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IRJ
High-speed pioneer looks to the future
International Railway Journal
Shinkansen 50 at
Regional reachDeveloping regional high-speed in Europe
Peak performanceEffective station designkeeps Hong Kong moving
Recipe for successRail Cargo Austria adjusts to post-recession market
October 2014 I Volume 54 Issue 10www.railjournal.com
OctCover:Layout 1 19/09/2014 5:31 PM Page 1
IRJ October 2014 3
News4 This month
6 News
12 Transit news
14 Financial news
High speed16 Shinkansen: half a century of speed
Japan’s bullet trains celebrate major milestone
22 Accelerated development
Regional high-speed in Britain, Spain and Germany
32 How China builds high-speed rail for less
World Bank study analyses major project costs
Austria & Switzerland42 RCA adapts to consolidating market
Reorganisation already yielding positive results
44 Gotthard Tunnel nears completion
The latest from the world’s longest rail tunnel
48 Sinet interlocking reduces costs for SBB
New system integrates communications technology
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Editor-in-Chief David Briginshaw [email protected] Editor Keith Barrow [email protected] Editor Kevin Smith [email protected] Designer Fiona Browning [email protected] Assistant Sue Morant [email protected] Railway Journal (Print ISSN 2161-7376, Digital ISSN 2161-7368), is published monthly by Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corp, 55 Broad Street, 26th Fl, New York, NY 10004-2580, USA.Printed in Great Britain by Buxton Press and distributed in the USA by Mail Right International, 1637 Stelton Road B4, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA. Periodicals postage paid at Piscataway, NJ andadditional mailing offices. COPYRIGHT © Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation 2014. All rights reserved. Contents may not be reproduced without permission. For reprint information pleasecontact Editor-in-Chief. For subscriptions & address changes, please call +1 402 346-4740, Fax +1 402 346-3670, Email [email protected] or write to: International RailwayJournal, Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corp, PO Box 1172 Skokie, IL 60076-8172, USA. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to International Railway Journal, PO Box 1172, Skokie, IL 60076-8172, USA.
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Front coverJapan is this month celebrating50 years since the opening of the Tokaido Shinkansen Line between Tokyo and Osaka.Photo: Sakarin Sawasdinaka/Shutterstock.com
Also in this issue52 Rendezvous
53 Full contact list
53 Advertisers index
54 The last word IRJ
High-speed pioneer looks to the future
International Railway Journal
Shinkansen 50 at
Regional reachDeveloping regional high-speed in Europe
Peak performanceEffective station designkeeps Hong Kong moving
Recipe for successRail Cargo Austria adjusts to post-recession market
October 2014 I Volume 54 Issue 10www.railjournal.com
Stations38 Keeping passengers on the move
MTR emphasises efficiency in design in Hong Kong
page 38
ContentsOctober 2014 Volume 54 issue 10
OctContents:Layout 1 19/09/2014 5:45 PM Page 3
4 IRJ October 2014
and freeing up capacity forfreight. This was not lost onLewis who pointed out that“even if the Tokaido Line hadnot been built, activities on therest of JNR would be highlynewsworthy in themselves. Somany of these kind of projectsare underway that in spring ofthis year there was establisheda JNR New Line ConstructionCompany with responsibilityfor new railway projects.”
Lewis viewed JNR’sachievement as transforming itfrom looking to the rest of theworld for railway techniques“just a few years ago” to the“role of innovator.” Japancertainly retains this statusand its high-speedachievements have clearlyinfluenced the rest of theworld - from France’s initialforays into high-speed in the1980s to China’s remarkablehigh-speed developmentprogramme today.
Despite this, the commonperception remains that theJapanese “bullet train” stilldefines what is meant by high-speed rail. And with plans todevelop a maglev linecontinuing, Japan looks likelyto pioneer and shape how theworld sees high-speed railwell into the 21st century,something Lewis would nodoubt have pointed out.
The railway world owesJapan a great debt of gratitudefor placing its faith in railtransport and pioneering high-speed rail. Without this,railway history might havebeen very different.
T HIS month we celebratethe opening of the
Tokaido Shinkansen in October1964, the world’s firstdedicated high-speed railway.The event was a momentousstep forward not just for Japanbut much further afieldbecause it was a vividdemonstration to the rest of theworld that rail transport had afuture at a time when cars andjet aircraft were widelyregarded as the way forward.
The prospect for railwayslooked decidedly uncertain inthe 1960s as they struggled tocompete with the rapidexpansion of road and airtransport. Many railways weresuffering from rapidly-mounting losses, making itdifficult to fund much-neededmodernisation leading tolarge-scale withdrawal ofservices and line closures. The opening of the Shinkansenwas the first tangible evidencethat rail transport couldreinvent itself.
Nevertheless, there wassome doubt that JapaneseNational Railways (JNR) had apotential winner, as IRJ’smanaging director Robert GLewis observed upon visiting
the first Shinkansen lineshortly before it opened in anarticle that appeared in theOctober 1964 edition of IRJ.“Much of the railway world isat least a little sceptical aboutthe kind of high-speedoperations which JNR hasplanned for its new TokaidoLine passenger trains,” Lewiswrote. “My own pre-openinginspection of the new lineleads to the conclusion that itscapabilities with respect topassenger movement are, ifanything, underrated.”
The various innovations andgradual adoption of high-speedrail around the world thatfollowed Japan’s inauguralproject would ultimately proveLewis’s assertions correct.
It would have been easy forLewis to consider Japan’sachievement as an Asian, orJapanese, phenomenon andnot applicable to the west in aworld that was far from theglobalised society that weknow today. Yet with “eyes of
railway men turned - with amixture of curiosity andadmiration - on the just-opened Tokaido Line,” Lewisasked, “what does the futurehold for this remarkable newrailway?”
His discoveries make forfascinating reading given thedevelopment of high-speedsince 1964.
Lewis revealed that a specialcommittee was set up in June1964 to look at equipmentdesign that would permittrains to run at 300km/h ormore in the future.
He also hinted at newinnovations in technologyunder development anddescribes plans for a tunnel“paralleling in magnitude the
English Channel project[which] has been initiatedbetween the main island ofHonshu and the island ofHokkaido in the north.”
Work on the Seikan Tunnelcommenced in 1971, with thefirst trains running in 1988 inwhat will remain, until theopening of the Gotthard BaseTunnel in 2016 (page 44), theworld’s longest and deepestrailway tunnel. However, withShinkansen trains still waitingto use the tunnel until theopening of the HokkaidoShinkansen in March 2016, itshows that the network’sgrowth did not quite happenas initially envisaged.
Opening the Shinkansenbenefited the conventionalnetwork by removing long-distance passenger services
Marking half a centuryof high-speed rail
Lewis viewed JNR’s achievement astransforming it from looking to the rest ofthe world for railway techniques “just a fewyears ago” to the “role of innovator.”
This monthDavid Briginshaw Editor-in-Chief
I AM delighted to announce that IRJ has teamed up withInternational Rail Infrastructure and Technology Summit
(IRITS) in an exclusive partnership to stage International RailwaySummit 2015 in Barcelona, Spain, on February 18-20 2015.
Under this partnership, IRJ will produce the content for theconference programme which will highlight the most pressingissues facing the industry and provide an informative andinteractive platform for debates on the future of the global railindustry.
IRJ already has experience of working with IRITS as I chairedthe first conference in Berlin in November 2013. We lookforward to welcoming delegates in Barcelona to what we hopewill become an annual event.
IRJ to co-host International Railway Summit
Oct TM:Layout 1 19/09/2014 6:07 PM Page 4
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6 IRJ October 2014
News
DANISH State Railways(DSB) has revealed
proposals to invest DKr 20-22bn ($US 3.5-3.9bn) in therenewal of its rolling stockfleet through its Future Trainstrategy, which was presentedto the Ministry of Transport onAugust 26.
The strategy is intended as acontinuation of the DKr 28.5bnTogfonden DK programmeapproved by the Danishgovernment last year whichwill use revenues from NorthSea oil to fund enhancementsto the rail network includingroute modernisation andelectrification to reducejourney times betweenDenmark’s key centres.
DSB has identified arequirement for 275 new trainsover the next 15 years dividedinto three categories: a160km/h regional train; a200km/h inter-city train; and a250km/h high-speed train.
The plan emphasises theneed to avoid repeating themistakes of the troubledprocurement of IC4 inter-cityDMUs from AnsaldoBreda.DSB stresses that it will insiston thorough prequalificationof suppliers, maintenance oftrains by the manufacturer,and proven product platforms.
“We need reliable trains inthe future,” says DSB
operations director Mr AndersEgehus. “Everyone knows thestory of the IC4 trains andnobody, least of all DSB, wantsto see a repeat of this.Therefore the plan outlinesprocurement principles and
process to minimise the risks.”DSB says it has decided to
make its proposals public toencourage a debate on thefuture rolling stock strategyfor Denmark. “We want thisprocess to be as open as
possible,” says Egehus. “Thereare many questions still to beanswered and this will be along and exhaustive process.Naturally we will need toaddress many issues in greaterdetail as the work progresses.”
Keith BarrowAssociate editor
THE Australian federalgovernment has revealed
that plans for a high-speed raillink along Australia’s eastcoast are still on the drawingboard following a number ofhigh-level meetings withJapanese, Chinese, Spanishand French rail companies.
A report in The Australiannewspaper says that renewedinterest has emerged in theproject as Central JapanRailway Company (JR Central)declared Japanese tunnellingmethods could strip 20-30%off the projected cost. Thearticle also reveals that theJapanese Bank for International
Cooperation (JBIC) is preparedto bankroll construction ifAustralia shares the risk.
A specialist high-speed railadvisory group was set up bythe previous Australiangovernment, but disbandedlast year by the currentadministration due to budgetconstraints, leavingproponents fearing the concepthad been totally abandoned.
Federal trade minister MrAndrew Robb says that thegovernment is continuing toexplore options to implementthe project, provided it can bepredominantly privately-funded, while the government
has committed to trying topurchase the identified landcorridor for the route.
“High-speed rail is certainlyone of those things that coulddeliver huge efficiency gainsto Australia, if it could befinanced in a viable way,”Robb says. “Historically, it hasnever been seen as somethingthat could deliver the type ofreturn on investment towarrant support. If it is tomaterialise it will require someinnovative financingmechanisms that don’t rely onsubstantial debt funding, andsuch innovative approachesare being examined.”
Talgo Avril startsdynamic testingTHE first prototype of
Talgo’s new-generationAvril high-speed train hasbegun dynamic testing on theSpanish high-speed network.
The test runs on the Madrid- Seville high-speed line aretaking place at night to avoidinterfering with Renfe’scommercial operations.
The prototype train hasalready exceeded 200km/hduring initial testing, the firststep in a lengthy processwhich is expected to concludewith the train being certifiedfor operation at a maximumcommercial speed of 360km/h.
DSB proposes $US 4bn rolling stock investment
Australian high-speed still on the agenda
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IRJ October 2014 7
BritainA joint venture of Keolis andGo-Ahead took over operationof Thameslink and GreatNorthern commuter serviceson September 14 in the firstphase of the new ThameslinkSouthern Great Northern(TSGN) franchise, which willbe Britain’s largest passengerfranchise. The seven-yearfranchise, which will alsoinclude the Southern networkand part of the currentSoutheastern franchise, isbeing created as part of the£6.5bn ThameslinkProgramme, which willmassively increase north-southrail capacity through centralLondon.
ChinaCommercial services began onSeptember 16 on the 342kmNanchang - Changsha high-speed line. The line isdesigned for operation at upto 350km/h and reduces thejourney time between the twocities from three-and-a-half toone-and-a-half hours.
EuropeSlovakian politician Mr MarosSefcovic will become EuropeanTransport Commissioner in thenew European Commission onNovember 1, succeeding MrSiim Kallas in the post.
GermanyPassenger numbers onGerman regional and urbanrail services increased in thefirst half of 2014, according tofigures released last month bythe Federal Statistics Agency(Destatis), which showregional rail and S-Bahnridership increased by 2.1%compared with the first half of2013 to reach 1.2 billion.However, long-distance trafficdeclined 0.5% to 62 millionpassengers, partly because ofthe opening of the long-distance bus market. � The federal government has secured a ƒ22m grantfrom the European RegionalDevelopment Fund to helpfinance the ƒ420m upgradingof the line from Hoyerswerdato Horka and the Polishborder. The funds will gotowards the rebuilding ofKnappenrode station and
In brief
THE first of 25 double-deckEMUs being built for
Moscow’s Aeroexpress atStadler Rail’s Altenrhein plantin eastern Switzerland wasloaded onto a barge at the portof Basle Auhafen over theweekend of 6-7 September onthe second stage of its journeyto Russia.
Stadler was awarded aƒ381m contract last year tosupply nine six-car and 16four-car Kiss trains, which willbe introduced on serviceslinking central Moscow withthe city’s three main airports
by the end of May 2015.The size of the 1520mm-
gauge vehicles makes themunsuitable for transport on theEuropean standard-gaugenetwork, necessitatingtransport by lorry and barge.The vehicles made the 272kmjourney from Altenrhein toBasle by road, which tookthree nights.
Following transfer to abarge, the vehicles continuedtheir journey up the Rhinefrom Basle to Amsterdam,where they were transhippedto a coastal vessel for onward
shipment via the Kiel Canal toSassnitz. At Sassnitz they willbe unloaded onto 1520mm-gauge tracks and transferredto the train ferry to Klaipeda,Lithuania, before beingdelivered to the Stadler worksin Minsk, Belarus for finishingand testing.
Stadler says the journeytakes 56 days and took 13months to plan.
The first four trains will bebuilt at Altenrhein with theremainder of the fleet beingassembled at Minsk, whereproduction is now underway.
THE European Commission(EC) has invited European
Union (EU) member states tosubmit proposals for a share ofƒ11.9bn in funding forenhancement projects on thenine major transport corridorsof the TEN-T core network.
This is the first tranche offunding to be made availablethrough the new ConnectingEurope Facility (CEF), whichtriples EU transport spendingfrom ƒ8bn in 2007-2013 toƒ26bn in 2014-2020.
All of the projects proposed
for EU funding will need to beco-financed by member states.The deadline for applicationsis February 26 2015 and theresults of the bidding togetherwith the funding allocationswill be announced in themiddle of next year.
EC invites bids for €11.9bn in TEN-T funding
Stadler ships first Moscow Aeroexpress train to Russia
Agreement signed on HS links to Italian airportsO PTIONS for improving
high-speed rail links toItaly’s major airports will beexamined in more detailfollowing the signing of anagreement between ItalianState Railways (FS) and theItalian Ministry of Transport.
Under the deal, which wassigned in Rimini by transportminister Mr Maurizio Lupiand FS CEO Mr Michele Elia,
options will be presented tothe government by the end theyear for new high-speedconnections to RomeFiumicino, Milan Malpensa,and Venice Tessera based onprojected passenger demandat these airports.
As part of the projectinfrastructure manager ItalianRail Network (RFI) will carryout capacity and demand
studies to establish howservices between these airportsand the principal Italian citiescan be accommodated on thenetwork and where thehighest demand is likely to be.
