16April 2013

RailwaysAbout

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Perfectly in placeThere it is, high and dry above the 20-metre-deep North Sea:

the topside for the Riffgat wind park, designed and

constructed by the Strukton Hollandia JointVenture

Next stop Hästveda! About a drastic improvement of regional transport in the

south of Sweden

The missing link 270 km of a cherished dream are still missing:

a railway line along the Gulf of Bothnia that connects

Sweden and Finland. This Norrbotniabanan is expected

to materialise, although no one knows when

A great boostEurailscout renews long-term contracts in the Netherlands

and Denmark

“Let’s get going as quickly as possible!”Technical consultant Rob Redeker about the (mock)

commotion surrounding the launch of the ERTMS safety

system in the Netherlands

Beyond borders in three stepsStrukton Rail Equipment is gradually expanding into a single

European organisation and supervisor Silvio Gehde is

growing along

Packed up in the Netherlands, unpacked down underOne day, four ballast removal trains went on their way to

Australia. A blow-by-blow breakdown of the journey

The Hanze Line, the prologueAbout what had been going on before the new line was

included in the timetable. Testing, testing, testing and the

icing on the cake

Photo on cover:

Fridhemsplan Station, one of 105 stops that make up the Stockholm

metro. Strukton Rail has been awarded greater responsibility for

an even longer period. Read more about this on page 4, ‘Subway

contract in Stockholm’.

In a nutshellNewsflash

Europe 3.0: the worldStrukton Rail’s CEO Schoots about two decades of growth,

starting in the Netherlands, extended into Europe and now in

countries further away. “The real big growth will be beyond

Europe’s borders”

No waters too wide, no shore too farThe international orientation of Strukton’s Italian partner

Clf Group is bearing fruit. Projects are waiting in Algeria,

Montenegro and Venezuela

The history of a planThe Delft Railway Zone undergoes prestigious urban renewal.

Strukton Rail secured the contract for the superstructure

The brightest boys in the classA visit to one of Strukton’s ‘centres of excellence’, the

Belgian Survey Team. “The supporters of our approach are

getting the upper hand”

PaperworkBy 2020, the new CBTC safety system is to be operational

on the S-Bane in Copenhagen. Siemens is to supply the

system and Strukton/Aarsleff to install it. The year 2012 was

characterised by meticulous preparation

Notes on a bleak undertakingWhen does a job become hopeless? And then what? Icy

cold renewal in Stuttgart

Tracks through the Iron KingdomMidsummer and it’s the first day of work on a track renewal

project between Storvik and Morshyttan

Training for the topStrukton Rail in Sweden is making work of its future. Eleven

men and women entered a trainee programme in the autumn

of 2011 aimed at making them the managers of tomorrow

About Railways 16 I April 2013 54 About Railways 16 I April 2013

In a nutshellA fellowship in Italy – In honour of the

memory of Managing Director Giuseppe

Neri who passed away in 2010 at the age

of 63, CLF has created a Research

Fellowship at the University of Bologna.

Additionally, the railway construction com-

pany will be awarding an annual ‘Giuseppe

Neri scholarship’ to the best technical thesis

in the ‘field of rail infrastructures’. The first

Research Fellowship was awarded to

Stefano Angelini (24), who recently qualified

as an engineer at the University of Bologna.

He will be conducting further research into

‘optimising rail networks’.

Orders for Rolling Stock – Strukton

Rolling Stock succeeds in securing four

promising assignments within a relatively

short period of time. Malaysian monorail

producer Scomi orders 72 traction inverters

for 12 new monorail trains on the Kuala

Lumpur network. Further assignments for

Scomi in Brazil and other emerging markets

are expected. South African Transnet Rail

Engineering, good for the renovation of

more than 2,500 passenger trains and

freight locomotives, places an initial order

for electronic controls. Both parties see

potential gains in gradually expanding

cooperation. In Amsterdam and Toulouse,

Strukton Rolling Stock secures international

tenders. Strukton Rolling Stock will deliver

new auxiliary converters for the Amsterdam

metro S3M4 vehicles. The tender in

Toulouse concerns the order from Tisséo

for the delivery of battery chargers and

inverters for all 28 fully-automated VAL206

vehicles. Back in 2011, Strukton Rolling

Stock received an order from Tisséo for all

new IGBT chopper traction converters for

the metro vehicles in Toulouse.

POSS in Istanbul – Strukton Systems is

installing the POSS monitoring system at

two stations along the light rail connection

between Istanbul and Atatürk Airport. POSS

will be monitoring four points at each station

for the initial period of a year. POSS is the

preventive maintenance and fault diagnostics

system developed in-house by Strukton.

Operated remotely, it monitors the condition

of points and other rail equipment.

The system successfully prevents at least

35% of all potential cases of malfunction.

Tracks in Den Bosch – The tracks in

and around Den Bosch station are ready for

serious renewal; the location will be trans-

forming from a bottleneck to a major junction

offering capacity for increased train traffic.

Bridges and fly-overs will be constructed,

rails disentangled and platforms extended.

Strukton Rail secured the sizable super-

structure contract and will be responsible for

everything from engineering to implementation.

The project embraces all disciplines needed

for the railway system. Work got underway in

summer 2012, constructing an emergency

platform and renewing the tracks, points,

overhead line construction, safety systems,

sound system, platform and station roof.

The project will be completed in summer

2014.

Subway contract in Stockholm – Major

contracts, presented with pride: Strukton Rail

AB signed on the dotted line of the renewed

maintenance contracts for two rail networks

in Stockholm: the subway and Roslagbanan

railway systems. In both cases, the customer

is Storstockholms Lokaltafik (SL). More so

than under the previous contracts, Strukton

Rail will bear responsibility within the chain

for tasks ranging from inspection to imple-

mentation. Strukton Rail will therefore be

taking over some activities from SL. The term

of the contract has been extended from three

to nine years. The contracts are valued at a

sum of €340 million. Stockholm’s subway

network is more than 100 km long and

counts 105 stations. Roslagsbanan is a

65-km-long narrow-gauge urban railway

system in Stockholm with 39 stations. The

new contracts started on January 2013.

SNCF joins Eurailscout – A second

domestic market for Eurailscout; only far

bigger than that of the Netherlands. The UFM

160 track inspection and measurement train

will be relocating permanently to France. In

the not too distant future, Eurailscout France

will emerge focusing entirely on carrying out

measurements across the French railway

network, with the exception of its high-speed

lines. All in all, offering good prospects for a

new undertaking.

France’s national railway company SNCF

joined forces with Strukton Rail to lead

Eurailscout Inspection & Analysis. SNCF took

over the 50% stake from Strukton’s former

partner and co-founder of Eurailscout, the

German railway company GSG Knape. At the

presentation of SCNF’s entry in September

2012 Strukton Rail’s CEO Aike Schoots said:

“Cooperation between SNCF and Strukton

will provide a quantum leap ahead, to further

develop and operate measurement trains and

data management technologies. This will

enable us to improve the quality, safety, cost

effectiveness and transparency of the railway

network.” SNCF Infrastructure’s CEO Pierre

Izard also spoke only of benefits: “Using the

synergies between our own skills which

enabled us to design the Iris 320 inspection

train that measures the geometry of high

speed lines at 320 km/h, and those of

Eurailscout which are also founded on

innovation and efficiency at the service of

rail infrastructure maintenance, we will be

able to develop state-of-the-art solutions to

assist infrastructure managers and European

rail network maintainers.” Eurailscout already

has international operations in countries

including the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark,

Switzerland and Italy.

Even more POSS for ProRail – Dutch

railway manager ProRail has given Strukton

Systems an order to connect 487 points to

the POSS monitoring system. They must be

connected and operational in 2013. A total of

more than 1,850 of the most significant and

crucial points in the Dutch rail network –

those at forks and station entrances – will

be equipped with POSS. POSS currently

monitors several thousand rail objects around

the globe. Within the space of a decade, it

has expanded to become Europe’s most

widely used points monitoring system.

A new workshop – Strukton Rail and Arriva

started using a new joint workshop in

Zutphen featuring five tracks, two of which

are used by Arriva for the maintenance of 38

regional passenger trains. Strukton Rail will

be using the train workshop not just for

standard activities such as maintaining its

own track-based machinery and locomotives

but also for installing train security systems

and overhauling third-party trains. Anne

Hettinga, Managing Director of Arriva in the

Nederlands refers to the cooperative venture

as unique and a very special milestone for

the organisation: “Because, for the first time

in the Netherlands, we will be responsible for

maintaining our own rolling stock. A good

outcome driven by market forces.”

A strategic takeover – Strukton Rail has

acquired a 50% stake in A1 Electronics

Netherlands. The healthy PCB producer is of

key importance to Strukton Rolling Stock and

Strukton Systems as a supplier. It narrowly

escaped being dragged into bankruptcy.

For many years, A1 Electronics has special-

ised in producing PCBs in limited and

medium-sized series. Opting not to go in

for mass production in 2001 appears to have

been the right strategic choice. In just over a

decade, A1 Electronics has expanded to

employ a 22-strong workforce, generating

increasing annual revenues.

Only 2010 showed a slight dip, which was

amply compensated by 35% growth the

following year. The company produces

electronic PCBs and end products for heavy

industry (automotive, aviation, paramedical,

infrastructure) and home automation or

domotics (interior automation in professional

market segments including care centres).

Strukton Rail uses PCBs in its train systems.

The partial takeover will safeguard

organisation-wide quality and continuity.

Joining forces in the high-tech market

– Seizing a stronger position in a broader

market through utilising greater expertise.

Harnessing synergies served as the driving

force behind Centric TSolve’s transition to

Strukton Rolling Stock effective January

2013. The former 25-strong division of

Centric ICT will be further expanding its

specialisation under the new name of

Strukton Embedded Solutions. Strukton

Rolling Stock occupies a unique position

worldwide when it comes to developing,

producing and supplying drive systems

(traction converters), on-board supply

converters (auxiliary converters) and train

control and management systems (TCMS).

Under its old name, Strukton Embedded

Solutions specialised in providing engineering

services in the fields of electronics, embedded

software and project management, focusing

on wireless communication, automotive

modules and pre-compliance testing.

The workforce will continue operating in the

Benelux region and Germany. The benefits

of joining forces will manifest in (power)

electronics, embedded software, mechanics,

PLC/ Scada technology, assembly and

production. Centric TSolve previously formed

part of the ICT organisation of Centric BV, a

broad-based supplier in the field of computer

services, financial services, and consultation

and engineering services, employing a work-

force of more than 15,000 employees at

home and abroad. In mid-2010, Centric took

over the Strukton Group from NS.

About Railways 16 I April 2013 76 About Railways 16 I April 2013

Europe 3.0: the worldA statement from Strukton Group’s 1992 Annual Report:

“Realisation of the European internal market immediately

raises the question of whether expansion will take place

across national borders. The answer is affirmative. Particularly

for the railway industry, which Strukton will use to expand into

neighbouring countries. In so doing, cooperative ventures will

be sought with suitable companies and potential takeovers

considered.”

Who or what came first?

“I think I joined the company just before the chapter opened.

But I was not alone. Frank van Rijssen, then Chairman of the

Board for the Strukton Group, and I shared this vision: we will

only achieve growth if we expand abroad as well. We anticipated

that achieving economies of scale would become the trend. It

was a choice of, well, ‘to be or not to be’ and we decided to

go for it.”

Twenty years ago, a small-scale

subcontractor entered the European arena,

filled with optimism about a single

European market. Today, Strukton Rail is

one of its biggest private players.

Chief executive Aike Schoots has shaped

its growth over these same two decades.

His vision of Europe’s railways, then and

now – and more far-flung markets,

tomorrow and thereafter.

From a very optimistic angle on European unification?

“Yes. And we’ve not lost that optimism either, having been reinforced

by years of experience now. The railways are inherently multinational,

with standardised tracks. That we’ve still got some way to go can be

seen from the introduction of the European signalling system ERTMS.

But you can also see that we’re persevering, however costly or bumpy

the road may be. The railways are becoming increasingly European.”

Reinforced by years of experience?

“You can see what Europe itself is struggling with: national interests

versus community interests. Everyone knows that open borders bring

loads of benefits, but there’s caution when it comes to creating real

economic and political unity. This reverberates across the world of rail,

an especially traditional industry. Each country continues to have its

own focus. We’ve always taken this into account. Although it is lifting,

step-by-step, it’s still very ingrained. Austria is perhaps most alone, but

it’s everywhere. You find it in legislation, allowing access to equipment

for example. The headlights have to be changed for each country, a

different board, a different axle gauge, a different braking system.

