became the Clf Group and went
on to renew its machine park.
Today, employing a 500-strong workforce,
Clf is the biggest railway construction company
in the country, with its head office in Bologna
and establishments in the vicinity of Alessandria.
Clf has always acted on its international
aspirations, too. In the former communist era,
the Italians helped to build tracks in Poland
and former Yugoslavia. In recent years, Clf
has competed systematically for tenders in
the Balkans and in North Africa, often in the
wake of civil engineering giants such as
Astaldi (11,000 employees in 21 countries)
and Condotte. This secured new projects on
foreign shores.
In Bulgaria, Clf will be busy with the renewal
and electrification of the Plovdiv-Slivengrad
line until the end of 2011. This 120-km
stretch is one of the historic Orient Express
connections, changing from single, non-
electrified track with a maximum permissible
speed of 80 kph into electrified, double track
Strukton Rail’s Italian subsidiary Clf joined partner
Unieco and construction giant CMB in a powerful trio
and secured their first tender
with a 160-kph speed limit. Barely on
completion of the work in Bulgaria, Clf plans
to start laying Algeria’s first-ever high-speed
line. Measuring in at 132 km of double track,
this line will run from Qued Tlélat, just below
Oran, to the Moroccan border. This project is
set for delivery in 2013. The government in
Algeria has great plans. Within an undisclosed
number of years, the country will boast 1,200
km of high-speed line, stretching from
Morocco to Tunisia and back, passing
through stations in Algeria’s major cities.
a good move
On presentation of Clf’s annual figures for
2009, ‘Growth’ featured as the obvious
theme. Expectations are that turnover will
increase further in 2012 to a figure of around
EUR 140 million. At that time, too, more than
30% of the company’s turnover will be
generated offshore, against a figure of only
4% in 2010. The workforce will also have
increased to around 600 employees.
Chairman of Strukton Rail’s Board and Vice-
Chairman of Clf’s Supervisory Board, Aike
Schoots: “Our investment in Clf in 1998
appears to have been a good move, not only
on financial grounds. Our joint strategy -
Strukton Rail concentrates on Central and
Northern Europe and Clf on the south and
east, and on North Africa - appears to be
bearing fruit. Clf offers us in-house technology
for high-speed lines. Additionally, we have
huge potential for further development through
the mutual utilisation of our combined
machine park and in-house development of
new machine technology. Clf has also
acquired a 50% stake in the shares of Italian
machine manufacturer Sorema. Jointly, they
recently developed a ballast-profiling machine
capable of doing the job at a better price and
higher quality than those of the established
contractors. And that’s not all, because we
will be in a stronger position up north as a
result: offering a great product at a
competitive price.”
About Railways 14 I March 2011 3736 About Railways 14 I March 2011
“Basically, the whole idea was to pool our resources. And we therefore
now have eight trump cards in the same hand, which we can play in
any combination required.”
Joost den Decker, Deputy Director of Strukton Systems, requires few
words to explain why his business - one of the pillars of Strukton Rail’s
operations as a full service provider - has been reorganised.
Some of the electrical engineering operations were already carried out
under the Systems banner, while others had developed as autonomous
businesses under that of Strukton Rail. It was a rather fragmented
affair, which had grown that way during the course of time, and quite
understandably so. However, just where the individual businesses’
operations began, ended and merged with one another, was
sometimes rather unclear to customers and staff alike. So, there was
room for improvement and greater efficiency above all, which was
achieved internally by merging staff departments wherever possible.
The reorganisation took place during the course of 2010. The outlines
were drawn up in a jiffy; the details took a little longer to gradually
sink in. Joost den Decker: “We have become a lot better prepared.
Primarily because we now have more direct access to one another’s
knowledge and skills in the field of electrical engineering.
We can also put together logical combinations more readily. After all,
Systems invariably gathers together under the same banner all the
electrical engineering aspects that one finds in rail specifications,
while it can take charge of them with one hand. Consider, for instance,
the new construction of the Hanze Line, where four of our eight new
product/market combinations are cooperating in a single project:
Cable Solutions, Electric, Signalling & Power Supply and Installation
Services. Moreover, this rearrangement of competences enables us
to operate further up the production and marketing chain.”
All electricity under the same roof Strukton Rail has reorganised its division
known as Strukton Systems. Firstly, the
Deputy Director of Strukton Systems,
Joost den Decker, explains why.
This is followed by an overview of the
reorganised business operations.
product and market in eight combinations
Strukton Systems has rearranged its commercial operations into
eight product/market combinations, or PMCs.