The Ministry of Transportwill evaluate the proposalsdrawn up by FS by the end ofFebruary 2015 in order todefine the executive projectsand the investments required.
OctNews6&7:Layout 1 19/09/2014 5:25 PM Page 7
News
G ERMAN Rail (DB),which is in the midst of a
labour dispute with the GDLunion over a 5% pay increasefor its 37,000 traincrew, hasaccused private rail operatorsof paying staff below averagewages - so-called wagedumping - in order to remaincompetitive, an allegation thathas been strongly refuted byVeolia, Germany’s largest busand rail operator.
According to press reports,DB claims private companiesare reducing wages and
tightening working conditionsin order to make their bids forregional rail passengerconcessions more attractive.
“The suspicion is that DB isendeavouring to prevent afurther opening of the Germanregional rail transport marketby making false allegationsregarding salaries and socialstandards,” says Mr ChristianSchreyer, CEO of VeoliaVerkehr. “This could bebecause extremely profitablelegacy contracts still exist inmany states, but these
overpriced monopolycontracts are mostly to thedetriment of passengers,service and fair competition.”
Veolia says it favourscompetition for the provisionof regional rail services, as thishas generally resulted in abetter deal for passengersthrough measures such as theintroduction of modern trains.
Schreyer says agreementsregarding railway staff payand conditions in mostGerman states include DB’sterms and conditions as a
minimum standard, but Veoliaexceeds these in many areas.
“Customer service,innovative operating concepts,good maintenance as well as astreamlined management areof much greater importancefor the success of regional railcompetition than the purepersonnel costs,” Schreyersays. He also points out thatall operators are currentlyaffected by a shortage ofprofessional railway staff,which makes lower labourcosts unenforceable.
F RANCE’s network ofconventional Intercity
services is facing a “fragileand uncertain” futureaccording to the NationalFederation of PublicTransport Associations(FNAUT), which warns thatweak governance anduncertainty over funding isthreatening the existence ofthe network.
FNAUT says Intercity is anessential part of the railwaynetwork and argues thathigh-speed TGV and regionalTER services cannot meet allthe needs of passengers or thecommunity.
In December 2010, the
French government signed anagreement with FrenchNational Railways (SNCF) torevitalise the so-called balanceof territory (TET) trains, anetwork of 40 loss-makinglong-distance services whichdespite carrying more than100,000 passengers per daysuffers from poor loadings inmany areas with revenuesfailing to meet operatingcosts. Over the last threeyears operating losses haverisen from ƒ210m to ƒ312m.
Nearly four years after thesigning of the convention,FNAUT argues that far fromimproving the TET servicesSNCF and the governmenthave failed to halt the declinewith 10% of TET servicesbeing withdrawn since 2010.
FNAUT warns that if thecurrent rate of declinecontinues, a quarter of the20,000km interregionalpassenger network will belost within a decade. Thefederation calls for the state,in partnership with regionalgovernments to specify aminimum interregional railnetwork and argues thatweak governance can betackled by streamlining the“confusing” division ofpowers between SNCF, theregions, and the state.
Current Intercity servicelevels are consideredinadequate and FNAUT saysa full review is needed to lookat punctuality, timetables,onboard services, pricing, andbooking conditions.
FNAUT also estimates thataround ƒ3bn will be neededto provided these routes withmodern rolling stock but itsays a strategy for replacingthe life-expired train fleet iscurrently “non-existent.” Italso criticises the use ofunsuitable regional rollingstock on interregional trains, apractice which has becomecommonplace in some areasof France.
Broader transport policy isblamed for “impoverishinginterregional rail services,often at the expense of thepoorest rail travellers,” withFNAUT citing subsidies thatbenefit domestic flights andthe development ofinterregional bus services ascontributing factors.
Keith BarrowAssociate editor
French Intercity network faces “fragile and uncertain” future
Veolia refutes DB accusations of wage dumping
Photo: David Gubler
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IRJ October 2014 9
construction of a substation atLohsa, which is being installedas part of the electrification ofthe route.
International DB Schenker and ZhengzhouInternational Land PortDevelopment andConstruction Companylaunched a new directGermany - China freightservice on September 1. Theinaugural Hamburg -Hangzhou service carried 41containers and completed the10,214km journey within 17days, more than 20 days fasterthan the sea voyage. � Czech Railways (CD) andSlovakian Railways (ZSSK)have announced plans toshave almost an hour off thefastest journey times betweenthe Czech capital and easternSlovakia with the introductionof tilting trains on the Prague -Košice route. The newSuperCity Pendolino serviceswill be operated by CD’sseven-car class 680 EMUs,cutting the journey time from8h 21min to around seven-and-a-half hours.
IranIranian Islamic RepublicRailways (RAI) says it hascompleted the rollout ofautomatic train control (ATC)on the 926km Tehran -Mashhad line as part of abroader programme to deploythe system on the Iraniannetwork. RAI says the projecttook 31 months to implementand commissioning wascompleted on August 23. ATChas been installed at 50stations on the route, and RAIhas installed onboardequipment on 80 locomotivesand 10 DMUs.
ItalyInfrastructure manager ItalianRailway Network (RFI) says itexpects to begin work nextyear on a ƒ35m project toconstruct a second track on the14km Pistoia - Montecatinisection of the Pistoia - Luccaline. RFI plans to double-trackthe entire route at a cost ofƒ220m.
MongoliaRussian Railways (RZD)signed a strategic partnership
In brief
THE EUROPEAN RailFreight Association (ERFA)
has warned the EuropeanParliament that competition inthe railfreight sector is being“strangled” by an inadequateregulatory structure andmonopolistic behaviour byincumbent operators.
At a seminar in Brussels onSeptember 3, which washosted by Mr Michael CramerMEP, chair of the EuropeanParliament TransportCommittee, ERFA told MEPsthat while the European Unionand member states have paved
the way for new entrants togain a foothold in therailfreight market, they haveleft incumbent operators withthe power to block and hindersmaller players. ERFA arguesthat this has allowed a handfulof dominant railfreightoperators to diminish or evenpush new entrants out of themarket.
“If the Fourth RailwayPackage is not used to establisha level and fair playing fieldand fair conditions for allrailway undertakings, the railsector will continue to stagnate
or even worse decline acrossEurope,” ERFA says.
In a position paper releasedat the seminar, ERFA alsocriticises the holding groupstructure adopted in countriessuch as Germany, Austria, andItaly which it claims allowsinfrastructure managers andincumbent operators to act as“an unholy alliance with vastdiscrimination potential, oftenbacked by a publicadministration which forhistoric and economic reasonsis more bound to “its” railwaythan to newcomers.”
TANZANIA is in theprocess of securing an
advisor for a $US 1bn public-private partnership (PPP)scheme to upgrade TanzaniaRailways’ (TR) 970km metre-gauge line from Dar es Salaamto Dodoma, Tabora and Isaka.
“The government hasalready borrowed $US 300mfrom the World Bank throughthe Tanzania Intermodal
Railway Project for theupgrading of the line,” MrShabaan Mwinjaka, permanentsecretary with the Ministry ofTransport, told delegatesattending the 5th East andCentral Africa Roads and RailInfrastructure Summit in Dares Salaam on August 26.
Canadian consultancyCanarail finalised a detailedengineering study for the
project in February, whichincludes track renewal toincrease rail weight from28kg/m to 40kg/m.
The scheme is part of thepartially-donor-funded BigResults Now (BRN)programme which includesthe purchase of rolling stockand remanufacturing oflocomotives and wagons atTR’s Morogoro workshops.
Regulation “strangling” smaller freight operators, warns ERFA
Tanzania seeks advisor for PPP rail upgrade
Kazakhstan opens 1200km of new linesKAZAKHSTAN launched
two key international rail links on August 22, whenpresident Mr NursultanNazarbayev inaugurated the988km east-west Jezkazgan -Shalkar - Beineu line and the
214km north-south Arkalyk -Shubarkol line.
The east-west line reducesthe distance for rail trafficbetween the Caspian Sea andChina by around 1000km,while the north-south line
links central Kazakhstan withthe Russian border.
Kazakhstan Railways (KTZ)says the completion of thesetwo projects will helpKazakhstan to achieve itspotential as a transit country.
Russian Talgo train delivered to Berlin: Talgo has delivered a variable-gauge set of 20 coachesfor Russian Railways (RZD) to Berlin for trials and certification on the German network. RZD hasordered seven Talgo sets. Three of these trains will be equipped with variable-gauge 1435mm and1520mm-gauge wheelsets for use on services from Russia to Europe, while the remaining fourtrains will be fitted with fixed 1520mm-gauge wheelsets. The variable-gauge trains will beintroduced on overnight services between Moscow and Berlin next year. Photo: Keith Fender
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10 IRJ October 2014
News
CHRONIC negligence byCanada’s transport
regulator has been identifiedby the country’s accidentinvestigator as the primaryunderlying cause of thederailment and explosion of aMontreal, Maine & AtlanticRailway (MM&A) crude oiltrain at Lac-Mégantic, Quebec,on July 6 2013, which killed 47.
The train was carrying 7.7million litres of mislabeledcrude oil from North Dakota’sBakken shale formation to theIrving Oil refinery at SaintJohn, New Brunswick, whenthe accident occurred.
Aside from advisingTransport Canada to meet itsresponsibilities as national railregulator, Canada’sTransportation Safety Board(TSB) had just one newrecommendation in its finalinvestigation report, whichwas published on August 19.The report suggests thatparked locomotives trailingdangerous goods should besecured by chocks, derailers,or advanced braking systems.Current regulation does notrequire the sort of physicalrestraint that would haveprevented the Lac-Méganticrunaway.
The causes identified by theTSB were poor locomotivemaintenance and inadequatesecuring of the train, for whichthe safety board blames thenow-defunct railway company(since taken over by FortressInvestment Group and re-launched as the Central Maine& Quebec Railway).
The train was parked on athrough line on a descendinggradient, with the leadlocomotive idling and sevenhand brakes set. A fire brokeout in an engine that had beencausing problems for severaldays prior to the incident.Emergency services shut offthe engine, but then the airholding the locomotive brakesleaked off. With the handbrakes providing insufficientforce, the train began its tragicdescent downhill.
TSB chair Mrs WendyTadros told reporters onAugust 19 that employeeresponsibility is the last line ofdefence in railway safety, andnot one that can substitute formanagement supervision andgovernment oversight. Shenotes that MM&A was weaklymanaged and that the federalregulator did little to policethe railway.
“This was a company with a weak safety culture, acompany where people did
what was needed to get thejob done, rather than alwaysfollow the rules,” Tadrosexplains. “A company whereunsafe conditions and unsafepractices were allowed tocontinue. Which begs aquestion: who, then, was in aposition to check on thiscompany to make sure safetystandards were being met?Who was the guardian ofpublic safety? That’s the roleof government - to providechecks and balances. And yetthis booming industry - whereblock trains were shippingmore and more oil acrossCanada, and across the border,ran largely un-checked. Yes,Transport Canada knew aboutsome of the problems atMM&A, but the follow-upwasn’t always there.”
The TSB had earlier issuedemergency interimrecommendations governingrailway operations, each ofwhich was rapidlyimplemented by TransportCanada. The regulator haspreviously been criticised bythe country’s auditor generalfor failing to do its job and bythe information commissionerfor its regime of secrecy andobstruction of freedom ofinformation legislation.
“There has to be a change in the Canadian railway
industry,” says Tadros. “Theincrease in moving shipmentsof oil by rail took many bysurprise, including theregulator. This accident willbring about a sea change inthinking by the railwayindustry, the shippers, and the regulators.”
Interim recommendationsinclude enhanced safetystandards for DOT-111 tankwagons, requirements forrailways to conduct safety-driver route planning and for emergency response plansfor the carriage of liquidhydrocarbons by rail. Each ofthose recommendations wassubsequently adopted byTransport Canada.
The TSB final reportcontains only two additionalrecommendations, the firstthat Transport Canada actually audit and inspectimplementation of the “safetymanagement systems”introduced in 2001 whendirect government rulemakingwas replaced by self-regulation. The TSB’s onlynew operationalrecommendation is thatCanada adopt recent USNational Transportation SafetyBoard advice that trainsparked on main line grades berestrained by derailers or otherphysical devices.
David ThomasRailway Age contributing editor
Lac-Mégantic report condemns Canadian rail regulator
Trenitalia takes deliveryof Pesa DMUs: Trenitaliahas begun testing the firstof 40 ATR 220 Atriboregional DMUs, whichwere ordered lastDecember from Pesa,Poland, in a deal worthƒ139.6m. The three-cartrains are equipped withtwo Voith Railpackpowerpacks withVoith/MAN six-cylinderengines and SelectiveCatalytic Reduction (SCR)exhaust aftertreatment,which ensures the trainscomply with EU Stage IIIBemissions standards. Voithhas also suppliedtransmissions, gear units,cardan shafts, andScharfenberg couplingsfor the fleet.
OctNews10&11:Layout 1 19/09/2014 5:17 PM Page 10
IRJ October 2014 11
agreement with the Ministryof Roads and Transport onSeptember 3 for thedevelopment andmodernisation of theUlaanbaatar Railway (UBZD).Among the projects beingconsidered are electrificationand track-doubling on the1100km Sükbaatatar - ZamynÜüd line and construction of anew 215km line from Ovot toArz.
NetherlandsThe first of the V250 Fyrahigh-speed trains rejected byNetherlands Railways (NS)began its journey fromWatergraafsmeer yard inAmsterdam back to theAnsaldoBreda plant in Pistoia,Italy, on September 7. All of the trains currentlystored in the Netherlands will be returned to Italy by the end of the year.
NorwayThe Ministry of Transport hasapproved plans for two-hourfrequencies on the Oslo -Stavanger line and theintroduction of commuterservices from Trondheim toLer and Lundamo. Thechanges will be introducedthis December.
Saudi ArabiaSaudi Railways Organisation(SRO) has awarded a Riyals6m ($US 1.6m) contract to aconsortium of Spanishconsultants led by Consultrans to study optionsfor a high-speed line linkingRiyadh and Dammam. Theline will have a design speedof 350km/h and trains areexpected to operate at up to300km/h, giving a journeytime of 1h 30min between thetwo cities.
United StatesThe state of Illinois hasallocated $US 102m towardsthe upgrading of part of theChicago - St Louis corridor forinter-city passenger services aspart of its Illinois Jobs Now!Capital programme. The fundswill be used for infrastructureenhancements between Jolietand Dwight, including theconstruction of a new bridgeacross the Kankakee Rivernear Wilmington. IRJ
In brief
D ENMARK’s transportminister Mr Magnus
Heunicke officially launchedpreliminary construction onSeptember 2 on a DKr 9.3bn($US 1.64bn) project to rebuildthe 115km Ringsted - Holebyline, which will become themain rail link betweenScandinavia and Germanywhen the 18km FehmarnbeltFixed Link opens in 2021.
