German Profile - Global Railway Review...The company originated as a specialized Machine manufacturer and has developed considerable technical experience in Machinery and Roll Forming,

www.europeanrailwayreview.com Issue 2 2014

JOIN US AT:Austrian Rail

Development 201411 June 2014, Vienna, Austria

See Page 28

GermanProfileAssessing DB’s latestdevelopments and how is Leipzig’s new city tunnel performing?

Scandinavian ProgressJan Schneider-Tilli, Banedanmark’s Project Director for thenew Copenhagen–Ringsted line and Anne Siri Haugen,InterCity Project Director at Jernbaneverket

BogieTechnologyA special supplement focusing onimproving bogie design and performance

Celebrating 20 years of working together in rail

Quality Solutions for Tomorrow’sRailway Electrification

Based on the accumulated experience and technical know-how in the field of Steel Fabrication andAssembly, SHC has successfully completed a number of challenging projects for the global market as a top world class player.

SHC is capable of designing TOOLS: Forming Rollers,Punching, Notching, Cutting Molds, processing ROLL FORM production, and WELDING. The companyoriginated as a specialized Machine manufacturer andhas developed considerable technical experience inMachinery and Roll Forming, this allows SHC to solveany problem at site to achieve the optimum profilesections according to design drawings

SHC engineering department also helps our clients todevelop the ideal profiles by providing technicalsupport and assistance.

ROLL FORMINGBody Structure of Railway Vehicles

SHC HEAVY INDUSTRY Co., Ltd is specializes in manufacturing Rail Car Steel Structures by a Roll Forming process and its Welded Assemblies for Passenger and Wagon cars.

UNDER FRAME, ROOF , WALL ROLL FORMED SECTIONS

VISIBLE BODY SIDE ROLL FORMED SECTIONS

SHC Heavy Industry Co., Ltd.45-22 Dock Jung-Ri, Jang An-myun, Hawsung, Kyeong Ki, Korea Tel: +82 31 354 8196 Fax +82 31 354 8199 www.shchi.co.kr e-mail: [email protected]

WELDED ROOF ASSEMBLY STRUCTURE consists of three items:

UNDERFRAME:SIDE SILL ASSEMBLY

1. ROOF CORRUGATION: ROLL FORMED

2. ROOF CARLINE:STRETCH FORMED

3. CARLINE OUTER:ROLL FORMED

ROOF STURCTURE:CANTRAIL ASSEMBLY

DOUBLE DECKWELDED STRUCTURE

SHC develops Welding Assembly Instructions, Weldingprocedures and Quality Control tests to ensure that allAssembly parts are produced with consistency for:● Procurement of Raw materials and Primary parts● Production of Roll Formed profile sections● Design, Manufacturing and Commissioning of Jigs

and Fixtures● Development of Weld Procedure Standard, WPQR,

and Welding Map● Development of Manufacturing documents● Manufacturing Mock-Up and the First article for a

customer’s Inspection

WELDINGAssembly Structure of Rail Car

SHC manufactures wide range of Roll Formed & its WELDED sections for the structures of trains, such as Underframe, Roof assembly and Wall assembly with its visible parts of a train such

as Body Side sections according to a customer’s specification.

WELDED ASSEMBLY PARTS

HITACHI INNOVATIONCLASS 800 INTERCITY EXPRESS TRAINS

UK MANUFACTURING We’re investing in Britain and Britain’s railways. Our new state-of-the-art

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about Hitachi Innovation in the UK and to follow our progress, visit our website.

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European Railway Reviewwww.europeanrailwayreview.com 3 Volume 20, Issue 2, 2014

The Parliament’s Transport and TourismCommittee approved the 4th Railway Packageon 17 December 2013, but this was insufficient toprotect the Governance Section when it came to the floor of the main house. Rather than pushit through, the Parliament accepted amend -ments promoted by the Community of EuropeanRailways (CER) to preserve the status quo.

Big state railways had been lobbying hard and it had been widely thought that theFrench and Germans might act in the EuropeanCouncil to prevent the Governance Section fromcoming into force, but in the end it never got thatfar. The Parliament killed it first.

According to the Rail Freight Group (RFG),‘the result is to allow the big incumbent railwaysto continue to behave in a monopolistic manner’,allowing financial flows between incumbentoperators, infrastructure managers and holdingcompanies. This way there may be a hiddensubsidy to incumbent operators, who can thencompete unfairly with new entrants.

For instance, the European Commission (EC)pointed to an example in Saxony Anhalt wherestate railway Deutsche Bahn won a passengeroperating concession on the basis of a promise toprotect the region against any increase in trackaccess charges for 15 years. It was not a difficult

pledge to make, as the company would be able to take money from increased track accesscharges out of its infrastructure unit pocket andhand them back to the region through itsoperating unit. Only an integrated company cando this, putting a private sector competitor at a disadvantage.

With the Governance Section thrown out,there is nothing to stop integration of aninfrastructure manager and incumbent trainoperator, and this is already planned in France. A big state railway could help finance theinfrastructure manager, gaining priority in the allocation of paths, promoting favouritismover charging.

This is a disaster when it comes to efforts todraw private finance into EU railways. Newentrants will run away as they will fear thatincumbents could kill their business.

Experience in the UK, where the rail freightmarket open to competition, suggests thatliberalisation can do wonders for rail’s marketshare against other modes: in that country railfreight has grown by 60% in the past 10 years. By contrast, in France, where the state railway(aided and abetted by the state itself) has doneall it can to keep competitors out, rail freight hashalved in the same period. The RFG berated the

MEPs that sunk the Governance Section, saying ‘itseems they would rather see their rail trafficdecline than open it to fair competition’.

Other parts of the 4th Railway Package willhelp bring in common standards and otherbenefits of interoperability. One key issue isauthorisation of new rail vehicles. The EC pointsout that procedures to authorise new rail vehiclescan last up to two years and cost up to €6 million.

With authorisation procedures varyingbetween countries, manufacturers have to go through several different national processesfor the same piece of equipment. ‘Stake-holder figures suggest procedural authorisationcosts account for up to 10% of costs of loco -motives per country, so authorisation of vehiclesfor use in up to three member states couldconstitute 30% of the purchase price’, says theCommission. Nonsense?

The aim instead is that over a period of four years the European Railway Agency shouldtake over authorisation, managing it centrally – a sensible way to go – but the Council and the Commission have to agree the way forwardwith the Parliament. This is not as controversialas the Governance Section and hopefully a wayahead can be found, but there remains thepotential for delay.

INTRODUCTION

James Abbott Technical Editor, European Railway Review

Is the 4th RailwayPackage in trouble?

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Railway liberalisation in the European Union took a big step backwards in February when the European Parliamentthrew out the Governance Section of the 4th Railway Package – built on earlier EU legislation requiring staterailways to be split into infrastructure and operating units. The new section looked for total separation of aninfrastructure manager from all operators. If that was not possible, it would have instead required strong Chinesewalls to prevent hidden subsidies or confidential information passing between the two, or transfers of staff.

Harsco RailA world class solution for track maintenance and construction.

Harsco Rail is a global leader for railway track maintenance and construction. Harsco Rail engineers high quality equipment, cutting-edge technology, and global support, taking care of customers’ needs for virtually all major aspects of track maintenance and construction for over 100 years. Engineering innovation and performance, Harsco Rail meets the demands of the track every day.

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ENGINEERING INNOVATION AND PERFORMANCE

3 INTRODUCTIONIs the 4th Railway Package in trouble? James Abbott, Technical Editor, European Railway Review

9 FOREWORDDeveloping the vision and strategy for Europe’s future rail systemSimon Fletcher, Coordinator – Europe, UIC

10 NEWS

15 GERMAN PROFILEGermany: the shop window for the worldwide rail industryRonald Pörner, Managing Director, German Railway Industry Association

19 GERMAN PROFILEDB investment boosts manufacturers James Abbott, Technical Editor, European Railway Review

23 GERMAN PROFILELeipzig’s new city tunnel – the backbone of a new networkOliver Mietzsch, General Manager, Greater Leipzig Railway Authority Association

26 GERMAN PROFILENETINERA to start four new routes in 2014Jost Knebel, CEO, NETINERA Deutschland GmbH

29 SIGNALLINGStatus of ETCS in AustriaManfred Pisek, Leader of the Operational Requirements ManagementDepartment, ÖBB Infrastructure, and Stefan Gaider, ETCS Infrastructure ProjectLeader – Engineering Services, ÖBB Infrastructure

33 TURKEYMarmaray Project: a 153-year-old dream becomes realitySüleyman Karaman, Director General and Chairman of the Board, Turkish State Railways

39 BOGIES/WHEELSETS SUPPLEMENTFLEXX Eco – the leading lightweightpassenger bogie designEddie Searancke, Deputy Head of Engineering – Bogies Division, Bombardier Transportation


CONTENTS

For more than 60 years, Lamifil has beenmanufacturing a comprehensive range ofoverhead wire for railway electrification –

from urban transport systems to high-speeds networks. The products cover

the entire spectrum: contact wire;messenger wire; feeder cable; and

dropper wire. To complete the picture,Lamifil manufactures a wide range of

aluminium (alloy) conductors.

Lamifil – your ‘one stop shop’ for acomplete range of bare conductors used

in railway electrification.

www.lamifil.be

COVER SPONSOR...

Editorial BoardLibor LochmanExecutive DirectorCommunity of European Railway and InfrastructureCompanies (CER)

Robin GisbyManaging Director, Network OperationsNetwork Rail

Alex HynesManaging Director, Northern Rail

Alex VeitchEuropean Affairs and Sustainability ManagerRail Delivery Group

Andrew McNaughtonChief Engineer & Technical DirectorHigh Speed Two Ltd

Poul FrøsigSenior Adviser on Transportation, EUInteroperability, Signalling and Control Systems

OPTIMISING EUROPEAN RAILWAYSAcross most of Europe, railway signals are to be replaced to optimise and harmonise railway operations.

COWI has acquired Danish railway consultancy Apsilon,which has specialised within signalling, ERTMS and remote control systems for optimising railways in Europe and Scandinavia.

Signalling systems are the backbone of day-to-day railway operation, and with Apsilon, we can create strong synergy effects and strengthen our railway activities in the Scandinavian and European markets.

Explore us at www.cowi.com

42 BOGIES/WHEELSETS SUPPLEMENTThe importance of instrumented wheelsets – accuracy is keyEduardo Elizalde Urdian, Senior Engineer – Structural Testing, CETEST, and Julen Garzo Hernandez, Senior Engineer – Field Testing, CETEST

47 BOGIES/WHEELSETS SUPPLEMENTSafety of the railway axle: the last mile for EURAXLESRaimund Abele, Chairman of the EURAXLES Steering Committee and Léa Paties, UNIFE Project Manager and EURAXLES Project Coordinator

51 DENMARKThe New Line Copenhagen–Ringsted: best-in-class constructionJan Schneider-Tilli, Project Director, Banedanmark

54 NORWAYInterCity: transforming Eastern NorwayAnne Siri Haugen, InterCity Project Director, Jernbaneverket

58 SAFETYSafeguarding the Norwegian railway networkErik Ø. Reiersøl-Johnsen, Director General, Norwegian Railway Authority

60 SAFETYGrowing demand for lone worker protection on UK rail network James Kelly, Chief Executive, British Security Industry Association

63 SUSTAINABILITYWhy railway transport matters to sustainability goalsLibor Lochman, Executive Director, CER and European Railway ReviewEditorial Board Member; Edward Hunter Christie, Chief Economist, CER; and Ethem Pekin, Environmental Economist, CER

66 SHOW PREVIEWInfrarail 2014


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Registered Office as above.Russell Publishing Ltd, is registered as a Limited Company in England, Number 2709148VAT Number GB 577 8978 47

Russell Publishing Ltd Founder Ian Russell

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European Railway Review:Published by Russell Publishing Ltd, Court Lodge, Hogtrough Hill, Brasted, Kent, TN16 1NU, UKTel: +44 (0) 1959 563311 Fax: +44 (0) 1959 563123Email: [email protected] Web: www.europeanrailwayreview.com

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European Railway Review is published bi-monthly (six times per annum) and is available by subscriptionat £90.00 for a year which includes on-linemembership access. Back issue copies can berequested at £15.00 per copy.

Subscription enquiries to Karen Hutchinson:Telephone +44 (0) 1959 [email protected]

CONTENTS

Independent auditwatchdog service forprinted publications

European Railway Review can guarantee its circulation is 7,494 (for the 6 issues distributed between 1 January 2012 and 31 December 2012). The publication is ABC audited .This is anindependent verification that our circulation is genuine.

Printed by

Registered Office as above.Russell Publishing Ltd, is registered as a Limited Company in England, Number 2709148VAT Number GB 577 8978 47

No responsibility can be accepted by Russell Publishing Limited, the editor, staff orany contributors for action taken as a result of the information and other materialscontained in our publications. Readers should take specific advice when dealingwith specific situations. In addition, the views expressed in our publications by anycontributor are not necessarily those of the editor, staff or Russell Publishing Ltd.As such, our publications are not intended to amount to advice on which relianceshould be placed. We therefore disclaim all liability and responsibility arising fromany reliance placed on such materials by any reader, or by anyone who may beinformed of any of its contents. Published April 2014

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● Developments in Denmark,Norway, Finland and Estonia

● Infrastructure projects in Poland

● Track Systems Supplement

● Progress in Europe’s rail signalling arena

Published May 2014. Don’t miss out on your copy – subscribe today. Visit www.europeanrailwayreview.com or contact Karen Hutchinson via email at

[email protected]

COMING UP IN THE NEXT ISSUE:

HOCHLEISTUNG I PRÄZISION I ZUVERLÄSSIGKEIT

www.plassertheurer.com

Plasser & Theurer and Plasser are internationally registered trademarks

The new technology of the APT 1500 RL made by Plasser & Theurer is the

fi rst fl ash-butt welding machine that can weld rails fully automatically

without manual interaction. Thanks to the integrated capability of the

APT 1500 RL to perform automatic closure welds, a separate rail pulling

device is not needed. Main features of the new rail welding robot are:

fully automatic alignment of the running edge and top of the rail, pulsation

welding to achieve a high-quality weld in shorter time and with less burn-off

as well as automatic evaluation and documentation of the weld.

The best connection

HIGH-CAPACITY I PRECISION I RELIABILITY

Publication of a ‘vision document’ is already asignificant step taken by the rail sector; the keynow is to make it happen.

Challenge 20501 was published in February2013 and was endorsed by the Presidents of all of the principal rail sector associations and representative associations of rail’s main customers. It examines how the principlechallenges and opportunities such as capacity,consistency, connectivity, competitiveness,carbon, and cost etc. should be addressed andidentifies some specific objectives to comple -ment the vision.

The future railway in Europe will have anabsolute focus on the customer. The visiondescribes how rail will be increasingly adaptable,flexible, resilient and quick to respond tocustomer requirements and to make rail the firsttransportation choice for the passenger and theshipper. The European rail system will delivergreat value for money and be seen as highlyattractive – the way to travel.

Rail has long been a ‘green’ transport modeand will take great trouble to ensure that itremains so; but that in itself is not enough. The vision sets out some objectives for the sectorand the subsequent technical strategy estab -lishes a series of enablers that will build on thesector’s capacity for moving large volumes ofpeople and goods quickly and efficiently. All of this will be done safely and with low levels ofsocial and environmental impact, takingadvantage of new technology to improve furtherour credentials in areas such as noise, emissionsand visual intrusion. Rail will continue to be a

good neighbour, a friend of the community andenjoy a favourable reputation not only with ourcustomers but across society.

Today, despite a number of high profilesuccesses, there is a disappointingly evident airof negativity towards railways – it has to beadmitted that it is a complex sector, especiallywhen it comes to implementing change – butthere are signs that, despite the significantheritage and the role that rail has played in thehistory of Europe, the patience with the rail sectorof a number of high level players is being tested.

There is a need for a well-directed andstrategically developed plan of high profileprojects to reverse this perspective and bringabout an evolution. To this end, and recognisingthe importance of their role in developing theEuropean sector of the future, the ROC publishedthe Rail Technical Strategy, Europe (RTSE) inFebruary 2014.

It is clear to the ROC that the best oppor -tunity must be made of the present-day structureof the railway sector. It is through closercollaboration between all the major rail stake -holders that the objective of developing thefuture European railway as a system will be mostefficiently achieved. Working together will alsoensure that capacity to match demand ismaintained. Congestion on Europe’s roads is a growing problem and rail is best placed tohelp alleviate that. However, as the Europeaneconomy grows, so will the demand for rail which will need to be faster, more frequent andmore attractive.

The key enablers in the RTSE that will help us

to meet this logistical challenge are based on thecore components of the rail system: control,command and communication; infrastructure;passenger and freight rolling stock; energysupply and consumption; railway people;information management; security and safety.

Within these are a number of importantinnovative elements such as maximising tech -nological advances in automation to improvecapacity and energy optimisation opportunities;convoying of trains to bring about a real step-change in capacity management; and self-diagnosis and rectification of rolling stock and trackside equipment, thus mini-mising service disruption and permitting theavailability of the infrastructure on a ‘forever-open railway’ concept.

For this level of innovation to be achieved,change will be inevitable. The UIC has a strongrole to play in supporting its members, the ROCand the wider rail sector and to inspire the nextgeneration of railway development.

We have a vision and a strategy to achievethis – the challenge is to ensure that everyone inEurope’s railways can collaborate to deliver thetarget system.

Reference1. Challenge 2050 and the RTSE can be freely downloaded

from www.uic.org


FOREWORD

The rail sector’s vision is that railways, already vital to Europe’s social and economic well-being, will contributeeven more in the future; an efficient rail system that is the backbone for the growth and competiveness of theEuropean economy. Europe’s rail companies and stakeholders have collaborated to develop and publish the visionof the future European rail system. The Rail Operating Community (ROC) has taken this one step further and cometogether to set out a technical strategy to enable the vision to become reality.

Developing the visionand strategy for Europe’s

future rail system Simon FletcherCoordinator – Europe, UIC

Simon Fletcher is a Member of the Board ofDirectors at the UIC and is responsible for the European region. He was a member of theeditorial team which drafted Challenge 2050 andalso led the team that developed the RailTechnical Strategy Europe.

Harsco Rail’s Utility TrackVehicles are working on tunnels

through the Swiss Alps

European Railway ReviewVolume 20, Issue 2, 2014 10

NEWS

There are now less than 800 days to go before the

opening of 57km of track east and west that will create

one of the longest tunnels in the world directly through

the heart of the Swiss Alps – known for their

treacherous terrain.

Harsco Rail will contribute to this project

by building Utility Track Vehicles to work in

the tunnels. With the drilling complete and our

concept design underway, Harsco executives recently

visited the Gotthard Tunnel construction site to

meet with the senior management team of

SBB Infrastructure.

There has been a close cooperation between

Harsco and SBB throughout the project, which has led

to extensive benefits for both parties. SBB will receive

the exact railway vehicle that they want, and in

exchange, Harsco Rail has been given a unique insight

into Swiss rules and regulations.

“We are finding the best solutions, not for

ourselves, but for the customer,” shared Omar

Mohamed, Harsco Rail Project Manager.

Harsco Rail is currently in the concept design

stage which will be completed in the second quarter of

2014. Final design will be completed in the summer

and manufacturing will start in fall-2014.

The construction of this new rail line will give the

Swiss a fast and efficient railway, saving time and

money on the transport of goods as well as travel times

for national and international travel.

www.harscorail.com

Harsco Rail supports tunnelproject through the Alps

SISCOG, specialising in software solutions

for optimised planning and management of

resources in transportation companies, concluded

TUTIS – a research project that produced

a prototype which optimises the daily work

assignments of NS’s Service & Security

(S&S) personnel.

The people considered in the study,

belonging to a group of 700 people spread across

13 regions of the Netherlands, are responsible for

patrolling stations and trains, guaranteeing

passenger and other NS personnel’s safety, and

control fare evasion.

Some challenges of the problem included

the fact that teams constantly change dur-

ing the day to adapt dynamically to activity

requirements, the need to combine workload-

based scheduling with task-based scheduling,

and the need to assure a presence within range

of any place in the network should an emerg-

ency occur.

NS’s Head of Intelligence, Hans Munik,

pointed out that: “The S&S personnel are still

evolving internally at NS, making it even harder,

at this time, to specify and develop a good

supporting tool.” He added: “through years of

cooperation, SISCOG has built a good

knowledge about NS’s processes and has proven

to be a reliable partner, which has resulted in a

very good prototype.”

Seconding this statement, Ernesto Morgado,

SISCOG’s Chairman added: “Achieving the goal

of optimising these very specific types of duties is

quite rewarding, as is working with NS, a long-

time professional and result-driven partner.”

TUTIS, a Latin term meaning ‘secure, safe

and protected’, was based on SISCOG’s CREWS

Duty Scheduler.

www.siscog.pt

SISCOG optimallyschedulesdynamic work ofDutch Railways’Service &Security staff

To cope with the increasing problems of mixed

traffic on highly frequented tracks in terms of

operational availability increase and maintenance

cost reduction, voestalpine Schienen GmbH offers a

new solution in the European market: the hyper-

eutectoid heat-treated rail grade 400 UHC® HSH®.

This grade corresponds to R400HT according

to EN13674-1 and has already perfectly proven its

worth around the globe also under extreme

conditions. Its excellent suitability for heavy-loaded

mixed tracks has also been confirmed in the

EU-project ‘Innotrack’.

Unlike ordinary heat-treated rail steel grades,

400 UHC® HSH® features an increased carbon

content, which also accounts for the brand name

UHC® (‘Ultra-High-Carbon’). The micro-structure

remains 100% perlitic and is produced on the basis

of an ecologically aware low-alloy concept which

also enables proper weldability.

There are three characteristics that describe this

type of rail steel: a hardness of 400 Brinell and more;

cementite lamellae that are reinforced in comparison

to standard (heat-treated) steels; and a purposefully

changed balance of the two phases of cementite and

ferrite within the perlite.

The result is a resistance not only to wear,

but also to corrugation and rolling contact fatigue

(RCF) unmatched up to now in European mixed

traffic applications.

The improvements achievable when compared

with the heat-treated grade R350HT are a twofold

higher resistance to wear and formation of

corrugation, and the same improvement ratio applies

as well to rolling contact fatigue (RCF) due to later

crack initiation and slower crack propagation.