The Safety & Measurement Services PMC relates to matters of rail
safety, occupational health & safety, electrical engineering safety and
technical measurements. It also bears responsibility for safety within
all the other PMCs, while supplying services to the other divisions
of Strukton Rail. Safety & Measurement Services (S&MS) deploys
engineers with a broad background, well versed in both electrical
engineering and safety. They indicate whether a system is compliant
or not. The PMC also provides external services, for instance as the
party responsible for systems at Keyrail, the operator of the Betuwe
Line. No work can be performed on the line’s systems without
Strukton Systems’ explicit prior permission and subsequent approval.
S&MS is highly adept in the measurement of cabling routes, which it
also carries out in sectors far beyond the range of rail-related
structures only. For instance, it assists in municipalities including
Rotterdam and The Hague, which regularly face street lighting
failures.
Energy Solutions’ daily duties comprise the transformation of high
to low voltage current. It is involved in the entire process, from design
to the laying of distribution grids that supply users. It also carries
out complete project management, as a constructor of substations
and switching stations. Its highly internationally oriented approach
has previously led Energy Solutions to execute projects in Africa,
while it is currently involved in large-scale operations in Surinam.
Furthermore, it is branching out in the direction of wind and solar
energy farms, primarily in Belgium and Germany.
The Cable Solutions PMC was founded three years ago. It performs
every imaginable sort of cabling in and around the railway environment,
as well as jacking and drilling, largely in the field of new construction.
Its operations are largely focused on the Dutch market, in which field
it is also responsible for laying a large part of ProRail’s fibre optic
network.
Electric is the new name of the catenary systems division. It currently
performs new construction, renovations and maintenance of the
power supply systems for trains, trams and metro. This ranges from
carrying cables, contact wires and connections, to the erection of
portal structures and catenary supports and laying foundations.
Electric operates both in the Netherlands and abroad, often in
combination with Strukton Rail and other parties, too. It performs the
engineering for general specifications in partnership with Strukton Rail
Consult. Its operations often involve the use of a considerable fleet
of machinery, from both road and rail-operating hydraulic platform
vehicles to the catenary renewal train known as Gemma.
The installation and maintenance of information systems is the field
of operations of Monitoring & Travel Systems. Its operations
revolve around two particular system types. The installation of travel
information systems for trains, trams and metro is a largely domestic
operation. That of the online monitoring system known as POSS(1)
on the other hand, is of a highly international nature.
Telecom & Technical Installations assumes responsibility for the
new construction and renovation of data structures in the railway
environment, usually at the request of ProRail. This may involve
anything from public address systems to the control systems for
power supply. In addition, it carries out maintenance of the control
systems for tunnels and bridges.
The design, installation, commissioning, functional testing and corrective
maintenance of both classic relay interlocking systems and electronic
control systems that link signals, points and train detection to one
another, comprise the field of operations of the Signalling & Power
Supply PMC. Signalling established itself as a specialist in installing
the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) within the
space of just a few years. It operates primarily in the Netherlands,
Sweden, Denmark and Turkey. Power Supply is involved in the design
and construction of electricity substations and switching stations,
while in rail circles, this entails connecting the power company’s
supply cable to the rail operator’s overhead line.
PMC number eight is known as Installation Services. It performs
a great deal of work in railway station environments. Installation
Services carries out the day-to-day maintenance of lifts, escalators
and automatic doors. It also performs the installation and maintenance
of points heating, climate control and other low voltage systems at
railway stations and yards. During the past few years, external
customers have increasingly engaged its services. For instance,
the Netherlands Directorate-General for Public Works and Water
Management (RWS) awarded Installation Services the contract for
preventive and corrective maintenance of all beacon structures along
the Dutch coastline.(2)
(1) also consult page 9-11
(2) also consult page 38-39
About Railways 14 I March 2011 3938 About Railways 14 I March 2011
“Rock-solid reliability”Installation Services is
one of Strukton Systems’
eight product/market
combinations. Its core
business is keeping things
running. At railway
stations and on and
around waterways.
Today, it’s time to put IJmuiden’s lighthouses in the limelight. Ingmar Wijnoogst lets himself
into the taller of the two, wielding a bunch of keys that would put a prison warder to shame.
Ingmar is a service engineer at Installation Services, one of Strukton Systems’ product/market
combinations (PMCs). He has another two such bunches of keys in his van. This lighthouse is
one of the works of classic beauty amongst around 1,500 beacon structures situated along
the Dutch coastline, for which RWS awarded Strukton Systems the maintenance contract in
September 2009.
Ingmar checks the electrical system, establishes which lights are working and which not,
replaces a 2000 Watt lamp, and tests the system. He works his way through the maintenance
checklist, point for point: switchgear, wiring, the motor control, the gearboxes, the emergency
power generator, the lens aperture, the fall protection, cracks in lenses and windows.