But language too. In Sweden we register in Swedish; in France in

French. There isn’t a universal language in our world; the airline industry

is much closer on that front. But still, the fact that the French railway

company SNCF has now become our partner in Eurailscout provides

me with the best proof that the river is calmly flowing in the right

direction. Pressing on with the comparison, there has certainly been

turbulence, waterfalls, groynes reversing the flow, swamps, and more,

but the direction of movement is unswerving. France is opening up as a

huge potential domestic market for our specialised products in the field

of measurement, monitoring and maintenance management.

By the way, Europe was never a question for us: we had to make

tracks abroad. In the Netherlands, the scale is too limited and the

market too small to sufficiently develop all aspects of the railway

profession at the highest level, to conduct research and development

and to provide an adequate springboard for new products.

The market is just too small to earn back investments in the quality and

capacity of people and high output machines. We’ve developed into a

state-of-the-art rail service supplier; our machine park needs tens of

thousands of km of track to be sufficiently utilised.”

Venturing into Belgium, Italy, Sweden and, although more difficult,

Germany, proved successful, but Strukton Rail has had to suspend

activities in Norway and Denmark because structural progress was poor

at first.

“Actually, it’s not that bad. That we’ve not succeeded in Norway is

disappointing for several reasons. There’s a great deal of overdue

maintenance in Norway and the demand for good service is high.

Still, we’ve not succeeded in getting the organisation on track; we’ve

not been able to attract a sufficient number of good – but especially

loyal – professional people. But we’re persevering in Denmark. We

entered the fray too soon there; the political intention to deregulate the

maintenance market recoiled. And we were insufficiently prepared at

that point. Our staff then were more strategically and politically oriented

and less able to provide operational direction. We didn’t manage to

shape that sufficiently at the time from the Netherlands.

Now, almost five years down the line, Strukton Rail still has a foothold

in Denmark, with a small team of dedicated people, and highly

proficient, operationally oriented management. Prospects are good.

We carry out major projects with our partner Aarsleff. We’re cooperating

well, but will ultimately have to go for it alone. Given the language

aspect, we’re largely linked to Sweden, with support from Germany and

the Netherlands. We’re aiming for a stable annual turnover of some €20

to €30 million, generated mainly through specialisation: machine work,

measurement, monitoring, maintenance engineering, catenary systems,

traction systems – our top products that offer a high degree of added

value.”

What were the biggest adventures over these twenty years?

“There have been three. In 1996, the works carried out in Italy ultimately

led to us taking out a stake in Clf, the biggest rail construction company

there. The foundation of Eurailscout, the specialised rail track

inspection and measurement company followed in 2000. And in 2006,

Strukton Rolling Stock, through which we took the plunge into

developing and producing converters in the form of traction converters,

auxiliary converters and train control and management systems (TCMS)

for use in people movers, trains and locomotives. The demand for

these products is now worldwide. These three events were very

exciting, each of them ultimately delivering positive results.

About Railways 16 I April 2013 98 About Railways 16 I April 2013

Italy turned out to be a good move. We drew our high-output

technology from there, the first renewal train in our country; we’ve

generated enormous returns from it. The next step for us is to look

and learn from Clf to see how they succeeded in generating profits

in Algeria and Venezuela with major contracts. Venezuela ties in with

our ambitions in Colombia. We intend to shape these in cooperation

with the Geoingenieria engineering agency that has been active

there for more than 20 years. Geoingenieria forms part of the

Antea Group, with 100 offices in 15 countries in which the engineering

and consultancy activities conducted by our owner Oranjewoud are

established. A large-scale metro project and several heavy rail projects

are in the pipeline in Colombia. We’ll see what we can do there. And in

the same way our Italian company Clf leads the pack in Venezuela, so

too will we pull ahead in Colombia.”

To what extent did the crisis in Europe prompt you to venture abroad?

“We took the initiative at an earlier stage. I’m convinced we can

achieve growth in Europe’s niche markets; read Eurailscout in France.

Europe is certainly not a ‘dead end’. Like I said, things are still flowing

in the world of rail. Aside from the environmental aspect, a determining

factor in Europe will be whether travellers demand an excellent rail

product. But the real big growth will be beyond Europe’s borders.

We’re looking at Australia for example. There’s definitely a market

there for our expertise. While we have yet to define our strategy for

Australia in stone, we’ve got aspirations to get our feet on the ground

there. The question is whether we’ll be doing that in a partnership

or not. We’re working for BHP Billiton at the moment: heavy trains

carrying iron ore from the mines to the Port Hedland docks.

Operations there have to run like clockwork without disruption; the

economic interests involved are huge. Finally, we’re also working out

what we can do in the Middle East, more specifically in Saudi Arabia,

the Emirates and Qatar. The demand for logistics there is enormous.

We share our interest in these markets with Clf. We’re still getting our

bearings, but we plan to get going in at least one or possibly two of

these areas.”

How would things be if the choice for European expansion had never

been taken?

“As a subcontractor back then, we actually supplied strong men to

work on the railways. I think we’d certainly still be going. In any event,

we’d be a smaller player – more at the back of the pack than out in

the lead. Perhaps we’d have degenerated or downgraded to a tempo-

rary employment agency for rail layers. And maybe we’d have had to

close shop because we missed the boat with the trendsetters in our

industry. Now I can boldly say that we’re one of the top two players in

Europe. And that in our way, not only in terms of critical mass, but

certainly and especially because of the technology we offer, we’re

number one.”

No waters too wide no shore too far The international orientation of Strukton’s Italian partner Clf Group is bearing fruit.

With fruit falling far and wide in some cases.

Clf Group is shifting its focus to specifically

embrace foreign markets in addition to its

Italian home base. Within but a few years,

the organisation must be generating more

than 40% of its revenues abroad. Clf’s

commercial director Pier Paolo Bertozzi:

“Areas in which we intend to achieve further

development, where we are participating

in tenders and seizing new opportunities

include the Maghreb, the Balkans and

Central East Europe, the Arab States of

the Persian Gulf and South America.”

Clf is no stranger to the world beyond the

borders of Italy. It first built up experience

on foreign shores 20 years ago in Poland.

Since then, projects have been successfully

concluded in the countries of former

Yugoslavia and in Bulgaria. In recent years,

headed up by Bertozzi, Clf further shaped

its ‘foreign team’ and established permanent

representation in Croatia, Bulgaria, Serbia,

Montenegro, Algeria, Morocco and

Venezuela.

Clf’s unswerving foreign policy is still

delivering new foreign contracts in Algeria,

Montenegro and Venezuela. Although ‘Algeria’

had been in the pipeline for some time, last

year saw definitive preparations get under

way. Clf has built a portfolio of close to 600

km of track and is looking forward to kicking

off in 2013 with laying phase one – 132 km

of dual track for the high-speed line between

Oued Tlelat and Tlemcen. The customer is

Anesrif, acting on behalf of Algeria’s Ministry

of Transport, which is responsible for the

development of railway projects, from pre-

liminary studies to tendering.

In September 2012, Clf started work in

Montenegro implementing a contract to

renew and upgrade part of the country’s most

important line, the Bar-Vrbrnica, a stretch

between Mijatovo Kolo and Mojkovac. The

contract is valued at €10 million; the financing

comes partly from the European Commission

and more than half in the form of a loan from

the European Investment Bank. Clf is the

main contractor, carrying responsibility for the

superstructure, electrical systems, security

systems and civil engineering works, including

bridge and tunnel renewal. The work essentially

follows on from an assignment completed

earlier in January 2012, involving the renewal

of the Trebaljevo-Kolasin line.

In the wake of the Italian-Venezuelan

consortium Grupo Contuy, Clf has also been

successful in Venezuela. Since 2002, Grupo

Contuy has been working on large-scale civil

engineering assignments within the scope of

a mega rail works project intended to deliver

more than 13,000 new km of track in

Venezuela by 2030. Grupo Contuy carried out

tunnel works on the line between the Port of

Puerto Cabello and La Encrucijada and Clf

has now been awarded to lay the connection:

128 km of dual track. The line includes

15 tunnels adding up to a stretch of 27 km,

41 bridges and 13 overpasses.

Venezuela, a country that is certainly not

known for its railways, hopes to have linked

up all its major cities by the year 2030.

The overall ambition is one of being able to

comfortably accommodate 240 million train

travellers a year by that time.

Track renewal in Bulgaria, October 2011

About Railways 16 I April 2013 1110 About Railways 16 I April 2013

Once upon a time, let’s say in the late

Middle Ages, when Delft was already world-

famous, an earthen mound was raised here,

with a moat and a city wall to keep out

enemy factions. Centuries later, a railway

line was laid alongside and a station built.

They were situated on the periphery of the

ancient city centre at the time, a highly

practical arrangement. A century and a half

later on, despite not having moved an inch,

they literally bisected the city, which had

expanded to around ten times its size in the

meantime. Delft had a problem; it had been

cut in two, the incision was far from pretty

and had an alarming air of permanence.

They’d tried all sorts of solutions: turning

the canal into a tram line, running the trains

over a viaduct, traffic engineering solutions,

but the city remained split. Although getting

rid of the level crossings did benefit the

city’s rapidly expanding motor traffic levels,

the trains continued to squeal their way

around the bend of the viaduct – while the

constantly shaded strip of car park below it

was soon adopted as a dog-walking area

cum student urinal. The viaduct was tightly

restricted to dual track, which began to

cause increasing problems, as the remain-

der of the Randstad conurbation developed

a sorely needed four-line network. The city

became one big traffic jam, its railway con-

gested. Then Dutch Rail (NS) came up with

the idea of broadening this bottleneck on

stilts to twice the width, and the council

dug its heels in sharply, determined not to

allow another carbuncle to appear on its fair

city’s already wrinkled complexion.

The time was finally ripe for an ambitious

the history of a plan

One doesn’t encounter these very often: extensive, prestigious urban renewal

operations, in which the railway is the core of both the problem and the solution.

The Delft Railway Zone is just such a project. Strukton Rail secured the contract

for the superstructure. “The real work actually started in March

2012, close to the future entrance at the

northern end of the tunnel. We began

excavating at the former yard where raw

materials were previously loaded and

unloaded. New rails and points are to be

laid at almost this very spot in 2013, albeit

at a level 2.5 metres higher. At the southern

end, we began building a substation for the

power supply to the track in the tunnels. We

are also to lay a 10kV connection between

the main power station and this substation.

2013 will be primarily characterised by

preparations for the work to be carried out

in the tunnel. We will then have three

months’ time to build the track in the

tunnel: two separate tunnel tubes, each

of which can accommodate one track.

The cables come first, then the ballast mats

to absorb some of the noise and vibrations,

then the ballast and sleepers, rails and

overhead power lines. We will have to go

full tilt for three months, constantly on the

move, building everything up one layer after

the other. That’s a lot of work within a short

“You’ve got one entrance and one exit, and that’s it”

Joost Delwel spent six years cutting his teeth on contracts, project planning and

tender management, just waiting for that one opportunity. He wanted the chance to

operate in the field; to take charge of both a major and multidisciplinary project.

The Delft Railway Zone became the one.

space of time; there won’t be much time for

sleep. Six months of technical testing will

then follow, by which time the end of 2014

will be upon us.

The work in the tunnel is causing us some

logistical headaches. You’ve got one entrance

and one exit, and that’s it. You can’t just skip

from the one track to the other, and therefore

have to follow one another up the line.

The work has to be carried out in a city centre.

The idea is to start in the middle and build

outwards in opposite directions, but we may

ultimately opt to go in one direction.

Thankfully, we have sufficient time to consider

all the angles of this interesting problem.

All of this will keep us occupied until the end

of 2014, at which stage we will proceed to

work several long weekends. In the spring of

2015, we will divert the existing surface track

to link up to the new ones in the tunnels.

This process is to be completed in one go.

While people will therefore still be using the

aboveground platform on the Thursday, by

the next Monday morning they’ll be boarding

and disembarking down in the tunnel. It is

both highly exciting and spectacular, because

there will come a point of no return when

everything will have to work properly. By that

stage – in 2015 – the media are bound to have

sharply focused their attention on the project.

The current major challenge we face is that of

coordinating the various disciplines involved.

