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Infrastructure EU magazine. Issue 8. July 2009. Can Poland and Ukraine rise to the infrastructure challenge of Euro 2012 and what is the future for renewable energy? Click on our digital issue to find out.
Citation preview
www.euinfrastructure.com • Q3 2009
Will crumbling infrastructure and funding shortfalls team up to defl ate Poland and Ukraine’s Euro 2012 dreams? (P30)
GALE FORCE Wind power is picking up momentum, says EDF Energy
Renewables’ Christian Egal (P86)
FAST TRACK The UK has been slow to adapt to high-speed. Is it time
for a new rail revolution? (P36)
Infra Eu 8 COVER.indd 1Infra Eu 8 COVER.indd 1 17/7/09 16:07:2917/7/09 16:07:29
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I’m sure I’m not the only person who emits an
audible sigh of displeasure when a TV ad-
vert, most often for a mobile phone network,
starts banging on about how great it is to be
‘connected’. Backed by an irritatingly cute
soundtrack, these ads tend to feature gangs of im-
possibly good-looking people having their already
wonderful lives improved immeasurably by their
ability to stay in uninterrupted contact with one
another. Living in the age of the social network and
the omnipresent mobile phone, being connected
is presented as aspirational. Curmudgeon that I
am, I find it all quite nauseating.
Regardless of my personal antipathy, the
concept of connectedness could be key to the
next leap forward in European infrastructure de-
velopment. Building better networks has the po-
tential to safeguard both our environmental and
economic future. High-speed rail lines are flour-
ishing across much of the continent. As these
networks improve, the train is becoming a truly
viable alternative to short haul flights. The open-
concerted way could help resolve the reliability is-
sues that can dog renewable energy. The wind will
always be blowing somewhere, so it makes sense
to be able to funnel energy from the source to
where it is most needed.
But to make this work will require a far more
concerted approach than we have seen previ-
ously. Governments and planners will need to
cast off their tribal tendencies and embrace a
common future. These are exactly the kind of
projects that the European Union was designed
to facilitate, but which have traditionally been
far too slow to get moving. Things need to
change and we need to start working together.
Forget the TV ads – that’s the kind of connected-
ness I could really get behind. n
Huw Thomas, Editor
ing of the Madrid to Barcelona line allows travel
between the two cities in under three hours. The
train is taking an increasing share of passenger
numbers on the route, as travellers opt to avoid
the many onerous features of air transit for a
comfortable service that deposits them in the
heart of their destination city.
There is no reason why such services
should be constrained by national borders.
There are already international connections on
certain high-speed routes, so a future where
people are able to travel the length of the conti-
nent by fast train isn’t so outlandish.
In energy too, making new connections could
be of tremendous benefit. The huge drive towards
renewable sources of power presents opportuni-
ties as well as challenges. To exploit Europe’s
massive capacity for offshore and onshore wind
power, new transmission infrastructure will have
to be built. If we are starting from scratch anyway,
why not think ahead and construct a truly pan-
European network? Tackling such a project in a
Why building better connections couldrevolutionise Europe’s infrastructure future
Editor’s note3
“Hosting the UEFA Euro 2012football championships inUkraine and Poland is stimulatinginvestment in infrastructure andsupports Ukraine’s continuedeconomic development.”Ukrainian Vice-Prime MinisterHryhoriy Nemyrya (page 30)
“High-speed rail is – or isbecoming – a key driver ofmodernisation – economic,environmental and social; it isnot simply a better, faster meansof transport.” UK TransportSecretary Lord Adonis(page 36)
“Wind energy is the mostdynamic industry all over theworld. Even in this very trickyperiod it is still growing.”Christian Egal, CEO, EDFEnergy Renewables(page 86)
All together now
ED NOTE EUI8:jun09 20/07/2009 10:01 Page 3
36
30
Contents4
42
Regeneration XMatt Buttell looks at how urban renewel schemes are affectingEurope and rounds up some of the biggest projects of the last few decades
86
A new dawn Christian Egal, CEO of EDFEnergy Renewables, tells HuwThomas that the forecast forwind energy is extremely good
Biting the bulletIt’s time to put high-speed trains on the fast track, says UK Secretaryof State for Transport Lord Andrew Adonis
The final countdownWith only three years until the UEFAEuropean Championships, Polandand Ukraine’s infrastructureremains in a parlous state. EUInfrastructure investigates if thefinals are going to be a spectacularown goal, or whether the twocountries can pull off a late winner.
CONTENTS euinfra:june09 17/7/09 15:59 Page 4
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48 Capital investmentGraeme Craig of Transport for London
explains the impact of the city’s congestion
charging scheme
54 Route planningThe European road system requires greater
cooperation, increased innovation and more
investment if it is to respond to 21st century
challenges
56 Paving the wayMike Acott examines how breakthrough tech-
nologies in asphalt could help lower green-
house gas emissions
62 Linking technology to landmanagement
Stig Enemark explains the importance of suit-
able infrastructure and sustainable land ad-
ministration
68 Up to speedRailways created a transport revolution in the
19th Century. As trains and lines get faster and
more sophisticated, are we on the verge of a
new leap forward?
76 In the hot seatACI EUROPE’s Robert O’Meara on how airports
are responding to economic and environmental
pressures
80 Improving the industryRoberto Kobeh González of the Civil Aviation
Authority outlines the industry’s major issues
94 Wind power worksChristian Kjaer asks whether EU wind power will
reach the tough renewable targets set for 2020
100 Breaking new groundDemand for greater collaboration and ex-
change of information is leading to some sig-
nificant construction industry shifts
EXECUTIVE INTERVIEW
66
56
72
Frank Walenberg
Eskil Sellgren
Paving the way
ASK THE EXPERT
46 Per Fredrik Ecker, Q-Free ASA52 Zoltán Pap, Intertoll Europe66 Eskil Sellgren, WSP72 Frank Walenberg, KEMA RailTransport Certification82 Leif Lindh, Combibox
Contents6
74 Daniël Eijgendaal, Deerns106 Klaus Meissner, Terex Cranes116 Michael Bertilsson, Sectra
ROUNDTABLE
118 Paints and coatings
CONTENTS euinfra:june09 17/7/09 15:59 Page 6
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102 Time to buildAs an academic, Ron McCaffer’s role as
Chairman of the ECI is bucking the trend in
more ways than one
108 A standard processPhil Kidner fills us in on the background of the
TETRA standard and recent advancements in
the communications space
112 State of emergencyThe Association of Public Safety
Communications Officials’ Bob Smith explains
the technological and human challenges facing
emergency responders
118
122 Situation critical126 In review126 Photo finish
IN THE BACK
Situation critical
Paints and coatings
100 Li Shirong
76
In the hot seat
INDUSTRY INSIGHT
60 Steve Harris, Nynas Bitumen84 Jorn Rod-Larsen, Ricochet92 Ricardo Moro, GES98 Eric Thorman, Power Climber
CONTENTS9
112State of emergency
CONTENTS euinfra:june09 17/7/09 16:18 Page 9
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Find Out MoreContact NGP at +44 (0) 2920 667 422
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“A well organized and productive meeting with good topics and open discussion – worth the effort!” Dr. Mark Burfoot – Executive Director, Pfi zer
“This was a fantastic opportunity to meet our target market in one-on-one meetings, where we could listen to the customers’ challenges. A sort of voice of customer meets speed-dating event” Mark Collins – Senior Product Manager for Informatics, Thermo Fisher
The Next Generation Pharmaceutical Summit is a three-day critical information gathering of C-level technology executives from the pharmaceutical industry.
Next Generation Pharmaceutical European Summit 2009
Park Hotel, Bremen, Germany15 - 17 September 2009
A Controlled, Professional & Focused EnvironmentThe NGP Summit is an opportunity to debate, benchmark and learn from other industry leaders. It is a C-level event reserved for 100 participants that includes expert workshops, facilitated roundtables, peer-to-peer networking, and coordinated technology meetings.
A Proven FormatThis inspired and professional format has been used by over 100 CIOs and CTOs as a rewarding platform for discussion and learning.
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Ricochet.indd 1Ricochet.indd 1 25/6/09 11:52:0925/6/09 11:52:09
UpfrontLEAD FEATURE12
operation and Development
(OECD) that the best way
for the UK to tackle its
record deficits was
through spending
cuts rather than by
raising taxes.
The recession
and fears over public
spending cuts have cast a
huge shadow over future expendi-
THE LONDON OLYMPICS are once
again under threat follow-
ing recent government
discussions over
possible cuts in
public spending.
Heated discus-
sions came about
following recommen-
dations in June from the
Organisation for Economic Co-
RUNNINGTHE RISK
As the recession forcesthe UK government to
make cuts in publicspending, fears arisefor the future of the
London Olympics
LOCOG has so far raised over
which is 70 percentof the budget they
set themselves
€0.5 billion
UPFRONT EU INRA:25 June 20/7/09 10:18 Page 12
UpfrontLEAD FEATURE 13
ture and progress of the infra-
structure projects for the Games.
These worries prompted
Lord Sebastian Coe, Chair of the
London Organising Committee
of the Olympic Games (LOCOG)
to speak out in an attempt to
quell any misgivings.
Coe is adamant expendi-
ture on the Games will not be
reduced and is confident that
2012 is in good financial health
despite the tough economic
conditions. Speaking to The
Guardian Coe said the budget
for the infrastructure is
set and is resilient.
He affirmed that
the budget for
staging has
nothing to do
with public
spending and
every penny raised
has come from the pri-
vate sector.
The fact that all the part-
ners and sponsors are already
in place means that there is
likely to be very little impact on
the Games, explained Coe.
LOCOG has so far raised
over half a billion euros
which is 70 percent of the
budget they set themselves
three years ago and allegedly
more than any other host city
has raised.
Coe also emphasised that
preparations are going very well
and that the construction work
is actually ahead of schedule.
This view was also echoed by
Former Prime Minister Tony
Blair earlier in July.
Blair dismissed sugges-
tions that the economic climate
had turned the Games into a
luxury that London could do
without and said that the or-
ganisers had done an “incredi-
ble job”.
He praised the delivery of
the infrastructure and the sta-
diums and confirmed that
London would have still bid for
the Games had they been
aware that an economic crisis
was on the horizon.
These are not the only
problems that London 2012 has
faced recently. Back in June
forensic accountants were
brought in to investigate irreg-
ularities after a €116 million
deficit was identified in the
Olympic accounts.
The investigation fo-
cused on the Olympic
Legacy Directorate
and found that
there had been a
failure to make
provisions for be-
tween €70 million
and €116 million to
compensate those busi-
nesses which had been forced
to relocate from the Olympic
site in Stratford, East London.
This oversight leaves the
agency with a cashflow prob-
lem that could cause infrastruc-
ture projects to be delayed or
cancelled.
A spokesman for the
London Development Agency
admitted that there had been
some “additional spending
commitments” but that the
shortfall could be made up
from savings elsewhere, hence
the worries over future infra-
structure projects.
This shortfall will not only
affect the future of the
Olympics, it also has the poten-
tial to affect developments
across London. More than €23
million a year will allegedly
need to be cut from the London
budget over the next three
years to cover the irregularities
in the 2012 Olympics accounts.
London has been voted 8th in a 2009 City Infrastructure Rankingconducted by management consultancy Mercer. The UK capitalcame behind Munich, Copenhagen, Düsseldorf and Frankfurt inthe rankings and the number one spot was awarded to Singapore
Madrid is one of the final four cities to have been shortlisted to hostthe 2016 Olympic Games. Facing stiff competition from Chicago,Tokyo and Rio de Janeiro, Madrid is hoping to be selected when thesecret ballot takes place in October this year. Above, Rafael Nadal ofSpain competes against Potito Staracein the 2008 Beijing Olympics
NEWS IN PICTURES
In his white paper energy secretary Ed Miliband has announced hisplans for how the UK would meet its legally binding targets to cutemissions by 34 percent by 2020. He said 40 percent of electricitywould come from low carbon sources including renewables,nuclear and clean coal by the end of the next decade
Coe is adamant
on the Games willnot be reduced
expenditure
UPFRONT EU INRA:25 June 20/7/09 10:19 Page 13
UpfrontINTERNATIONAL NEWS14
FORGING AHEAD
DUBAI APPEARS to be attempt-
ing to block the global economic
crisis as infrastructure projects
worth billons continue to forge
ahead. At the start of the year, the
Dubai government announced
that its infrastructure spending
for 2009 would be increased by
42 percent. According to the
Dubai Roads and Transport
Authority (RTA) three major road
projects worth Dh2.9 (€0.5bn)
billion have been approved by His
Highness Shaikh Mohammed Bin
Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-
President and Prime Minister of
the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
Al Wasl Road, Al Khail Road and
Umm Suqeim Road are all due to
be upgraded and the passenger
capacity of Dubai’s two airports
will be increased from 190 million
to 240 million.
DEVELOPING FUNDS
IN AN ATTEMPT TO ENSURE that
infrastructure projects in develop-
ing countries do not come to a
standstill during the economic cri-
sis the World Bank has launched
two new funds worth an expected
$55 billion (€39bn) over the next
three years. “As developing coun-
tries are facing the trials of the
global economic crisis, it is vitally
important that economic stimu-
lus packages in the developed
world are accompanied by sup-
port to those that cannot afford
multi-billion bailouts,” said World
Bank President Robert Zoellick.
France and Germany will be con-
tributing. “Infrastructure and the
financing of infrastructure is ab-
solutely critical,” said French
Economy Minister Christine
Lagarde at the signing ceremony
for the funds.
GOING GREEN
SUSTAINABILITY AND ENERGY
efficiency are still hot topics and
given the current economic cli-
mate it is difficult to ignore the
possible cost savings on offer.
However, many people are put
off by the initial cost of incorpo-
rating green building techniques
and the lengthy time frame be-
fore payback.
The Cascadia Green Building
Council conducted the Living
Building Financial Study in order
to gauge whether green buildings
are actually affordable. The results
were released at their annual
event, the Living Future
Conference, which was held in
Portland, Oregon in May this year.
Thirty-six different buildings
across four different climate zones
were analysed according to the
anticipated costs involved in the
Living Building Challenge. The
outcome of the study indicates
that going green is expensive, but
that the cost is significantly small-
er than originally anticipated.
Jason McLennan, CEO of Cascadia
and the author of the Living
Building Challenge said: “It’s time
we rethink how we build – and this
study should open eyes about
what is possible.”
UPFRONT EU INRA:25 June 20/7/09 10:21 Page 14
UpfrontINTERNATIONAL NEWS 15
PIPE DREAMS
A €8.1 BILLION DEAL has been
signed to build a 2000 mile gas
pipeline, which will help Europe re-
duce its dependency on Russia.
Currently a quarter of all natural gas
used in Europe comes from Russia,
with several southern European
countries depending almost exclu-
sively on Russian supplies.
The Nabucco pipeline project is
due to become operational in
2014 with an estimated capaci-
ty to pump 31 billion cubic me-
tres of gas from the Caspian Sea
to Austria via Turkey and the
Balkans, bypassing Russia. The
Turkish prime minister, Recep
Tayyip Erdogan, signed the deal
in Ankara along with his coun-
terparts from Austria, Bulgaria,
Hungary and Romania, through
which pipeline will pass. The
Nabucco project aims to avoid
the possibility of more cutoffs,
which recently disrupted sup-
plies to Europe amid freezing
temperatures.
TUNNEL VISION
PRECONSTRUCTION WORKon the
Vic Park Tunnel project in Auckland,
New Zealand is scheduled to start
in August with actual construction
work set to begin in November. The
project is estimated to cost €185
million and includes the construc-
tion of a 440m tunnel beneath
Victoria Park that will carry three
lanes of north-bound traffic and ex-
pansion of the current viaduct to
four lanes southbound.
It also includes the expansion of St
Mary’s Bay to five lanes in each di-
rection, a new southbound bus
shoulder lane and provision of
northbound bus priority. The New
Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA)
has selected a consortium to carry
out the work as part of its Central
Motorway Junction (CMJ) improve-
ments. The consortium includes
Fletcher Construction, Beca
Engineering, Higgins Contractors
and Australian consultancy
Parsons Brinckerhoff.
DOWN UNDER
SYDNEY IS MAKING an important
step towards achieving a clear fu-
ture for its mass transit network.
Design work on the first stage of
the Sydney Metro network is un-
derway and construction is
scheduled to begin in 2010 to en-
able the metro to be opened to
the public in 2015. Tendering for
the project has now taken place
and five major bidders have reg-
istered their interest.
Transport Minister David
Campbell announced that over
€329 million was being spent on
the Sydney Metro in the 2009/10
NSW State Budget. This infra-
structure project will create
12,500 direct and indirect jobs in
the construction industry accord-
ing to Campbell.
UPFRONT EU INRA:25 June 20/7/09 10:22 Page 15
UpfrontCOMPANY NEWS16
A NEED FOR ITS
SLOVENIA IS INCREASINGits position as one of
the countries best equipped with ITS compared
to other European countries with advanced
transport solutions. In fact, one of the largest ITS
projects in Slovenian history is nearing comple-
tion. A new regional centre for traffic control and
supervision on motorways and regional roads,
the investment consists of three parts,
and in terms of ITS, the last part is
the most important: the move-
ment of the communication hub
from the existing to the new re-
gional centre Ljubljana, with the
new control centre being built in
Dragomelj near Ljubljana.
Supervision and control systems for
the entvid tunnel, Golovec tunnel and six other
smaller tunnels, the emergency call systems cov-
ering a total length of over 200km, 64 video sur-
veillance cameras with subsequent upgrading,
radio equipment, LAN and SDH communication
equipment, telephony and traffic information cen-
tre are being moved to the new centre, where a
new video wall and integrated SCADA system is
being installed to enable supervision over all the
systems in the control centre. In addition to intelli-
gent systems, the necessary cable infrastructure
is also being upgraded.
Iskra Sistemi and its partner won the contract
in December 2008. The project completion date is
end of June 2009, to be extended somewhat due to
the project design modifications and subsequent
supplements. Apart from project design modifica-
tions, its implementation is extremely demanding –
also on account of the movement of systems in
phases as the safety of motorway traffic
depends primarily on the operation of
individual systems. For the reasons
of safety, some of the systems,
such as SCADA, emergency call
systems and video surveillance
will be duplicated for a while, and
will simultaneously operate in the old
and new centre. Personnel, permanently
operating these intelligent transport systems, will
move together with the systems.
Slovenia is not large in size, but this invest-
ment is important for its strategic position as
major European transport routes cross its territo-
ry. As transit through this country keeps increas-
ing from year to year, and with traffic volume
growing, ITS systems are needed to contribute to
the necessary safety. Iskra Sistemi, with its 60-
year tradition in road traffic solutions, contributes
a significant share.
For more information please visit www.iskrasistemi.si
One of the
ITS projects inSlovenian history
is nearing completion
largest
TEN POLISH AIRPORTS are to
receive approximately €0.5 bil-
lion worth of aid granted by the
national, regional and local authori-
ties. The support measures are for
the existing small regional airports
near Poznán, Rzeszów, Krakow, ód and
Bydgoszcz, and for future airports to serve
Lublin, Modlin, the Podlasie region, Olsztyn-
Szymany and Zegrze Pomorskie. The aid will
be used to help with the construction of new
terminal buildings and more modern runways
and is available in the form of subsidies, transfers
of land and equipment, or injections of capital. Small
regional airports will benefit from full subsidies, whilst
those medium-sized airports such as Pozna and Krakow
can claim up to 76 percent of the costs. The measures will
be co-financed by the European Regional Development
Fund to the tune of around €192 million.
TETRA NETWORK USER ORGANISATIONS often
have differing dispatching structures and different
data-applications, factors that need to be taken
into account when radio profiles are being
planned. As a rule, the radio configuration can be
frozen and only when new features are added is
there a need to make changes to it. However, some
organisations need to frequently change their in-
ternal work processes and structure as a natural
part of what they do and this can lead to a situa-
tion where it is just about impossible to make a
fleet map containing all current and future needs.
A solution to this problem is Mentura’s ROCS
(Role Oriented Communications Server), which uses
dynamic grouping and virtual numbering to give an
organisation the freedom to change its structure at
any time, reduce cost of PMR and improve efficien-
cy of operations.
When ROCS is employed, a subscriber can use
any radio from the organisation’s pool of radios. The
radio will dynamically receive the user’s personal
number, task related numbers and talk groups
based on both the tasks he is assigned to and his
role. As radios are shared, the organisation can op-
timise the investment to radios (no role specific ra-
dios needed). Therefore, it is no longer necessary to
know the specific identity or name of person on a
job – the call is made based on a functional number
and the alias identity.
Each process can also be assigned to a dy-
namic talk group, and all personnel assigned to the
process are automatically added to that group,
thereby allowing authorised users to request to join
a process’s talk group, or send information to the
team easily.
CONFIGURING IT OUT
For more information please visit: www.menturagroup.com
FLYING START FOR POLAND
UPFRONT EU INRA:25 June 20/7/09 10:23 Page 16
ISKRA AD.indd 1ISKRA AD.indd 1 25/6/09 11:48:5925/6/09 11:48:59
MAJOR CONSTRUCTION PROJECTSare exciting if you like con-
struction, but when you see some of the projects that we un-
dertake – the Vasco de Gama bridge, for example, or the
bridge we built recently in Normandy – there is a certain thrill
in doing them. In terms of the backlog, it’s the highest it’s ever
been. The reason for that I suppose is that we are a business
of choice for customers. They’ll come to us because we are a
benchmark for major project capabilities across the world.
Some of the most recent developments that we’ve
been selected to design and construct include the world’s
longest causeway between Qatar and Bahrain, which rep-
resents 27 miles of road over water, the longest stretch in
the world. Elsewhere in the Middle East, we’re also involved
in the building of dams – the Naga Hammadi dam in Egypt
and the Wadi Dayqah dam in the Sultanate of Oman. In
Russia we’re working on the containment structure at
Chernobyl; we have carried out some of the original build-
ing of the sarcophagus, and now we’re building the com-
plete shelter that will contain the damaged reactor over the
long-term. We’re also laying the foundations for the Russia
Tower in Moscow, planned to be the third-tallest building in
the world.
We also take the whole issue of sharing best practices,
sharing information and networking very seriously. We are
a diversified group that carves out its business through a
huge range of subsidiaries. It’s obviously important that you
can pass information around and innovate effectively, and
also that you communicate those ideas internally. We re-
cently set up an innovation programme where the best ideas
are brought forward every two years and highlighted at a big
public ceremony and put forward for an innovation prize, to
help encourage this kind of knowledge transfer.
The construction industry is all about human re-
sources and it’s the most important component of the
business. Vinci consists of 158,000 employees, and in
2008 we recruited 17,000 new ones. We’re one of the
largest employers in the world, so you can imagine the HR
challenges that come with recruiting 17,000 new employ-
ees in a year. Nonetheless, human resources and devel-
oping people is the key to our success.
We’ve always been a construction firm, and ‘construc-
tion’ is a term that covers numerous different areas – it can
mean engineering, it can mean building, it can mean civil
engineering. We’re involved in everything. We put up build-
ings, we construct bridges, we lay out transmission sys-
tems, we build utilities, pipelines, and so on. We do it all.
JOHN STANION, The Chairman andChief Executive of VINCI PLC, theworld’s largest construction firm,offers insight to the key principlesbehind the company success.
UpfrontIN MY VIEW18
UPFRONT EU INRA:25 June 20/7/09 10:24 Page 18
MSA AD.indd 1MSA AD.indd 1 25/6/09 11:50:0025/6/09 11:50:00
WONDROUS TECHNOLOGY? HOT STUFF length with a power up to 360W/m
rail with only one feeding point.
Double insulated elements
without braiding and covered with
one metre long stainless steel profiles
are fitted to the rail with spring steel
clips. This gives a reliable application
with good heat transfer and insur-
ance against signal errors and electri-
cal shock. Combined with switchgear
rod heaters connected at stock-rail el-
ements end, Switchpoint Heating
AB’s systems are a flexible product
which are easy to design and use.
The system has a four-way
power distributor with quick connec-
tors at leads connecting heating ele-
ments moulded in neoprene rubber
for water proof easy installation and
service. Combined with Origo
Megapoint computer controlled
power distribution, heating can be
maintained and supervised from re-
mote locations.
For more information seewww.switchpointheating.se
AS INTERCONTINENTAL high-speed
trains begin to compete with air traf-
fic in moving people and cargo, safe-
ty and reliability are keywords.
High-speed trains need long switch-
points to maintain speed and max-
imise efficiency.
In 1998 a group of railway com-
panies and suppliers in Europe initiat-
ed a cooperation to reduce power
consumption and improve materials
and methods of switchpoint heating.
Switchpoint Heating AB has been
a part of this group since the beginning
and this has contributed to several
new products made to ensure
smooth traffic in any weather.
Combining functionality with suffi-
cient power fixed where it’s most
useful is the optimal way of provid-
ing protection against ice and snow.
Switchpoint Heating AB’s system is
based at self-limiting, constant
wattage flexible ele-
ments up to 25
metres in
WONROS (Wear Out and Noise
Reduction on Source) technolo-
gy deals with the use of the so
called HFC (Heavily Fluid
Composite) compounds and ap-
plicators, to create devices for
distribution for HFC materials,
intended for reduction of wear
and tear and noise production
of machinery operating, partic-
ularly on rails, under ex-
treme conditions.
On the one
side, serious
competition
among
providers of ser-
vices and aggres-
sive marketing of
them, and on the other,
requirements for efficient action
in accordance with all regulations
and investment possibilities,
place infrastructure managers in
an unenviable position. Due to
high ecologic and economic stan-
dards, the railway infrastructure
managements also face dilem-
mas of which measures to adopt
in certain situations, where
breach of European legislature in
the field of noise can result also in
civil action for damages against
the railway companies.
With the development of
WONROS technology, remedy of
considerable noise production,
caused by interaction between
the rail and the wheels especial-
ly on rail curves, is possible.
Noise generated by friction be-
tween the wheel and
the rail is the result
of torsion friction,
which causes
heavy wear and
tear. It is thus a
simple conclu-
sion that by re-
ducing the noise,
the wear decreases si-
multaneously. Furthermore, this
means that by remedy of noise
issues, the legislature is ad-
hered to and relatively high sav-
ings in terms of costs of
maintenance (significantly de-
creased LCC of rails) are also
achieved. Return on the applica-
tion investment, supported by
WONROS technology, is expect-
ed within a year or two.
UpfrontCOMPANY NEWS20
HFC Rail Applicators type CL-E1ws
Byreducing the
the wear decreases
simultaneously
noise
SOLAR LACKS POWER
MAKERS OF SOLAR POWER CELLS
will suffer this year according to an-
alysts at two big banks. This is bad
news for investors who are expect-
ed to learn that solar companies
have not done as well as expected
when profits are announced. It is
likely that forecasts for the rest of
the year will be lowered as a result.
Declining prices for photo-
voltaic systems has been blamed
on fierce competition for cus-
tomers during the economic cri-
sis and the lack of financing
available for new projects.
In a recent report Steve
O’Rourke, a solar analyst at
Deutsche Bank wrote that the
lower prices have led to customers
delaying purchases in the hope
that they can benefit from further
reductions in the coming months.
To find out more please visit www.wonros.eu or www.elpa.si
UPFRONT EU INRA:25 June 20/7/09 10:24 Page 20
SWITCHPOINT AD LOW RES.indd 1SWITCHPOINT AD LOW RES.indd 1 8/7/09 14:32:158/7/09 14:32:15
EARLIER THIS YEAR the
EU Commission pre-
sented plans to move
towards a maritime
space without barriers.
By streamlining cus-
toms procedures for
ships travelling from
one EU port to another
it is hoped that lengthy
delays and increased
costs can be avoided.
Unlike road and
rail transport, shipping
from one EU country to
another is considered
international trade be-
cause a country’s terri-
torial waters only
extend 22 kilometres
from shore. Beyond that
distance, a ship enters
international waters.
Transport Minister
Antonio Tajani believes
the plan will make mar-
itime transport more
competitive, in turn ben-
efiting the overall econo-
my. An important source
of jobs and revenue for
Europe, ships carry
about 40 percent of the
EU’s internal trade and
almost all external trade.
TRAFFIC CONTROL is one of the most current is-
sues in the infrastructure industry. Two important
subjects in this industry are rail inspection and li-
cense plate recognition. The current develop-
ments in rail inspection outline the complexity of
these subjects. Dutch Railways still inspects its
rails manually, and while this method might sound
outdated, it is still the most reliable. There’s only
one reason: the alternative. Automatic Camera
Inspection is extremely complex. Only the most
experienced and technically grounded lighting
professionals are able to develop a system that
equals the quality of manual inspection.
Vision Light Tech (VLT) is currently working on
the most complex part of the camera inspection
system: the illumination. A constant amount of
light is required for automatic inspection. It should
(preferably) resemble the natural light on a sunny
day. Illumination does not revolve around light on
its own. It also encompasses the use of filters and
lenses. Only an optimised combination of these
INSPECTION COMPLEXITY
EUROPE’S ROADS AND SKIES are becoming in-
creasingly saturated as the population becomes
more mobile. Policymakers are expected to ap-
pease the situation by building new road and rail in-
frastructure to cope with the increasing congestion.
However, stakeholders have argued that this
course of action alone is not the solution and bet-
ter use and management of our existing infra-
structure should be a major priority.
Sylvain Haon, rapporteur on the urban trans-
port workshop underlines the fact that particu-
larly in urban areas there is a limited amount of
space available for transport and simply build-
ing new infrastructure is not always an option.
The lack of congestion of previous years has
meant that thoughts on sharing infrastructure
have not really been a priority, as underlined by
Marco Sorgetti, rappor-
teur on the freight
transport workshop.
Sorgetti has
called for rules to be
defined on
“who has
priority over who and under what circumstances”
regarding the use of infrastructure and Antonio
Preto, Head of Transport Commissioner Antonio
Tajani’s cabinet, believes that the issues of age-
ing and behavioural change, transport energy
sources and environmental pollution also need to
be addressed.
Better transport links to countries neighbour-
ing the EU were also called for by Trevor
Garrod, the rapporteur
on the passenger trans-
port session.
SMOO
THSA
ILING
three elements enables a high and constant light
quality, which is necessary to reach similar or even
better results.
The challenge for VLT is to achieve a high as
possible contrast. The higher the contrast, the
clearer the image. For example, with license plate
recognition, there are several organisations with
various reasons for checking out vehicles. The gov-
ernment does not just check speed, but is also in-
terested in country of origin, truck loads and other
information that can be traced by codes on vehi-
cles. Naturally these codes and license plates
come in all sorts of colours and shapes.
Recognition is also hampered by influences such
as speed, weather conditions and pollution; more-
over it is not in the driver’s best interest to distract
him with sudden light flashes, and because of all
these issues the control devices require a certain
invisibility. There are many factors that need to be
considered. VLT’s key focus is to offer an optimised
combination of light, lens and filter offering the
highest contrast for every situation imaginable.
For more information please visit www.visionlighttech.com
FAST FACT
MAKING THE MOST OF INFRASTRUCTURE
UpfrontCOMPANY NEWS22
of all the windenergy in
Europe blowsover the UK,making it an
ideal country forsmall domestic
turbines
40%
UPFRONT EU INRA:25 June 20/7/09 10:25 Page 22
VLT.indd 1VLT.indd 1 25/6/09 11:53:5525/6/09 11:53:55
UpfrontCOMPANY NEWS24
SAFETY FIRST
FIRE-RELATED RISKS are begin-
ning to raise concerns within the
industry, as the number of in-
stalled wind turbines around the
world increases. DNV now investi-
gates fire safety related problems
through the identification of fire-
related risks in wind turbines.