The hours slip by. He pauses for a moment to enjoy the view. Yes, this job certainly gets you
out and about. There’s the sea; and the steelworks chimneys; and that’s Amsterdam; and over
there, amid the greenery, is Haarlem, his hometown. He makes a mental note of the points for
attention he came across during the course of his inspection.
A lighthouse is something out of the ordinary. What Ingmar Wijnoogst and his colleagues
mainly do, is to keep things running at 90% of all railway stations in the Netherlands, round the
clock, seven days a week. The things in question comprise hundreds and hundreds of lifts,
escalators and automatic doors at traffic junctions, as well as the lighting there, and the
systems at traffic control centres. Strukton Systems’ PMC Installation Services does what its
name suggests: It is a 24-hour service organisation that carries out systematic maintenance
on the electrical, mechanical and gas systems which vouch for the daily mobility and safety of
several hundred thousand travellers.
Ron Velthuis is the manager there. He defines it as follows: “We are a true service organisation.
We adopt a preventive approach, by inspecting and keeping the properties in question clean
according to an established plan. If a fault occurs, then we’re on the spot within two hours.
You encounter all manners of faults in this business: from a loose screw, to a crowd of football
hooligans shoving a steel refuse container down an escalator. We also perform major
renovations; so new construction is the only segment in which we are not involved.
The number of faults we handle amounts to around 3,000 annually. I personally consider that
a pretty low figure, particularly if you bear in mind that there are a few sets of automatic doors
at the rear of Amsterdam Central Station through which some 200,000 people pass back and
forth on a daily basis. The complicated part of our job is not purely a technical matter, but also
relates to the control process, the logistics, the coordination and the handling. Although it’s
not exactly rocket science, our reliability is as solid as a rock.”
As the market became more privatised, it
offered us scope for expansion. The care we
were already providing in railway station
environments, proved to be just as needed at
police stations and regional hospitals. The step
from these sorts of institutions to RWS was
therefore not a particularly large one. Ron
Velthuis explains: “In 2009, the ‘Maintenance
of RWS’ fixed signage’ was put out to tender.
It comprised 1,500 beacon structures along
the Dutch coastline, from lighthouses to
beacons and navigation lights along canals
and river estuaries - basically the entire range
of shipping safety & traffic regulation systems.
However, it also comprised a contract for 24/7
fault-clearing service. We therefore submitted
a tender, as we were well established in the
field of maintaining mechanical and electrical
engineering systems. Furthermore, we already
had almost complete national coverage and
a fault-clearing coordination centre, which
takes care of the management, registration
and accounting aspects. In fact, the contract
requirements were entirely in line with our
competencies; we therefore ticked all the
boxes.”
A few doors along from Mr Velthuis, is Erik
Schutte’s office, which has a poster on the
wall depicting all the lighthouses throughout
the Netherlands. Erik Schutte is a planner.
So, once Installation Services had actually
been awarded the RWS contract, Erik had
the entire maintenance management system
set up in no time. And although that was
more than a year ago, his pride remains
undiminished. He mapped out all the beacon
structures digitally, each linked to its own
particular characteristics, colour, frequency and
geo coordinates, the last of which were also
converted into Google Earth and TomTom
files for the service engineers.
improving the systems
Ingmar and his colleagues receive monthly
schedules from Erik. Those who are to perform
work for RWS know well in advance that they
have to carefully study the characteristics of
the properties and their locations on the map.
In stark contrast to railway stations, beacon
structures tend to be less readily accessible
by road, and one therefore sometimes has to
make arrangements in advance for an aerial
platform, a boat or occasionally even,
a helicopter. Erik Schutte weighs up the
results of his work. “You have to keep a really
close check on everything, not just rectifying
faults, but also improving the systems in such
a manner as to ensure that you only need to
perform scheduled maintenance in future.
Proper maintenance implies that the fault
report ‘light out’ is more or less a thing of the
past. When we first started, in September
2009, we received anything from four to ten
fault reports a day. It is currently down to
around three or four a week.”
Before the day is over, Erik will receive Ingmar
Wijnoogst’s report on the work performed at
the tall lighthouse earlier, including points for
future attention that Ingmar came across
during the course of his duties. “The lock on
the main door should be replaced as it sticks
a little. There are a few weak spots in the
wiring for the backup light. Although that’s
not urgently in need of attention, it is worth
mentioning. The property’s cooling unit also
needs servicing. Otherwise, the place
appeared to be in pretty good shape.”