TSI certification including high-speed traffic is

already obtained. As a matter of course for

voestalpine Schienen, the rails are characterised by

the tightest tolerances of profile, straightness and

flatness as well as by best surface quality. Delivery

can take place Europe-wide in weld-free lengths up

to 120m.

www.innotrack.euwww.voestalpine.com/schienen

voestalpine new high-performance railsteel grade for European mixed traffic

Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation (THSRC) has

awarded a 2.8 billion yen turnkey order to Toshiba for

the installation of electrical and mechanical (E&M)

systems at three new stations on the Taiwan High

Speed Rail line.

The stations will be constructed at Miaoli,

Changhua and Yunlin and open by the end of 2015. The

E&M systems cover passenger announcement systems,

passenger information systems, signalling systems,

electrification and power systems, and the maintenance

management information system.

www.toshiba.co.jp

Toshiba E&Msystems for Taiwanhigh-speed line

Bombardier’s TALENT 2

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it: w

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.bom

bard

ier.c

om


NEWS

The 4th Railway Package sets the direction of

development to achieve a single European

railway area. The European Parliament (EP)

seems to point in another direction, then the

Commission. However, technical develop-

ment continues.

In February 2014, the European Parliament

voted on the 4th Railway Package. Although the

EP does not support all the measures proposed

and votes for a number of changes, one important

part was nevertheless accepted. The European

Railway Agency (ERA) is expected to gain a

stronger position and enlarged mandates and

will become a ‘one-stop-shop’ for EU-wide

authorisations for railway vehicles and for EU-

wide safety certificates for operators. It is a

logical complement to the European approach.

Where the requirements follow from the

European TSI’s and the certification is following

a European process, the authorisations can also

be organised in a harmonised European way.

It will also increase the co-operation between the

Notified Bodies and ERA. But an important

condition for success remains the further

technical harmonisation of ERTMS.

ERTMS implementation in smaller

European Member States – i.e. Luxemburg,

Switzerland, Denmark and Belgium are clearly

making progress. The small (Western) European

countries continue to take the lead in this

development. Particularly in Belgium, the input

coming from Walenberg Rail Assessment

(WRA) in developing and implementing

strategies for the assessment and certification of

the envisaged ERTMS implementations is

greatly supporting the ERTMS programme goals.

WRA also has the experience needed to assist

the industry in applying European frameworks.

www.walenberg-rail.eu

Will the singleEuropean railwayarea succeed?

Deutsche Bahn (DB) announced recently that it has

ordered 29 TALENT 2 multiple units from Bombardier

Transportation for the S-Bahn Mitteldeutschland

commuter rail service in central Germany. The contract

between the DB subsidiary DB Regio and Bombardier

is valued at approximately €146 million. The order

marks the 13th call-off from a framework agreement

concluded in 2007 with a volume of more than

€1 billion.

“This investment is contributing to our continued

modernisation of rolling stock for the benefit of our

customers. We are preparing the company for the future

while improving our competitive position,” said

Dr Rudiger Grube, CEO of DB.

As part of the expansion of the S-Bahn

Mitteldeutschland commuter rail network, the 19 three-

car and 10 five-car trains will operate from the autumn

of 2016 on the connection from Halle/Saale and

Gaschwitz through the Leipzig City Tunnel to Dessau-

Rosslau and Lutherstadt Wittenberg, among

other routes.

The air-conditioned trains will offer seats with

generous spacing and roomy multi-purpose

compartments for bicycle transport. A comfortable

group seating area for up to 14 people will make

travelling even more attractive for small groups. The

trains also feature CCTV and RTPI monitors.

The trains will be developed and manufactured at

Bombardier’s Hennigsdorf site.

TALENT is trademark of Bombardier Inc. or its subsidiaries.

www.bombardier.com

DB orders Bombardiertrains for central Germany

Study for German rail connection toFehmarn Belt link awarded EU grant The European Union will support a study – to the

tune of €14.6 million from the TEN-T Programme –

which will pave the way for the construction of a

new rail line from Hamburg north to the city of

Bad Oldesloe.

The study, selected for funding under the 2012

TEN-T Multi-Annual Call, concerns the preliminary

and final design phases for the construction of a new

48-km railway track between Hamburg and Bad

Oldesloe (near Lübeck). It also includes the

preparation of the necessary applications for

construction. The new rail track will be built parallel

to the existing one, covering the southern German

access to the ‘Railway axis Fehmarn belt’ (TEN-T

Priority Project 20).

The study will contribute to improving

operations on PP20, establishing key links and

interconnections as well as eliminating bottlenecks.

The additional rail track and the unbundling of the

traffic flows will lead to a more efficient use of

the existing capacities and will hence prevent

delays. A shift of traffic flows from road to rail is

also to be expected, leading to an improvement in

the environmental performance of transport in the

region and Germany as a whole.

The studies will be monitored by the

Innovation and Networks Executive Agency

(INEA) and are set to be completed by the end

of 2014.

http://inea.ec.europa.eu/en/ten-t/ten-t_projects/ten-t_projects_

by_country/germany/2012-de-20012-s.htm

Parsons and Systra have been awarded a joint

consultancy services contract for the design of

the Qatar Long Distance Railway Network. The

approximately 248 mile-long network will provide

freight and passenger services nationally within Qatar

and internationally to the neighbouring countries of

Saudi Arabia and Bahrain and includes six freight

facilities, a depot, seven passenger stations, and will

be integrated with the new Doha Metro and is also part

of the Gulf Cooperation Council rail network.

www.parsons.com / www.systra.com

Parsons andSystra win Qatarlong-distance railconsultancy contract

A Siemens-built Class 350/4 train forFirst TransPennine Express

NEWS


A £60 million investment in new rolling stock for the

northwest of England and Scotland, was formally

celebrated recently as the 10th new Siemens-built Class

350/4 train was handed over to First TransPennine

Express (FTPE). Unit 350 410’s on-time delivery, the

final unit in a new 10-strong fleet of Siemens electric

trains, is a key element of a project to create additional

capacity and new services for passengers, and take

advantage of newly electrified routes. The timely fleet

delivery is a result of a successful rail industry

partnership between manufacturer Siemens Rail

Systems, train operator FTPE, leasing company Angel

Trains Ltd and infrastructure authority Network Rail.

The new four-carriage trains, which have been

designed with 110mph capability, will increase

capacity between Manchester in the northwest and

Glasgow and Edinburgh in Scotland by 60%.

Siemens Rail Systems will provide engineering

and maintenance support for the new trains alongside

its existing diesel Class 185 fleet at its newly electrified

Ardwick depot in Manchester. Significant changes to

the depot infrastructure, made within the last year, have

seen it extended to accommodate both electric and

diesel trains, with multi-skilled teams working on

both technologies.

www.siemens.com

Final train in new fleetdelivered to FTPE

The Department for Transport (DfT) and

Transport for London (TfL) have instructed

Crossrail Limited to extend the rail route to serve

two additional stations – Twyford and Reading

– from 2019.

Extending Crossrail to Reading opens up a

wider network of destinations across, and

beyond, central London and extends the benefits

of a direct connection between London’s main

employment centres and reduced journey times

to even more people. The extension will also

help to meet increases in passenger numbers

by providing greater capacity than the previous

plans. There will be two trains an hour from

Reading and passengers will be able to travel

into, and beyond, central London without

the need to change at Paddington. It will also

provide greater flexibility for future timetabling

of services.

The additional services will also mean

purchasing an extra train on top of the 65 already

on order.

Rail Minister Stephen Hammond said:

“Crossrail reaching Reading is further proof of

our commitment to deliver a transport network fit

for the 21st century. It will improve connectivity

and deliver greater choice and convenience for

passengers travelling into London. It will also

make better use of the already congested Great

Western Main Line, freeing-up capacity for

further improvements including potential direct

services from Reading to Heathrow as part of the

Western Access Scheme.

There will be no change to the planned Great

Western services from Reading to London with

twice hourly semi-fast services and fast mainline

services continuing to operate and call at the

same stations as today.

www.crossrail.co.uk

Crossrailextended toReading

The headquarters of Hitachi Rail Global is moving

from Japan to London and Head of Hitachi Rail

Europe Alistair Dormer will be made Global CEO

of the company from 1 April 2014.

This is a big vote of confidence in UK rail.

Hitachi is the manufacturer of the world’s first bullet

trains and is one of the biggest global companies –

with 326,000 employees worldwide.

Hitachi Rail is growing from a business

employing 2,500 people today to 4,000 people in the

next two and a half years. Global turn-over

is €2 billion today with the aim of growing to

€3 billion in the next few years.

Alistair Dormer, Global CEO, Hitachi Rail,

said: “This announcement is a significant sign of

intent by Hitachi to grow its business in the rail

market and I am excited by the level of trust placed

in me to lead our growing business in this next phase

of expansion. Both the UK and Japan remain

important as markets for Hitachi Rail, and with our

train factory in the North East of England now under

construction, we will work to realise our export

potential from the UK, expanding into Europe and

emergent markets.”

www.hitachirail-eu.com

Hitachi Rail moves from Japan to UK

COWI has acquired the Danish railway consultancy

Apsilon, which specialises in signalling systems –

especially ERTMS.

Michael Bindseil, COWI Denmark’s Senior Vice-

President for Railways, Roads and Airports said:

“With the acquisition of Apsilon, COWI will gain an

even stronger position in the field of railways where

we’ve already got a strong hold on the Danish and

international markets.”

Apsilon Managing Director and former main

shareholder Andreas Petersen said the consultancy is

“preparing design specifications for signal control

systems and remote control systems for ERTMS in

eastern Denmark, and providing remote control

requirement specifications for train management

systems and ERTMS throughout Norway.”

Apsilon, founded in 2000, employs 14 staff at

two offices and recorded a turnover of approximately

DKr 18m in 2013.

www.cowi.dk

COWI acquiresApsilon


NEWS

Siemens wins an additional locomotive contract in the USA

A Thales-led consortium has been awarded a contract worth approximately €100 million by Poland’s rail

operator, PKP Polish Lines S.A., for the implementation of an ERTMS solution, including an ETCS Level 2

signalling system and a GSM-R communications system, on two sections of the Warszawa–Łódź line.

The two stretches, Warszawa Zachodnia– Koluszki and Koluszki–Łódź Widzew, have a combined

length of roughly 125km. The contract also involves the design and operation of a local control centre

in Skierniewice.

The overarching purpose of this project is to assist the modernisation of the Polish railway network.

The implementation of Thales’s solutions will improve safety whilst also increasing the maximum speed to

160km/h for passenger trains and 120km/h for freight trains. The line’s capacity will therefore increase and

journey times will be reduced, thus making rail transport more effective; a considerable benefit for the line’s

passengers – most of whom are daily commuters.

This is the fourth contract that sees Thales implement its ETCS system in Poland.

www.thalesgroup.com

Polish tracks equipped withThales ETCS system

The 32 locomotives ordered for theUSA are scheduled to be deliveredbetween fall of 2016 and mid-2017

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The Departments of Transportation for the U.S. states

of Illinois, California, Michigan, Missouri and

Washington have awarded Siemens a contract for the

delivery of 32 diesel-electric passenger locomotives.

The contract is valued at approximately €165 million

($225 million). It includes a purchase option for

another 225 locomotives which will be used

for regional and mainline trains travelling at speeds

of up to 200km/h (125mph). The 32 locomotives

ordered are scheduled to be delivered between fall of

2016 and mid-2017.

The Charger locomotives will be used exclusively

in passenger service. The primary traction drive,

a 4,400 hp-rated diesel engine with 16 cylinders

and a cubic capacity of 95 litres, will be manu-

factured in the U.S. by Cummins Inc., headquartered

in Columbus, Indiana. These modern locomotives

are powerful and efficient and will deliver a cleaner

ride, with better air quality and reduced emission

rates ensuring compliance with the Federal

Railroad’s EPA Tier IV regulation required to be

in place in 2015.

Passenger rail is a key priority for U.S.

infrastructure development and Siemens wants to play

a major role in this lucrative market and can already

look back on first successes, for example the recent

fanfare surrounding the new, advanced technology

electric locomotives built in Sacramento for America’s

premier passenger rail operator, Amtrak.

This new order will greatly help improve

transportation on non-electrified railroads throughout

the Midwest and the west coast. The contract includes

32 vehicles plus spare parts supply. In addition, there

are options for an additional 75 locomotives for use in

regional transportation and another 150 locomotives

for mainline transportation.

The Charger locomotive reaches a tractive effort

on starting of 290 kN with a weight of around

120 tonnes. The Cummins QSK95 diesel engine is

4,400 hp-rated. These U.S. locomotives are based

technically on the Siemens Eurosprinter, Eurorunner

and Vectron locomotive platforms which have been

proven through several billion kilometres in both

freight and passenger service. The components are

procured and manufactured exclusively in the U.S.

www.siemens.com

EVENTSScandinavian RailDevelopment 201429 April 2014Location: Oslo, NorwayEmail: [email protected]: www.scandinavianraildevelopment.com

CRTS China 20147-9 May 2014Location: Beijing, ChinaEmail: [email protected]: www.crtschina.com

Infrarail 201420-22 May 2014Location: London, UKEmail: [email protected]: www.infrarail.com

Austrian RailDevelopment 201411 June 2014Location: Vienna, AustriaEmail: [email protected]: www.austrianraildevelopment.com

If you have a diary event you wish to publicise, send details to Martine Shirtcliff at:

[email protected]

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The German railway industry is one of the mostdynamic and innovative industries in Germany.The sector develops and produces a wide rangeof globally leading railway technology whichincludes high-speed trainsets, locomotives,regional trains, wagons, metros, city railwaysand trams, fully-automated undergroundrailways, track systems and electrification,control and safety systems, electrical andmechanical equipment for rail vehicles,information and communication technology,telematics systems for intermodal networkingof transport carriers, turnkey systems as well as various railway-engineering components. The German railway industry is essentiallycharacterised by the cooperation of systemhouses and a broadly positioned medium-sizedsupplying and system industry. Several efficientsystem houses emerged from the intensive

concentration process within the railwayindustry in the 1990s. These companies delivertheir vehicles and products to railway operatorsall over the world. Each of them is able toprovide an entire turnkey railway system. Thesesystem houses are the technology and marketleaders in the worldwide railway industry.

However, the success of the German railwayindustry is also based to a very large extent on themedium-sized supplying industry that hasbecome one of the most productive andinnovative industries in Germany over recentyears. If you consider that up to 60% of the valueadded to a rail vehicle today is gained from thepurchase of components, the huge contributionof the supplying industry will become obvious.The German supplying industry comprises morethan 150 specialised companies of various sizes. Due to their increase in productivity and

decreases in costs, the medium-sized companieshave made a great contribution to the improvedcompetitiveness of their customers. Themedium-sized businesses are also unique withinthe German railway industry because of theirdiversity: the German suppliers provideeverything that is necessary for manufacturingrailway systems in cutting-edge technology.

Despite cyclical fluctuations the railwayindustry was able to expand its businessconsiderably over the past decade. The Germanrailway engineering manufacturers set a neworder record in 2011. The orders receivedincreased in that year to the new all-time high of€14.5 billion, which was also due to winning newlarge orders for rail vehicles. The German railwayindustry was also able to continue its generalgrowth course with a view to the turnover despitea cyclical decline.

The German Railway Industry Association (VDB) purposefully and emphatically represents the interests ofGerman railway technology manufacturers, thus contributing to the dynamics of the worldwide rail industry.The branch is very established in the international business arena with an export ratio of approximately 50%.Whether for rolling stock, rail infrastructure or communication technology – German railway manufacturerscontribute to the climate- and environmentally-friendly aspects of rail transportation spanning all fivecontinents. In Germany alone, the more than 170 VDB member companies with their above 50,000 employeesachieved a turnover in 2012 of nearly €11 billion.

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GERMAN PROFILE

Ronald Pörner Managing Director, German RailwayIndustry Association (VDB)

Germany: the shopwindow for theworldwide rail industry

An industry with more than 130 years of experienceApproximately 80% of the railway engineeringmanufacturers in Germany are organised underthe umbrella of the VDB. Its member companiesinclude the system houses and all importantmedium-sized enterprises in the industry –presently more than 170 member companies.The VDB represents the interests of its memberstowards the politicians and the media, railwaytransport companies and institutions, and hasbeen doing so for more than 130 years.

The German Railway Industry Associationdates back to the Verband der DeutschenLokomotivfabriken (the Association of GermanLocomotive Factories) founded in 1877. In January 1991, the Verband der DeutschenLokomotivindustrie (VDL – the Association of theGerman Locomotive Industry) and the Verbandder Waggonindustrie e.V. (VdW – the Associationof the Wagon Industry) merged into the Verbandder Deutschen Bahnindustrie e.V. (VDB – theAssociation of the German Railway Industry). In October 1999, the VDB changed its name to the current Verband der Bahnindustrie inDeutschland e.V (VDB – the German RailwayIndustry Association). Despite the concentrationin the industry, the number of locations ofcompanies organised in the VDB is increasing. In December 2002, the German Railway Ind-ustry Association relocated its headquarters from Frankfurt/Main to Berlin, based on aunanimous decision made by the members’general assembly.

One of the various goals and tasks of the VDB is to establish the preference of the railwaysboth in the German and the European transportpolicy. The role that rail is playing is moreimportant than ever in view of the requirementsof the environmental and climate protection andthe conservation of resources. Liberalisation and controlled deregulation of the European railtransport markets are an important preconditionfor the growth of rail transportation. Togetherwith the technical harmonisation of theEuropean railway area, this political demand alsomeans that the development of the TechnicalSpecification for Interoperability (TSI) and thestandards in Germany and Europe must bedesigned in such a manner that their use leads tocost reductions and improvements in quality.The driving commitment of the Association withregard to the reformation of the approval processfor railway technology that is pending inGermany and Europe is of immanent import -

ance. After having been completed it will lead to a further increase in the competitiveness of the companies.

The VDB is organised into 20 technicalgroups and working teams to which the membercompanies send their experts. In the regularmeetings of the working teams, the Associationand the representatives of the companiesdevelop contributions to further the develop -ment of the now already environmentally- andclimate-friendly railway technology. DeutscheBahn AG (DB) is the most important domesticcustomer in the German railway industry, plus anumber of privately and publicly financed short-and long-distance transport operators. Throughthe dialogue between representatives of theindustry and railway operators, the Associationcontinuously promotes relationships withcustomers on all levels for their mutual benefit.This also includes the improvement of thecompetitiveness of the railway industry throughtechnical cooperation in the pre-competitivephase and the optimisation of businessprocesses. The most recent positive example wasthe quality partnership between DB AG and VDBconcluded in January 2014.

However, the Association does not only actexternally, but also within the industry. One of the objectives of the VDB is promoting fairbusiness conditions between system houses and suppliers. In addition to that, particularassistance is provided for the export activities ofmedium-sized member companies, for exampleby obtaining funds from the Federal Ministry ofEconomics and Technology. Every year the VDBinitiates business trips to emerging railwaymarkets. In this way the medium-sized railway

engineering manufacturers have been able toestablish business contacts with Poland, theCzech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Croatia,Turkey, the Ukraine, China, Russia, Brazil, andIndia during the past 10 years. In addition to that,the VDB participates in industry trade fairs everytwo years in order to expand the export businessof the branch.

Germany: the shop window for the worldwide railway industry Despite current worldwide activities, the railwayindustry does not lose sight of the domesticmarket. Its dynamics contribute essentially tothe further development of the global tech -nological leadership of the German railwayindustry and ensure the necessary workload ofthe German companies. A lot of projects for thedomestic railway industry can also be used as areference for the international markets. In thisway Germany has become the ‘shop window ofthe railway industry’ which is used by customersfrom all over the world.

The InnoTrans trade fair in Berlin is the maintrade show and communication platform for therailway industry on a global scale. Its number of participants is steadily increasing and the 10th event of this specialised fair trade inSeptember 2014 will again provide a highlysophisticated range of technical innovations,solutions and services for rail transportation.Exhibitors from all five continents cement the factthat railway engineering has become a growingglobal business. It also becomes apparent thatInnoTrans has developed into a firmly estab -lished and unique exhibition for the globalrailway engineering market. The continuous


GERMAN PROFILE

Upward tendency: development of turnovers and orders received within the German railway industry

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growth of the exhibition is also a manifestation ofa steadily increasing demand for efficient andenvironmentally-friendly mobility – be it for railfreight, the high-speed connections betweenmetropolises, or the regional and local traffic inthe booming megacities and large cities all over the world.

The railway industry and its developmentstakes the demand of modern societies formobility and prosperity into account. Theglobally increasing rail freight sector is the basisfor the growth of many economic areas; also inthe cross-border railway traffic with a share of more than 60%. Also, local traffic has anincreasing demand for efficient transport carrierssuch as metros and trams. The expansion andoptimisation of these systems can bring aboutshorter travel times and higher convenience formillions of people in towns and regions. For allthese requirements the railway industry providesintelligent solutions for sustainable mobility fortoday and for the future.

Environmentally- and climate-friendly rail transport Just yet it must be possible to pit innovativemobility against its climate-friendliness.In 2011 the share of the traffic in the overall CO2 emissions in the EU countries amounted to about 20%. At the same time there is aninherent avoidance potential. Therefore thetransport sector is of great importance when itcomes to the climate and environmentalprotection policy.

Due to technical developments over recentyears, rail transportation has become particu -larly environmentally- and climate-friendly. Its share of carbon dioxide emitted by traffic inEurope is just 0.2%. Lorries and passenger carstogether amount to more than 94%. Therefore, ifthese transport modes were to be shifted from the road to the rail, the amount of carbondioxide in the air could be instantly reduced. Forexample, a freight train drawn by a modernmulti-system locomotive on the Alps transit routeover the Brenner Pass can take over the transportcapacity of 28 lorries, thus reducing the CO2

emission by almost two thirds.As for the railway industry, sustainable

mobility goes hand-in-hand with excellent andeconomic high-technology and the Germanrailway industry has certainly reached a peak inthis field. Thanks to its innovative strength, therailway industry is, and will be, the shop windowfor the world’s excellence in railway engineering.