The project involves
upgrading the line for200km/h operation,construction of a second trackon the section betweenVordingborg and Holeby (withthe exception of the StorstrømBridge, which will remainsingle track), rebuilding of 100bridges, electrification, andrefurbishment of stations. Inaddition the line will beequipped with ERTMS and a4km deviation will be
constructed north of Glumsøto eliminate sharp curves onthis section.
Major construction isexpected to begin on theproject next year.
The route will be 160kmshorter than the line viaPadborg and it is expected thatmost freight and passengertraffic between Hamburg andCopenhagen will run viaFehmarn.
France - GermanyHS services carry 10millionth passengerG ERMAN Rail (DB) and
French National Railways(SNCF) marked a milestonefor international high-speedservices between Germanyand France on August 29,when they carried their 10millionth passenger on theirICE and TGV services fromStuttgart and Frankfurt toParis.
A total of 5.6 millionpassengers have travelled onthe Paris - Saarbrücken -Mannheim - Frankfurt routesince June 2007, while theParis - Strasbourg - Stuttgart -Munich service has carried 4.4million passengers.
Ridership on the two routesincreased by 6% in 2013 toreach 1.6 million.
THE Hungariangovernment published a
new strategy at the end ofAugust which outlineddetailed proposals for thedevelopment of thecountry’s transportinfrastructure for the periodto 2030, while also outlininglonger-term provisions forthe period to 2050.
The main objective is tocomplete the motorwaynetwork, but the documentalso emphasises that existingtransport networks must bebetter maintained to preventrapid deterioration fromexcessive use.
The strategy includes aForints 780bn (ƒ2.5bn)investment in the railwaynetwork over the next five
years, which is 40% morethan planned investment inthe road network during thisperiod.
Projects listed in thestrategy include the plannedV0 Budapest by-pass line,together with upgrading ofthe diesel-operated lines onthe northern shores of LakeBalaton and the line fromSzeged to Békéscsaba andSalonta in Romania.
Other lines earmarked forupgrading before 2020 arecommuter lines in theBudapest area, sections ofTrans-European corridors, or have already beenannounced, such as the electrification of GySEV’s Hegyeshalom -Zalaszentiván line.
Hungary sets out investment plans
Denmark breaks ground on Ringsted - Fehmarn link
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12 IRJ October 2014
Transit news
THE government of NewSouth Wales has awarded
the Northwest Rapid Transitconsortium a $A 3.7bn ($US3.48bn) operations, trains andsystems contract for Sydney’s$A 8.3bn North West Rail Link(NWRL), which includes aƒ298m rolling stock andsignalling deal with Alstom.
Alstom will supply 22 six-car automated Metropolistrains for the 37km line alongwith its Urbalis 400communications-based traincontrol (CBTC) system. It willbe responsible for projectmanagement, design, supply,manufacturing, testing andcommissioning of the rolling
stock and the signalling system.Alstom says the Metropolis
trains have been adapted toSydney’s needs. They willfeature three sets of double-doors per car for improvedpassenger access and flows,CCTV, emergency intercoms,the latest passengerwayfinding aids for customer
information, and real-timetravel information.
The consortium, which wasselected as the preferredoperator in June, consists ofMTR Corporation Australia,John Holland, LeightonContractors, UGL Rail Servicesand Plenary Group.
In addition to rolling stockand operation of the line for 15years from its opening in 2019,the consortium is responsiblefor constructing the line’seight stations, building andoperating the stabling andmaintenance facility atTallwaong Road, andupgrading and converting theexisting 14km railway betweenEpping and Chatswood forrapid transit operation.
On announcing the contract,NSW premier Mr Mike Bairdand minister for transport MrsGladys Berejiklian confirmedthat NWRL trains will operateevery four minutes during thepeak when the line opens in2019.
THE Australian CapitalTerritory (ACT)
government has given thestrongest indication yet that itwill proceed with the planned12km-long light rail line,Capital Metro, for Canberra.
Minister for the CapitalMetro Agency Mr SimonCorbell told more than 300local, national andinternational representatives atan industry briefing for theproject on September 15 thatthe government would issuean invitation for expressions ofinterest on October 31.
Corbell says the project costwill be determined by thetender, but is estimated to be
$A 610m ($US 549m) with a$A 173m contingency.
The project will beimplemented as a 20-yearbuild-operate PPP with nofinancial contributions fromthe ACT government duringthe construction phase,although it reserves the rightto inject funds at a later stage,for example to reduce theproject’s debts.
The 12km line will run fromGungahlin to the city centrewith 13 stops, and a frequencyof 10 minutes on weekdaysand six minutes at peak times.
Construction is expected tobegin in 2016, with servicescommencing by 2020.
AUBAGNE, a town of46,000 inhabitants
situated east of Marseille,inaugurated its first light railline on September 1.
Like the town’s busnetwork, no fares are chargedfor travel on the tram line,making it the first free-to-uselight rail system in France andone of the first in Europe.
The 2.7km line has sevenstations and links the mainline station in Aubagne withCharrel. Construction began inearly 2013 and the project hada budget of ƒ166m includingrolling stock.
Services operate at 10-minute intervals using a fleetof 22m-long Citadis Compactlow-floor LRVs.
THE PhilippineDepartment of Transport
and Communications (DOTC)has awarded a PPP contractfor the 11.7km southernextension of the city’s LRT1light metro line from itsexisting southern terminus atBaclaran to Cavite.
Light Rail Manila, a jointventure of Ayala and MetroPacific Investments, offered apremium of Pesos 9.35bn
($US 214m) on top of theproject cost of Pesos 64.9bn.
As part of the deal the LightRail Manila consortium willoperate the entire line,including the existing 20.7kmsection from Roosevelt toBaclaran, for a period of 32 years.
The extension will largelyrun on viaducts with a 10.5kmelevated section and theremaining 1.2km at grade.
Sydney NWRL operations and systems contract awarded
Aubagne launches zero-fare tramway
Canberra light rail moves closer
Manila LRT1 extension contract awarded
INDIA’s Union Cabinetgranted its approval on
August 20 for the first phaseof the metro network inNagpur, the capital ofMaharashtra state andIndia’s 13th-largest city with a population of 2.2million.
The initial phase comprisestwo lines totalling 38.2km.The north-south line will runfor 19.6km from AutomotiveSquare to the city’sinternational cargo hub andairport, while the 18.6km
east-west corridor will linkPrajapati Nagar withLokmanya Nagare.
The total cost of theproject is expected to be Rs 86.8bn ($US 1.44bn), withthe Indian governmentpledging to provide Rs 15.6bn in the form ofequity and subordinate debt.
The project will beimplemented by NagpurMetro Rail Corporation, a50:50 partnership betweenthe state of Maharashtra andthe Indian government.
Indian cabinet approves Nagpur metro
OctTN:Layout 1 19/09/2014 12:28 PM Page 12
IRJ October 2014 13
network. Pesa submitted a bidof Zlotys 166.2m ($US 51.2m)for the contract, while the onlyother shortlisted bidder,Solaris, offered a price ofZlotys 169.2m.
MunichThe first of eight SiemensAvenio low-floor LRVs forMunich Transport (MVG)entered service in the city onSeptember 17 on tram Line 19from St Veit Strasse to PasingStation. MVG says three of theeight vehicles have beencertified for passenger use andthe remaining five areexpected to enter passengerservice within the next fewweeks.
Navi MumbaiCSR Zhuzhou, China, hassigned a $US 49m contractwith Navi Mumbai City andIndustrial DevelopmentCorporation to supply rollingstock for the initial phase ofthe city’s first metro line,which is due to open in 2016.The three-car trains willaccommodate up to 1128passengers, 150 of themseated, and will have amaximum speed of 80km/h.
São PauloPaulista Metropolitan TrainsCompany (CPTM) hascompleted a feasibility studyinto a 30km 23-station north-south light rail line linkingGuarulhos with the districts ofSanto André, São Bernardo,and São Caetano. Notimescales have been given forenvironmental studies,tendering, or construction,although CPTM expects theline to open in 2021.
Vinnitsa (Ukraine)Passenger services were due tostart at the end of Septemberon a new 2km tram linelinking Vukytsia Kviatenko,the current terminus of lines 2and 6, with Barskoe Shosse onlines 2 and 4, which will bringthe residential district ofVyshenka onto the tramnetwork. With the completionof the new section, lines 4 and6 will both operate as looplines to connect the city’s mainstation with the new line,while Line 2 will ceaseoperating. IRJ
AarhusLetbanen, the public companyresponsible for developing thetram-train network in theDanish city, has signed aƒ292m contract with aconsortium of Ansaldo STSand Stadler Pankow whichwill supply railwayinfrastructure and rolling stockfor the project. Stadler Pankowwill supply 100km/h Tangotram-trains for services toGrenaa and Odder and80km/h Variobahn LRVs foruse on the urban section of thenetwork, while Ansaldo STSwill be responsible forinfrastructure includingsignalling and electrification.
BudapestThe Hungarian governmenthas granted the city ofBudapest permission to begintalks with potential creditorsregarding financing for themodernisation of the ageingtrain fleet on metro Line 3. Thecity will be able to borrow upto Forints 60bn ($US 247m) toupgrade the trains.
DublinTransdev is to continueoperating the Luas tramnetwork for another five yearsunder a ƒ150m contractsigned on September 2 byIreland’s National TransportAuthority (NTA), the RailwayProcurement Agency (RPA),and Transdev Dublin LightRail. Luas has been operatedby Transdev since the openingof the first phase of thenetwork in 2004.
HangzhouConstruction is set to begin bythe end of the year on the fifthmetro line in the Chinese cityof Hangzhou following theapproval of the project by theZhejiang provincialgovernment. The 48.6km 36-station line will link Sci-TechIsland station in Yuhang withXiangzhang Road in Xiaoshan,and is due to be completed in2019.
LodzMPK Lodz has selected PesaBydgoszcz as preferred bidderfor a contract to supply 22low-floor LRVs for the city’s120km metre-gauge tram
In brief
THE French city ofBesançon celebrated the
inauguration of its first lightrail line on August 30 withtwo days of festivities markingthe completion of what ishailed by the city as the“lowest-cost tram line inFrance.”
The mayor of Besançon MrJean-Louis Fousseret cut theribbon to open the line, whichhas been completed sixmonths ahead of schedule.
The 31-station 14.5km linefrom Hauts du Chazal toViotte Station and Chalezeulewas built at a cost of justƒ254m or ƒ17.5m per km,significantly less than theaverage of ƒ25-30m for light
rail construction in France.This was achieved by limitingspending throughout theproject with standardised andsimplified stations, structures,and equipment.
The city cut the cost of itsfleet of 19 LRVs to ƒ35.2m byopening the request forproposals to seven bidders,when most French citieswould allow no more thanthree or four.
The winner of the tenderwas CAF, a newcomer to theFrench LRV market. CAF issupplying a standard 23.6m-long three-section version ofits Urbos low-floor LRV, whichaccommodates up to 132passengers.
Besançon opens “low-cost” tram line
CAF LRVs for Kaohsiung arrive in Taiwan: The first two CAFUrbos catenary-free low-floor LRVs for the initial 8.6km phaseof the light rail circle line under construction in Taiwan’ssecond-largest city Kaohsiung was unloaded at the port ofTaichung on September 11. The 2.65m-wide Urbos LRVs willaccommodate up to 250 passengers and are equipped withCAF’s ultracapacitor-based Rapid Charge Accumulator (ACR)onboard energy storage system, which will be recharged atstations. The line is due to open next October.
OctTN:Layout 1 19/09/2014 12:28 PM Page 13
14 IRJ October 2014
Financial news
Siemens wins South West Trains EMU contract
S TAGECOACH hasannounced an order worth
£210m with Siemens and trainleasor Angel Trains for a fleetof 30 five-car Desiro CityEMUs for its South West Trainscommuter services to and fromLondon Waterloo.
The extra vehicles will servean additional 18,000 extrapeak-time passengers and afurther 6000 extra passengersonce infrastructure upgradesare completed on the main lineand Hounslow Loop.
Deliveries are due to start in2017 and the trains will enterservice in early 2018.
The new second-generationDesiro City trains are similar tothe class 700 vehicles thatSiemens is currently buildingfor Thameslink. They will bemaintained at South WestTrains’ Wimbledon depotwhich recently benefited froma £6m investment with furtherimprovements planned.
The new trains will be usedfor 10-car services between
London Waterloo and Windsor,while additional 10-car serviceswill be introduced usingexisting rolling stock on servicesfrom London, Ascot andReading, and on some main lineservices from Basingstoke toLondon Waterloo.
South West Trains iscurrently rolling out 108additional refurbished coachesfollowing a £65m investment,which combined with the neworder, is set to increase its peakcapacity by 30% by 2018.
BALFOUR BEATTYannounced on September
3 that it has sold itsengineering and designconsultancy subsidiaryParsons Brinckerhoff (PB) toWSP Global, Canada, for£820m ($US 1.35bn).
The deal is subject toapproval by Balfour Beattyshareholders and thetransaction will also need to becleared by British competitionauthorities. The sale priceassumes that $US 110m in cashremains in PB.
Balfour Beatty says the salewill allow it to focus onrestoring the value of itsBritish construction businessesand enable it to pursue growthopportunities elsewhere in theworld.
PB was acquired by BalfourBeatty in September 2009 for£382m.
Balfour Beatty sellsParsons Brinckerhoff
POLAND’s largest railfreightoperator PKP Cargo says it
is in acquisition talks with theowners of two open-accessfreight operators in Poland andthe Czech Republic.
PKP Cargo says it has signeda letter of intent withLuxembourg-based EuropeanRailfreight II, the majorityshareholder in Poland’s CTLLogistics, regarding theacquisition of 100% of its
shares. A request for consent totake control of CTL has alsobeen submitted to Poland’sOffice of Competition andConsumer Protection.
CTL Logistics operates acrossa large area of eastern andwestern Europe and has a fleetof nearly 200 locomotives and4800 wagons. The companyemploys 1800 staff and carried12.6 million tonnes of freight(4.27 billion tonne-km) in 2013
with revenues of Zlotys 726.6m($US 223.8m). However, theoperator experienced an 8%drop in volumes in the first halfof this year.
PKP Cargo has also signedan agreement with Czechrailfreight operator AdvancedWorld Transit (AWT) to carryout due diligence on theOstrava-based company with aview to acquiring all of itsshares. AWT has an 8% share
of the Czech railfreight marketand also operates in Slovakia,Slovenia, Hungary, Poland,Germany, Romania, Bulgaria,and Croatia. The companyemploys nearly 2000 staff andoperates a fleet of around 160locomotives and 5100 wagons.
Last year AWT carried 12million tonnes of freight (2.7million tonne-km) andachieved sales revenues ofZlotys 282m.
PKP Cargo in talks to acquire two railfreight operators
CHINA RailwaysCorporation (CRC) has
reported a loss of Yuan 5.36bn($US 870m) for the first half ofthis year, compared with aprofit of Yuan 2.57bn in thefirst half of 2013.
According to reports postedon Chinabond.com, the officialwebsite of China’s bondmarket, CRC revenues fell 2.4%year-on-year to Yuan 478m.