About Railways 14 I March 2011 4140 About Railways 14 I March 2011
A bitter seed bears sweet fruit
It was only to be dubbed ERTMS at a later
date, although discussions about it amongst
Europeans in capitals began towards the
end of the 1980s in the unifying forges of
Brussels and Strasbourg. A single European
Railway Traffic Management System, a
cross-border safety control and signalling
system for rail was to have paved the way
for the unrestricted movement of people and
goods within the European Union. Away with
all national and even regional train safety
control systems in international train traffic;
counting at least twenty, and equally as
many obstacles on the road to the
envisaged, unified economic power.
At the time, Léon Linders showed more than
just a general interest in rail technology.
For twenty years, he was to actively push to
expand and improve infrastructure for regional
tram operator HTM. His career was ultimately
crowned with a position on the board.
He watched ERTMS taking shape from a
distance. First in the intensely complex standards
arena, then in directives and obligations for the
respective European member states and, finally,
in its implementation in practice. He saw
discussions about ERTMS develop into heated
arguments, some of which have yet to subside,
certainly in the Netherlands.
The Netherlands was involved from the
outset. After the first cautious steps taken by
Dutch Railways in 1990, work commenced on
laying the Betuwe Route in 1998. Intended for
international goods traffic, therefore subject to
ERTMS safety control. In the same year, the
Ministry of Transport, Public Works & Water
Management decided that ERTMS alone had
to be installed on the south section of the
High Speed Rail Link (HSL south), without
backup from the national ATB system.
But lots of dust was yet to be kicked up,
especially in the first years constructing the
Betuwe Route and from start to finish of HSL
south. And the new European safety control
system was regularly at the heart of great
‘commotion’.
Léon Linders had a good idea about what he
was getting himself into when he left HTM in
2004 and took up position as Managing
Director at Alstom Transport in the Netherlands.
Alstom Transport is an international giant in
trains, trams, traction, train control and train
safety, and forms part of an even bigger
group employing a worldwide workforce of
more than 96,500 employees. He traded his
position on the sidelines from one day to
another, becoming a fellow player - not just
a lightweight.
In the Netherlands, Alstom would equip the
Betuwe Route with ERTMS, Siemens had
been awarded the HSL south section up to
the Belgian border, and Bombardier would
take care of the Amsterdam-Utrecht line.
And, not unimportantly, Alstom also supplied
the Belgian HSL branch. Laying the safety
control system on the Hanze Line which is
currently being built, was still a distant reality
at that point but would also be awarded to
Alstom. Alstom was also poised to do very
well internationally. Unlike several competitors,
the French parent company invested heavily
in a new generation of high-speed trains and
the development of ERTMS. Alstom would
become Europe’s market leader. Three
quarters of all sections of track currently
driven by ERTMS, now operate with the
French product. And irrespective of their
manufacturer, nine out of ten trains are
equipped with an ERTMS cabinet made by
the same producer.
In broad terms, Europe is still something of
a tapestry of different systems. Belgium and
Switzerland are the most advanced, with Italy
and the Netherlands hot on their heels.
The bigger countries are lagging. According to
Léon Linders, this is because these countries
are vaster and therefore lack the same sense
of urgency at traffic intersections as in the
Netherlands and Switzerland. He is unperturbed
by how long things are taking: “Creating
Europe-wide infrastructure is not an overnight
job. But we’re making gradual progress.
After all, the financial incentives for filling in the
missing pieces are huge. And that’s fine,
because that’s a great motive.”
ERTMS got off to a bumpy start in the
Netherlands, securing a firm foothold in
terms of both rail and train. Where did
it all start? The interviewer suggests the
point at which loads of potential suppliers
started vying for the first assignments.
Léon Linders thinks differently.
“Not exactly… preparations are of course
needed: standardisation. All of the competing
parties first play a role in defining the
standard. Looking back, I see the
standardisation process still underway while
companies such as Alstom were already
Off to a bumpy start! This certainly describes how the European Rail Traffic
Management System (ERTMS) kicked off on Dutch soil, getting a firm foothold in rail
and train systems alike. Léon Linders, Managing Director at Alstom Transport, sheds
light on its journey.
About Railways 14 I March 2011 4342 About Railways 14 I March 2011
starting the development phase. And before
development was completed, assignments
were already on the market. In some cases,
implementation got underway - the Betuwe
Route in 2003 - before standardisation had
even been concluded. And questions are
raised later on as to why so many versions
of ERTMS level 2 exist? Yes, if we’d all
waited patiently we would surely have had
a single version. But the real question is if
this would have been realistic or in fact
desirable. Consider today’s computer
systems. Some people work with version 5
while others prefer version 7. And they can
still communicate with one another. Some
market parties waited till standardisation had
been wrapped up. It took a year and a half
for the EU to grant approval, preceded by
heated dialogue between the respective
countries. We didn’t want to wait that long.