Railway interoperability has to be boldly implemented The trigger for these dynamic developments in the global railway markets is, if nothing else,the strong economic growth in the globalisedand interconnected global economy. Based onthis it can be predicted that – on a global scale –still more goods, commodities and people willhave to be transported over the years to come.For Germany alone, the Federal Governmenthas predicted an increase in rail freighttransport ation of 65% between 2004 and 2015.

However, in order to be able to cover thedemand for passenger transportation in metro -politan areas, people will need to work at fullspeed on the construction and extension ofefficient local public transport systems aroundthe globe. This leads to a great demand forunderground railways, trams and regional trainsand the appropriate infrastructure. The current465km-long metro network in Beijing is plannedto be extended by another 100km by 2015.According to schedule the Beijing metro networkwill have reached a length of 1,000km by 2020after all planned lines will have been completed.Shanghai, like many other metropolitan areas inChina, is going to extend its existing metronetwork quickly by an additional tram and cityrailway system with a length of about 500km.Also, in North America there is a renaissance ofrail traffic. The estimated investment needed forrailway infrastructure for the most importantNorth American freight transportation comp -

anies over the next 20 years amounts to at least€6 billion per year. At the same time there is anincreasing demand in the large cities forenvironmentally-friendly city railway systems,plus the connection of megacities with fast high-speed networks is being intensely discussed.

An essential challenge for the furtherdevelopment of rail is the free access to railwaynetworks. Some countries have alreadyliberalised the railway markets to a large extent,whilst others – many of them in Europe – areundergoing a transformation process. In someless liberalised countries there is less intra-modalcompetition which will lead to less rail traffic inthe future. It is therefore necessary to continue tostrengthen European cross-border passengerand rail freight transportation. Politicians andnational railway network operators have toimplement the necessary interoperability of railas a transport carrier with courage andcommitment – only then will people all over theworld take advantage of future-oriented mobilityaccording to the motto of the VDB which is: withexcellent and economic railway systems for moresustainable rail transport.


GERMAN PROFILE

Prof. Dr. Ronald Pörner isManaging Director of the GermanRailway Industry Association(VDB) in Berlin. Till 2007 he wasfull professor for industrialmarketing and strategic manage - ment at the University of AppliedSciences (HTW) in Berlin.

The ICx train from Siemens willbecome the backbone of Intercity

routes for Deutsche Bahn

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voestalpine VAE GmbHwww.voestalpine.com/vae

The voestalpine VAE group, a wholly owned subsidiary of voestalpine AG, is the global market leader for railway turnout system solutions. Innovative drive-, detecting-, and locking-systems, monitoringequipment for rolling stock as well as fixed assets and a variety of related services complement theproduct portfolio of the voestalpine VAE group . Numerous well-known references for High Speed, Heavy Haul, and Urban Traffic applications from all over the world demonstrate the comprehensive competence of the company.All our developments focus on optimized life cycle costs with regard to increased reliability, availability, maintainability and safety in order to provide additional customer benefit. More than 40 operations all over the globe enable us to understand local demand and challenges and help us to provide customized solutions. Thus, our customers are with us – One step ahead.

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In late-February 2014, DB put on hold itsproposed high-speed Frankfurt–London railservice – news that came as little surprise. Theproject has been dogged by delays ever sincethe operator announced in October 2010(beside an ICE hauled into the UK to go on showat London’s St Pancras station) that it hoped tointroduce a preview service in time for theLondon Olympics in July 2012, and a regularservice a year later.

At the root of the non-appearing Londonservice is a factor which has seriously affectedGerman domestic services: rolling stock accept -ance delays. The London service was supposedto be formed by Siemens Class 407 Velaro D high-speed trainsets, but DB has had trouble gettingthese accepted for German domestic service, letalone cross-border journeys.

The fleet of Class 407 trains were originallydue to enter service from December 2011,covering international services from Frankfurt toParis and to southern France via the (then) newRhin-Rhône high-speed line. But it was not untilChristmas 2013 that the operator introduced

them in Germany, following the green light fromthe federal approvals body, the EBA, to use theunits in multiple.

The first four units of the 16-strong orderwere pressed into service as soon as certificationfor use in multiple came through (there wasalready approval for use of units singly, but DB refused to accept the trains until they hadcertification for multiple working). Another fourare expected in spring 2014, while others areworking on testing in France and Belgium withthe aim of establishing cross-border working on the continent.

“We have not entirely given up the goal of going to London. But for now we areconcentrating on going to Brussels and Paris,”Andreas Busemann, Head of Production atDeutsche Bahn’s long-distance business told theReuters news agency in February 2014. “Oncethat is done, we will think about whether, howand when we will go to London. None of usanticipated that we would have such majorproblems with certification. In the meantime, thebusiness environment has changed.” Andreas

went on to speak of increases in French trackusage charges and tough competition from other modes.

The Velaro D fleet is just one of a number ofnew fleets that have been held up by certificationproblems. In an interview with a Germanmagazine in the autumn of 2013, DB’s ChairmanDr Rüdiger Grube lamented that the newInterCity double-deck push-pull sets being builtby Bombardier, intended for use from December2013, were still not in service. Adding tofrustration with the delays was the fact that thesetrains, which comprise 160km/h TWINDEXX

double-deck coaches and Class 146 TRAXX locos,are essentially identical to many already inservice in Germany.

Other rolling stock held up includes Class 245TRAXX ME diesel locos, where the first examplesof an order with Bombardier for 13 machineswere due to enter service in Bavaria at the end of2013 but were parked up awaiting approval. Each loco costs over €3 million, so the delaysrepresent a substantial economic loss.

It is widely recognised that things need to

Capital expenditure by Deutsche Bahn AG (DB) is rising by over 5% annually, but certification problems aregiving suppliers pause for thought.

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DB investment boosts manufacturers

James Abbott Technical Editor, European Railway Review

change. In a move that it is hoped will speed upthe pace of approval, the EBA is due to become anoversight body monitoring the activities ofindependent approval bodies who will becontracted by train builders and operators. Withan on-going programme of new rolling stockdeliveries, DB will be looking for things to gosmoothly in the future.

ContractsDB signed a framework contract for up to 300 ICx trains with Siemens in 2011; the first firmorder was for an initial batch of 130 trains fordelivery from 2017 onwards. Bombardier issupplying Siemens with bodyshells and bogiesfor this order.

The ICx trains are intended to replace theInterCity hauled coach fleet, but as a stopgap DB workshops in Nuremburg, Kassel andNeumünster are partway through a €250 millionprogramme to refurbish 770 InterCity coaches.

Recent contracts include one worth €325million with Alstom for 56 Coradia Lint units forservices around Cologne, while Bombardier hasbeen delivering 83 Class 430 S-Bahn electrictrains for Stuttgart and Frankfurt and TALENT 2electrics for use around Munich and Leipzig.

Eastern European manufacturers havebegun to win a share of the German market. DBRegio has ordered 36 Link 140km/h diesel unitsfrom Polish builder Pesa for services on theSauerlandnetz system in North West Germany forintroduction in December 2016. Berlin-basedNiederbarnimer Eisenbahn (NEB) has alsoannounced an order for nine Pesa Link trains.

Meanwhile, Czech manufacturer Škoda haswon an order for six 200km/h six-coach double-deck push-pull trainsets and six Škoda 109 E locotypes in a contract valued at over €100 million.The vehicles will have a pressure-tight bodyshellto stabilise the pressure inside the car whenpassing other trains on high-speed lines,especially in tunnels. Some of their duties will seethe trains using the Nuremburg–Ingolstadt high-speed line where they will share tracks withICE trains operating at up to 300km/h. Thecoaches will be built by Škoda Vagonka inOstrava and the locomotives by Škoda Electric in Plzeň. Apart from two locos sold to neigh -bouring Slovakia, this is the first export order forSkoda’s 109 E loco types.

Bombardier has won a €327 million orderfrom S-Bahn Hamburg for 60 new three-carelectric trains to replace older existing Class 472trains on the port city’s third rail network. Some of the new trains will be equipped foroperation on the 15kV AC electrified mainline DB Netze network, as well as the third rail core ofthe system.

The contract with Bombardier includes anoption for an additional 86 trains that can beexercised up until 2018 when the new DBcontract to operate the network starts. If theoption is taken up, it will enable the Hamburgauthorities to extend the network further.

In May 2013, DB awarded Bombardier aframework contract worth up to €1.5 billion toadd up to 450 new machines to DB’s pool ofTRAXX electric locos. Immediate orders wereannounced for 110 TRAXX locos for DB Schenker

and another 20 Class 146 (P160 AC2) locos for DBRegio; others can be drawn off the framework asneeded over the next decade.

With much of the network being electrified,there is only limited demand for diesellocomotives in Germany. One line on which theyare needed is the ‘Sylt Shuttle’ car-carryingservice from Niebüll to Westerland on the islandof Sylt in north Germany. The island has no roadconnection, just a railway line built on acauseway across the sea. DB Fernverkehr AG hasissued tenders for seven to ten high power(2,700kW +) diesel locos to operate on this route;the locos need to be able to operate trains of1,200 tonnes at a maximum speed of 140km/h.

Shunting is another duty that calls fordiesels. DB placed a €250 million order with Voithfor 130 of the Gravita 10 BB model; the 1,000kWlocos have engines supplied by MTU and arereplacing the DB Class V90. DB has tested theVossloh G6 type loco as a potential replacementfor V60 0-6-0 diesel shunting locomotives thatdate back to the 1960s.

Infrastructure spending In the DB Netze Track Business Unit, two thirdsof capital expenditure has gone on the historicnetwork, funding the upgrading of lines,structures and signalling.

Expansion has been focused on Germanreunification transport projects such as theNuremberg–Erfurt and Erfurt–Halle/Leipzig high-speed lines plus upgrading of the Berlin–Rostock route.

Work is proceeding on the Stuttgart–


GERMAN PROFILE

Deutsche Bahn’s SiemensVelaro D high-speed train

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Augsburg and the Karlsruhe–Basel high-speedroutes and for freight, the line to Wilhelmshaven.

In the DB Netze Stations Business Unit, theLeipzig City Tunnel is a large project recentlycompleted. On-going is the controversialStuttgart 21 project which has attractedopposition from some quarters due to the radicalreshaping of the city it is prompting. In Berlin, arail link will be provided to the big new airportbeing built alongside the existing one atSchonefeld, while work is proceeding on theBerlin Ostkreuz hub.

The new City Tunnel1 under the centre ofLeipzig was opened in December 2013. The twin-bore tunnel has four underground stations plusanother on its southern approaches aboveground. The main contractor on the project was ajoint venture between Dywidag, Alpine,Universale GSB, Strabag and Oevermann.Specialist work on subsidence was undertakenby Keller Grundbau: as the tunnel is shallow, just6m-below ground in places, there was concernthat buildings might suffer subsidence. A novelsolution was adopted whereby some buildingswere raised by 10mm to counter subsequentsubsidence. Care was then taken with grouting.Rotary rigs manufactured by Keller were used in

this process, with Keller Group subsidiary GeTecIngenieurgesellschaft monitoring the work.

As well as the Leipzig City Tunnel, another31km of railway reopened to passengers in threedifferent local schemes around Germany with theDecember 2013 timetable change. In Bavaria, the Senden to Weissenhorn branch reopened topassengers after being closed since September1966. Near the Dutch border, the Lindern toHeinsberg (Rheinland) branch reopened, having

shut in 1980. And a third reopening, fromMarienheide to Meinerzhagen to the east ofCologne, was delayed as work was not complete.In all cases DB Regio won the contract to operatethe new services, although only the Marienheideto Meinerzhagen line is owned by DB Netze.

Reference1. For a more detailed article about the Leipzig City Tunnel

from Oliver Mietzsch, General Manager at ZVNL, pleaseturn to page 23 in this edition of European Railway Review.

GERMAN PROFILE

UPCOMING CONFERENCE:

The latest in the hugely successful series of EuropeanRailway Review conferences, Austrian Rail

Development 2014 will bring together infrastructure

managers, passenger and freight operators and key

rail industry stakeholders to present future vision and

key investments for the network and discuss

and debate the fulfilment of the EU-vision for

the development of central Europe to 2020. The

inaugural Austrian Rail Development conference

will take place on 11 June 2014 at the Palais Ferstel in

Vienna, Austria.

Just some of the topics and themes to be featured at this brand new conference include:• The Master Plan for Austrian Rail

• Infrastructure: future projects and plans

• Opening of the rail infrastructure

to new operators

• The Vienna–St Pölten Project

• The Corridor E Project

• Passenger and freight operator investment plans

• How to increase levels of rail freight

• Interoperability and competition in

the rail market

• Austrian ERTMS Strategy 2025+

For more information please visit:

www.austrianraildevelopment.com

Austrian DEVELOpMENT

RAILPalais Ferstel, Vienna Austria www.austrianraildevelopment.com

We’ll be there:Hall 12Stand B507-11 April 2014Hannover · Germany


However, the new Leipzig City Tunnel is far morethan a new underground infrastructure thatlinks the two remaining Leipzig head stations –Leipzig Hauptbahnhof and Leipzig BayerischerBahnhof. It will become the backbone of a newrailway network, consisting of six regional rail -way lines in Central Germany. In addition, thetunnel will also allow for long-distance railwayservices, provided they fit into the tight regionalrailway timetable schedule.

Every five minutes commuter trains will runthrough the tunnel in each direction with anestimated passenger volume of 60,000 per day(minimum). They will provide connections to alldirections: from the neighbouring city of Halle inthe West to Hoyerswerda, more than 100km to the East of Leipzig, and from the chemicalindustrial complex site of Bitterfeld north ofLeipzig to the car manufacturing town of Zwickauin the South. Predictions show that passengervolumes will double after the new CentralGerman railway network will have entered itsfinal stage in 2017 with the completion of the

high-speed rail link from Munich to Berlin. Thus, the Leipzig City Tunnel will serve as anadditional axis for quick inter-regional transporton the railway corridor Berlin–Leipzig–Nuremberg–Munich.

In total, €960 million was spent on thisinfrastructure project, half of which was fundedby the Free State of Saxony, and including someminor funds from the City of Leipzig. More than€200 million each was contributed by theEuropean Funds for Regional Development andthe German Federal Funds for InfrastructureInvestments. Only €18 million was invested byGerman Railways, which owns the infrastructureand takes all financial benefits from its operation.According to projections from the Leipzig CityTunnel operator, the additional costs for facility

management and maintenance of the fourunderground stations will range between €3.1 million and €3.8 million annually, therebychallenging the Greater Leipzig Railway AuthorityAssociation (Zweckverband für den Nahverkehrs -raum Leipzig – ZVNL), which is responsible forplanning, organising and financing regional andinter-regional railway services in this part ofCentral Germany.

According to German and State law, regionalrailway services are funded by regional or local railway authorities who obtain their moneyfrom Federal Funds for railway operation. At present there are 27 regional or local railwayauthorities in Germany which receive some €7 billion annually for funding railway servicesand, to a lesser extent, also for infrastructureinvestment in the regional railway network. In theFree State of Saxony, as provided for by State law,there are five regional rail authority associationsorganised on a municipal or district level. Incontrast to regional rail, which according toFederal law is defined as railway services within a

On 15 December 2013, the Leipzig City Tunnel was opened for commercial service. Despite some delays incompleting the new underground infrastructure which ended up costing double the initially planned €450 million capital investment, statements from industry-officials made during an opening ceremony were fullof pride about the completion of one of Germany’s major infrastructure projects.

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Leipzig’s new citytunnel – the backboneof a new network

GERMAN PROFILE

‘‘Every five minutes commuter trains will run through the tunnel in each direction

with an estimated passenger volume of60,000 per day (minimum)’’

Oliver Mietzsch General Manager, Greater LeipzigRailway Authority Association (ZVNL)

distance range of a maximum of 50km and whichis operated on a non- commercial basis and,hence, heavily depends on public subsidies, long-distance rail is regarded as commercial. That iswhy formal tendering procedures for rail serviceoperations will only be found in the regional railsector. As a consequence there is hardly anycompetition in the long-distance rail sector inGermany. In 2010, ZVNL negotiated with GermanRail’s regional railway service branch, DB Regio, a12-year service contract worth more than €1.5 billion. The contract includes a rail networkconsisting of six lines, two of which operate on a60 minutes interval-timetable. Out of theremaining four lines two run every 30 minutes,one on a 20 minutes interval-timetable and oneevery 15 minutes. As a result, trains within theLeipzig City Tunnel will run every five minutes ineach direction, thereby offering better accessfrom the region to the city centre and vice versa.

Since decentralisation of German regionalrail services in 2006 by the Federal Government,infrastructure costs have steadily risen. For eachEuro that is spent for operating regional railwayservices, more than half of it has to be paid for theinfrastructure nowadays. European and Germanlaw provides for public tendering when it comesto awarding regional rail service contracts inorder to minimise the negative effects of state-

aid for competition and pricing policies. That iswhy DB Regio has to compete with non-state railoperators and, thus, only accounts for a three-quarter market share. This sharply contrasts withthe infrastructure, which is operated exclusivelyby German Rail’s infrastructure branches DBStation und Service AG (for the stations) and DB Netz (for the tracks). It is for this reason thatone might come to the conclusion that thereexists an inversely proportional relationshipbetween market share and infrastructure pricingwith regard to the role of German Rail.

In the case of the Leipzig City Tunnel, ZVNLtook responsibility for planning the CentralGerman commuter railway network, and thustakes the lead when it comes to financingnetwork operation. It is therefore essential forZVNL to be sufficiently funded itself in order tosecure the well-functioning of the whole system.It is only then that the very idea of the Leipzig CityTunnel and the Central German regional railway

network will meet its own requirements: toprovide an integrated public transport strategyfor Central Germany. The need for such anintegrated public transport strategy can bestrongly felt in every corner of Central Germany,which is split into three Federal States (Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and Saxony) with differentlevels of governance and funding. However, onlythe bigger agglomerations fit into the definitionof Central German Metropolitan Region (CGMR)as provided for by the Federal Office for Buildingand Regional Planning. The CGMR covers the cityareas of Leipzig, Chemnitz and Zwickau inSaxony, Halle and Dessau-Roßlau in Saxony-Anhalt as well as Jena, Gera and Weimar inThuringia with altogether more than two millioninhabitants and roughly 2,000km2 of surface. The city of Leipzig is located right in the centre of the CGMR and hence long serves as a trade and commercial hub for the whole metropolitanregion. It is therefore essential to have betteraccess to and within this area. With its inter-continental airport, three motorways surr -ounding the city-borders and several high-speedrailway links to all major cities in Germany,Leipzig can be easily accessed from manyimportant economic and cultural spots inGermany and Europe. Since the Central Germanregional railway network started operation on


GERMAN PROFILE

View of the west ramp

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‘‘Predictions show that passenger volumeswill double after the new Central Germanrailway network will have entered its final

stage in 2017 with the completion of the high-speed rail link from Munich to Berlin’’

Furrer Fr ey O v e r h e a d c o n t a c t l i n e s

®

Furrer+Frey AGOverhead contact line engineeringDesign, manufacturing, installationThunstrasse 35, P.O. Box 182CH-3000 Berne 6, Switzerland

Telephone + 41 31 357 61 11Fax + 41 31 357 61 00

www.furrerfrey.ch

15 December 2013, this also applies to the CGMRitself. Therefore, Leipzig will improve its positionas a transfer point of all levels of transportation(transnational / national / regional / local) afterthe opening of the City-Tunnel, which itself servesas the infrastructural backbone of the CentralGerman regional railway network.

The Central German regional railwaynetwork might become the nucleus for improvedrail services within the CGMR which aims at

offering a holistic concept of integratedinfrastructure planning, tariffing, ticketing andgovernance. The CGMR takes part in the so-calledRAILHUC network of the European Union. TheRailway Hub Cities and TEN-T network (RAILHUC)is part of the EU CENTRAL EUROPE programme,which is co-financed by the European RegionalDevelopment Fund (ERDF). Austria, the CzechRepublic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland,Slovakia, Slovenia and Ukraine are members of

CENTRAL EUROPE, thereby strengtheningcooperation among their regions and cities inorder to improve innovation, accessibility andthe environment and, thus, enhancing thecompetitiveness and attractiveness of CentralEurope. The cooperation on a transnational basisgives these regions and cities the uniqueopportunity to commonly improve both long andregional rail services in Central Europe. Thanks tothe Leipzig City-Tunnel, the Central Germanregional railway network might therefore serveas a blueprint for better connectivity andaccessibility of many European regions.

GERMAN PROFILE

Oliver Mietzsch studied PoliticalScience, Economy and Law inMarburg/Lahn, London andBerlin. He holds a Diploma inPolitical Science from the FreeUniversity of Berlin. From 1992 to1994 Oliver worked as a Political

Adviser to a German Member of the EuropeanParliament who later became Member of theGerman National Parliament (DeutscheBundestag). He had than been working with the German Cities Association (DeutscherStädtetag) in the European and Transport PolicyField for 16 years in total. Since 2011, Oliver hasbeen Head of the Greater Leipzig RegionalRailway Authority Association (Zweckverband fürden Nahverkehrsraum Leipzig – ZVNL).

Going down the escalators ofstation Leipzig Bayerischer Bahnhof

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Since the beginning of the rail reform in 1994,private rail operators are constantly winningmore tenders in Germany. One of the successfulprivate competitors for regional rail traffic onthe German market is NETINERA. The company,formerly known as Arriva Deutschland GmbH,changed its name to NETINERA, a compound ofthe words ‘Net’ for network and ‘itinera’meaning ‘on the way’ in Latin, after itsacquisition by FS (51%) and Cube Infrastructure(49%). NETINERA’s three board members arebased in the company’s offices in Berlin andthey have worked together since May 2013. Thefirst step of the new management was to re-organise the company’s structure to make itmore competitive and flexible.

Arriva’s company structure was complex due to numerous acquisitions during recentyears; so it was important to downsize thecompany’s organisational structure to make itmore dynamic.

With its nine railway companies, NETINERAcurrently holds a 5% market share of the regionaltransport sector in Germany.

NETINERA operates mainly in southern andnorthern Germany with its strongest brandsbeing Metronom Eisenbahngesellschaft and Erixx in the northern region of Germany andLänderbahn, ALEX and Vogtlandbahn in southern Germany.