During the course of 2013, we will have to

remain focused on 2014 and the construction

to be carried out in the tunnels. And through-

out the project, up to and including the

handover, we will have to clearly account for

our actions, given the nature of our contract

with ProRail. It is a design & build contract

with a supplementary clause. This implies

that it states in the finest detail exactly what

is to be done; we will have to remain

particularly alert to that supplementary

clause. The contract states that a great deal

remains unclear regarding the project at the

moment. We have already witnessed large

numbers of changes, additions and aspects

that are now entirely different to those on

which the tender was originally based.”

solution which would benefit the city and the

railway alike. The year was 1988.

The result is Delft Railway Zone, 30 hectares

of integrated redevelopment. Between 2025

and 2035, having borne the burdens of wind

and weather and investments to the tune of

some one billion euros, Delft emerges once

more as though reborn, in all its splendour.

The ugly incision has undergone some

cosmetic surgery, rendering it an elegant zip

fastener, swathed in a flowing green robe,

encrusted with the sparkling gems of water

features and a municipal park. And concealed

below is an underground car park.

Heading southwards, one encounters an

area peppered with housing and offices.

The municipal office building, a glass palace

dating from 2016, now graces the square

opposite the former railway station. This

palace also accommodates the station

concourse, however, with the station below.

It is located in the middle of two dual track

tunnel tubes, extending over a 2.5-km-long

stretch beneath the zip fastener. Two tracks

were already laid in the one tube in 2015,

while laying in the other remained shrouded

in the mists of the future. The tramline was

the only feature left in place.

After a preparatory phase spanning 20 years,

construction commenced in 2009. The work

had been split into four contracts: the tunnels,

the railway construction, the fitting-out of the

station and the municipal office building.

The one for the tunnel laying was awarded in

2008. The superstructure contract was

awarded to Strukton Rail in 2011, a five-year

project. And Strukton Bouw secured the

fitting-out contract in 2012. The core of the

superstructure contract acquired by Strukton

Rail, consists of laying dual track in one of

the tunnel tubes. This also includes the

connection to existing track, the overhead

power lines, the safety systems, the power

supply and the construction of a new railway

yard once the existing one occupying the

spot has been demolished.

The Delft Railway Zone:

About Railways 16 I April 2013 1312 About Railways 16 I April 2013

There are offices with their own version of

an attic room or garage storeroom. Take

Strukton Rail’s establishment in Merelbeke,

Belgium, for example. Don’t take the stairs

up in the main entrance, but take a sharp

right down and then follow the passage, left

through the workshop, past the storage

area, up a narrow flight of stairs at the end,

through a door, another right and then, at

the end of the passage where you can go

no further, it can’t be missed, a 4x4 room

with two windows looking out onto a blind

wall. It’s as cosy as any office could be. It

smells of coffee and confidence. The plants

look healthy. This is where the four-strong

Belgian Survey Team works, consisting of

Jo Derie, Bart Meeus, Peter de Reu and

Tom de Strooper – surveyors, the lot of

them.

The brightest boys in the classSnow and cold management in Sweden, machine work

in Germany, high-tech monitoring in the Netherlands:

in every country where Strukton Rail works, there’s

always something that’s faster, better or smarter than

elsewhere. Jargon puts it as ‘best practice’, ‘best of

class’ or ‘centre of excellence’. Bundle the centres and

you have the future in your hands. If it’s superior

surveying skills you’re after, you need the Belgian

Survey Team. Distance is not an issue.

As a team, they’ve elevated the art of track

positioning and alignment maintenance to

unprecedented heights. Even faster, more

precise and more efficient – and all this

demonstrable within a millimetre. When

there’s talk at Strukton Rail about centres of

excellence or best of class within the scope

of internationalising working methods, the

Belgian back room is never far away.

Jo Derie is the life and soul of the party.

After twelve years of measurement work for

specialised topographic maps, he was ready

for a change. He was used to working with

state-of-the-art equipment and had immersed

himself in the art of software development

purely out of curiosity. Armed with this

knowledge, he began focusing on railways

in 2004. What he encountered in terms of land

surveying at that point was minimal. “It was

as if the clock had stopped.” At work he

developed a new digital toolbox, a platform

where measuring equipment and track

machines speak the same language, operate

in the same world and can exchange data.

His work got noticed. Derie was rewarded

by the boss, won bronze at the national

Creativity Awards in 2009 and received the

Innovation Award at the Belgian Building

Awards in 2010. Derie and his team pressed

on to round off major projects in Belgium,

Denmark and the Netherlands.

Take the Hanze Line, which perhaps best

illustrates what they’re capable of achieving.

The construction team there ran into a brick

wall in terms of the deadline at the end of

2011 when the work had to be rounded off

and delivered. Track subsidence developed,

many more centimetres than expected in

places. Track geometrics needed definitive

refinement, high-speed quality. ProRail

squeezed in an extra session of measurement

and tamping work. Strukton Rail Equipment

wanted the best measurement quality and

recommended the Belgian team with a

glowing report about its hand in positioning

Diabolo, close to Zaventem. At such short

notice?

The men take over from one another, without

interruption, like cyclists in the lead group

chasing the finish. Jo Derie kicks off:

“Measuring and tamping in such a way as to

achieve the highest quality at the lowest level

of input from the tamping machines. You get

the design: this is what’s needed, a basic file

of less than a megabyte. The measurement

work begins, thirteen weeks of measurement,

surveying more than 200 km of track.

Data being fed back to Merelbeke every day.

Where requirements and reality were brought

in line and where a programme to manage

the tamping machines the next day was

devised. Tamping work rarely hits the spot

first time round: tamping machines do the job

in layers, at the lowest level of input. And

then the measurements are verified.”

A ‘just in time’ job

Bart Meeus takes over: “Yes, it was a ‘just in

time’ job. Measuring during the day, sending

the data through at night and recalibrating the

tamping machines for the next day. Stretches

of four to five km a day – a day’s measurement

yield matching the average capacity of the

tamping machine – a pace we could comfort-

ably maintain. Before, without the technology

developed in house, we’d have needed

sixteen hours of measurement for eight hours

of work with the tamping machine.”

Jo Derie adds: “Efficiency gains are largely

delivered by controlling the tamping machines.

We can get the machines to deliver the

best quality at the lowest level of tamping

runs. Some sections of the Hanze Line were

tamped four times, where five or six times

would have been necessary before.”

Tom de Strooper continues: “Yes, that was

before. Measuring small stretches, knocking in a

picket every 20 metres and then, tape measure

in hand, chalking in the measurements on the

track by hand. If we’d applied techniques like

that on the Hanze Line, measuring one km of

track a day would have been an achievement.

The capacity of the machines always out-

stripped the measurement output. Now we’re

in sync. And we simply plug a memory stick

into the tamping machine: direct transmission

of measurements to control. Work to the

millimetre and verification to the millimetre.

Even deviations can be precisely mapped.”

The benefits for customers are clear. Jo

Derie: “We made the deadline for ProRail

without having to push the machines too

hard. We succeeded in delivering a much

better product, more swiftly and efficiently.

Everyone speaks enthusiastically about it;

the men behind the machines are proud of

their work. The people are getting convinced,

those who support our approach are getting

the upper hand.”

“We quickly earn back what we cost...

and more”

But however much praise they receive,

scepticism remains. The mutterings of men

who swear by surveying pegs, tape measures

and chalk are visibly declining, flaring up

only on rare occasions to former heights;

commercial assertions that these methods

are too costly are holding ground for the time

being. “Quality costs money,” responds one

of the team. Another says: “It’s always the

‘last minute’ aspect though, if we could help

out after all because things aren’t going that

swimmingly.” Jo Derie continues: “We’re

probably a bit on the expensive side still.

But we do eliminate failure costs. If there

are no failure costs, they don’t come into

consideration. I’m convinced we quickly earn

back what we cost... and more. Could it be

done for less? Yes, but then you need to

place it in a broader context. We need to

establish a Europe-wide surveying team, with

people on site working towards the same

objective in the same way. With a centralised

processing unit. We’ve got to get away from

all the fragmentation.”

Whether they still use any of the good old

tools? Mirror callipers, circular slide rule, or

even more old fashioned. Peter de Reu looks

around on his desk: “Sometimes a pencil to

write down a fixed point.”

From left to right: Peter de Reu, Jo Derie, Tom de Strooper and Bart Meeus

About Railways 16 I April 2013 1514 About Railways 16 I April 2013

Only if the mass of paperwork has been approved down to the smallest

detail, will we get the green light to commence with the job of actually

installing the system in 2013. The first of the five phases has the status

of ‘early deployment’ and therefore offers scope for the resolution of

any teething trouble, while also offering drivers and traffic controllers

The CBTC – which stands for Communication Based Train Control –

safety system was to be installed on an autonomous metropolitan rail

network, consisting of four lines comprising a total of 170 km of dual

track and 84 stations. It is known as the S-Bane, and is situated in

Copenhagen.

The system supplier, Siemens, engaged the joint venture Strukton/

Aarsleff to perform the work. The work began by setting up a store-

room for a vast collection of documents: an installation schedule and

a test procedure. Every minute detail of how balises, axle counters,

cables, access to the radio system and the interlocking connection

were to be installed had to be accurately recorded. The customer,

Banedanmark, did not wish to run any risk whatsoever of receiving

claims, once the actual work had commenced.

PaperworkAnother seven years to go. By 2020, the new CBTC safety system is to be operational

on the S-Bane, the Greater Copenhagen suburban (metro) network. Siemens is to

supply the system and Strukton/Aarsleff to install it. The year 2012 was characterised

by meticulous preparation.

It took four months to get the schedule and procedure into order in

theory. Then another four months later, in August 2012, a test track

over a km long line had been set up. Several more months would be

needed to compare the theoretical and practical aspects, so that all

the paperwork might gradually begin to correspond with the actual

reality to be created during the next few years. The workforce of

Strukton/Aarsleff had until the end of 2012 to amend the installation

schedule on the basis of their newly acquired knowledge.

Jens Otto Daugaard is in charge of the venture. “A routine job?

No, anything but. You’re about to install a new system in a business

that is already operating. That’s hardly standard procedure, and

the method we are to employ is also new to us.” He laughs. “It will

become routine, I hope, as we begin to gain more experience.”

CBTC

CBTC and the European safety system ERTMS are like fraternal twins. Both are based on signalling comprising moving blocks.

They similarly facilitate higher train frequency, while offering improved safety and reduced maintenance costs in comparison with contemporary

‘fixed-block’ systems. The crucial difference is that CBTC uses radio signals for train-track communication, while ERTMS uses GSM-R.

This difference makes CBTC ideally suited for (partly) underground metro and light rail networks. ERTMS in turn enjoys preference on (inter)

national rail networks, because it complies with strict regulations pertaining to interoperability, which CBTC does not. CBTC does not require

this additional property, as metro systems are almost invariably insular operations, devoid of connections to external networks.

CBTC made its debut on San Francisco airport’s automatic people mover (APM) network in 2003, rapidly proceeding to prove its reliability

for use on more complex autonomous networks. There are currently six prominent system suppliers worldwide. The system delivered by

Siemens is known as Trainguard MT CBTC. Both the Barcelona metro and the Canarsie Line in the New York City subway were equipped

with Trainguard MT in 2009. And Siemens has since become the system of choice in cities as far flung as Paris, Helsinki, Beijing, Nanjing,

Rennes, Budapest, Guangzhou and Sao Paulo.

the initial opportunity to become closely acquainted with the new

system. This is to take place on the Hilleröd–Jägersborg route, one

of the less vulnerable peripheral lines. The final and most vital part, the

central line between Österport and Vesterport, is not to be tackled

until 2018. The system is to be rendered fully operational in 2020.

The line Hilleröd – Jägersberg, pase 1 in the installation of CBTC

About Railways 16 I April 2013 1716 About Railways 16 I April 2013

1. It’s 13 January 2012, Friday the 13th for the superstitious, when

Strukton Rail GmbH & Co KG first unleashes its high output equipment

on this major renewal project in Stuttgart-Untertürkheim. It’s a wintry

day, much like many others – dry, sunny and cold, with temperatures

around freezing. Good working weather. Regional weather statistics for

the past decade are relatively mild. The pros and cons have been

weighed up: the risks deemed acceptable. You can still weld up to a

few degrees below zero. The immediate prospects are good. At least

for now, it looks set to become warmer rather than colder.