We continued with development
immediately, aware of the risk that things
may have changed in the interim.”
Is it not quite far fetched to consider
applying a system that has yet to
be standardised, even before its
development is complete?
“Yes. I can only explain it in retrospect.
We were in the thick of it and HSL south
and the Betuwe Route appeared on the
market, these aspects should already have
been rounded off. We thought, we’re almost
there, but it would still take another 18
months. The question was how the generic
ERTMS solution would translate to the
specific situation in the Netherlands.
We believed we’d made the right choice by
starting off with it already. And the Dutch
government, the Ministry of Transport, Public
Works & Water Management and ProRail as
the Betuwe Route’s principal, purposefully
opted to conduct the remaining development
phases within a framework of projects.”
All of the parties took a number of
calculated risks.
“Until 2006, there was certainly discussion
about whether we needed to install a
back-up system in the Netherlands in
combination with ERTMS. The conclusion
was that if we’d wanted to do so, we should
have done so from the outset. Introducing
a back-up system half way down the track
gave so many supplementary problems
that we sooner expected to get it working
in sync with ERTMS level 2. And it appears
this expectation was spot on. We had to
chew on quite a few bitter seeds to get there
during the first two years working on the
Betuwe Route - principal and contractor alike.
It took a great deal of effort to get everything
up and running properly. But to everyone’s
satisfaction, the last two years went well.
It was clear to us that things would work out.
And now, looking back again in 2010:
it wouldn’t really have made any sense to
be ready with the Betuwe Route sooner.
Of course, from the perspective of public
opinion and all the commotion, it would have
been nicer to be ready sooner. But when it
was finished, the Betuwe Route, hardly any
locomotives had been equipped with onboard
ERTMS systems! So if it were completed six
months earlier, it would still have taken some
time before a sufficient number of trains were
ready. Only by 2009 were sufficient electrical
locomotives equipped with ERTMS. Ultimately,
the entire project was carried out within the
budget assigned by the Dutch House of
Representatives, including all the changes
deemed necessary by parliament itself for the
environment. And the infrastructure was ready
in time for the rolling stock.”
It would have been possible to do things
differently, perhaps better?
“On paper, everything can be done differently
and better, but if we’d waited for the
standardisation and development processes
to be rounded off, some of the existing,
successful Dutch projects would perhaps not
have materialised at all. Either way, we would
not have achieved what we have today.”
Sounds almost like it was the ideal
model…
“No, of course not; it wasn’t an ideal process.
But you see this in other worlds as well as
ours: if you start off with something new, it’s
not that unusual. As long as you together
understand the potential implications of
initiating a new technology, it needn’t be a
problem.”
Acting in their own interests, market
players like Alstom wanted to get going
as soon as possible in order to secure
the biggest possible share of the market.
“No. It serves everyone’s interests.
The politicians wanted ERTMS to be taken
into operation as soon as possible. They
were chasing politically driven and desirable
motives of an economic nature. And the
business community responds to this.”
Although the safety control system is
now stable and operational on the
Betuwe Route, HSL south seems to be a
different story. ‘Technical hitches’ are still
affecting the border section between
Belgium and the Netherlands.
The ERTMS system from Amsterdam to
the border, supplied by Siemens, didn’t
work optimally with the system from the
Belgian border to Brussels supplied by
Alstom…
“No, that was different. The biggest problem
at the border actually hinged on communication
through GSM-R radio signals. In layman’s
terms, an interruption occurred as you
crossed over the border. Just a small section
without reception. Initially, this was a significant
problem. It was sorted out brilliantly in the
end.”
So, unlike what many people think,
competition between market parties was
not an inhibiting factor…
“No. In fact, Siemens and Alstom cooperated
closely to resolve the problems in the
transition area. There was no competition.
Except initially, in securing the two assignments
in both countries. But, yes, the Netherlands
did choose for the most difficult situation:
different infrastructure providers in two
countries, a border crossing at the midpoint,
and trains equipped with ERTMS cabinets
supplied by yet another party, AnsaldoBreda.
And it was the first ever cross-border project
in Europe of this nature and it needed to be
interoperable for the market… In retrospect,
I’d probably have done it differently. I would
have assigned full responsibility for safety
control to a single party for the full Brussels-
Amsterdam stretch. Not the infrastructure and
all the viaducts; unlike safety, they can be
completed in the traditional manner.
On the track and in the train, it would perhaps
have been better to call for an EU tender.”