Metronom and Erixx belong to Osthann -oversche Eisenbahnen AG (OHE) – a group thatunites 17 subsidiaries and participations withmore than 1,500 employees. OHE predominantlyoperates between Göttingen, Braunschweig,

Wolfsburg, Hanover, Bremen, Hamburg,Cuxhaven and Bremerhaven. Metronom isknown for being especially innovative in theirmarketing strategy. To make customers feelmore comfortable in their trains, Metronomlaunched the ‘train of ideas’ project in 2012,which resulted in the redesign of compartmentsand installing equipment to play music in the on-board lavatories. Also introduced was theoption for season-ticket holders to make a reser -va tion for their favourite seat free-of-charge.

In Bavaria, Saxony and Thuringia,Regentalbahn AG operates under the brandname Länderbahn, the network of which runsfrom Lindau, Oberstorf, Munich, Praha, Gera upto Dresden and Görlitz. From 2014 onwards,Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland and Hesse will be

added to the Länderbahn network. Currently,Länderbahn has approximately 600 employees.

NETINERA also holds 50% of the shares ofOstdeutsche Eisenbahn Gesellschaft (ODEG)which operates in Berlin, Brandenburg,Mecklenburg-West Pomerania and Saxony.

But NETINERA aims to grow. More than 250 million train kilometers are currentlytendered or will be tendered over the comingyears in the regional rail transport sector (SPNV).

In recent years, NETINERA has tenderedsuccessfully in east Bavaria, southwest Germany,southeast Lower Saxony and east Saxony. Thesenew traffic routes start operating at the end ofthis 2014, and they will add 17.35 million trainkilometers to NETINERA’s portfolio.


NETINERA is one of the largest private regional rail operators in Germany. Before 2011 it belonged to the BritishArriva plc company until it was acquired by a financial consortium of the Italian national railway company,Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane (FS) and the French-Luxembourgian infrastructure company, Cube Infrastructure.In 2014, NETINERA will start four new regional rail routes in Germany.

NETINERA to start fournew routes in 2014

GERMAN PROFILE

Jost Knebel CEO, NETINERA Deutschland GmbH

NETINERA operates the metronomservices in northern Germany

In southeast Lower Saxony, the Osthanno -versche Eisenbahnen AG won the tender with itsbrand, Erixx. The traffic consists of 2.95 milliontrain kilometers and runs for a duration of 15 years with Alstom LINT trains. Länderbahnwon tenders in southeast and southwestGermany with the rail companies Regentalbahnand Vogtlandbahn. The east Saxony network willbelong to Vogtlandbahn for four years and runsover 3 million train kilometers. The regionaltrains in east Bavaria (Waldbahn, Oberpfalzbahnand Naabtalbahn) will increase their routes by2024; they will add 4.7 million train kilometers to the portfolio and will be operated with 24 Regio-Shuttle (RS1) and 12 new Pesa Linktrains. Länderbahn additionally won the‘Dieselnetz Südwest’ tender and will be the mostambitious start of a new traffic route.

NETINERA is proud to introduce a refresheddesign of Alstom LINT trains. Together with thepublic transport authorities and interiordesigners, NETINERA redesigned the interior oftheir LINT trains with a new colour scheme for thepassenger compartments plus new seat andtable materials. LED lighting has also beeninstalled to give the compartments a smootherlook. Operations will start on 14 December 2014.This traffic will cover 6.1 million train kilometerswith 10 railway sections in Rhineland-Palatine,Saarland and Hesse. Some trains will also crossthe border to France during weekend holidaytraffic. In December 2016, the traffic will beextended by another 0.6 million train kilometers.

Apart from their railway business, NETINERAalso owns four bus companies, 13 differentworkshop sites, three harbours and oneforwarding agency. The NETINERA buscompanies operate 28 million bus kilometres per year. They are all leading bus companies in their regional areas. Autobus Sippel GmbHoperates predominantly in the Rhine-Main area. Verkehrsbetriebe Bils GmbH offers its public bus services in North Rhine-Westphalia. Neißeverkehr GmbH andSüdbrandenburger Nahverkehrs GmbH areoperating in East Germany, and KVG Stade innorthern Germany.

The NETINERA workshops are situatedstrategically across the regions in which thegroup operates. The workshops in Neustrelitz,Bleckede, Schwandorf and Celle offer customersa wide spectrum of services with a focus on heavy maintenance. They have specialexperience and knowledge about overhaulingand modernising railway vehicles, plus vehiclecomponents. Their customers include a largenumber of railway companies all over Europe.The on-site main tenance is provided byworkshops which are tailored to the needs of thelocal operation scheme. Therefore theyguarantee a high operational availability andreliability of the fleet by minimising costs. This isimportant for NETINERA when it comes totendering. The locations and services of the workshops are a relevant factor for theparticipation in tenders. With the award

of the ‘Dieselnetz Südwest’, NETINERA started the construction of a new workshop inMainz with a train washing system and moderntechnical equipment.

NETINERA’s special strengths are its well-known regional brands. It is crucial for thebusiness to have a strong regional commitment,but equally important is the relationship with itsstrong and experienced parent company,Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane.

Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane is the thirdlargest railway transport company in Europe withthe ambition to grow beyond Italy’s borders.After becoming a joint stock company in 1992, itunderwent some re-organisational processesand is now one of the most successful players onthe European railway market. With its support,NETINERA will continue their success story.


GERMAN PROFILE

Jost Knebel is the Chairman ofthe Board of Management ofNETINERA Deutschland GmbH.He started his career as a Con -troller with Mercedes-Benz andthen moved on to differentleadership positions with

Deutsche Bahn AG. From 2006 to 2008, Jost was aBoard Member of Hamburger Hochbahn AGresponsible for the bus and shipping traffic. Hehas been working for the NETINERA group since2009, starting as Regional Manager West. He thenheld the position as Managing Director ofdifferent subsidiaries within the company. In July2012 he was appointed Chief Executive Officer ofNETINERA Deutschland GmbH.

NETINERA operates the Vogtlandbahnservices in south east Germany


The first fixed-target was to create ‘inde -pendent’ rules which meant that in onesituation an actor should operate in one way,independent of the usage of the system. Thiswas absolutely necessary because some partsof the network are covered by train controlsystems, ETCS Level 2 and the conventional PZB system.

The part of the project concerning rules and

procedures began with the evaluation ofAppendix A of the TSI OPE and the context to theexisting operational rules and procedures forconventional traffic. Based on the operationalrequirements, a first set of ‘draft rules for ETCS’was developed.

These rules were the main part of thefunctional requirement specification of the system and with this ÖBB started the

tender process in May 2008 with an EU-wide call.After nearly one year and many negotiationslater, a supplier named Thales Rail Solutions waschosen, which meant that ÖBB could begin theconversation of the functional requirementspecification into project specific systemrequirement specification for the Thales RBC system.

In parallel with the development of the SRS,

When planning first began to implement ETCS Level 2 in Austria, ÖBB – the Austrian Federal Railways – was also faced with the challenge of creating and adapting its operational rules and procedures at that time.Therefore, in parallel to the technical projects for GSM-R, infrastructure and rolling stock etc., a project knownas ‘ETCS-operations’ was started to define the ‘operational requirements for ETCS’ as a basis for the call fortender and also to close the gap between existing conventional rules and future ETCS rules and procedures.Beside this major task, this project was also responsible for defining how to work in a degraded mode, how tooperate an RBC (Radio Block Centre) and how to handle failures.

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Status ofETCS in Austria

Manfred PisekLeader of the Operational Requirements ManagementDepartment, ÖBB Infrastructure

Stefan GaiderETCS Infrastructure Project Leader – Engineering Services, ÖBB Infrastructure

a test-line in western Austria was implementedwhere all equipment for infrastructure and rollingstock was tested against the relevant SRS andoperational requirements. This line was readywith the first Thales RBC baseline in October2010, and the first truly ETCS Level 2 guided (test) train in Austria operated on this line on 15 October 2010.

These tests were carried out by a so-called‘power-user’ team – a group of specially trainedsignal-men, signalling engineers and drivers. This team worked together in all test-cases,supported by experts from the ‘system inte -grator’, an external company with excellentknowledge in ETCS technology and the rele-vant SRS.

From the very first steps, each test of each function was divided into several steps,checked against the SRS and the rules, andafterwards described in a test-protocol. Before performing the real tests of a test-sequence, all actions and expected results werediscussed among the power-user team. All testresults, especially those which were unexpected,were detailed and described by the teamfor analysis by the different suppliers or forcertificate-documentation.

The first step was to test the infrastructureagainst a certificated loco with ETCS baseline2.3.0d. After this was reached, the new AustrianRST, not just the ones from ÖBB, could be testedagainst the RBC.

But the interoperability between infra -structure and rolling stock was not the onlyelement to be tested; the proper working of theinterfaces between RBC and the different kinds ofinterlockings (electronic and relay), was a maintarget of the test-period.

For nearly two years, the functions of the RBC have been improved step-by-step toreach a status which now allows the signaller to ‘forget’ the RBC in normal operation as thewhole work between interlocking and RBC isdone automatically.

Also, some additional functions have beencreated in the RBC, which simplify the signallerswork in a degraded mode, e.g. a technicalcommand to run on sight or to change from trainmode to shunting mode. Temporary speed

restrictions or catenary restrictions can becommanded with just a few mouse-clicks.

In parallel to all the technical tests, thepower-user team had to consider the rules andprocedures. During the test period somefunctions had to be modified, extended and reduced. According to this, all rules andprocedures have been updated in closecooperation with the Austrian NSA, who wasfinally responsible for their approvement.

The first test runs on the new high-speedlines started in March 2012 and were on-going tothe end of October 2012. The ÖBB tests wereperformed in parallel with the tests of other RUs that also want to commence ETCS Level 2 inAustria. In December 2012, ÖBB had thecapability to drive ETCS in Austria, but so didother RUs such as WESTBAHN GmbH.

On 9 December 2012, the first commercially-operated train (a RAILJET 363) with ETCS Level 2ran, marking a new period for ÖBB using traincontrol systems. Now, between 250 and 270 trains per day operate with ETCS Level 2 onthe Austrian network, most of them with high-speed and high priority. To give an impression ofthe quality provided – the delay-minutes causedby ETCS problems are on average less than 200 minutes per month!

A lot of work has been achieved so far, butthere is no time for rest. The next challenges forÖBB and the project team are to complete thelines and functions still in operation, e.g. to closethe gap between Wörgl and the German border,and to implement reversing.

This covers not only – like in many ETCS Level2 projects – a new high-speed line, but alsoexisting conventional lines with stations thathave many points and tracks. These existing lineswere still in operation during the implementationof ETCS and run mixed traffic runs along all ofthese lines such as high-speed trains (up to230km/h on the new lines and up to 160km/h onthe existing lines), normal passenger trains,freight trains, and commuter trains.

In parallel with ETCS Level 2, ÖBB finishedtwo of the remaining ETCS Level 1 projects, on the Wels–Passau line and a part of the western main line near Salzburg betweenVöcklerbruck and Strasswalchen. This Level 1project began in the last decade and is now finallyin commercial operation.

The main issue with ETCS Level 1 in adecentralised implementation like ÖBB has inAustria is the life-cycle costs, for example theinstallation of temporary speed restrictions, as

they are entirely opposite of ETCS Level 2. ÖBBhas to invest a lot of time and money to secureone TSR with many balises on the line in Level 1,against some short command input into RBCfrom the signal man in Level 2.

Another ETCS Level 2 project is on-going onthe RFC 7 (Czech border–Vienna and Vienna–Hungarian border). This is also an existing linewith conventional lateral signalling. ÖBB began

to tender this project in December 2011, resultingwith Siemens being named as the chosensupplier in July 2011. Operation of ETCS on thisline is planned for mid-2014, and the first levelcrossings on an ETCS Level 2 line already existhere, so all relevant rules and procedures have tobe adopted accordingly.

With this project ÖBB has an option from oursupplier to also implement the new Vienna main


SIGNALLING

In operation, 2013● Existing Line: Vöcklabruck–Strasswalchen

(40km) ETCS Level 1

● Existing Line: Wels–Passau (80km)

ETCS Level 1

● Existing Line: Wien–Nickelsdorf (70km SRS

2.2.x currently not in operation) ETCS Level 1

● Existing Line: Kundl–Brenner (70km)

ETCS Level 2

● New Line: Kundl–Baumkirchen (40km)

ETCS Level 2

● New Line: Wien–St. Pölten (60km)

ETCS Level 2

Implementation plan, until 2015● Existing Line: Attnang–Salzburg (55km)

ETCS Level 1

● Existing Line: Wels–Passau (80km)

ETCS Level 1

● Existing Line: Wien–Nickelsdorf (70km SRS

2.2.x currently not in operation) ETCS Level 1

● Existing Line: Wien–Hohenau (87km)

ETCS Level 2

● Existing Line: Kufstein–Kundl (38km)

ETCS Level 2

● Existing Line: Kundl–Brenner (70km)

ETCS Level 2

● New Line: Kundl–Baumkirchen (40km)

ETCS Level 2

● New Line: Wien–St. Pölten (60km)

ETCS Level 2

‘‘Between 250 and 270 trains per day operate with ETCS Level 2 on the Austrian

network, most of them with high-speed and high priority’’

‘‘On 9 December 2012, the first commercially-operated train (a RAILJET 363) with ETCS Level

2 ran, marking a new period for ÖBB usingtrain control systems’’

station with ETCS Level 2. This will close the gapbetween the ETCS implementation on the RFC 7and the existing ETCS on the western mainline.

The only issue which ÖBB has analysed is thecapacity problem of GSM-R for this large station.ÖBB is currently looking for the prospect tohandle trains from first implementation in 2017to the time where a technical solution for morecapacity in GSM-R for ETCS, like GPRS in the SRS, is available.

The second half of the RFC 7, from Vienna tothe Hungarian border, was implemented withETCS Level 1 SRS 2.2.2 with loop infill in the lastdecade, and is planned to update to SRS 2.3.0

and state-of-the-art engineering rules like arelease speed. This is like the other ETCS Level 1project currently in evaluation. Financial reasonswill decide whether to upgrade to an ETCS Level 2or stay on ETCS Level 1.

Another further step will be the imple -mentation of ETCS baseline 3, which once again will lead to an overworking of all basic documents.

And finally, an ÖBB group is working on astrategy to implement ETCS on the wholeAustrian network in the decades to come. So, just as one ETCS project is finalised, workbegins for the next.

SIGNALLING

Manfred Pisek began hisprofessional career withsignalman-education in 1980.After examination, he worked asa signalman and dispatcher innine stations from 1983 to 2005after which he moved to the

Operational Systems Department in the ÖBBInfrastructure Operations Division, responsiblefor the development of train detection systems.With the beginning of the ÖBB ETCS Level 2project in 2008, Manfred worked as a WorkPackage Leader in the project, and in 2010 hebecame the Project Leader of the ETCS operationproject until the end of the project. Since 2012,Manfred has been Leader of the OperationalRequirements Management Department withinthe ÖBB Infrastructure Operations Division, andsince 2009 has been a representative of ÖBB and CER in TSI OPE and ERTMS operationalharmonisation working parties.

Stefan Gaider was educatedat the Higher Technical Schoolfor Electrical Engineering (TGMWien) and received a year’straining within the ÖBBSignalling Department. Stefanhas worked in several fieldswithin ÖBB and its reorganiseddepartments in the work of ETCS Level 2. Since2010, Stefan has been Project Leader for the on-going ETCS Level 1 projects and is designatedProject Leader for all upcoming ETCS infra -structure projects within ÖBB Infrastructure.

UPCOMING CONFERENCE:

Manfred Pisek and Stefan Gaider will be speaking at European Railway Review’s forthcoming

Austrian Rail Development conference in Vienna on 11 June 2014.

For further information, please visit www.austrianraildevelopment.com

Austrian DEVELOpMENT

RAILPalais Ferstel, Vienna Austria www.austrianraildevelopment.com


As well as the undersea rail tunnel under theBosphorus, the Marmaray Project consists ofthe modernisation of existing commuter linesbetween Halkalı-Yedikule on the European sideand Söğütlüçekşme-Gebze on the Asian side,plus the procurement of new rolling stock to beoperated along the route.

The rail tunnel underneath the Bosphorus is13.6km-long and runs between Üsküdar on theAsian side and Sirkeci on the European side. Partof the crossing includes a 1.4km section ofimmersed earthquake-proof tube tunnel.

Services have initially opened for operationbetween Kazilicesme and Üsküdar. Once the rest of the project is completed, the line willultimately run for 76.3km from Halkalı in the west to Gebze in the east, reducing the journeytime from 1 hour and 45 minutes (by train and ferry) to 1 hour and 4 minutes. With acapacity of 75,000 passengers, one way per hour,

the line is expected to carry one millionpassengers per day.

The most important benefits of theMarmaray Project include:● Offering a long-term solution for the

existing urban transportation problems in

the city of Istanbul

● Providing a direct railway connectionbetween Asia and Europe

● To increase commuter rail capacity, relia -bility, accessibility, punctuality and safety

● To reduce travel time and increasepassenger comfort

● Providing uninterrupted passenger andfreight rail transport beneath the Bosphorus

● Contributing to decreasing air pollution● Reducing the traffic congestion on the

existing bridges by offering a potential forreducing the number of cars in the old centreof Istanbul.

A 153-year-old dreamThe idea to cross the Bosphorus via a rail tunnel beneath sea was first suggested bySultan Abdülmecid in 1860s, but it was not until 1987 that the first comprehensive con -struction-feasibility study was made. Andconstruction finally began in 2004.

ConstructionThe total length of the rail tunnel under-neath the Bosphorus is 13.6km which includes a 9.8km-long bored tunnel, the 1.4km-longearthquake-proof immersed tube tunnel and a2.4km-long cut-and-cover tunnel. The height ofthe immersed tube tunnel between Eminönüand Üsküdar is 8.75km and its width is 15.3km. It was assembled in 11 sections; eight at 135m-long, two at 98.5m-long and one at 110m-long.

In order to embed the immersed tube tunnelsections, a trench approximately 14m-high wasexcavated at the sea bottom. By using GPS, sonarand supersonic measurement equipment, theimmersed tube tunnel sections (that were built inthe dry docks of the Turkish Ministry of Transport,Maritime Affairs and Communications inTuzla/Istanbul) were lowered into the trench atthe same time in an extremely controlled andsafe manner after soil improvement works,dredging of the trench and laying of the basematerials were completed. When the ballasttanks of the tube tunnel sections were filled withwater and became heavier, they were thenimmersed into the trench bed.

Five TBMs (Tunnel Boring Machines) wereused in the Marmaray Project including four slurry-type TBMs used for excavating thetunnels between Yenikapı-Sirkeci and Üsküdar-

On 29 October 2013, an inauguration ceremony took place in Turkey to mark the opening of a rail tunnelbeneath the Bosphorus, connecting the European and Asian sides of Istanbul. Part of the wider MarmarayProject, this rail connection is built 60m below sea level and is the world’s deepest immersed tube tunnel andconstructed to withstand earthquakes.

TURKEY

Marmaray Project: a 153-year-old dreambecomes reality Süleyman Karaman

Director General and Chairman of theBoard, Turkish State Railways (TCDD)

The Marmaray rolling stock

Ayrılıkçeşmesi. For the tunnels bored beneathpoor-bearing earth and the relatively thin upperlayer between Yedikule and Yenikapı, an EPBTBM (Earth Pressure Balance- Tunnel BoringMachine) was used.

Earthquake-resistant tunnelIstanbul is located some 20km away from theNorth Anatolian Fault Zone, which runs fromeast to west, south of Prince Islands in theMarmaray Sea. The project area is therefore in alocation where the risk of a severe earthquakemust be taken into account.

Therefore, geological, geotechnical, andgeophysical investigations were made and thedata obtained from these investigations, togetherwith existing data, formed the basis for the designof the tunnel to be earthquake-resistant.

The immersed tunnel has been designed towithstand a 7.5 moment-magnitude earthquake.Even if the tunnel is flooded in the event of anearthquake greater than this, it will take 1.5 hoursfor the walkways to be submerged. If there is atrain inside the tunnel when an earthquakestrikes, then the passengers will be evacuated via both directions well within the 1.5 hour time limit and both sides of the tunnel will beclosed automatically.

It has been targeted to achieve the followingobjectives in the event of an earthquake:● Providing 100% life safety● Ensuring minimum risk of losing

functionality● Minor and easily repairable damage to

structural elements● Watertight immersed tunnel joints remain● Capability to put the line into operation

again in the shortest time possible after an earthquake.

In the scope of the Marmaray Project, five new and modern stations including three under ground stations – Üsküdar, Sirkeci and Yenikapı – and two above-ground stations – Ayrılıkçeşmesi and Kazlıçeşme – were constructed.

Throughout the station areas, passengeraccess is ensured by overpasses and under -passes in line with the position of the station – all designed with lifts and/or ramps and high-quality lighting in order for all passengers to

access them comfortably. A minimum of onestation access way has been designed to allowpassengers with reduced mobility to enter thestations without needing help.

Ventilation in the underground stations isprovided naturally where possible, and by forcedventilation where required in the case of negativeconditions such as dust or smoke. In order to beprotected from smoke in the emergency exitshafts, ventilation fans will keep the fire andsmoke away from exit routes and stairs. In eachstation and ventilation building, there are 100kwelectrical pumps and 175 HP diesel generatorpumps which will be used as a water extinguish -ing system throughout stations and also withinthe tunnel. In case of a fire, turnstile systems willautomatically open and escalators and elevators,which automatically head to the exit gates, willlead the passengers safely to the exit. In addition,there are technical rooms in each station whichinclude passenger information (announcement,information monitors), ventilation, fire, CCTV,escalator control, lighting and SCADA systems.

Archaeological findsHistorical finds were uncovered duringarchaeological excavations on the constructionsites at Üsküdar, Sirkeci and Yenikapı stations.Experts estimate that the ruins date backapproximately 8,500 years. The wreckage of 13 vessels along with 35,000 historic findingsthat belong to the Ottoman, Byzantium andRoman ages were uncovered during excava -


TURKEY

The rail tunnel placed 60m-below the Bosphorusmakes it the world’s deepest immersed tube tunneland is constructed to withstand earthquakes

Unite continents with Thermit® ‘We unite the world’ – Elektro-Thermit & Co. KG

put this claim into practice in 2013 when final

welding work was completed on the railway line in

the Marmaray Tunnel in Istanbul, Turkey – creating a

continuous railway connection between Asia

and Europe on the rail tunnel network which

now promises to relieve the infrastructure in the

huge city.