“The main reasons for the oc-
currence of fires are failures in the
transformer, a component failure in
the electrical system or in the brake
system,” says Lars Schiøtt
Sørensen, Senior Engineer with
DNV. “DNV can help producers as
well as contractual clients in the wind
energy area to cover such risks.”
As number and size of off-
shore wind farms increase, it is
also necessary to focus on fire
safety aspects in transformer sta-
tions installed in conjunction to
the wind farms (figure A).
In transformer stations, the fire
risks can be related to overheating
of hydraulic systems, failure in light
arch protection systems and heat
generation from coil effects in a
bunch of cables to name but a few.
DNV has initiated a Joint Industry
Project (JIP) to address Safety
Requirements for Offshore
Transformer and Accommodation
platforms. The standard includes a
chapter about Fire and Explosion
Protection requirements in order to
mitigate the fire risk level. The DNV
offshore standard is expected to
be published by end of 2009.
Two types of accommodation
platforms are described in the
standard: platforms shared by
power equipment and accom-
modation space (see figure B);
platforms with separate power
equipment and accommodation
platforms, connected by a
bridge (figure C).
Both types of platforms can
be designed for temporary as well
as permanent accommodation.
Therefore, it is of great importance
to deal with fire safety aspects. The
relatively high number of risks, in
combination with the presence of
people and a long distance to the
shore further indicate the need for
assessment on safe areas, tempo-
rary refuges and evacuation.
BRIDGING THE GAP
A NEW BILL that has been
passed by the Danish Parliament
will allow the construction of a
bridge over the Fehmarn Belt be-
tween Denmark and Germany.
An overwhelming majority
voted for the bridge, which is
expected to be built with two
railway tracks and a four-lane
motorway, taking motorists
approximately 12-15 minutes
to cross.
Construction is expected to
commence in 2012 and to be
finished in 2018 at a total cost of
€4.43 billion.
At 20 kilometres, it will be
Denmark’s longest bridge over
water and will replace the
current hour-long ferry
crossings that link Denmark
and Germany.
Transport Minister Lars
Barfoed said the vote is “an his-
toric decision that will connect
the Nordic region – and thus
Denmark – with the rest of the
European continent.”
IN 2007, there were 2566 persons killed
or seriously injured in railway accidents
in the EU-27, which is comparable to the
2006 value and represents an estimated
19.7 percent decrease compared to
2005. Countries with the most railway ac-
cidents in 2007:
TOP 10
32
54
1
87
109
6
Poland
Germany
France
Romania
Slovakia
Hungary
Italy
Spain
Czech Republic
UK
NUMBER OF ACCIDENTS
COUNTRY (% OF TOTAL)
944
(31.2%)
489
(16.1%)
413
(13.6%)
283
(9.3%)
270
(8.9%)
154
(5.1%)
133
(4.4%)
123
(4.1%)
1152
(3.8%)
107
(3.5%)
(a)
Type A (1)
(b)
Type B
(c)
Type C Type A (2)
UPFRONT EU INRA:25 June 20/7/09 10:25 Page 24
DNV AD.indd 1DNV AD.indd 1 25/6/09 11:47:0625/6/09 11:47:06
UpfrontCOMPANY NEWS26
RENEWABLE ENERGY GETS SECOND WIND
TWO HUGE OFFSHORE WIND FARM
PROJECTS in the UK which had been
shelved due to the credit crunch, weak
pound and high construc-
tion costs could finally
go ahead following a
government an-
nouncement in
April that further
subsidies would be
made available.
The two farms will
have an estimated build
cost of €3.5 billion, but are vital to the
UK’s efforts to meet the 2020 renew-
able targets.
Centrica will make a decision as
to whether or not to go ahead with
its Lincolnshire project by the end
of September. If it does become re-
ality the farm could gener-
ate enough energy to
power two cities the
size of Cambridge.
RWE npower
will also decide
whether to build
its €2.6 billion pro-
ject in North Wales,
which, if built, will be one
of the largest projects in the world.
The company is almost certain to
build the project now that subsi-
dies have been boosted.
In June we launched the first issue of our sister title US Infrastructure. Init we looked at PRESIDENT OBAMA’s American Recovery andReinvestment Act which promises a major boost to infrastructure funding.We also explored the decline of American infrastructure from collapsedbridges to leaking dams.
To read more of the stories from this issue, head to www.americainfra.com
A GLOBAL SERVICE
Net Technologies,who specialise in
telecommunication, mobile and
wireless networks as well as mobile
applications, has renewed the ser-
vice product portfolio in TETRA ser-
vices. The new TETRA services
include radio planning also in pre-
bid stages, managed services, as
well as the already familiar services
such as radio planning, network de-
sign, roll out management, NOC,
training, turn-key-solution and op-
erations and maintenance services.
In this fast evolving environ-
ment, new TETRA network deploy-
ments should consider two main
factors: cost of deployment and
network efficiency that will provide
solutions to all requirements set
by the potential users. In order to
achieve the optimum
tradeoff between
these two strug-
gling aspects,
the initial Radio
(RF) Planning,
a process that assists preserving
an efficient cost control during the
lifetime of a TETRA network pro-
ject, from planning phase to actual
network deployment, should be
carried out. “Our driving force in re-
newing our service portfolio has
been our customers needs,” states
Dimitris Androutsopoulos, CEO of
Net Technologies. “As the TETRA
field keeps evolving, our cus-
tomers are faced with harder eco-
nomical situation combined with
deployment cost.”
The markets have clearly cho-
sen TETRA as the preferred commu-
nications technology in several
industry sectors worldwide. The rea-
sons are simple: deployment cost is
approximately the same compo-
nent-wise, with great advantages
of TETRA compared to analogue
systems in terms of economies
of scale, competition, and life
cycle cost. To the markets,
TETRA technology seems to
be the solution to long-
standing problems in security,
availability and quality.
For more information go towww.nettechn.com
The two projects
will cost
in total
€6.1billion
FAST FACTThe G8 countries
have committed tolimiting global warming
to 2°C and reducingtheir greenhouse gas
emissions
by 205080%
Source: European Commission
HOT OFF THE PRESS
UPFRONT EU INRA:25 June 20/7/09 10:32 Page 26
NET TECH AD.indd 1NET TECH AD.indd 1 25/6/09 11:50:4525/6/09 11:50:45
Companies in this issue are indexed to the first page of the article in which each is mentioned.
Airport Consulting Vienna 8Association of Public SafetyCommunications Officials 112BAA 102BOMAG 35Catus Automation IBCChartered Institute of Building 100Cleartone 108Combibox IFC, 82Cummins 71Danvest Energy 91Decauteur Electronics 65Deerns 74, 75DNV 24, 25EADS 108ECI 102EDF Energy Renewables 86Ekahau 115Elpa 20, 67European Wind Energy Association 94Global Energy Services 92, 93
Hoffman Mineral 118, 121Intertoll Europe 52, 53Iskra Sistemi 16, 17Kema Rail Transport Certification 72, 73Mentura Group Ltd 16, 111Motorola 108Moxa 80MSA 19NACO 78National Asphalt Pavement Association 56Net Technologies 26, 27Nynas 60, 61Optelecom-NFK, Inc. 63Power Climber 98, 99Q-Free 46, 47Ricochet 11, 84Sectra 116, 117Selex 108Sepura 108Simtra 58
Speedar 55SwitchPoint Heating 20, 21Terex-Cranes 106, 107TETRA Association 108Total 102Transport for London 48Transoft Solutions 2, 51Tikkurila 5, 7, 118Verderflex 127Verint 125Vision Light Technology 22, 23WSP Group 66, OBC
FUNDAMENTAL IMPROVEMENTS
WIND POWER WORKS
Christian Kjaer askswhether EU wind powerwill reach the toughrenewable targets
CAPITAL INVESTMENT
Graeme Craig ofTransport for Londonexplains the impact ofthe city’s congestioncharging scheme
DON’T MISS...
42
48
94
COMPANY INDEX Q3 2009
UpfrontCOMPANY INDEX28
REGENERATION X
Matt Buttell looks athow urban renewalschemes areaffecting Europe
CURRENTLY THE BIGGESTinfrastruc-
ture financing operation in all of
Europe, the construction of the
Capital Airport Berlin Brandenburg
International BBI had a huge boost in
June as Berlin Airports finalised loan
contracts with eight banks.
The biggest investment is to
come from the European Investment
Bank (EIB), which will be granting ¤1bn
of the total €2.4bn amount.
The Berlin-Brandenburg region
formerly had three airports:
Schönefeld, Tegel and Templehof.
The location of both Tegel and
Templehof meant that expansion
was not an option, leaving
Schönefeld as the front-runner.
In the course of expansion into
BBI, Schönefeld Airport will be ex-
tended by an area measuring 970
hectares. In total, the new airport
will cover the equivalent of 2000
football pitches.
The expansion has also necessi-
tated the relocation of two separate vil-
lages. The relocation of Diepensee was
completed in December 2004, and the
partial relocation of Selchow was suc-
cessfully carried out in July 2005.
Tempelhof Airport was closed
on 30 October 2008. This will be fol-
lowed in 2011 by the closure
of Tegel Airport when
all air traffic will flow
through the new
Capital Airport Berlin Brandenburg
International BBI. Matthias
Platzeck, Prime Minister of the
State of Brandenburg believes that
the BBI represents a unique chance
to integrate Berlin and
Brandenburg in the global air traffic
streams of the globalised economy.
Prof. Dr. Rainer Schwarz, Chief
Executive Officer of Berlin Airports
said: “The BBI project has really
gained momentum this year. Our
goals are ambitious, but by 2011 the
Berlin and Brandenburg region will
have a high-performance, world-
class airport which will enable us to
position Berlin up there amongst
the top 10 leading
aviation locations
in Europe.”
UPFRONT EU INRA:25 June 20/7/09 10:27 Page 28
INVESTMENT PROJECTS FOR EURO 2012 IN POLAND
IN JUNE THIS YEAR the Council of the European
Union adopted the Nuclear Safety Directive, which
is a major step towards achieving a common legal
framework and a strong safety culture in Europe.
This makes the EU the first major regional nu-
clear actor to provide binding legal force to the main
international nuclear safety standards, namely the
Safety Fundamentals established by the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the
obligations resulting from the Convention on
Nuclear Safety.
“Nuclear safety is an absolute priority for the
EU,” said Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs.
“This Nuclear Safety Directive brings legal certain-
ty by clarifying responsibilities and provides in-
creased guarantees to the public as required by EU
citizens. It sets binding principles for enhancing nu-
clear safety to protect workers and the general pub-
lic, as well as the environment. Continuous
development of nuclear safety is a responsibility
not just for Europe, but for the world; not simply for
us but also for coming generations.”
An enlarged EU will undoubtedly require a
common approach to guarantee the highest level
of nuclear safety, especially considering that the
EU has the largest number of nuclear power plants
in the world.
Many of the member states are planning in-
vestments or life extensions of nuclear power
plants in order to meet the growing electricity de-
mand, improve security of supply and tackle cli-
mate change.
The Directive requires member states to set
up and continuously improve national nuclear
safety frameworks. It also enhances the role and
independence of national regulatory authorities,
confirming license holders the prime responsibili-
ty for nuclear safety. Member states are required
to encourage a high level of transparency of regu-
latory actions and to guarantee regular indepen-
dent safety assessments.
With the adoption of this Directive Europe
could become a real model for the rest of the world
in a context of renewed interest in nuclear energy.
THE AGGREGATE VALUEof construction investments in transport, sports, hotel and telecommunications infra-
structure and facilities related to the organisation of Euro 2012 in Poland is estimated at almost PLN 95bn (€21bn)
Source: Euro 2012 in Poland and Urkraine, Construction Investments. PMR Publications, a division of PMR, 2009
MAKING NUCLEAR SAFE
UpfrontCOMPANY NEWS 29
TOP 10
32
54
1
87
109
6
Luxembourg
Iceland
New Zealand
Italy
Canada
Cyprus
Germany
Australia
Malta
Switzerland
HIGHEST CAR OWNERSHIPNumber of cars per 1000 population
647
632
607
595
561
550
550
542
523
520
Source: CDC
3%Air transport
4%Hotels
7%Stadiums and
training centres
32%Rail transport Total: PLN 94,7bn
52%Road transport
2%Telecommunications
UPFRONT EU INRA:25 June 20/7/09 10:27 Page 29
pril 19 2007 was a big day for the people of Ukraine and
Poland. When the news came in that the countries’
joint bid to host the 2012 UEFA European Cup had been
successful, there was wild rejoicing on the streets of
Krakow and Lviv. That these nations, often uncharita-
bly viewed as poor relations of their neighbours further
west, had beaten four-time World Cup winners Italy in
the competition only made the victory sweeter.
Not since the fall of communism will there have been so much attention fo-
cused on these countries. For a month in 2012 thousands of football fans will
flock to the east of Europe, while further millions will be glued to their television
sets across the world. Running a successful European Championship can real-
ly put a place on the map.
Quite aside from the kudos generated by playing host to Euro 2012, there
will be significant material advantages. Hundreds of thousands of fans will flow
into the two countries over the course of the competition, spending mountains
of cash in hotels, restaurants and shops. But there are more than just the weeks
spanned by the championship to consider. How Ukraine and Poland handle
themselves will have a long-term impact on each country’s future. A good per-
formance in the summer of 2012 could see tourists returning year after year and
even help attract investment and new business. “Hosting the UEFA Euro 2012
football championships in Ukraine and Poland is stimulating investment in in-
frastructure and supports Ukraine's continued economic development,” said
Ukrainian Vice-Prime Minister Hryhoriy Nemyrya of the announcement. “It will
be a showcase for our cities, culture and hospitality, as well as the best football
talent in Europe and it will provide a legacy that will endure long after the tour-
nament is over.”
But ensuring this legacy will require some very hard work. After decades of un-
derinvestment, the infrastructure needed to support such a huge event was in no
shape to deal with the challenges associated with hosting such a competition. This
was certainly true in 2007 when the Championships were awarded. Now, two years
later, concerns remain that the countries remain ill-prepared. Suddenly, 2012 does-
n’t seem that far away.
Of the two nations, Ukraine is raising the biggest concerns about its readiness.
Earlier in the year UEFA President Michel Platini announced the host cities for the
competition. While the Polish cities Warsaw, Gdánsk, Wroclaw and Poznán have all
been passed fit, only Kiev has been confirmed in Ukraine. The country now has until
November to sharpen up its preparations or it risks its status as co-host.
While the stadiums where the games are played are generally seen as the
centrepoint of international sporting events like the European Championships,
in reality they are only a small part of the total package. According to research
30 www.euinfrastructure.com
COVER STORY
With only three years until they host the UEFA
European Championships in 2012, the
infrastructure of Poland and Ukraine remain in a
parlous state. Will the finals be a spectacular
own goal, or can the two countries can pull off a
late winner? By Huw Thomas
EURO 2012:16 july 17/7/09 16:38 Page 30
EURO 2012:16 july 17/7/09 16:41 Page 31
from analysts PMR, stadiums only comprise six percent of the almost €40
billion that Poland and Ukraine will spend on preparation for the competi-
tion. Forty-five percent will be spent on roads, 33 percent on rail, 11 percent
on hotels and accommodation, with the final five percent going on airports.
This huge amount of money clearly reflects the infrastructure defi-
ciencies in both countries and the sheer amount of work that must be com-
pleted in the remaining years before the competition. Given that travelling
between just the four Ukrainian host cities will entail journeys of anything
between 600km and 1200km, and the distance between stadiums across
the two countries can be more than 1500km, a robust transport infrastruc-
ture will be essential. Unfortunately for Ukraine, with an area almost twice
the size of its co-host, its transportation system is in a very poor state of re-
pair. Many roads are unpaved and even the more modern routes are pot-
holed and outdated. Rail and airport infrastructure too has a long way to
go before it will be in a position to cope with the thousands of football fans
set to converge on the country in 2012.
In response to these pressing needs, Ukraine has instituted an un-
precedented investment programme to prepare for the championships.
Earmarking some €15 billion, the Ukrainian government aims to reinvent
the country’s infrastructure and drag it kicking and screaming into the 21st
century. It is difficult to fault Ukraine’s ambition. Unsurprisingly, roads will
get one of the biggest portions of funding, with a figure totalling more than
€5 billion. Key priorities are completion of the Lviv-Krakovets and Lviv-Brody
highway sections, along with bypass roads for Lugansk and Donetsk.
Major rail projects are in place to modernise and streamline the coun-
try’s train system. New rolling stock, electrification of thousands of kilo-
metres of lines and the construction of high-speed inter city routes are all
32 www.euinfrastructure.com
planned. Additionally, underground lines in Dnipropetrovsk, Kiev and
Kharkiv are to be extended, while building on Donetsk’s first under-
ground line is also hoped to be completed. Funds are also going to the
construction and expansion of municipal tram networks to enable fans
to move around Ukrainian cities with greater ease.
Airports will receive around €1.1 billion of investment. Work is fo-
cused on two near Kiev and a further six at Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv,
Odessa, Donetsk, Simferopol and Lviv. This funding will be focused on
building new terminals and runways, as well as modernising existing ones
that lag behind their counterparts in Western Europe.
While this huge raft of improvements looks great on paper, there con-
tinue to be doubts over Ukraine’s ability to deliver them in time for 2012.
Transport projects in particular are a major cause for concern, as efforts to
secure funding for a huge proportion of them have foundered due to polit-
ical infighting. Ukraine remains mired in post-communist corruption and
there are unusually high levels of antipathy between the offices of the
President and the Prime Minister, with neither reluctant to publicly criticise
the other. Speaking in June, Ukrainian President Viktor Yuschenko said:
“How can we talk about Euro 2012, when the budget envisions €4.5 billion
from the stabilization fund, but only €330 million has been financed.
Speaking about the roads: €2.5 billion should have been channelled for the
roads, but only €30 million has been granted as of May 20.”
In early July, Ukrainian newspaper Dzis reported that millions of
Ukrainian hryven intended for infrastructure projects and the completion
of Kiev’s flagship stadium had simply disappeared. Meanwhile, the Mayor
of Lviv, Andriy Sadovy, has said that his city is yet to receive any of the al-
located state funds that were promised. This has resulted in delays to ur-
gent road building projects and work on the new stadium, alongside a
situation at the airport which Sadovy described as “a catastrophe”.
Compounding these issues, June saw the resignation of Transport
Minister Yosyp Vinsky, who stepped down after a serious disagreement
with the country’s Prime Minister. “My statement [of resignation] has been
stipulated by serious disagreements with Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko
over political, staff and economic issues, as well as the ethics of relations
between members of the Cabinet of Ministers,” said Vinsky on his resigna-
tion. He also alleged that Tymoshenko was blocking reforms essential to
Polish workers lay the concrete for the new Stadium, Baltic Arenaof Gdansk, for the UEFA EURO 2012 in Gdansk, Poland
Poland
Population 38 million
Area 304,459 sq km
Paved highways 249,050 km
Railways 23,072 km
Airports 123
EURO 2012:16 july 17/7/09 16:38 Page 32
33www.euinfrastructure.com
address Ukraine’s transport problems as well as hampering the allocation
of funds to Euro 2012 building programmes.
In response, the Prime Minister has accused Vinsky of corruption. “I
understand that Mr Vinsky was displeased that we put a stop to his im-
proper use of up to 15 million hryvnias (€1.4 million) in funds meant for the
post office which he intended to use for promoting himself,” she said. “I
believe this could be a good lesson for everyone who has committed the
sin of illegal use of state funds.”
It is worth noting that both Vinsky and Tymoshenko are mooted as ri-
vals in an upcoming presidential election, which may well account for the
volatility of their relationship. However, this is a domestic political row that
has the potential to spill over internationally if Ukraine finds itself unable
to meet its Euro 2012 obligations.
While it is impossible to ignore the many obstacles that lie between
Ukraine and a successful European Cup, Poland too faces some big prob-
lems. While its airport and hotel infrastructure does seem in much better
shape than that of its neighbour, it is bedevilled by similar deficiencies in
its road network. With only 435km of expressways and 765km of genuine
highways, Poland is some distance behind even many of its non-EU neigh-
bours when it comes to modern road infrastructure. When the
Championships were awarded to Poland and Ukraine in 2007, the then gov-
ernment made the bold claim that it would build 3000km of new highways
and expressways before the football fans started rolling in.
Now that we’re a few years closer to the deadline, a new government
has made a slightly revised pledge of 2000km of new roads by 2012. But
even dropping the target by a third leaves Poland with a mountain to climb,
given the historically glacial speed of road construction in the country.
Stymied by a bureaucratic system that’s slow pace has been compounded
by endless appeals from companies that fail to win tenders, progress con-
tinues to be slow. Current infrastructure minister Cezary Grabarczyk has
maintained at least the appearance of confidence that targets can be
reached. “We will get the highways built on time,” he asserts. “By 2012,
you will be able to drive from the German border to Warsaw on a complet-
ed highway.” But Grabarczyk’s bullish assessment is not universally shared.
“I think 500km of the government’s programme is in danger,” says Adrian
Furgalski of transport consultancy TOR. A particular concern is the key sec-
tion connecting Warsaw with Lodz, but there are problems all over the large-
ly communist-era road network. What makes these matters even more
UkrainePopulation 46 million
Area 603,500 sq km
Paved highways 163,898 km
Railways 22,473 km
Airports 437
A view of NSC Olympiyskiy stadium reconstruction in Kiev, Ukraine, where the matches of Euro 2012 are to be held
EURO 2012:16 july 17/7/09 16:38 Page 33
Euro 2012 infrastructure challenges. For Grabarczyk, securing the funding was
a double reason for celebration. He had been given an ultimatum by Polish
Prime Minister Donald Tusk that if he didn’t demonstrate some serious
progress by the beginning of July, he would be out of a job. Grabarczyk’s nar-
row escape is a further illustration of the desperation behind the scenes.
While UEFA President Michel Platini has stated that there are no plans to
take the Euro 2012 Championships away from the current hosts, significant
doubts remain. Ukraine in particular has major cause for concern. A great deal
now rests on UEFA’s November deadline to show progress, with failure to do
so potentially seeing games moved to venues in Poland, or even Germany.
While it would still be billed as co-host, Ukraine could end up only staging
games at Kiev. That would be a significant blow, both for the nation’s fi-
nances and its international standing. But even if the games go ahead at
four locations in both countries as planned, failure to address the short-
comings in infrastructure could instead dramatically tarnish the reputations
that Poland and Ukraine are trying so hard to build. �
pressing is that the benefits of road improvement will continue long after
every football fan has returned home. Poland’s crumbling road infrastructure
is a major brake on progress, as the country’s narrow and crowded routes dis-
courage investment. Beyond the financial implications, there is also a human
cost. As a result of so much heavy traffic being funnelled through the hearts of
towns and villages, Poland’s roads are particularly dangerous. Upwards of 5000
people die in road traffic accidents there every year, a figure more than twice
the EU average.
There has been some good news to report though. At the beginning of July,
Grabarczyk announced that funding for the Swiecko-Nowy Tomysl section of a
key road to the German border had finally been confirmed. “The whole thing
had become a bit of a horror,” Grabarczyk confessed. “The talks were compli-
cated, as the European Investment Bank, 11 commercial banks and also the
company responsible for the construction are all contributing to the financing.”
Coming even in the midst of a victory, that statement demonstrates the
difficulty the Polish, and Ukrainian, authorities are experiencing in tackling
34 www.euinfrastructure.com
The position that Poland and Ukraine find
themselves in now is mirrored by that of Greece in
the run up to the 2004 Olympic Games. Before the
games began, there was a steady drip of stories
suggesting that the facilities would not be ready and that
the notoriously congested traffic system of host city
Athens would lead to disaster. In the event, the games
were a success, and perhaps more importantly, their
effects have gone on to be felt for years. Most striking is
the impact improvements for the games have had on
Athens’ traffic system. Road improvements, investment
in public transport and traffic management technology
have all provided an impressive legacy for the city’s
permanent inhabitants. Following the long construction
period before the games, when Athenians experienced
serious problems with transportation, the city now
benefits from a significantly less congested major
road network and a high quality public transport
system. Despite costing somewhere in the region of
€6 billion, the ensuing benefits can certainly be viewed
as value for money.
Olympic Stadium in Athens during
renovations in preparation for the 2004
Summer Olympics, circa 2000
The opening ceremony of the Athens 2004Olympic Games, August 13, 2004
GOING FOR GOLD: ATHENS 2004
EURO 2012:16 july 17/7/09 16:38 Page 34
BOMAG AD.indd 1BOMAG AD.indd 1 25/6/09 11:45:4825/6/09 11:45:48
36 www.euinfrastructure.com
FEATURE
Lord Adonis ED:24sept 17/7/09 15:46 Page 36
37www.euinfrastructure.com
Eurostar is a remarkable Anglo-French success
story, on a par with Concorde in seizing the public
imagination. However, I confidently predict that it
will be rather more enduring and transformation-
al in its legacy, and that it will be only the first of
many high-speed rail companies to run services in
the UK over the years ahead, as new services develop on High
Speed One, and as High Speed Two – and who knows perhaps
even High Speed Three and Four – come into operation in the
decades ahead.
High Speed Two is only likely to be built soon if we forge a
strong cross-party consensus behind not only the concept of a
north-south high-speed line but also, behind a definite propos-
al for the line and its financing. The bane of infrastructure plan-
ning in the post-war decades was the failure to develop a
national consensus behind essential long-term improvements,
and I think we all deprecate the consequences.
Obviously there isn’t as yet a definite High Speed Two pro-
posal; the new High Speed Two company has only been in exis-
tence for a few months and there will be a lot of devils in a lot of
details, not least when it comes to the route and the financing.
But once we have a credible and acceptable scheme, I hope it
will be possible to forge a cross-party consensus behind High
Speed Two.
It’s time to let go of our old-fashioned notions of railtransport and put high-speedtrains on the fast track, saysUK Transport Minister LordAndrew Adonis.
Lord Adonis ED:24sept 17/7/09 15:46 Page 37
Until recently, most observers in Britain thought that high-speed rail
was largely about Japanese bullet trains and French TGVs, and that there
were particular reasons to do with the geography, politics and transport
planning regime in Japan and France which made them exceptional in re-
spect of their rail technology. Britain’s one engagement so far with high-
speed rail – the London to Folkestone line – was conceived as a project
largely separate from the existing rail network; hence its very name – the
‘Channel Tunnel Rail Link’ – and the fact that domestic services were only a
minor part of the scheme in its original conception.
All that is changing fast. The first backdrop to this is the growing scale
and success of high-speed rail not only in France and Japan, but across
Europe and Asia. Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium,
China, Taiwan and Korea have all followed Japan and France in the in-
ternational high-speed rail revolution. In all, 3600 miles of high-speed
line are in operation in Europe, a further 2000 are under construction and
5300 are planned.
38 www.euinfrastructure.com
High Speed One works as well as any other high speed
line in the world. Average infrastructure delay is about six
seconds per train, which is performance on a par with
Japanese bullet trains. It is not the case that this country
can’t manage world class infrastructure to world class
standards. HS1 was also ultimately built to time and
within budget, with substantial private funding – although
both the time and the budget were adjusted upwards,
and the effective share of private finance downwards –
several times before the final restructuring of London and
Continental Railways in 2002. The line is also one of the –
if not the – most expensive high-speed railway built in the
world per kilometre, only partly because of the long tunnel
on the approach to London. So, having not built a single
major overground railway in the entire 20th century, we
have now done it successfully in the 21st century, and we
are well placed to do it a second time, but we must
demand greater efficiency and cost control as our
engineers and project managers master the art.
It is in that spirit that we have asked High Speed
Two to propose a high-speed plan to us by the end of
the year, starting with a firm route proposition – and
associated economic and environmental assessments –
for a line from London to the West Midlands, with
advice also on the possibilities for extension beyond the
West Midlands in terms of services to in particular to
the great conurbations of the north-west, West
Yorkshire, the north-east and central Scotland. We
intend to consider the report intensively immediately
after its receipt, and to consult the other political parties
upon it, with a view to indicating a definite way forward
in the early part of 2010.
THE NEXT PHASE
Lord Adonis ED:24sept 17/7/09 15:46 Page 38
As for their impact, high-speed lines have generally led to dramatic in-
creases in rail traffic. As successive lines develop into national and cross-
border networks, the network effects become larger still. In all these
countries, high-speed rail is not just about faster trains. It is also about
much higher capacity rail systems, designed to cope more effectively with
the full range of demands on the network – commuter and freight services
as well as inter-city services – and to be interoperable with those of neigh-
bouring countries. It means greener transport and car-
bon reduction, and getting people out of cars and
planes. It is also about economic regeneration and bet-
ter social integration. In Europe, it is means trans-
European networks and the creation of a more
integrated and prosperous European market.
Country by country, high speed rail is – or is be-
coming – a key driver of modernisation economic, envi-
ronmental and social; it is not simply a better, faster
means of transport. The French Prime Minister, Francois
Fillon, recently described the French TGV as one of the
two infrastructural transformations of modern France;
the other being energy independence through the
French nuclear programme.
This international experience has held a major im-
pact on my thinking and that of the Government. In my
view, it is no longer a defensible position to oppose high-speed rail on the
grounds of English exceptionalism. I recently came across the argument
that we have less to gain from high-speed rail because our cities our clos-
er together than those in France. This is frankly comical. We need to en-
39www.euinfrastructure.com
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Lord Adonis speaking in the House of Lords.
“High speedrail is a key
driver ofmodernisation
economic,environmental
and social”
Lord Adonis ED:24sept 17/7/09 15:46 Page 39
gage systematically with the experience of countries making a success of
high-speed rail and learn from it.
In other non-high speed rail countries, notably Canada and the United
States, the transport debate is shifting high-speed in the same direction.
On the day of President Obama’s election last November, Governor
Schwarzenegger won a ballot proposition for a bond to pay the first
US$10bn needed for a San Francisco to Los Angeles high-speed line.
President Obama’s fiscal stimulus package included the first federal
funding in the US for high-speed rail; when I was in Paris recently I found
myself hot on the heels of the mayors of both San Francisco and
Montreal, who had been receiving similar presentations from SNCF
about the French experience. Under the headline ‘By ignoring rail op-
tions, US is on the wrong track’, a commentator in the New York Times
recently wrote:
“The truth is that when it comes to rail transport... Americans haven’t
made much palpable improvement, at least not compared with our friends
and competitors in Europe and Asia. It is as though we got fixed in amber
someplace between the 1920s and the 1960s with our big cars, our slow
trains and our crowded, legroom-challenged skies. And while the rest of the
world forges ahead with new and better ways of moving people from place
to place – namely on super-fast trains – we are waiting in the tunnel for the
train ahead to cross.”
That is the changing view from the US. In Britain we are in a better
place, both in not getting stuck in tunnels – with our longest tunnel, the
Channel Tunnel, accounting for nearly a third of our 100 miles of genuinely
high-speed line – and also in our upgrading of the railways, which have
undergone a renaissance in terms both of usage and investment. This rail
renaissance is the second backdrop to this discussion; it is a crucial part
of the capacity case for high-speed rail, and it ought to give us confidence
that we can progress effectively to the next major phase of railway de-
velopment.
Rail passenger and freight volumes have grown at a remarkable rate
over the past decade. Passenger numbers are more than 50 percent high-
er. There were 1.2 billion passenger journeys in 2007, higher than at any
time since 1946. Freight traffic is up by 40 percent in the past decade. The
number of services, and service quality, have also improved steadily.
Across the network as a whole, the number of train services increased
in the December timetable change alone by more than five percent, to
104,500 a week – the highest on the network since before Beeching. This
includes a 9.8 percent increase in Sunday services, and a 6.5 percent in-
crease on Saturdays, as we seek to offer a reliable seven-day-a-week rail-
way in place of the patchy weekend timetables of the past.