That’s something Belgium and the
Netherlands should have done together
then. But at that point they were at
loggerheads with one another about
practically all bilateral transport files -
the Iron Rhine, the Westerschelde,
HSL south, a train connection for Breda.
Relations were hardly conducive to a
combined tendering process.
“True. And, at the time, the national railway
companies in the Netherlands, Belgium and
France were also competing against one
another for the transport concession for HSL
south. So, the assertion is true.”
Then ERTMS in the trains themselves,
a source of delay. The train operators
were not looking forward to the costs
of installing ERTMS in their rolling stock.
The big problem was money, not
technology.
“This also appeared to be the case for goods
transporters. When the Betuwe Route’s
timetable stabilised after two years, and its
date of delivery became clear, this clarified
when the locomotives, diesel and electric,
needed to be equipped with an ERTMS
cabinet. What followed was a commercial
discussion between transporters and
government. The goods transporters said:
‘great that you’ve said we need to install
ERTMS, but we need to have all the other
national safety control systems built in as well,
because ERTMS can only be used on that
little stretch to Germany and otherwise not.
It just means having to add a fourth system
and it’s not worthwhile. So fork up governments
- Europe or the Netherlands.’ Ultimately,
Europe and the Netherlands admitted this
might hold some validity. A subsidy scheme
was developed. But this discussion also took
so long that the goods transporters waited
far too long to order their ERTMS installation
that they weren’t nearly ready for the opening
of the Betuwe Route. These too were choices
made on economic grounds. The technology
itself was ready.”
The Hanze Line will be taken into
operation in 2012, featuring both the
Dutch safety control system (ATB) and
ERTMS safety control systems. What
should happen then in terms of safety?
“ERTMS has proved to be stable in various
countries, without requiring any back-up from
the national systems. I would now say to the
Dutch Railways, equip a core fleet of your
trains with ERTMS and focus on finding out
how to get the most out of ERTMS. Look at
the Swiss, they’re already busy doing just
that. They’re increasing capacity on stretches
of track using ERTMS level 2. They’re working
on follow-up times of two minutes. They still
have some way to go, but from their efforts it
is clear that they are prepared to adjust their
safety rules and timetable to the opportunities
afforded by ERTMS. We have yet to apply
ERTMS in the Netherlands at a level the
Swiss are already familiar with. They say:
‘we now have a good, inherently safe system;
we’d have to be crazy not to make the most
of it.’ In the Netherlands, ERTMS or not, we
are for the time being at risk of hanging on to
all the existing rules. If you continue to uphold
all the old safety regulations, introducing a
new system almost always results in reduced
capacity. Sometimes you have to say:
‘the new system is so good and reliable,
perhaps we need to assess whether we still
need to uphold all the old protocols related
to safety and the timetable.’”
About Railways 14 I March 2011 4544 About Railways 14 I March 2011
It should be done and dusted by… let’s say 2025. The last ever diesel train has just been
dispatched to the Dutch Railway Museum in Utrecht, amid much flag-waving, brass-band music
and Dutch gin. Ninety years long, large numbers of them roared along the lines; the grumblers.
Although for the past few dozen years, they operated primarily in the provinces of Groningen,
Friesland and Gelderland. Now, there is no longer a single one left running. It took fourteen years
to finally decommission them, which is actually quite a short time. Step by step, line for line,
the entire diesel network was replaced by an emission-free transport system. And this implies
that in Gelderland alone, a total of 12 million less kilos of carbon dioxide were released into the
atmosphere annually. Pure profit; not to mention the respite from soot, particulate matter, stench
and noise.
Once upon a time, in 2011, a pilot run in the Province of Gelderland provided the impetus for a
structured greening programme for all diesel lines throughout the Netherlands. Provincial
Green and Wireless Battery-powered trams and diesel trains. Tracks with no catenary system.
Reduced energy consumption. Reduced CO2 emissions. These are four ingredients
for a healthy idea. Now, it just has to be put into practice: Strukton Rolling Stock
has embarked on a long-term campaign.
authorities were all too eager to do away with
polluting forms of transport; after all, one
simply did not count in either the service
sector or the business community, unless one
was seen to actively pursue ‘green solutions’.
In the case of the diesel lines in question,
complete electrification initially appeared to be
the sole solution. However, the costs would
prove quite considerable, amounting to well
over half a million per kilometre, which was
simply too high in relation to passenger
numbers. Then, a partnership forged by
Strukton Rolling Stock and Epyon succeeded
in breaking the impasse, convincing the
administrators in Gelderland that a combination
of battery-powered vehicles and partial
catenaries would prove considerably less
expensive, both in terms of construction and
operation, while it offered the added benefits of
being cleaner and quieter. After a brief period
of wrangling, a pilot was therefore carried out.