Yapiray Railway Construction Systems Industry

INC. – the Turkish company responsible for carrying

out the welding work – relied on the long-standing

and positive experience of Elektro-Thermit,

Germany – the systems provider for alumino-

thermic welding.

Elektro-Thermit – the inventor of Thermit®

welding – has been a skilled partner for railway

companies and transport services for over 90 years.

The largest subsidiary of Goldschmidt Thermit

Group offers a unique product and service range

and ensures that high-speed, heavy-haul, trams and

underground railways can travel with low-wear,

securely and lightly on continuously welded track.

Its portfolio includes high-quality products

and services for constructing, repairing, maintain-

ing and modernising track systems: consumables and

devices for Thermit® welding processes, insulated rail

joints as well as a wide range of measur-

ing technology and services that fulfil all track

system’s requirements.

www.elektro-thermit.de

‘‘The rail tunnel underneath the Bosphorus is 13.6km-long and runs between

Üsküdar on the Asian side and Sirkeci on the European side’’

tions. In particular, the most wide-reachingarchaeolog ical excavations in the history ofIstanbul were carried out in Yenikapı in fourdifferent sections over an area of 58,000m2.Uncovered was the largest port of Byzantium –the Theodorius port.

Rolling stockFifty-four train sets composed of five and 10 coaches have been procured to operatealong the Marmaray route. Capable of operatingat 105km/h, the vehicles will run at 80km/h onthe Marmaray lines and will be equipped withair-conditioning, security cameras, fire warningsystems plus visual and audio passengerinformation systems.

The Marmaray Operation ManagementSystem consists of five sections – the SupervisorDesk, the Traffic Controller Desk, the Communi -cation Coordinator Desk, the ElectromagneticSystems Coordinator Desk and the MaintenanceDesk – and they are able to monitor all

stations with CCTV to track and command thepower systems such as transformers andcatenaries etc., to conduct passenger informa -tion systems and emergency operations. Theoperational responsibility of the OperationManagement System is upon the SupervisorTraffic Controller, and train traffic is managed bythe Traffic Controller.

A Communication Based Train Control(CBTC) System is applied in the section where the train traffic was launched. Through CBTC, thelocation of the trains and driving mode can beinstantly monitored, all signals and switches arearranged remotely and signals are controlledautomatically. ERTMS/ETCS Level 1 will beinstalled on the same lines when all lines arecommissioned, making Marmaray the onlyexample that uses two different systems – CBTCand ERTMS/ETCS Level 1 – on the same line. Both systems will be able to be operated separ -ately; systems will give movement authorisationto the trains according to their occupancy.

Four minutes between Asia and EuropeWith the opening of the Marmaray, the traveltime between the two sides of Istanbul is nowjust four minutes. Construction was undertaken

and completed by the General Directorate ofInfrastructure Investment (AYGM) and thentransferred to Turkish State Railways (TCDD) forcommercial operations.

With the opening of Marmaray, a 153-year-old dream became reality, not just by connectingthe two sides of Turkey, or even two continents,but it can also provide seamless railwaytransportation from Far Asia to Western Europeand even from Beijing to London.

TURKEY

Süleyman Karaman gradu -ated from the MechanicalEngineering Faculty of IstanbulTechnical University (ITU) in1978. In 1981 he took his masterdegree at the same universityand he received a Mechanical

Engineer MSc title with high degree. Followingthis, Mr. Karaman carried out some studiesconcerning farming machinery, took up a short-term military post and worked for an automotivecompany. Then in 1994 he was appointed asDeputy Director General of IETT (Istanbul PublicTransport Authority) where he took part in manyprojects – one of which was the implementationof Smart Tickets. Mr. Karaman became DirectorGeneral and Chairman of the Board of TurkishState Railways (TCDD) in January 2003.

‘‘The immersed tunnel has been designed to withstand a 7.5 moment-

magnitude earthquake’’

Increased Safety and Reduced Wear.The MULTIRAIL® BogieLoad Measurement Device.

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Increased safety and reduced wear for metro, tramways, regional and high-speed trains. Only perfectly tuned and serviced bogies can meet these requirements. Therefore, Schenck Process offers state-of-the-art measurement solutions which satisfy all requirements up to DIN 25043-7 including spindle load application, automatic bogie centring and geometric surveying.

MULTIRAIL® Technology is the complete solution for measuring, monitoring and checking in the workshop and on the track.

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Bogies/Wheelsets


SUPPLEMENT

SPONSORED BY:

39

42

47

FLEXX Eco – the leadinglightweight passenger

bogie designEddie Searancke, Bombardier Transportation

The importance ofinstrumented wheelsets

– accuracy is keyEduardo Elizalde Urdian and

Julen Garzo Hernandez, CETEST

Safety of the railwayaxle: the last mile

for EURAXLES Raimund Abele and Léa Paties,

EURAXLES Project

© J

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Firstly, the studies concluded that the use ofcomposite materials for bogie frames offersonly modest weight savings, since the frameitself constitutes less than a quarter of the totalbogie weight.

Secondly, weight savings in the wheelsetswere by far the most important, as they not onlyreduce total weight but also the rotational energyand track damaging forces.

Thirdly, and probably most importantly,considerable savings could be made by good design optimisation using conventional,proven materials.

Business requirementsThe FLEXX Eco bogie was developed to satisfy anoutline technical specification which was basedon the future business requirements. This canbe summarised as follows:● 30% reduction in bogie mass

● Reduced bogie maintenance● Reduced track damage● Improved curving performance.

Whilst these requirements were originallydefined by British Rail more than 25 years ago,they are even more relevant today than theywere then.

FLEXX Eco bogie developmentTo meet the demanding business specification,it was necessary to fundamentally re-think the‘conventional’ bogie concept. The bogie thatresulted from this process was originallydesignated the B5000 and was later re-brandedas the FLEXX Eco bogie.

The impressive weight savings have beenachieved in spite of a requirement to have anincreased bogie carrying capacity. In addition,the saving has been achieved using low riskconventional materials, working within acceptedstress limits as a result of good concept designand careful optimisation.

The inboard bearing concept results in asignificant reduction in the overall size of the bogie and this is the key reason why it ispossible to achieve such a significant reduction in the bogie mass without compromisingstructural integrity.

The comparison in size between aconventional bogie and the FLEXX Eco is clearlyillustrated by Figure 1. The reduced size alsoallows increased space on the vehicle under -frame for equipment and reduced aerodynamicdrag, particularly if full bogie skirts are used onthe car body which is made possible by thereduced bogie width.

FLEXX Eco – key advantages for our customersThe main features of the FLEXX Eco bogie arelightweight and low maintenance, and it hassuperior performance in terms of minimisingwheel and rail wear, and track damage.

The origins of the BOMBARDIER1 FLEXX1 Eco bogie development can be traced to a number of research studieswhich were carried out by British Rail in the early- and mid-1980s. These studies examined ways in which bogieweight reductions and other improvements could be introduced, including the possible use of lightweightmaterials such as composites.

BOGIES/WHEELSETSSUPPLEMENT

FLEXX Eco – the leadinglightweight passengerbogie design Eddie Searancke

Deputy Head of Engineering – BogiesDivision, Bombardier Transportation

Figure 1 A comparison in size between a conventional bogie and a FLEXX Eco bogie

FLEXX Eco bogies have a 30% lower massthan conventional bogies with the same loadcapacity. This typically results in a 10% reductionin total train mass, with corresponding benefitsfor energy consumption. The trailer bogies alsohave a 30% lighter wheelset with correspond -ingly low inertia. Bogie dynamic stability istherefore improved which allows a lower primaryyaw stiffness than is possible with a conventionalbogie design. This improves the curvingperformance of the bogie and thus reduces railwear and rolling contact fatigue (RCF) damage oncurves and switches. The lower forces from thereduced axleload and unsprung mass alsoreduce the vertical track damage.

In the UK, the VTAC track access chargingmodel can be used to calculate the financialbenefit to the train operator of the reduction intrack damage. The calculation shows that onlychanging from conventional bogies to FLEXX Ecobogies, with no other change to the vehicle, willresult in a 30% reduction in the vehicle trackaccess change. This benefit is a result from thecombined effect of the reduced axleload,reduced unsprung mass and the improvedcurving performance. The additional benefit ofthe reduced energy consumption also needs tobe included.

The bogie design requires approximately25% less maintenance than a typical bogie, andenables the light overhaul to be done, in situ, on

the vehicle without having to remove the bogiefrom the vehicle.

Good curving performance and low wheelsetmass reduces wheel damage/wear and improveswheel life. The large capacity journal bearingachieves an increased bearing life. Togetherthese factors mean that wheelset overhaulperiods can be extended by up to 50% comparedwith conventional bogies.

Therefore, FLEXX Eco bogies contribute to anoptimised cost of ownership of the train through:● Reduced track damage● Reduced energy consumption resulting from

the weight reduction● Reduced bogie maintenance.

Fully-proven in serviceThe FLEXX Eco bogie was original developed asan Advanced Suburban Bogie for British Rail andthe prototype motor bogie was successfullytested in passenger service on a modified Class466 train in 1994.

However, prototype versions of the bogiewere extensively evaluated under vehicles in passenger service in the UK, Germany and Norway with very different operating con -ditions. This demonstrated that this innovativebogie could be easily adapted for a wide range of applications.

In 1998, we received an order to supply andmaintain 34 four-car diesel-electric multiple unit

cars (DEMUs) for the operator of CrossCountryservices in the UK. With a maximum speed of200km/h, these Class 220 trains are designed for ease of maintenance and a high level ofpassenger comfort. The high power to weightratio and electric transmission allows highacceleration resulting in improved journey times.This was the first production application for theFLEXX Eco bogies and these bogies have been inservice since 2001.

In 2002, we received a further order for a total of 27 DEMUs for HSBC Rail UK Limited. The 200km/h Class 222 trains are run by EastMidland Trains.

Both of these contracts use the same type ofbogie on all car types. The bogie is a ‘hybrid’power bogie with one driven axle and one traileraxle (see Figure 2). The driven axle incorporates a final drive gearbox, which is driven via a cardan shaft from the body mounted tractionmotor. This arrangement reduces the bogie mass and ensures that the track damaging forces are minimised.

The new generation Class 172 TURBOSTAR1

160km/h diesel trains also have FLEXX Eco bogiesand 93 cars are in service around the UK.

The power bogie has both axle driven via acardan shaft from the body mounted MTU dieselengine and a ZF gearbox. The bogie has all of thebenefit of the FLEXX Eco design. Low bogie weightand low unsprung mass results on reduced track



Figure 2 A B5005 bogie

forces and track damage. The track damage willbe significantly lower than on the lighter weightClass 158 Sprinter trains due to the lowerunsprung mass and better curving performanceof the FLEXX Eco bogie.

We have also supplied 122 FLEXX Eco trailerbogies for the Norwegian State Railways. The bogies are used under refurbished 160km/hClass 5 coaches. The reduction in bogie weightand the reduction in bogie maintenance are thekey advantages for the customer.

The latest FLEXX Eco Platform developmentsThe FLEXX Eco bogies have been operating inpassenger service since 2001 and have alreadyaccumulated well over 2,500 million fleetkilometres and they are continuing to cumulatemore than 200 million fleet kms/year.

The FLEXX Eco bogie remains the world’sonly lightweight in-board bearing bogie which isalready fully-proven in passenger service for awide range of mainline applications.

Bombardier is now developing the latestFLEXX Eco Platform bogie and this will be used onall future contracts. This latest developmentbuilds on our 13 years of service experience so

that FLEXX Eco will continue to be the world’sleading lightweight mainline bogie design.

The first order for the new FLEXX EcoPlatform bogie is for the DB ICx trains in Germany.We have now started production of this high axleload version of the FLEXX Eco bogie (see Figure 3). The bogie will be used on thetrailer cars only but will reduce the total trainweight by 5%. The first order is for 130 trainswhich will have 45x7 cars for 230km/h and 85x12 cars for 250km/h but with options foradditional trains.

The Platform development also includesversions for Metro and EMU applications and wealready have the following orders for more than2,000 bogies:● Stockholm Metro C30 MOVIA1 (80km/h)● Riyadh Metro INNOVIA1 300 (100km/h)● London Crossrail AVENTRA1 (145km/h).

The Crossrail contract is for 65 nine-car AVENTRA

electric multiple-units. There is an option for afurther 18 trainsets.

Therefore Bombardier has developed the FLEXX Eco Platform into an extensive range of bogies which now covers the full range of market applications from 80km/h lightweight

metro cars to 250km/h, 19 tonnes axleloadInterCity trains.

The unique advantages of the innovativeFLEXX Eco design which results in a low weight,reduced energy consumption, reduced trackdamage and low bogie maintenance cost cannow be appreciated on a wide range of passengertrain applications.

Reference1. BOMBARDIER, AVENTRA, TURBOSTAR, MOVIA, INNOVIA

and FLEXX are trademarks of Bombardier Inc. or its subsidiaries.



Eddie Searancke started hiscareer in 1974 at the BritishRailway Technical Centre inDerby, UK. In 1984, Eddie joinedBritish Rail Engineering and then in 1987 he joined RFSIndustries in Doncaster. In 1989,

Eddie became Engineering Director of RFSSpecialist Rail Products and was responsible forthe development of the B5000 bogie (now theFLEXX Eco). The company was purchased byBombardier Transportation in 1994. In 1997 hewas appointed Director of Bogie Design forBombardier Atlantic Europe based in France. In2001, Eddie became Head of Product Engineeringand later Product Management. He is nowDeputy Head of Engineering, Bogies in Europe.

Figure 3 A computer gernerated image of a FLEXX Eco ICx trailer bogie

The wheel-rail contact plays a key role in thevehicle dynamics from the point-of-view ofaspects such as rolling safety, ride quality, trackfatigue, safety against derailment or wheel and rail wear.

Issues related to the acceptance process ofnew rolling stock – according to the maininternational standards – are particularly critical.This process is of extreme importance in terms of safety and economic consequences due to its high cost.

It can be particularly critical for high-speedvehicles or heavy load locomotives where –under extreme conditions – the measured forcestend to be very close to the limits established inthe standard. In these cases, measurementaccuracy of forces transmitted through wheel-rail contact is a highly important factor.

Instrumented wheelsets are designed tomeasure the wheel-rail contact forces. There aredifferent solutions for implementing dynamo -metric wheelsets, generally based on strainmeasurement at different points of the wheelsand/or axles.

The two key aspects that differentiate a‘good’ measuring wheelset are the reliability andthe accuracy of the solution. Developing a

method that properly addresses both issues is a real challenge.

Reliable IWSDifferent factors can affect the reliability of ameasuring wheelset. First of all, the instru -mentation has to respond adequately to thehigh accelerations that the wheelset is suffering.Secondly, it has to be prepared to avoid the

degradation due to environmental factors likerain or extreme temperatures to which it isgoing to be exposed. Finally, the instru -mentation has to resist to specific events suchas the impact of stones from the ballast.

Another factor that could affect the life-cycleof the wheelset is the modification of the axle insome instrumented wheelset solutions. CETESTsolves the need for connectivity betweenwheelset instrumentation and on-boardequipment through slip ring or wireless solutionsthat must be adapted to the wheelsets.

An important characteristic of CETEST’ssolution is that the measuring method isindependent of the wheel shape so there is noneed to manufacture any special wheel for theapplication. The easy installation radio frequencytelemetry allows avoiding the manufacture ofany destructive machining of the axle whichincreases the safety of the project.

These wheelsets have been successfullyused in the complete range of railway vehicles:high-speed trains up to 350km/h, trams, metros,locomotives, freight cars and regional vehicles.For the case of high-speed vehicles, locomotives,freight cars and regional vehicles the completemethod of the EN14363 standard has beensuccessfully completed.

Accurate IWSThe improvement in accuracy can beunderstood as a reduction of the differentsources of uncertainty in the measurement. Thelack of linearity and reproducibility, the rippleeffects resulting from the discretisation of theinstrumentation, the effects of temperature andspeed or the cross effect between differentforces have to be considered.

CETEST has its own patented strategy for


Instrumented wheelsets (IWS) are designed to measure the wheel-rail contact forces. The evaluation of such forces is a key point in the processes of approval of railway vehicles in terms of dynamic behaviour.CETEST, a fully-accredited independent test laboratory, has its own solution for the design and implementationof instrumented wheelsets. This article describes the calibration and verification requirements for these wheelsets and presents the new rolling test rig developed by CETEST to meet these needs. The design of the test rig covers the objectives of reducing time and improving the accuracy and uncertainty assessmentassociated to the process.

XXXXXSUPPLEMENT


The importanceof instrumentedwheelsets –accuracy is key

Eduardo Elizalde UrdianSenior Engineer – Structural Testing, CETEST

Julen Garzo HernandezSenior Engineer – Field Testing, CETEST

‘‘Issues related to the acceptance process of new rolling stock – according

to the main international standards – are particularly critical’’

strain gage based measuring wheelset solutionspecially designed to minimise the effects ofdifferent sources of uncertainty.

Calibration processDuring the manufacturing of the instrumentedwheelset, the calibration process appearscrucial in order to assess the accuracy of themeasurement system. In this phase, calibrationforces of known magnitude are applied to thewheelset and the corresponding output of the measuring system is acquired.

The starting point in the calibration processlies in the accuracy of the input variables on thecalibration rig and the ability of the system tosimulate the actual operation conditions of thewheelset under the vehicle.

The calibration of each wheelset takes placeon a dedicated test rig which can be static ordynamic (rolling). Static test rigs are usuallysimple structures that allow applying vertical andlateral forces to the wheelset by means ofhydraulic actuators. Reaction forces are directlymeasured with reference load cells. On the otherhand, roller rigs are sophisticated machinescapable of reproducing working conditions thatare much more similar to those encountered

during line tests. The advantages of roller rigsover static test benches are noticeable in terms ofreal simulation of running conditions… but alsotime saving.

Under this scenario, CETEST decided todevelop its own roller test bench for wheelsets,which allows the independent application ofturn, vertical and lateral loads in both wheels.


An instrumented wheelset on track

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available on the world market today. The full contact

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results are not influenced by oil, dirt, reflecting light,

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Your way to validand reliable data

As it has been explained, the main objectiveswere focused on the improvement in thecalibration accuracy, the simulation of realoperation conditions, the reduction of thecalibration process time and the design of auniversal solution for any wheelset.

Calibration accuracy is obtained by knowingload values and their position accurately.Actuation and positioning cylinders can be fine-tuned controlled in force and displacement, both

in vertical and transversal direction, andindependently of the wheel.

The rail gauge can be automatically adaptedfrom 1,000mm to 1,668mm; and wheels form500mm up to 1,300 diameter can be tested. Bothsides of the wheelsets can be calibrated andverified both independently or together.

For each wheel there is a roller that iscapable of applying both the vertical and lateralforces guided through two carriages with

independent movement via servo-controlledactuators. Another actuator is used for applyingcalibration lateral loads. In this case, the load isalso applied by means of a roller that contacts onthe side of the wheel.

Simulation of the running conditions can beachieved by combining vertical and lateral loads,and by turning the wheelset up to its maximumspeed. Vertical loads can be applied in any pointof the wheel tread, whereas lateral loads can be


Rear and top view of CETEST’s new IWS test rig

BEING RIGHT ON TRACK – WITH ORIGINAL GREASES FROM RHENUS LUB.Lubrication for bumper heads, wheel flanges, wheel bearings and switch plates. Ask for Rhenus Lub.

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applied both by contacting on the wheel flange orby changing the angle of attack via anotheractuator. In this way, real loading conditions, asfor example derailing, can be simulated.

The reduction in the calibration time isachieved by programming discrete loadsequences in known positions, in combinationwith a turn of the wheels. This implies that inputvariables for the correlation matrix betweenexternal forces and moments and the measures

acquired from the instrumented wheelset can beobtained in a reduced time. Moreover, by turningthe axle, the rippling effects can be simul -taneously taken into account.

Finally, the developed solution is universalbecause it can be adapted to different railgauges, different wheel diameters and axles withindependent turning wheels.

This test bench allows CETEST to offer moreaccurate instrumented wheelset solutions,

perfectly tested and in short development times.This test bench complements the CETEST’sportfolio in terms of fixed and portable rigs that –together with a broad set of instrumentation – setCETEST in a leading position between railwaylaboratories worldwide.


Eduardo Elizalde Urdian holdsa degree in Industrial Engineer -ing. He currently works as aSenior Engineer in the area ofstructural testing at CETEST, andhis main areas of involvementinclude resistance and durability

of both structures and rotating elements. He alsotakes part in the design and set-up of testbenches, merging mechanical design withelectronic systems.

Julen Garzo Hernandez holdsa degree in Industrial Engineer -ing. He currently works as aSenior Engineer in the area offield testing at CETEST and is responsable of the instru -mented wheelsets area. Hismain areas of involvement include testing andanalysis of the dynamic behaviour and comfort ofnew rolling stock. He also takes part in the homo -logation process of new pantograph designs.

RML – working to exceed client requirementsRailMeasurement Ltd (RML) specialise in supplying

reliable, robust, extremely accurate and validated

equipment to measure longitudinal irregularities on

rails and circumferential irregularities on wheels.

RML’s best known and most widely used equipment

is the CAT, which is a portable trolley that can be

used by a single person to measure irregularities on

unlimited lengths of track at walking speed. The data

are sufficiently accurate to be used for acoustic

roughness measurement according to standard

EN15610:2009, while many CATs are also used for

routine quality assurance of rail reprofiling work

according to standard EN13231-3 or equivalents.

RML’s Rail Corrugation Analyser (RCA) is

most often used to give routine measurements of

irregularities from a reprofiling train. The RCA can

measure a full spectrum of wavelengths from 3mm to

more than 5,000mm to an accuracy of microns. Such

measurements are invaluable to predict ground-borne

vibration. Correlation with the CAT and repeatability

are excellent.