Liabilities increased fromYuan 3.27 trillion at the end ofMarch to Yuan 3.43 trillion atthe end of June. The totalvalue of CRC’s assets at theend of June was Yuan 5.33trillion, giving a debt-to-equityratio of 64.4 to 35.6.
China RailwaysCorporation loses$US 870m in first-half
D ESPITE net sales falling 2.1% fromÉ356.6m to É343m in the second quarter
of 2014, operating profits at Finland’s nationaltrain operator VR Group increasedsignificantly from É3.6m to É18.4m.
Railfreight volumes rose by 7.6% year-on-year to reach 2.43 billion tonne-km, withincreases in metals and chemicals volumesdriving growth. Traffic increased by 3.1% to10.7 million tonnes, with both domestic andinternational sectors seeing growth. Operatingprofits more than doubled to É9.8m, compared
with É4.1m in the second quarter of 2013.Profits from passenger operations rose
slightly to É4.9m, compared with É4.1m in thesecond quarter of 2013, but traffic fell by 1.4%despite a reduction in average fare prices. Theinternational Allegro service between Helsinkiand St Petersburg saw a 14.4% year-on-yeardecline in ridership, which VR Group blameson the impact of a weakening Russian Roubleon tourist traffic.
VR Group says it expects full-year results tobe comparable with 2013.
VR Group profits rise in second quarter
Oct FN:Layout 1 18/09/2014 3:27 PM Page 14
AlgeriaAlstom has been selected aspreferred bidder for a Dinars21bn ($US 260m) contract tosupply 17 bi-mode (diesel andelectric) multiple units toAlgerian National Railways(SNTF) for long-distanceservices. Alstom says thetrains will be based on itsCoradia Polyvalent platformand it hopes to sign thecontract by the end of the year.
BritainTRB Lightweight Structureshas signed a £13.5m contractto design and manufacturepartitions, toilet panels andbulk storage partitions forHitachi’s class 800/801 SuperExpress Trains (SET).� Loram has acquired amajority stake in RailwayVehicle Engineering, a rollingstock maintenance andengineering business based inDerby.� Open-access operator DirectRail Services (DRS) hasawarded Vossloh a contract tosupply 10 additional class 68UKLight diesel-electriclocomotives, taking its totalfleet to 25 units.
ChinaChina Railway Grouplaunched tenders through itsprocurement subsidiary ChinaRail Investment Corporation(CRIC) for two contracts tosupply a total of 232 high-speed trains. The first tendercovers the procurement of 57250km/h EMUs, while thesecond is for 175 350km/htrains.� Meanwhile CRIC has issueda tender for the supply of 4000GQ70 tank wagons, 1000 L70wagons for freight and 500KZ70 wagons for ore transport.
CroatiaHZ Infrastructure has selectedAltpro, Croatia, to supply 200automatic SIL4 level crossingprotection systems in a four-year framework contract.
InternationalLocomotive leasor Akiem hassigned a É33m contract withBombardier for 10 140km/hTraxx DC locomotives, with anoption for up to 10 additionalunits which would value the
IRJ October 2014 15
contract at É65m. The 3kV dclocomotives will be used forfreight transport in Poland andItaly.
PolandNewag reported a 147% rise innet profits to Zlotys 35.8m($US 11.1m) in the first half of2014. Revenue reached Zlotys391.9m, a 37% increasecompared with thecorresponding period in 2013,while unconsolidated netprofits reached Zlotys 35mwith sales revenues of Zlotys337.7m. � PKP CEO Mr JakubKarnowski says that PKPIntercity will not be ready forlisting on the stock exchangeuntil 2017 or 2018.
SerbiaA consortium of Alstom,Russian Railways subsidiaryRZD International, andMikhaljo Pupin, Serbia, hasbeen awarded a contract tosupply a signalling system aspart of a $US 65m track-doubling project on a 16kmsection of the Serbian Railways(ZS) line between BelgradeVrsac and the Romanian bordernear Pancevo.
SlovakiaOS Vrútky has ordered 40 12-cylinder D2862 LE633 enginesfrom MAN for the class 861Regiomover DMUs it isbuilding for SlovakianRailways (ZSSK). The engineswill be delivered by the end ofthe year.
SwitzerlandSwiss Federal Railways (SBB)has awarded ABB Switzerlanda SFr 69.2m ($US 75.4m)contract to supply newtraction equipment for its fleetof 119 Re460 electriclocomotives as part of a SFr230m mid-life refurbishmentprogramme.
TurkeyTurkish State Railways(TCDD) has awarded Indra,Spain, a É43m contract tosupply its DaVinci trafficmanagement and networkplanning system which will beinstalled at a dedicated controlcentre in Ankara and willcover 12,000km of conventionaland high-speed lines. IRJ
In brief
N EW ZEALAND’snational railway KiwiRail
has posted losses of $NZ 248m($US 208m) for the 2013-14financial year, which ended onJune 30 2014, compared with adeficit of $NZ 174m in theprevious financial year.
Net operating profitslumped by 28% to $NZ 77.5mon static operating revenue of$NZ 723m, $NZ 43m belowtarget. Freight revenue fell by0.4% to $NZ 462m, andInterislander ferry revenue fell6.2% to $NZ 116.6m.
On the plus side, revenuefrom its Tranzmetro suburbanrail services rose 4.9% to $NZ52.6m while turnover from itslong-distance Scenic Journeyspassenger unit also climbed4.8% to $NZ 21m, boosted bycharters from cruise ships.
Chief executive Mr PeterReidy cites the loss of an inter-island ferry for eight weeks asa major cause of KiwiRail’spoor performance.
The temporary withdrawal of40 new Chinese-built DL classlocomotives for asbestosremoval along with areduction in milk powder andtimber traffic were othercontributing factors.
Reidy says the resulthighlights the need for thestate-owned railway toenhance customer service andreduce costs through improvedefficiency, while KiwiRailchairman Mr John Spencersays much hard work andinvestment is still needed toturn KiwiRail into asustainable business. “Years ofunderinvestment, coupledwith unexpected events in thefirst four years of our[turnaround] plan, meansmaking the businesssustainable is still a significantchallenge,” he says.
The New Zealandgovernment has pumped morethan $NZ 1bn into KiwiRailsince it was established in 2010.
KiwiRail looks to curb growing losses
EQT Infrastructure II, aÉ1.9bn equity fund, is to
take a majority stake in HectorRail, a private Swedishrailfreight company whichoperates trains in Scandinaviaand Germany.
The acquisition is expectedto be completed later this year,subject to anti-trust approval.The co-founders of Hector Railwill stay on, with Mr MatsNyblom continuing as CEOand Mr Ole Kjörrefjord
becoming a board member. MrBo Lerenius, EQT’s industrialadvisor, is expected to beappointed chairman.
Hector Rail was set up in2004 with the backing of theNorwegian Høegh family. Thecompany has 190 employeesand operates a fleet of 50locomotives and 10 shunters. Itoperates around 6 milliontrain-km a year and had aturnover of SKr 630m ($US92.3m) in 2013.
Equity fund acquires Sweden’s Hector Rail
Oct FN:Layout 1 18/09/2014 3:27 PM Page 15
16
High speed
Shin
Photo: Sean Pavone/Shutterstock.com
OctJapan:Layout 1 19/09/2014 5:40 PM Page 16
17
T HE October 1964 opening of the552.6km Tokaido Shinkansenwas a major news event not just
in Japan but globally as the strikingimage of streamlined electric trainsflashing past Mount Fuji captured thepublic’s imagination. The term bullettrain was quickly coined to describe thistechnological wonder.
While a maximum speed of 210km/hmight not sound particularly fast bymodern standards, the consistentoperation of trains at this speed was ahuge step forward, particularly in Japanwhere trains could only reach 110km/hon the conventional 1067mm-gaugenetwork. The new standard-gaugedouble-track railway also doubled thecapacity of the Tokyo - Nagoya - Kyoto- Osaka rail corridor, which was vital asthe existing narrow-gauge line was
operating at capacity.The initial journey time of 4 hours was
a huge reduction compared with fastestconventional train which took 6h 30min.The Tokaido Shinkansen journey timewas cut to 3h 10min in 1965 making daytrips by train between Tokyo and Osakaattractive for the first time.
The line connects Japan’s four largestcities. Tokyo and Yokohama have acombined population of over 17 million,while Nagoya has 2.2 millioninhabitants and Osaka 2.6 million. Toput this in perspective, JR Centralserves just 23.7% of Japan’s total landarea but this region is home to 59.9% ofthe country’s population and generates64.4% of national GDP.
This helps to explain the TokaidoShinkansen’s huge success. Trafficsoared during the early years from 11
million passengers in the first year ofoperation to 118 million a decade later(Figure 1). Traffic fell back to around 91million journeys per year during thelate 1970s and early 1980s as economicgrowth slowed
By the mid-1980s traffic was starting tobuild again and grew strongly in theearly years following the breakup andprivatisation of Japanese NationalRailways in 1986 and the formation of JRCentral in 1987. Traffic peaked at around132 million journeys and remained atthis level throughout the 1990s.
There was another growth spurt in2004 following the opening ofShinagawa station in Tokyo and theability to operate all trains at 270km/hfor the first time. Traffic peaked in 2007before the global financial crisis andrecession hit, bringing journeys down
This month JR Central will celebrate the 50th anniversary of theopening of the Tokaido Shinkansen, the world’s first purpose-builthigh-speed railway. David Briginshaw explains the significance ofthis event and charts the development of the Shinkansen.
hinkansenhalf a century of speed
OctJapan:Layout 1 19/09/2014 5:41 PM Page 17
18 IRJ October 2014
from 151 million to 138 million by 2009.“The majority of our passengers are
travelling on business so the economicconditions influence our results,” saysMr Yoshinori Hatta, general manager ofJR Central’sLondon office. “In the last20 years the Japanese economy was notgood, but it has been doing slightlybetter in the last couple of years.”
The Tokaido Shinkansen has carried5.6 billion passengers since it firstopened and daily ridership has soaredfrom 61,000 in 1964 to around 420,000today, making it by far the busiest high-speed line not only in the Japan (Figure2) but also the world.
“In fiscal 2013 passenger trafficreached 155 million journeys, soridership has now exceeded the
previous peak of 151 million journeys,”Mr Yasuyuki Kudo, assistant managerwith JR Central in London, adds.
The Tokaido Shinkansen cost Yen380bn to construct. According tocoverage of the opening of the line inthe October 1964 issue of IRJ thisequated to $US 1bn, or £377m at 1964exchange rates.
The line was already profitable whenJR Central was formed. Revenue on theTokaido Shinkansen increased by 5.8%in fiscal 2013 to Yen 1.07 trillion ($US10.5bn) which is 91.5% of JR Central’stotal rail passenger income and 67.5% ofoverall revenue. JR Central made anoperating profit of Yen 426.1bn in fiscal2013 and a net profit of Yen 199.9bn.
There have been a number ofimportant milestones in the TokaidoShinkansen’s 50-year history. In 1972the railway was extended 180km westfrom Osaka to Okayama with theopening of the first stage of the SanyoShinkansen.
A further 442km extension wascompleted in 1975 taking the Sanyo lineto Hiroshima and Hakata/Fukuoka.
In 1986 themaximum speed wasincreased to 220km/h and two yearslater three additional stations wereopened.
In 1992 series 300 trains startedrunning on Nozomi services ushering in270km/h operation for the first time andcutting the Tokyo - Osaka journey timeby 30 minutes to 2h 30min.
JR Central began test running with its
series 300X experimentaltrain in January 1995 andthe train set a newShinkansen speed record of443km/h in July 1996.
In 1999 construction ofthe second general controlcentre for the Tokaido andSanyo lines was completedand the first series 700Nozomi trains enteredservice, while the last of theoriginal series 0 trains waswithdrawn.
In 2003 Shinagawa stationwas opened, and all trainswere able to operate at270km/h following thewithdrawal of series 100trains. “When we hadmixed speeds it made itvery difficult to plan the
timetable,” explains Hatta.“With a uniform operating speed wewere able to provide a much bettertimetable.”
In July 2007, the first series N700 trainsentered service. This train wasdeveloped jointly by JR Central and JRWest and can run at 300km/h on theSanyo Shinkansen. The N700 is the firstJapanese high-speed train to featurebody tilting, enabling it to negotiate2500m-radius curves at 270km/hcompared with 255km/h for non-tiltingtrains.
This was followed last year by theN700A which, in addition to tilt isequipped with high-performancewheel-mounted brake discs, a bogievibration detection system, and a fixed-speed running device. Work started last
year to retrofit the 80 series N700 trainswith the high-performance brake discsand fixed-speed running device toimprove their safety and reliability. Thework should be completed next yearand by the end fiscal 2016 the seriesN700A will make up 80% of theTokaido Shinkansen fleet.
The N700A will replace the series 700
High speed
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120
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Tokaido Sanyo Tohoku Joetsu Nagano Kyushu552.6 644.0 713.7 303.6 117.4 288.9 km km km km km km
Shi
nkan
sen
rider
ship
(mill
ion/
year
in 2
012)
“The majority of ourpassengers are travelling onbusiness so the economicconditions influence ourresults.” Yoshinori Hatta
Figure 1 (above) shows ridership growthsince 1964. Figure 2 (below) shows theTokaido Line is the busiest Shinkansen line.
OctJapan:Layout 1 19/09/2014 5:41 PM Page 18
IRJ October 2014 19
trains, which are less powerful than theN700 and N700A trains as only 12 oftheir 16 cars are powered comparedwith 14 out of 16 onthe other two trains. Thismeans the total output of the series700 is only 13.2MW compared with17.08MW on the newer trains, and itsmaximum rate of acceleration is only2km/h/s compared with 2.6km/h/s forthe N700 and N700A. The series 700 hasa maximum speed of 285km/h whichmeans it cannot reach the 300km/h linespeed on the Sanyo line.
When the transition to full seriesN700/N700A operation is complete, JR Central will have an entirely uniformfleet with the same performance,capacity and internal layout. This willgive it maximum flexibility in rosteringtrains to any service.
Energy efficiencyJR Central has achieved a steady
improvement in energy efficiency witheach successive generation of trains.The series 300 trains consume about30% less energy than the original series0 trains operating at 220km/h, whilethe series N700 and N700A trains usearound 25% less energy than series 300trains and about 19% less than series700 trains running at 270km/h. This isone of the reasons why JR Central hasalready started to withdraw series 700trains even though they were onlyintroduced in 1999.
The Tokaido Shinkansen hasmaintained a flawless safety recordthroughout its half century of operationwith zero fatalities or injuries topassengers caused by train accidents
such as derailments or collisions. Thereare several reasons for this. Having adedicated high-speed passenger railway
without anylevel crossings obviouslyreduces the risk of collision withother types of train or road vehicle. Theline has been fitted with an automatictrain control (ATC) system withoutlineside signals from the outset which isdesigned to prevent a train from gettingtoo close tothe train infront. Therenewal ofthe ATCsystem wascompleted inMarch 2006and the oldmulti-stepbrake controlsystem wasreplaced witha one-stepsystem which ensuressmoother braking frommaximum speed to acomplete stop.