As for network modernisation and new lines, the €16 billion Crossrail
project will take 24 trains an hour through central London on a line that con-
nects Heathrow and the west of the capital, through the business and com-
mercial heart of the City, into Docklands and to Essex beyond. Going
north-south through London, the Thameslink upgrade will enable up to 24
trains an hour to run from Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and the north of
London through central London to Brighton and other destinations in the
south. These are both transformational projects that will improve radically
the network at its most congested and economically vital heart. We are also
pioneering the next generation of inter-city trains on the existing network,
which will take over from the ageing diesel inter-city 125 fleet and provide
We see High Speed one as plugging Britain and
Eurostar into an extended European high-speed
network. So through Railteam – the group of
eight of the north European high-speed train operators –
we’re working hard to develop through travel from one
operator to another using a simple fare structure and easy-
to-access timetable information, so that travelling around
that rapidly growing network becomes as easy as travelling
domestically.
Each new link in that infrastructure network contributes
to the performance of existing links, as well as providing
new accessibility for operators and opening up journeys
between new cities for passengers. There is a lot of synergy
as that network continues to expand. For instance, France
and Spain will be joined up in the next few years with high-
speed, and you will be able to take Eurostar from London to
Paris and switch to TGV from Paris to Spain. It really does
open up a much wider range of journey possibilities.
There’s a growing body of opinion, particularly in some
of the regional cities, that being linked to that Europe-wide
network will be essential in the coming years. On the
continent, I think it’s much more accepted that high-speed
is the way forward. As an operator, the challenges are more
how we get the reservation systems and the fare systems
for what are essentially national railways to talk to each
other and to link up for consumers, which is a key project
for Railteam. Then having done that, to put in place simple,
attractive through fares. At the moment, if somebody wants
to go from London to Austria, you end up putting fares
together from two, if not three, different operators for
different portions of the journey. And it’s no surprise that
what you end up with doesn’t necessarily bear much
relation to the market price. So that’s clearly a big
challenge: to get national operators to think in terms of an
international market.
EUROPEAN UNIONEurostar CEO Richard Brown onbecoming part of a wider network.
Lord Adonis ED:24sept 17/7/09 15:46 Page 40
greater express capacity on the electrified network, while at the same time
we are analysing plans for further intercity electrification.
This brings me to the successful completion of High Speed One, as we
now call the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, in a symbolic change of name. I said
earlier that in its original conception HS1 was essentially a project – a vi-
sionary project – to get from London to Paris in just over two hours. More
prosaically, it also became a congestion relief and service upgrading pro-
ject for trains from East Kent to London, and this aspect loomed steadily
larger as the financing of the international services became increasingly
problematic. HS1 would offer an opportunity to tackle the acute shortage
of capacity on the Kent commuter lines into London, while also opening
up key network bottlenecks such as London Bridge, allowing for other
commuter service expansion projects such as the north-south
Thameslink line through central London.
This domestic capacity enhancement dimension of the HS1 project
became particularly attractive because of the very poor rail infrastructure
bequeathed by the unproductive cut-throat Victorian competition be-
tween the South Eastern and the London, Chatham and Dover railway
companies, which left East Kent with one of the worst built railway net-
works in the country.
As it turns out, the second fiddle on HS1 looks set to replace the lead
violin. Traffic on the 140 mph Javelin trains from St Pancras, via High Speed
One and then onto the Chatham, Ashford, Canterbury and Folkestone lines,
will be significantly greater than the international Eurostar business. With
the best standard journey times from London to Ashford cut from 60 min-
utes to 37, to Folkestone from 79 minutes to 63 and to Canterbury from 87
minutes to 62, Southeastern plans from this autumn to run up to eight com-
muter trains an hour to and from St Pancras in peak times.
This raises two points of considerable significance to the development
of High Speed Two. First, similar capacity pressures to East Kent, requiring
network solutions, apply – or will apply as traffic increases – in respect of
other strategic rail corridors. The government’s High Speed Two document
highlights the rail corridor from London to the West Midlands. But I am also
struck by the limitations imposed by poor network conditions elsewhere in
terms of extraordinarily slow journey times between major conurbations.
Consider Manchester, Bradford and Leeds, three of the biggest population
and business centres in the country. Manchester and Leeds are separated
by only 43 Trans-Pennine rail miles, but the rail journey time is 55 minutes
– an average speed as slow as London to Canterbury, which is quite an
achievement.
My second reflection is that, although there is a high price involved in
building high-speed lines, there is also a high price involved in not building
them where additional rail capacity is required anyway. This high price
is measured not only in lost economic and social benefits but also in the
direct cost of upgrading existing congested rail lines, which is very large
indeed.
This second lesson is much more apparent to us than it was before
HS1, because we now have the direct experience of the 10 year plus pro-
ject to upgrade the West Coast Main Line (WCML), completed. This up-
grade was essential to achieve additional rail capacity on a principal
inter-city route, enabling more frequent and much faster and more reli-
able trains. To provide this on the WCML – Britain’s principal inter-city rail
artery, which also has heavy commuter and goods traffic – an essential-
ly patch-and-mend approach was adopted, to secure a transformation in
capacity and service quality for much less than the cost of building an en-
tirely new line. Many of these benefits have indeed been secured: thrice
hourly trains now run from London to Birmingham and Manchester with
journey times faster than ever before. Passengers have never had a bet-
ter service.
However, it has not been an easy journey. The original mid-1990s
spec for the WCML project was for a €4.7 billion upgrade to provide not
only greater capacity but also 140 mph running and state-of-the-art sig-
nalling as on High Speed One. Ten years later? The cost turned
out at €10.2 billion for what in the jargon is called a “de-scoped”
project for 125 mph running speed, not 140 mph, with the new
signalling postponed and the capacity enhancement very much
less than would have been achieved by a new line. Of the €10.2
billion spent on the WCML upgrade, more than €580 million has
gone in compensation payments to train operating companies
for not being able to operate services during the long periods of
engineering work, and that does begin to price the true cost of
the disruption to passengers in services cancelled or diverted
year after year.
For the future, we need to assess the relative merits, including dis-
ruption saved, of building new lines rather than highly disruptive and
expensive major upgrades of existing lines. The government projection
is for a doubling of passenger demand by 2030. How far, on congested
lines, growth is met by incremental upgrades, and how far by new lines,
is a critical issue which will determine the development of new com-
muter as well as high-speed lines. If the cost of disruption is fully taken
into account, it is by no means clear that ostensibly lower priced up-
grades are always better value than new lines, including new high-speed
lines.
These, then, are the three key – the increasingly positive interna-
tional experience of high-speed rail; the rail renaissance here in the UK;
and the successful completion of HS1 which ought to give us confidence
that we can do the same again with HS2.
I strongly approve of the editorial in the recent issue of Transport
Times that ends with these words: “There will be many siren voices telling
us not to bother about planning for the long term when the short term
crisis is so grave. They are wrong! Short-termism is the British transport
disease.” I agree with every word. Let long-termism be our theme for
the future, and High Speed Two its driving force. �
41www.euinfrastructure.com
This article is based on a speech given at the 2009 Transport Times conference.
“There will be many siren voices telling us not to bother about planning for the long term when the short-term crisis is so grave.They are wrong! Short-termism is the Britishtransport disease”
Lord Adonis ED:24sept 17/7/09 15:46 Page 41
be considered when choosing who would receive the designation.
This year, in Vilnius, the position of Capital of Culture resulted in New
Year’s Eve celebrations that included a light show said to have been ‘visi-
ble from outer space’ and, in the build up to the event,
the restoration and renewal of many of the city’s main
monuments. The facade of the Vilnius Palace of
Concerts and Sports was transformed into a multilevel
glazed wall, where musical performances were broad-
cast onto huge screens installed in Cathedral Square;
then, at midnight January 1st 2009, along the banks of
the Neris River, 60 spotlights, 10 laser cannons and
other assorted devices fired a breathtaking dome of
light across the city. Now, throughout the year, Vilnius is
offering some three million expected visitors an array of
900 cultural events, 600 of which will be free.
But it’s not just the City of Culture designation that
stipulates the need for urban renewal. In the shadow of
the credit crunch, many cities across Europe are looking to push their de-
velopment, create new environments for workers and stimulate their
economies. And from shopping malls to residential areas, to commercial
Welcome to Vilnius, both Lithuania’s largest and capital
city. Vilnius, coupled with Linz in Austria, is this year’s
European Capital of Culture. And, in terms of regener-
ation, it’s a good place to start. The
European Capital of Culture, being
the city designated by the EU for the period of one
calendar year, is given this chance to showcase its
cultural life and cultural development. Traditionally
a number of European cities have used their City of
Culture year to transform their cultural base and, in
doing so, the way in which they are viewed interna-
tionally. During the first two decades of the scheme,
for example, cities that were chosen were done so
primarily based on cultural history, scheduled events
and the ability to provide infrastructural and financial
support. Then, following a 2004 study by the
European Culture Commission, it was realised that
the choice of European Capital of Culture served as a catalyst for the
cultural development and the transformation of that city. Consequently,
the beneficial social-economic development and impact also began to
42 www.euinfrastructure.com
Urban renewel takes many forms and has the power to radically change the soul of a city.Here, EU Infrastructure’s Matt Buttell looks at how regenerations are affecting Europe and
rounds-up some of the most striking projects of the last few decades.
FEATURE
REGENERATION
“Over the past 30 years the
construction ofurban regeneration
projects hasreflected wider
governmentpolicy”
Regeneration Story:24sept 17/7/09 15:48 Page 42
complexes to leisure facilities, these sorts of developments are now punc-
tuating the European landscape.
In the UK for example, across many areas of the country, the impact of
urban renewal has been huge. Defined as a complex combination of social,
economic, planning, construction and management
activities, urban regeneration has, over the years,
brought together the ability to improve the social
sustainability, economic stability and the infrastruc-
ture of a geographical location, which in turn has
proven to help improve the sustainability of the
urban landscape it occupies. Yet, according to one
definition of urban regeneration, while it is fre-
quently claimed that UK initiatives have largely im-
proved the quality of life in regeneration areas, it is
also still heavily criticised.
In fact, according to reports from the British
Urban Regeneration Association (BURA), this is be-
cause, in the past, urban regeneration has in-
volved the purchase of residential properties in
run down areas, meaning that family housing is
frequently replaced by flats and apartments which
are then priced too highly to be affordable for the
people who used to live there, instead appealing
to a totally different type of home buyer. “There is
no doubt that over the past 30 years the nature
and construction of urban regeneration projects
has reflected wider government policy,” reads one
BURA report. “The high profile construction of ex-
clusive waterside regeneration developments at
London’s Canary Wharf or Liverpool’s Albert Dock
in the 1980s, for example, reflected, in part, the
hopes and aspirations of the Conservative gov-
ernment at that time.”
Parque das Nações Lisbon, PortugalThe Parque das Nações (Park of the Nations) is a
leisure, commercial and residential area covering an
extensive area in northeastern Lisbon next to the Tagus
estuary, which was formerly used for industrial purposes. The
area, which underwent a tremendous transformation in the
1990s when it was chosen as the location for the Expo ’98
World Exhibition, saw further transformations with the
construction of the Vasco da Gama shopping mall, Lisbon’s
International Fair complex, hotels and many new office and
residential buildings. Many attractions built for Expo ’98
remained and keep drawing visitors, such as the Oceanarium,
one of the world’s biggest aquariums. Currently an estimated
15,000 people live in the Nations’ Park, which is halved
between the Lisbon and Loures municipalities, effectively
splitting the local government of the area.
Clyde Waterfront RegenerationGlasgow, United KingdomClyde Waterfront is a 20km stretch of the River Clyde in
Scotland and with over 200 projects on both sides of the river
it is one of Britain’s largest urban renewal projects.
Throughout the area projects are in place to transform
business, housing, tourism and infrastructure. The anticipated
investment in Clyde Waterfront from public and private money is
now estimated at €6.5 billion. Meanwhile, in Glasgow city
centre, the International Financial Services District (IFSD) has
been set up to attract new financial companies to the city and
has now created one million square feet of new Grade ‘A’ office
accommodation in the centre of the city. Back on the north side
of the river, the first phase of the €1.4 billion residential
development at Glasgow Harbour is almost entirely sold out and
the second phase of housing, know as GH20, will
provide a further 800 apartments, with many
already sold or occupied. Phase 3 of the
housing development is now beginning to
take shape.
1
2
Regeneration Story:24sept 17/7/09 15:48 Page 43
Strategy. The objectives include the need to provide an exchange and learn-
ing tool for policy decision-makers, practitioners and other actors involved
in developing urban policies; learn from the exchanges between URBACT
partners that share experiences and good practices; disseminate good
practices and lessons learned from exchanges to all European cities; and
assist city policy-makers, practioners and managers of operational pro-
grammes to define solid action plans.
It seems then that while there may be no single European ‘model’ for
successful urban regeneration, a consistent approach does seem to run
throughout. And that is the presence a powerful local authority that is
using the regeneration scheme to not just revive a run down area but
also to change the whole image of the city and transform its strategic
economic position. In the long run, as history has shown, successful
urban regeneration will not only work at the physical level but will also
result in successful, viable, vibrant and sustainable communities. �
Nonetheless, BURA is an organisation pushing for regeneration
across the nation. “We have a unique strength that derives from our
wide range of members in the private, public and community sectors,”
explains CEO Michael Ward, “and this distinguishes us from any other
sector interest group.”
Currently, BURA is working towards August’s BURA Awards for Best
Practice in Regeneration. Speaking about the event Ward explained,
“BURA’s Best Practice Awards recognise true excellence in regeneration,
and at a time when many projects have stalled and future prospects for
public spending are uncertain, BURA aims to seek out the very best from
across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, to show others what
can be achieved.”
Take the new report from the UK Government, for example. Entitled
Transforming Places; Changing Lives: taking forward the regeneration
framework (TPCL) the report sets out proposals to deliver a new national
framework for regeneration. “Planning is a key driver of regeneration,” says
Ward, “which, in line with the Government’s response set out in TPCL, can
provide a clear policy framework and facilitate a partnership approach. This
commentary will then provide a focus on the relationship between TPCL and
statutory planning policy.”
At least, that’s the hope for the UK. Meanwhile, URBACT, a European
Programme funded by the ERDF, which aims to foster the exchange of ex-
perience among European cities on all issues related to sustainable urban
development, is now beginning its second cycle. The first cycle (URBACT I),
which lasted between 2002 and 2006, was a Community Initiative pro-
gramme set up to foster networking between cities having benefited from
the previous URBAN I, URBAN II and PPU programmes. Consequently, UR-
BACT I focused on social cohesion within deprived areas in European cities.
Their partners and their inhabitants have since become beneficiaries of
such programmes.
Now, through the second cycle (URBACT II), the challenge is to improve
the effectiveness of sustainable integrated urban development policies in
Europe with a view to implementing the European Lisbon-Gothenburg
44 www.euinfrastructure.com
Redevelopment of Norrmalm,SwedenThe Redevelopment of Norrmalm (Norrmalmsregleringen)
was a major revision, which was realised during the
1950s, 1960s and 1970s. The renewal resulted in the old
Klara quarters being replaced for the modern city of
Stockholm, while the Stockholm subway was extended
through the city. The renewal of Norrmalm was the
largest Swedish urban development project to date and
engaged a large part of Sweden’s architectural elite. The
Norrmalm renewal was both been criticised and admired
throughout Sweden and internationally, and is now
regarded as one of the largest of all city renewals in
Europe during post-war time, even including the cities
that took severe damage during World War II.
3
Regeneration Story:24sept 17/7/09 15:48 Page 44
Croydon Vision 2020London, United Kingdom
Croydon Vision 2020 is a
regeneration programme by the
London Borough of Croydon in South
London. The programme seeks to affect the
urban planning of Central Croydon extensively
and promote the area as hub of living, retailing,
culture and business in South London and South
East England. Currently €4.1 billion has been
committed to proposed development projects,
which include a 12,500 maximum capacity
arena, offering office space, apartments,
supermarkets, health clubs, bars and
restaurants; three residential developments and
providing 337 apartments in the town centre; a
shopping mall, bus station and office
development with a new public square; a mixed-
use development consisting of a 44 storey
tower, 800 new homes, 3000m² of retail and
public realm space and a new 25,824 m² office
and retail development directly opposite East
Croydon train station.
4
45www.euinfrastructure.com
5 6The Transformation of KazimierzKraków, PolandOver the last 20 years, the district of Kazimierz has
faced a revitalisation as complex as its very history.
The process of renewal in the urban village started
in the early 1990s and the results are apparent today
in buildings, the scale of business activity, the
residents and the image it presents to Krakóvians
and visitors. As a result the growth in the quarter has
main been driven by market forces, and nowhere is
this more prominent than in the previously
dilapidated Jewish quarter, which is dominated by
commercial activities based on its Jewish cultural
heritage and tourism is now becoming the most
important function of the district.
Regeneration through cultureBilbao, SpainThe objectives of the urban regeneration projects in Bilbao are to change the
industrial image of the city and introduce new service and cultural activities
which would be able to attract tourists, visitors and businesses. Through the
creation of cultural infrastructure, services and waterfront, the area for
regeneration is focused on the inner-city’s old industrial area and the declining
neighbourhoods in and around the city. Subsequently a series of strategic
guidelines and major infrastructure projects for the future regional development
were assembled, including a focus on restructuring the region from an
industrial one to an area with an important services and cultural sector; and the
integration of public and private partners in the strategic design, planning and
implementation processes. It is believed that the whole population of the areas
which form the urban regeneration projects will benefit from new parks, public
places, new roads and bicycle tracks in the regenerated areas.
Regeneration Story:24sept 17/7/09 15:49 Page 45
The implementation of GNSS-based
road user charging (RUC) is now ap-
proaching a reality in Europe. Leading
the way is Slovakia’s decision to go for
a GNSS-based solution for the nationwide truck
tolling project. GNSS is often referred to as ei-
ther a satellite navigation system or as GPS
(from the American abbreviation of Global
Positioning System) but all systems based on
GPS are classified as GNSS.
Road user charging (RUC) systems based
on GNSS require an On Board Unit (OBU) posi-
tioned in the vehicle. The OBU uses satellite sig-
nals to pinpoint its current position and to
calculate the toll fee. The data is then transmit-
ted via mobile radio signals (usually GSM) from
the OBU to the back office system where an in-
voice is generated and sent to the user.
In January 2009, Q-Free, together with
Siemens, won the contract to deliver the new
Truck Tolling project for Slovakia SkyToll. Q-Free
supplies the central system and enforcement
system and a three-year service agreement for
a GPS-based truck tolling system in the Slovak
Republic. Siemens supplies the first 80,000
OBUs. The construction phase will continue
throughout 2009.
Following the growth of the truck tolling mar-
ket, we will then move on to offer industrialised
solutions for GNSS-based road user charging;
We already offer ready system solutions, with
GNSS OBUs, communication infrastructure, en-
forcement solutions and operational back office
solutions.
The clear thing that is now differentiating Q-
Free from other players is that we have a world
leading DRSC solution complimented by a proven
GNSS charging solution. From past supplier ex-
periences, people think that a GNSS OBU is a
huge and expensive piece of equipment, but that
is not strictly true: The Q-Free GNSS OBU, for in-
stance, is small, elegant and non-intrusive and is
not much bigger than an existing DRSC tag. Think
of it as a DSRC OBU with a power wire. The OBU
still fits on the windscreen just like a DSRC tag.
It is the OBU that is the key. A GNSS OBU
would have cost €500 a few years ago. Today it’s
significantly lower, less in volume, making the
GNSS road pricing market more competitive
when you consider the savings in road-side in-
frastructure and speed of scheme deployment.
GNSS road pricing is a hot topic in Europe
at the moment as several new projects are about
to be announced. GNSS-based technology is
mostly being used for heavy goods vehicles. The
German HGV system and the Slovakia SkyToll
system lead the way.
GNSS truck tolling schemes have already
been implemented and proven beyond doubt in
Germany. With Slovakia’s decision to implement
GNSS truck tolling, together with the firm plans
in France, the Netherlands and possibly
Slovenia, it is obvious that the GNSS truck
tolling market will constitute a considerable
share of the market for road user charging in
Europe in the near future.
DSRC, ANPR (Automatic Number Plate
Recognition) and GNSS-based RUC solutions or
a combination of these is the future. No matter
which technology is chosen, this high potential
market is rapidly growing. We will also see other
applications develop in the future like vehicle-
to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure commu-
nication that will co-exist with the more
traditional RUC applications. The outlook is sim-
ply that the GNSS segment of the RUC industry
will continue to grow. Major procurements are
happening and more and more countries are ini-
tiating GNSS-based solutions for road charging,
especially countries which don’t have a charg-
ing scheme and are now looking at satellite
based solutions.
Tolling projects usually span many years, and
at Q-Free we want to make sure that we have the
right solutions. Governments and concession-
aires have to make huge decisions about what is
going to be the technology of the future. n
The price is right
46 www.euinfrastructure.com
Q-Free’s Per Fredrik Ecker explores the past,present and future of Global Navigation SatelliteSystems (GNSS) road pricing.
ASK THE EXPERT
PER FREDRIKECKER
Per Fredrik Ecker is Vice President Sales &
Marketing for Q-Free ASA in Norway, one of
the leading road user charging
infrastructure suppliers. He has broad
international experience from several
management positions in Siemens Mobile,
Siemens Shanghai Mobile Communication
Ltd. China (SSMC) and Siemens Wireless
Access West Europe, Siemens AG.
QFREE ATE:24sept 17/07/2009 16:07 Page 46
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48 www.euinfrastructure.com
CAPITAL INVESTMENT
Six years after its establishment, the London congestion charge zone remains the most ambitious such project in the world. We sat down with Transport for London’s Graeme Craig to hear about its growing pains and where it goes from here.
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49www.euinfrastructure.com
London’s congestion charging programme is one of the largest in the
world. What challenges did the implementation of such an ambitious
undertaking present to TFL?
Graeme Craig. When the central London scheme was introduced
back in February of 2003 it was the fi rst of its type in the world, so of
course when we switched it on we couldn’t be absolutely sure what
the impact was going to be. As it happens, the scheme itself worked
largely as planned, but we did learn lots of lessons about contract
management and operational management. The numbers of people
using the scheme weren’t as we originally estimated and it did take
some months after going live to sort those things out.
The original cost of the scheme was €187 million and of that about
half, €93 million, was actually spent on changes to the traffi c manage-
ment around the zone because of the impact the zone itself would
have. These days we’re much more experienced and the market is
much more mature, so we expect to deliver an equivalent of a London
scheme for less than half the price of that cost.
You mentioned that there were changes you had to make. What were
those?
GC. We’ve made hundreds of changes to the way the scheme works
since it was fi rst introduced. It has been effective in terms of its
original aim of reducing traffi c, but we didn’t make it as easy as we
should have done for the people who used the scheme and that’s
one of the major lessons. There was and still is no automated pay-
ment system, so drivers have to remember to pay when they drive
in the zone, and sometimes they forget and end up getting a fi ne. In
2006 we started giving drivers an extra day to pay the charge and
that helped but still not enough, so next year we’re implementing a
new system using IBM and we’re also introducing an automated pay-
ment scheme, and that should eliminate the risk of people forgetting
to pay the charge.
People will register their vehicle registration
number, and then after they’ve driven in the zone
– we’re still to determine exactly where – but on a
weekly basis we’ll then charge the driver either from
their bank account or credit or debit card for the times
we saw them inside the zone on the cameras placed
around and inside the zone.
What changes did you make in terms of the infra-
structure improvements?
GC. The congestion charge raised revenue last year of
€160 million net after paying for the administration of
the scheme, and by law any revenues raised through
congestion charging must be spent on transport. So
what the congestion charging scheme has done is
helped to improve the London transport network.
Particularly we’ve improved the bus network. It’s
obviously much quicker and much less expensive to
improve a bus network than an underground network,
so in terms of helping people with options for how
they travel into London we decided to improve the bus
network. We’ve also made it easier and safer to walk around and cycle
around London. One of the impacts the congestion charging scheme
has had is that we’ve seen a 66 percent increase in the number of
people cycling into London, which obviously is a good news story.
In terms of implementing the congestion charging system, did you
have to make any infrastructure improvements in order for the system
to work?
GC. We effectively built a new system for congestion charging. We have
348 locations and over 1300 cameras. We outsourced the operation of
the scheme and the outsource provider we use at present, Capita, op-
erates from a contact centre based in Coventry in the West Midlands.
So there was a new contact centre built – a new camera infrastructure
Another viewStockholm: taxing times
While some congestion charging schemes have been
criticised as a form of stealth tax, the Swedish project
has been confi dent enough to label itself as a tax
from the outset. Following a seven-month trial period,
the charge was implemented on a permanent basis
in August 2007 and covers Stockholm city centre
virtually in its entirety. What is particularly interesting
about the Swedish project is that when Stockholm’s
residents were given a referendum on it, they voted to
make it permanent. Sweden’s population is used to
shoulder a fairly hefty tax burden, which goes some
way to accounting for this acceptance.
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at that point London would be gridlocked. It’s a more complex picture
because of the other factors at play, but in terms of reducing traffi c
the congestion charge has been successful.
Is there anything you’d do differently given the opportunity?
GC. I’ve already explained that we have made lots of changes to the
scheme and we didn’t make it easy as we should have done for the
people using it. Other things in terms of doing differently, the biggest
challenge for our congestion charging scheme at present within the
UK, and across the world, is public acceptance. It is those elements
that relate to ease of use that are the crucial ones that any scheme has
to consider, as part of ensuring that it will be acceptable to the people
who need to drive in the area.
How did you go about gaining public acceptance for the congestion
charge?
GC. There was a lot of work done in order to explain both how the
scheme worked and the underlying purpose behind the scheme, and
of course that’s critical. There are between 180,000 and 190,000
people a day who drive into central London and those people need
to understand whether or not they are affected by the scheme, and if
they are affected they need to understand how they pay for it. We’ve
put a lot of effort into it, and it being such a high profi le scheme helps
in this regard – getting the message out there to people who need to
use it. Then it just becomes a question of monitoring the scheme. We
outsource the contract to the service provider but within Transport for
London we’re obviously keen to understand if there are any issues, I’ll
give you simple examples.
If you’re a resident who lives inside the central London zone then
you only have to pay 10 percent of the charge because you get a 90 per-
cent discount. We came up with criteria that people had to meet in order
to prove that they’re a resident. Then we discovered that there are not
insubstantial numbers of people who live in London who don’t have util-
ity bills or bank statements with their address because they might have
two addresses, and it might be that they spend fi ve days a week living in
London but at a property that’s paid for by their company and they have
literally nothing in their name that proves they live there. In situations
like that when you introduce a scheme there will be issues that do arise
and you have to be prepared to understand and, escalate those issues,
and to seek to come up with new sets of rules on an ongoing basis that
refl ect the experience that you see happening on the ground.
Based on your experiences with the London project, what recommen-
dations would you give to other cities?
GC. Any scheme that’s introduced has to meet the local issues so that
road pricing isn’t a panacea but designed properly and is a key part of
a wider initiative to address the impact of growth in traffi c, congestion
and emissions, for example. A congestion charging scheme can be ef-
fective. Slightly different schemes have been effective in Stockholm
and Milan. That’s the experience that we’ve seen within London and it
has been the experience of schemes elsewhere.
around London and a hub site within London as well – which is where
we assemble and compare the images of those people who’ve been
seen within London against a record of those people who’ve paid.
The scheme has been in operation for a little over six years now. What
success have you seen to date and how does it reduce congestion?
GC. It’s been very successful. Traffi c in central London is down 20 per-
cent, so we have 70,000 fewer vehicles entering central London every
day as a result of the charge being in place, and that effect was seen
on the day in which charging was fi rst switched on. Six years later it’s
still as successful and still having as much impact in terms of reducing
traffi c as it was when it was fi rst introduced. That said, despite the
continued decrease in traffi c we have seen rises in the levels of con-
gestion, and that’s the amount of time that vehicles spend in queues.
Now we know that the rising congestion isn’t related to traf-
fi c levels because traffi c levels have remained as low as they were
when the scheme was fi rst introduced, so there are other factors at
play, particularly the amount of utility works and street works within
London. Thames Water may have to replace the water system within
London, so of course those works need to take place. With no conges-
tion charge there would be another 70,000 vehicles on the road, and
Graeme Craig is Transport for London’s Director of Congestion Charging and Traffi c Enforcement.
50 www.euinfrastructure.com
Another viewMilan: green dream
Milan’s congestion charging scheme, Ecopass, is aimed
at reducing traffi c pollution. Originally implemented
as a one-year trial, it is awaiting public consultation to
determine if the changes are to become permanent. The
scheme is operated on a similar level to London and
Stockholm but with a much greener focus – only vehicles
entering the traffi c-restricted zone with high-polluting
engines will be charged, and older and most polluting
vehicles are banned completely.
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Phase 2 of Poland’s A1 Motorway
has just achieved fi nancial close.
This is a signifi cant achievement
for Poland, the concessionaire
(the Gdansk Transport Company,
or GTC), its shareholders, the respective
Ministries (Infrastructure and Finance) and
for PPP schemes in Central and Eastern
Europe, especially considering the state of
the international capital markets, the world
economic crisis and diffi culties experienced
in the past in bringing PPP projects to a
close in Central and Eastern Europe.
The A1 Motorway connects the cities
of Gdansk and Torun in central Poland and
is an integral part of the north-south Pan
European Transport Corridor VI route from
the Baltic ports to Slovakia and hence the
Adriatic.
The 90 km long Phase 1 from Gdansk to
Nowe Marzy was opened to traffi c in Octo-
ber 2008, some three months ahead of the
contractual completion date. Actual traffi c
is slightly higher than the model’s forecast
although the mix is different and in favour of
light vehicles. This is particularly of interest
considering that Poland still has a vignette
system in use for heavy goods vehicles
and only light vehicles and those without
vignettes are tolled on the A1.
The 62 km long Phase 2 from Nowe
Marzy to Torun crosses the Vistula River
twice and includes two large bridges, one of
which is two km long, crossing very sensi-
tive environmental areas in the Vistula’s
fl ood basin.
The Phase 1 lenders, the European Invest-
ment Bank and the Nordic Investment Bank,
were joined for Phase 2 by the AB Svensk
Exportkredit bank to provide the €1070 mil-
lion loans. The payment mechanism is based
on availability payments subject to perform-
ance and availability deductions and has an
element of shadow toll.
A long and winding roadDuring many of this project’s develop-
ment phases it seemed as if it would never
come to market. It took more than a decade
to reach its fi rst fi nancial close as progress
was thwarted by various groupings in a coun-
try where support for delivery of PPPs was at
times diffi cult.
Like many of the EU Accession countries,
Poland set out a large-scale investment pro-
gramme to upgrade a signifi cant proportion
of the country’s ageing road network, much
of which will be aided by EU funding. The A1
upgrade was fi rst mooted in the early 1990s
and was tendered in the latter stages of 1995
as a single-phase project. After a three-stage
tendering process GTC was selected as the
preferred bidder by the Polish transport min-
istry in 1997.
Shortly afterwards, the scheme ran into
major fi nancial diffi culties which were pri-
marily due to a fl aw in the country’s toll road
policy. Only by 2004, almost 10 years since the
ASK THE EXPERT
The road continuesWith the fi nancial close for Phase 2 of the A1 Motorway
in Poland, the long gestation period for this PPP project
comes to another major milestone. By Zoltán Pap
project fi rst came to market, amendments to
the toll road act had been made and fi nalised
– enabling the fi nancial close of Phase 1.
Negotiations on Phase 2 of the A1 Mo-
torway Project started soon after fi nancial
close of Phase 1 in September 2005 but were
suspended following the change in govern-
ment in Poland later that year. The current
government is pursuing an aggressive policy
of expanding motorway infrastructure that
is badly needed for Poland to realise its true
economic potential.