RML have more recently developed and used

the TriTops equipment for a major vehicle supplier to

measure circumferential irregularities on wheels:

acoustic roughness, corrugation, out-of-round

and diameter. Although standards in this area

are still evolving, RML will ensure that their

equipment will comply with and usually exceed

their clients’ requirements.

www.railmeasurement.com

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D I R E CTO RY

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Realising the necessity of finding an inclusivesolution to the European system, the projectbrings together the major players in the entirerail sector, including manufacturers, operators,suppliers, and academics. With a potential

3.5 million axles in service today throughoutEurope, the EURAXLES project advocates aninnovative and global approach that may beadopted in order to further decrease the risk ofaxle failure.

The primary aim of EURAXLES was not onlyto guarantee the current level of safety, butimprove it in an interoperable network at anoptimised cost. The main concept of the projectwas to follow three complementary routes which


Raimund AbeleChairman of the EURAXLESSteering Committee

Léa PatiesUNIFE Project Manager andEURAXLES Project Coordinator

The recent intermediate report from the European Railway Agency (ERA) on the development of railway safetyin the European Union has shown that the safety of the European railway system has, undeniably, continuouslyimproved. However, it is imperative that safety critical sub-systems or components – such as wheelsets andaxles – are properly addressed in this complex context. It is within this framework that the EURAXLES1 projectwas launched in November 2010 as a three and a half year Research and Development project coordinated byUNIFE. This EU-project, funded via the Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Development isbringing together 23 European partners, covering the rail sector, with the final goal to minimise the risk of axlefailure in rail transport to such a level that it is not considered as a significant threat to the safe operation of theEuropean interoperable railway system.

Safety of therailway axle: the lastmile for EURAXLES

took into account in an innovative way thecombined influence of axle design, productionand maintenance standard parameters whilstretaining a safe management of the life-cycle.The results will be used to define new orimproved standards for product requirements,design and maintenance.

As the project nears its end, we can nowassess the first major achievements, according toits original objectives which included:● To commonly agree at European level on an

innovative axle design approach

● To develop: a) improved procedures for axleprotection against corrosion; new designrecommendation for unpainted axles; b)

improved adhesion of coatings with a studyof the roughness influence (adhesion andfatigue behaviour); improved quality testmethod for coating systems; c) new, inno -vative coating solutions, developed inpublic-private partnership between comp -anies and universities. The new solutionsalso have to fulfil environmental require -ments to avoid or limit VOC emissions.

● To evaluate and simplify new/improved NonDestructive Testing inspection methods thatallow the in-service inspection of axles, so asto guarantee safe service conditions with alow impact on the vehicle availability.

● To carry out RAMS and LCC analyses that

will allow a cost benefit comparison of the proposed solutions for an optimisedmarket uptake.

The EURAXLES project plans to improve thedefinition of loads applied on structures for the freight and conventional main train cate -gories. Current design standards only relate tomaintenance practices but have no real linkwith the main defects observed in service.Additionally, the existing standards specify thecriteria to qualify steel grades and their testingbut do not allow the determination of fatiguelimits, especially for new steel grades appliedfor high-speed train axles. Therefore, there is nomargin for innovation in order to proposeimproved or indeed breakthrough solutionswith the current standards.

EURAXLES already achieved developing loadspectra for different rolling stock types, as well asfor different kinds of track and different usages. Inparallel, a method to analyse a fatigue load withvariable amplitudes and determine a ‘fatigue-equivalent load’ is being developed. The nextstep is to define an approach to estimate the realdistribution of the load severities by using thedatabase, the fatigue-equivalent method and



EURAXLES aims to minimise the risk ofaxle failure in rail transport

‘‘The project brings together the major players in the entire rail sector,

including manufacturers, operators, suppliers, and academics’’

Schenck Process – delivering high-precision resultsBogies are used in virtually all rail vehicles.

Only perfectly tuned and serviced bogies can

guarantee safety and reduced wear for metro,

tramways, regional and high-speed trains. To ensure

their reliable operation, they have to make regular

visits to the test rig, preferably a MULTIRAIL®

BogieLoad, because the bogie pressure measure-

ment device from Schenck Process delivers the

best results.

Unlike standard hydraulic technology, the

spindle technology is purely mechanical, eliminating

the need for a run-in phase to bring the oil up

to operating temperature. Not using oil also makes

the technology more environmentally-friendly.

Maintenance and spare part costs for the

MULTIRAIL® BogieLoad are lower and it is quieter

than hydraulic test rigs.

MULTIRAIL® BogieLoad measures and

records the distribution of vertical wheel forces to

enable them to be set as evenly as possible. The

geometry of the chassis axles is also measured to

ensure that the chassis runs symmetrically. It is a

great aid for smooth and safe operation; the better the

chassis are set, the better the performance and

the greater the derailment protection. Several

versions are available, ranging from the simple

variant for small track widths to the high-tech device

for small and large track widths.

The technology delivers high-precision results

and ensures that every bogie can be positioned as

precisely as the previous one. This is the only way of

achieving accurate and comparable results time and

again under identical conditions.

www.schenckprocess.com



information from operation and to compare it tothe normative load.

A severe fatigue-equivalent load will be usedin Finite Element Analysis models, which providemore accurate results for complex structuressuch as power axles with many radius transitions.A probabilistic treatment of data will then allow acomparison between stresses and the strength of the structure, which will help determine the safety margin of the system. As a result,EURAXLES allows the development of innovativesolutions based on risk analysis and not only onfield experience.

Regarding the numerical modelling of axles,the project has developed recommendations for the accurate modelling of the axles with finiteelements with special focus on the determinationof the stress concentration factors in the differentsections of the component. In addition, thefatigue behaviour of press fitted parts has alsobeen analysed with the numerical models. Testsare being performed to validate the FiniteElement models being developed.

The reliability and availability of railwayaxles in service depends among other influenceson the surface conditions. EURAXLES investi -gated previous problems associated with existingsurface coating methods (e.g. corrosion anddamage), first through improved adhesion and new innovative coating and secondlythrough treatment processes. All this whilstconsidering the real service conditions andenvironmental requirements.

In view of their experience, the projectpartners analysed the results coming from anextensive survey among partners, Europeanrailway operators and the paint supplier advisorygroup. The current situation, existing solutions,national requirements and standards wereinvestigated and determined their limitations interms of coating process, quality test methodsand validation of protective coatings. Generalrecommendations for the whole painting/coating process will be given to improve theprotection of railway axles. Expected results arealso new surface preparations and proceduresfor the design method of wheelset axles,including new fatigue limits, associated to thealternative axle surface conditions (changedsurface roughness or unpainted solutions) andtheir protection systems. Steel grid blasting withdefined parameters and process description asan alternative surface preparation method fornew-built axles was investigated regardingimproved paint adhesion, impact on non-

destructive testing and fatigue limit withpromising results. New or improved quality testmethods for painting and coating systems areproposed to be introduced in the existingstandard. Alternative protection systems werealso investigated, removing the need fortraditional paint application methods, such asthe improvement of corrosion resistance ofwheelset axles by innovative coating processeswithout any VOC pollution. The results shouldalso be the base for new improvements ofpainting/coating systems and simplify thedevelopment of new products for corrosionprotection of railway axles.

Wheelsets are the most critical componentfor safety; for this reason they are periodicallyinspected to guarantee their structural integrityin order to prevent failure and vehicle accidents.EURAXLES plans to improve the currently used ultrasonic techniques for inspecting thecomplete volume of the axle, thus reducing the risk of human error, increasing the precisionand optimising the periodicity of the inspection.The fatigue testing shall make use of readilyavailable cracked axles.

New NDT techniques (e.g. the Laser BasedUltrasound Inspection Method) have alreadybeen studied. In order to be the most completepossible, theoretical aspects of the method arefollowed by results and measures obtained in thelaboratory. Promising innovative techniques thatmight allow accurate inspection (includingcorrosion detection in the hidden spot of the axle)without the train stopping for several days havealso been investigated. Promising results have been obtained when identifying thepresence of a crack by means of sophisticatedsignal processing on vibration signals, obtainedduring working. These kinds of studies have beencarried out in a scaled rig, and afterwards theywere validated in a real axle installed on a lathe.The work continues to obtain promising results.

In addition, RAMS and LCC analyses that willallow a cost benefit comparison of the proposedsolutions for an optimised market uptake havebeen faced. Results will be disseminated to thedifferent stakeholders and the Europeanstandards/regulations for railway axles and, as a

result, wheelsets will be improved across Europe.A survey to analyse the state-of-the-art of theRAMS/LCC techniques with particular emphasisin the railway sector has been performed. Theresults have allowed the consortium to identifythe most relevant standards that are applicableto the different steps of a RAMS/LCC analysis and to define a common tool that will be used tocompare the different innovative solutions. Thetool takes into account the most relevant stagesof the axle’s life-cycle which, according to the EURAXLES partners, correspond to theacquisition and operation phases with adifferentiation between the preventive andcorrective maintenance related costs. Theanalysis performed has shown that the risk ofaxle failure in service is very low – confirming thatrailway transport is one of the safest transportmodes. In addition, it has been concluded thatdifferent approaches for the maintenance of axles are applied in Europe, showing a lack ofharmonisation of maintenance rules in Europe.

The EURAXLES consortium comprised themain actors in the rail sector, all of whom have astrong desire to promote railway transportationas the safest and most economically competitiveland-transport mode.

Reference1. www.euraxles.eu

‘‘The analysis has shown that the risk of axle failure in service is very low –

confirming that railway transport is one of the safest transport modes’’

Dr Raimund Abele is CEO ofGHH-BONATRANS Group, one of the major wheel and wheelsetmanu facturers in Europe withsites in Germany and CzechRepublic. He has worked formore than 17 years in the railway

suppliers industry. With good connections in theGerman and French railway industry, Raimund isespecially dedicated to the small and mediumsized component supplier enterprises. He iscurrently a Chair for ERWA (the European RailWheel Association) which is an AssociatedMember of UNIFE – both of which are strongsupporters of EURAXLES.

Léa Paties holds a Master’sdegree in European Studies andProject Management from theInternational Relations Instituteof Strasbourg. She joined UNIFEin 2010 and previously gainedexperience in EU researchprogrammes and services to large companies asa Business Analyst in public subsidies at IneumConsulting in Brussels. Léa is the Coordinator ofEURAXLES and is the Secretary of ERWA (theEuropean Rail Wheel Association) as well as the Co-Secretary of ERRAC (the European RailResearch Advisory Council).

Supporting Partners

Contributing Partners

Development and Investment Opportunities in Scandinavian Rail

Associate Partners

Hosted by

SHOWCASES FROM:The Scandinavian 8 Million City project team and conference hosts Jernbaneverket will:

Unveil the Follo Line Project ready-to-release ITT documents for the D&B part of its tunnel, as well as prequalifi cation details for EPC contracts for Oslo Central Station and Ski

Highlight contract plans for engineering and the execution of railway power-supply renewals

Deliver plans to start prequalifi cation of signalling suppliers in autumn-2014 for ERTMS National Implementation

Showcase the start of InterCity and its high level planning for an effi cient public transport system

YOU CAN STILL PURCHASE CONFERENCE MATERIALS, INCLUDING ALL SPEAKER PRESENTATIONS @ WWW.SCANDINAVIANRAILDEVELOPMENT.COM/CONFERENCE-MATERIALS

A E U R O P E A N R A I L W A Y R E V I E W C O N F E R E N C E


I have been heading the project since TheConstruction Act came into force on 28 May2010, and it is also known as the ‘New LineSolution’ as the project is a completely newrailway out of Copenhagen via Køge to Ringsted.In Ringsted, it connects with the existing railwayacross Zealand connecting the island with Fynand Jutland. Banedanmark, the nationalprovider for railway infrastructure, is the client.

The discarded solutionBefore the Copenhagen–Ringsted line wasdecided on, the other solution which was turneddown was the construction of a fifth track out ofCopenhagen from Hvidovre to Høje Taastrup.This solution would not have solved the long-term capacity problem between Copenhagenand Ringsted and could have easily become abottleneck again – a situation the currentrailway traffic experience from time to time.Neither could it comply with the DanishParliament’s vision of the One Hour Target,which means that the travel time between the

biggest cities in Denmark, e.g. from Copenhagento Odense and from Odense to Aarhus shouldtake just one hour.

Knowing the project to perfectionAs Project Director, I acquired excellentbackground knowledge about the project frommy time as Project Manager at Trafikstyrelsen(the Danish Transport Authority) and also at theformer body Banestyrelsen (the Danish RailwayAuthorities). In those roles I was involved with allthe ground work in the programme phase of theNew Line Solution, such as alignment, railwaytechnology, environmental impact and involve -ment of municipalities and other authorities.

My combined experience from the politicaland the executive phases is vital to keep theproject’s momentum, as I can act and reactpragmatically and make quick decisions basedon knowledge and insight. Many issues that arisehave been discussed and settled in the past, sothere is no need to spend more valuable timeinvestigating them further.

Assembling the Client GroupThe Copenhagen–Ringsted line is a pioneerproject as it is the first time in many years that anew railway has been built in Denmark. Beingthe first employed, my initial task was to hireand bring people together with well definedtargets on the horizon.

With no similar projects in Denmark I couldnot go for the cut-and-paste-solution and hirepeople with a proven track record from railwayprojects. Instead, I chose people with differentcompetencies and backgrounds, who couldcome together around the project’s mission.

We are basically a procurement organisationwhich literally buys constructions, as well assolutions and services. A lot of the know-how isacquired outside the Client Group, and we set-upthe framework, so our consultants and con -tractors can succeed with their work.

As far as the Client Group is concerned, themost important thing is to work as a team.Everybody on the project has a dedicated area ofresponsibility and on a daily basis the decisions

DENMARK

The New LineCopenhagen–Ringsted:best-in-class constructionFor European Railway Review, Jan Schneider-Tilli – Banedanmark’s Project Director for the new Copenhagen–Ringsted line – reflects on the first Danish high-speed project as it reaches the halfway line.

Jan Schneider-Tilli will be covering the construction details of

Denmark’s first high-speed rail project in Denmark at EuropeanRailway Review’s SOLD OUT Scandinavian Rail Development

2014 conference on 29 April 2014 in Oslo.

You can purchase Jan’s presentation and more at:

www.scandinavianraildevelopment.com/conference-materials

are made where the competencies are. With adedicated staff presence, there is no need toexecute micro management. The cases onlyescalate to the project’s executives if they aregrave or of principle character. The executive’smajor task is to deal with changes in budget, timeand quality and together with the rest of the ClientGroup the focus is on high-level performance.

Good practise vital for the Client GroupThe Client Group consist of approximately 60 people spread across different departments,the biggest being the Construction Department.With employees from many different back -grounds and cultures, the main challenge hasbeen to align the staff to good practise. On aproject of this scale, things have to be done inthe same way. Recently, with inputs from theClient Group, an online tool on the project’sintranet was launched to help keep track of themethods and best practises within each of the project’s phases. Everybody is responsiblefor following the decisions and methods thathave been agreed upon in the Client Group.

Project strategyThe project’s vision is to become Euro-pean ‘best-in-class’. That means that theCopenhagen–Ringsted line has benchmarkedits budget towards comparable Europeanrailway projects, carried out during the last 10-20 years. Based on this, the project hasoutlined goals for unit costs for relevant

construction disciplines; first for bridges,tunnels, other constructions and earthworks/drainage. The benchmarking motivates to findthe best-in-class size, content and procurementfor all construction contracts.

Tender strategyPurchasing in a competitive market, utilisingeconomy of scale and state-of-the-art tech -nology were key parameters when the tenderstrategy was outlined. Banedanmark alsodecided to split the 60km-long railway up insmaller stretches called Tender Packages. Thecapacity in the Danish entrepreneurial marketcould be a stumbling block, so all tender

material was written in English to attractcompanies within the EU. There was a clearforeign interest in the project, especially for thebigger packages ranging from €100-200 million.

We have struck some good deals on ourTender Packages, leaving the budget in goodshape for the rest of the project period. Thisshows that we have approached the missionprofessionally and that our strategy works.

First-mover on 3D geometryFor the first time in Danish construction history,Banedanmark has imposed that bothconsultants and contractors have to deliver 3D-models in connection with tendering and bidding in relation to the new line. Theintelligent 3D-models make it cheaper and moreeffective to construct the railway, as it reducesdouble work extensively and prevents costlymistakes during the construction phase. Thishas been a success to get everybody on-boardconcerning 3D-modelling, and Banedanmarkhas developed a Cad manual to ease the workfor consultants and contractors.

The dawn of a railwayDue to be finished in late-2018, the newCopenhagen–Ringsted line has almost reachedthe halfway point. Preparatory works,archaeological surveys, contact with affectedlandowners and expropriation were on theagenda in the early years from 2010 to 2012, butin the spring of 2013, the Client Group couldraise their hands, as the project entered theconstruction phase. Work started on two of the contracts – TP21 and TP2. In addition,several contracts were landed in the autumn


DENMARK

The ‘New Line Solution’ fromCopenhagen via Køge toRingsted got the nod ahead ofthe fifth track solution in 2010.Both stretches are marked in red

Work on the trough for the newline out of Copenhagen, with theHolbæk motorway on the right

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of 2013. The last big contract will be signed inspring 2014 and the one for the new line’s solenew station, Køge Nord, will be awarded in 2015.

Engaging with contractorsAfter the contracts are awarded, the ClientGroup hold kick-off seminars for the con-tractor, which contains subjects such asdocument handling, Cad protocols, communi -cation and the project’s vision. The seminarshave been a great success and have launched astraightforward relationship between client and contractors.

The Copenhagen–Ringsted line is on trackaccording to time schedule and economy targets,helped by a continuous trust between the ClientGroup and the contractor, which is important ifthe project is to succeed. It looks promising for the time being, but it is important to stayfocused and react quickly and correctly toproblems that may arise during the construc-tion period.

We have many different contractors, so it isimperative that we implement the same cultureof trust and best-in-class mind-set to all ourcollaborators. Most of the contracts are Designand Build, so the contractors are responsible for the end product and permissions fromauthorities such as the Road Directorate andlocal municipalities. Our task is to engage in theirmethods and solutions and that is something wepractise on every day.

One challenge concerning the Design andBuild contracts is how the contractors deal with the regulations concerning railway safety, as the CSM method is quite new for them asdesign responsible. This is already on our

radar and we will put a lot of effort in to supportour contractors in the approval phase, but in the end, it is their responsibility to obtain thenecessary approvals.

Investments in the pastWith a budget of €1.2 billion the Copenhagen–Ringsted line is, over the past 20 years, onlysurpassed in scale and cost by the constructionof the bridges across Storebælt (1997) andØresund (2000) as well as the first and secondphase of the Copenhagen Metro (2002 and2018). At the start of the 1990s, the main railwaylines were upgraded from a cruise speed of140km/h to 180km/h.

Future investmentsIn January 2014, the government and theirsupports agreed on Togfonden DK, a €3.8 billionfund for future railway projects in the coming 10-15 years, which fits very well withBanedanmark’s vision to double the passengerand freight usage by 2030. I am convinced thatknowledge from the Copenhagen–Ringstedproject will come in handy for future projects.

Handling interfaces and handing overThere are currently two major upgradingprojects on the national railway network.Banedanmark will execute The SignallingProgramme and the Electrification Programmeby 2021. The purpose of the SignallingProgramme is to replace the old analoguesignalling system with ERTMS technology.Denmark will be the first country to carry out acountrywide implementation of ERTMS Level 2 –the newest European common signalling

standard. The Electrification Programme willexpand the catenary system for electrical trainssignificantly. Both programmes are keystakeholders for the new Copenhagen–Ringstedline and will deliver all railway technologyexcept for the tracks. However, the mostimportant stakeholder is Banedanmark’sTechnical Operations Department. Mycolleagues and I will hand over the entirerailway to Technical Operations when it is readyfor use. When the line is finished it will beincorporated in the national railway network.2018 cannot come soon enough!


DENMARK

Jan Schneider-Tilli has workedwithin the railway field for morethan 20 years, and the past 15 years have been withinproject management. He hasbeen employed as ProjectEngineer on the Øresund Bridge,

the Great Belt Bridge and the Metro during the1990s and as Project Manager on the Ringbanen,the S-tog to Roskilde (not executed), the KØRProject and The New Line Copenhagen–Ringsted. Jan was employed at DSB from 1992-1995, Carl Bro (Grontmij) from 1995-1996,Banestyrelsen/Trafikstyrelsen from 1997-2009,Femern A/S from 2009-2010 and since 2010 atBanedanmark for the New Line Copenhagen–Ringsted project.

A digital visualisation of the 500m-longrailway bridge across a motorway inVallensbæk, due to be finished in 2016

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To purchase Jan’s presentation about the new

Copenhagen–Ringsted line, please visit:

www.scandinavianraildevelopment.com/

conference-materials

The InterCity area is Norway’s most denselypopulated region. To solve growing transporta -tion demands, both for passengers and freight,the fixed strategy since the early-1990s has beento replace the mostly single-track network withmodern double-tracks. Some sections have

been built during this period, and some arecurrently under construction.

Population is on the increase and this trendis expected to continue. This strengthens thebasis for focusing on modern rail transport:building sufficient road capacity to meet

transport demands between regional centres ispossible, but not in and out of Oslo. Givingpriority to the InterCity network also contributestowards enlarging employment catchmentareas, and relieves pressure on the region aroundthe capital.


Shorter journey times, improved regularity and more frequent departures are the main objectives of Norway’sInterCity development, which comprises modern double-tracks between Oslo and the towns of Lillehammer,Skien and Halden. In total, the project consists of 230km of double-tracks, various constructions and 21 stations. The Norwegian National Transport Plan stipulates a planning budget of €25 million over the nextfour years, and the total investment cost is approximately €12.5 billion.

NORWAY

InterCity:transformingEastern Norway

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Anne Siri Haugen InterCity Project Director,Jernbaneverket

Anne Siri Haugen will be appearing at European RailwayReview’s SOLD OUT Scandinavian Rail Development 2014

conference on 29 April 2014 in Oslo to present Norway’s major

InterCity railway project.

You can purchase Anne’s presentation and more at:

www.scandinavianraildevelopment.com/conference-materials

By passing the National Transport Plan,which is a framework plan for the 2014-2023period, the Norwegian parliament commissionedspecific network development and the basis forlong-term service improvement in the InterCityarea as follows: by 2024, double-tracks shall becompleted between Oslo and Hamar, Tønsbergand just north of Fredrikstad. By 2026, Sarpsborgshall be reached, and some sections north ofHamar and south of Tønsberg completed toimprove capacity. The aim is to complete theentire network by 2030.