And the rest is history.
Wishful thinking 2010-style? Yes, absolutely.
The umpteenth green hot-air balloon?
Certainly not. The idea presented to transport
companies and municipal and provincial
authorities in 2010 had certainly been well
worked out. Equip your trams and diesel trains
with batteries. Do not opt for complete
electrification, but instead a partial catenary
system, installed at stations only. This would
enable trains to access the power surge they
require to get started. And once they are
actually on the move, then their on-board
batteries provide the current to power the train
systems. It could hardly be simpler - and it
has been made feasible by Epyon, which
invented high power batteries that can be
rapidly charged; and Strukton Rolling Stock,
which tied up the loose ends and discovered
the market.
a fast-charge battery
In 2005, a group of young engineers at the
Delft University of Technology founded a
company called Epyon as a spin-off during
their studies. They had succeeded in
developing the world’s first Ultra-Fast Charge
Technology, which enabled a reduction in the
charging time for high power batteries from
its current eight hours to no more than
30 minutes. The economic significance of
this discovery for the entire range of vehicles
known as people movers and cargo movers -
which should preferably remain available 24/7
- is almost unimaginable. Epyon attracted
international investment capital and developed
operations in the world of transport, though
not yet the rail sector. In 2009, things clicked
between Epyon and Strukton Rolling Stock.
Battery-powered trams, it was estimated,
would yield energy savings of around 30% to
40%. Preliminary calculations had revealed
that a 700-litre battery weighing 1300 kilos
would be required to drive a tram, which had
no overhead power line.
That was the technology. Next came the
matter of the markets. It all depended on
where you went first, and who you spoke
to: the carriers and owners of the fleets of
vehicles or the infrastructure concession
holders, the provincial and municipal
administrators, not to mention policy-makers
with access to the necessary funds. All offered
prospects, the one brighter than the next.
The one conjured up a vision of the whole of
Europe - a continent comprising 8,000 trams,
expanding to 12,000 by 2020. At the time,
some 260 trams were being overhauled
annually to extend their useful life. This figure
could rise to 350 by 2020. Just imagine that
those carriers could be interested in also
rendering their trams several dozen percent
more economical… even if it were initially only
the domestic companies. The other remained
within the confines of the Netherlands for the
time being, on some 750 km of diesel track,
equivalent to a quarter of the country’s entire
rail network. These 750 kilometres comprised
16 stretches of line, three in Groningen, three
in Friesland, three in Overijssel, six in
Gelderland and one which basically ran along
the provincial border between North-Brabant
and Limburg. All in all, they connected dozens
of towns and villages to their administrative and
economic provincial centres - as well as
forming the link between the main Dutch rail
network and more finely meshed bus and taxi
transport. All but a few were owned by major
carriers, such as Arriva, Syntus, Veolia and
Connexxion. Just imagine that at least one of
them were to appreciate the significance and
want to become involved…
a wiLLing market
Money; also an important aspect. Money for a
pilot project, money for trials. After all, the plan
had to be rendered proven technology as soon
as possible. And the provincial authorities had
the money. The provinces either already owned
or were to assume ownership of the regional rail
routes, and therefore bore responsibility for the
operational concessions. In the meantime,
reduced exhaust emissions, the purchase of
sustainable energy and continuous accessibility
had become the touchstone of policy in all
fields - and certainly in the transport sector.
The authorities’ jargon suggested structure,
urgency and decisiveness. And a climate &
energy agreement had already been concluded
at an interprovincial level with central government
in The Hague. The place was simply strewn
with climate policy plans, which sought to
About Railways 14 I March 2011 4746 About Railways 14 I March 2011
achieve ‘structured cooperation between the
various stakeholders’. Ambitious plans were
launched to boost the ecological capital, while
considerable attention was devoted to gaining
broad support, arguments were made in
favour of an adequate monitor, and everyone
appeared to become passionately involved in
taking matters in hand, reducing, segregating,
connecting and communicating. Becoming
carbon neutral was also designated one of the
main provincial aspirations. Just imagine…
In early 2010, Strukton Rolling Stock -
henceforth to be known as a stakeholder,
and by tradition a competent participant in
structured partnerships - concluded that a
suitable green plan had been laid, there was
an extensive market, and those involved in
decision-making were simply brimming with
good intentions. Klaas Toet, Senior
Consultant at Rolling Stock, however,
preferred to label the status of the plan
‘embryonic’ at that juncture. It was
nevertheless a good start, and the talking
and persuasion could commence.
a graduaL process
At the Rail Conference (Dag van de Rail)
held in Scheveningen, the Netherlands, on
23 June 2010, Gert Kwikkers, Managing
Director of Strukton Rolling Stock, presented
the firm’s plans for ‘Green and Wireless’ to a
select audience of several dozen colleagues in
the rail sector. One carrier raised a finger in
favour. Parties entered into discussion. A week
later, a press conference was held. The press
responded favourably. Green and Wireless had
been put on the map, although it had to be
admitted that it was still rather up in the air.