2. Broadly speaking, the job involves mechanically renewing a

10-km stretch of track within a timeframe of six weeks during three

extended periods of line closure. The general plan, three 10-day

marathons from Untertürkheim to Zuffenhausen Station. But the

schedule was soon derailed. Although Deutsche Bahn (DB) only

awarded the contract relatively late, a concrete schedule was ready

at the start of November 2011 to commence operations pretty much

immediately after ringing in the New Year. In the run up to the work,

the men from Kassel put forward several proposals to DB for a more

sustainable approach to soil improvement. Good ideas, thought DB,

and adopted them.

Notes on a bleak undertakingRailway tracks and weather conditions – a bumpy marriage. Ballast becomes icepack.

Diesel oil congeals. Gloves stick to the tracks, frozen solid. When does the job

become hopeless? And then what? Icy cold renewal in Stuttgart.

3. Renewing 10 km of track using heavy equipment.

It all sounds straight forward, with a few bends here and there.

Stuttgart-Untertürkheim is more complicated though.

A short to do list:

a depth of 35 cm

Neckar viaduct

year the exclusive domain of the customer; taken up here in the

specifications as the contractor’s responsibility

All aspects of the work must be carried out on a single track.

The adjacent track will remain operational. It’s busy around Stuttgart.

The sirens are bound to be going off every other minute: passing train

on the adjacent track. Quite a challenge, logistically.

4. At peak times, there will be around forty rail workers on the track.

Equipment needed for the job:

an hour

5. It all starts off well. Weather conditions for the time of year are

normal; in any event, they stay within statistical parameters. Part 1 of

the work is carried out and delivered without a hitch and according to

plan. But then things go wrong during the second line closure.

The temperature rises for a bit and the men have to contend with rain,

hail and snow. Then, from one moment to the next, a Siberian cold

front engulfs Western Europe, with temperatures plummeting to minus

15 degrees Celsius at night. The dirty ballast, saturated with water,

freezes into a solid icepack, rendering the ballast cleaner redundant.

The excavators can’t continue. Railway contractors are used to

challenges, but have never had to deal with anything quite like this

before. Unlike on civil engineering projects, the contractor can’t just

cover up the site. One can’t set up a tent over 3.5 km of track.

And laying down your tools from one day to the next and heading

indoors until the frost thaws is unheard of in the rail industry. Come

what may, the line must be taken back into operation; the schedule

around Stuttgart can’t carry diversions. In consultation with the

customer, a decision is reached to restrict the finishing to an absolute

minimum. Installing drainage would be impossible. People and

machines; pushing it to the limit. It’s no longer a question of wanting

to; it’s one of having to. It has to be done and, for this reason, the

track is delivered ready for use at the given time and handed back to

the traffic controllers.

They performed brilliantly, the men on the line, of that there is no

doubt. But this whole episode has certainly kept many a tongue

wagging.

6. When the line is closed for the third time, work grinds to a complete

standstill. The track bed has become so frozen that the ballast cleaner

jams. The parties involved at the time agree that all the available

technical options have been exhausted. It has become technically

impossible to work in accordance with the required quality standards.

In consultation, work is suspended before reaching a point of no return

and rescheduled for a new, as yet unspecified construction period.

7. Nine months later, in November 2012, the work is rounded off and

delivered without hitch and according to plan. The weather then stuck

nicely to the stats.

“A complex balancing act”

Paul de Haas, managing director of Strukton Rail GmbH & Co KG

in Kassel:

“The contract specifies that the contractor must take account of

weather-related risks. We assessed in advance whether the work

could in fact be carried out in January. The risks seemed acceptable

- at least until everything froze unexpectedly from one day to the

next. It’s a bit like doing the splits; you wish you could flip a switch;

come back once the weather’s better, but you know that’s not

even an option. It proved to be a complex balancing act to get

things done. The line needed to be taken back into service, give or

take a temporary compromise in implementation.

When the weather deteriorated so suddenly, we immediately spoke

to our customer to agree on appropriate measures so that the line

could be taken back into service on time. DB recognises and

acknowledges that under such extreme circumstances, the technical

limits under which work can and may be carried out were by far

exceeded. Technically, we found a way to carry out the work

properly in the end. A job like this teaches you the importance of

good communication with your customer. And that gauging risks

presented by the weather – despite having done so well – can pan

out quite differently in practice. And that in the end it’s always

people’s professionalism and ability to improvise that is decisive if

you want to complete such a project properly and on time, despite

all the setbacks. You get a glimpse of just how much people care

about the work they do. Once again, they managed to join hands

to deliver a useable product on time, despite extreme weather

conditions putting a spanner in the works.”

About Railways 16 I April 2013 1918 About Railways 16 I April 2013

All in all, about 100 people have gathered in

groups at Torsåker station. They are

working together on the project during the

summer weeks of 2012. Employees and

machinery from the Netherlands, project

managers from Sweden and a large number

of employees from various subcontractors.

The freight route extends from Storvik in

Gästrikland to Hallsberg. Strukton Rail

replaces sleepers and rails along the

38 km between Storvik and Morshyttan.

The job also includes renovating four

depots, laying cables along the whole

section and replacing seven sets of points

with accompanying signalling and electrical

works. Strukton Rail has committed several

of its high-output machines to this project:

the renewal train, the ballast cleaner and

MFS units. Naturally, the tamping machines,

ballast ploughs and a track

stabiliser are present as well. The total

contract sum is €30 million.

As soon as the Tåg i Bergslagen commuter

train heading for Gävle has passed, people

and machines start to move. The renewal

train is driven into position and starts work

on putting in the new rails and sleepers.

“The upgrading of this section of railway is

necessary,” says Strukton Rail’s Project

Manager Thomas Carlsson. “It carries a lot

of heavy goods traffic, which places a

heavy load on the tracks. This track has old

wooden sleepers that must be replaced,

and the heavily soiled ballast bed must be

cleaned and partly replaced.”

Old sins

The railway passes through the Iron

Kingdom, Bergslagen, a region that bears

traces of olden times. It was here where the

foundations of Swedish industry were laid,

thanks to the iron ore, the forests and

Tracks through the Iron KingdomMidsummer and it’s the first day of work on the track renewal project between Storvik

and Morshyttan.

hydropower. The oldest findings of processed

iron from this region date back to around

2000 years ago. It was the mining and iron-

processing activities that led to the need for a

railway, and in 1875 the freight track was laid

in its original form.

Traces of the past are uncovered. “The

ballast cleaner encounters large stones in

the ballast bed. We’ve also found really old

sleepers and remnants of steel and even

ancient platforms long hidden from view.

The track might well have been relaid a few

times, but it still covers a few old sins,”

explains Johnny Berg, who is responsible for

the project management in this project.

The track replacement train pulls out of

Torsåker station and makes its way through

the Kingdom of Iron. Torsåker was named

after Thor, the god of thunder, who swung his

hammer while driving his chariot across the

skies. Whether or not it’s Thor causing dark

clouds to gather over the valley, a thunder-

storm breaks out and work has to be stopped

for safety reasons.

The track is available for work for 7 hours a

day, between 09:30 and 16:50 hours. During

these hours, time also has to be set aside for

signalling and electrical engineers to restore

the track to a navigable state before trains

are allowed to use it once more. After all, the

track has to be fully operational again before

17:00 hours.

Languages and dialects

Day 2 starts off with a meeting. Project

management and supervisors gather to

assess yesterday’s work and review deviations

reported by staff. It’s one way of gathering

experiences and learning from situations that

arise during the project. The new day is

planned: what is to be done, in which

sequence and by whom? Discussions take

place mainly in English, occasionally inter-

spersed with Swedish and Dutch phrases

when explanations and terminology make it

necessary. Even among the Swedish rail

workers there are various accents, as they

migrate through the large country to wherever

there’s work to be done on the railways.

Strukton Rail completed the project

according to plan, renewing an average

of 1,000 metres of track each day.

Training for the topSweden is making work of its future. In the autumn of 2011, eleven men and women

entered a trainee programme aimed at making them the future site managers, project

managers and leaders of Strukton Rail.

“We’ve selected the people we want to see as our future executives

and leaders. We recognise their potential and have seized the

opportunity to foster them in our culture. I think this will have a major

impact on our future,” says Robert Röder, Director of Strukton Rail

in Sweden and the driving force behind the trainee programme.

The participants came from all over. Karin Persson, specialist HR

consultant at Strukton Rail explains: “We are looking for people with

strong leadership skills and the right values. They don’t necessarily

need to have experience of the industry – they will get that from us.”

All trainees get their own mentor and project tasks during the two-

year trainee programme. The trainees also take part in developing the

programme in preparation for the next intake in the autumn of 2014.

Both Karin Persson and Robert Röder take part in the joint trainee

sessions. Each trainee works alongside Robert Röder for a period,

accompanies him in his daily work and takes part in board meetings,

project meetings and meetings with government bodies.

“That was my idea,” admits Robert Röder. “I want to get to know

them, see what they’re made of. When they see my work up-close

they also acquire a broader knowledge about the company; they see

how decisions affect the whole organisation, they see things in

context and how we all work towards the same goals. I also get

feedback from the mentors about their everyday work. Personally

I never took part in any trainee programme, but I’ve had good bosses

who have coached me throughout my career. When I was appointed

CEO in 2000, I assigned two external mentors on the company’s

board of directors to monitor my work for eight years. It was the best

decision I ever made in my path towards becoming CEO.”

Many large companies in Sweden have trainee programmes, but

having the mentees accompany the Director through his working day

is – at least in the railway industry – unheard of. There may be an

opportunity for an exchange programme between countries in which

Strukton operates. Robert Röder: “I have spoken to some of my

Strukton colleagues elsewhere in Europe about this. They are

interested in our training programme and an international exchange

programme may be a possibility. I am happy to welcome trainees

from other countries; we need to find competent people in the whole

group, not just in Sweden.”

Fredrik Nilsson: “A personal journey”

Auto mechanic, railway worker, supervisor, since recently mentor of

two future supervisors and soon-to-be project manager. “The step

from blue-collar to white-collar employee is a big one. It’s a personal

journey that you really have to be prepared to take,” reflects Fredrik

Nilsson. “As a supervisor you can’t just walk away from the job at the

end of the day.”

About Railways 16 I April 2013 2120 About Railways 16 I April 2013

Fredrik had hands-on project management experience before joining

the trainee programme. When Robert Röder asked him what his

ambitions were, Fredrik felt that the next natural step would be to

make his project manager role official. “Provided that I would be

properly prepared,” was the condition that he set. “I knew there were

gaps in my knowledge; things I had to learn before I could take the

next step. While I was familiar with the company and the business,

I lacked certain key competences such as business administration

and construction law. And I needed a mentor.”

With the help of the trainee programme and the support of his mentor,

Fredrik has now filled some of his knowledge gaps and more courses

are planned. He’s not yet sure what the future holds in store.

“As Strukton’s first trainee group, we have a kind of ‘guinea pig’ role.

At evaluation sessions and meetings with the HR department we

discuss how the trainee programme can be developed and improved.

There are also plans to start up a training programme for mentors,”

he says. For Strukton, the trainee programme is an opportunity to find

tomorrow’s leaders. Every group includes a natural born leader who

can inspire others. But you need to identify which candidates can and

want to take the next step; those who can shoulder the responsibility

for planning and take the next step towards an executive role. It’s a big

step that has to be thought through carefully. A journey that takes

some people longer than others to make. I have come part of the way,

but I still need more knowledge and help.”

He keeps an open mind to the future. “Right now I enjoy what I’m

doing. I’ve just finished working on a large track renewal project at

Eastern Region, about 200 km north of Stockholm. I’m interested in

marshalling yard work and station rebuilding projects, but I am really

excited about the idea of new construction projects on virgin land

where we won’t disrupt other traffic.”

Victoria Björklund: “Gaining experience with various tasks”

Three steps in the life of Victoria Björklund: first a work placement

period, then a holiday job at Strukton Rail, followed, in 2011, by the

move to participate in the trainee programme. She thinks it’s a great

way to get to know the company and learn the business.

Victoria is a qualified project engineer with a specialty in railways.

Directly after completing her studies, she got a project engineering job

at Strukton in Norrköping, serving as the coordinating link between

supervisors and project managers. She ordered materials, coordinated

technical work and planned track maintenance times for different jobs.

“I was very well looked after,” she says. “My superiors suggested that I

take part in the training programme, as it would improve my opportuni-

ties within the company. And I get to try my hand at various tasks.”