JR Central is alreadywell prepared fornatural disastersespecially earthquakesthrough thereinforcement ofstructures and anadvanced earthquakedetection system. A faster and more
accurate earthquake alarm systemcalled Terra-S was introduced in 2005.Last year the responsiveness to vertical
and interlocking-type earthquakes wasimproved together with better backupsystems to improve reliability andsafety.
In 2009, JR Central started to install
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From Tokyo to Osaka Hiroshima Fukuoka Passengers per day 121,000 14,000 26,000Distance 552.6km 894.2km 1174.9kmShinkansen journey time 2h 25min 3h 47min 4h 50minAirport to airport journey time 1h 5min 1h 15min 1h 30minCity to city air journey time 2h 40min 3h 10min 2h 40minTrains per day 250 99 67Flights per day 100 32 112Rail/air market share 85%/15% 64%/36% 11%/89%Information based on 2013 data, except rail/air market share which is based on 2012data
Rail/air comparison
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200Distance (km)
Tokyo Osaka
Hiroshima
Fukuoka
85% 15%
64% 36%
11% 89%
Rail
Air
OctJapan:Layout 1 19/09/2014 5:42 PM Page 19
derailment protection guards inside therunning rails in response to the NiigataChuetsu earthquake in 2004 whichderailed a Joestsu Shinkansen train.Initially they are being installed in areaspredicted to suffer strong earthquakesor locations where a high-speedderailment would cause considerabledamage. The modification is being donein conjunction with measures to preventballast spillage, embankment sinking,and displacement of elevated tracksupports. The work is expected tocontinue until 2020.
Exceptional punctualityJR Central currently operates 323
trains per day with a staggering annualaverage delay of just 0.9 minutes pertrain including delays caused by thingsbeyond JR Central’s control such asnatural disasters. This exceptional levelof punctuality is attributed to a highlyreliable operating system, very reliableinfrastructure and rolling stock,comprehensive staff education and
training, and vertical integration. “Arailway is a total system,” Hatta says,with each element focused onmaintaining safety and reliability.
In March JR Central introduced its“10 Nozomi Timetable” with up to 10Nozomi trains per hour in peak periods
to help reduce overcrowding.JR Central is currently preparing for
another increase in maximum speed onthe Tokaido Shinkansen to 285km/h,which will take effect in spring nextyear. While the railway is being coyabout what effect this will have onjourney times, there are only limitedopportunities to raise the speed on theline due to the prevalence of curves andthe line’s proximity to buildings wherenoise is an issue.
In 2002, JR Central started to set asidefunds each year for a 10-year project torenovate many of the structures on theline which are beginning to show theirage. Research has been underway
concurrently,mainly at the new Komaki
research facility which opened in 2002,to find a less-disruptive and more cost-effective way of carrying out the work.JR Central says the research hasresulted in a method of working whichwill not only substantially reduceinterference to train services but alsodrastically cut construction costs, so
much so that JR Central has been ableto advance the start of the work by fiveyears from 2018 to 2013.
The Tokaido Shinkansen is vitallyimportant to the future success of JRCentral as it generates such a highproportion of its revenue, but JRCentral recognises that it has entered atime when “we must think of drasticways to deal with feared future agingand large scale disasters” as it takes avery long time to plan and build a newrailway. This, together with a realisationthat there is a limit to how much extracapacity can be squeezed out of theexisting high-speed line, is thebackground to JR Central’s bold
decision to build the ChuoShinkansen superconducting maglevline entirely with its own funds and asquickly as possible.
Environmental protection measureshave already been approved and JRCentral will start construction later thisyear. The first phase will link Shinagawain Tokyo with Nagoya and willincorporate the Yamanashi maglev testline which is currently being extendedfrom 18.4km to 42.8km at a cost of Yen355bn. A maximum speed of 581km/h
has been reached so farduring test running.
When the maglev lineopens in 2027 the journeyfrom Tokyo to Nagoyawill take just 40 minutessaving about one hour onthe current rail journeytime of 1h 35min. JRCentral plans toeventually extend themaglev line to Osaka.
This project is amassive commitment byJR Central as a privatecompany both in terms ofthe risk it is taking infunding such a hugeproject from its ownresources and byadopting a radically newtechnology. It willcertainly be another causefor celebration when thefirst commercial maglevtrain departs in 2027. IRJ
20 IRJ Ocotber 2014
High speed
Shinkansen specifications comparedTokaido Sanyo Tohoku/Joetsu
Opening date 1964 1972 1982Current maximum speed 270km/h 300km/h 320km/hMaximum gradient 2% 1.5% 2%Minimum curve radius 2500m 4000m 4000mMinimum vertical curve radius 10,000m 10,000m 15,000mCant 200mm 180mm 200mmDistance between track centres 4.2m 4.3m 4.3m
JR Central will soon operate the Tokaido Shinkansen with a uniform fleet of N700 and N700A trains.
OctJapan:Layout 1 19/09/2014 5:42 PM Page 20
IRJOCTXX (Mitsubishi):Layout 1 16/09/2014 09:17 Page 1
While high-speed lines have been built primarily to serve the inter-city market,regional travellers are also benefiting from the investment in new rail infrastructure. IRJ editors look at the development of regional high-speed in three European countriesand consider the prospects for growth.
Accelerateddevelopment
High speed
European regional high-speed
Photos: Paul Bigland (top) Keith Fender (middle) David Gubler (Bottom)
Oct Regional HS:Layout 1 17/09/2014 3:51 PM Page 22
IRJ October 2014 23
T HIS December marks the fifthanniversary of the launch of thefull timetable for regional high-
speed services from London’s revitalisedSt Pancras International station to thecounty of Kent in southeast England viaHigh Speed 1 (HS1).
Southeastern, a joint venture of Go-Ahead (65%) and Keolis (35%), operatesthe 225km/h service as part of thebroader Integrated Kent franchise, whichencompasses suburban, commuter, andregional operations over a 748kmnetwork radiating south and southeastfrom London. Southeastern operates 170high-speed services a day, with an off-peak service pattern of two trains perhour from Faversham via Gravesendand Ebbsfleet, one from Dover viaAshford, and one from Ramsgate viaCanterbury West and Ashford.
At peak times Dover and Ramsgatetrains split and join at Ashford toprovide a half-hourly service on theseroutes. Some Dover trains are extendedto Deal while Faversham trains areextended to Ramsgate via Herne Bayand Whistable. A handful of peak trainsalso run to Maidstone West and there isa limited St Pancras - Ebbsfleet shuttlewhich operates exclusively on the high-speed line. The off-peak service patternis maintained at the weekend, with fourSoutheastern trains per hour runningthe northern section of HS1.
All services are formed of six-car class395 Javelin EMUs, 29 of which weresupplied to Southeastern by Hitachi.The fleet is maintained by the supplierat a purpose-built depot at Ashford.
The average peak journey timebetween Ashford and London (Victoria)was 1h 24min before the opening of HS1,but the introduction of high-speedservices slashed the fastest trips to just 37minutes. Even stations situated furthestfrom the high-speed line have benefitedfrom significant journey time reductionswith London - Ramsgate falling from 2h9min to 1h 16 min and London - Doverfrom 1h 56min to 1h 06min.
Naturally given the faster journeys, ahigh-speed ticket comes at a higherprice than a conventional fare, but thishas not deterred passengers fromswitching to the Javelin. For example,80% of Southeastern passengers
travelling from Canterbury West toLondon now use the high-speed serviceand 12-car trains operate at weekendson this route to provide sufficientcapacity. With demand rising, a half-hourly service is expected to serveCanterbury West in the longer-term.
Average weekday ridership onSoutheastern Highspeed services iscurrently around 34,000 passengers, butgrowth in the early years fell short ofprojections. “We signed the franchiseagreement in 2005 when the economywas on a high but the launch in 2009coincided with the global economicdownturn,” explains Mr Richard Dean,train services director for Southeastern.“A lot of development around the high-speed station at Ebbsfleet, which shouldbe a town in its own right by now, wasdeferred during this period. Now theeconomy is picking up and theEbbsfleet development is back on, butwe’re behind where we should be atthis stage.”
Not all passengers have come fromthe conventional rail network. Deansays that 16% of ridership onSoutheastern Highspeed is new to railand some stations have seen asignificant increase in traffic since 2009.With a substantially reduced journeytime, Dover - London journeys haveincreased by 47% since the launch of theservice.
New trains and new infrastructurehave also brought improvements inreliability, with 93% of high-speedservices reaching their destinationwithin five minutes of schedule. Thenetwork has also fared well duringperiods of wintery weather, with the
25kV ac overhead electrification on HS1proving less susceptible to weather-related failures than the 750kV dc third-rail system used on the conventionalnetwork in southeast England.
Dean stresses that the benefits ofhigh-speed have extended go wellbeyond the Javelin routes. Since it waslaunched, Southeastern has introduced130 additional weekday services on theconventional network. “The creation ofthe high-speed service has had animpact across the whole of Kent andhas provided a lot of additionalcapacity on the conventional networkby moving the long-distancecommuters onto HS1,” he says. “Forexample, Sevenoaks now has a trainevery 10 minutes off-peak and nearlyevery train stops there now, whichwasn’t the case before high-speed.”
Dean says that the capacity benefits ofhigh-speed rail were not widelypromoted as a reason for building HS1,yet they are one of the mosttransformational aspects of the newinfrastructure. “We were not as clearwith passengers on the benefits of thehigh-speed line as we could have been,especially those on routes that would notbe served by high-speed services,” hesays. “Residents of mid-Kent or southLondon might not appreciate that theynow have a better service because ofHS1, and that’s something people needto understand about HS2. Capacity is thebig issue, and while people respond toreduced journey times, which can makea massive difference to their lives,increasing rail capacity has a big impacton a lot of people.”
As well as providing Kent with more
Britain: Javelin stretches the London commuter belt
Keith BarrowAssociate editor
Operation on HS1 All-day serviceOperation on conventional lines All-day service Peak-hours only Proposed services
LondonSt Pancras
Stratford
Ebbsfleet Strood
Rochester
Chatham
Gillingham
Rainham Sittingbourne
Faversham
Whitstable
Herne BayBirchington
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Ramsgate
Maidstone West Canterbury WestSandwich
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Ashford
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Oct Regional HS:Layout 1 17/09/2014 3:51 PM Page 23
rail capacity and faster journeys toLondon, high-speed has improved linksbetween the county and destinations tothe north of the capital. Previously suchjourneys would require a change ontothe Underground at Victoria, but high-speed trains terminate at St Pancraswhich, together with the adjacentstation at King’s Cross is a hub forservices to central England, the northeast, and Scotland as well as the cross-city Thameslink network which servesLuton and Gatwick airports. St Pancrasis also a short walk from Euston stationfor services to Birmingham, Manchesterand the north west.
This enhanced connectivity isreflected in the rise in through journeysfrom Kent to stations north of London,which increased from 1.16 million peryear before the introduction of high-speed services to 1.78 million in theyear to August 2014.
High-speed has also had an impact ontravel patterns within London.
Passengers arriving in the city fromKent can now change onto the
Underground or DocklandsLight Railway at Stratford
for south and east Londonand the Docklandsfinancial district, or StPancras, which is servedby five Underground
lines for central,
northern and western areas of the city.This relieves the Underground station atVictoria, which frequently suffers fromcongestion in the morning peak.
Stratford and St Pancras are also atthe heart of major redevelopments inthe capital which are turning theseareas into destinations in their ownright. Stratford was the location for theOlympic Park during the 2012 Olympicand Paralympic games, and the high-speed rail link is frequently cited as akey reason for London’s selection forthe event. During the gamesSoutheastern operated shuttle servicebetween St Pancras and Stratford,providing a six-minute journey timebetween central London and the mainOlympic venue, which carried 1.4million passengers.
Last month Southeastern signed adirect-award franchise agreementextending its tenure until June 2018.This will be a challenging period for thefranchise due to the three-yearrebuilding of London Bridge - Britain’sfourth-busiest station - as part of the£6.5bn Thameslink Programme (IRJMay p16). In order to minimise theimpact of this work on passengers inthe southeast, a new timetable will beintroduced in January with additionalcapacity on key routes.
High-speed services to and fromLondon to Faversham, Ramsgate andDover will be extended through Dealand Sandwich to create a loop servicearound the Kent coast.
In the morning peak services fromDover and Canterbury currently join atAshford, forming a 12-car train for theremainder of the journey to London.From January Southeastern will run theCanterbury train as a 12-car setthroughout and this will be followed bythe six-car Dover train. In totalSoutheastern will provide 698additional seats from Ashford to StPancras in the morning peak and 249extra seats from Ebbsfleet.
“Running more trains and longerformations maxes out the rolling stockfleet,” Dean says. “Hitachi is able toprovide us with an extra train duringthe peak, which means 26 out of 29trains will be in service, but it’s difficultto see how we could go any higher thanthis with the current fleet size.”
With such a short run on the high-speed line, the class 395s spend a lot oftheir time travelling over theconventional network, and there is stillscope for further improvements injourney time through infrastructureenhancements on these routes.Infrastructure manager Network Rail(NR) is planning to implement aprogramme of line speed improvementsbetween Ashford and Ramsgate which,combined with the abandonment ofsplitting and joining trains at Ashford,is expected to cut London - Ramsgatejourney times by a further six minutes.
In the longer term, NR is consideringextending high-speed services fromAshford to Hastings and Bexhill, townsthat have relatively slow journeys toLondon. The Ashford - Hastings line iscurrently something of a backwater beingone of the few remaining non-electrifiedpassenger lines in south-east England.“This is effectively a branch line with longsingle-track sections, low line speeds, andopen crossings, but it has seen a lot ofgrowth in recent years and Bexhill andHastings would clearly benefit from adirect link into St Pancras,” Dean says.
Additional rolling stock is requiredfor any expansion, although Dean saysthese could be included in ananticipated order for the extra trainsrequired to lengthen trains and runmore services on the current network.
With economic growth in Londonoutpacing surrounding regions, andhouse prices rising rapidly in andaround the capital, regional high-speedcould bring relief to London’s housingmarket and provide an economic boostto the hinterland. As the economyrecovers and plans for Ebbsfleet GardenCity gather momentum, it looks asthough the best is yet to come for
regional high-speed in southeast England.
High speed
In the longer term,Network Rail is studyingthe possibility ofextending high-speedservices from Ashford toHastings and Bexhill,towns that have relativelyslow journeys to London.
Photo: Brian Stephenson
Oct Regional HS:Layout 1 17/09/2014 3:52 PM Page 24
26
F ROM the opening of its very firsthigh-speed line in 1992, Spainconceived regional high-speed
services as a means of getting the bestreturn on the increased capacity offeredby the new infrastructure. With thecontinuous expansion of the network inthe last two decades, regional serviceshave multiplied and Renfe currentlyoperates 10 different regional high-speed routes under the Avant brand.
The current Avant services form threedistinct groups. Firstly there are pureregional services which are operatedusing dedicated regional rolling stockand run in alternating paths with AVEand Alvia trains. These include Madrid -Puertollano, Madrid - Toledo, Lleida -Barcelona, Seville - Malaga, and Jaen -Cadiz.