Lessons learnt?The A1’s delivery was impeded by a
lack of a consistent and transparent public
sector approach to infrastructure develop-
ment. This has recently changed as a central
public sector decision taking authority for
all facets of a PPP project’s delivery, a clear
regulatory and environmental frameworks
and strong fi nancial support mechanisms
has been introduced to assist in the future
of PPP developments.
Completing the project ahead of schedule
and exceeding the public sector’s delivery,
operations and maintenance expectations
together with capitalising on experiences
gained on Phase 1 signifi cantly contributed
to a smoother and more focused closure for
Phase 2.
Zoltán Pap is Project Development
Director of Intertoll Europe, an
independent toll and motorway
infrastructure developer and operator
– a wholly owned subsidiary of Group
Five, a major construction group in
South Africa. Pop has been involved
in developing motorway concession
projects since the 1990s. After
working for Intertoll overseas he joined
Intertoll Europe in 2001.
“An aggressive policy
of expanding motorway
infrastructure is badly
needed for Poland to
realise its true economic
potential”
52 www.euinfrastructure.com
Intertoll.indd 52Intertoll.indd 52 17/7/09 11:28:2417/7/09 11:28:24
INTERTOLL EUROPE IS AN INDEPENDENT TOLLAND MOTORWAY INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPER AND OPERATOR OFFERING THE FOLLOWING SERVICES:
A GROUP FIVE COMPANY
Contact Intertoll Europe for a professional and
dedicated partner for concession projects in Europe
• Concession development based on over twenty years of international experience
• Operations and maintenance of concession motorway infrastructure
• Toll infrastructure design and development
• Design and construction management of toll facilities
HEAD OFFICEIntertoll Europe ZRtFehérvári út 50-52Budapest - 1117 HungaryTel: +36 1 371 0762 Fax: +36 1 215 6165Web: www.intertoll.eue-mail: [email protected]
REGIONAL OFFICEIntertoll Europe – UKJudd House, 16 East StreetTonbridgeKent - TN9 1HGEnglandTel: + 44 1732 362 164Fax: + 44 1 732 770 420e-mail: [email protected]
A GROUP FIVE COMPANY
Inttertoll.indd 1Inttertoll.indd 1 20/7/09 09:06:2620/7/09 09:06:26
54 www.euinfrastructure.com
As the numbers of vehicles on
European roads continue to in-
crease, along with the current
diffi culties of the economic situa-
tion, the transport sector is due a
shake-up. All those involved in the industry
have a great deal to consider if they are to be
prepared for the numerous hurdles that are
predicted for the road transportation infra-
structure in coming years. In a bid to provide
suffi cient information to investors looking
to improve the current situation of the road
infrastructure, the Brussels Programme
Centre of the International Road Federation
has published Communication on the Future
of Transport in June 2009.
The report highlights the priorities that
ought to be taken into consideration by the
European Commission when formulating plans
for the future of transportation infrastructure,
such as support transport policies based on a
fair analysis of facts and fi gures. It also out-
lines other priorities as being improving the
safety level on the existing road infrastructure
and ensuring that the policies are enforced
into all EU-funded road projects.
Safety is an issue receiving much atten-
tion within the report. It cites that in 2006
there were almost 43,000 fatalities on the
roads of 27 of the European member states,
but that there is too little press attention
paid to the mounting deaths. Investments
are needed for safety improvements from the
infrastructure side, and each party involved
in the road transportation infrastructure
must be portioned a share of responsibility
– developing new technological solutions to
meet these demands.
The report specifi es safety needs as
being improved via road restraints systems
and the importance of shifting more account-
ability onto infrastructure, such as developing
research on the design of road widening and
promoting research on intelligent barriers.
Horizontal road markings are also named
as providing greater safety measures, as well
as vertical signs.
The continued increase in the mobility
of people and goods are the source of many
of the issues facing the road transportation
infrastructure – congestion, traffi c safety
and the sector’s environment footprint are
named as the issues needing innovative
solutions such as intelligent transportation
systems (ITS).
The wide-ranging applications of ITS are
ever-expanding across all modes of trans-
port – from electronic toll collection to auto-
matic road enforcement. The report notes the
emergency call technology eCall as having
“already proved to be an indispensable tool
to make a substantial contribution to road
safety,” and when fully implemented into all
member states by the proposed 2010, could
save an estimated 2500 lives a year.
Sustainability is another aspect of the
report. Road transport is cited as being
one of the main challenges for sustainable
development; a sustainable environment is
considered a positive infl uence on economic
growth and therefore important to factor into
policies. Rather than the reduction of road
transportation, the European Commission
is looking at other ways to promote sustain-
able transport, such as optimized use of all
transport modes and a better share of roads
by all of its users.
The environmental goal includes poli-
cies of developing a methodology to audit
the environmental quality of road projects,
as well as creating a pool of European ex-
perts to develop this methodology. The
socio-economic goal includes linking safety,
environment and mobility in the global
agenda and evaluating the ways to extend
the socio-economic benefi ts of improved
road networks.
The future of the European road trans-
portation infrastructure is a culmination of
all of these aims, and a partnership between
private and public is “necessary to continue
bettering the products and technologies
which we apply to the road infrastructure, so
that users can always be confi dent the best
products are at their service.”
ANALYSIS
ROUTE PLANNINGThe European road system requires greater cooperation,
increased innovation and more investment if it is to respond
to 21st century challenges.
54www.euinfrastructure.com
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56 www.euinfrastructure.com
Asphalt pavement infrastructure is vast in scale. Of the
2.6 million miles of paved roads in the United States,
for example, over 94 percent are surfaced with asphalt.
Approximately 85 percent of the US’s airfi eld pavements
and parking lots are also surfaced with this material and
because of its extensive use, small changes in technology can make a
big difference in greenhouse gas emissions.
If you look at a cross section of any asphalt pavement, you can see
crushed stone particles of various sizes. These particles are held together
by a mortar of asphalt cement (glue) and fi ne particles. These materials
are combined in a manufacturing facility. The aggregate is dried and
mixed with the asphalt cement binder. Typically, the composition of the
mix is about fi ve percent asphalt cement and 95 percent stone, sand and
gravel by weight. How the material is manufactured and the ingredients
Mike Acott, President of the US’ National Asphalt Pavement Association tells EU Infrastructure
how breakthrough technologies in asphalt could help lower greenhouse gas emissions.
ASPHALT
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technologies. Running warm-mix can reduce energy consumption during
the manufacturing of the asphalt pavement mixture by an average of 20
percent. This equates to a one million ton reduction in greenhouse gases.
Since 2004, implementation has proceeded with virtually no complica-
tions. Several government bodies have been very receptive to the use
of warm-mix, and agencies such as the US’s Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA), the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
(NIOSH), and the labour unions are fully engaged with warm-mix .
Warm-mix also makes it possible to increase the rates of reuse/recy-
cling even further. Research on this topic could be helpful in speeding the
rate of acceptance, but funding will also be needed both for emissions
studies and for monitoring of long-term pavement performance.
Reuse and recyclingThe use of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) has been widespread
for about 30 years. In fact, every year, more than 100 million tons of
asphalt pavement material is reclaimed across the globe and virtually
all of it is reused or recycled into new pavements. A singular quality of
asphalt cement in old pavement is that it can be completely rejuvenated
in the recycling process. It becomes an integral part of the binder. This is
referred to as the highest and best use. No other pavement material has
this unique quality.
In view of the high reuse/recycling rate in many states and evidence
that the quality of asphalt pavements incorporating RAP is equal to or
better than pavements using all virgin materials, there is a great oppor-
tunity to double the quantity of recycled asphalt pavement used within
fi ve years.
For asphalt pavement, it is possible to reduce greenhouse gas emis-
sions simply by incorporating recycled asphalt in new pavement and in
the US specifi cally we estimate that we have 18 billion tons of asphalt
pavement already in place on America’s roads and highways. Because
of the ability to reuse and recycle this material indefi nitely, our existing
roadways are a resource for future generations.
Perpetual PavementPerpetual Pavement is the name given to an asphalt pavement that
is designed not to fail. Construction is in layers whose properties serve
a combination of different functions; they all add up to an extraordinar-
ily long-lasting pavement. Surface distresses may occur eventually,
but they do not penetrate deep into the pavement’s structure. Routine
used in the mix are key to understanding the opportunities for reducing
greenhouse gases.
The asphalt pavement industry is on the verge of several major
advances in asphalt pavement technology that have the potential to
transform the environmental impact of the paving industry. The break-
through technologies are warm-mix asphalt, reuse/recycling, Perpetual
Pavement, and porous asphalt.
Warm-mix asphaltWarm-mix technologies allow for production and placement of
asphalt pavement material at lower temperatures than conventional
“The asphalt pavement
industry is on the verge of
several major advances that
have the potential to transform
the environmental impact of the
paving industry”
Mike Acott
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cooling of the atmosphere, diminish erosion on banks, reduce particu-
lates in stream water after storms and improve water quality.
Asphalt for sustainabilityThe asphalt pavement industry has worked for the past three dec-
ades to create and deploy these sustainable technologies. Three major
environmental goals – conservation of natural resources, reduction of
greenhouse gas emissions, and improvements in water quality – are not
only achievable, they are already being achieved.
The potential benefi ts to the environment and the economy are clear,
and the challenge to the industry and its customers is now to ramp up the
implementation of these green pavement technologies. At NAPA specifi -
cally we are not only working actively with our partners in governmental
agencies and academia to advance asphalt’s green agenda, but we re-
cently testifi ed before US Congress to ask for a major research program
to help push deployment out onto our streets, roads, highways, runways
and parking lots. However, in the US we can say that, regardless of get-
ting funding from Congress or not, NAPA, along with the rest of the global
industry must continue to pave the way to a sustainable future.
maintenance involves infrequent milling of the top layer for recycling,
then placing a smooth, quiet, durable, safe new overlay. A Perpetual
Pavement never needs to be completely removed and replaced. In the
world of pavements, this is the ultimate in economic and environmental
sustainability.
Perpetual Pavements can mitigate climate change by reducing green-
house gas emissions, both now and for generations to come. Perpetual
Pavements reduce greenhouse gas production several ways. Since only
the surface is renewed, the base structure stays in place, thereby signifi -
cantly reducing greenhouse gases associated with acquisition of virgin
raw materials, production of pavement material and the placement of the
pavement on the road or highway. Greenhouse gas emissions associated
with complete removal and replacement of pavements that have reached
the end of their useful life is avoided. Taking a long view – 100 years or
more – building Perpetual Pavements is a highly sustainable practice.
Porous and open-graded asphalt pavementsPorous and open-graded asphalt pavements have been shown to
have a dramatic benefi cial effect on water quality. These pavements have
been used widely for over 30 years with an excellent record of success.
Open-graded pavement is made with same-size rocks, creating a web of
interlocking pores that allow water to fl ow through the surface.
Open-graded pavements are used mainly in two types of applica-
tions. First, open-graded friction courses are widely used for surfacing
roads and highways. The pavement layer directly beneath this is imper-
meable. During a rainstorm, instead of pooling on the surface or bounc-
ing off it, rain drains through the surface and out to the sides. Splash and
spray are greatly reduced, enhancing safety. Secondly, porous pavement
systems are stormwater management tools with an open-graded surface
over a stone recharge bed. The system is designed and constructed to
collect stormwater, which then infi ltrates into the ground.
Porous asphalt surfaces allow roads to function as linear stormwater
management systems and porous car parks will store stormwater, reduce
runoff, promote infi ltration and groundwater recharge, allow evaporative
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Asphalt has high sustainability creden-
tials, higher than any other paving material,
despite containing oil-based products. De-
spite its predominately black colour (although
for years it has been available in almost any
hue), asphalt has always been relatively
‘green’ in an environmental sense. Now as a
result of efforts across the asphalt sector, it is
getting greener still.
The recognition that sustainability has to
govern the world’s approach to how its raw
materials are used is forcing fresh appraisals
of all construction materials and techniques.
But all industries are still struggling towards
defi nitions of what precisely sustainability
should mean for them; early blunt measures
like carbon content are being jettisoned for
more sophisticated approaches recognising
that sustainability has social and economic,
as well as environmental, implications.
For roads and other paved surfaces this in-
cludes making roads and the products that go
into their creation as environmentally friendly
as possible. This is being done through all the
measures that would be expected, such as
careful design, development of longer last-
ing new products, and continuously lowering
emissions in the manufacturing stages. There
have been numerous examples of sustainabil-
ity improvements over the years from both
the individual company level and from across
industry co-operation.
The social and economic factors that enter
the sustainability equation include recognis-
ing that roads are needed for effi cient opera-
tion of modern economies, that they permit a
multitude of other environmentally benefi cial
activities to take place.
The problem in coming up with a defi ni-
tion of sustainability and just what targets
manufacturers and contractors should aim
at can be seen in the lack of agreement on
which parameters should be included in a
sustainability assessment, and the relative
weighting to give to the environmental, social
and economic factors. There are sometimes
confl icting pressures – within the European
community there are national governments
calling for major reductions in carbon emis-
sions as strategic goals, with local authorities
placing more value on social aspects.
The asphalt sector focus, up until now,
has been on developing more environmentally
friendly products. Among the technical ad-
vances made in recent years are quieter road
surfaces, more durable surfaces, low temper-
ature asphalts, skid resistant surfacing and
cold mix designs already allow a reduction of
some 30 percent in the energy used in manu-
facturing and the industry will continue to im-
prove on that. And, as climate change occurs,
products better able to cope with particular
conditions are already available.
It is now possible to take advantage of
the temperatures generated on road surfaces
by the sun to heat water. There are existing
development projects where water stored in
tanks under roads can be heated by sunlight,
cutting CO2 emissions by 50 percent compared
to conventional heating systems, minimising
the use of environmentally damaging salt to
combat icy roads. Environmental concerns are
possibly the most important but not the only
parameter to defi ne sustainability.
INDUSTRY INSIGHT
A green store of great value
Nynas Bitumen’s Steve Harris explains how one of the most sustainable of all construction
materials has always been beneath our feet and the wheels of our vehicles.
The most obvious sustainability plus
is that asphalt and the bitumen that coats
most of it is infi nitely recyclable – no asphalt
product need ever be sent to landfi ll, and it
can easily be re-used over and over again as
it will always have a value because of its stone
and bitumen content. The technology to use
recycled material is well understood, readily
available and proven on numerous projects.
So all of the asphalt currently in use across the
world can be looked on as a store of value for
future generations.
There are other sustainability related
factors to consider when choosing between
asphalt and an alternative surfacing material,
and when choosing between different asphalt
products. For example, asphalt scores very
high on durability measures and it is known
that extra upfront investment can bring the
benefi ts of long life pavements. These will
use hot mix asphalts, but the extra years of in
service life far outweigh the energy used and
emissions generated.
“The asphalt sector
focus, up until now, has
been on developing more
environmentally friendly
products”
Steve Harris is a
civil engineer who
originally studied
concrete technology
and soil mechanics.
However, during
his 30-year career
within the construction industry he has
specialised in asphalt engineering, including
pavement design and bitumen technology.
Over the last 10 years he has branched into
marketing, now working as the Product
Strategy Manager for Nynas Bitumen. In this
role Harris is responsible for co-ordinating
product related strategic development across
Nynas’ European business.
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Sustainability is a key component of land policies and land administration in-
stitutions. In your opinion, which technologies play a key role here and why?
Stig Enemark. The management and administration of land is a crucial issue.
Land administration systems (LAS) provide the infrastructure for implementa-
tion of land policies and land management strategies in support of sustainable
development. The infrastructure includes institutional arrangements, legal
frameworks, processes, standards, land information, management and dis-
semination systems, and technologies required to support allocation, land mar-
kets, valuation, control of use and development of interests in land.
The key technologies in support of land administration systems can be di-
vided into GIS tools and modern measurement tools. Modern GIS tools sup-
port e-Government in terms of designing and implementing suitable spatial
data infrastructures and implementing a suitable IT architecture for organising
spatial information that can improve the communication between administra-
tive systems and also establish more reliable data due to the use the original
data instead of copies.
In recent years the discussion has very much focused on these issues of
geo-information while the development of positioning technologies has per-
haps not received the recognition that it deserves. In coming years, positioning
infrastructure will become the fifth infrastructure after water, transport, energy
and telecommunications. This positioning infrastructure will increasingly be
seen as a critical component for achieving sustainable development in terms
of the triple bottom line of economic, social and environmental sustainability.
How is technology development changing the face of the spatial informa-
tion world? How are new technologies revolutionising traditional survey-
ing disciplines?
SE. I focus here on positioning infrastructures. The primary components of the
positioning infrastructure are the GNSS satellite constellations themselves, GPS
being the best known to the public. GNSS could be considered as one of the
only truly global infrastructures, in that the base level of quality and accessibil-
ity is constant across the globe. A stand-alone GNSS receiver has a typical ac-
curacy of a few metres and under the wrong conditions, accuracy can be worse
than 10 metres. Therefore, many GNSS users require improved accuracy or im-
proved reliability with many requiring both.
Improving accuracy and reliability requires so-called ‘augmentation sys-
tems’ using ground infrastructure such as Continuously Operating Reference
Stations (CORS). Modern positioning infrastructure (including both GNSS and
CORS) can be grouped into three main categories: geodetic datum in support
of surveying and mapping activities; stable geodetic reference frame for pre-
cise measurement and monitoring of global processes, such as those associ-
Linking technology to land managementStig Enemark, President of the International Federation of Surveyors (FIG), explains theimportance of suitable infrastructure and sustainable land administration systems for thefuture wellbeing of land tenure, value, use and development.
62 www.euinfrastructure.com
“Information about land andland market processes thatcan be derived from effectiveLAS plays a critical role in alleconomies”
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ated with climate change and disaster risk manage-
ment; extension to the concept of a true infrastructure
that underpins the explosion in industrial and mass
market use of positioning technology such as inter-
active road maps and other real-time positioning.
What role is GNSS technology playing in particular?
SE. Land administration has evolved to become the
core component of land management that includes
the functions of land tenure systems, land valuation
and taxation, land-use planning and land develop-
ment. These functions are supported by comprehen-
sive and updated land information organised through
the concept of Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI).
This has changed and extended the role of geo-
detic datum accordingly, GNSS technology being the
main tool. Recent trends have seen the emergence of
more efficient and cost effective solutions for cadas-
tral and other surveys. These can often be enabled only by GNSS/GPS and its
ability to work directly in the geodetic datum.
The growing use and propagation of CORS based on GNSS has enabled a
revolution in the ability to measure and monitor global processes, for example,
changes in sea level due to global warming; prediction of greenhouse gas con-
centrations or ozone depletion; changes in the planet’s overall water storage;
assisting disaster monitoring and management including earthquakes, tsunamis
and floods. These issues represent the key challenges of the new millennium.
The ideal way to transport the data required in modern real-time precise
positioning is to link the positioning infrastructure to a modern telecommu-
nications infrastructure (broadband internet and wireless mobile phone tech-
nologies based on internet protocols). This will tentatively revolutionise the
space-based data.
What place does imagery have in the surveying profession? How is this
developing?
SE. In many countries the role of national mapping agencies are changing into
providing core datasets rather than map series. Traditional topographic maps
are then replaced by databases available for various applications to be de-
signed and marketed by private business. In the professional world, such as
the surveying profession, images play a key role in terms of integrating data
from various sources and for a range of purposes.
Modern technologies have changed the use of satellite images and pho-
togrammetry. They have changed both the way of producing maps and even
how images are used for monitoring land use changes, environmental degra-
dation and preventing natural disasters, for example. The use of modern pho-
togrammetry in surveying work depends, of course, on the work that individual
surveyors are doing. They offer advanced tools to those surveyors that are in-
volved in planning or geo-business.
More generally, the concept provided by Google Earth and similar web
products has changed the perception of images to be something available at
your fingertips. The full impact of this invention is still to be seen.
In your opinion, what is the future direction for geospatial technology? What
are your focus areas for 2009/2010?
SE. The current situation is dominated by the finan-
cial crisis. Of course it affects the surveying discipline
and geospatial industry throughout the world, but it
also presents opportunities for the surveying pro-
fession in terms of arguing for the need and benefit
of having sustainable cadastral infrastructures and
land governance serving as a backbone for mort-
gage and systems for complex property commodi-
ties. Until the last couple of years, the developed
world often took land administration for granted and
paid little attention to it. However, the recent global
economic collapse has sharply focused world at-
tention on mortgage policies and processes and
their related complex commodities, as well as on the
need for adequate and timely land information.
Simply put, information about land and land market
processes that can be derived from effective LAS
plays a critical role in all economies.
Another opportunity is in the building of public infrastructures that are like-
ly to be initiated as an incentive to boost the economy. This would be money
well spent, giving the economy a boost and giving profits in the coming years.
To summarise the FIG agenda for the next couple of years, the key chal-
lenges of the new millennium are climate change; food shortage; energy
scarcity; urban growth, environmental degradation; and natural disasters.
These issues are all related to land governance and are going to be the core
area for surveyors; the land professionals. To effectively deal with this requires
high-level geodesy to create the models that can predict future changes and
modern surveying and mapping tools that can control implementation of new
physical infrastructure and provide the basis for the building of national spa-
tial data infrastructures. Sustainable land administration systems that can
manage the core functions of land tenure, land value, land use and land de-
velopment as well as facilitate a ‘spatial-enabled society’ will be the key issue
for the coming years. �
ABOUT FIG
FIG is an international non-governmental organisation
that gathers professionals from government, local
authorities and the private sector to discuss
technology and professional issues with researchers
and academics. This multi-stakeholder approach
brings people together whose joint knowledge can
benefit the development of the geospatial industry.
FIG is promoting the concept of a ‘spatial-enabled
society’, where a government uses ‘place’ as the key
means of organising information related to activities
ranging from health, transportation and the
environment to immigration, taxation and defence, and
when location and spatial information are available to
citizens and businesses to support these activities
Stig Enemark
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Everyone needs to re-think and in-
crease their focus on sustainability
and resource effi ciency. There are
many incentives for this change,
such as the on-going and ever more notice-
able climatic changes, market changes and
revisions in legislation and regulations.
Half of the world’s population lives in
urban areas. Seen from a sustainability per-
spective, and contrary to common belief, a
city is a useful geographic system. The city
creates opportunities for effi cient and opti-
mised solutions that reduce environmental
impact, such as the release of greenhouse
gases.
A composite housing stock, the possibil-
ity of increased residential density, energy-
effi cient transportation and communication
are some of the advantages that cities have
from a sustainability perspective. Cities also
offer rich opportunities for trading, social
contacts, development of ideas, knowledge
and skills, and of course for making a living.
Regional planning is the city’s grammar,
and its social and economical aspects are its
fl ow and pulse. Yet to be truly sustainable,
they must be competitive, attractive and
effi cient at the same time. One universal am-
bition must be low emissions of greenhouse
gases, achieving and maintaining social wel-
fare, providing a solid governance base for a
fair sharing of costs and revenues, avoiding
segregation and releasing social potentials.
With good communications people can
easily get to work, home and to leisure ac-
tivities. Good communications imply that
businesses can deliver goods and services
in a cost-effective manner as well. The reli-
ability of the transport system infl uences
the whole society. The driving forces are
often political with the objective to reduce
pollution, traffi c congestion and the risk of
climate change.
There is a huge opportunity for the rail
sector to develop a much more compelling
case for sustainability within the industry.
The rail sector can play a powerful role in
mitigating the negative impacts of cur-
rent transport systems, but it will have to
improve its own environmental, social and
economic performance if it is to become a
key sustainable transport solution.
Aviation and private car use are cur-
rently taking the brunt of the sustainability
critique, but are also starting to respond
at both company and sector level. Rail cur-
rently has a relatively better sustainability
profi le than most other transport modes,
but this position could be eroded, leaving
the sector vulnerable to future challenges.
The City Line in Stockholm, a €1.5 billion
rail-tunnel project with two railway tracks
running beneath Central Stockholm and two
new stations, is an example of a modern way
to solve the transport problems in a big city.
It is being built with a view to the needs of
the 2030s.
The vision is that by that time, Sweden
will be well on the way towards achieving
an ecologically, socially, culturally and eco-
nomically sustainable transport system. It
will be easier to make day trips for business
purposes between the major towns and
cities, and by then the Swedish rail network
will also be connected to the rail network
serving the rest of Europe.
Rail passenger transport will be so de-
veloped in terms of capacity and frequency
of services that it will give people the chance
to commute to and from work over an even
greater area than at present.
Furthermore, by 2030 effective rail
connections and terminals for goods will
have been created, which will improve the
opportunities for transport on the railways.
The City Line has an important role to play
in this vision. It will allow full advantage
to be taken of the investments that have
already been made in the region. The City
Line is also a precondition for the invest-
ments that are being planned to improve
rail traffic in Stockholm and the rest of
the country. All investments in improving
the railway network – both those already
introduced and those planned – will help
to develop a transport system that is sus-
tainable in the long term and reduces the
pressure on the environment.
Tracking progressEskil Sellgren explains how the rail network has
the potential to become a key sustainable transport
solution.
ESKIL
SELLGREN
Eskil Sellgren is the Deputy
Managing Director for WSP
Sweden, with 2200 staff in Sweden
and 10,000 staff in the WSP Group
plc. WSP plays a leading role in
major transport and infrastructure
initiatives for governments
and transport organisations
worldwide in both the public and
private sectors. Sellgren is the
Deputy Chairman of Nordic Road
Association as well as board
member of WSP Finland, but also
active in the Swedish initiative
Re-thinking Construction, FIA.
“There is a huge
opportunity for the rail
sector to develop a much
more compelling case for
sustainability within the
industry”
ASK THE EXPERT
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All across Europe our roadways
are clogged with traffi c suffering
from large populations that they
were simply not built to support.
In nations like the US, where
many major highways were constructed long
before modern technology was available to
support such wear and tear, the situation
is critical. Coupled with this, air travel is no
longer the glamorous experience it once was.
Crowded airports, fl ight delays and onerous
security checks all conspire to make fl ying
more chore than pleasure.
In light of such conditions, the idea
that we need smart transportation systems
that equal the needs of the 21st Century is
fi rmly upon us and, as a result, the concept of
high-speed rail is sparking renewed interest.
High-speed rail may not be technically new,
but with a new interest coming from nations
such as the US and Britain, it rail is taking on
a fresh and exciting dynamic.
Currently in the UK for example the only
evidence of any high-speed rail is the 109km
rail link to the Channel Tunnel, which, critics
say, just isn’t enough. The argument is that,
quite frankly, there is no reason why high-
speed rail can’t be done on a massive scale
in Britain, the country that not only invented
the railways but, through High Speed One,
UP TO SPEEDRailways created a transport revolution in the 19th Century. As trains and lines get faster and more sophisticated, are we on the verge of a new leap forward?
already has a state-of-the-art high speed line
(even if it is comparatively short and fails to
connect any major UK cities). But if Britain,
or the US for that matter, really is to imple-
ment a high-speed network, it surely has a
long way to go. In fact, as President Obama
himself said in a recent statement, “I know
that this vision has its critics. There are those
who say high-speed rail is a fantasy. But its
success around the world says otherwise.”
In response to this, EU Infrastructure
examines some of Europe’s successful high-
speed rail networks in order to see what
lessons nations who are seeking to improve
their own networks can learn from them.
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FRANCE
The fi rst TGV service in France was launched in 1981 between Paris and
Lyon, cutting the journey time between the two cities to under two hours.
Since then the network has been massively extended, fi rst to include a line
between Lyon and Marseilles, and then new lines from Paris to Lille in the north,
Alsace in the east and Le Mans going west. Today France's TGV network is nearly
2000 km in length, which is almost as large as Japan's leading network, and four
lines are currently being built simultaneously, totalling over 640km in length, all
due for completion by 2015.
It was actually President Sarkozy who accelerated the high-speed programme
as a key point of his fi scal stimulus plan back in December 2008. At the time, he
told a press conference: "It is certain we are not wrong doing this. Mobility is a need
and the boss of SNCF, who is here, won't disagree." That boss is Guillame Pepy, but
in contrast to Sarkozy's defi ance, Pepy has noted several mistakes in the planning
of the network. One of the biggest, he says, was not building the Paris-Lyon line as
a four-track railway from the outset because, as is happening now in Japan with
the Tokyo to Osaka line, the TGV line is now nearing saturation point. As a result
planning is now underway for a second line between the two conurbations.
Nonetheless, as the French high-speed network continues to be built out and
become interconnecting with neighbouring countries, it appears that a series of
'Trans-European Networks' could become a reality. In fact, plans
show that the Paris to Lille and the
Channel Tunnel lines will soon link
through, via Brussels, into the new
Dutch high-speed line up to Rotterdam
and Amsterdam, cutting the journey
time between Paris and Amsterdam to a
mere two hours. Further to this, exten-
sions to the Lyon to Marseilles line that
are currently under construction (or in
the planning stages) include plans to go
south-east from Marseilles toward Nice
and ultimately through to Italy, south
toward Montpellier (through a 17-mile
tunnel under the Pyrenees) to Barcelona,
and easterly to Turin, Italy to join up with
the North Italian high-speed network.
The interesting thing about TGV is that
as its popularity has soared it has been paralleled by a willingness from the French
authorities to help pay for the investment. In fact, only two percent of the cost of the
original Paris to Lille line was paid for by local authorities, and by contrast the cur-
rent Le Mans to Rennes line is covered by 39 percent by local authorities, showing a
much greater cover over time. However, the TGV does still face a series of challenges.
Outside of Paris, for example, there are currently only 18 TGV stations for the entire
network. That means that there are currently no stops for medium or even some
large towns, and research shows that, despite some people arguing otherwise, it is
not the case that high-speed rail requires there to be few stations and only city-to-
city services. In fact, evidence suggests that intermediate stations are, if suitably
engineered, entirely consistent with the highest speed end-to-end running.
me a reality. In fact, plans
h
e
a,
h
at
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ITALY
The Italians actually implemented high-speed rail
three years before the French by opening a line
from Rome to Florence in 1978. Now, 31 years
later, the line has been extended north and south to
form a nearly complete network from Milan to Naples
via Bologna, Florence and Rome. The last major section,
which is due to open later this year, will link Florence
to Bologna and will include an impressive near-50 miles
of tunnels, nine individual tunnels in all, to get the line
through the Apennines, halving the existing journey time
to just 30 minutes. In addition, a north-west to north-east
line is also at various stages of operation, planning and
construction, aiming to link Turin, Milan, Verona, Venice
and Trieste by 2016.
From 2011, a competitor service will be set up in
Italy that will also run on the Milan to Rome line. Ac-
cording to Boston Consulting Group study of a recent
survey of 13,000 pan-European distance travellers from
13 countries, more than 30 percent of passengers would
like to switch modes, and in some countries that propor-
tion is actually as high as 65 percent. As the report says:
“Considering the size of the market this presents a huge
opportunity for alternative providers, particularly given
the fact that by 2020 passengers will be able to travel
faster from A to B via high-speed rail than by plane on
nearly half of Europe's busiest air routes.”
Similarly to France there are still challenges that are
facing the Italian network. While the location of Rome's
city-centre station, for example, proves to be the network's
greatest advantage in terms of city-centre business, it is
also the network's biggest disadvantages in terms of fast,
convenient access by car and public transport for those
with further to go. In other words, it is those operators
that can provide the most seamless door-to-door journey
across multiple modes, usually by working with other
companies, who will have an obvious advantage.
SPAIN
Spain entered the high-speed era back in 1992 when
it opened the Madrid-Seville line. Today Spain is
considered as the most ambitious country across
Europe in terms of growth of a high-speed network. With
its most recent completion of the Madrid to Barcelona line,
Spain now boasts an impressive 1600km of high-speed rail
in operation. Further to this, there is both another 2200km
under construction and 1700km in the planning stages.