After completing the foundation training, Victoria also took a number

of special training courses tailored to her personal wishes. “We can

influence our own professional development, what we want to

specialise in and which courses we need to take,” she explains.

“I, for instance, have completed a computer course so that I can work

with the Swedish Transport Administration’s system. I also took a

special course in accident site training. This means I am now accident

site manager and report for on-call duty once every five weeks.”

Victoria says the trainee programme is an excellent way to get an

overall picture of the company, both at a track and administrative

level. She has worked alongside supervisors, project managers and

site managers; she has supervised a number of her own projects and

is becoming ever more familiar with how the company works.

With her training period now entering its second year, she is looking to

deepen her expertise, take on more responsibility and work more

autonomously. “For Strukton, the trainee programme is a good way to

single out competent people internally and provide them with the tools

to grow. But it’s also an opportunity to attract people from outside.

People with different backgrounds, maybe from a completely different

industry, younger people who can contribute new ideas and perspec-

tives.”

Victoria Björklund’s ambitions are becoming ever more specific.

“I recently participated in a rail renewal project,” she says. “Managing

large railway projects, that has my special interest”.

Bart van Odijk: “A bridge between Sweden and the Netherlands”

Bart van Odijk and his wife, born and living in the Netherlands, dreamt

of working abroad. At Strukton Rail in Sweden, Bart is one of the more

cosmopolitan participants in the company’s trainee programme. “I am

delighted that Strukton has given me the opportunity and that it views

my background as an asset to the company. I hope to be a cultural

bridge for the company; a person who understands the mentality of

both countries,” he says in fluent Swedish.

When Bart’s previous employer, an engineering firm in the Netherlands,

hired him out to Strukton, he didn’t hesitate. He proudly accepted

Robert Röder’s offer of a place on Strukton’s trainee programme. This

decision was made easier by the fact that his wife, a qualified midwife,

had no problems finding work in Sweden.

Bart is a qualified engineer with eight years of professional experience

before coming to Sweden. He is knowledgeable about Dutch law,

contracts and client/contractor partnerships. As a trainee, in addition to

improving his fluency in Swedish, he also has to learn the Swedish

regulatory system and acquire in-depth knowledge of a number of

Strukton’s projects. “One of which is a project involving Tvärbanan,

one of Stockholm’s new light rail lines. We are building a side-track to

serve as parking space near the station,” he explains. “And I’m

involved in a number of track renewal projects.”

Bart has learned a lot during his two years in Sweden. He sees both

differences and similarities in the mentality of the Swedes and the

Dutch. “One difference is that there is more long-term micro-planning

in the Netherlands. Swedes tend to solve problems as they arise.”

In his second year as a trainee he hopes to gain experience of other

departments, take on more projects and maybe focus more on the

management side of things. During a two-week period, all mentees will

be working alongside Robert Röder in order to gain an insight into his

role. “His agenda then becomes my agenda. All I know right now is

that I’ll need my passport as there may be trips abroad on the hori-

zon,” he chuckles. “As trainees our task is to come up with proposals

that can help him develop his role – which is fairly uncommon in most

trainee programmes.”

Now that your dream of working abroad has been fulfilled, what’s next

on the horizon? Bart takes a moment to think about it, and then returns

to his bridge metaphor. “I would consider a job that involved helping

Strukton grow in Europe. Perhaps as management or maybe in a

partnership project between different countries. Preferably based in

Sweden, but working on assignments abroad.”

About Railways 16 I April 2013 2322 About Railways 16 I April 2013

There it is, high and dry above the 20-metre-

deep North Sea, a mere 30 km off the

German coastline: the topside for the Riffgat

wind farm, designed and constructed by the

Strukton Hollandia JointVenture.

In mid-February, the state-of-the-art Oleg

Perfectly in placeStrashnov crane vessel put the huge

38x34x16.5-metre structure in place on the

jacket foundation already delivered and

installed by the joint venture.

Once connected and operational, the switch-

ing station will transform eco-power from 30

wind turbines – from 3.6 megawatts each

to 155 kilovolts – enough to supply around

120,000 households with green electricity

from summer 2013.

The Strukton Hollandia JointVenture was

awarded the contract by wind farm owner

Riffgat GmbH & Co. KG, a joint venture of the

North German energy supply company EWE

and Enova, project developer and manager in

the field of wind and solar energy since 1989.

About Railways 16 I April 2013 2524 About Railways 16 I April 2013

Lorries are delivering concrete blocks for the platforms. Points and

tracks are being moved. A footbridge over the tracks is under con-

struction. Hästveda is just one of the locations in the region getting

new or refurbished stations – an investment designed to improve

public transport in northern Skåne and southern Småland. The

stations will be served by Pågatåg (Skåne) and Krösatåg (Småland).

Hästveda has been transformed into a busy work site, with new

platforms being built and tracks being rerouted. The whole project is

called Pågatåg North-East and Krösatåg and includes 16 stations

that previously had no passenger exchange, with work scheduled for

completion in 2014. The purpose is to improve regional traffic. Sveab

is the main contractor in charge of platforms and station buildings,

while Strukton is responsible for all track, electrical engineering,

signalling and telecom work. Project management is carried out

jointly by Sveab and Strukton.

On this particular Monday, everyone has gathered in Hästveda for

a work meeting attended by staff from the Swedish Transport

Administration, which is the principal, Sveab and Strukton. Project

work is being carried out according to a new model, known as

extended cooperation, where all parties are involved in the entire

Next stop Hästveda!Hästveda is a small, tranquil town in the south of Sweden. Its old station building has

remained intact and the name of the main street that passes the station is still Eastern

Railway Street. No trains have actually stopped here since 1975. But Hästveda is about

to wake up from its long sleep. Together with 15 other towns it will be opened up to a

larger labour market.

process from the planning phase to completion. “The main difference

between this and the usual performance contract is our involvement

in the planning process,” explains Strukton Project Manager Björn

Österberg. “We contractors attend the weekly planning meeting.

This results in much better forward planning, and we’re able to

influence how tracks are to be laid and suggest changes.”

Hästveda will be getting two new platforms, one at the old station

building and one between the two tracks. Large concrete elements

are being erected for the footbridge over the tracks. Curious local

residents are keeping an eye on construction work through the fence.

Björn Löfgren is one of the local inhabitants who welcomes the new

station: “More commuter services will make life much easier for people

who live here and work in Malmö or Älmhult. The jobs of the future will

all be around the big cities. Now people can stay here and watch their

children grow up in a safe environment,” he says.

Hästveda has a current population of 1,600 with only a limited number

of jobs available locally. There is no local industry whatsoever.

Businesses, local authorities, the Swedish Transport Administration,

and the Skåne and Småland Regional Councils have all lobbied to

enhance regional train services. This is based on the Swedish

Government’s 2010 decision that included

investments in regional train services in

this area in the national plan for the period

between 2010 and 2021. All the stakeholders

have co-financed the project, with local

authorities in northern Skåne and southern

Småland making the largest contributions.

The work is expected to cost €65 million in

total.

“The whole project gives more people access

to a larger job market,” explains Mats Persson,

Deputy Governor of the Regional Council and

Chairman of the Public Transport Committee

in Skåne. “People are often prepared to com-

mute for one hour each way. This expansion

means that people from places like Hästveda

will be able to reach Malmö/Lund and Växjö

in that time.”

150 years have gone by since the first grand

opening of Hästveda Station in 1862. History

is set to repeat itself very soon in Hästveda

after living with its back turned to the tracks

for almost forty years.

About Railways 16 I April 2013 2726 About Railways 16 I April 2013

When Norra Stambanan, the railway network in northern Sweden,

was built 100 years ago, it did not follow the coastline where the

communities, industries and population centres were. Russophobia,

which had been rampant in Swedish coastal areas during the

18th and 19th centuries, meant that it was built several cannon shots

away inland.

The missing linkA cherished dream, a railway along the Gulf of Bothnia that connects Sweden and

Finland, is creeping its way towards becoming a reality. It is, however, still missing

a 270-km stretch, the Norrbotniabanan or North Bothnia Line. The line is

expected to materialise, although no one knows when. It’s a question of money and

priorities.

The dream of a coastline railway unifying Sweden and Finland along

the Gulf of Bothnia has not faded. Slowly but surely this dream is

becoming a reality. The 190-km Botniabanan opened in 2010,

the Ådalsbanan (the Ådalen Line) was upgraded in 2011, and the

Haparandabanan (the Haparanda Line), which connects Sweden and

Finland, opened in December 2012. But there’s a 270-km stretch

missing between Haparandabanan and Botniabanan, linking the cities

of Umeå and Luleå.

A vital section of 270 km, not just for Sweden but also for the rest of

Europe. The EU considers the Norrbotniabanan strategically important

for linking the primary sections of line, the Northern axis and the Nordic

triangle. Stretches of track that form an indispensable part of the EU’s

Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) that must be completed by

2030.

Planning, designing and building a railway line like this will take years.

Today, the government committees on railways (there are six) for

Norrbotniabanan have completed their tasks. Municipalities and busi-

nesses along the line are awaiting the go-ahead to start construction

work as soon as all the environmental assessment work and micro

planning is ready.

Uncertainties surrounding financing

The price tag is expected to be around € 3 billion. EU and regional

funding is available and industries are responsible for building their own

railway sidings and carriages and are prepared to pay rail fees once the

track is completed. The situation regarding financing and scheduling

became uncertain after September 2012 when the Swedish govern-

ment announced ‘historic investments’ along with railways and roads,

earmarking a total investment of more than € 60 billion for the

forthcoming scheduling period. Two railway projects were mentioned in

particular: starting a new high-speed line at Stockholm-Linköping and

phase 1 of the Göteborg-Borås connection. But, again, nothing specific

about the Norrbotniabanan.

There is both professional optimism and frustration at

Norrbotniabanegruppen, the independent interest group made up of

representatives from the region’s municipalities and enterprise, district

councils and county administrative boards who want the line to be

completed. “The main problem for the Swedish government is that

Norrbotniabanan is again not included in the national transport plan,”

says Elisabeth Sinclair, Project Manager at Norrbotniabanegruppen.

The infrastructure budget shows that government is resolved to invest

heavily in the railways. Although this is good news, Elisabeth Sinclair is

disappointed that Norrbotniabanan was not mentioned again. She

hopes to get more news when the final budget is presented. “If the line

is included in the infrastructure bill and we get government’s go-ahead,

we can start work on the first stretch by the end of 2014. It’s not a

question of ‘if’ but ‘when’ the line will be built.”

Needed more than ever before

A large share of Sweden’s key industries – ore, steel and forestry – are

located in the north of the country. Around 90% of the EU’s iron ore

originates there along with a significant part of its copper, gold, silver

and lead stocks too. “Every day, Norrbotten supplies steel equivalent

to one Eiffel Tower going south,” says Elisabeth Sinclair. “Every year,

ore and metal to the tune of almost € 60 billion is processed in

Sweden.” The forestry, ore extraction and steel production industries

are competing for railway space. The slightest disruption to the winding

and hilly single-track Norra Stambanan (the Northern Main Line) has

major economic repercussions, and with new mines opening in

Norrbotten, the railways are needed more than ever before.

All calculations indicate that the railways are socially and economically

profitable. They provide more efficient and less disruption-sensitive

freight transports in the north-south direction. Estimations are that

capacity will increase by 30%, making further regional growth possible.

The 600,000 people who live in the Gulf of Bothnia region will benefit

directly. It is Sweden’s most densely populated region without daily

train connections. Travel times between coastal cities will be halved in

the future. Universities and businesses will find it easier to attract stu-

dents and employees. Tourism will be boosted and carbon emissions

will be cut by around 80,000 tonnes a year.

Elisabeth Sinclair sums it all up: “This is and promises to remain an

exciting journey for us. Norrbotniabanan is about Europe, about

competitive clout, competence management and the environment.

Once the Norrbotniabanan is operational, we’re going to see a real

Klondike type of situation unfolding here – a modern day gold rush.”

But when? “Sometime between 2025 and 2030; probably closer to

2030,” she says. “But that’s only if we can get started now.” And that’s

certainly not the case yet.

About Railways 16 I April 2013 2928 About Railways 16 I April 2013

“We first began working with ProRail when Eurailscout Inspection &

Analysis entered the market around 12 years ago. The old contracts

embraced our comprehensive measurement package: geometrics,

overhead lines, rail measurements (both ultrasonically and, later, using

eddy-current technology), ATB and ultrasonic manual measurements.