Secondly, a couple of high-speed lineswhich are still isolated from the rest ofthe network are operated under atimetable dominated by Avant trainsand with only a handful of long-
distance services. These include Madrid- Valladolid and Ourense - A Coruña.
Thirdly, there are regional seats on AVEtrains. In recent years Renfe has movedaway from its “service-equal-to-train”business model and adopted the“regional seats” concept whereby acertain number of seats on long-distanceAVE services are allocated to the regionalmarket. This system is used on theZaragoza - Calatayud, Valencia -Requena and Barcelona - Figueres routes.
The regional high-speed fleet comprises20 S104 and 13 S114 sets from the AlstomPendolino family and 29 variable gaugeS121 EMUs supplied by CAF. All of thesetrains are short units, with a length of107m, have a maximum speed of250km/h and a reduced capacitycompared with long-distance AVE trains,with the Alstom trains seating 237passengers and the CAF sets 282.
While almost half of the fleet iscomposed of dual-gauge trains, most ofthe Avant services operate only onstandard-gauge lines, the exceptionsbeing Ourense - Santiago de Compostela- A Coruña and Jaen - Cadiz.
First devised as a means of bringingdevelopment and employmentopportunities to small cities located inlower population density areas betweenMadrid and the larger coastal cities,regional high-speed services wereinitially marketed as “AVE Shuttles”before being rebranded Avant.
Frequent services over the high-speedlines have created new mobility patterns,drawing passengers from their cars andattracting a steady flow of dailycommuters into Madrid and Barcelona,while simultaneously inducing newdemand from tourists visiting historiccities like Toledo and Segovia.
Renfe’s high-speed ridership grew by8% last year, with the total number ofAvant passengers reaching 6.53 million.This means Avant services carried onein five Spanish high-speed passengers.
Avant figures vary considerablybetween routes, reflecting not only thepopulation:distance ratio of the townsserved, but also the configuration of theentire transport offer. The 179kmMadrid - Segovia - Valladolid route wasthe most heavily-used in 2013 with 1.6
High speed
Spain:from regional trainsto regional seats
Fernando PuenteSpain correspondent
Oct Regional HS:Layout 1 18/09/2014 2:47 PM Page 26
million passengers, followed by Madrid- Toledo (73km, 1.3m passengers) andMadrid - Puertollano (210km, 1.1mpassengers). At the other end of therankings the Jaen - Cadiz and Zaragoza- Calatayud services were each used byfewer than 100,000 passengers.
None of the Avant services areprofitable, as ticket prices are kept low toattract frequent travellers, while mostoperating costs - including track accesscharges - are similar to those of AVEservices. As a consequence, Avantoperations have been assigned to MediaDistancia, Renfe’s passenger sectorresponsible for loss-making publicly-sustained regional routes. These havebeen declared Public Service Obligations(PSOs) and look likely to be let asconcessions in the near future.
Despite Spain’s economy just startingto recover from a deep and prolongedeconomic crisis and the governmentstruggling to cut its budget deficit,Avant services have so far managed toescape cutbacks. This is due not only totheir popularity among regional andmunicipal politicians, but also Renfe’snew flexible extension policy which isbenefiting AVE Long Distance, Renfe’scommercial branch.
By reserving seats on three selectedAVE routes for Avant customers - themost popular of these being the
27
Barcelona - Figueres with 743,000regional passengers per year - Renfe hascut the unit cost of Avant by 25% andfound a new way of improving capacityutilisation across the high-speed networkby serving two distinct markets with asingle train.
Renfe intends to further blur the
distinction between Avant and AVE, andthe trains operating these services, byincreasing regular ticket prices onregional high-speed trains to bring themin line with the cheapest AVE fares.Subsidised fares will only be availablefor monthly passes to benefit frequenttravellers, with many seats on Avanttrains effectively becoming low-cost AVEofferings, with only peak trains retainedfor pure commuting services.
“Right now, policymakers are notpressing Renfe hard to reduce itsdeficits but just to keep them static andnot to increase them above the pre-2012levels,” a senior Renfe source told IRJ.
“With our synergistic approach Renfe hasbeen able to extend Avant services alongthe newly-constructed lines, as somelocal and regional leaders demanded,without incurring bigger losses.”
Renfe stresses that the seats-instead-of-trains policy improves the servicefrequency for commuters while helpingto support AVE by improving revenuerecovery.
Although the future of Avant servicesis not questioned, some doubts remain.First, it is unclear if - and how - theblurring of the lines betweencommercial and PSO services fit thestrict separation rules imposed byEuropean legislation. It is also unclearhow future PSO Avant services couldcoexist with free-market operations onthe same lines.
Allowing a train operator to run cheapAvant trains under a PSO contractwould surely dent a competitors’passenger share on a given corridor.However, if a private long-distanceoperator is permitted to carry passengersbetween two stations served by Avant,the PSO contract could be destabilised.The liberalisation of the Spanish railmarket, still in its early stages, willsurely have to address this potentialconflict, along with many others.
By reserving seats onthree selected AVE routesfor Avant customers,Renfe has cut the unitcost of Avant by 25%.
Photo: David Gubler
Oct Regional HS:Layout 1 18/09/2014 2:48 PM Page 27
IRJOCTXX (CSR spread):Layout 1 11/09/2014 1:28 PM Page 25
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IRJ October 2014 31
T HE 78km high-speed line fromNuremberg to Ingolstadt openedin late May 2006 for ICE high-
speed services, and in December thatyear high-speed regional services werelaunched linking Nuremberg withMunich, a distance of 172km.
Uniquely among the German high-speed lines a regional or local servicewas planned from the outset in the1990s to serve the towns of Allersbergand Kinding, both of which weresevered from the rail network havinglost their branch line links.
The route is served by around 20Munich-Nuremberg Express trains eachway on weekdays, and these DB Regio-operated services have been a greatsuccess, carrying 8000 passengers perday. New trains are on order and theseare due to enter service in 2016.
The two intermediate stations on thehigh-speed line were built withplatforms on loops either side of themain running lines, enabling ICE trainsto overtake regional trains. InAllersberg, 25km south of Nuremberg, abay platform was installed to allowtrains from Nuremberg to reverse. Thestations are basic with waiting sheltersand a ticket machine on the 165m-longplatforms, which are connected bypedestrian underpasses. The stationswere designed for six-coach trains andplatforms are too short for some longerpeak trains, a problem that will beaddressed with the delivery of shorter(albeit higher-capacity) double-decktrains. Both stations have park-and-ridefacilities as they are located near theA9/E45 highway and some distancefrom the towns whose names they bear.
Munich-Nuremberg Express trainsare formed of six-car push-pull sets offormer DB long-distance coaches, with200km/h electric locomotives hiredfrom DB Fernverkehr. These trains arenot dedicated to the service but changefrequently. The initial contract awardedto DB Regio covered the period 2007-2013 and was subsequently extendedfor three more years. Service patternshave changed to reflect demand onpeak days with additional trains,especially on Fridays and Sundays,when Germany’s low-cost national andregional ticket offers provide manylonger distance travellers with a
cheaper alternative to ICE services.Local services operate on the northern
25km section of the line betweenNuremberg and Allersberg, which has290 parking spaces and is served byseven bus routes. Between 2006 and2013 the Allersberg Express operatedwith older regional push-pull trainslimited to 140km/h but these have sincebeen replaced by the same 200km/hrolling stock used on the main Munich-Nuremberg Express. From 2018 theAllersberg service will be integratedinto the Nuremberg S-Bahn networkand operated by EMUs. This will be thefirst time an S-Bahn service has usedsections of a high-speed line.
New trainsIn June 2013 the Bavarian Railway
Authority (BEG) awarded DB RegioOberbayern the Ringzug West/NBScontract to operate regional services onthe Munich - Ingolstadt - Nuremberghigh-speed line for 12 years fromDecember 2016. DB has placed a É110morder with Škoda Transportation fornew trains, which have a maximumspeed of 189km/h due to the increasedcost of securing TSI compliance for
200km/h rolling stock.Škoda is supplying six six-
car double-deck push-pull trainsand six class 102 locomotives.
BEG initially sought an hourlyservice on the high-speed line, but thebids received from all prospectiveoperators were considered too high astrack access charges on the high-speedline are reportedly É14 per train-km,compared with around É4.50 per train-km on the conventional network. Thismeans the previous two-hourly patternwill remain, although the new trains willoffer a 20% increase in seating capacity.
Infrastructure manager DB Networksis currently rebuilding the conventionalline between Munich and Ingolstadt,where trains join the high-speed line toNuremberg. The section fromPetershausen to the outskirts of Munichwas rebuilt for 200km/h operation intime for the 2006 opening of the high-speed line further north. Plans toupgrade the 44.6km Petershausen -Ingolstadt section for 200km/h havebeen scaled back on cost grounds, butwork to increase speeds to 190km/hbegan in mid-2011. This É200m projectshould be completed in 2015.
Further north, speed limits on the23.8km Petershausen - Rohrbach stretchwill be raised from 150km/h to190km/h but the 20.8km section northfrom Rohrbach to Ingolstadt will beupgraded to no more than 160km/h,eliminating 120km/h restrictions. IRJ
Germany: increasing capacityin Bavaria
Keith FenderGermany regional editor
High speed
Skoda will supply newcoaches and locomotives toDB Regio for the Munich-Nuremberg Express, whichwill enter service in 2016.
Oct Regional HS:Layout 1 17/09/2014 3:47 PM Page 31
32 IRJ October 2014
C HINA has the world’s largesthigh-speed network and it hasreached this position in little
over a decade. The high-speedprogramme started in 2003 with a404km line between Qinhuangdao andShenyang, which was designed for250km/h. It rapidly gained momentumwith the Mid-to-Long Term RailwayNetwork Plan adopted in 2004 andupdated in 2008, which set out thedevelopment strategy for the networkup to 2020. The Beijing - Tianjin high-speed line, the first of a new generationof lines designed for 350km/hoperation opened in August 2008.
By 2013, China had completedconstruction of a high-speed railnetwork of about 10,000 route-km,exceeding the high-speed network of
the entire European Union and growthcontinues with a further 12,000 route-km currently under construction. Inaddition, China has built a number ofnew 200km/h passenger railways and200km/h mixed traffic lines.
High-density corridors such asBeijing - Shanghai and Beijing -Guangzhou tend to be designed for350km/h running, while 250km/hsuffices for lines with more modestvolumes. By the end of 2013, most ofthe metropolitan regions in China areeither connected, or in the process ofbeing connected, to lines with amaximum speed of 200km/h or above.
Services on high-speed lines areformed of eight or 16-car trains and alook at the current China RailwayCorporation (CRC) timetable reveals
High speed
China has built the world’slargest high-speed rail networkin less than a decade andconstruction costs for high-speedlines are now as much as a thirdlower than in other countries.Gerald Ollivier, JitendraSondhri and Nanyan Zhoufrom the World Bank’s Beijingoffice explain how Chinacontinues to develop a world-class system with world-beatingunit costs.
How China high-spe
f
OctChinaHS:Layout 1 18/09/2014 2:52 PM Page 32
IRJ October 2014 33
there are 70-100 trains per day on thebusiest routes with up to eight trainsper direction per hour at peak times.Traffic density on such routes isestimated at about 20-30 millionpassengers.
On medium-density routes there are40-50 trains per day with a mixture offast and semi-fast services.
According to a report in the People’sRailway Post in January, average seatoccupancy is 70% and second-classfares range from $US 0.045 per km on200-250km/h routes to $US 0.077 onhigher-speed lines. This is three to fourtimes the fare charged on conventionalexpress trains but lower than orcomparable with discounted air faresand, at the lower end, similar tointercity bus fares. By international
standards Chinese high-speed fares areextremely low, being around a quarterto a fifth of the typical ticket price inother countries.
Construction costsAn analysis of the construction costs
of the 27 high-speed lines in operationat the end of 2013 revealed substantialvariations in unit cost, ranging fromYuan 94m ($US 15.3m) to Yuan183m/km.
With a handful of exceptions, the unit cost of 250km/h lines was Yuan 70-169m/km. The weighted averageunit cost was Yuan 129m/km for a350km/h project and Yuan 87m/km for a 250km/h project.
These costs provide a generalindication of construction cost levelsbut this data is only available inaggregate form at this point.Expenditures were incurred overdifferent years, so costs may not bedirectly comparable, given the impactof inflation as well as fluctuations in thesupply and demand for railconstruction services. But theynonetheless provide a useful range ofbenchmarking values for new projects.
Table 1 shows the contribution ofvarious elements to the total project costfor all Chinese high-speed rail projectssupported by the World Bank. Civilworks contribute about 50% of the costwhile signalling, telecommunicationsand electrification each account foraround 5% of the total. An analysis ofthe cost of building the 841kmShijiazhuang - Wuhan line indicatesthat the actual unit cost was about 5%below estimates.
Several factors including designspeed, topography, meteorologicalconditions, land costs, and stationsinfluence the cost of high-speed railwayconstruction. Unit costs on the Beijing -Tianjin line were higher than usual at
Yuan 183m/km because it included thecost of building two major stations atBeijing South and Tianjin, which alsoserve other lines.
The unit cost of Shanghai - Hangzhouhigh-speed line (Yuan 177m/km) washigh because it included several majorbridges and land acquisition andresettlement costs were high in thisdensely-populated region of easternChina. Viaducts are often preferred toembankments in China, even if theycost more to build, because theyminimise resettlement and the use offertile agricultural land as well asenvironmental impacts.
In the projects supported by theWorld Bank, the estimated cost ofviaducts in China ranges from Yuan57m to Yuan 73m/km for a double-track line. Such costs are kept lowthrough standardisation of the designand manufacturing process for castingand laying bridge beams on viaducts.The span of viaduct beams has beenstandardised at 24m and 32m. Bridgebeams are cast in temporary facilitiesalong the route of the line andtransported over a distance up to 8kmby a special beam carrier vehicle. Thebeams are then launched over theviaduct columns by specially-designedequipment. The cost of a 32m-bridgebeam ranges from Yuan 800,000 to Yuan 1m.
Slab track is also cast in temporaryfacilities. After project completion, thebridge beam and slab track castingfacilities are dismantled and reinstalledat another site. The vacated land issystematically restored by relaying thesite with the original top soil beforebeing handed over to its owners foragricultural use.
Special bridges that cross largenavigable rivers or that need toaccommodate major topographicfeatures like mountains are much morecostly to construct, requiring more
ina builds-speed rail
for less
Element 350km/h 250km/h 200km/hLand acquisition and resettlement 4% 4-8% 6-9%Civil works 48% 50-54% 44-51%
Embankments 6% 7-12% 13-15%Bridges/viaducts** 41%* 13-25% 25-27%Tunnels 0%* 16-29% 2-13%
Track 9% 9-11% 6-7%Signalling and communications 4% 3% 4%Electrification 5% 4-5% 4-5%Rolling stock 15% 3-4% 5-7%Buildings, including stations 2% 2-4% 3-5%Other costs balance balance balance
** the unit cost of bridges/viaducts includes that for short/medium-length bridges over water and specially-designed bridges over large rivers as well as viaducts built over dry land* an exception is the Shizheng Railway that has 69% of track on viaducts, accounting for 41% of cost, andno tunnels
Table 1: Percentage of total project costs
OctChinaHS:Layout 1 18/09/2014 2:52 PM Page 33
34 IRJ October 2014
intensive design work and sophisticatedconstruction techniques. Usually suchbridges represent a small percentage ofthe total number of bridges. Projectsthat include a larger proportion ofspecial bridges such as the Xijiang andSixianjiao bridges tend to have a highunit cost.