The network is also growing outside of the Spanish
borders, with a key construction project currently working
to connect the Spanish and French networks. As a result of
this, an intense debate is now underway to decide whether
the new line will carry freight and passenger traffi c, or just
passenger. But the most notable feature of Spain's high-
speed rail has to be the sheer scale and rapidity of its devel-
opment, especially considering Spain is a country without
an especially strong railway tradition. Nonetheless, the
growth has been immense. Back in 2005, for example, the
Spanish Government published a national high-speed plan
with a target to build 10,000 km of line by 2020, connecting
all of the nation's capitals, accounting for 90 percent of the
population. The proposal also estimated that the cost will be
met from allocating 1.5 percent of the GDP to national in-
frastructure investment. With a budget of 250 billion euros,
half of that will go to rail. In fact, this year alone Spain will
be spending a massive total of 10 billion euros on rail infra-
structure investment, with six billion going to high-speed
rail. By comparison the UK has an 11.5 billion euro budget
for capacity enhancement for the next fi ve years.
What's more, the Madrid to Barcelona line, which only
opened last February, offering riders a journey time of two
hours and 38 minutes for the 592km journey, has now cut
that journey time to two hours and 15 minutes. When the
service opened it only had 16 percent of the combined train
and air market, now it holds 48 percent and expectations
are that this will rise to 70 percent, which aligns with other
lines such as those from London to Paris and Brussels.
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What can you tell us about the impact that in-
creased European legislation is having on the
railway product market?
Frank Walenberg. The impact currently is very
large, and what’s more, it is still growing. Firstly
certain components must comply with European
directives in general, and then under the inter-
operability directives, a number of components
must comply there as well to specific railway re-
quirements. In addition, complete systems like
infrastructure systems must comply with
European directives as well. There is no way
around it.
Then, apart from European and national leg-
islation, certification is also undertaken on a vol-
untary basis thanks to agreements made by
manufacturers and clients. This means that
clients can establish the specification that your
suppliers’ products and processes have to meet.
Then, as a supplier, you have to be able to show
that you meet these standards.
In effect, we depend very much on
European legislation and that obviously has a
very important impact on us.
So how are your products helping those in the
industry to understand the specific require-
ments that the railway system have to meet?
FW. I think there’s two ways. One is through a
very formal way, which covers the fact that these
certain certificates have to be issued. They are
mandatory; they must be done. That’s one way,
but the other way is, of course, in the many dif-
ferent phases we assist in, in not only having the
certificates, because that’s our verification, but
also in integrating the components and the sub-
systems into the railway system. So we provide
verification, through testing and in discussions
with authorities, to put the equipment into op-
eration. We also assist in integration testing and
things like that.
Then, within the voluntary domain, co-op-
erating railway companies have established
rules in the UIC (Union Internationale des
Chemins de fer) for the application of voluntary
certification. It is expected that these rules,
which align with the OTIF (International treaty for
the exchange of rolling stock between railways)
will soon be split into rules for technical accep-
tance and rules for exploitation.
Then the products and processes involved
in technical acceptance will have to be certified
on a mandatory basis, while for exploitation, vol-
untary certification should prove to be sufficient.
And how are the notable trends within the fields
of safety, reliability, and availability shaping the
future of the industry?
FW. I think the biggest change that we will see
in the future is that Europe is likely to play an
even more important role in the market than it
does already. So many of the things already as-
sociated with these interoperability directives
will also come under the safety directives that
are gradually being applied to the market.
For instance the requirements for safety as-
sessment, up until now, are more or less unde-
fined, but they are now becoming more defined
through the European rules. Subsequently, as
the number of European requirements also in-
creases, we now see a large number of these
items growing and the importance and the in-
fluence from Europe is growing with it. n
72 www.euinfrastructure.com
EXECUTIVE INTERVIEW
Frank Walenberg is the Director of Kema
Rail Transport Certification, the notified body
for mandatory and voluntary certification of
all railway products and systems in the
Netherlands, which performs certification,
assessment and verification under European
directives and European rules for
interoperability.
Long train runningFrank Walenberg explains how more legislation fromEurope is having an effect on the railway productsmarket and details how this change is going to impactthe future of the industry.
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74 www.euinfrastructure.com
Having an organizational level that meets the
demands of complex logistics is key to airport
success. What are the risks associated with a
design that fails to do this?
Daniël Eijgendaal. In all our projects we aim to
identify, specify and implement, the technical
infrastructure that best supports the objectives
and processes of our clients. In our designs
technology always plays a role. Technology,
simple or complex, is however only a means to
an end. When designs fail to fully support the
processes, the people involved have to fi ll the
gap. It is interesting to see how the fl exibility
of motivated and trained staff can compensate
for less than perfect facilities and systems. Ob-
viously there are limits to what even the best
people can do. On the other hand, supporting
such staff with properly designed systems and
infrastructure will really allow them to shine
and make big improvements in effi ciency and
level of service. Airports that consistently get
high marks from passengers always have the
combination of great staff and well-designed
facilities and systems.
How has the issue of airport security intensifi ed
over the last 10 years? What has this increased
focus meant for your business?
DE. The aviation industry has responded to
a series of incidents by introducing stricter
checks, both of passengers and their baggage,
and of staff and goods. Examples are manda-
tory baggage screening as required in the EU
from 2003 and the tightened regulations on
carrying liquids gels and aerosols in hand
luggage. These measures, and the changed
perception of threats, have spurred innovation
and necessitated system upgrades on many
airports.
Incorporating new technologies in existing
airports and ensuring these security meas-
ures don’t impact operations and effi ciency
has been, and we expect will continue to be,
a factor in many projects. Equally important
is that it has helped us to differentiate our
role as consultant from that of suppliers and
contractors. We look at the bigger picture, at
our clients’ real operational needs, not just
at systems and equipment. But by making
sure our consultants are fully aware of what is
available in the market we can translate those
operational needs into practical designs. We
bring concepts to life.
With advanced technical possibilities, the
impact of an airport on the environment can
now be signifi cantly reduced. What are you
doing to promote environmentally conscious
airport designs?
DE. Many of our clients are committed to reduce
the environmental impact of their airport. Often
they fi nd it diffi cult to translate their ambitions
into practical, and economically sound, meas-
ures. The built environment is a major energy
user worldwide and airports are no exception.
We fi nd we can really help our clients in this
area. It is often surprising to see how much can
be achieved with standard measures. Reduc-
tions in total energy consumption of between
15 percent and 50 percent are possible without
having to use advanced technologies. In many
projects we use rating systems like LEED or
BREEAM. Even where these systems don’t fi t
the local conditions or standards they help to
get all project partners aligned and improve
team and stakeholder communication.
What are some of the recent projects have you
been involved with? What can you tell us about
the technologies currently being optimized in
modern-day airport management systems?
DE. Some recent projects include new terminal
buildings in Sofi a (Bulgaria), Cairo (Egypt) and
Gabarone (Botswana). A major current project
is the new midfi eld terminal at Abu Dhabi In-
ternational Airport (UAE). In our home market
we have a continuous stream of projects at Am-
sterdam Airport Schiphol, a client with a clear
vision on continuous process improvement and
sustainable design. We have been, or still are,
involved in large and small projects in Saudi
Arabia, Yemen, Russia and Gibraltar.
In many of the terminal building projects
IT infrastructure and information and manage-
ment systems are an important part of our
scope of work. Information Technology has
been a key driver in bringing down operating
cost of airlines and this is refl ected in modern
airport terminal designs. The Simplifying the
Business (StB) initiative is at the core of this.
What do you think the future trends for the
aviation industry are likely to be? What chal-
lenges are associated with such trends?
DE. Two major drivers in the industry in the
last decade have been increased security and
cost reduction. We expect these factors to
continue. The challenge is to ensure increased
security, with all the additional equipment
required to achieve that, assists in improving
(operational) effi ciency. Opportunities defi -
nitely exist to achieve this, think of combining
biometric ID documents with internet based
reservation systems. Using technology to
create a seamless travel experience for the
passenger whilst at the same time reduce cost
for the stakeholders and improve security be-
comes a real possibility.
And although the current economic crisis
and low oil prices mean energy effi ciency
general and sustainability in general are not
fi rst on peoples’ minds, we are convinced this
will change very quickly. Running a sustainable
business, minimizing carbon emissions, will be
an equally strong driver in the next decades.
The high lifeDaniël Eijgendaal answers our questions on security in the
aviation industry, and tells us what the future holds.
EXECUTIVE INTERVIEW
Daniël Eijgendaal is member of the Board
of Directors of Deerns Consulting Engineers
and Manager of the Airports Department. He
has an in-depth knowledge of aeronautical
systems (CNS), airfi eld lighting, airport
management and information systems.
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76 www.euinfrastructure.com
In the hot seatIn the hot seat
Robert O’Meara, Communications Manager
at the European airport
trade association ACI
EUROPE, answers our
questions.
ACI EUROPE, which is based in Brussels, Belgium, represents the
interests of over 400 airports in 46 countries. ACI is the only worldwide
professional association of airport operators and the European division
accounts for over 90 percent of commercial air traffi c in the region.
What’s more it boasts some impressive fi gures, having in 2007, for
which the latest fi gures are available, member airports welcoming 1.47
billion passengers and handling 17.4 million metric tonnes of cargo and
20.8 million aircraft movements.
In addition, ACI EUROPE also promotes the exchange of industry
know-how through internal committee structures and an extensive
schedule of conferences and exhibitions. Through the organisation’s
efforts to actively seek out the views of airport members, ACI EUROPE
generates comprehensive common policies that serve as a reference to
the entire aviation industry. “What we do is work on a day-to-day basis
with the institutions of the European Union, the European Civil Aviation
Conference (ECAC) and the European Agency for the Safety of Air Navi-
gation (EUROCONTROL),” explains Robert O’Meara, Communications
Manager at ACI EUROPE.
AIRPORT FOCUS
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77www.euinfrastructure.com
As far back as the 1970s, European airports sought to address
their impact on the environment. Proactive environmental manage-
ment has not only become standard practice but a must for any air-
port, encompassing issues such as noise, biodiversity, air and water
quality. While the focus has mainly been on local environmental
impact, an increasing number of airports are now looking at address-
ing their impact on climate change. Several
individual airports operators have already
developed plans to reduce their carbon
emissions, with AVINOR in Norway and LFV
Swedish airports having already achieved
carbon neutrality for airport operations
under their direct control.
In June 2008 the General Assembly of
ACI EUROPE adopted a landmark resolu-
tion on climate change, whereby European
airports committed to reduce their carbon
emissions, with the ultimate goal of becom-
ing carbon neutral. The resolution also com-
mitted ACI EUROPE to develop, within a year,
a Europe-wide accreditation programme
providing airports with the tool to work on
their commitment to reduce CO2 from their operations.
In what ways are European airport operators using technology to im-
prove their operations? What do you consider to be the biggest recent
advances?
RO’M. We are using technology to improve our operations, that’s
true; for starters there are enormously elaborate robotic systems
within baggage handling and also we have iris recognition software
and hardware that is now being used more and more frequently for
accessing airport sites, or, in some cases, for security and border
control.
What impact is the current downturn having on airports across
Europe?
Robert O’Meara. This is the biggest crisis we’ve seen for a very long
time. This is bigger than the effects of 9/11, it’s bigger than SARS and
it’s bigger than any recent crisis we have experienced. In fact, the fall in
traffi c over the course of this year will probably add up to something the
equivalent of 10 times what happened
after 9/11, which is just huge. We have
just released our traffi c report for May,
which has seen something of a relapse.
April was an improvement (still nega-
tive at minus 4.8 percent), primarily
because Easter fell during that month,
but for May, air passenger traffi c is
back down to minus 9.1 percent.
Through this recession there are
three things that all airports are having
to deal with. Obviously we are fi nding
that less passengers on fl ights and less
fl ights overall equates to less aeronau-
tical revenue; but, as well as that, less
passengers going through the terminal
means less commercial revenue as well. Then, to make matters worse,
the price of capital investment for infrastructure has shot through the
roof.
Of course, capital intensive businesses are suffering in general, but
airports are struggling in particular. At the same time, you then have
very keen awareness of the climate change issue that is choosing very
visible targets, such as the aviation industry.
As airport operators are faced with both catering for increased demand
for air travel as well as minimising environmental impact, how is it pos-
sible to balance these seemingly competing priorities?
RO’M. No question, aviation is a
prominent and emotive sector that
is also a bellweather for national and
international economic growth. Such
prominence naturally carries responsi-
bilities, in particular in relation to the
environment. Believe it or not, the avi-
ation sector as a whole is working to-
gether to achieve environmental wins.
A lot of work is being undertaken at the
moment by aircraft manufacturers, air-
lines and air traffi c controllers in terms
of looking at composite construction,
biofuels and operational effi ciencies.
As the face of aviation on the ground,
airports are doing everything possible
to make sure that when the aeroplane
is on the ground, it’s working as ef-
fi ciently as possible.
“Aviation is a prominent
and emotive sector that
is also a bellweather for
national and international
economic growth”
The global fi nancial crisis is having a major impact on passenger numbers across
Europe. Figures from May 2009 show a drop of 8.3 percent from a year ago. Not even
the biggest operators are immune.
GOING DOWN
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79www.euinfrastructure.com
and-away the biggest airport in the world. This is just one example of
many and the concern is that because of the airport capacity crunch
that Europe is facing and the absence of proper airport policies in a
number of member states of the EU, Europe will, at least in terms of
global connectivity, fall far behind.
Electrical ground vehicles are also something that more and more
airports are adopting, and that falls in line with their environmental
strategies. There are a number of different options on the market that
can achieve this sort of thing, too: from hydrogen, to LPG, to electrical
cars, to hybrids, and all of those are already in place at different air-
ports across Europe. In some countries, it’s even more advanced than
elsewhere. In Stockholm’s airport, for example, a very high percent-
age of airport-based vehicles are electric, including taxis.
Airports are very much like mini-cities. Because you have all of
these different companies and all these different emissions sources,
whatever’s happening on the outside world is often mirrored in the
micro-site that is the airport and that is very interesting.
And fi nally, what do you believe the key priorities for Europe’s airport
operators over the coming years?
RO’M. Well, obviously in the immediacy, it’s survival: staying profi t-
able and surviving. But, because of the economic climate this year there
will be losses, and, as we have already seen, a couple of airports have
had to lay staff off. We’re quite literally operating in the shadow of our
former industry and our priorities refl ect this.
As I’ve already outlined, airports are regarding the environment
and the issue of climate change as a key priority, in terms of operation,
but also in terms of earning their license to grow.
That feeds into another key priority: Capacity. As EUROCONTROL
recently reminded us with the third edition of its ‘Challenges’ report
(Challenges of Growth (2008)), Europe is facing an airport capacity
crunch that will see air traffi c nearly double by 2030. At the moment, it
looks like 19 airports will be seriously congested by then and that fi gure
could rise substantially.
In addition, we are mindful of the issue of security. Before 9/11
security costs accounted for up to eight percent of operating costs at
European airports. They currently account for around 35 percent of op-
erating costs – an incredible rise. In the US, security is paid by the state,
but in Europe, airports have to pay for it. At the moment the European
Commission has a deadline to fi nd a proposal for the removal of the
ban on liquids, aerosols and gels. That deadline is April 2010, which
although ambitious, ACI EUROPE is working with the EC and with the
security technology companies to try
to achieve it. while also ensuring that
the agreed technological solutions are
feasible on a grander scale both op-
erationally and fi nancially, in terms of
deployment.
Then you also have connectivity
across the globe – which is evolving at
incredible speed. Take Dubai for in-
stance. Dubai already has a very good
airport capable of taking about 70 mil-
lion passengers a year. But, the new,
seperate one, which is currently under
construction, will be capable of taking
somewhere in the region of 130 million
passengers a year – making it by-far-
Air travel has long been one of the environmental
movement’s biggest bogeymen. A new initiative hopes
to change that perception.
In June 2009, ACI Europe launched the Airport Carbon
Accreditation scheme at its 19th Annual Congress. The
programme will assess and recognise airports’ efforts to
manage and reduce CO2 emissions within their direct control. It
will also take into account their collaborative efforts with airlines,
air traffi c controllers, ground handlers and others on the airport
site. The launch of the programme - which is voluntary - sees a
total of 31 European airports applying to become Airport Carbon
Accredited. More applicants are expected in the months ahead.
The scheme is comprised of four levels of accreditation
– Mapping, Reduction, Optimisation and Neutrality, and will
be administered by leading consultancy WSP Environmental
and overseen by an independent Advisory Board made up of
representatives of the European Commission, ECAC (European
Civil Aviation Conference) and EUROCONTROL.
Speaking about the scheme, then President of ACI Europe
and CEO of Athens International Airport Dr Yiannis Paraschis,
“In launching Airport Carbon Accreditation today, we are turning
our commitment to reduce carbon emissions into concrete
action. Airport Carbon Accreditation is a genuinely demanding,
scientifi cally robust and institutionally-endorsed programme. The
fact that we are doing this in the midst of the worst ever trading
conditions speaks volumes about how serious we are about
taking on the challenge of climate change.”
TURNING THE AIR GREEN
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IMPROVING THE INDUSTRYRoberto Kobeh González, President of
the International Civil
Aviation Organisation,
outlines the prospects
and issues of global civil
aviation.
SafetyFor the ICAO, fi nding new and innovative
ways to further improve safety will remain
our fi rst priority. As the operational and
regulatory context evolves, we will pursue a
more comprehensive approach, which takes
into account economic, social and geopoliti-
cal realities. It is a results and performance-
driven strategy. We will tackle safety issues
in an integrated fashion, going to the root
of the problem and investing precious time
and money where they are most effective in
coming up with concrete and lasting results.
Our overall strategy is contained in the
ICAO Global Aviation Safety Plan (GASP). The
GASP is a global strategy for aviation safety
and provides a common frame of reference
for all stakeholders, both government and
industry. The GASP refl ects an extraordinar-
ily high level of co-operation with all major
stakeholders, by incorporating the Global
Aviation Safety Roadmap developed by the
air transport industry, in co-operation with
ICAO. The GASP, in conjunction with the
Safety Roadmap, can guide national or re-
gional safety teams on the implementation
of best safety practices as well as a process
to assess their current status at a national or
regional level and identify gaps that need to
be addressed. It is a performance-based ap-
proach that focuses energies and resources
on activities that provide the highest return
for increasing safety.
Security Aviation security is another dimension
of safety. Unlike safety, however, it is more
diffi cult to manage. Persons can commit acts
of unlawful interference anytime, anywhere,
and for any reason. Governments have the
diffi cult and unenviable task of balancing
the need for maintaining and encouraging
anti-terrorist vigilance, while putting in place
workable security measures that do not com-
promise the effi ciency of the air transport
sector. The delicate nature of this exercise
is compounded by the fact that considerable
economic damage can occur even when ter-
rorist plans are foiled.
ICAO’s Aviation Security Plan of Action
adopted in February 2002, in wake of the
events of 9/11, provides a series of pro-
grammes and activities designed to help
states comply with ICAO security standards
While tackling challenges has
been the focus of our ongo-
ing efforts to strengthen
all aspects of air transport
operations, recent events
have shifted our focus towards dealing
with more immediate issues. For example in
2007, the airline industry recorded its fi rst
profi t since 2000, as a result of a 19 percent
improvement in fuel effi ciency and an 18
percent reduction in non-fuel costs. The
future looked promising.
Then came the global fi nancial crisis and
higher fuel prices, pushing the industry back
into the red. Many airlines have taken steps
to counter the rapid increase in oil prices,
reducing the workforce and contemplating
mergers. Fortunately, fuel prices have begun
to ease, but volatility in the marketplace and
uncertainty around the health of the global
economy make it diffi cult to predict what
will happen.
However, the International Civil Avia-
tion Organisation (ICAO) has formulated a
medium-term forecast that points to an in-
dustry recovery in 2010. Financially airlines
of ICAO member states post an operating
loss for 2008 and profi ts in 2009 and 2010.
In relation to passenger traffi c, growth will
be lower than anticipated in earlier forecasts
but recover in 2010. This outlook reaffi rms
the often proven resilience of the air trans-
port industry and the fact that our overall
challenge will be growth.
AVIATION
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81www.euinfrastructure.com
and procedures. The issuance of ICAO stand-
ard machine readable travel documents,
especially ePassports enhanced with bio-
metric identifi cation, is an effective way of
increasing the security of air travel.
In the long-term, we must diligently
assess new and emerging threats, such as
bacteriological and chemical weapons, man-
portable air defence systems (MANPADS)
and the misuse of civil aircraft themselves
as weapons of destruction. Our objection is
to continually monitor and upgrade exist-
ing security processes to ensure that they
are commensurate with the level of threat
identifi ed, while expediting the clearance of
passengers and cargo at airports.
Air navigationAgain, while it has become more diffi cult
to forecast traffi c growth over the next few
years, we can certainly expect an increase in
the number of aircraft fl ying the skies of the
world. There will be a corresponding need for
high performance air navigation systems to
cope with the anticipated airspace conges-
tion that will result. In some regions, con-
gestion has already reached critical levels,
affecting en route, terminal and aerodrome
operations.
ICAO is actively supporting states im-
plementation of initiatives described in the
Global Air Navigation Plan that contribute to
ensuring the safe, effi cient and sustainable
operation of the aviation system. Initiatives
(PBN) provide tremendous benefi ts in terms
of reduction in fuel use and CO2 emissions.
Our vision is for an interoperable and
seamless global air traffi c management
(ATM) system, that applies to all users,
during all phases of fl ight, and that meets
agreed levels of safety, provides for op-
timum economic operations, is environ-
mentally sustainable and meets national
security requirements.
In September 2008, ICAO hosted the
Forum on Integration and Harmonisation
of NextGen and SASAR into the Global
ATM Framework, in an effort to allow all
stakeholders an opportunity to share knowl-
edge about the future of ATM systems.
NextGen, the programme being developed
by the United States and SESAR, Europe’s
programme to meet its future aviation
needs, along with initiatives underway
in other states must evolve within the
framework provided by ICAO’s Global Air
Traffi c Management Operational Concept
and Global Air Navigation Plan.
EnvironmentPerhaps the most daunting challenge we
face is helping to protect the environment.
The fourth report of the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), confi rms
that climate change is real, much of it likely
due to an increase in greenhouse gas con-
centration from human activity. Aviation is
estimate to account for about two percent of
human produced CO2, the major greenhouse
gas.
Although aircraft today are about 70
percent more fuel effi cient than they were 30
years ago and newer models like the Airbus
380 and Boeing 787 are even more effi cient,
projected increases in traffi c will outpace
our capacity to bring down greenhouse
gas emissions from aviation. The solution
lies in the development of a combination
of technical, operational and market-based
measures, under the leadership of ICAO as
stipulated in Assembly Resolution A36-22.
In 2009, the ICAO will hold a number
of important meetings on environmental
protection, including two groundbreaking
events on alternative fuels – a preparatory
workshop in February and a full-fl edged con-
ference in November. This latest initiative,
based on conclusive scientifi c research,
underscores the view that the ultimate goal
must be the elimination of carbon emission
from aviation.
Long-term, the world aviation commu-
nity will continue to develop the full range
of options currently available – improved
operational and technological measures and
various market-based measures, such as
emissions trading and carbon offsets.
PersonnelTo address all of these individual chal-
lenges effectively, and others that may later
appear on the horizon, will require a corre-
sponding highly skilled aviation workforce.
The problem is that in the next few years,
there will be a massive wave of retirements
from the current workforce. The growth of
the industry in certain regions is not consist-
ent with current training and capacity.
Moreover, an increasingly automated,
dynamic and complex working environment
is fundamentally reshaping the nature and
relationships of safety-critical jobs. Pilots
are becoming information managers in an
extremely sophisticated glass cockpit;
air traffi c controllers who were used to an
essentially manual activity have to adapt
to a fully automated series of procedures;
and mechanics identifi ed with tool boxes
are now involved in trend analysis and
predictive maintenance.
That is not all. The quest for optimum
safety goes beyond the men and women
involved in the operational dimension of
aviation, it also encompasses the equally
complex discipline of aviation management.
Managers largely defi ne, promote and help
sustain the safety culture of their respective
organisations. This has become increasingly
challenging with the rapid and sustained
growth in traffi c and the no less rapid evolu-
tion of high technology and its transforma-
tion of all aspects of the workplace. In the
transition between the old and the new way
of doing business, whether in operations or
in management, a delicate balance must be
achieved between the current set of skills and
those that will be needed in the future.
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES
The ICAO works to achieve its vision
of safe, secure and sustainable
development of civil aviation through
co-operation amongst its member
states. To implement this vision, the
organisation has established the
following strategic objectives for the
period 2005-2010:
Continuity
SECURITY
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Man
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Environmental protection
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RULE OFLAW
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82 www.euinfrastructure.com
Airports are caught in the middle of oppo-
site dynamics: growing global demand
for capacity, profitability and reducing
the carbon footprint of operations.
At Combibox Systems of Sweden, we be-
lieve our in-ground support systems are a way
to progress.
The in-ground approachThe in-ground servicing of aircraft is actual-
ly not a new concept. In Sweden, Denmark and
Norway this has been a common approach for
well over 20 years.
The concept promotes the idea of service
pits in the apron close to the aircraft service con-
nection points. The services include the essen-
tial media that a parked aircraft needs on
turnaround. This is 400Hz ground power, pre-
conditioned air for cooling and heating, potable
water, jet fuel and discharge of wastewater.
The concept allows for a clean apron re-
lieved from cable clutter and mobile equipment
and immediate point-of-use availability. We
argue that this is the most efficient, cost effec-
tive and environmentally friendly way of provid-
ing ground support.
The infrastructure investment creates a firm
base of revenue with a low total cost of owner-
ship for the airport enabling service charging.
The maintenance costs are a fraction of main-
taining a fleet of mobile equipment and the air-
lines also benefit from lowering their turnaround
cost. The point-of-use availability also enhances
the service provided. The typical payback for the
investment is around 24 months.
Although the concept has been installed,
not only in Scandinavia, but also worldwide
since the early 1980s, a relatively small per-
centage of airports worldwide have opted for
this solution.
CongestionDuring turnaround an airport planning man-
ual typically shows 14 different vehicles circling
the aircraft for various tasks and in reality there
are even more support vehicles present.
The in-ground concept has not yet been in-
ternalised save for one of the support media
namely jet fuel. Today hardly anyone would con-
tend the fact that fuel hydrants are the way to
provide jet fuel to an aircraft at a busy airport.
The thought of dispatching a large tanker truck
bringing the fuel on the apron alongside the air-
craft is immediately recognised as not so effi-
cient and risky.
Now apparently it is not yet so natural to
see the same for ground power, pre-conditioned
air, potable water and wastewater. But the same
argument can easily apply here.
Lowering emissionsThe in-ground system can replace diesel
powered Ground Power Units (GPUs) or use of
the aircrafts own APU (Auxiliary Power Unit) for
production of power and cooling.
If an aircraft uses only the APU running on
jet fuel for the complete turnaround this results
in yearly emissions of 520 tons of CO2 for just
one gate. Using diesel powered GSE is better,
but still generates some 90 tons of CO2 yearly
for just one gate and for the supply of ground
power alone.
To reduce these emissions airports could re-
duce fuel burn by supplying direct electricity
connected to service pits. This still involves
some indirect impact on the environment but it
is substantially lower. According to the European
Parliament Technology Assessment, the carbon
footprint of using electricity is 300g per kWh.
Using direct electricity with an in-ground system
reduces the equivalent environmental impact to
32 tonnes per year and gate.
The same results can be shown for potable
water and wastewater which is most commonly
supplied with the use of trucks out on the apron,
often running idle on diesel while servicing the
aircraft. This implies tons of CO2 emissions while
also introducing more trucks into the gate area
on every turnaround.
We argue that the fixed installation of an in-
ground system using service pits is the natural
prolongation of the “green flight” starting with
minimising jet fuel consumption in the air, flight
planning and holding pattern minimising. Then
taxiing on one engine to the gate. At the gate the
turnaround is then provided by an in-ground sys-
tem minimising the carbon footprint while
parked for turnaround.
There is certainly a lot left to do in realising
the eco-friendly airport of tomorrow and for
those airports that have already begun this jour-
ney, our helmet is off to you.�
ASK THE EXPERT
Leif Lindh is the Director of
Business Development at
Combibox Systems Scandinavia.
He has a background in Systems
Development and IT and joined
Combibox in 2005. His main
focus has been to transform the
company into a knowledge based
system supplier applying airport
knowledge to ground support
solutions.
Ground controlLeif Lindh explains why the Vikings buried theirGround Support Equipment (GSE) a long time ago.
LEIF LINDH
COMBIBOX ate:24sept 17/7/09 15:44 Page 82
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For many years the Air Traffic Services Safety Regulations has
required ATC units to record audio (both ground-to-air,
ground-to-ground and telephony), and more recently record
radar in order to support incident and accident investigations.
New regulations requiring the recording of even more com-
munication sources are underway and ATC customers should
evaluate whether their existing or new recording equipment is compliant
and what extra costs the new regulations will impose for them.
Security and safety Air traffic security and passenger safety are paramount and only
achieved through a multitude of hi-tech systems working together. One
small but critical part of this big picture are record and replay systems.
Traditionally, these were voice-logging systems recorded on tape. In the
event of an accident, incident or threat, tapes would be replayed and
analysed, but their basic, manual nature meant their use was often limit-
ed and time consuming.
New technology and demands for speedy retrieval saw the intro-
duction of digital recording and a new era in voice logging. Technological
advancement in other areas of air traffic control, however, means that
today’s decisions are based on greater available information from more
individual sources than ever before. The sheer magnitude of air traffic
also means that these decisions have to be made more quickly and ac-
curately than previously. The smallest error can be fatal. Air traffic con-
trollers are dependent on a system that eases and assists their daily task
and decision-making process, giving them the big picture at any one
time, as well as simple, reliable tools to check and document it. The work
of investigating officers would also be greatly assisted if it were possi-
ble to see exactly what was presented to the controller, to hear what was
said and to reconstruct the actions taken at the time of the incident
under investigation.
Voice logging to the big pictureNew regulations concerning the recording of background communi-
cations and screens are underway. The International Civil Aviation
Organisation (ICAO) stipulates that ‘Air traffic control units be equipped
with devices that record background communication and the aural envi-
ronment at controller work stations from 1 January 2010’.
The UK’s Civil Aviation Authority’s Safety Regulation Group (CAA SRG)
has a consultation process where it is proposing that every airport or ATC
centre that uses surveillance data or supports the operation of an air traf-
fic service from that unit shall record screen shots of the surveillance data
presented at each operational ATC position. The recorded data shall be re-
tained for the ICAO minimum requirement of 30 days.
84 www.euinfrastructure.com
INDUSTRY INSIGHT
ImprovingATCsecurityandsafety
Jorn Rod-Larsen explains the importance of unified recording and airtraffic safety – from voice logging to the big picture.
RICOCHET:24sept 17/07/2009 16:08 Page 84
A recording solution that captures analogue audio,
digital audio, VoIP, composite CCTV, IP-Cameras, LAN
radars, asynchronous and synchronous serial radars,
and other serial data in a single system that can play
back all data synchronously will not only assist inves-
tigatory work and search and rescue operations, but
also be of huge benefit to air traffic controllers, super-
visors and management for training and quality im-
provement purposes.
The big picture gets betterAccident and incident investigators have expressed
that their work would be greatly assisted if it were pos-
sible to see exactly what was presented to the controller,
to hear what was said and to reconstruct the actions
taken at the time of incident under investigation.
There are two main technologies in capturing CWP
screens: Through The Wall (TTW) and At The Glass
(ATG). Capturing screens with TTW means tapping raw,
unprocessed and processed data feeds from the
sources, in real-time, directly from the copper carrying the data. Data is at
playback fed into the CWP for reconstruction during analysis of the sce-
nario. One of the challenges with this technology is to recreate the exact
picture of the Controller Working Position’s display at any time, due to the
mix between generic recorded data and vendor specific data. There also
exists a challenge in including messages generated by the underlying op-
erating system like error messages and warnings.