The Ministry of Transportation has recentlystipulated that planning of the Ringerike Linebetween Oslo and Hønefoss, which has not beenconsidered part of the InterCity network thus far,shall also be incorporated in the project. This willtake effect within the year.

Key success factorsConcept studies which were finished in 2012, established the following principles forthe project:● Comprehensive service upgrades, not small

improvements of existing services; much

shorter journey times, frequent services and

high punctuality levels

● Centrally located stations and developmentof surrounding areas.

Both criteria will help increase the demand forrail travel. The more passengers, the higher theinvestment benefits.

The project will be instrumental in making

rail services more attractive and transferringdaily commuter journeys from road to rail. It willbecome possible to commute over longerdistances within acceptable daily travel times,and employment catchment areas will expand asa consequence.

Demand also depends on station access.

NORWAY

A Flirt vehicle runs alongside currentconstruction work between Langset and

Kleverud on the Dovre line – new double-trackswill be completed on this section in 2015

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The density of jobs, residences, businesses,cultural facilities, institutions of education, etc.within walking distance of stations is crucial.Conse quently, passenger numbers are maxi -mised when stations are situated centrally intowns and cities, as is the case with most stationswithin the existing network. Thus, the challengewhen designing new lines will be to balancemodern curvature specifications with costs andthe drawbacks arising from connecting new lineswith existing, city centre stations.

Secondly, passenger growth is alsostimulated by promoting urban density andvisitor intensive enterprises near stations. Thetrend in Norway has been that more and morepeople want to live within walking distance ofpublic transport, which strengthens the basis fordevelopment around transfer hubs. Improvedaccess and transfer opportunities from buses,cars, taxis and bikes, is another stimulant.

The means to strengthen development ofstation vicinities, and transfer hub functions andfeeder services, are not Jernbaneverket’s alone.Cooperation with municipalities, counties andprivate developers is necessary to succeed. Theinitial project approach has been to establishagreement about which functions are desirablein and around transfer hubs, and to fix theresponsibility for functions and tasks with the institutions in question. Cooperation agree -ments will be established to define the scope andtiming of contributions.

Design speedDesign speed will mainly be 250km/h, butdeviations will be accepted to provide for citycentre stations. The Østold Line is an example ofhaving to balance speed with the need forservicing city centres. The location of two majortowns, Fredrikstad and Sarpsborg, makes itimpossible to service both city centres with thesame line should high-speed geometrystandards be applied at the same time.

In giving priority to servicing the cities,possible high-speed trains bypassing stations inthe future will take 12 minutes longer to reach theSwedish border, compared to a direct line. Thisrecommendation is in agreement with the High-Speed Survey which Jernbaneverketcarried out in 2012, which concluded that a line servicing the cities should have priority, and that a more direct line should be a possiblefuture development.

The network will also be designed for freight services. Increasing goods capacity

on the Dovre and Østfold Lines is important for expanding the railway’s share of freighttransport between Oslo and Sweden, as well as between Oslo and the northern parts of Norway. The Vestfold Line is adapted for goods services only as an alternative in caseservices on the lines serving the south of Norwayare interrupted.

Predictable financing is vitalPredictability is the most important project

success factor, particularly when it comes tofinancing. This is a basis for:● Effective planning, enabling the various

stages of planning and construction toproceed one after the other without delay. As law stipulates, the corridor ischosen first, before the design is detailed.This requires close cooperation withplanning authorities, local administra-tions and stakeholders, and any pause inplanning usually means that the same


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Steps of development for the InterCity project

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stage of the planning process needs to be repeated.

● Cooperation with other participants ontransfer hub development and feederservices. The project needs financial securityin order to enter binding cooperation agree -ments which involve joint financing.

● Keeping investment costs as low as possible.

Aims for efficient planningAt the moment the project organisation is beingestablished. InterCity will be the biggestplanning project in mainland Norway fordecades and the project has to ensure that thedifferent sections can be planned and built inaccordance with the Parliament’s commission.In order to succeed it is vital that tasks are notduplicated and decisions made only once.

A technical design basis is being establishedto provide standardised technical solutions,eliminating the need for such choices whendesigning individual sections. The next step willbe a concept document which examines eachgeographic section to ensure that the infra -structure complies with requirements emanatingfrom dimensioned goods and passenger traffic – functions such as stabling yards andelectricity supply, the operations and main -tenance perspective, etc. The unit responsible for the technical design basis and concept willnot only produce the framework, but alsocontribute to planning and help superviseconsulting engineers.

The same principle will be applied for transferhub development. A separate project unit willdevise strategies for defining responsibilities and

establishing cooperation agreements, and takepart in their practical deployment.

As planning progresses, more and morefunctions, such as land acquisitions, will beadded to the project organisation.

Consultants and contractors will be crucialThe InterCity Project is responsible for carryingout the necessary planning, but the actual workwill be contracted out to consultants. It isimportant that a sufficient amount of compe -tent planners is available, not only within theInterCity organisation and the counties andmunicipalities in question, but also with the consultants.

Examples of challenging tasks includeplanning a possible undersea tunnel south ofTønsberg, complex railworks in Drammen andother cities, and choosing corridors throughtowns like Sarpsborg and Larvik.

The project contract strategy, which iscurrently being shaped, will determine the scopeof the various planning contracts. This strategywill also define construction contracts and themanagement of the construction period. Eventhough the scope and type of contracts have yetto be decided, it is likely that there will be majorcontracts for both the Norwegian and inter -national markets, and that there will be a numberof exciting challenges within the fields of bothplanning, design and construction. The firstsections shall be ready for construction in 2018.

NORWAY


Anne Siri Haugen achieved herdegree at the NorwegianUniversity for Science andTechnology in 1991 after studiesat the Faculty of Civil Engin -eering, mainly focused onsubjects in planning and

transportation, and a final task on railwayinvestments. Anne has held different roles withinthe Norwegian National Rail Administration; in the consulting unit, in the constructing of thenew station at the National Theatre and in long-term planning, mostly focused on the NationalTransport Plan. From 2010, she’s been fullyoccupied in the InterCity project and as a ProjectLeader for utility studies, and since October 2013as the Project Director.

Journey times of the InterCity project

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To purchase Anne’s presentation about the

InterCity project, please visit:

www.scandinavianraildevelopment.com/

conference-materials

Even though Norway is not a member of theEuropean Union, any Regulation, Directive,Decision or Technical Specifications forInteroperability (TSI) related to heavy rail isimplemented in the Norwegian legislation inaccordance with the European Economic Area(EEA) Agreement. The authority tasked with thisimplementation is the Ministry of Transport andCommunications, but the Norwegian RailwayAuthority is normally delegated the task todevelop and implement the required regula -tions. As a result, the number and extent ofNorwegian-specific regulations for the nationalrail network are decreasing, and the conse -quence is a set of rules heavily influenced byEuropean law.

Quality reportingOur supervision strategy is risk-based. One of our most important tools is the accident-database. All duty-holders must continuouslyreport undesired incidents to the NorwegianRailway Authority within 72 hours or eight days,depending on the severity of the incidents. Over the past few years there has been a highincrease in the number of reported undesiredincidents, i.e. those which might have led toaccidents. There are indications that thisincrease in number is the result of betterreporting routines of the duty-holders.Following many years of increase, it now lookslike the number has stabilised itself atapproximately 30,000 p.a. Although this numbermay seem high and indicates a low level of

safety for Norwegian railways, the situation isactually the opposite. The waste number ofreports concerns near misses, only indicatingwhere risks may appear if not mitigated. But theawareness towards potential risks and riskmitigation is heavy, and the number of railwayaccidents is only 0.55 per million train km in Norway.

The Norwegian Railway Authority is trying tofacilitate ways which makes reporting lessburdensome for duty-holders. Usually there is noseparate reporting to the Norwegian RailwayAuthority on top of the accident and near missreporting internally in the companies/duty-holders. Then the information is automaticallyand seamlessly transferred to the NorwegianRailway Authority. Quality reporting is necessaryso that the Norwegian Railway Authority candevelop an accurate risk picture and provide arisk based inspection regime. The NorwegianRailway Authority also allows integration withalternative IT-systems for small duty-holders, iftechnically feasible, to enable the simplestpossible reporting system for the duty-holders.

If there is room for improvement it is inregards to reporting of technical faultsinfluencing safety, e.g. fire damage on rollingstock, uncovered during maintenance.

Climate and interoperabilityThere are large topographic and climaticvariations between European countries. Thereare many long railway tunnels in Norway and wealso have many long and steep hills requiring

continuous use of breaks. The temperature intunnels can vary between +6ºC inside a tunnel to-35ºC outside the tunnel. Large variations intemperature combined with large amounts ofsnow lead to high demands on brakes. Aconsiderable increase in breaking-pathsespecially occur when the snow is whirling atthe same time as the temperature lies between0°C and -7-8°C.

Due to new noise-requirements, the duty-holders must replace steel brakes withcomposite break-blocks in Europe. These break-blocks create a polished surface on the wheelswhich cause less noise, but which also compriseseveral unknown factors, e.g. will they drawmoisture? If so, what happens when they freeze?Driving through a lot of long tunnels can causecondensation on break blocks and wheels andthe break-effect is reduced when water or icecauses aqua-planing or ice-planing. A particularprocedure can be used in challenging conditionsto maximise break-effect. This is light breakingevery now and then in order to keep a potentialwater layer at bay. This type of breaking isimportant in advance of large drops and inadvance of an expected stop. New duty-holdersin Norway who are not accustomed to driving inthese conditions must seek information prior todriving in Norway.

This is why Europe needs to cooperate withfinding a way to show that a particular type ofcomposite break-block has characteristics whichare suitable for the climatic conditions they are tobe subjected to. A test-method which, with a


The Norwegian Railway Authority1 was established in 1996 with the task to safeguard public interest withrespect to safety and to enforce the railway law and regulations. In Norway, responsibility for safety lies with the37 individual railway companies. The jurisdiction of the Norwegian Railway Authority embraces all railwayoperations in Norway – heavy rail, light-rail, metro and tram – for infrastructure as well as rolling stock. Ingeneral terms, it covers operations and equipment related to passenger and freight transport running on tracksas well as the companies authorised for those purposes.

Safeguarding the Norwegian railway network

SAFETY

Erik Ø. Reiersøl-JohnsenDirector General, Norwegian Railway Authority

high degree of certainty, can conclude that theblock is suitable for Norwegian conditions can be expensive for Europeans if it is a genericrequirement in order to receive an approval. The Composite Break Block (CBB) Group in theEuropean Railway Agency (ERA) are discussingwhere the threshold lies in order to safe-guard interoperability.

Emergency preparednessThe topography and high number of tunnels in Norway also impacts on the need for duty-holders’ emergency preparedness. TheNorwegian Railway Authority requires that the duty-holders must establish and operate anemergency preparedness system to reduce theconsequences of incidents and accidents. The system must be based on a documentedemergency preparedness analysis. Both theinfrastructure manager as well as the railwayundertakings must prepare an analysis basedon traffic volumes, type of transport, numberand condition of the tunnels and specialchallenges, such as mountain passes andstretches prone to landslides. One of thechallenges we have in Norway is the relativelylarge proportion of trains, infrastructure andtunnels built/constructed a long time ago and the standards we have today. Many of theold tunnels have inferior fire safeguarding andfew alternatives for evacuation.

One part of emergency preparedness isinitially handled by the fire and emergencyservices, which report to individual councils.However, there are a large number of councils inNorway and they are all self-governed. TheNorwegian Railway Authority therefore has nodecision-making powers over councils, andemergency preparedness capacity variesconsiderably between councils.

Many mountain passes can often bechallenging to access for emergency services. Inthose cases the railway undertakings mustconsider additional measures, e.g. provideequipment such as rescue-trains, fire watertransport, blankets and small heaters to keeppassengers alive through a cold winter night onthe Hardangervidda mountain pass.

In Norway we have been spared from major railway accidents during the last 13 years,but we have had several serious incidents that had the potential of becoming majoraccidents, including:● A passenger train type Flirt derailed during a

test-drive not far from Nykirke Station in

2012 – several people were injured and the

train set was substantially damaged as well

as the infrastructure.

● A train with 257 passengers from Bergendrove into a burning snow shelter by thestation of Hallingskeid in 2011. The trainstopped in front of the fire, but due to loss ofpower the train was unable to back out. All passengers were evacuated, and therewere no injuries. However the accidentresulted in large material damages, the train was totally wrecked and the entireinfrastructure through the snow shelter was damaged.

● A set of 16 empty container freight cars rolleduncontrollably from Alnabru shunting yarddown to Loenga and into the sea atSydhavna in the Port of Oslo in 2010. Threepeople were killed and several were injured.

● The latest major accident in Norway – wherepassengers were killed – was the Åsta-accident in 2000. Nineteen people lost theirlives in a head-on collision and the fire that followed.

The Norwegian Railway Authority is set to re-examine emergency preparedness plans basedon the emergency preparedness analysis ofeach separate railway undertaking. The largestactors in Norway are currently going throughtheir emergency preparedness plans, and theNorwegian Railway Authority is keeping acareful watch on the process. Exercises showthat cooperation between different actors is stilla challenge.

SecurityNorwegian authorities place heavy emphasis ongeneral emergency preparedness following alarge terror incident in 2011. The attack was not

directed towards the railway industry, but thisindustry is also scrutinising its preparedness incase of terrorist actions. The Norwegian RailwayAuthority is in cooperation with the railwayindustry to draw-up regulations on safetymanagement in this area. The regulationsinclude evaluations of threat, systems foradmissions control, IT security and emergencypreparedness. The regulations are due duringthe summer of 2014.

GuidanceThe Norwegian Railway Authority spends many resources on providing guidance for therailway actors on railway law and regulations.The Norwegian Railway Authority arranges‘morning-meetings’ every other month wherethe railway actors can discuss safety andinteroperability with each other and theNorwegian Railway Authority. Every year we arrange a conference about safety for actors within the railway, tram and under -ground marketplace.

Reference1. www.sjt.no


SAFETY

Erik Ø. Reiersøl-Johnsen wasappointed Director General ofthe Norwegian Railway Authorityin June 2002. For the previous 20 years he worked with safetyengineering and safety manage -ment in the oil industry. Erik

joined Saga Petroleum in 1988 and worked asHead of the Safety Department and Head of theDepartment for Working Environment for 10 years. In June 2000 he joined Norsk Hydroworking as Health, Safety and EnvironmentalManager in offshore development projects. Erik has a Master of Science in MechanicalEngineering and Safety Management from the Norwegian University of Technology(NTH/NTNU).

The scene of a train in 2011 carrying 257passengers that drove into a burning snow shelterby the station of Hallingskeid – the train lostpower and was unable to back-out. All passengerswere evacuated and there were no injuries.

Almost by definition, lone working can be bothintimidating and at times dangerous, so theprotection of lone workers involves a two-fold approach; not only to provide safeguardsbut also to offer reassurance to the indi-viduals involved.

Providing vulnerable employees with amechanism to call for help if they feel threatenedshould be a key element of a company’s healthand safety policy, and also provides reassurancethat employers are fulfilling their duty of care.The UK’s private security industry has beenworking with the police and end-users in order todevelop a combination of practice, technologyand standards capable of providing an effectivesolution to the risks that lone workers face.

The development of technology and practicein the field has focused on encouraging andenabling lone workers to assess the risks theymight be facing and provide them with themeans both to summon aid in an emergency andcollect information that can be used in evidence,if necessary. This has led to the creation of loneworker devices equipped with mobile phonetechnology that connect employees quickly anddiscreetly with an emergency response systemthat has direct links to the police. A number ofproducts are commercially available from BSIAmember companies, ranging from applicationson smartphones to dedicated GPS/GSM LoneWorker devices.

Lone worker products are connected to an

Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC), which receives andmanages the alarm call and can quickly requestemergency services or other response if required.Sending a pre-activation message allows users toinform the ARC when they are entering an areawith a potential risk – e.g. before walking across a dark car park. If the user then experiences aproblem or encounters a situation that seemslikely to escalate into something more serious,then the lone worker device can be activated tosummon help.

Activating the lone worker device auto -matically triggers a voice call to the ARC, whereoperators monitor the audio channel in real-time, enabling them to assess the situation andalert the police if the user needs help or


Growing demandfor lone workerprotection on UKrail network

SAFETY

© voluta / Shutterstock.com

More than six million people in the UK work either in isolation or without the safety net provided by directsupervision, often in places or circumstances that put them at potential risk. In the transport sector, loneworkers1 often include ticket office and platform staff, train managers, engineers and delivery drivers. For European Railway Review, James Kelly, Chief Executive of the British Security Industry Association (BSIA)discusses how there is an increased need for lone worker protection on mainline railways.

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protection. No further action is required by the user as the deviceeffectively functions as an open microphone. This procedure allowsthe police to optimise their response to genuine emergencies byproviding a ‘moving picture’ of the incident, including an increase ordecrease in risk as it happens. The very knowledge that this is takingplace is, of course, a major boost to the user’s confidence. The ARCcaptures an audio recording of the incident for future action such aspolice investigation of legal proceedings.

Identifying the risksDespite the benefits of using lone worker technology in situationswhere employees are often working disparately, it could be said thatthe UK’s rail industry is one market which, so far, has not fullyadopted lone worker security technology – at least not for those staffwho are customer facing. When discussing security risks on therailways, rail operators’ focus seems to lie more often than not on the engineering-based staff rather than customer-facing employees.

That being said, recent figures suggest that public transportworkers are the fourth most likely employees to be assaulted in the workplace. In a recent study, rail workers were ranked as facing thehighest risk of assault compared to the average for all other sectors.2

Within the UK’s rail industry, many roles are customer-facing, anddeal directly with members of the public. The roles that incorporateelements of lone working include drivers, other on-board staff,revenue protection staff (including ticket officers, staff at barriers, etc.)platform, train dispatch, maintenance workers, engineers and securitystaff as well as agency workers.

Alcohol and drug use by members of the public can be a majorproblem faced by lone workers on mainline railways, with manycommuters using this service as an alternative to the car whentravelling to and from various social destinations. Alcohol and drug usecan make people aggressive and their behaviour unpredictable so thismakes lone workers more vulnerable to attacks. These risks areincreased late in the evening or early in the morning, as there are generally fewer people around to witness such attacks. The nature

European Railway Reviewwww.europeanrailwayreview.com Volume 20, Issue 2, 2014

A man wearing the ‘MySOS’ alarm system


SAFETY

of the job also plays a key role in increasing risksto individual security. In some jobs, lone workershold positions of power or authority overcustomers or passengers, which can causeresentment and an increase in aggression.

Boyd (2002, cited by the International LabourOffice) described the main triggers for passengerviolence within the rural and urban publictransport network as alcohol consumption, lackof information provided to passengers duringdelays, quality of the environmental surround -ings, disputes over baggage and failure to meetcustomer expectations.3

A study by the Rail Safety and StandardsBoard (RSSB) was commissioned to determinethe extent to which the risk of assault onpassengers and rail staff was increasing and alsothe perception of that risk among employees. A subsequent guide published by the RSSBoutlined best practice guidance in reporting andrecording assaults on rail staff, including verbalabuse, threat and assault.4

Despite this, it is a recognised fact that aconsiderable number of incidents involvingviolence towards rail staff go unreported. Therecan be many reasons why staff do not reportincidents. Reasons for this range from lack of confidence in the system to insufficient time allowed.

Protecting employeesIn the transport sector, many of the securitymeasures already in place are intended tosafeguard the vehicle rather than the individual,however, many companies are now cominground to the fact that making sure employeesfeel safe while going about their day-to-daybusiness should also be a key factor in theiroverall security policy. For transport sectoremployees, the very transient nature of someroles, coupled with long, often anti-socialworking hours, place them at particular risk.

Taking care of such employees is a key driverof security purchasing decisions in the transportsector, according to research commissioned in 2012 involving members of the BSIA’s Lone Worker Section, who also reported thatdemand from insurers providing employeeliability insurance is also causing transportcompanies to sit-up and take notice of the issueof lone worker protection.

Employers are also becoming increasinglyaware of their own responsibilities towardssafeguarding their staff, as claims under theCorporate Manslaughter Act become increas -

ingly widespread, and it is for this reason that100% of BSIA Lone Worker Section members areexpecting demand from the transport sector toincrease in the next 12 months.

This increased awareness of employers’legal responsibilities was also highlighted inother research released in 2013, which revealedthe growing importance of robust health andsafety measures to protect staff and businessesfrom potential Corporate Manslaughter claims,arising when deaths are caused by managementfailures that are deemed to constitute a grossbreach of duty of care.

Figures published in 20135 show that thenumber of corporate manslaughter cases rose to63 in 2012, compared with 45 in 2011 – anincrease of 40%. An increased focus by the CrownProsecution Service on corporate manslaughterclaims was also found, claiming that momentumis growing around enforcement of the 2007Corporate Manslaughter and CorporateHomicide Act, with a number of new cases in the pipeline.

The development of British StandardBS8484, a Code of Practice for the provision ofLone Worker Device Services, has been a key element of the security industry’s work toensure employers select the right solution.Responsible employers will consider the healthand safety of their lone workers as a top priority, and the use of BS8484 compliant lone worker devices/applications can help byconnecting such employees with an emergencyresponse system that has direct links to thePolice. BS8484 is the basis on which Policerespond to lone worker systems, so it’s important

for employers to choose a supplier who works tothese standards. A Police response cannot beguaranteed by a supplier who isn’t audited andcompliant with BS8484.

To help transport companies make informeddecisions when sourcing a lone worker service,the BSIA has produced a guide6 to lone workerservices for the transport sector, which includesinformation on best-practice, employers’ legalobligations and relevant British Standards. The guide also includes real-life examples ofwhere lone worker solutions have helpedtransport companies to reduce the risk faced bytheir employees.

References1. www.bsia.co.uk/lone-workers

2. Understanding guidance and operational practice of loneworker personal security, published by the Rail Safety andStandards Board, 2011.