Stations play a dual role as transporthubs and urban centres and many ofthem are urban landmarks that seek toreflect the local culture and heritage,while supporting urban expansion.Traffic volumes vary widely acrossstations and the size and cost of stationsvaries markedly with small stations(3000m2 station building) costingaround Yuan 40m, while major stations,which are more akin to airportterminals, may cost up to Yuan 13bn.
The cost of regular stations is generallyincluded in the project cost and is of theorder of 1-1.5% of the total project cost.Large stations are often constructed asindependent projects and their costs arenot always included in those of high-speed lines.
Architecturally-distinctive majorstations are expensive to build andlarge, but they fill up rapidly duringpeak travel periods. Such stations havethree to five levels and provideinterchange facilities between rail, roadand metro networks. For exampleShanghai Hongqiao has interchangefacilities for the airport and for a futuremaglev link. These stations seek toprovide facilities that promote quickand comfortable transit for largevolumes of traffic. Notable stations
include: Beijing South (Yuan 6.3bn;310,000m2), Wuhan (Yuan 4.1bn;114,000m2), Guangzhou South (Yuan13bn; 486,000m2) and Zhengzhou East(Yuan 9.5bn; 412,000m2).
While these are major investments,high-speed construction costs in Chinatend to be lower than in other countries.Based on experience with World Banksupported projects, the cost of railwayconstruction is about 82% of the totalproject costs mentioned above. Chinesehigh-speed lines with a maximumspeed of 350km/h have a typicalinfrastructure unit cost of about Yuan100-125m ($US 17-21m) per km, with ahigh ratio of viaducts and tunnels.
The cost of high-speed lines inEurope designed for operation at300km/h or above is estimated to be
High speed
Project Max speed Length Total Unit cost Bridges/viaducts/ Period ofkm/h km estimated cost Yuan million tunnels (% of construction
Yuan billion route-km)Shijazhuang - Zhengzhou 350 355 43.9 123 69 2008-2012Guiyang - Guangzhou 250 857 94.6 110 80 2008-2014Jilin - Hunchun 250 360 39.6 110 66 2010-2014Beijing - Hohhot 250 286 34.6 121 67 2013-2017Nanning - Guangzhou* 200 463 41.0 89 53 2008-2014Harbin - Jiamusi* 200 343 33.9 99 48 2014-2017* mixed traffic lines
Table 2: Railway projects supported by the World Bank in China
The 857km Guiyang - Guangzhou high-speed railway is scheduled to open at the end of this year.
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IRJ October 2014 35
$US 25-39m/km (tables 3 and 4) and ashigh as $US 52m/km in California(excluding land, rolling stock, andinterest during construction). The unitcost for four high-speed lines currentlyunder construction in France rangesfrom $US 24.8m to $US 35.2m.
It is therefore apparent that the cost ofbuilding high-speed lines in China issignificantly lower than those listed intables 3 and 4, although the comparisonis at best approximate consideringdifferences in accountingand cost procedures.Aside from the lower costof labour, several otherfactors are likely to haveled to lower unit costs inChina. At a programmelevel, the declaration of acredible medium-termplan for the constructionof 10,000km of high-speedlines in China over aperiod of six to sevenyears energised theconstruction andequipment supplycommunity to buildcapacity rapidly and adoptinnovative techniques totake advantage of veryhigh volumes of work.
This has led to lowerunit costs as a result ofthe development ofmultiple competitive localsources for construction -including earthworks,bridges, tunnels androlling stock - thatadopted mechanisation inconstruction andmanufacturing.Furthermore, largevolumes and the ability toamortise capitalinvestment in high-costconstruction equipmentacross a number ofprojects also helped toreduce costs.
Other factors include arelatively low cost of landacquisition andresettlement, localisation
of the design andmanufacture of goodsand components aswell as thestandardisation ofdesigns for embankments, track,viaducts, electrification, signalling andtelecommunication systems. Forexample, the slab track manufacturingprocess was imported from Germanybut the cost of the Chinese-madeproduct is about a third lower than the
German product as a result of largevolumes and lower labour costs. Thetechnology developed for constructionof tunnels not only resulted in a lowunit cost but also enabled tunnels to beconstructed at a rate of 5-10m per day.High-speed tunnel construction costs in
China are about $US 10-15m/km, a fraction of thatin other countries. Tunnelcosts are heavilyinfluenced by geology andlabour costs and, in thecase of China, the latter hascertainly helped to keepcosts down.
FeatChina has accomplished
a remarkable feat inbuilding over 10,000km ofhigh-speed lines in six toseven years at a unit costthat is lower than those ofsimilar projects in othercountries. The networkoperates with high trafficvolumes on its corecorridors, and with highlevels of availability, andthis has been accomplishedat a cost which is at mosttwo-thirds of high-speedrail in the rest of the world.Besides the lower cost oflabour in China, the sheerscale of the programme isanother possible reason forthis because it allowsstandardisation of thedesign of constructionelements, the developmentof innovative andcompetitive capacity forequipment manufacturingand construction andamortisation of the capitalcost of constructionequipment over a numberof projects. IRJ
TGV Est Brittany Nîmes Sud Totalphase 2 - Pays de Montpellier Europe
la Loire bypass AtlantiqueTotal cost €2bn €3.3bn €1.8bn €7.8bn €14.9bnLength (km) 106 182 80 303 671Cost/km €18.9m €18.1m €22.5m €25.7m €22.2m
$US 25.9m $US 24.8m $US 30.8m $US 35.2m $US 30.4m
Table 3: Estimated cost of the four linesunder construction in France
High-speed Length Approximate Constructionrail project (km) construction completion
cost per km* dateCordoba - Malaga 155 $US 27m 2007(Spain)Madrid - Barcelona 749 $US 29m 2008- Figueras (Spain)TGV Est (France) 300 $US 31m 2007Madrid - Valladolid 177 $US 39m 2007(Spain)Source: Texas A&M Transportation Institute (2013) based on US GovernmentAccountability Office (2009)* at 2012 prices
Table 4: Estimated cost of recenthigh-speed projects in Europe
OpenBeing builtPlanned
300km/h 250km/h 200km/h up!Rjrjibs
Hohhot
Dandong
Yantai Rongcheng
Baoji
Qingchengshan
Guangyuan
Anqing
Shangrao
NanpingHengyang
Sanming
Longyan
Taipei
Kaohsiung
Guilin
ZhuhaiNanning
Bose
Kowloon
Guangzhou
Shenzhen
Xiamen
TAIWAN
up!Lvonjoh
Guiyang Huaihua
Changsha
LichuanChongqing
Leshan
Neijiang
Yichang
Fuzhou
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Ningbo
Hangzhou
ShanghaiNanjing
Xuzhou
Xi’an
WuhanWanzhouChengdu Jiujiang
Mianyang
Lanzhou
up!Vsvnrj
Shijiazhuang
Taiyuan
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OctChinaHS:Layout 1 18/09/2014 2:52 PM Page 35
CNR has experienced rapid development in the last 10 years,and its revenue has increased by up to 24.4% per year (Figure 1).
In September 2014, SCI Verkehr, a German company,released a list of top 10 manufacturers as measured by newrail vehicle turnover in 2013 or 2013-14. CNR has continued tolie in first position since 2011. Its annual turnover from newvehicle sales is more than the total amount of the bottom fivecompanies.
In 2012, the worldwide rolling stock market had a market
1000
800
600
400
200
02003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
100
Mill
ion
RB
M
24.4% per year
9.25%
0 2000 4000 6000 8000
CNR
CSR
Bombardier
Transmashholding
Alstom
Stadler
Siemens*
Trinity Industries
GE Transportation*
CAF*
CNR’s share of the world
Category World output CNR output CNR’s share
Electric locomotives 9,320 2,723 29.2%Diesel locomotives 11,060 1,125 10.2%High-speed trains 1,370 326 23.8%EMUs 25,750 160 0.6%DMUs 1,600 2 0.1%Passenger coaches 34,000 5,247 15.4%Freight wagons 920,000 110,023 12.0%Metro cars 20,500 3,149 15.4%LRVs 4,250 329 7.7%
Table 1: CNR’s share of world rolling stock output
Item CNR Bombardier Alstom Siemens GE GroupGroup Transport Group
Revenue (million) ¥ 12,846 $21,634 €4,413 €82,427 US$125,913Profit (million) ¥1,869 $695 €287 €1,329 US$15,445Profit margin 14.55% 3.21% 6.50% 1.61% 12.27%Employees 121,360 62,426 29,119 484,000 310,000Revenue per employee ¥105,851 $346,551 €151,551 €170,304 US$406,171Revenue/employee in EUR €14,304 €253,329 €151,551 €170,304 €453,316
Item CNR Bombardier Alstom Siemens GE GroupTransportationTransport Infrastructure
& CitiesRevenue (million) ¥97,241 $8,766 €5,876 €17,879 US$146,045Profit (million) ¥4,129 $505 €252 €306 US$24,478Profit margin 4.25% 5.8% 4.29% 1.71% 16.76%Employees 86,138 38,500 28,300 90,000 307,000Revenue per employee ¥1,128,898 US$227,688 €207,633 €198,656 US$475,716Revenue/employee in EUR €137,670 €177,093 €207,633 €198,656 €370,007
Table 2: 2001 financial results
Table 3: 2013 financial results
Figure 2: Top 10 rolling stock manufacturers ranked by new rail vehicleturnover in 2013 or 2013-14.
Figure 3: CNR has a 9.25% share of the worldrolling stock market
Figure 1: CNR’s rapid growht in revenue.
CNR spread:Layout 1 19/09/2014 5:47 PM Page 24
volume of EUR89.4 billion. CNR’srevenue fromrolling stock saleswas RMB 67.024billion, whichequates to EUR8.275 billion,which gave it a9.25% share ofthe global rollingstock market.
Table 1 collatesthe production ofthe main types ofrolling stockproducts in theworld and CNR’soutput and sharebetween 2007and 2011.
CNR maintained its position in the world top threemanufacturers of electric locomotives, high-speed trains,passenger coaches, freight wagons and metro cars.
Compared with the four global companies of Bombardier,Alstom, Siemens and GE, the performance of CNR is quiteoutstanding. Figure 4 shows the revenue trend of CNR and theother four companies’ transportation divisions from 2003 to2012. It reflects CNR’s development in the last 10 years.
Tables 2 and 3 compare the financial performance of CNR
and the other four companies in 2001 and 2013 using datafrom their annual reports.
In 2001, CNR’s revenue per employee was less than one-tenth of the lowest of the four other companies. But by 2013,this value was close to that of the lowest of the other four,which is indeed great progress.
CNR delivered its first high-speed train to MOR in 2007. In2011 and 2012, CNR’s output of HSTs was 2,096 units, equalto 262 train sets. In 2013, CNR won a 66% share of 300km/h-plus HSTs from a tender by China Railway Corporation. NowCNR is the biggest manufacturer of 300km/h-plus HSTs in theworld.
The CRH380BL “Harmony” 380km/h high-speed train brokethe Chinese train speed record on 9 January 2011 when itreached 487.3km/h. The CRH3 “Harmony” 350km/h high-speed train won the First Prize in the National TechnologyProgress Award in January 2013.
In December 2012, the 921-km long Harbin-Dalian line, theworld’s first and longest high-speed railway operating inextremely low temperatures started running. CRH380B HSTtook up the task and became the first high-speed train in theworld suitable for running in such a cold region at 350km/h.
In 2013, CNR launched the CJ-1 and CJ-2 inter-city high-speed trains. Table 4 compares their performance with otherCNR high-speed trains
CNR’s products are running well in more than 80 countriesand regions worldwide. With rolling stock as the core toprovide system solutions for future cities, CNR is marching onto become a world-class company in the railway transportequipment industry by 2020.
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Bombardier
CNR
SiemensAlstom
GE
Rev
enue
s (e
100
mill
ion)
orld rolling stock marketModel Cars Motor Rated Maximum Axle Passenger Car Year
per cars/ output/ speed load capacity length firstunit unit motor (km/h) (tonnes) (mm) built
CRH3 8 4 550 350 17 520 25,000 2008CRH380BL 16 8 587 380 17 1,043 24,175 2011CRH380CL 16 8 600 380 17 1,053 24,175 2011CRH5 8 5 550 250 17 586 25,000 2007CJ-1 8 4 320 250 ≤16 622 24,200 2013CJ-2 8 4 332 250 ≤16 622 26,088* 2013* Length of motor cars; trailers are 24,050mm long. All trains have a line voltage of 25kV 50Hz
Table 4: High-speed trains
Figure 4: Revenue curves of CNR and the other four companies’ transportation divisions from 2003 to2013
Yang Xiong-JingManagerChina CNR Corporation LimitedE-mail: [email protected]://www.chinacnr.com
Advertisement
CNR spread:Layout 1 19/09/2014 5:47 PM Page 25
38 IRJ October 2014
W ITH on-time performanceconsistently hitting 99.9%,MTR’s Hong Kong rail
operations are, for many, thebenchmark that other urban networksare striving to replicate.
Of course this achievement is noaccident. Reliable rolling stock and atrain control system that can deliverheadways as low as 2 minutes areessential. But so is the layout of stations,which must allow the effective passageof around 5.3 million passengers everyday all while providing a comfortabletravel experience.
Mr Andrew Mead, MTR’s chiefarchitect, moved to Hong Kong fromSingapore’s Land Transport Authority(LTA) in early 2013, and he says the
difference between the systems wasimmediately apparent.
Mead says the stations in Hong Kongare set up to handle a greater number ofpassengers who arrive and depart onlonger trains. Singapore’s metro uses six-car trains, while Hong Kong’s networkdeploys seven-car trains on the West RailLine and eight-car trains on the Island,Kwun Tong, Tung Chung and TseungKwan O lines, with 12-car trains used onthe East Rail Line. The Ma On Shan andDisneyland Resort branch lines both usefour-car trains. The network is used by5.3 million passengers on an averageweekday, with the heavily-used urbanlines like the Tsuen Wan Line carryingan average of 52,000 passengers per hourper direction during peak times.
“Near-capacity operations place agreat deal of pressure on thearchitecture,” Mead says. “However, alot of this can be managed byintroducing measures that encourageefficient passenger flow. When seas ofpeople all leave a train at the same time,managing their movements is critical sothat when the next train arrives thesepeople can also leave the train and theplatform without any major disruption.”
MTR’s approach to identifyingsolutions that promote the efficient useof its station spaces relies very much onits own in-house expertise. Indeed,Mead says that as an integrated railoperator that builds and operates itsown lines, MTR is in a strong positionto consult data sources from across the
Stations
MTR has a global reputation for operating highly efficient metro services. But how much considerationis given to station design when attempting to move large numbers of passengers effectively? Kevin Smith spoke with MTR’s chief architect Andrew Mead and architectural manager - designAnthony Wong to find out.