Capturing screens with ATG can be divided into three categories. One
where the display memory is continuously read and stored, the second
which records use X-11 commands and the third technology where one taps
into the DVI/RGB signal and captures the screen’s image as it is displayed
on the CWP screens. This method is completely non-intrusive and recreates
the exact picture. The technology will interface to any system and is not ven-
dor-specific. The user may also keep the same way of recording screens
even if the ATM system and CWP positions are upgraded or replaced. During
replay, the screen images are recreated in full synchrony with, for exam-
ple, position communication or other types of data. To make sure no data
is lost between screen captures the screen is typically captured four to eight
times per second.
Recording solution Ricochet’s multi-flexible ATC solution is specifically designed
for the ATC arena, with its particular needs in mind. Whilst setting
a new, higher standard and changing the way the industry ap-
proached data logging a few years ago, today it is a proven system
that has been serving satisfied customer all over the world since
the year 2000.
Ricochet is fully in line with all industry requirements, includ-
ing newly adopted amendments to the ICAO standards. It is now
possible to experience instant and dependable synchronous replay
of audio, radar, screens and video data with a simple touch of a but-
ton. This is what we call unified recording and replay. n
85www.euinfrastructure.com
Superior performance made simpleRicochet offers superior performance in a simple configuration, with great emphasis being
placed on speed, reliability and simplicity of use. It not only accurately records voice
conversations, it also simultaneously records CCTV, radar and screen images, enables
efficient replay access and control and guarantees perfect synchronisation of data. Hence it
is not only possible to hear what is said both prior to and following an incident, but also to
visualise and analyse all relevant information surrounding it, at the drop of a hat.
User-friendlyRicochet ATC is also a vital tool in daily operations, not simply a data-logging device. Not
only can controllers see the big picture at all times, Ricochet’s unique user interface means
that they can speedily perform a number of tasks with simple steps. Whether quickly
checking a voice message that was unclear, attaching data needed for further
investigations to an email, or burning it on a USB thumb drive for a speedy and secure
analysis, controllers can always rely on complete accuracy and authenticity, through
Ricochet’s advanced security software.
Safe investmentA modular structure makes Ricochet ATC fully expandable. As controllers’ tasks increase or
operations grow, Ricochet can be easily expanded with them, making it the system of
choice for over 200 airports of all sizes across the world, including Glasgow International
Airport, Orly Airport, Singapore Changi Airport and Abu Dhabi ACC and EACC.
Tomorrow’s technology available todayRicochet is a young, dynamic company that is well positioned for the future. We see things
differently and translate our thoughts into innovative ideas. Our vision is to make air traffic
security simple and secure. We do this by working closely with our customers to develop
solutions in line with their real needs, and the way they work, both today and in the future.
FULFILLING THE REQUIREMENTS
Jorn Rod-Larsen joined Ricochet in 2007
and has acquired experience with most
fields within the company, especially
focusing on sales and marketing. Rod-
Larsen has been in management roles
with companies such as Hewlett-Packard,
Tieto and EDB Business Partner. He holds
a BSc in Business Administration from the
University of South Carolina and
Management Studies at IMD in Lausanne,
Switzerland.
“ The sheer magnitude of airtraffic also means that thesedecisions have to be mademore quickly and accuratelythan ever before”
RICOCHET:24sept 17/07/2009 16:09 Page 85
When EDF Energy and EDF Energy Nouvelles an-
nounced their partnership to form EDF Energy
Renewables in June 2008 this underlined a
growing consensus that the industry needs to
get serious about developing alternative power
sources. Furthermore, the new company’s es-
tablishment in the UK refl ects the country’s massive potential as a
generator of wind energy. As an island nation, the surrounding seas
offer access to one of the most abundant supplies of reliable wind
anywhere in the world. When we meet up with CEO Christian Egal
in EDF’s central London offi ce, the UK’s suitability is something he
is extremely keen to stress. “Renewable energy is growing every-
where in the world. But in this country the mix is different,” he says.
“Wind energy has had huge growth for fi ve years, but what is specifi c
in the UK is that Great Britain is an island, so we can take advantage of
this location with all the renewable energy linked to the sea. Offshore
wind is defi nitely the main renewables potential in the UK, as well as
wave and tidal energies, which are also very promising. But those are
still at the latest development phase.”
Plans for UK wind energy can only be described as ambitious. There
is currently about 8GW of installed or planned capacity in place. The
UK government’s strategic energy assessment recently reported that
British seas could eventually supply a further 25GW of power, enough
to serve the needs of all the country’s homes. But while there exist
Christian Egal, CEO of EDF Energy Renewables, tells Huw Thomas that the forecast for wind energy is extremely good.
86 www.euinfrastructure.com
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tremendous possibilities, actually realising them will require a great
degree of effort. “It's a huge challenge,” Egal agrees. “Nobody has
ever built a wind farm 100 kilometres off the coast in the North Sea.
It will be diffi cult, but what is absolutely fantastic in this business is
that everybody is very confi dent in the capability of the supply chain
and the players to deliver.” Obviously, the costs associated with such
a huge project present diffi culties of their own. Installing turbines
that far off the coast, even in the comparatively shallow North Sea,
is a far more logistically trying operation than siting them onshore.
Farm sites are picked for their exposure to wind, which means they
must be built in often very diffi cult conditions. Building offshore
takes twice as long and costs twice as much as a similar project on
land. But according to Egal, the UK Crown Estate’s plans are helping
to mitigate this problem by targeting huge capacity. This encourages
all the major players to get involved and creates signifi cant econo-
mies of scale. “If you were to put one turbine in the North Sea, it
would never happen,” Egal says. “If you want to put 500 or 1000
wind turbines there, that is much more achievable.”
Building the wind farms is far from the only challenge. Getting
the power they generate to where it is needed also requires some
new thinking. “One of the other challenges is the grid,” Egal con-
tinues. “Connecting it needs a large scale approach rather than an
individual approach for a single wind farm. Maybe in the long-term
perspective, it will be a European approach because if we build a
wind farm for the UK In the North Sea, it could also be connected to
Sweden or Denmark. Maybe we’ll see in the next decades a power
grid all over Europe, based on offshore wind farms located all over
the seas.” This vision of an integrated European power infrastruc-
ture is one that crops up regularly in talks with those in the industry.
Given the speed and effi ciency that normally characterises major
pan-European projects, you would be forgiven for thinking such a
future remains a long way off. While Egal concedes that it remains a
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88 www.euinfrastructure.com
It is only natural that renewable energy is initially going to cost
more than traditional sources of power. While coal and gas have a
massive installed base, wind and the like are effectively starting
from scratch. If we are serious about our commitment to getting
more of our energy from renewable sources, these short-term
costs are something that we will just have to bear. In any case, as
traditional sources such as oil and gas start to dwindle and become
harder to access, the market may make renewable energy consid-
erably more competitive.
Unfortunately the current economic climate is particularly un-
friendly. Sources of funding are tight and in many areas there seems
little appetite for any investment that isn’t going to quickly bring big
returns. Nonetheless, Egal is clear that EDF Energy Renewables re-
mains on track to hit its targets. “It does have some impact, but more
on the short-term period,” he says. “We have to deliver a gigawatt
by 2012, so we have to be very attentive to the capability to invest
in this wind farm in this diffi cult period. If we speak about the next
phase to deliver even by 2015 or 2020, it’s another story. That will
require a huge amount of money, but we can hope that it will be after
the crisis that we are facing now. I am not saying it will be easy; it will
huge undertaking, his confi dence that it is achievable is infectious. As
far as he is concerned, renewable energy, and specifi cally wind, is an
idea whose time has come. “It’s very exciting,” he says. “Wind energy
is the most dynamic industry all over the world, and even in this very
tricky period it is still growing.”
Counting the costWhile there is no argument that Europe desperately needs new
sources of power if it is to remain successful, critics of renewable
energy contend that it is simply not cost-effective without massive
government subsidies. So can renewables ever offer value for money?
“It’s a complex approach,” Egal admits. “Renewable energy all
across the world is still supported by public subsidy. The schemes
that the countries select are different. The Renewables Obligation
Certifi cation (ROC) mechanism is specifi c in the UK, but in every coun-
try there are mechanisms that make renewable investment possible.
Because of the current energy market there is no possibility of making
a renewable asset profi table. We are not far away, not at all. For ex-
ample, last year, when the market price was not particularly high it
was at the level, where it was much higher than the cost of renewable
energy. But in order for an operator to decide on an investment, they
need a certain level of visibility on the long-term. So all renewable
energies are, incentivised by public schemes, which make the invest-
ment possible. The principle of renewable energy is that it starts from
public and government willingness, worldwide European and country
willingness to do it, and each country provides to the operators the
appropriate scheme to make it happen. So is the mechanism pro-
posed to the operator in the UK enough to be profi table? Yes. If it was
no, there wouldn’t be any capacity, so it is profi table. Of course, there
are some projects that are more profi table than others, and it’s down
to a professional approach to make the difference.”
While this makes a certain amount of sense, it doesn’t answer the
question of whether renewable energy will ever be able to stand on its
own two feet. The current system allows the power companies to stay
in the black, but only on the back of government and consumer sup-
port. Will renewable energy ever be able to compete on a level playing
fi eld? “I would say, yes,” replies Egal. “The ROC mechanism provides
some additional revenues to renewable energy up to a certain level
of achievement. If the global target is reached, the ROC mechanism
will stop. Currently the target is to achieve nine percent of power from
renewables. The actual value is four percent. So the ROC mechanism
is there to incentivise the utilities to deliver some renewable energy
up to certain level of achievement. When that target is reached, the
public support will stop. It’s logical.”
“We are looking at wave and tidal technologies, which are not as mature as wind energy, even offshore”
CHRISTIAN EGAL ED P86-90.indd 88CHRISTIAN EGAL ED P86-90.indd 88 20/7/09 11:17:2820/7/09 11:17:28
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cost billions and billions of euros to invest in these facilities. EDF as
a whole has some other projects as well, so it is challenging.”
Further alternativesThough EDF Energy Renewables’ principal focus is on wind
power, due to its comparative maturity and the UK’s geographical
suitability, it is also exploring other potential avenues. “We are look-
ing at wave and tidal technologies, which are not as mature as wind
energy, even offshore,” says Egal. “We rely on the R&D department
within EDF. We are looking at wave technologies as well. We are very
attentive and we are following feedback on this work. Our business
is to invest in modern technologies with good profi tability, so it
could happen in the next two or three years.” Solar also remains in
contention. Though the UK isn’t known for its cloudless skies, solar
energy’s success in the not particularly sunny Germany demon-
strates that, as technology improves and becomes less expensive, it
does have a part to play in Europe’s renewable future.
But from a UK perspective, it is wind that is going to provide
the big gains. Wind is one of the most well-established renewable
energy sources and has developed rapidly over the past few dec-
Turbine technology has come a long way in a
comparatively short time. Today’s biggest models
are more than fi ve times as big and 25 times more
powerful than their earliest ancestors.
A MIGHTY WIND
Rotor (metres)
Rating (KW)
16 40 71 100
100 550 1,650 2,500
Source: American Wind Association, CNET
1985 1996 2000 2009
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certain diffi culties. But I would rather have a slow planning process
where you generally get permission rather than a quick one where
you do not.”
On the whole though, Egal seems optimistic about the potential
for wind and other renewable energy, both in the UK and across the
world. “When we look at the overall capacity we have 120,000MW
installed all over the world,” he says. “Last year, for example, we
installed more wind energy than gas or coal. Wind
energy has developed more in European countries
and the US than in developing countries, but if you
look at the possibility of wind farms in China, for
example, there is no limit.”
That is not to say we should expect to see
a major uptake of renewable energy in the de-
veloping world all that soon. Egal sees it as a
responsibility of those in more affl uent nations to
keep working on the problem until it can become
affordable for everybody. “I think the fair approach has been taken
by the European countries but renewables remain more expensive
than coal, gas and so on,” he says. “European countries and the US
are paying to make these technologies as profi table as the other
technologies in the near future. Can we really ask the developing
counties to pay for these technologies? I don't think so, and I think
we recognise that and that we have to pay this premium. Climate
change, which is the basis of these developments, has given us huge
responsibilities across Europe, so I think it is very fair approach for
us to pay for the fi rst stages of the development and allow others to
take advantage of these developments when it is more fi nancially
viable. In terms of the possibility to implement wind energy in these
countries, it could happen very quickly. It’s just about timing.”
ades. “Wind technologies are improving every year,” Egal confi rms.
“It is amazing because we now have some turbines that are 160
metres in diameter that generate 6MW. If you look at a wind turbine
only 20 years ago, they were only 15 or so metres in diameter and
generated only 50 KW. Who would’ve imagined 10 years ago that we
could build and install some 6MW wind turbine? As an example, EDF
Energy Nouvelles, part of EDF Energy Group, has stakes with other
partners in a windfarm of 30MW ca-
pacity with just six wind turbines.
It is based 30km offshore and each
wind turbine has a rotor diameter
of 126 meters.”
And the technology is still
developing. Egal tells us about
projects working towards turbines
able to produce 10MW and turbines
based on fl oating platforms that
can exploit the wind in deep-sea locations. With the huge capac-
ity of today’s turbines it is not technology that is holding the more
widespread adoption of wind power back. Rather it is outside factors
that limit its large-scale implementation. The aforementioned issues
with the grid are a major stumbling block, the lack of high power
transmission lines making it extremely diffi cult to get energy from
the remote areas where it is generated to the urban centres where
it is most needed. Additionally, the UK planning process can throw
plenty of obstacles in the path of speedy expansion. “To develop
wind energy is a very long track with a lot of hurdles, particularly in
this country,” Egal confi rms. “The planning system is very slow, but
I think it more or less always happens. And if we have an ambitious
target, within a certain amount of time, you have to take into account
“To develop wind energy is a very long track with a lot of hurdles”
90 www.euinfrastructure.com
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92 www.euinfrastructure.com
The current diffi culty in obtaining fi -
nancial resources for new projects
is pressing asset owners to in-
crease the profi tability of those
already in use. On a short-term
perspective simply reducing operational
costs like maintenance activities will achieve
this, and many owners are seeking to increase
productivity and effi ciency since nowadays a
proper improvement can mean signify differ-
ence between thriving and extinction.
This demand for productivity and ef-
fi ciency cascades from the owners down
to their suppliers, and among them are
independent O&M service providers, which
need to maintain (and increase, if possible)
the availability and production of the plant
with fewer human and material resources.
As a result, there is a change in the rules and
practices of the maintenance activity. O&M
service contracts used to establish prices
based upon the number of technicians em-
ployed in the plant; now prices are based
upon plant availability and energy output,
including rewards and penalties that derive
from reaching (or not reaching) certain objec-
tives. Calculations are used that take into ac-
count all relevant factors like grid availability,
weather conditions, and turbine availability.
Technicians used to be permanently allo-
cated to a specifi c plant but are now arranged
in groups so that some ‘general-purpose’
teams attend a range of nearby wind or solar
farms, whereas others, specialised in certain
kind of operations (component exchange for
example), cover a wider geographical circle.
This is made possible thanks to current
mobile communications technologies, which
allow for online monitoring for the position of
different teams.
From a task organisation standpoint, cor-
rective actions used to be the main driver of
the activity but now there is a shift towards
preventive and predictive maintenance.
Shorter periods are being set up for the as-
sessment of the running operations, with an
increasing use of real time data collection
tools and monitoring systems, and this in
turn allows for the re-scheduling of certain
activities whenever the analysis of the infor-
mation reveals that it is advisable.
The list of benefi ts is extensive: reduction
in failures, better accomplishment of preven-
tive maintenance schedule (thus avoiding an
accelerated ageing of the asset), more ration-
al planning and less unscheduled working
hours with a positive infl uence on personnel
motivation and a reduction of accidents.
All the measures described above are
the necessary outcome of a very demanding
fi nancial environment and can be possible
due to the fact that the renewable energy
sector has reached a high degree of maturity.
However, these new requirements should not
be seen just as unavoidable problems that
we need to overcome.
At Global Energy Services (GES) we face
the situation as a great opportunity to gain
competitiveness in the renewables sector.
Wind energy, as an example, has grown
around 25 percent annually during the last
three years. According to BTM Consult, last
year 28,190MW were installed leading to a
cumulative worldwide total of 122,000MW.
This means that the installed power has dou-
bled in three years. All those new installations
need to be maintained which presents a for-
midable opportunity for independent service
providers. For the asset owners, a sound
maintenance strategy that generates a small
percentual improvement in availability and
energy production will have signifi cant effects
in terms of plant profi tability and, from a larger
perspective, in reduced CO2 emissions.
Renewing strategyRenewables enjoyed an impressive boom in recent years, with high ROIs and plenty of credit available. But the outlook is not so bright these days and one victim of cost-cutting policies is the level of assets maintenance services. Ricardo Moro, of Global Energy Services suggests ways to avoid this.
Ricardo Moro is Chief Executive
Offi cer at Global Energy Services
(GES), an independent services
provider to the energy sector and
world leader in the wind market
with 4400 employees active in
Europe, North America and North
Africa. He is an industrial engineer
and has over 20 years’ experience
in the renewable energy sector,
both in manufacturing and in
service activities. He has held
different positions in Gamesa
including Deputy General Manager
in the manufacturing division and
has been CEO at GES since 2003.
“Wind energy has grown around 25 percent annually during the last three years”
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The European Union has set a binding target of 20 percent
of its energy supply to come from wind and other renew-
able sources by 2020. In order to achieve this 20 percent
energy target, more than one-third of the European elec-
trical demand would have to come from renewables, with
wind power expected to deliver 12-14 percent. So how
realistic is this target? Well, Christian Kjaer, Chief Executive of the Euro-
pean Wind Energy Association (EWEA) believes that this is completely
possible. “To reach the targets set out by the European union we would
have to increase total wind power capacity in Europe by 9.5 gigawatts
per year over the next 12 years. Given that we increased wind power
capacity by 8.5 gigawatts last year, it’s not an ambitious aspiration,” he
explains. It is quite clear that wind energy will provide the lion’s share
of the energy target that the European Union has set, but the target
also calls for hydro resources and biomass to be fully utilised. “I would
say it’s certainly achievable to reach 20 percent renewables although
whether we meet the projections for biomass remains to be seen. It’s all
down to how effectively the members are going to implement renewa-
bles – that’s the big question mark,” adds Kjaer.
While it is widely believed that the development of wind energy
across Europe is limited by existing power infrastructure, Kjaer be-
lieves that this is not a hugely limiting factor in regard to the physical
WIND POWERWill European Union wind power reach the tough renewable targets its been
set for 2020? Christian Kjaer, CEO of the European Wind Energy Association,
explains why and how it just could.
ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
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future,” says Kjaer. “In short there are limitations, certainly offshore
with the lack of grid, but we need to stop and put in place measures
that concentrate on companies investing and building in the sector.
There are some institutional problems with this, such as a lack of
funding. But we simply haven’t invested enough in our infrastructure
for decades now and that needs to change if we want to make a dra-
matic change in the way we get our energy in the future.”
While offshore wind is more expensive than onshore wind energy,
due to the high costs of foundations and the grid that needs to be built
to access it, offshore will always provide a larger wind resource. Kjaer
hopes that as more economies of scale are introduced to the system
and wind turbines are mass-produced, offshore will be recognised
for the stronger resource that it is. “The offshore market in Europe is
more or less at the level that we were in 1992 and 1993 onshore, so we
haven’t even come close to reaping the benefi ts and getting the cost
reductions down in the same way as onshore in the last 20 years,”
grid. “We do have some restrictions if we look at certain regions of
Europe. There are regions in Spain where you get 40-50 percent of the
electricity coming from wind, so there are certainly limitations on how
much you can expand there unless you do something with the internal
infrastructure of the grid itself,” he explains.
ChallengesSo, challenges do remain in terms of how the grid is operated.
Kjaer believes that it is vital to start putting together plans that allow
investment in new infrastructure, as projects take an extended amount
of time to get on track. “We certainly need to change operations and
look at the way we operate our grid if we want to meet the 2020 renew-
able target. There is no question that the biggest challenge over the
next 10 years is grid infrastructure. The grid is already a limiting factor
because of course we don’t have electricity infrastructure offshore.
We need to start planning to prevent this becoming a challenge in the
WORKS
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Power generationAs Europe looks to expand both onshore and offshore wind
generation capacity it becomes clear that wind alone cannot be
responsible for all of our power generation because of its variable
nature. So how large a proportion of European energy can be realis-
tically generated by wind? Kjaer believes it depends on how big an
integrated power system it is possible to construct, so the amount
of wind energy put into the system at a European level depends on
how integrated the European grid system turns out to be. Of course
the bigger the geographical area, the more fi rm power is generated
from wind energy so there is a huge benefi t in the geographical
dispersion of wind energy. However, in order to get that geographi-
cal dispersion it means that the grid has to have the same sort of
dimensions, which is why interconnections are so valuable. A more
interconnected grid means that variability becomes irrelevant. “This
is why we believe that the infrastructure is so important, and it’s
not only about integrating wind energy but also about improving
competition in the electricity market.”
Kjaer goes on to say that no-one is suggesting wind energy
should provide 100 percent of all European Union power, but rather
if it was well integrated and utilised
it could have a large segment of the
electricity market. “If we used the enor-
mous hydro resources that we have in
Norway or Sweden for example, which
complements wind energy extremely
well, I have no doubt that we can have
a system based on 100 percent renew-
able electricity, be it biomass, wind,
large hydro, small hydro or geothermal.
But it requires a complete change in our
way of thinking about operating sys-
tems and requires that we start utilising
that.”
Indeed, Kjaer believes that there
are no technical barriers to wind energy
producing 25-40 percent of Europe’s elec-
tricity. He highlights Denmark as having
plans to use wind power alone to gener-
ate 50 percent of its electricity by 2020.
If that is possible in a small geographical
area like Denmark, why shouldn’t it be
possible Europe wide. “In reality there
are no technical barriers to having half
of Europe’s electricity supplied by wind
energy, but that will be beyond 2020,
when we expect to be on target and see
between 14 and 19 percent of our energy
coming from here. By 2030 I see wind
energy will provide at least a quarter of
our electricity. There’s still quite a long
way to go in terms of increasing wind en-
ergies,” explains Kjaer.
he says. “In order to do that we need economies of scale and that’s
why it’s so important that you have some companies that are focusing
very heavily on this, including in the UK, Germany and Norway, as well
as France. But again offshore infrastructure is a much more imminent
issue to solve compared to onshore because there aren’t any grids.”
Kjaer goes on to explain that the benefi t of improving offshore
grids is that it is possible to build interconnections between countries
which in turn mean it would be possible to improve the electricity and
tracing of electricity over the borders of Europe, giving consumers the
cheapest power possible. By planning infrastructure investment it will
benefi t in terms of maximising the exchange between various member
states as well as putting the infrastructure where there are offshore
wind resources or weight power resources and improve the function-
ing of the internal electricity market while meeting targets for renewa-
bles. “What we do in terms of offshore infrastructure is extremely
important, and here we are in need of faster action than onshore in
terms of new infrastructure. We need to fi gure out structures that
allow us to make smart plans in how we build electricity infrastruc-
ture offshore at a bilateral or regional country level. It’s very much
a similar challenge that we’re standing in front of as when we were
building the oil and gas infrastructure.
We would like for that planning to be a
bit more international in nature, and a
bit more coordinated among individual
European countries than we saw with
oil and gas because it makes sense in
terms of electricity markets.”
There is no doubt that grid in-
frastructure is going to be the most
important issue to work on in the next
decade, along with the development of
the power market and a much higher
degree of interconnection between
the European member states. While
it will be possible to learn something
from the onshore infrastructure for
increasing offshore wind farms partic-
ularly around grid development, Kjaer
believes that from an infrastructure
perspective we in Europe have never
much cared about what happens on the
other side of the border, which means
it may well be harder to do so this time
around. “We musn’t repeat what we’ve
done onshore because there needs to
be cooperation in terms of infrastruc-
ture planning,” advises Kjaer. “Let’s
not repeat the nationalistic approach
that we have taken on for the last 100
years when we planned grids. Instead
it’s even more important that we co-
operate as the benefi ts of offshore are
that much higher.”
Some of the many benefi ts associated with
wind power include:
• Economic growth and job creation: In
2008, the value of wind turbines installed in
Europe was €11 billion. In 2020, the annual
market for wind energy in the EU is expected
to reach €17 billion. About 160,000 people
in the EU were in wind energy-related
employment in 2008. The wind industry could
create up to 368,000 new jobs in the EU from
2000 to 2020.
• Cleaning up the environment: Europe’s
65 gigawatts (GW) of wind power installed by
the end of 2008 will annually avoid 108 million
tones of CO2 – the equivalent of taking over 50
million cars off the road, This also translates
into an annual CO2 cost of about €2.4 billion.
• Energy independence: Europe now imports
more than half its energy, a fi gure that is
expected to climb to 70 percent in the next
20 to 30 years. The European wind industry’s
installed capacity of 65 GW is enough to
provide power for the equivalent of 35 million
average EU households. Wind energy allowed
EU nations to avoid paying fuel costs of €5.4
billion last year.
WHY WIND?
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Kjaer explains that the key element over the next 12 years will
be seeing where that capacity will come from – where wind will be in
relation to its main competitors in terms of new electricity generating
capacity. “If we look at investments over the last 10 years, Europe has
really been investing in wind power and gas, and I think it will be inter-
esting to see how wind energy compares in terms of cost with building
a new gas fi red power plant,” he says. Kjaer sees three factors that
are very much in wind energy’s favour. Firstly is that it is quicker to
build a wind farm than a new coal or gas fi red power plant. Second is
the fact that from 2013 coal and gas power plants will have to pay for
every ton of CO2 that is emitted. And third is that with a coal or gas
fi red plant it is vital to take into account future fuel prices in order to
understand the cost of operations. “One of the main benefi ts of wind
power is that the cost of carbon and fuel prices will be zero over the
next 20 years of operation, whereas you
can’t guarantee that for coal and gas fi red
plants, you just don’t know what fuel and
carbon prices will be.
“The competition over the next 12 years
will be who gets to build those 350,000
megawatts that we need in the European
Union. It will be between coal, gas and
wind energy and with the current outlook
for fuel prices, wind energy looks like an
increasingly attractive investment.”
ProgressIn terms of moving forward, Kjaer explains that the key projects
currently underway in the European wind energy space are extremely
interesting and that the sector is learning a great deal from these devel-
opments. He also points to Eastern Europe as an interesting area, with
Romania, Bulgaria and Poland in particular getting serious about renew-
able energy. “The speed at which the conditions have been put in place
to attract investors is great,” says Kjaer. “It’s interesting to see how these
countries have approached the whole debate about the renewables di-
rective, putting in place measures in terms of grid access and payment
frameworks.”
So how does Kjaer envisage the wind energy space progressing in the
future as Europe reaches its 2020 deadline? “It’s a truly interesting time,”
replies Kjaer, “because we have come from a past in which we actually
didn’t need more new electricity generating
capacity. We actually had excess capacity
until a few years ago, which is no longer the
case because we are shutting down old
power plants and have to build new ones.
What the European Commission is saying
is that between now and 2020 we have to
build approximately 350,000 megawatts of
new electricity generating capacity, which is
equal to 50 percent of all capacity that’s cur-
rently running in the European Union.”
ANN
UAL
CUM
ULAT
IVE
2000
2000 20000
4000 40000
6000 60000
8000 80000
10000 100000
12000 120000
2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2020 2030
Annual installation
Cumulative installation
Annual installation (Ref.scenario)
Cumulative installation (Ref.scenario)
OFFSHORE WIND MARKET DEVELOPMENT IN THE EU UP
TO 2008 AND EWEA’S SCENARIOS UP TO 2030
United Kingdom
Belgium
Denmark
Finland
Germany
Ireland
Netherlands
Sweden
United Kingdom 39% 590.80 MW
Belgium 2% 30.00 MW
Denmark 28% 409.15 MW
Finland 2% 24.00 MW
Germany 1% 12.00 MW
Ireland 1% 25.20 MW
Netherlands 17% 246.80 MW
Sweden 9% 133.30 MW
OPERATIONAL OFFSHORE WIND FARMS
“We simply haven’t invested
enough in our infrastructure for
decades now and that needs to
change if we want to make a
dramatic change in the way we
get our energy in the future”
Source: EWEA Source: EWEA
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98 www.euinfrastructure.com
Our world is going through a
fundamental transformation
with incredible business and
political challenges. Emerging
economies are becoming major
players in the international scene, while the
unprecedented recession is challenging the
concept of globalisation. However, these
challenges are forcing us to rethink and re-
defi ne the way we live.
One of the most signifi cant examples is
the incredible boom of the renewable energy
segment – more specifi cally wind energy.
Wherever we travel these days, we see wind
turbines or trucks zooming to deliver ele-
ments of towers throughout the world. And
the key words of the wind power industry are
safety, reliability and performance.
While cashing in on the environment
debate and action by governments across the
world, this industry is creating job opportuni-
ties with a conscious effort on safety during
building of, as well as the maintenance of,
the turbines.
All actors of the wind industry that I
meet are dedicated to safety. Access to sites
is highly regulated and PPE is mandatory.
Safety training is a genuine part of the cul-
ture. During my visit to the sites, I am always
impressed by the professionalism of the
safety offi cers. We at Power Climber are ex-
tremely proud to be a key contributor in this
fi eld, offering access solutions to the wind
industry and ensuring safety at height during
installation and maintenance of the turbines.
Safety is our business and our passion. We
provide service lift solution SHERPA, climb
assist system with our recently launched
IBEX, as well as standard and engineered
solutions for blade and tower access.
The wind industry is winning the race to
be one of the most reliable sources of energy.
The technology breakthroughs in improving
all components of the turbines to make them
even more reliable are impressive.
The introduction of Six Sigma and the
investments in R&D centres by major OEMs
is a proof of this commitment. The increase
and improvement in the service capabilities
of those in the industry is clearly an indica-
tion of willingness to manage this challenge.
Power Climber brings its contribution to this
effort, by designing and providing reliable
solutions dedicated to the maintenance and
repair of the wind turbines that enable the
service teams to perform their tasks with
increased productivity.
The ‘MegaWatt Race’ and the adjust-
ment of towers to the confi guration of the
wind park represent amazing technological
developments. But what is Power Climber’s
contribution? The tallest of the towers require
access to the nacelle safely and rapidly, and
here once more this is our core business.
Since 1972, Power Climber has been
providing access solutions to a variety of
industries. The most signifi cant of them are
construction, industrial and wind energy.
The ‘MegaWatt Race’ of the wind industry
presents a great opportunity for us to exploit
our engineering and technology expertise as
an engineered access solutions specialist.
In addition, our range includes access
solutions for suspended bridges, manu-
facturing, mining, oil & gas, aerospace and
military. Our philosophy is leadership in in-
novation, safety, reliability and dedication
to serve our customers. We can assure that
we will not only keep up this commitment but
continue to be innovative in our approach to
access solutions.
TAKING CARE
Eric Thormann is Vice President and
Managing Director of Power Climber
International, a subsidiary of SafeWorks.
He started his career at Volvo Cars as
Services Director for France. In 1997
he joined Carrier UTC as Marketing
and Services Director in Paris for
the Europe and Middle East region,
before restructuring Carrier Sutrak as
Managing Director. In 2003 he joined
American Standard Trane division
as Vice President of Services for the
Europe Middle East and India region.
Addressing the safety challenges of the renewable energy.