3. Violence and stress at work in the transport sector,accessed on 28/2/14 at http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTTSR/Resources/wp205.pdf

4. Understanding guidance and operational practice of loneworker personal security, published by the Rail Safety andStandards Board, 2011

5. Figures published by law firm Pinsent Masons.

6. http://www.bsia.co.uk/publications.php?r=Q0V41P883771

With a career in trade associa -tion leadership spanning almost20 years, James Kelly brings awealth of experience to his roleas Chief Executive of the BritishSecurity Industry Association(BSIA). Graduating in Law in

1982, James quickly made the transition tobusiness, achieving postgraduate qualificationsin Management and an MBA from the Universityof Strathclyde in 1992. James joined the BSIA asChief Executive in January 2010. His responsi -bilities include leading the team and providingstrategic direction to the Association and itsmembers. He maintains a high level of contactwith government, civil servants and overseasbodies, and is heavily involved in industryregulatory activities.

A GH3000 Lone Worker Device

‘‘Alcohol and drug use by members of thepublic can be a major problem faced by lone

workers on mainline railways’’


Europe’s transport system has so far failed tokeep up with the other main sectors of theeconomy in terms of decarbonisation. The EU’s

total GHG emissions were roughly 18% lower in2011 compared to 1990, a positive developmentin line with the EU’s 20% reduction target

by 2020. The total level of GHG emissions fell by 34% in manufacturing and construction1,by 23% in agriculture and by 16% in the energy industry between 1990 and 2011. On the other hand, emissions from transportwere 19% higher in 2011 compared to 1990. As a result, transport now accounts for 20% of total emissions as opposed to just 14% in 1990. Transport emissions are fastbecoming a significant obstacle to Europe’sclimate policy goals.

It cannot be the case that most sectors andindustries continue to make major contributionsto decarbonisation while transport contributes

SUSTAINABILITY

Why railway transport matters tosustainability goals

Figure 1 Specific CO2 emissions per tonne-km and per mode of transport in Europe, 1996-2011

Source: Energy efficiency and specific CO2 emissions (TERM 27), EEA.

© LeArchitecto / Shutterstock.com

Transport poses two major sustainability challenges: greenhouse gasemissions (GHG) and dependence on imported oil. Railway transportationhas very favourable characteristics on both counts, making modal shift infavour of rail a naturally attractive policy goal.

Libor LochmanExecutive Director, CER and EuropeanRailway Review Editorial Board Member

Edward Hunter ChristieChief Economist, CER

Ethem PekinEnvironment Economist, CER

negatively to the overall effort. A major re-orientation of the transport system istherefore essential if long-term carbon reductiontargets are to be achieved. After much hesitation,an emissions reduction target was finally definedfor the transport sector in the European Comm -ission’s 2011 Transport White Paper, committingthe EU to achieving a reduction of 60% of totalGHG emissions in transport compared to the1990 level by 2050.

Railway transport’s performance in terms ofGHG emissions is well-documented. Averagespecific emissions per passenger-kilometre,respectively per tonne-kilometre for freight, aresubstantially lower in rail transport as comparedto road transport as shown in Figure 1, page 63,and Figure 2.

The performance ratios are very clear.Emissions per passenger-kilometre are roughlythree times lower for electric rail transport ascompared to road. For freight, emissions pertonne-kilometre are roughly four times lower for electric rail transport as compared to road. Furthermore, the relative performanceimprovement has been stronger in rail: from 1996 to 2011, specific emissions for passengertransport decreased by 26% in rail as comparedto just 7% in road, and by 44% as compared to18% for freight transport. In sum, rail’sperformance relative to road is substantial and efforts from within the sector are on the right track.

Oil dependenceTransportation also remains overwhelminglydependent on oil. With an import dependenceratio of around 90%, the European Union isparticularly vulnerable to oil supply shocks, be itwith respect to quantity or price. This translatesinto a macroeconomic vulnerability as well. In 2012, the EU’s net oil import bill reached anew historic record of €304 billion. This regularhaemorrhaging of resources to the outsideworld amounted to 2.3% of the Union’s totalGDP in 2012 as compared to 1.5% in 2005.

The transport sector accounts for aroundthree quarters of the EU’s final consumption of oiland oil products today (up from 62% in 1990).Road transport alone is responsible for 64% of

final consumption (up from 53% in 1990),whereas the share of rail is just 0.6% (down from 0.9% in 1990). In sum, road transportconstitutes Europe’s dominant vulnerability withrespect to oil price shocks and this situation hasworsened while rail’s very positive performancehas improved.

Renewable energyRail transport experienced a considerablegrowth in the use of renewable energy as shown in Figure 3. Thanks to a very high share of electrification, much of rail may thus become increasingly both zero carbon andrenewables-based. Other transport modes havemuch more limited possibilities in this regard.European railways are continuing to increasetheir energy mix in favour of renewables. If the trends of past years continue, the Euro -pean railway sector will reach 35% ofrenewables in 2020.

Estimates of total external costsTransport users generally do not pay forexternal costs arising from environmentalimpacts and accidents. European policy makersare interested in the monetisation (pricing) ofexternal costs so as to be able to internalisethem (include the external costs into the price of

transport). The internalisation of external costsis de facto the centrepiece of the EuropeanCommission’s efforts in making external costspart of the decision-making process of transportusers. This has been referred to in a number ofvital policy documents including the GreeningTransport Package from 2008 and the 2011 EUWhite Paper on Transport.


SUSTAINABILITY

Figure 2 Specific CO2 emissions per passenger-km and per mode of transport in Europe, 1996-2011

Figure 3 Forecast of the share of renewables in transport and in railways in EU-27, 2005-2020

Source: Energy efficiency and specific CO2 emissions (TERM 27), EEA.

Sour

ce: R

ailw

ay H

andb

ook

2013

, IEA

and

UIC

.

‘‘The performance ratios are very clear.Emissions per passenger-kilometre are

roughly three times lower for electric railtransport as compared to road’’

‘‘From 1996 to 2011, specific emissions for passenger transport decreased by 26%

in rail as compared to just 7% in road’’

€500 billion are due to the total externalcosts (excluding congestion) of transport in theEU plus Norway and Switzerland in 2008. This corresponds to 4% of the EU’s GDP. Figure 4depicts the strength of railway freight transportas compared to road transport (Heavy GoodsVehicles) in terms of total external costs. Roadtransport constitutes 93% of total external costs.This is mainly due to the large modal share of the road sector and its higher average externalcost per passenger-km or tonne-km. Railtransport on the other hand is responsible forless than 2% of total external costs.

Policy implicationsWith such a strong profile rail clearly has a roleto play in alleviating both the GHG emissionschallenge and the oil dependence challenge intransport, with the added benefits of lower localair pollution and a better safety performance.

From the viewpoint of economic policy, the central principle that should apply is theinternalisation of external costs, i.e. the fact ofpricing in external costs so that final prices reflect external costs in line with the ‘polluterpays principle’.

The recent trajectory of EU policy on thisissue has led to a split between local externalities,to be handled in the context of transportinfrastructure pricing, and the global externalityof climate change, for which a solution has yet tobe formulated.

A recent report2 of the Commissionexamined the existing pricing instruments. Most Member States apply charges for HeavyGoods Vehicles following the rules that areenvisaged according to Directive 2011/76/EU(the ‘Eurovignette Directive’). A significant

number of Member States apply time-basedvignettes, which hinders the relationshipbetween what is paid and the infrastructure

and external costs that are actually caused.Furthermore, passenger cars often pay nocharges at all. For the majority of road network hardly any infrastructure chargingexists. Unlike in road transport, usage-basedinfrastructure charges are common in railtransport. Following the rules set out in Directive2012/34/EU, all railway networks in the EU applycharging based on the principle of the costdirectly incurred.

EU legislation sets binding CO2 targets for new cars and van fleets. The Commission also directs extensive efforts to replace fossil fuel driven vehicles with alternative fuels.Over time this will help to reduce averageemissions but one has to acknowledge that cars with older emission standards will remain on the European road network during the phase-out periods. Even with the new emissionstandards, the European GHG reduction targetscan only be realised with the introduction of

usage-based infrastructure charging. Further -more due to the preference currently given bypoliticians to these regulatory mitigation policies, the internalisation of external costs hastaken the back seat although it is widelyaccepted among experts to be the most effectiveand most fair policy approach. A revitalisation ofthe concept of internalisation of external costs istherefore needed.

Actions that need to be takenOn 22 January 2014, the European Commissionunveiled its 2030 Framework for Climate andEnergy Policies. The main pillars of the new

Framework include: a reduction in GHGemissions by 40% below the 1990 level; an EU-level binding target for renewable energy ofat least 27%; and energy efficiency policies.What is missing so far from the new Frameworkis a principled and binding inclusion oftransport, so that the GHG emissions goal for2030 is actually met. As for road pricing,proposals to switch to distance-based chargingand to a systematic policy of internalisation oflocal external costs need to be adopted by theEuropean Commission.

Transport has been the only major sector ofthe economy to contribute negatively so far to the EU’s decarbonisation and energy securityneeds. Within that context, rail can play aconstructive role through a policy of modal shift.

References1. All the data used in this article is from Eurostat unless

otherwise indicated.

2. SWD (2013) 269 final.


SUSTAINABILITY

Libor Lochman has beenExecutive Director of CER since 1 January 2012. Libor graduatedat the Transport University inZilina and has a doctorate in electronics from the West-Bohemian University Plzen.

He has a strong background in Control-Command and signalling systems. Prior to hisrole as CER Deputy Executive Director and Leaderof Technical Affairs (2007-2011), Libor acted asDirector of the Railway Test Centre – a facility fortesting European rolling stock, infrastructure andsignalling components in Prague (2000-2005).Libor joined the Editorial Board of EuropeanRailway Review in January 2013.

Edward Hunter Christie isChief Economist at CER. Aftergraduating from the LondonSchool of Economics, EdwardChristie worked as a ResearchEconomist at the Vienna Insti -tute for International EconomicStudies (2002–2010), covering a range of topicsincluding international trade, taxation, energyeconomics and energy policy. Edward’s intereststhen shifted towards transport economics andpolicy, and he joined CER as Senior EconomicAdviser in 2010.

Ethem Pekin has been CEREnvironment Economist since 1 November 2013. Ethemstudied at the Free University ofBrussels and holds a Master in European Integration andDevelopment and a Master after

Master in Advanced Management Studies. Ethemhas a PhD in Applied Economics. Prior to joiningCER, Ethem worked as a Research Associate atthe Free University of Brussels.

Figure 4 Total external costs by cost category by mode of transport in EU-27, 2008

Source: External Costs ofTransport in Europe, CE Delft.

‘‘European railways are continuing to increase their energy mix

in favour of renewables’’

Product innovation promises to again be a keyfeature of the exhibition, which will beaccompanied by an extensive programme of supporting events intended to providevisitors with insights into technological andindustry developments and to create net -working opportunities.

Some 4,500 managers, engineers anddecision-makers visited the last Infrarail inBirmingham in May 2012. Those attending asvisitors and exhibitors expressed a high level ofsatisfaction with the show. With UK rail infra -structure investment currently running at levels unprecedented in recent years, this latestevent is expected to be similarly successful,providing a unique showcase for the manyspecialised products and services that theindustry needs.

Market diversitySignalling technology is one of the major areasin this diverse market. Among companiesrepresenting this sector will be Frauscher UK,Henry Williams, Park Signalling, UnipartDorman and Variable Message Signs. Plans toelectrify further parts of the British rail networkhas attracted specialists in this field too. Theyinclude Pace Networks in partnership withBonomi Group and Morris Line Engineering, aswell as Pfisterer, TE Connectivity and LEM. Alsoexpected to attract interest is the stand of

Windhoff Bahn- und Anlagentechnik,supplier of the High-Output Plant System ‘factory

train’ which will be used for the Great Westernelectrification scheme.

Exhibitors of track products will includeGrayBar, Rosehill Rail, Schwihag and Tata Steel.Specialised tools for track construction andmaintenance will be shown by Cembre and Husqvarna Construction Products, whileKilfrost will present a range of solutions tomitigate the impact of winter weather conditionson rail operations.

A new solution for providing foundations forlightweight structures will be on show byInnovative Support Systems and the latest piledriving techniques will be highlighted by Van Elle. TPA plans to exhibit heavy duty temporary

aluminium roadways for use during railinfrastructure projects and access to rail andhighways networks will be exhibited by Kwik-Step.

Consulting engineering and projectmanagement capabilities will be on offer by GGP Consult and expertise in geotechnicalengineer ing, and environmental and engineer-ing geology will be featured by QuantumGeotechnical. Technologies to monitor the statusof rail infrastructure assets will be featured by Diamond Point International, Moxa and Rowe Hankins, and Kaba will present security products and solutions specificallydesigned for use in the rail sector. Also covering


Around 150 exhibitors are preparing for the UK’s biggest rail event this year, Infrarail 2014, which takes place atEarls Court in London from 20 to 22 May. This will be the tenth of these shows focusing specifically on productsand services covering every aspect of railway infrastructure, with participating companies covering civils, track,signalling and communications, stations and depots, security and much more.

The 10th international railinfrastructure exhibition

SHOW PREVIEWINFRARAIL 2014

Infrarail provides exhibitors the chanceto showcase their products and services

security will be Axis Communications andWireless CCTV.

Products and materials to equip stations onshow will include flooring materials from DorsetWoolliscroft, tactile paving systems from VisulSystems and passenger and staff accommoda -tion from Rail Waiting Structures. Companiesproviding concrete products for major railprojects will include FP McCann, Moore ConcreteProducts and Shay Murtagh Precast, while CubisIndustries will exhibit access chambers and AquaGroup and Demco will offer ranges of productsfor rail infrastructure drainage.

Cables and related accessories and manage -ment systems and products will be stronglyfeatured at the show too, with Goldwing,Provertha and Prysmian Group taking part, aswell as Anderton Concrete, Armorduct, BCM GRCand Thomas & Betts.

The TrackAlongside company stands, The Track,sponsored by leading rail products supplierTata Steel, will take the form of sections of trackserving as a display area for smaller items ofequipment and machinery. In addition, an areaof the exhibition will be dedicated to stands bymembers of the Rail Alliance, a UK rail industrynetworking association dedicated to promotingthe capabilities of smaller specialised comp -anies serving this sector.

Industry supportFurther reflecting wider acknowledgment of itskey role as a showcase for the latest in railinfrastructure products and systems, Infrarail issupported by Network Rail, the Railway IndustryAssociation, the Institution of Railway Signal

Engineers, the Permanent Way Institution andthe Institution of Mechanical Engineers, amongmany other key industry bodies.

Busy supporting programmeThe busy programme of activities supportingInfrarail 2014 includes technical seminarsproviding insights into the latest productinnovations and keynote speeches fromMinister of State for Transport Baroness Kramerand other industry leaders. A series ofinformative Project Updates will cover currentmajor Network Rail and London Undergroundprogrammes as well as the HS2 high-speed line,with presentations by senior figures involved ineach scheme. And The Platform will consist ofan open discussion forum addressing topicalindustry themes.

Socialising opportunitiesOpportunities to make new business contacts

and renew existing ones will be provided by aNetworking Reception on Infrarail’s openingday, which is open to all at the event, and by thefollowing evening’s Infrarail Awards dinner. Thiswill recognise significant achievements bycompanies taking part in the show. Exhibitors’job vacancies and skill needs will be highlightedby the Recruitment Wall, located on a dedicatedstand in the exhibition hall.

This year also sees a significant innovationduring Infrarail. Taking place for the first timealongside the show at Earls Court will be the CivilInfrastructure & Technology Exhibition (CITE)2014. This will cover the closely related theme ofequipment, products and services for con -

structing and maintaining vital infrastructuresuch as roads, ports, airports, utilities andcommunications networks. Infrarail visitors willhave free access to this new event.

Registration openOnline registration to visit the show free-of-charge is available via a link on the eventwebsite at www.infrarail.com, providing a quickregistration process. Pre-registering to visit the exhibition speeds-up entry and avoids a £20 charge payable for non-registered visitors.The website also contains details of the manyactivities taking place during Infrarail, withupdates added as the programme is finalised.


SHOW PREVIEWINFRARAIL 2014

Date: 20-22 May 2014Location: London, UKWebsite: www.infrarail.com

Around 150 exhibitors arepreparing for Infrarail 2014

Technical seminars will provide insightinto the latest product innovations

Who is URS and what does the company offer the European railway industry? With revenues of $11 billion, URS is one of the world’s leading engineeringdesign companies. We have operations in nearly 50 countries and morethan 50,000 employees. Our strong rail heritage comes from our extensivetrack record that includes some of the largest railway projects everundertaken and spans the full spectrum of light, metro, high-speed andheavy rail markets. Our capabilities in Europe include all aspects ofmultidisciplinary railway design and delivery, from project feasibility anddetailed design to site supervision and project and programmemanagement, as well as Public Private Partnership (PPP) advice andtransaction services.

What rail projects are you currently working on in Europe?In rail we have recently won significant programmes of new work inEurope, as well as major extensions to long-term projects. In the UK, wecontinue to secure extensions to commissions from London’s Crossrail,the largest construction project in Europe. Since 2008, URS has been one of the largest design consultants on the project, having worked on both thepreliminary and detailed design phases of the surface routes, as well as the underground central section. In addition, we have been appointed by the Spanish contractor Dragados SA as lead design consultant for theBank station capacity upgrade project in London, a major redevelopmentscheme to transform a complex underground interchange to meet 21st century needs.

We are also playing a major role in the modernisation of Croatia’s entirerail network, delivering design services to double the track on existing lineswithin the country, as well as its links to other European nations. Another

major modernisation project for URS is the E20 railway in Poland. We areupgrading more than 200km of tracks along the route to accommodatehigh-speed operations and meet European standards.

Who is URS working with in this region, and who would URS like to work with in the future?The breadth and diversity of our service offering is reflected in ourextensive client base, which ranges from infrastructure owners,contractors, national railway authorities and international agencies, totrain operators, developers and financiers across the globe.

In Europe, around half of our current work in rail is now carried outdirectly for contractors on a design and build basis. We have focused ondeveloping our abilities in terms of designing for constructability and safety

In an Interview for European Railway Review, Derek Holden, Business Development Director for Rail at URS, discusses the company’s rail business in Europe and the experience it brings to clients in the Scandinavian market.Derek Holden

www.urs.com

URS engineers used theirdetailed understanding of theindustry to work on the UK’sWest Coast Main Line upgrade

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and believe that this, coupled with our broader consultancy and innovationexpertise, creates a powerful proposition. There are clear benefits to acontractor and designer working together under a design and buildarrangement, not least because of the time and cost savings that efficient design can bring to a project. Through URS legacy company Benaim – which focused solely on design and build contracts – we havepioneered this way of working, so building strong relationships withEuropean contractors to deliver design excellence from a project’s inceptionis something that is core to the way we operate.

Does URS have high-speed rail experience?Globally, URS is a key player in the high-speed rail market. We are currentlyundertaking major programmes of work in Europe, China, the Middle Eastand the US. From a technical advisory role on the High Speed Line Zuidfrom Amsterdam to Antwerp, programme management on the HaramainHigh Speed Line in Saudi Arabia, through to delivering design services onCalifornia’s new high-speed rail system in the US, and quality control andsafety services for the Yunnan section of the Yunnan to Guangxi high-speedline in China, URS has brought decades of experience in the planning,design and construction of innovative rail systems to high-speed projectsacross the globe.

URS’ diverse service offering allows us to bring together multi -

disciplinary teams to work seamlessly across all stages of high-speed raildevelopment. Our combined strengths in environmental consultancy, andstation and engineering design bring real benefits to our clients. A greatexample of this is the UK’s High Speed Two project, on which we hold fourcontracts with two other designers to provide both engineering andenvironmental services.

What specialist solutions can URS offer the European railway industry?Often, developing a high-speed line involves modernising the existingroute to accommodate high-speed operations. Rail companies expectworks to be undertaken – with minimal disruption and with the strictestadherence to safety – alongside the operational railway. URS hassignificant experience in this area, which requires specialist knowledge sothat routes can remain open during construction. Our work to upgrade theWest Coast Main Line in the UK involved our engineers planning for theworks to be constructed around the busiest operational railway in the country. This is just one example of how we bring our detailedunderstanding of working within possession constraints, coupled with astrong commitment to health and safety, to major rail projects.

Another aspect of our rail business that we believe sets us apart is ourspecialist trackbed consultancy services. We are a world leader in trackbedinvestigation, design and asset management, and our team regularlycontributes to international research and development in this area throughits work at our specialist laboratory. We have delivered trackbed servicesacross the UK’s national rail network for a number of years, and have sincetaken this expertise to clients in Australia, Asia, Canada and the US.Measuring the rate of track deterioration allows us to estimate whenrenewal and maintenance will be required, which helps rail operatorsoptimise the life of their existing assets and reduce costs.

URS has significant experience of using Building Information Modelling(BIM) to deliver major infrastructure projects for our clients. We also workwith European government bodies to help develop their BIM standards andprotocols. Another area of specialist expertise is in assessing the demand,revenue and economic impacts of proposed changes to rail networks. We have developed and audited demand forecasts for major Europeanschemes such as the Northern Diabolo project in Belgium.

What are the core long-term goals for URS in the European railway industry?As an organisation, we have the desire, ambition and ability to be a seriousplayer in the European rail market. Our long-term goal is to continue togrow our business across Europe, with Scandinavia being a key focus forus. In terms of the Scandinavian market, we bring extensive experience in delivering some of the world’s largest and most technically complex railway projects to a region where striking the balance betweenworld-class high-speed rail networks and sensitivity to the naturalenvironment is key. Technical innovation and sustainability are core tosuccessful outcomes.

We are investing in the future and are undertaking a substantialrecruitment drive across Europe and beyond for engineers at all levels to joinour teams of talented people working on some of the most exciting projectsin rail today. We’re winning big pieces of work, with teams from all overEurope working together so that we can share our resources across the continent.

URS plays a major role in themodernisation of Croatia’s rail network

URS is one of the largestdesign consultants working onLondon’s Crossrail project

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www.elmia.se/nordicrail

ELMIA NORDIC RAIL OCTOBER 8–10, 2015

Elmia Nordic Rail is the railway industry’s most important meeting place in the Nordic Countries. This is, undoubtedly, the place to go if you want to make business in this region. And business will be made. The Nordic Countries are investing heavily in their transport systems. We look forward to see you in Sweden.

BUSINESS FOR BILLIONS

Documents

German Profile - Global Railway Review...The company originated as a specialized Machine manufacturer and has developed considerable technical experience in Machinery and Roll Forming,