That’s what we’ve always done, the rails, two to six times a year;

ultrasonically up to four times a year, depending on the load. That’s

how it went from the start, we were always awarded a new contract.

The advantage being that each year anew, you know that your biggest

customer will still be your biggest customer. The disadvantage for

Eurailscout and customer alike is that with contract renewal being par

A great boostFor years, it was almost a matter of course for Eurailscout’s contract for railway

network measurements in the Netherlands to be renewed. Eurailscout Inspection &

Analysis and ProRail closed a new long-term agreement in the Summer of 2012.

Aad van der Zouwen on the runup to and consequences of the drive for quality

improvement.

for the course, both parties made promises each year and, despite

sharing the ambition to improve things, simply became flooded by

the hectic nature of the job and day-to-day pressures. The world was

changing as a whole, ProRail was changing, we were changing – and

this meant less time or attention for pushing through the intended

improvements. And if you hope to achieve improvements, establish

more efficient processes, then it’s imperative to do so together.

And that’s exactly what we’ve done. We’re planning to work even

more closely and professionally, which will benefit us both,” says

Aad van der Zouwen, Director of Eurailscout, summing up years of

cooperation in the afterglow of a new long-term contract.

ProRail entered into market consultations at the start of 2011 in the

runup to a public tender. Eurailscout had to pit its skills against the

competition in its own back yard. Men of measurements, what are your

views on such a contract? What opportunities and threats do you

perceive? And, one more question, what is it that you actually do? The

consultations led to discussions with three measurement companies.

The outcome showed that Eurailscout had so much more to offer than

the other parties that ProRail aborted the tender process to continue

working with Eurailscout alone.

Not simply a case of copy-paste

Aad van der Zouwen: “In preparation for the discussions, ProRail had

immersed themselves in the material and knew exactly what they

wanted. In the line of ‘I’m going to ask market parties to provide me

services in a commercial setting and I want to specify exactly what

services I require, of what quality and when they are needed, and –

aside from a great price – what I’d like to see in terms of added value.’

This produced a file that surprised us at first. We didn’t just continue

on autopilot, pressing copy-paste on last year’s activities, give or take

a few km of track and a change of frequency. We received a compre-

hensive, highly specific file detailing a strict set of crystal clear require-

ments. Some requirements had been tightened, especially in terms of

coverage ratios, delivery time and demonstrability. New requirements

were also set specifying the timeframe for data analysis and delivery.”

A new set of requirements resulting in new technological challenges?

“Not only technological, but economic too. A higher level of quality in

the form of greater measurement accuracy was requested for a

relatively small section of the package, often coupled with greater

availability and, more often, with the swifter delivery of measurement

results. That’s it for technology. And, purely in economic terms: ProRail

is a big customer, the Netherlands is our domestic market, you

wouldn’t want to lose a big customer, and your domestic market is

your calling card. That’s why it’s also important the contract includes

agreements on working together to enhance efficiency. That gives us a

great boost!”

Precision work at its best

Van der Zouwen refers to the new contract as a ‘boost for quality’ that

will extend beyond the domestic market. “The strength of this is that

we will now create files, shaping processes and procedures directed

at conducting measurements that are demonstrable, clear and

comprehensive. We have to prove that our customer’s requirements

are completely satisfied.

Of course, we can already do this in broad terms. Only now, driven in

part by this contract, the processes will be set up in such a way that

clear insight can be gained at any given moment into everything that is

weighed up, documented, compared and archived in relation to daily

operations. Post-processing will also be boosted because data

elaboration will need to be carried out more effectively and swiftly, with

demonstrable checks to verify measurement validity. We will be creating

a more accurate record of rail components than ever before. This will

be of great benefit to our customers – not to mention ourselves. What

we may previously have aspired to do, will now be integrated into our

business processes. What’s more, we will be able to include being

able to guarantee demonstrability in bidding for contracts in our other

markets. And that we can offer even greater transparency.”

The contract with ProRail started on 1 January 2013 and will run for

three years with an option to extend it twice for consecutive one-year

periods. In 2012, Eurailscout also renewed its contacts with the Danish

railway manager Banedanmark. After a short interlude, during which

Swedish competitor InfraNord got to wave its yardstick around in the

field of geometrics and overhead lines, Eurailscout is back in the

Danish equation with two contracts. Aside from existing ultrasonic and

eddy-current measurements, a further contract has been hammered

out for rail geometrics and overhead lines in the main network for a

term of two years with an option to extend it twice for consecutive

three-year periods. The contract models used by ProRail and

Banedanmark correspond in broad terms. And that’s no coincidence.

Years of careful deliberation in the sub-committees and sub-sub-work-

groups of the standardisation committee of the European Commission

– in this case subgroup 1, workgroup 28 – have borne fruit. Customers

in the various member states have adopted the guidelines on demon-

strability, along with the parameter definitions specifying the related

standard and limiting values. However slowly, and however much

plagued by compromise, the European member states are converging

when it comes to standardisation.

About Railways 16 I April 2013 3130 About Railways 16 I April 2013

And then two ERTMS islands emerged,

Amsterdam-Utrecht and the Hanze Line,

together stretching for around 100 km.

“The problem there being that double

systems had been installed. You can choose:

double systems in the train or double

systems along the tracks. If you install both

ATB train protection and ERTMS safety

control along the tracks, you can travel along

that stretch with conventional trains. But the

costs along the tracks with only ERTMS are

far lower – in my own calculations, more than

50% less – than if you combine a classical

safety system and an entire switching

system. What a pity, because you can’t make

optimal use of ERTMS. What’s more, the

islands are really small in relation to the scale

of our network.”

ProRail, the Dutch Railways (NS) and the

goods transporters first came up with an

integral approach in 2006. The preferred

scenario mapped building ERTMS in to the

trains first and then the tracks. In the process

of adhering to all the red tape, due diligence,

second opinions and sensitivity analyses, the

plan was downgraded to a draft and shelved.

“What a pity. A missed opportunity, I believe.”

What should have happened then?

“I don’t think it was necessary to convert all

the equipment at once. You could also have

started by creating a long corridor featuring

ERTMS between Amsterdam and Eindhoven,

for example, and deploying dedicated

equipment. How much equipment would be

needed? Just equip a limited number of

trains with ERTMS, possibly convertible.

One of the problems, even now, is that you

don’t want to dedicate equipment to a single

corridor; deployment across the Netherlands

is preferable. As a result, you need to convert

far more equipment than strictly necessary

for a long corridor alone. This choice was not

made.”

“Let’s get going as quickly as possible!”Rob Redeker’s business card says

Technical Consultant. He’s the man you

need for advice on anything to do with

signalling systems. He’s been up to his

elbows in it since 1975; first for the

Amsterdam Metro, then for Strukton

Rail. His vision of the (mock) commotion

surrounding the launch of the ERTMS

safety system in the Netherlands.

More than five years ago, the Netherlands was one of the first

countries in Europe to get acquainted with the envisaged European

ERTMS safety system when laying the high-speed line (HSL) to

Belgium and the Betuweroute.

“We weren’t the very first. Switzerland was ahead of us, they were

running a few tests in Germany and Italy was quick off the blocks.

Spain was not one of the first, but sped up with its rollout.”

In any event, the Netherlands was reasonably advanced at that time –

the consequences of which were apparently so shocking that we’re

now among the tail-end Chalies.

“That’s how it looks. Maybe the introduction came at a bad moment.

ERTMS wasn’t fully developed yet, at any rate not for the HSL.

And this had consequences. New versions had to be built in and no

agreements had been reached on the costs. So these got utterly out

of hand. Things went slightly better with the Betuweroute. But the

story with the HSL, well, it struck terror in the industry.”

Another factor compounding the extended

pause was that the Dutch Railways (NS) had

no intention of footing the bill for installing the

safety system in its trains. That’s all well and

good they said, government is asking us to

make commercial choices and we’re not

going down that road.

“NS certainly had a point. Government should

take the lead. I understand NS’ concerns,

being confronted with a mega investment in

equipment. At the very least, a solution

should have been sought.”

Another factor that contributed towards

grounding ERTMS was the idea that it was

ridiculously expensive and would therefore be

economically irresponsible. Amounts totalling

billions were brandished.

“ERTMS is a standard product supplied by

six big groups. In Denmark last year, we saw

that these six push the limits of competition.

Based on two tenders, Denmark will now be

getting ERTMS across its national network for

just over €700 million. As such, the notion

that ERTMS would cost billions in the

Netherlands has been slated, all the more

because the networks in Denmark and the

Netherlands are not dissimilar. Cost expecta-

tions in the Netherlands were extremely high.

Thanks to Denmark, we now understand that

implementing ERTMS in our country would

be possible for less than a billion euros,

which is financially feasible and economically

viable.

And don’t forget to consider the consequences

for maintenance! The maintenance costs

associated with ERTMS are proportionately

far lower because only a fraction of the

current equipment is on or around the tracks.

ERTMS implementation renders many cost

consuming items like ES welding, massive

copper stocks and track coils redundant.

ERTMS will also alleviate existing problems

with train detection systems, falling leaves,

gritting and extreme temperatures leading

to signal failure. We can’t resolve these

problems at the moment, because train

detection forms an integral part of the ATB

train protection system. If you speed up and

introduce ERTMS, it would be no trouble at

all to replace train detection with a new

system – take axle counters for example –

and put all the misery behind you.”

The last counter argument: ERTMS would still

be insufficiently developed.

“Version 2.3.0D is sufficiently stable. It’s

installed along the Betuweroute and is actually

used across Europe. There aren’t any

problems related to stability. So that argument

can’t be used any more. There’s a new

Baseline 3.0 version in the pipeline, but it’s

compatible with its predecessor. Version 3.0

offers a few extra features such as level-

crossing control, but that doesn’t play such

a big role in the Netherlands. A number of

extra brake curves would still be possible and

a cold start would then be easier, but the

benefits would be so small that a number of

companies have said they will already be

focusing on version 2.3.0D.”

In 2012, the cabinet already expressed its

support in principle for the implementation

of ERTMS. This came in response to a

parliamentary rail survey exposing a blend of

rudderlessness and gridlock. The freshly

instated new cabinet pinned a definitive date

to it in November 2012: installation starts in

2016. According to the minister, the solution

must come from within the industry itself.

“Yes, isn’t that brilliant? My proposal?

What I’ve said before: choose a corridor, an

important stretch where the benefits would

best come into their right, and where you can

introduce high speeds and train frequencies

too. Deploy as much dedicated equipment as

possible and get going in this way. Then

make plans to achieve countrywide rollout.

What Denmark’s doing would also be an

option: splitting the rail network into two sets

of specifications.”

About Railways 16 I April 2013 3332 About Railways 16 I April 2013

You have always advocated a quick introduc-

tion of ERTMS. Does this deliver extra work

for you as a contractor?

“Maybe just for the installation, but not for

the rest. On the contrary. The bizarre thing

is that as a contractor we propagate the intro-

duction of ERTMS, while in time we’re actually

shooting ourselves in the foot. Once ERTMS

has been installed, our maintenance volume

will fall considerably. But, there’s no stopping

ERTMS; Europe sensibly reached a decision

to build a uniform system to accommodate

international train traffic. It is safer, shortens

train frequencies, facilitates higher speeds, can

more flexibly combine passenger and goods

traffic flows and it’s far cheaper to maintain.

And to reiterate, it’s stable. It cannot be

sufficiently stressed: ERTMS provides better

quality at a lower cost. So, let’s get going with

that as quickly as possible instead of continuing

to mess around with an obsolete, outdated

system. Strangely, it’s those who stand to profit

least – the maintenance contractors – who are

its biggest proponents: we have to renew it all.

Why? Because, we simply want to deliver a

good train product. A goal, I would say, that

everyone should gladly share. But, as is often

the case, rail is a very conservative world.”

Will the Netherlands have ERTMS by 2030?

He laughs loudly: “I should hope so! If you

decide now to introduce ERTMS, the

throughput time for the Netherlands as a

whole could easily amount to 10 or 15 years,

and that’s pushing it to keep up a healthy

pace. We’re set to start building in 2016, so

you can work it out. If things go well, 2030

should just be possible. But that we now

know for sure that it’s coming – and when –

is fantastic news!”

Beyond borders in three stepsStrukton Rail Equipment is gradually expanding into a single European organisation.

Jacob Zeeman: “We’re well on our way.”