ERIC THORMANN
“And the key words of the wind power industry are safety, reliability and performance”
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Women have made some fan-
tastic in-roads into industries
that have historically been
dominated by men, but de-
spite this, the gritty world of
construction has remained a man’s world. In
fact, with under 10 percent of the UK industry
made up of females, construction is still consid-
ered a daunting environment for women to
enter. But with the appointment of its new pres-
ident, the Chartered Institute of Building is
breaking new ground – in more ways than one.
A pioneer in construction management in
her home country of China, Li Shirong’s work
spans academia, industry and government and
reflects her strong belief in the need for sus-
tainable urbanisation. As a member of the CIOB
since its early connections with China (and as
such regarded as a major factor in its growth
there), Shirong is keen to use her term to en-
sure that international communications remain
high on the agenda. “As the world becomes
smaller, it’s easier to share experience about
how to make the best use of our resources. But
the world is still challenging – we need com-
munication and collaboration internationally,
particularly during the current economic cri-
sis,” she says.
Her appointment is certainly an important
milestone for the 175-year-old organisation; as
well as being the first female president, this is
the first time that the CIOB has selected some-
one from outside of the UK to take on the top
role. And while Shirong is no stranger to the is-
sues presented by the CIOB’s core market –
having studied in Europe and through her work
with the institute, she is well aware of the prob-
lems faced by the UK’s construction industry –
she is keen to use her presidency to foster a
more international approach.
“Communication is so important in terms
of sharing experiences and creating new op-
portunities, so this is something I really want
to concentrate on,” she says. “I think it is ex-
citing but also challenging work for both the
CIOB and myself. We have members around the
world, and I think to have a president from out-
side of the UK will help bring a different view-
point and help encourage a dialogue of
communication between our various members
in the international environment.”
One such area of focus is particularly close to
her heart – that of the development and growing
influence of China. “China’s economic develop-
100 www.euinfrastructure.com
INSIDE STORY
Breakingnewground
New demand for greater collaboration and exchange of information isleading to some significant construction industry shifts – none more sothan at the Chartered Institute of Building.
Li Shirong
SHIRONG LI:24sept 17/07/2009 16:04 Page 100
ment has produced a building boom on a scale
not seen in modern history, and it is important
that China learns from the experience of the
West,” she explains. “However, because China
can build in technology at an earlier stage of its
infrastructure, it is also able to incorporate previ-
ously untried environmental innovations and
ideas. Therefore the West can learn much from
China. This situation underlines the acute need
for a two-way exchange of ideas and experience.”
It also highlights the wisdom of the CIOB’s
latest appointment. Shirong’s strong connec-
tions with her home city of Chongqing – now re-
garded as the world’s largest city – certainly
provide her with experience that will be valuable
to all CIOB members. The city is making huge in-
vestments in urban construction, has a fast-
growing population and a large construction
workforce, and Shirong has played a central role
in its development in recent years. As such, she
is perfectly placed to advise on the various chal-
lenges presented by rapid urbanisation – with
sustainability chief amongst them.
“Sustainability needs to be a major focus
of our discussions as an industry,” she sug-
gests. “I always tell people the city is a muse-
um of buildings – that we don’t just build
buildings, we create communities, influence
society, stimulate economic activity – and I
think our members should be very proud of
that; however, with that comes a certain re-
sponsibility, and the need to focus on sustain-
able development. Construction is an
incredibly important sector – particularly for
those countries that are going through rapid
urbanisation.”
The related concepts of conservation and
maintenance will also be key areas of focus for
Shirong in the coming months. “Conservation is
a comprehensive process and requires a lot of
knowledge,” she says. “You need to do a lot of
investigation before making a decision on
whether to conserve or demolish. Do you con-
serve the whole area or one single building or
even just a part of the building? Is a historically
significant but dilapidated building worthy of re-
pair and restoration, and if so, should you use
traditional methods of building that are true to
the spirit of the building or more efficient and
cost-effective modern methods? These are big
decisions.”
Which leads us back to Shirong’s core com-
petency: construction management. Looking at
urbanisation in such a holistic way really re-
quires an integrated approach between many
different stakeholders – between architects, de-
velopers and planners, local governments, en-
vironmental groups and suppliers. There are a
lot of different constituencies that all need to
come together to really work on making sus-
tainability a realistic goal. So what can be done
to improve the way that these different groups
and types of stakeholder work together?
“It’s simple,” she says. “Management is
about dealing with people. It’s about leadership.
This is why I always say that the CIOB is a good
forum for talking about construction manage-
ment; we should be working together in a part-
nership. The CIOB is really trying to show the
value of conservation, linking it to sustainabili-
ty through a series of seminars and events;
we’re trying to start a dialogue about the value
of conserving your heritage. We’re very much
embracing the knowledge within our member-
ship, and using those members to spread the
word and show the actual value.”
Part of that value is, of course, in the grow-
ing role tourism plays in emerging economies.
Again, Shirong uses the UK as an example. “For
many overseas visitors, tourism in the UK is ac-
tually about coming to the country and experi-
encing the culture and the heritage, and if you
sacrifice that then you actually sacrifice quite a
bit of your economy. There are lots of countries
out there that have a strong cultural identity, and
keeping that is important for those economies.”
Shirong has certainly come a long way since
her first job labouring in the mud of a wheat farm
at the tail end of the Cultural Revolution 30 years
ago, but symbolically, she is still breaking new
ground. Modestly, she puts the achievement
within a much wider context. “I am just a normal
person from China,” she says. “For the institute
to trust me and elect me is a big thing, for both
myself and my country. I will never forget my
daughter’s reaction to the news. She said that
this was the most important thing in my life, as
it shows that as a professional I got to the top.
But this post really isn’t about me. It’s about
changes in China, and changes in the attitude of
the industry. This couldn’t have happened 30
years ago, under the planned economy. Through
the open door policy and reform, we changed –
to be able to compete in an international society.
It’s an historic achievement.” n
101www.euinfrastructure.com
Li Shirong began her working life on a wheat farm, mixing fertile earth from the
surrounding mountains into the sandy soil towards the end of the Cultural Revolution.
When Chinese policy changed and young people were allowed to take examinations to
enter universities for the first time in over a decade, Shirong first studied civil engineering (her
father’s profession) before going on to become one of the first in China to study Construction
Management, a field in which she later became a professor.
In 2003, the government of Chongqing (a region of 32 million people) asked her to help in
its modernisation process. She became Vice-Mayor of the Shapbingba District, leading a team
to create an entirely new ‘university town’, relocating farmers and building around 10
universities for 80,000 students.
Shirong was only the third Chinese national ever to join the CIOB and has encouraged
membership in China ever since. She has also been instrumental in joint schemes between the
CIOB and the Chinese construction industry – currently involving training and is an ambassador
to the Chinese Ministry of Construction.
A LIFE IN CONSTRUCTION
“Conservation is a comprehensiveprocess and requires a lot of knowledge.
You need to do a lot of investigationbefore making a decision on whether to
conserve or demolish”
SHIRONG LI:24sept 17/07/2009 16:04 Page 101
102 www.euinfrastructure.com
As an academic, Ron McCaffer’s role as Chairman of the ECI is bucking the trend in more ways than one. Here EU Infrastructure fi nds out about his role, the work the Institute is currently involved in and how the construction sector is coping in the recession.
As Europe’s only transnational learning network covering
the entire cycle of engineering and construction, the Eu-
ropean Construction Institute (ECI) has some stories to
tell. Launched in 1990 to coincide with the privatisation
of the Central Electric Generating Board (CEGB), it was
set up to develop and maintain a sustainable, performance-based
culture across the industry. The man behind the ECI is Ron McCaffer,
who today is the Chairman of the group. “That is almost unconstitu-
tional,” he jokes when I speak to him from his offi ce in Loughborough,
England. “I wrote the constitution myself and it says that the Chair-
man must be someone from within the industry. This was to be an
industry-led institution, not an academic one; so this is a great honour
that they [the members] have bestowed upon me.”
McCaffer is a Professor of Construction Management – a title he
has held since 1986. As a lecturer at Loughborough University, his
career has also positioned him in the roles of Head of Civil Engineer-
ing, Dean of Engineering and Deputy Vice Chancellor of the university,
though this is a role he has since stepped back from.
“When the CEGB was still a nationalised company, our organiza-
Time to build
CONSTRUCTION
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103www.euinfrastructure.com
“The most exciting thing that happened at that time was
that we received a letter of support from the then-UK Prime Min-
ister, who was very encouraging about the fact that these European
construction clients, contractors and consultants were going to be
acting together in this way for the common good,” notes McCaffer.
“Of course, the interesting thing is that the then-Prime Minister was
Mrs. Thatcher, who was not exactly known for her European views,”
he adds with a grin. “I still have the letter.”
Structure and operationThe ECI works in a unique fashion, explains McCaffer. Every
subscribing member becomes a part of what the ECI calls the Mem-
bership Council, who then meet twice a year to give the organisation
its directive as to what it should be doing. From there, the Board of
Advisors elects an Executive Group and, as Chairman, McCaffer heads
up that group. “Traditionally the role of Chairman has been fi lled by an
industrialist and when I step down, which will be in the not too distant
future, I’ll be replaced by an industrialist, and that’s how it should
be,” he explains.
tion not only built power stations
and generated, distributed and
sold electricity, but also did a lot
of good work in between,” McCaf-
fer explains. “But when the CEGB
broke up into fi ve privatised compa-
nies, that good work simply disappeared between the cracks.” Be-
cause of this, the industry felt that it needed something to replace the
body that had previously been operating in the non-profi t arena. The
pressure for this largely came from the big clients, McCaffer explains.
Subsequently, the establishment of what is now known as the ECI –
which mostly concentrates on working with engineering construction,
such as oil and gas, power, major infrastructure and pharmaceuticals
(rather than buildings) – was greatly encouraged to establish itself
by these clients, particularly the oil and power companies. Coinci-
dentally, Europe seemed to be opening up, stimulating an excitement
about the prospect of trading across borders. As a result, instead of
creating the once-proposed UK Construction Institute, the European
version was established.
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104 www.euinfrastructure.com
the past these task forces have gone through works on the evolution
of the partnering craze, and we also did a lot of work on partnering be-
cause though energy under European procurement competition has
to follow EU rules, these rules and partnering did not at fi rst appear to
sit neatly together.”
McCaffer points out that a lot of that work was done in order to
tease these issues out, which in turn led to the quality revolution in the
1990s. “At the start of that decade, for example, contractors would say,
‘We’re in business in order to make a profi t,’ which has the underlying
point of meaning, ‘We’ll do what we have to do to make a profi t’. By the
end of the 1990s, these same contractors would say, ‘We’re in business
to deliver a right fi rst time, high quality service that works for our cli-
ents.’ That was the transition that took place as various forms of quality
management worked their way into the industry.”
Of course, the challenges facing the industry are ongoing, and
today they are dominated by the recession. “If you look at our con-
ference program for this October, for example, the big issue we are
covering is the global market and the recession, and we are busy col-
lecting data on that at the moment,” explains McCaffer.
What’s more, there has long been a feeling in the ECI that the con-
struction industry needs to remain sustainable. In these terms, that
word doesn’t mean ‘green’ like it so often does today, but it rather the
need to be competitive. But how do you get your industry to become
competitive? McCaffer explains that this need forced the ECI to look at
a framework of training courses called Master Classes, based on re-
search from within the members’ work, that could be used to educate
others. He pinpoints one Master Class that is particularly relevant to
today’s challenges. “Managing your people on site is a real issue,” he
says. “Look at the huge manpower problem on the Lindsey Oil Refi n-
ery that we saw in early June [see boxout]. Somehow the industry has
to resolve these sorts of problems or it isn’t competitive. And if it isn’t
competitive someone else is going to fi ll the void.”
Training programs through the ECI are given the grand title of
Master Classes because, in effect, they are in place to fi nd a master of
a certain topic, as McCaffer explains: “In October this year, we have
a conference that will offer Master Classes covering topics such as
Dispute and Avoidance Management, Fast Track Projects, Health and
Safety, Managing the Multinational Workforce, Managing People and
Projects, Multicultural Project Teamworking, New Mobile Informa-
tion Technology in Construction, Project Cost Management and Risk
Analysis and Management.”
Ultimately, these Master Classes provide an opportunity for ex-
perienced project and construction managers and engineers to ben-
From there, the ECI operates a series of limited-life task forces,
which combine the experience and expertise of industry members
with the research methodology and knowledge of ECI’s academic
partners. ECI task forces are put together as groups of people who are
able to address a specifi c issue at a specifi c time within the industry.
McCaffer explains that these task forces, typically made up of a group
of industrialists and one academic representative, will commission
further industry research and then publish the results as a report,
handbook or web-based tool for use by the rest of the industry. “In
On 28 January 2009,
approximately 800 local
contractors of Total’s Lindsey
Oil Refi nery went on strike following
appointment by the Italian construction contractor
IREM of several hundred European (mainly Italian and
Portuguese) contractors on the site, despite the current
high unemployment in the local and global economy.
Despite a seeming resolution, the strikes resumed
on 19 June 2009 when nearly 700 construction staff
were sacked at the refi nery. The sackings came after
1200 workers walked out unoffi cially at the plant in a jobs
dispute, causing a ripple of workers at other plants across
the UK to walked out in sympathy.
Workers at the Lindsey refi nery were invited to re-apply
for their jobs, with managers at Total giving them a deadline
of 5pm on Monday 22 June 2009 to do so. However,
angered by the actions of the management, workers burned
their dismissal letters at a protest outside the refi nery.
Negotiations between Total and representatives of
the GMB union were adjourned on Tuesday 23 June with
some progress having been made, but sources said a
number of ‘signifi cant barriers’ remained. Talks resumed
on 25 June, and an agreement was reached late that
evening to end the industrial action. On 29 June workers
at the refi nery voted to accept the deal.
LINDSEY OIL REFINERY
“there has long been a feeling in the ECI that the construction industry
needs to remain sustainable. In these terms, that word doesn’t mean ‘green’ like it so often does today, but it rather
the need to be competitive”
102-103-104-105_INFRAEU8_JULY09.indd Sec1:104102-103-104-105_INFRAEU8_JULY09.indd Sec1:104 17/7/09 15:53:4117/7/09 15:53:41
104 www.euinfrastructure.com
the past these task forces have gone through works on the evolution
of the partnering craze, and we also did a lot of work on partnering be-
cause though energy under European procurement competition has
to follow EU rules, these rules and partnering did not at fi rst appear to
sit neatly together.”
McCaffer points out that a lot of that work was done in order to
tease these issues out, which in turn led to the quality revolution in the
1990s. “At the start of that decade, for example, contractors would say,
‘We’re in business in order to make a profi t,’ which has the underlying
point of meaning, ‘We’ll do what we have to do to make a profi t’. By the
end of the 1990s, these same contractors would say, ‘We’re in business
to deliver a right fi rst time, high quality service that works for our cli-
ents.’ That was the transition that took place as various forms of quality
management worked their way into the industry.”
Of course, the challenges facing the industry are ongoing, and
today they are dominated by the recession. “If you look at our con-
ference program for this October, for example, the big issue we are
covering is the global market and the recession, and we are busy col-
lecting data on that at the moment,” explains McCaffer.
What’s more, there has long been a feeling in the ECI that the con-
struction industry needs to remain sustainable. In these terms, that
word doesn’t mean ‘green’ like it so often does today, but it rather the
need to be competitive. But how do you get your industry to become
competitive? McCaffer explains that this need forced the ECI to look at
a framework of training courses called Master Classes, based on re-
search from within the members’ work, that could be used to educate
others. He pinpoints one Master Class that is particularly relevant to
today’s challenges. “Managing your people on site is a real issue,” he
says. “Look at the huge manpower problem on the Lindsey Oil Refi n-
ery that we saw in early June [see boxout]. Somehow the industry has
to resolve these sorts of problems or it isn’t competitive. And if it isn’t
competitive someone else is going to fi ll the void.”
Training programs through the ECI are given the grand title of
Master Classes because, in effect, they are in place to fi nd a master of
a certain topic, as McCaffer explains: “In October this year, we have
a conference that will offer Master Classes covering topics such as
Dispute and Avoidance Management, Fast Track Projects, Health and
Safety, Managing the Multinational Workforce, Managing People and
Projects, Multicultural Project Teamworking, New Mobile Informa-
tion Technology in Construction, Project Cost Management and Risk
Analysis and Management.”
Ultimately, these Master Classes provide an opportunity for ex-
perienced project and construction managers and engineers to ben-
From there, the ECI operates a series of limited-life task forces,
which combine the experience and expertise of industry members
with the research methodology and knowledge of ECI’s academic
partners. ECI task forces are put together as groups of people who are
able to address a specifi c issue at a specifi c time within the industry.
McCaffer explains that these task forces, typically made up of a group
of industrialists and one academic representative, will commission
further industry research and then publish the results as a report,
handbook or web-based tool for use by the rest of the industry. “In
On 28 January 2009,
approximately 800 local
contractors of Total’s Lindsey
Oil Refi nery went on strike following
appointment by the Italian construction contractor
IREM of several hundred European (mainly Italian and
Portuguese) contractors on the site, despite the current
high unemployment in the local and global economy.
Despite a seeming resolution, the strikes resumed
on 19 June 2009 when nearly 700 construction staff
were sacked at the refi nery. The sackings came after
1200 workers walked out unoffi cially at the plant in a jobs
dispute, causing a ripple of workers at other plants across
the UK to walked out in sympathy.
Workers at the Lindsey refi nery were invited to re-apply
for their jobs, with managers at Total giving them a deadline
of 5pm on Monday 22 June 2009 to do so. However,
angered by the actions of the management, workers burned
their dismissal letters at a protest outside the refi nery.
Negotiations between Total and representatives of
the GMB union were adjourned on Tuesday 23 June with
some progress having been made, but sources said a
number of ‘signifi cant barriers’ remained. Talks resumed
on 25 June, and an agreement was reached late that
evening to end the industrial action. On 29 June workers
at the refi nery voted to accept the deal.
LINDSEY OIL REFINERY
“There has long been a feeling in the ECI that the construction industry
needs to remain sustainable. In these terms, that word doesn’t mean ‘green’ like it so often does today, but it rather
the need to be competitive”
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105www.euinfrastructure.com
efi t from ECI knowledge and research, and to exchange and develop
their expertise and ideas with their peers. The Master Classes are
designed to be interactive in style, facilitated by a tutor, and include
lectures and presentations, interactive discussions and case study
examples. And as the ECI has grown, so have the topics that Master
Classes cover; what’s more, they are determined
by the changing needs of the industry and
public sector bodies.
McCaffer draws attention to his involve-
ment with one of the UK’s biggest current
infrastructure projects: the 2012 Olympics. “I
did some work earlier in the start up of that in
looking at the logistics. For example, organis-
ers have just built a new lock on the canal that
allows them to feed material in and out of the
Olympic site that way, to minimise the impact
on the environment and the residents around the
site. In practice, the use of rail to transport materi-
als has been very high.
“The other thing that interested us early
on with the Olympics was the management
structure, because the last big project before the
Olympics was T5. Of course, the difference there was that T5 was
done through a single private sector client, the British Airports
Authority (BAA).”
At that time, as McCaffer highlights, BAA set up a very imagina-
tive structure that took all the risk off the contractors. “Essentially the
structure at T5 said, ‘You’re contracted to deliver the services that we
require and we’ll pay you for those, but there’s no downside to you.’
Of course, there were a few that didn’t live up to it, but the BAA had a
very novel approach to that structure.
“Today a lot of the people that worked on T5 have
moved on to the Olympics. If you look at the Olym-
pic structure, it has got committees and there
has been a huge worry that the client side of
the Olympics might not be as effi cient as it
needs to be to deliver the project. But so far,
so good; so maybe the early concerns will
prove to be unfounded.”
Lastly, in addition to the huge amount of
work going on with the Olympics, McCaffer also
explains how the ECI gives away, each year, a
Project of the Year prize. “These are given, not
necessarily because they’re grand projects,
but because they’re well-managed projects,”
he says.
“The companies can nominate the
projects themselves and our judging panel then sets out
and picks the projects. Last year the winner was the high-speed rail
link into St. Pancras in London. Now the call is out for nominations
for this year, which will be judged in September and awarded at the
October conference, so it really is an exciting time for the industry.”
FEEL THE FORCE
Achieving Competitiveness Through Innovation and Value Enhancement (ACTIVE)
The ECI ACTIVE task force will launch
an updated version of ACTIVE, its eight
ACTIVE principles and supporting Value
Enhancing Practices at the October
conference. Application of the ACTIVE
principles is proven to result in better
projects for clients as well as increased
business and profi tability for suppliers
and contractors. Those projects on which
ACTIVE has been applied do not suffer
from the type of industrial unrest seen at
the Lindsey Oil Refi nery. As a result, the
government is taking a keen interest in
this work.
Industry FuturesThe Industry Futures Task Force
has been established to identify major
issues and drivers that will be affecting
the European construction industry over
the next 10 – 20 years. Its mission is to
identify the three to fi ve key issues that
will have the biggest impact on future
members, understand what the Euro-
pean construction industry might look
like in 20 years time and communicate
relevant programmes of work to sup-
port members in successfully evolving
towards that end.
Project Cost ManagementECI is carrying out research to identify
how member companies and others can
improve project cost outcome predict-
ability. This subject has a high profi le in
many client and contractor organisations,
given the increasing challenges imposed
upon project teams. A clear issue is that
effective project cost management re-
quires active understanding, involvement
and support from the whole of the project
development and implementation teams
plus other key parties.
Safety Health/Environment (SHE)The SHE task force was fi rst set up in 1990
and is the only long standing ECI Task
Force. Its proposed mission is to provide
guidance to ECI members on construction
safety, health and environmental issues,
particularly from a pan-European
perspective.
Whole Life Value (WLV)The ECI WLV task force has been de-
veloping methodology and tools to help
decision-makers better evaluate project and
major purchase options in a way that takes
account for all the value drivers through
the asset life cycle. A WLV tool has now
been developed and is being trialled in the
UK government’s Building Schools for the
Future projects.
A closer look at some of the task forces currently in operation at the ECI
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106 www.euinfrastructure.com
building the plant, such as erecting the sup-
port structure for the boiler unit.
As far as general construction is con-
cerned, our big crawler cranes are used in a
wide array of applications, such as lifting-in
prefabricated highway parts or bridges. One
recent example is a Terex Demag CC 6800
which was used to replace an old railway
bridge in Nyköping, Sweden. Using conven-
tional methods, the railway line would have
been closed for more than a month. The use
of our Terex Demag CC 6800 lattice boom
crane with 1250t lifting capacity reduced this
period to less than a week.
How is Terex Cranes positioned in the heavy-
lifting market?
KM. Terex Cranes offers a full line of lifting
equipment tailored to a broad range of lifting
needs. As far as big crawler cranes are con-
cerned, Terex Cranes offers highly effi cient
equipment which provides a great return on
investment and can carry out particularly
large lifts in infrastructure development.
Through its engineering support, Terex fa-
cilitates continuous improvement as well as
special solutions that are developed to meet
clients’ needs.
ard confi guration cranes are provided with
additional equipment.
Wind turbines are getting larger and
larger, and they are sometimes erected in
areas where the terrain is rough and access
is diffi cult. For example, there may be width
restrictions on access roads for environmen-
tal reasons.
The knowledgeable Terex Cranes team
has helped our customers deal with these
specifi c challenges in various ways, for ex-
ample by developing a special mid-section of
the undercarriage for our 600t crawler crane,
Terex Demag CC 2800-1. This ‘narrow track’
setup allows the crane to travel on narrow
construction roads (5m width) from one wind
turbine erection site to another and even to
travel fully erected in quite hilly areas.
What heavy-lift challenges do you face in
other construction areas?
KM. Other application areas include the erec-
tion and refurbishment of nuclear and con-
ventional thermal power plants, the erection
of gas condensation reactors and general
construction.
Nuclear power plants are currently being
erected to replace older units and to extend
their output of electrical energy. Depending
on the type of plant, two ‘monster-lifters’
can be required to lift an incredible 800t at
a radius of 50m. In other cases they might
lift only 700t but at a full 100m radius. These
impressive loads are required for the power
plants to be built on-schedule, since the op-
timum scenario involves prefabricating many
components close to the place where they
will later be required.
Conventional thermal power plants are
also being built and this work is currently
typical for central Europe and North America.
In many cases, existing plants are refurbished
to increase effi ciency and to meet improved
environmental standards. The cranes used
in these situations have to be very versatile
to carry out the different tasks involved in
Have you noticed signifi cant changes in the
market for your heavy lifting segment?
Klaus Meissner. As a crane manufacturer
we have witnessed a growing demand for
our products. Increasing global wealth and
population growth has led to much new
investment in infrastructure construction in
many parts of the world.
We are seeing this infrastructure in-
vestment in all areas, including transport
infrastructure – road-building, railways and
waterways; the energy sector – building
new power plants and refurbishing existing
ones, as well as building facilities which
make use of renewable energy sources and
general construction.
How far are you affected by these develop-
ments?
KM. The energy sector, for example, is a
major area of operation for our large crawler
cranes. The activities we have noticed re-
cently include the building of new plants in
order to extend the supply base as well as
the replacement or refurbishment of existing
plants in order to make them more effi cient
and to reduce emissions. We have also seen
the development of renewable energy sourc-
es, such as wind in many different locations.
In order to cope with the lifting challenges
involved in these construction projects, very
effi cient and powerful machines are needed,
which incur minimal downtime and work cost
effectively. This is where the experience of
Terex Cranes comes into play.
What are the challenges for your cranes in
the erection of wind turbines?
KM. Wind turbines may be located on-shore,
near-shore or off-shore. Each location has
its own specifi c requirements. For example,
to erect wind turbines on-shore, heavy loads
have to be lifted to a great height on a rela-
tively short radius (eg. loads of 100t at 100m
height and 20m radius). In order to meet
these specifi c job requirements, our stand-
HEAVYWEIGHT CHALLENGE
As Director of Research and
Development for Terex Demag
Mobile Cranes between 2002 and
2007, Klaus Meissner oversaw
the development of many new
telescopic mobile and lattice
boom crawler cranes. In 2008, he
took on his new role as Director
for Terex Cranes Product Integrity.
Terex Cranes’ Klaus Meissner tells EU Infrastructure about the construction trends driving his company’s business.
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Terex AD.indd 1Terex AD.indd 1 9/7/09 15:25:309/7/09 15:25:30
TETRA FOCUS
A STANDARD
PROCESSPhil Kidner fi lls EU Infrastructure in on the background of the TETRA standard and the recent advances in the
communications space.
108 www.euinfrastructure.com
PHIL KIDNER ED P108-110.indd 108PHIL KIDNER ED P108-110.indd 108 17/7/09 15:48:0217/7/09 15:48:02
Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA) is a digital trunked mobile radio standard de-
veloped by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) with
the purpose of meeting the needs of traditional Professional Mobile Radio
(PMR) user organisations. What this means is that air interfaces, network
interfaces, as well as services and facilities, are specifi ed in suffi cient detail
to enable independent manufacturers to develop infrastructure and radio terminal prod-
ucts that are fully interoperable with each other. In other words, radio terminals from
different manufacturers can operate on infrastructures created by other manufacturers.
This ability of full interoperability is a distinct advantage of the open standards devel-
oped by ETSI. And, as several independent manufacturers support the TETRA standard,
this increases competition, provides second source security and allows a greater choice
of terminal products for specifi c user applications.
What’s more, as the TETRA standard has been specifi cally developed to meet
the needs of a wide variety of traditional PMR user organisations, it has a scaleable
architecture allowing economic network deployments. Besides meeting the needs of
traditional PMR user organisations, the TETRA standard has also been developed to
meet the needs of Public Access Mobile Radio (PAMR) operators.
Essentially though, the TETRA stand-
ard is the communications standard
for people that work in groups. It is for
mission-critical, business-critical users,
and it’s a standard that seeks to be a
robust technology. When it was created
we were working in the analogue world,
and TETRA was marked as the fi rst digital
trunked technology for these users. Cre-
ated in the early 1990s, TETRA has now
spread to, at the last count, 106 countries
around the world.
The original TETRA standard fi rst
envisaged by ETSI was known as the
TETRA Voice plus Data (V+D) standard.
Because of the need to further evolve
and enhance TETRA, there needed to
be some additional benefi ts made to
the original V+D standard, which is now
known as TETRA Release 1. After identi-
fying what advancement were necessary
TETRA Release 2 (TETRA 2) was stand-
ardiSed.
TETRA 2 included things like vocoder
and the extension of, but was primarily
about improved data-rates. Everything
we do goes through an interoperability process so that when manufacturers are cre-
ating TETRA 2 products (or TEDS, Tetra Enhanced Data Service products), the users
have confi dence that the products from different manufacturers will interoperate. All
the interoperation processes for TETRA 2 are now written and ready, we’re just waiting
for the products; the fi rst of which are being rolled-out later this year. In addition, next
year there’s two notable contracts around the world that will see some of the fi rst TEDS
products: fi rst in Norway with the Nordnet Network, and then a system in Johannesburg
for their police force, which will coincide with the World Cup in South Africa.
All of this is part of the process of keeping TETRA up to date in the here and now, and
we’re also looking to the future and keeping TETRA up to date in the future, and whether
109www.euinfrastructure.com
Phil Kidner
“The TETRA standard has
been specifi cally developed to meet the needs of a wide
variety of user organisations”
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110 www.euinfrastructure.com
that’s either through broadband TETRA or through interfacing with
some other technologies like LTE (Long Term Evolution) we, as an as-
sociation, are encouraging ETSI to do that standardisation process.
The evolution of TETRAWe are now talking about the next evolution of TETRA, and
whether it’s called TETRA Release 3 or not is just a detail, but ESTI
have begun work on that standard. We’re not being complacent; we’re
trying to keep TETRA as up to date as possible.
As TETRA is designed for people that work in groups, that ob-
viously includes public safety, police offi cers, ambulance and fi re,
but it also involves people that work in utilities, people that work
in oil and gas, and people that work in transport. In fact, the big-
gest sector in numbers of networks now is probably in transport. All
the airports and metros in Asia, for instance, are going TETRA. And
TETRA offers these organisations a digital trunk radio with extremely
clear voice capabilities, it offers secure communications over the air
interface, it can be encrypted, it is built to public safety standards
and the equipment is very tough and robust. TETRA is both voice
and data, so through voice it covers group calls, point-to-point calls
and telephony calls through a gateway. Through data, its data rates
cover the very small bits for updating positions and locations, right
through to sending pictures. Then the TETRA 2 standard is an en-
hancement of that data, making a better use of it.
At the TETRA association, we really do two things. Oftentimes we
are described as the marketing arm of ETSI, but that really doesn’t do
Phil Kidner is Chief Executive of the TETRA Association, which he has been involved with the last three years.
justice to everything we do. One of the things we do that’s very impor-
tant is manage the interoperability process. So TETRA signifi es the
fi rst time in the PMR world that interoperability has ever been thought
of or implemented, and we now have about 20 TETRA manufacturers
who participated in IOP testing. If you take the UK as an example, the
UK has the Motorola network, which supports terminals from Motoro-
la, from EADS, from Sepura, from Selex, from Cleartone and from lots
of different manufacturers. What that has meant is that it has created
a market that manufacturers want to be involved in, because they see
it going global.
The other side of it is that for the users. All that competition means
that the price of the product is driven down, which is clearly a strong
incentive to buy it.
The other thing that we do market TETRA. For example the Asso-
ciation has set-up events across the globe and we put on conferences
and exhibitions to demonstrate what TETRA can do for organisations.
Take the TETRA World Congress, for example, this year held in
Munich, Germany, back in May. The event is the fl agship event of
the TETRA community, and in Munich we exceeded all of our expec-
tations once again, with a number of registrations greater than we
have seen anywhere before. In fact, there was in excess of 2500 at-
tendees in Munich and we are now anticipating that number to grow
again in Singapore, which is where the new World Congress will be
held in 2010.