Six months, a stack of business cards and
even more cups of coffee down the line, the
time came to draw up the initial balance of all
this fieldwork. The matter of funding test bed
trials of a ‘battery-powered tram’ at the Delft
University of Technology had already been
broached during internal consultations; its
merits were currently being weighed up.
In connection with the tender for the Zutphen-
Almelo-Hengelo diesel line, Connexxion
requested and received a business case
based on partial electrification. The Rotterdam
public transport operator RET asked what it
could save per tram annually, if it were to have
its existing vehicles converted, and promptly
received the figures calculated.
It was eco tuning in practice, in very much the
same manner as the motoring world.
Thanks to the mediation of ProRail, Rolling
Stock was approached to explain once more
all the benefits of Green and Wireless to a
provincial ‘activation workgroup’.
Klaas Toet had been on the case for almost
a year at that stage. His answer to a tricky
question was as follows: “Hmm, well it remains
a question of giving things a chance to gradually
mature. In the space of just one year, we have
progressed from nothing to promising.
That’s pretty good going in an area where
people watch every single new development
like a hawk, and all decision-making processes
are referred to the government.” His ideal vision
of 2011: “That we have converted around six
trams to battery power. And that one of the
provinces has granted us the engineering
contract for the partial electrification of a diesel
line.” And it may be a complete digression at
this point, but it would not surprise him if this
battery were to become a compulsory
requirement in trains within around five years,
as it would be fantastic way to vouch for tunnel
safety. In the unfortunate event of a train
becoming stranded in a tunnel, it would then
have sufficient power to convey passengers to
a safer spot at which to disembark…
(to be continued…)
Strukton Rail bv
Westkanaaldijk 2, 3542 DA Utrecht, the Netherlands
telephone +31 (0)30 240 72 00
e-mail: [email protected]
internet: www.struktonrail.com
Strukton Rail nv
Burg. Maenhautstraat 64, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium
telephone +32 (0)9 210 79 10
Strukton Rail AB
Uddvägen 7, 131 34 Nacka, Sweden
telephone +46 (0)10 480 50 00
internet: www.struktonrail.se
Strukton Rail AS
Nittedalsgata 7, 2000 Lillestrøm, Norway
telephone +47 (0)22 64 02 00
internet: www.struktonrail.no
Strukton Rail GmbH & Co KG
Forstfeldstrasse 5, 34123 Kassel, Germany
telephone +49 (0)561 57047-0
internet: www.struktonrail.de
Construzioni Linee Ferroviarie s.p.a. (Clf)
Via della Cooperazione 34, 40129 Bologna, Italy
telephone +39 (0)51 32 34 24
internet: www.clfspa.com
Eurailscout Inspection & Analysis bv
Stationsplein 121, 3818 LE Amersfoort, the Netherlands
telephone +31 (0)33 469 70 00
Markgrafendamm 24, Haus 16, 10245 Berlin, Germany
telephone +49 (0)30 293 808-50
internet: www.eurailscout.com
For more addresses and contact details,
please refer to www.struktonrail.com
Strukton Rail is a full-service provider in
the field of rail systems in Europe.
Everything Strukton Rail does is connected
with the development, construction, upgrade
and upkeep of infrastructures and electric
systems in rolling stock. The aim: safe and
reliable railways.
Strukton Rail’s contribution to safety and
reliability involves systematic rail component
status information, provided both to
management organisations and to its
internal operational disciplines. We work
on the principle that up-to-date knowledge
enables preventive action. The point is to
keep one step ahead of breakdowns to
maximise rail system availability.
Strukton Rail supplies all relevant
professional disciplines and is involved in
all stages of projects, from design to
construction and maintenance.
Our specialists in various departments
develop maintenance concepts, monitor
systems, and process and manage data.
The company has long-term operations
in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany,
the Netherlands, Belgium and Italy, and
works on projects and products far
beyond Europe. With a view to further
internationalisation, Strukton Rail is
investing in the quality of its personnel and
a substantial, ultramodern fleet of equipment
for deployment in all the countries involved.
Strukton Rail is rail. Nothing more,
nothing less, and has been for more than
75 years. Strukton Rail currently employs
some 3000 men and women.
The company is part of Strukton Groep.