Whether broader politics wants it or not, a

single, indivisible European market is

emerging – slowly but surely. Heavyweight

national companies that do not move with

the times will come off worst sooner or

later. As a matter of principle, Strukton

Rail chose for Europe in 1992, even as a

relatively small player back then.

One of the business units that put a face

to these intentions then and still does

today is Strukton Rail Equipment, which

operates Strukton’s large-scale, state-of-

the-art equipment. Five years ago, one

percent of the turnover of our equipment

was generated abroad. That figure is now

almost 60%. Jacob Zeeman, Director of

Strukton Rail Equipment: “If Strukton had

not taken this step towards inter-

nationalisation, we’d be closing the main

part of our shop now. It’s been a tough

process for our employees, but the rewards

are clear. Internationalisation is seen as an

exciting challenge by many of our people.”

We’ve reached the third step now, with our

field teams engaged on foreign projects

adopting more of an international character

too. This more or less completes the inter-

nationalisation of Strukton Rail Equipment.

Zeeman: “The more intensively our ballast

cleaner, renewal train and tamping machines

are in operation, the higher the yield.

The Dutch market is relatively small, espe-

cially since there’s less to do now and in the

near future. We had to look further afield to

guarantee continuity.”

Steps one and two are behind us. The big

machines involved in renewal projects are all

allowed in countries where Strukton Rail is

active: Sweden, Denmark, Germany, the

Netherlands and Belgium. According to

Zeeman, the last country in the list doesn’t

really count yet, “because Belgium

unfortunately does not see foreign renewal

machines as a real option yet, though the

door is left open a bit, also owing to efforts

made by our Belgian colleagues.”

“But, conversely,” he adds, “we hope to

benefit from the cooperation between

Eurailscout and SNCF. France is an attractive

country for rail companies, but still difficult

for them to get a foothold in.”

About Railways 16 I April 2013 3534 About Railways 16 I April 2013

During the second step, our European

production team focused on projects in

which High Output Equipment (HOE) could

perform optimally. In other words, high

levels of productivity within a short space

of time. And that’s been possible, but only

because Strukton Rail Equipment put feelers

out into the European market in time.

Zeeman: “In 2011, we had only a limited

number of HOE deployments. But we need

at least 100 for a satisfactory return on

investment. And that says it all.”

People and machines

Expectations are high within Strukton Rail

Equipment for a successful conclusion to

the third step – internationalisation of the

team involved within the scope of HOE

projects. Zeeman: “Buying the big machines

is the easy part. You just need a big

bag of money. And you can ship them

abroad, but still have a long way to go. It

all boils down to your employees and the

quality of their expertise. They make the

difference and they have to develop a feel

for the machines. This only happens if you

work with them a lot. And let’s not overlook

all the logistics involved. These projects are

complex and if you have a well-oiled team

with an established routine, you can act

decisively. You can’t just deploy anyone on

projects like these. More to the point, you

want your best people involved.”

By way of illustration, the renewal train

needs a team of twelve, the ballast cleaning

machines and material conveyors a team of

eight (depending on the amount of conveyors)

and the tamping machines require teams of

three or four. Then there’s the project

manager, supervisors, surveying technicians

and others. Zeeman: “You don’t get the

optimal effect if they’re only engaged once

a year to carry out such a complex project.

Where the supervisor may have only executed

one such project in any given year, we take

him on in the team where he is carrying out

mostly projects like this. Local supervisors

can therefore focus on other important parts

of the project. Ultimately, this will have a

favourable impact on quality, lowering failure

costs, reducing coordination hitches and there-

fore generating cost savings.”

But where’s the real need to implement

projects with a representative international

team? Surely, this only leads to confusion?

Zeeman’s not afraid of this in the least:

“They all speak ‘machine’. It’s a universal

language. And if required, the team mem-

bers get the opportunity to follow extra

training in English. No, the need arises from

being able to deploy the selfsame team in

multiple countries. Then it’s incredibly handy

if there’s always someone in the team who

speaks the local language. This simplifies

communication, also with Strukton Rail’s

local establishment. We want to be able to

take maximum advantage of the knowledge

available there, because each country, how-

ever European, does have its own technical

requirements and contracts. To this end, you

need to communicate in the local language,

even as a team.”

‘Best renewal project ever’

Last summer, it was the first time for Strukton

Rail Equipment to work with a multinational

team like this renewing an important stretch of

track in Sweden. Aside from a Swedish

contract manager and project manager, a

Dutch project manager was engaged on the

big machines with a German supervisor, while

a mix of staff from Sweden, Germany and the

Netherlands operated the machines. Zeeman:

“It went well. The customer said it was the

best renewal project ever. A genuine boost for

the entire team.”

Zeeman intends to push through further inter-

nationalisation with vigour. For example, part

of the German machine team with its

Bauleiters – generally brilliantly trained crafts-

men – will be added to the Dutch team.

He does not rule out that another team will

internationally specialise in points renewals.

“And we are making efforts to implement

standard working methods, aiming to make

unnecessary improvisation history”.

In summary, Zeeman concludes that taking

the initiative to change course five years ago

is developing in the right direction. A higher

utilisation rate, delivery of a better quality

product and fewer disruptions – and all this

at a lower cost. “Internationalisation has also

significantly strengthened ties between the

respective Strukton establishments. We are

now utilising our colleagues’ know-how and

knowledge far more, especially in Germany

and Sweden.”

Despite the positive developments, the market

has shown its dark side in recent years. The

biggest problem being overcapacity. Zeeman:

“Budgets are being slashed in many countries.

ProRail’s reserves are far smaller in 2013, so

that will be a difficult year in the Netherlands.

Germany also appears to be treading water for

the time being. I can only see lots of potential

for Sweden at the moment. This has all

brought loads of pressure to bear on prices.”

Jacob Zeeman has a clear vision of develop-

ments in the future. “The single European

market is evolving. It’s a good thing that within

Strukton Rail we’re growing towards becoming

a single European organisation. We’re well on

our way now.”

“Patience is very important”The horizons of Silvio Gehde, supervisor

Nobody has seen the horizon change quite

as dramatically as Silvio Gehde. Until the

age of 14, the 36-year-old Bauleiter was

still a citizen of East Germany. His line of

vision extended no further than the East

bloc – the world beyond appeared closed

off forever. The only foreign language he

spoke was Russian. Compulsory.

Nowadays, Gehde works throughout

Northwest Europe. And as a member

of the international team implementing

projects in a range of countries on

behalf of Strukton Rail Equipment using

high-output equipment, he’s following

supplementary classes in English.

He comments: “I think internationalisation

is enormously interesting on a personal and

professional level. It teaches you so much.”

Silvio was born and bred in Naumburg, in

the proximity of Leipzig. After secondary

school, he studied building engineering in

Erfurt. He did his traineeship at the depart-

ment of road and hydraulic engineering of

the former Reisse in Erfurt. The meeting

went so well for both parties that Silvio

was invited to stay and, even before he

qualified, he completed a project there.

“Actually,” he says, “I worked more than

I studied after my traineeship.”

Using the evenings, he still managed to

complete his studies within the allotted time-

frame. And, he’d moved from the department

of road and hydraulic engineering to the

rail-engineering department. He’s still with

the same department, as a Bauleiter – the

German word for site manager or supervisor.

Silvio: “In Germany, the contractor carries

final responsibility for a project’s

implementation. He prepares the project,

implements it and concludes it, also carrying

responsibility for its financial management.

An all-encompassing position, absolutely.”

His last project was the first one in which

Strukton Rail Equipment provided the blue-

print for the operational organisation of the

future. Three different nationalities were in

the team for the Swedish project, with Silvio

as captain of the big machines. Right up his

street, he says, “because I’m fascinated by

the big machines, and certainly in an

international perspective – I’m a willing

participant.” He learned a lot working in

Sweden. “The first thought you have to let

go of is ‘at home we do it differently.’ That

doesn’t work. Things are done differently in

every country. You must set aside enough

time to understand this, to be open to it.

Patience is very important then. And com-

munication. The need for communication is

far greater than usual.”

At the same time, he’s convinced that you

stand to learn a lot working in an international

context. “They do this better here and they

do that differently there. It’s a question of

picking out the best elements; learning

about the best practices as it were.”

Silvio Gehde is enthusiastic about the

internationalisation of Strukton. “More work,

new markets, and it makes you more

competitive. Your experiences abroad make

you stronger.” And his personal ambition

goes beyond reigning over the big machines.

Ultimately, Silvio Gehde hopes to carry final

responsibility for projects in their entirety.

Not that far-fetched for someone whose

horizons are always broadening.

About Railways 16 I April 2013 3938 About Railways 16 I April 2013

The faces had already been beaming with joy, long before the Hanze Line was actually handed

over. It had been a model project and one of considerable stature, too: design & construct,

multidisciplinary, integrated. And it had been executed in equally exemplary fashion: according

to schedule, within budget, in ample time and laid as sustainably as possible into the bargain.

“All the milestones were passed with flying colours,” Harold Verbruggen enthused. From start to

finish, he represented Strukton Rail as Operational Manager in HanzaRailTeam, the partnership

comprising Strukton Rail, VolkerRail, Arcadis and Alstom, which designed and built the new

railway line. In fact, even the customer saw the sunny side at quite an early stage of the

proceedings. ProRail’s Project Manager, Jaap Balkenende, blogged in March 2012 that

everything was going swimmingly. “Things are running so smoothly, in fact, that I was able to

take three months’ leave last summer to embark on a long-distance sailing trip.” And at the

time he wrote, there were still nine months to go before the official opening.

A new connection between the North and West of the Netherlands, unchallenged throughout

the nation, 50 km of dual track between Lelystad and Zwolle, featuring both the ATB and

ERTMS safety systems. The civil engineering part of the project commenced in 2006, and the

rail construction in 2010. And then, one day, the entire process was complete. On 30 June

2011, everything included in the drawings was in place: the railway bed, ballast, sleepers, rails,

points, portals, overhead power lines, substations, power, balises, cables and signals. Finished,

and everyone was satisfied.

What next? Well, that’s when the fun started: an apparently endless series of tests to establish

whether all of the systems were working properly, first independently, then jointly. These are

known as site integration tests, neatly numbered in packages from one to three. We’ll review

them one by one shortly. However, a problem had arisen that had to be resolved first.

The Hanze Line, the prologueThe Hanze Line was

commissioned in December

2012. The laying of this

connection between the

North and West of the

Netherlands had already

been completed 16 months

previously. What had been

going on in the meantime?

Testing, testing, testing and

the icing on the cake.

During the course of time, various parts of the

line had subsided. And while this was not

unexpected, the extent to which it occurred

certainly surprised some people; it had even

sunk up to eight centimetres on certain

stretches of peat bog. In fact, even the

stretches that had been excavated down to

the Pleistocene stratum still subsided by two

to three centimetres. Instructions were

therefore issued to tamp the entire route

once more. Strukton’s CSM tamping machine

effectively handled a total of some 230 km of

track again, layer upon layer, on a stretch of

dual track measuring 43 km. By the end of

December 2011, they had completed the job.

The initial tests

At the same time others were already

performing site integration test 1. Question:

do all the systems do what they are supposed

to on a stand-alone basis? Answer: yes, no

problem whatsoever, just a few minor adjust-

ments to be made. Conclusion according to

the protocol, September 2011: “Tested and

proven that the system and all subsystems

covered by the scope of the contract in

question operate properly and meet all the

requirements as stand-alone systems.”

Next stage: to connect the whole shebang to

the existing lines in the area of Amsterdam

and Zwolle and check whether the whipper-

snapper known as Hanze Line behaves as it

should, hand in hand with its more mature

companions. For instance, you need to know

that if someone at Rail Traffic Control in

Amsterdam throws a switch to move points,

then the appropriate set – say, in Lelystad –

is actually activated. Trains have to be able

to run along the line from A to B without

encountering any problems. The ERTMS

supplied by Alstom also needs to be fully

compatible with other contractors’ GSM-R

antennas. Eurailscout’s measurement trains

have to confirm that the overhead power lines

have been properly strung, while the track is

also suitably level after all the additional

tamping it has undergone. Brake tests.

Connecting the current to the overhead line,

and checking what happens if you simulate

a short circuit in a substation. How do the

switches respond in that case? Are they

tripped at the appropriate levels of under and

overvoltage? Yes, Harold Verbruggen

remembers well that there was one minor

point. “A switch had not been set quite

correctly.” And after six months’ work, site

integration test 2 was concluded on 31 March

2012, having proved that “the integrated

operation of the Hanze Line system and all

subsystems was suitable for all operational

scenarios, and had been issued a statement

by the certifying body, ISA-NOBO, devoid of

objections.” The next day, the line was

formally integrated in the national network:

the Hanze Line was now fully operational,

but had yet to be taken into service. From that

moment on, it would serve as a testing

ground for both the management authority

and carriers for several months to come.