A future look at the upcoming events of the TETRA Association.
A GLOBAL REACH
Wireless China Industry Summit, September 2009Beijing, China
TETRA Moving Forward in India, September 2009New Delhi, India
Southern African TETRA Association Workshop and Exhibition, September 2009Gauteng, South Africa
TETRA Moving Forward in Russia, October 2009Moscow, Russia
TETRA Moving Forward in Chile, November 2009Santiago, Chile
TETRA Moving Forward in Brazil, November 2009Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
NEW RELEASESA closer look at the need for the TETRA Release 2
While TETRA Release 1 already offered a very comprehensive
portfolio of services and facilities, as time progresses there
became a need to evolve and enhance the technologies to better
satisfy user requirements, futureproof investments and ensure
longevity. Like GSM moving to GPRS, EDGE and UMTS/3G,
TETRA also needed to evolve to satisfy increasing user demand
for new services and facilities, as well as gleaning the benefi ts of
new technology.
As early as 1999, interest groups comprising both users
and manufacturers within Technical Committee (TC) TETRA
and the TETRA Association identifi ed the need to enhance
TETRA in several areas. Although the initial number of areas
identifi ed were very comprehensive, signifi cant events in the
telecommunications industry, combined with changing market
needs, resulted in the several services and facilities being
standardised at the end of 2005 as part of TETRA Release 2.
These included Trunked Mode Operation (TMO) Range Extension;
Adaptive Multiple Rate (AMR) Voice Codec; Mixed Excitation
Liner Predictive, enhanced (MELPe) Voice Codec; and TETRA
Enhanced Data Service (TEDS).
ments, futureproof investm
e GSM moving to GPRS, EDGE and UMT
so needed to evolve to satisfy increasing user d
w services and facilities, as well as gleaning the benefi
techno
TRA Release 1 already offered a very comprehe
tfolio of services and facilities, as time progresses there
became a need to evolve and enhance the technologies to better
satisfy user requirements, futureproof investments and ensure
longe
TE
UK
la, fro
of diffe
a mark
NEW RELEASESA closer look at the need for the TETRA Release 2
Wh
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112 www.euinfrastructure.com
STATE OFEMERGENCY
These are interesting times in the emergency response
space. Some of the current computer aided dispatch
systems are starting to add things that in the past were
optional bells and whistles into their base models. We’re
seeing computer aided dispatch systems that are coming
standard with AVL systems with mapping and GIS com-
ponents, even with some level of records management, whether it’s a
typical law enforcement records management or a prison or corrections
records management system. We’re seeing more case systems now
that are all encompassing. Things that have been done in the past as
bits and pieces are now becoming part of the basic package. It’s a good
thing because it’s more cost effective for the Public Safety Answering
Point (PSAP), but more importantly, it streamlines the operations.
One of the biggest hurdles that we’re challenged with right now
is interoperability when it comes to computer aided dispatch systems
and data. We’ve had people beating the drum for radio interoperability
for years, but people are just starting to realise that data interoperabil-
ity is just as important. For example, if a CAD system can’t talk to a CAD
system in another PSAP, then they’re potentially not as effective as
they could be, so we’re seeing some CAD systems that are starting to
tackle this by incorporating other components into their basic system.
There are more standards being proposed and developed as well,
and once the technology is in place we would be able to enable a huge
amount of improvements. An example would be, if you are in PSAP
A and you take a wireless call from someone who happens to be in
the next county but because of the technology of mobile telephones,
The Association of Public Safety Communications Offi cials’ Bob Smith explains the technological and human challenges facing emergency responders.
CRITICAL COMMUNICATIONS
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There are many reasons why these problems are happening: obvi-
ously you have the typical shift work issues, such as working midnight
shifts, weekends, holidays, being away from your family, and all of
the things that come with any form of shift work, but the situation of
understaffi ng makes these problems even worse. Today we have a tre-
mendous amount of overtime because the fewer people on staff, the
greater the need for overtime and people are working a tremendous
amount of overtime to compensate for the fact that their isn’t enough
staff. This perpetuates a pretty cycle. Everyone is short staffed and so
the people they do have burn out faster. And then they leave.
There’s also the inherent nature of the job. There is a huge amount
of stress that comes with dealing with people for up to 12 hours a day
who are in life or death situations and knowing that a single number
pushed wrong, or one simple word misstated on the radio, could
potentially cost someone their life. The fact is nobody ever calls the
emergency services because they’re having a good day.
On top of all these issues there are also issues with the industry
overall. For example, public safety communications personnel are
typically very low paid and the salaries are not commensurate with the
workload. Also, they are not very well respected in the public safety
industry because, for many years, the telecommunicators were simply
secretaries, answering the phone, taking messages and passing it on.
Thankfully we are starting to overcome that prejudice with certain
levels of certifi cations and standards and professionalism within the
industry, but there’s still a hint of that around.
Beyond that, 911, 999, 112, wherever you are in the world, the prob-
lem it is that the communications component of public safety is trans-
parent to the end user. We don’t have the big red fi re engines and the
fl ashing blue lights, we don’t have the medical bags and the kits, in other
words: you never see us. You may talk to us, but the people that actually
come out to help you are the people you identify with. We’re completely
the call bounces into you. Rather than taking their information and
calling another PSAP or transferring that caller, with this new tech-
nology you would actually be able to enter the data into your own
CAD system and push it through to the correct PSAP. There it would
immediately be displayed as a call logged into their system.
A further example would be that if you are in PSAP A and you
have an incident where you need mutual aid from PSAP B, rather
than taking the time to call that other PSAP and say, ‘We need the
fi re department or the ambulance service or this many police of-
fi cers to go here and this is what we’ve got going on’ you would
be able to push that data out to PSAP B, straight into their CAD
system. Again this populates the fi eld on the dispatcher’s end as
a call already in their system and then they just dispatch it, just
as they would if a call taker took the call on their end. With that
standard out there and other standards being developed, it’s just a
matter of time before we are able to achieve these things.
In fact I think we’re looking at no more than a couple of years before
we achieve this because, as CAD vendors improve their systems, put
their new products and newer versions and additions on the market,
they’ll start to incorporate these things that the public safety side
has determined that we need. It’s a proactive approach versus reac-
tive where we’re pushing out to them saying, ‘This is the kind of thing
we need to develop and work on,’ rather than them coming to us and
saying, ‘Here’s what we’ve built and we will sell it to you.’ This change
is really important. For years it’s always been the commercial side of
the industry pushing things. They have had a baseline concept of what
PSAPs need and they have had historical data they have collected and
put into a system. Now the roles have shifted.
As there are more and more CAD vendors on the market now, every-
one is striving to come to the top. But in order to do that they’re getting
much more intimate with the PSAPs and learning more about what we
need and what we are doing. The result of that is the PSAPs are starting
to dictate what CAD systems should and shouldn’t be able to do.
In truth, some of the most signifi cant challenges we’re currently
facing aren’t technological, but human. The biggest thing right now is
bodies in seats. We have a tremendous staffi ng and retention crisis in
public safety communications. In the United States, for example, the
shortage of nurses and teachers is fairly well known; by contrast the
public safety communications industry is experiencing a 19 percent
turnover rate, which means we are in an even greater crisis, but fewer
people know about it. The problem with that is that there are PSAPs
around the world training people that may not stay with them more
than a year or two; and what happens is that a tremendous amount of
time and money can be invested in this person just to see them turn
around and leave. But more importantly, the greater impact is you’ll
have PSA’s that have an entire staff with less than two to three years’
experience in their position.
“In truth, some of the most signifi cant challenges we’re currently facing aren’t technological, but human”
About APCOAPCO International is the world’s largest
organisation dedicated to public safety
communications. It has been around since 1935,
which is considerably longer than any other public
safety communications association. Today, more than
15,000 members rely on APCO for their professional
needs – from examining standards and issues to
providing education, products and services.
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114 www.euinfrastructure.com
transparent, so there’s obviously a public education campaign needed
there as well. Today though, this transparency, coupled with all of those
other factors means there is a real inability to get hold of those highly
effective people and then keep hold of them once you’ve got them.
There are a few things that we can do to improve the situation. The
easiest is just raising salary levels, but that’s not always feasible, es-
pecially in the current economic climate. However, there other things
that can be done that are just as simple (and in some cases that are
relatively cost effective or even free). Every year in April, for exam-
ple, we run in the US the National Public Safety Telecommunications
Week, an event that is recognised by most states and has received
Presidential and Congressional declarations.
It’s all about taking time to appreciate public safety telecommu-
nicators and making them feel the respect they deserve. Through the
event we are able to publicise an entire industry of highly dedicated,
professional public safety communications personnel. The ability to
do that costs next to nothing, but can have a big impact on morale.
Beyond that, it’s about reaching out and explaining to people exactly
what the telecommunicators do so that it becomes a more attractive
career option. You would be hard pressed to fi nd a kid anywhere in the
world that says, ‘When I grow up I want to be a emergency services
dispatcher.’ Educating them to what we do and how we do it is really
important because then we will get more qualifi ed candidates apply-
ing for these positions and we that we can rely on them to make it
through training, become an effective part of the staff and ultimately
stay with the industry for a decent amount of time.
About a year ago, APCO International partnered with
IJIS Institute, a nonprofi t organisation for commercial
information technology corporations. APCO
International received a grant from the Department of
Justice and launched something called the Public Safety Data
Interoperability Initiative.
The concept of the initiative is to bring the commercial
providers together with the public safety professionals,
allowing them to be more proactive so that, as they’re
developing the systems of tomorrow, they’re incorporating
safety professionals’ needs. “It’s a large project and we’ve put
out 11 standards already that deal with data interoperability
between basic CAD systems, records management systems,
databases and GIS systems,” explains Smith. “Everything
data interoperability-wise is being looked at by this project. It
includes public safety personnel, fi re service personnel, EMS,
law enforcement personnel. We have brought everybody that
could be potentially affected by data interoperability together
and with the IJIS Institute have brought the value of having the
Microsoft’s, the Cisco’s, the Sun Microsystem’s and all the big
IT providers out there to the table.”
In fact, the partnership has been in place for almost two
years now and is starting to see results in some of the work
being done. The CAD vendors are opening their arms and
embracing these standards that are being developing. “In fact,
says Smith, “It may even speed up the process of having a
higher level of data interoperability on the public safety side.”
STANDARD ISSUE
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Security is a major issue for many TETRA
users. What options are available for those
seeking to encrypt and protect their critical
communications?
Michael Bertilsson. Sectra has developed a cryp-
to solution on a smart card that protects voice
communications from eavesdropping between
TETRA terminals from different vendors. This
means that users can choose terminals based on
their own preferences and maintain shared secu-
rity. Our crypto solution was recently launched at
the TETRA World Congress and is the first promot-
ing safe and efficient cooperation among various
public safety agencies.
Leading TETRA terminal vendors also pro-
vide communications security but solely be-
tween their own terminals. Without our crypto
solution, all TETRA users are limited to using
one type of terminal to ensure secure commu-
nications.
What is Sectra’s background? Are you new in
this line of business?
MB. Sectra is focusing 100 percent on security and
our expertise is within encryption. We are new in
the TETRA world but have been serving European
government authorities and defence departments
with voice encryption since the 90s.
Today, we have customers in more than half
of all EU member states using our personal voice
encryptor Tiger to protect their telephony from
eavesdropping. We have established coopera-
tion with leading international security bodies
and have important security approvals from EU
and NATO.
How important is it that TETRA networks bal-
ance security with flexibility?
MB. It is crucial to have secure communications
among public safety agencies such as the police,
customs and emergency services. These agen-
cies need to protect vital information that is es-
sential for society. Efficient cooperation requires
a crypto solution that is flexible and supports
the most commonly used TETRA terminals. In an
emergency situation you cannot be dependent
upon having the same type of equipment for se-
cure communication. It is much smarter to have
an independent crypto solution.
What is the secret of the flexibility provided by
Sectra?
MB. Sectra’s crypto solution on smart card is de-
signed to be used with any TETRA terminal sup-
porting the standard recommendation 02 & 08
from the TETRA Association’s Security and Fraud
Protection Group (SFPG). This means that our
smart card crypto can be integrated in virtually
any terminal on the market. All major terminal
vendors either support or will be supporting this
recommendation. Today, we work together with
Motorola, EADS and Sepura and our crypto so-
lution fully supports terminals from these lead-
ing vendors.
Are there any examples of where TETRA crypto
solutions have been successfully deployed in
real-world situations?
MB. We have developed this crypto for users in
the Swedish public safety network in close coop-
eration with the Swedish Defence Materiel
Administration. The Swedish public safety net-
work, based on the international TETRA standard,
is being built up in Sweden through 2010. This
network is used by government authorities, coun-
ty councils, municipalities and commercial parties
involved in public safety, security and health as
well as by defence forces.
From July 1 2009, the EU presidency will be
taken over by Sweden and Sectra’s crypto solu-
tion for TETRA will be used by public safety
agencies, such as the police, to secure critical
communications. n
116 www.euinfrastructure.com
Private conversationsSectra’s Michael Bertilsson tells EU Infra about theimportance of secure TETRA communication.
Michael Bertilsson is President of Sectra
Communications. He holds an MSc in
Computer Science from the Institute of
Technology at Linköping University and a PhD
in Information Theory. His doctorial thesis dealt
with cryptology and how to share secrets.
EXECUTIVE INTERVIEW
SECTRA:co proof 17/07/2009 16:09 Page 116
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EU Infrastructureinvestigates the
big issuescurrently facing
the protectivecoatingsindustry.
DEEP COVER
PAINT RT:24sept 17/07/2009 16:05 Page 118
119www.euinfrastructure.com
What applications within the infrastructure sec-
tor are your products used for?
Alexander Risch. There are a multitude of appli-
cations related to the use of our products in the
coatings sector. One typical application is its use
in electro deposition paints and automotive
fillers. Neuburg Siliceous Earth stands out as
functional filler because of its excellent proper-
ties in anti-corrosion coatings, powder coatings
and UV-cured wood coatings. Additionally, there
are many other application fields in the coating
sector, where our products Sillitin and the sur-
face-treated Aktisil are successfully used.
Petri Järvinen. We are able to offer a full range
of products and paint systems for the con-
struction and protective coatings sector, not
forgetting extensive services and support for
the whole supply chain, from architects to fa-
cility owners. We offer help and support for
choosing paint systems, technical service for
application and inspection, and instructions for
maintenance. We want to promote economical,
environmentally compliant and user-friendly
solutions for our customers operating in these
sectors.
How do your products address the specific chal-
lenges placed on them by the infrastructure
sector?
PJ. There has been a trend that customers are
looking for long lasting, high-quality systems to
protect infrastructure, and the awareness of VOC
legislation has increased the demand for prod-
ucts and systems that fulfil this criteria. But due
to the current economic situation, many cus-
tomers have started to look at low cost materi-
als, which is an alarming trend that will cause
higher maintenance cost for facility owners in
the future.
Despite this, Tikkurila continues to focus on
marketing high-quality products, not forgetting
the total economy of the painting process for
contractors and facility owners. We are also able
to offer a water-borne paint system for the C4
corrosivity category that is fully cured in eight
hours, with the help of our Dry Tech technology.
AR. The market for protective coatings is huge
and we would like to have a bigger stake in the
area of marine paints and anti-corrosion coat-
ings. Special requirements, which are necessary
in these applications, are gained with our prod-
ucts. Here I would mention in particular a good
chemical resistance, especially against acids
and salt water, good weather permeability and
anti-corrosion protection, and during processing
an excellent dispersibility, as well as very little
tendency towards sedimentation.
R&D is a big part of your operations. What are
your current areas of focus in terms of new
product development?
AR. We work with our own application technol-
ogy department for coatings and our technicians
are always working on finding new applications
for our filler. Due to this know-how, we can sup-
port our customers in their development; we
compile suggested formulations for many appli-
cations and we publish all results of our research
projects in the form of technical reports on our
website. The latest projects have been in the
area of ST polymers for elastic sealants, road
marking paints and pipeline coatings. This year
we have started a considerable study in the ap-
plication field of water-based wood coatings.
PJ. The driving force for our R&D has been the in-
stallation and production of VOC directives,
which means that our main focus has been in
high-solids and water-borne technologies that
help customers meet the requirements set up in
these directives. Alongside the environmental
aspects, we always take into account the cost ef-
ficiency of our products, meaning shorter over-
coating time between paint layers and the
reduction of the number of layers in the protec-
tive paint systems. In addition, new high-solid
products have enabled us to reduce the number
of paint layers without sacrificing the corrosion
protection performance.
ROUNDTABLE
Petri Järvinen is Vice President in
Tikkurila’s SBU Industrial Coatings, where he
is responsible for Technology and Business
Support functions. He now has close to 30
years’ experience in this specific area,
having worked in a variety of different
positions in the paint and coatings industry.
Alexander Risch joined Hoffmann Mineral
GmbH & Co. KG in 1999. In 2001 he became
responsible for the business unit of Toll
Manufacturing, a service that includes all
kinds of modification of inorganic raw
materials for different industries, realised
with the production facilities and knowledge
of Hoffmann Mineral. Since 2006, Risch has
been Head of Marketing and Sales,
responsible for all sales activities worldwide.
“Properties like goodcorrosion protectionfor ships are requiredto reduce the cost of
preventivemaintenance and
preservation”Alexander Risch
PAINT RT:24sept 17/07/2009 16:05 Page 119
PJ. From a paint technology point of view, I refer
to my previous answers; but environmentally
compliant products and cost efficiency are the
driving forces in the near future as well. I also be-
lieve that in the long-term, raw material devel-
opment will enable the development of new,
innovative functionality coatings, meaning to-
tally new properties for protective coatings.
But what can be seen is that the importance
of services and distribution are increasing in the
protective coating sector. Our customers want to
focus on their core businesses. This requires
more support and consultancy from paint sup-
pliers with architects, engineers, painting con-
tractors and facility owners.
AR. In my opinion, marine coatings are a big
challenge. We should not forget that properties
like good corrosion protection for ships are re-
quired to reduce the cost of preventive mainte-
nance and preservation. This is essential for the
cost-intensive shipping market. Nevertheless,
the powder coatings market is also a big oppor-
tunity. The EU regulation regarding the ecologi-
cal contamination caused by anti-corrosion
pigments was the focus of one of our latest stud-
ies, and we were successful in developing a for-
mulation based on Neuburg Siliceous Earth, by
which one can reach the limited values under
the same excellent performance. This aim will
also be very important for the future. n
120 www.euinfrastructure.com
lamellar kaolinite, which was generated more
than 95 million years ago in a part of South
Germany. Our products have not been chemi-
cally processed or treated, and this is why the
REACH registration is not applicable for us.
Regarding the VOC Directive, our develop-
ments in coating exactly support these regu-
latory requirements to reduce the volatile
content intensively. The above-mentioned
projects regarding powder coating and water-
based wood coating show this in an excellent
way. It is of great importance to focus inten-
sively on the reduction of contaminant loads,
especially in the application of paints that are
used at home or that come into contact with
people.
PJ. Environmental issues have always been
very important for us, as our main factory has
been Vantaa, Finland from the very beginning.
Also, the legislation concerning paints and
coatings has been much more demanding in
our main market area of the Nordic countries
than in other parts of Europe, and we have al-
ways wanted to be ahead of legislation con-
cerning environmental and safety issues.
What do you see as the biggest challenges in
the protective coatings industry over the
next few years? And what are the biggest op-
portunities?
We have also made a breakthrough in UV
curing technology by developing a patented
UVITEC drying device based on UV-led technol-
ogy. The UVITEC technology offers many bene-
fits for customers, such as energy savings,
better surface quality and lower curing temper-
atures, and has won us a special award from the
RadTech Europe Association.
The EU Commission’s VOC Directive and
REACH legislation mean that compliance with
regulatory requirements is now more impor-
tant than ever for those in the paints and coat-
ings business. What demands is this placing
on the industry?
AR. Our filler, Neuburg Siliceous Earth, is a
natural mineral raw material: a mixture of
amorphous and crypto-crystalline silica and
“In the long-term, rawmaterial development
will enable new,innovative
functionality coatings”Petri Järvinen
PAINT RT:24sept 17/07/2009 16:06 Page 120
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liver the long-term investment that most peo-
ple believe is necessary.
“Usually, until there’s a disaster, you
don’t see this kind of political will, this push
to make something happen,” said Ramzi
Mahmood, Chair of the Civil Engineering de-
partment at California State University, in a
recent statement. And even then the impact
can be short-lived. Take the levee failure in
New Orleans in 2005, for example. While at
the time this led to widespread outrage,
many of America’s levees remain unaccount-
ed for, without an index of stability, let alone
an inspection. And look at the collapse of the
I-35W bridge in Minneapolis two years ago,
following which there has been little attempt
to increase the rate of repair or replacement
Also known as the Spaghetti
Bowl, the Circle Interchange
near downtown Chicago,
Illinois, sits between the Dan
Ryan, Eisenhower and Kennedy
expressways, its name referring to the curving
ramps that appear to form concentric rings
when viewed from above. It is an intricate de-
sign, logically defined as a stack interchange,
allowing vehicles to turn off in all directions,
with each of the four main lines having a sin-
gle entrance and exit to serve both direc-
tions of the crossing roadways.
The Circle Interchange is also notori-
ously known for its lengthy traffic jams:
local reports often reference miles of cars
populating the junction. On the day of writ-
ing this article, a police car was reported to
have “hydroplaned into a wall” by the Chicago
Sun Times and despite the fact that there were
no injuries, hours of delays occurred. Since
2004 the interchange has also been rated as
America’s third-worst traffic bottleneck.
Approximately 300,000 vehicles use the junc-
tion every day, losing a combined 25 million
hours stuck in its jams each year.
It’s a pretty harsh reality, but the Circle
Interchange is just one example of the state of US
infrastructure and its extreme need of a radical
overhaul. But now, even as Obama’s stimulus
money and the forthcoming federal transportation
bill promises to provide big injections for roads,
bridges and transit lines, experts warn that loom-
ing budget deficits could still make it difficult to de-
122 www.euinfrastructure.com
VIEW FROM AMERICASituation criticalFrom collapsed bridges to leaking dams, American infrastructure isfacing real decline. EU Infrastructure’s Matt Buttell asks, “What’s next?”122
Spaghetti Bowl, the CircleInterchange Chicago,
CRITICAL INFRA:feb08 17/7/09 15:44 Page 122
for the thousands of these structurally defi-
cient roadways.
However this year the implosion of the US
economy seems to be compelling infrastruc-
ture reform, and the timing, experts say, is per-
fect. “Infrastructure investment is also an
investment in our quality of life,” explains
Mahmood, “and at the same time it creates a
lot of opportunities and jobs that are needed
to really prime this economy.”
Sustainability While it remains the case that no one
can predict which bridge, levee or water
main will fail next, many problems are wide-
ly known, and work is long overdue. After all,
much of the modern-day infrastructure in
American was built at the start of the20th
century during the greatest age of construc-
tion the world has ever seen. Iconic land-
marks such as the Hoover Dam and the
Golden Gate Bridge, along with the interstate
highway systems, were all completed during
this investment-crazy, prolific era; and all of
this was closely matched by the development
of thousands of smaller bridges, water tun-
nels and roadways across the nation. The
truth, however, is that these investments
were made too long ago, and Americans
need to face up to the fact that their infra-
structure is in real trouble.
Experts argue that while new information
technology, fresh engineering and advanced
materials will be able to help the US not just
restore but improve its infrastructure, America
must first gather the drive to get there.
Back in February of this year, for example, at
the National Governor Association’s Winter
Meeting, Bruce Katz, Vice President and
Director of the Metropolitan Policy Program,
discussed with fellow governors the need for a
stronger infrastructure across the US – and,
more importantly, the reason why this must re-
sult in a sustainable future for the nation. “Put
simply, our infrastructure is in bad shape,” he
said in his opening speech. “From nearly 2000
‘high hazard potential’ dams, to the 60 percent
of urban roadways that are in a ‘less than fair’
condition, to the 72,000 bridges that are con-
sidered ‘structurally deficient’, it is not hyper-
bole to say that our infrastructure is crumbling
before our eyes.”
Also noted by Katz is the fact that in addi-
tion to its condition, the very design of
America’s infrastructure is quickly becoming
obsolete. The nation’s air traffic control system,
for example, is so outdated that it is considered
one of the primary reasons why the US has
been unable to make a dent in its airport con-
gestion problems. And transit systems contin-
ue to lay off hundreds of workers every year
because they neither have the ability to cope
with skyrocketing demand nor the resources to
operate the existing system.
Then there are the American water sys-
tems, currently in such bad condition that leak-
ing pipes lose seven billion gallons of clean
drinking water every day, and, further to this,
today’s average American driver is wasting
26 gallons of fuel each year due to traffic
congestion. This adds up to three billion
gallons every year, which is the equivalent
of one-fifth of a year’s imported oil from the
Persian Gulf. In fact, infrastructure-related
expenditures continue to cost American
households over a trillion dollars annually,
mostly in categories such as utilities and
transportation. After housing, transporta-
tion is the second-largest component of the
average family’s household budget, with 18
cents out of every US dollar spent here.
The biggest issue for Katz is that the
federal government is absent where it
should be present, and is failing to lead on
infrastructure issues of national signifi-
cance. As he explains: “We are simply inca-
pable of focusing on infrastructure issues
that transcend state borders and therefore
we’re not experiencing the same kinds of
economic impacts from transformational
programs like the interstates […] the social
impacts from iconic programs like rural
electrification […] or the sustainability ben-
efits from air and water pollution control
programs in the 1970s and 1980s.”
Katz also details the ongoing problem
of compartmentalising policies on all lev-
els. He argues that while families under-
stand that issues related to transportation,
housing and education are all intrinsically
linked, policymakers continue to keep
these issues separated by placing them in
123www.euinfrastructure.com
CRITICAL
1Brooklyn Bridge, New YorkAs one of the oldest suspension
bridges still being used in the United
States, the Brooklyn Bridge is
considered as ‘structurally deficient’
under the federal rating systems. But
while officials do not fear a collapse
of the bridge – the main span
appears to be sound – some of the
approaches to the structure have
been marred by rusting steel and
deteriorating road decks. Repairs are
due in 2010, symbolising that a
country serious about its
infrastructure is prepared to take care
of its national icons.
CRITICAL INFRA:feb08 17/7/09 15:45 Page 123
specialised agencies. “In stark contrast to
this,” says Katz, “our global counterparts
are beginning to provide the kind of leader-
ship on infrastructure that many are now
calling on the US government to demon-
strate. And we need to learn from our global
competitors in order to get more strategic,
integrated and disciplined.”
In Canada, India, South Africa and Italy,
for instance, governments have introduced
specialist units throughout various agencies
to assist with the expanding opportunities
for public/private partnerships. Elsewhere,
France, has recently merged its Ministry of
Transport with Ministry of Ecology, Energy
and Sustainable Development; in Australia
there is now an overarching Department of
Infrastructure; Japan links infrastructure
with land development and tourism, all in
one agency; and other countries, including
the UK and Germany, are already establish-
ing intricate networks of data, metrics,
tools and techniques so that they can make
educated infrastructural investment deci-
sions based on clear priorities. “In America,
change needs to come,” says Katz.
And therein lies the biggest issue of all.
America once had a system that was the
Dover Bridge, IdahoIn 2008, a 75 x 75 cm piece of the
Dover Bridge’s deck was found
hanging by its rebar, and in the
National Bridge Inventory the
bridge scored an appallingly low
sufficiency rating of two out of 100.
5000 vehicles continue to use the
bridge everyday, putting drivers at
risk. To replace the bridge would
cost US$25 million, but such
funding is yet to materialise.
envy of the world. Now the country is better
known for its congested highways, second-rate
ports, third-rate passenger trains and a rather ar-
chaic air traffic control system. The majority of
America’s greatest projects of the 20th century –
dams and canal locks, bridges and tunnels,
aquifers and aqueducts – are at or are beyond
their designated life span. The haunting images of
contorted pavements, stranded vehicles, twisted
girders and heroic rescues that continue to punc-
tuate our news reports following the buckling of a
bridge or the breaking of the levees stand as a
harsh reminder that this infrastructure cannot
be taken for granted.
The fact is that America can afford to
have world-class infrastructure, but first it
needs to publicly acknowledge the respon-
sibility of neglecting the bridges, roads and
other essential hardware that have for too
long gone unloved. Then, and only then,
can the country hold its leaders account-
able for setting priorities and for policing
what is required to repair its already fragile
infrastructure. �
124 www.euinfrastructure.com
Lake Okeechobee, FloridaThree years ago, experts
announced that in any given year
there is a one in six chance that the
Herbert Hoover Dike will fail,
releasing waters from Lake
Okeechobee. Such an event would
result in South Florida’s water supply
becoming contaminated and would
leave over 40,000 waterside
residents flooded. In 2008, a 1000-
foot long stretch of treacherously
eroded land was found near state-
owned floodgates north of
Okeechobee. Nonetheless, for the
2009 budget year, the government
only allotted half of the requested
money needed for improvements.
CRITICAL
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126IN REVIEWHot off the pressFrom climate change, to waste management and sustainability, EU Infrastructure takes a quick look at what some current enviromental books have on offer
A whole heap of businesses claim to be ‘green’ but how much of this is true is anyone’s guess.
Slashing carbon footprint is about more than just switching to a few low-energy light bulbs – it’s
about changing your whole mindset. Author Chris Goodall, an expert on climate change solutions,
guides you through cutting carbon and costs with advice on everything from ‘green’ computing and
data centres to recycling and reducing offi ce travel. It also features scores of case studies to help
you learn from other people’s successes and mistakes.
EU Infrastructure says: An informative book that illustrates how making a few simple changes
can have a massive impact on your carbon output. A good read.
The Green Guide For Businesses The Ultimate Environment Handbook for Businesses of All Sizes, by Chris Goodall
With Broecker as his guide, award-winning science writer Robert Kunzig looks back at Earth’s vola-
tile climate history so as to shed light on the challenges ahead. Ice ages, planetary orbits, a giant
‘conveyor belt’ in the ocean … it’s a riveting story full of maverick thinkers, extraordinary discoveries
and an urgent blueprint for action. Fixing Climate explains why we need not just to reduce emissions
but to start removing our carbon waste from our atmosphere. And in a thrilling last section of the
book, we learn how this could become reality, using ‘artifi cial trees’ and underground storage.
EU Infrastructure says: A fascinating account of how we have arrived at a point where climate
change is no longer preventable. A compelling read for anyone wishing to understand the biggest
challenge of our age.
Fixing Climate The Story of Climate Science – And How to Stop Global Warming, by Robert Kunzig and Wallace Broecker
Thomas Friedman’s bestseller The World Is Flat has helped millions of readers to see globalisation
in a new way. Now Friedman brings a fresh outlook to the crises of destabilising climate change and
rising competition for energy – both of which could poison our world if we do not act quickly and
collectively. Friedman proposes that an ambitious strategy (which he calls Geo-Greenism) is not
only what we need to save the planet from overheating; it is what we need to make us all healthier,
richer, more innovative, more productive and more secure.
EU Infrastructure says: Hot, Flat and Crowded is classic Friedman – fearless, incisive, forward-
thinking and rich in surprising common sense about the world we live in today. Here, Friedman
assesses the state of the world environment and what we should be doing to stop it getting much,
much worse.
Hot, Flat and Crowded Why the World Needs a Green Revolution by Thomas L. Friedman
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128PHOTO FINISHA picture is worth a thousand words.Two world leaders contemplate a major reconstruction job.
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and
US President Barack Obama survey a dam-
aged government building in the centre of
L’Aquila during the G8 summit on July 8,
2009. The building was destroyed by a pow-
erful earthquake that hit the town in April.
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