Site integration test 3 was then to follow: the

opportunity to play with a life-sized train set,

the ultimate dream of every railway buff.

Passenger trains had now become a standard

feature of day-to-day operations. However,

this was all part of a calculated approach to

some spine-chilling scenarios. The simulation

of nightmarish scenes. Sending trains head-on

towards one another just to see if they would

stop in time, only in a virtual setup. Simulating

a complex disaster. Train spotter Stefan Verkerk

was an eye-witness, and reported on the

scenes he saw towards the end of April 2012

on the Internet:(1)

A major disaster

“Last Saturday, the Drontermeer Tunnel

served as the backdrop for a major disaster

exercise. All of the emergency services in the

safety regions were deployed: dozens of fire

engines, ambulances and police cars

proceeded to both ends of the tunnel to

participate in the largest emergency services

exercise to be held for several years. At seven

thirty-seven in the morning, the communi-

cations centre received the first simulated fire

alarm. At the scene, it transpired that one

passenger train had been derailed, a goods

train carrying hazardous goods had sprung a

leak and another passenger train was involved

in the incident. A total of over 200 emergency

services personnel, 40 vehicles and 100

‘victims’ took part in the exercise. The special

deployment medical assistance group and

ambulance teams from the safety regions were

deployed. The teams had also set up tents in

which to treat victims.”

There was, however, no emergency whatso-

ever, as the incident had been pure fiction,

February 2012: first ERTMS test runs with Strukton loc Danique

April 2012: disaster exercise at the Drontermeer tunnel

About Railways 16 I April 2013 4140 About Railways 16 I April 2013

designed to serve as a highly essential dress

rehearsal for the type of disaster one never

wants to experience. Agreeing on who organ-

ises and who assumes responsibility for what.

How to arrive at the scene as soon as possi-

ble, how to access a tightly secured structure,

which fire-fighting equipment is needed where

and when, how to respond on encountering

victims. Procedures and processes. All these

and more factors had to be taken into consid-

eration and incorporated in the umpteenth

scenario to be compiled. And then all that

remains to do is hope the emergency services

never encounter them again in practice.

Each consecutive step nevertheless brought

things closer to the mundane. ‘Look,’ train

spotters urged one another in the spring,

proudly showing the first pictures they had

taken of passenger trains running on the

Hanze Line. Trial runs. Later, during the sum-

mer months of 2012, things would really start

moving. ‘Running according to the timetable,’

departing from Zwolle and proceeding to

check whether the pen-pushers had correctly

calculated the arrival time in Kampen included

in the new timetable. Then pausing for three

minutes to allow dozens of invisible passen-

gers to embark, before departing once more;

back and forth, time and time again. Here’s

another: train departs from a station, encoun-

ters a hold-up and is allocated an alternative

route. Will it work? By the close of June 2012,

site integration test 3 had been completed and

so had the work of the contractors’ consortium,

although they did remain on stand by at this

stage, for the sake of security. The protocol

conclusion proved remarkably brief in relation

to the previous two: “Operational procedures

and processes completed.”

A kind of school trip

From that moment onwards, the consortium

had the chance to take a breather, enjoying

the opportunity to view matters from a con-

venient branch line. However, the big day was

steadily approaching. No bears in the middle

of the road? Contractors know all about bears

on the road; they never actually look like

bears, but are nevertheless instantly recog-

nisable. Harold Verbruggen didn’t spot any,

thankfully. And although there was one

unexpected change, even he wouldn’t have

the gall to call it a teddy bear. “The customer

tightened its requirements, deciding that

over 400 ERTMS transponders needed to

be moved after all, some of them as far as

several metres. Once these had been moved,

specially adapted software also had to be

installed and tested once again, which took

another week and a half. It was a major

amendment, but nothing to get really anxious

about.” It was simply additional work, nothing

to do with bears at all. And by September

2012, this work had also been completed.

In the meantime a proper party had been held

in June. It was actually more a compulsory

component of the test schedule, but of the

kind which only needs the slightest dab of

make-up to turn it into an exclusive school

trip. Because she finally made an appearance:

a genuine high-speed train. It had taken quite

some time to find a suitable one, fast enough

and equipped with ERTMS level 2. Requests

had been issued far and near, but there simply

wasn’t one available in the Netherlands.

Finally, however, late in the afternoon of

Monday, 4 June, the ICE 70152 bearing the

nameplate ‘Frankfurt am Main’ tiptoed onto

the Hanze Line in her stocking feet. A real

looker, slim and white, and about as rare in

this neck of the woods as a pink pelican on

the island of Texel. The train spotters went

ballistic. They knew that they would only have

three days to snap pictures of the ICE maiden,

preferably in sharp focus with an equally

sharp contrasting background, so that you

would hardly notice she was doing two ton at

the time. After all, the chances of them ever

spotting an ICE here again were pretty slim to

say the least. Just three days’ time for eight

trial runs therefore. Would the new safety

system allow this slick lady to get up to 200

kph without any hiccups? Would the lay of

the track allow her to hug it tightly at such

high speed?

A poignant moment

The real party highlight was that three select

parties of just a few dozen people in total

were given the opportunity to experience first

hand the thrill of speed, on three of the eight

runs. The VIPs went first, followed by the

press, while the third trip was set aside for

staff, the men and women who had actually

built the line. This certainly had something of

the atmosphere of a school trip. Everybody

was enthusiastic, cheerful and contented, and

they emerged from the train just as happy as

they’d boarded. Calling it a school trip is a bit

below the belt, however, in Harold Verbruggen’s

opinion. “It was a highly significant milestone,

particularly for those who were involved in the

project. We all did our utmost to ensure that it

would prove successful. And if you are then

among the lucky few who are the first to do

200 on the stretch of line… well, it was a

poignant moment.”

The success story just seemed to go on and

on. ICE emerged from the Drontermeer

Tunnel, bound for Kampen. You could feel her

accelerate, but had little inkling of just how

fast you were going. She was as smooth as a

baby’s bottom, gliding like a snooker ball

across a match play cloth. You only realised

how fast she was actually travelling on look-

ing out of the window and noticing that she

easily outstripped the cars on the motorway

in the distance. What a terribly comfortable

means of transport this was. The Hanze Line

had passed with flying colours, flying even

more proudly than they had all those months

ago. ERTMS in perfect working order. The lay

of the track was validated. A top speed of

203 km per hour had been clocked. On the

radio,(2) ProRail’s Project Manager, Wim

Bakker, strung together one heartfelt superla-

tive after the other: excellent, wonderful, fan-

tastic, thrilling, and sensational. So smooth

and comfortable that you hardly notice the

speed. “The icing on the cake.”

During the intervening months, it was the turn

of the carriers. Back and forth, just playacting,

but learning at the same time. Clocking up

the hours, familiarising themselves.

This phase is known as ‘preparation for

commissioning’. And although no final date

had been set to commission the line, they

would actually be ready to do so as soon as

hundreds of train drivers were available to

run a service according to the formal timetable:

two intercities and two sprinters an hour.

And they were certainly prepared ahead of 6

December, as this was the day on which Her

Majesty, Queen Beatrix officially opened the

Hanze Line.

Nothing was allowed to queer the pitch.

ProRail and NS, railway manager and opera-

tor, always back in the row when it comes to

compliments, wanted to enjoy this moment of

carefree pride and joy. And they could. Her

Majesty brought her smile and pressed a red

button. The queen and dignitaries stopped at

all stations. Children read poems – train

rhymed with gain and sustain. Even the

weather, mostly the potential enemy, was

generous. The royal train passed through a

landscape that was powdered with fine snow

along the line. This time, snow was not a

byword for delay but for fairy tale. It could not

have been better, this one Thursday morning

in December.

(1) www.hanzelijn-hattem.nl, 24 April 2012

(2) BNR news radio, 7 June 2012

June 2012: test run with ICE 70152 ‘Frankfurt am Main’

About Railways 16 I April 2013 4342 About Railways 16 I April 2013

Strukton Rail bv

Westkanaaldijk 2, 3542 DA Utrecht, The Netherlands

telephone +31 (0)30 240 72 00

e-mail: info@struktonrail.com

internet: www.struktonrail.nl

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.strukton.se

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 +39 051 32 34 24

internet: www.clfspa.com

Eurailscout Inspection & Analysis bv

Berkenweg 11, 3818 LA Amersfoort, The Netherlands

telephone +31 (0)33 469 70 00

Torellstrasse 1, 10243 Berlin, Germany

telephone +49 (0)30 293 808-50

internet: www.eurailscout.com

For further addresses and contact details please refer to Strukton Rail’s

website: www.struktonrail.com

Strukton Rail develops, builds, renews

and maintains rail and electric systems.

The organisation designs, builds and

installs custom-made technologies, which

have proven to contribute to the safety,

reliability and sustainability of railways,

rolling stock and electro-technical

infrastructures.

All efforts are aimed at making railway

transport more attractive and competitive.

Strukton Rail provides systematic

online insight into the status of system

components, both for management

organisations and for its own operational

disciplines. The principle is 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. Technical

specialists work permanently on

improving and refining inspection

systems, monitoring systems, data

capturing, maintenance concepts and

asset management.

The company has long-term operations

in Sweden, Denmark, Germany, the

Netherlands, Belgium, France and Italy

and works on projects and products far

beyond Europe. Its main assets are its

more than 3,000 employees and its

modern, full-service equipment.

Strukton Rail has been writing history

for over 90 years. The organisation is

part of Strukton Groep.

Gert Jansen (p. 28)

KieF photography (p. 22, 23)

Jeroen de Lange (p. 4)

Carry van der Maas (p. 6, 8, 30, 32, 36)

Foto Eppo Notenboom (p. 23)

Ryno Quantz (cover, p. 18)

Elisabeth Sinclair (p. 27)

Skeyes/Seaway Heavy Lifting (p. 23)

Aat Stout (p. 36)

Ronald Tilleman (p. 10)

Peter Thornvik (p. 14)

Martin Uitvlugt (p. 12)

Stefan Verkerk (p. 38, 39, 40)

Paul Vreuls (p. 35)

LAYOUT/POSTPRODUCTION

More than Live, Rotterdam

PRINTING

Quadraat, Oud-Beijerland

CONTRIBUTORS

Niklas Andersson, Bas Beltman (Eurailscout), Johnny Berg, Dominique Bex,

Victoria Björklund, Rudi Broekhuis, Caterina Cristallo (Clf), Jens Otto Daugaard,

Joost Delwel, Jo Derie, Ronny Fredriksson, Silvio Gehde, Paul de Haas, Géraud

Lausseur (Clf), Björn Löfgren, Jan van Losser, Bart Meeus, Jochen Meister,

Fredrik Nilsson, Bart van Odijk, Jan Oosterlaak, Björn Österberg, Rudy Oude

Vrielink (A1 Electronics), Karin Persson, Mats Persson (OV Skäne), Rob Redeker,

Tim Redelijkheid, Peter de Reu, Robert Röder, Elisabeth Sinclair

(Norrbotniabanegruppen), Tom de Strooper, Harold Verbruggen, Karel Vroom,

Roel Westenberg, Ed Wigman, Aad van der Zouwen (Eurailscout)

COLOPHON

About Railways is a Strukton Rail publication

which appears once a year

CONCEPT/EDITOR

Martin Uitvlugt, The Hague

PRODUCTION/COORDINATION

Irene van Dam-Aaldijk

PRODUCTION NORDIC

Lisa Hellkvist

EDITORIAL CONSULTANTS

Aike Schoots, Jacob Zeeman,

Diederik Schonebaum

EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS

Clf, Bologna (p. 9)

Cerca Media, Hölö (p. 18, 24)

Gunilla Schönning, Stockholm (p. 19, 26)

Paul Vreuls, Amsterdam (p. 33, 36)

TRANSLATIONS

Accuwrite English Language Services,

Kevin N. Martley, Middelie

PHOTOGRAPHY

Stig Almqvist (p. 21)

Cerca Media (p. 25, 33)

Clf (p. 9)

Melker Dahlstrand (p. 19, 20)

Taco Hoitsma (p. 16)