Keeping passen
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IRJ October 2014 39
organisation to deliver the desired levelof service.
Mr Anthony Wong, architecturalmanager - design at MTR, says thatvarious parameters are considered whendesigning a station space all of which arecarefully considered and analysed byMTR staff. He believes this approach ismore beneficial than assigning aconsultant to carry out these studies.
“One example of the parameters weconsider is passenger walking speed,where we identify the expected walkingspeed within a station from readingpassenger behaviour,” Wong says. “It is unlikely that any consultant willmeasure this and when they do they willuse a general measurement proposed ina software development programme.However, experience has taught us thatpeople walk differently in Hong Kongcompared with the way they walk inBritain or any other country. Thisunderstanding helps us to make ourstations more efficient.”
Other parameters considered includethe use and location of ticket gates,ticket machines and customer service
kiosks. Wong says use of these facilitiesis under constant review. They are alsoeasily adjustable to make better use ofthe available space.
Indeed with land at such a premiumin Hong Kong’s densely-populatedneighbourhoods, it’s essential that noarea is wasted. Wong says thatpassenger proposals to introduce morecommunal areas in stations wererejected on these grounds, and becauseof concerns that it may encouragepeople to linger in stations.
Design philosophyMTR’s underlying design philosophy
which emphasises reliability, availability,maintainability and safety (Rams) andcovers every facet in its organisation -from rolling stock to escalators instations - is intended to meet its strictperformance targets and deliver the levelof service that passengers expect.
Wong says this was adapted forstation design to also emphasisefinancial viability, accessibility andmaintainability. This approach is
evident in the new stations underdevelopment as part of MTR’s networkexpansion programme whichencompasses five major projects inKowloon and Hong Kong island (IRJOctober 2011 p49).
Mead says that while it is importantto retain MTR’s network identity, whichwas established 35 years ago when thefirst line opened, in the latest networkexpansion, he believes this is anopportunity to innovate.
For instance, a pallet of colours whichcomplement the core colour scheme isin use at certain stations to make thearea more attractive. “New in-housedeveloped ticket machines, whichincorporate the latest in touch-screentechnology, are another integral featureof the new stations,” Mead says.
However, he adds that it is importantnot to stray too far from the norm inthese designs.
“We can be creative in certain areas,but when it comes to items liketouchpoints and customer servicecentres it is important to standardisethese installations so as not to confusepassengers and to promote a sense offamiliarity,” Mead says.
Public consultations are playing animportant role in the design and make-up of MTR’s new stations. Mead saysthat with construction potentiallycausing major disruption to acommunity, it is important to getresidents onside with the project earlyso they buy into the benefits of having apermanent metro station in theirneighbourhood and fast connections tothe rest of the region.
Encouraging public participation inthe design and make-up of the station isone way of achieving this. For example,a huge mural consisting of photographssubmitted by local residents will be thecentrepiece of the concourse at threenew stations on the West Island Linewhile other locations are incorporatingartwork by local people.
ssengers on the move
“When seas of people allleave a train at the sametime, managing theirmovements is critical.”Andrew Mead
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40 IRJ October 2014
Mead admits that it is sometimeschallenging to deliver an aestheticallypleasing and practical result from thisprocess “because not everyone isPicasso,” and to secure general publicapproval. He says this has becomeincreasingly difficult with the growth ofsocial media where “almost everyonenow has an opinion, and it takes a longtime to identify meaningful andconstructive input.”
“We want to create a balance betweenoffering a familiar and standardisedexperience and providing a unique senseof place,” Mead says. “MTR belongs toHong Kong, and a station belongs to acertain district. But what makes it yourstation? Our architects are working tocreate a building that is unique andrelates to the context of that area.”
The new stationsare also designed to cater for
disabled and elderly passengers. Afterconsulting with disabled groups, MTRprovides tactile cues and paths, andBraille on key features such as lifts andstairs. Accessibility is also enhancedthrough the addition of lifts.
Mead says that it is clear that whileHong Kong’s early stations weredesigned to address the needs of the
majority of users, the absence of liftsshows that disabled passengers wereoverlooked. Considerations haveimproved since then, but he says that itis important that retrofits and newinstallations are easily accessible andnot difficult for passengers to find.
“Where the lift is located is veryimportant to encourage people to useit,” Mead says. “Ideally they should belocated in the centre of the station andtransport passengers directly to theplatform, rather than in the corner ofthe station where it is difficult to findand will not get used.”
Lifts are also being installed on newstation projects as an alternative toescalators to overcome the difficultiesassociated with Hong Kong’scontrasting topography. This inevitablyposes major challenges to constructionto the extent that for years the westernextension of the Island Line wasdeemed too difficult to make it aworthwhile undertaking.
Hong Kong University station on theunder-construction West Island Line,which is on course to open inDecember, will use a high-capacity vertical lift system. Four lifts each withcapacity for 28 people will transfer
passengers at 3.5m/s direct from theuniversity to the
underground station in less than aminute with separate boarding andalighting lobbies allowing smoothpassenger flow.
While solutions like high-speed liftsand escalators which provide rapidaccess and exit from stations for a highnumber of passengers are desirable, it isimperative they are combined with anatural wayfinding experience. AgainMTR’s in-house teams have worked on
signage designs and identified effectivelocations for specific signs to directpassengers at different stages of theirjourney so they do not have to stop tothink where they are and where theyare going.
“There is a unique distance betweeneach customer and their place of work,”Wong explains. “We have a desire tocreate an environment that is familiar soyou know where you are when you areunderground and not sure what theweather is like outside and where thereare no specific landmarks from whichyou can record your location. We wantto reinforce the feeling of beingcomfortable in a familiar environment.”
Flexible designThese signage solutions play a critical
role during peak operating times.Flexibility in station design means thelayout is adaptable to these conditionsthrough changing what is defined as apaid and a not-paid area, opening upticket barriers to improve passengerflow, and by altering in-flow and out-flow at ticket barriers so passengersleaving the station do not clash withthose entering.
“In our station plan, signage isdesigned to help with this,” Wong says.“Temporary barriers can also segregate
in-flow and out-flow at certain
times, and this is quite typical at allstations. We try to utilise what we canto make it as easy as possible forpassengers.”
Any rail user across the world willknow that along with signage, displayadvertising is an integral feature of anystation space. These installations providean important revenue stream foroperators and are now part of a trendtowards utilising station areas for a
Stations
“We have a desire to createan environment that isfamiliar so you know whereyou are when you areunderground.”Anthony Wong
Facades at Kennedy Town station on the Island Line featurepanoramic collages of artwork and photographs contributed bylocal residents.
Oct MTR stations:Layout 1 18/09/2014 3:20 PM Page 40
IRJ October 2014 41
variety of commercial opportunities. It is no different in Hong Kong. Mead
says that identifying commercialopportunities is part of the fabric ofMTR, with the company considering itsstations as an extension of Hong Kong’sexisting retail scene by going “beyond atypical 7/11.”
Indeed Wong says that every space isa potential commercial area, and whilehe emphasises that these installationsdo not impact MTR’s duty as anoperator and provider of railwayservices, station designs incorporatespace that might be leased to acommercial partner.
The results of these activities areimpressive. The company hosted 1226shops across 56,350m2 of retail space atits 95 station as of December 31 2013,and reported revenues of $HK 4.59bn($US 592m) in 2013, an increase of24.7%, compared with 2012. Station
retail accounted for $HK 2.93bn of thisfigure, an increase of 36.9% over theprevious year, while advertisingaccounts for $HK 1.05bn. Revenue fromtelecommunications services grew by12.9% to $HK 447m following theaddition of 4G services and increaseddata capacity, while total Ebitda forMTR’s complete station commercialoperations was $HK 4.12bn in 2013, anincrease of 25.6% over 2012.
“One of the reasons that people rateour services so highly is that we offerthem the opportunity to buy things atour stations, and things that theyactually want to buy,” Mead says.“These commercial opportunities arealso important to keeping the fareboxprices low. Our property finance modelis well documented for financing manyof our projects, but by offeringcommercial opportunities as well, ourrevenues remain strong from retailsources throughout the life of the line.”
When the West Island Line opens atthe end of the year, it will increase bothcommercial opportunities and thenumber of passengers using MTR’sstations on the existing network. Meadand Wong are confident that thenetwork’s stations will handle this extra
demand, and that the company canovercome any difficulties that mightemerge and keep people moving.
One innovative response to thechallenges of more people using thenetwork is already up-and-running.
In August MTR’s new acting CEO MrLincoln Leong announced that MTRwill operate 600 extra services on its sixbusiest lines from August 29, and in aneffort to tackle the associated congestionat peak times, he launched a six-monthtrial of an Early Bird DiscountPromotion. This initiative offersOctopus smartcard users a 25%discount if they exit any of the 29 coreurban MTR stations from 07.15 to 08.15Monday to Friday, and is intended tospread the load of the network beyondthe usual peak periods by encouragingpeople to leave for work earlier.
Mead welcomes the trial, and whilehe says it is too early to draw anyconclusions at this point, it is criticalthat MTR tries such things in an effortto retain high levels of efficiency.
Indeed if the scheme is a success,other operators around the world mayagain look to MTR to overcome similarhigh levels of peak time stationcongestion on their networks. IRJ
www.meedrailprojects.com
MENARAIL & METROSUMMIT
10thAnnual 20-22 October 2014 | The Conrad Hotel, Dubai
Aomar HadbiDirector GeneralEnterprise Metro d’Alger (EMA) (ALGERIA)
Dr. Ramiz Al Assar World Bank - Resident AdviserGulf Cooperation Council - Secretariat General, Riyadh (KSA)
Maj. Gen. Eng. Ismail A.M. NagdyChairmanNational Authority for Tunnels (EGYPT)
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Youssef DraissDirector GeneralCasablanca Transports en Site Amenage (MOROCCO)
Mohammed al-MudharrebDirector of Rail OperationsRail AgencyRoads and Transport Authority (RTA)
Dr. Bashar Al MalikProjects DirectorSaudi Railway Company (KSA)
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42 IRJ October 2014
T HE recovery from the economiccrisis has been a protracted andoften painful process for many
in the railfreight industry. Some smalleroperators have been acquired by largerplayers or even gone out of business,while some of the biggest operatorsscraped through the worst years of thedownturn with heavy losses.
One of the most remarkable stories toemerge from this turbulent period isthat of Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB)freight subsidiary Rail Cargo Austria(RCA). In the years prior to therecession RCA grew into a majorinternational player, and its expansionstrategy culminated with the acquisitionof Hungarian State Railways’ railfreightunit MAV Cargo in 2008, a move thatunfortunately coincided with the startof the economic crisis and the suddenplunge in freight volumes in the fourthquarter of 2009.
Yet even before the crisis hit, RCAwas facing problems. Figure 1 showsRCA’s Ebit figures for the last 10 years,and while the most obvious feature ofthis chart is the collapse in earnings in2009 and 2010, a more subtle trend thatcan be traced back much further has
been instrumental in RCA’s turnaroundplan. At the height of the economicboom in 2004 and 2005, RCA was onlyable to achieve slim Ebit margins, whichin turn reduced the company’s capacityfor investment and hamstrung itsability to compete with other modesand smaller railfreight operators.
RCA views this as a life-or-deathissue for the business, and one that willtake time to address. Figure 2 showsEbit margins for Europe’s majorincumbent railfreight operators, withRCA achieving 3.2%. While this makesthe company one of the strongerperformers, RCA emphasises the needfor the industry to go much further.
“It’s clear that railfreight businessesneed a margin of 4-5% to be sustainable,and that journey is far from over,” DrGeorg Kasperkovitz, RCA boardmember for operations and finance tolddelegates at the International Union ofRailways (UIC) Global Rail FreightConference in Vienna earlier this year.“Companies need to continue torestructure, continue to grow, andcontinue to find synergies in order toreach that point. This is an industry thatis not sustainable. Cross subsidies from
passenger operations are no longerallowed, so if railways don’t start tomake money from their freightbusinesses they won’t be able to invest.”
Kasperkovitz points to the air freightindustry as a portent of what the futuremight hold for European railfreight. Henotes that air freight carriers weredependent on external forwarders,dealing with only a handful of endcustomers directly, and had insufficientmargins to enable reinvestment, whichultimately led to value destruction.
“The message is that there is nofuture for you if you are a pure carrier,”Kasperkovitz says. “If you look at airfreight, 20 years ago many airlinesoffered carrier services, butconsolidation means very few suchcarriers remain today because logisticscompanies such as DHL claimed themarket. Pure carriers are at a seriousdisadvantage because they have toshoulder the cost of expensive assets.We fear that the railfreight market coulddevelop in a similar way to air freight.”
The primary aim of RCA’sturnaround plan is to achieve asustainable Ebit margin by establishingthe company as an internationallogistics provider with a range ofservices based around railfreight. Usinga “simple and transparent businessmodel” RCA has been restructuredunder the Rail Cargo Group (RCG)umbrella into five business units:� Rail Cargo Logistics: responsible forrail forwarding services and is focusedsolely on railfreight logistics,developing rail-based freight solutionsfor end customers� Rail Cargo Operator: provides high-frequency long-haul shuttle servicesand sells capacity on its trains to themarket. This unit does not own anyassets � Rail Cargo Carrier: is theinternational operations arm,encompassing RCA and Rail CargoHungary � Rail Cargo Wagon: wagon rentalbusiness which owns RCA’s fleet of26,500 vehicles, and
Austria
Freight has always been an important business for Austrian Federal Railways, and the company’s freightunit suffered a particularly rocky ride through the economic crisis. However, as Keith Barrow reportsfrom Vienna, Rail Cargo Austria has taken the opportunity to address many long-term weaknesses in itsstructure with a reorganisation that is already yielding promising results.
Rail Cargo Austria adapts to con
RCA will benefit from the expansion of intermodal capacity in the Vienna area when anew terminal at Inzersdorf opens in 2016. Photo: Erwin Reidinger
OctRCG:Layout 1 18/09/2014 2:43 PM Page 42
IRJ October 2014 43
� Maintenance services: includingrolling stock maintenance subsidiariesin Austria, Hungary, and Slovakia.
Kasperkovitz says that these fiveunits collaborate with each other toachieve better results. For example, RailCargo Operator utilises wagons fromRail Cargo Wagon and traction fromRail Cargo Carrier whenever it iseconomic to do so.
With the focus on rail-based logistics,RCA shed its Express Interfracht roaddistribution business and it no longerprovides air freight or shipping services.
International focusAround half of RCA’s operations are
outside Austria, covering 16 countriesand a territory stretching from theNorth Sea to the Mediterranean and theBlack Sea. RCA carried 109.3 milliontonnes of freight and generated sales ofƒ2.3bn in 2013, with 60% of revenuescoming from non-domestic operations.In 2013 the company achieved its best-ever results, with Ebit surpassingforecasts to reach a record ƒ76m.Kasperkovitz says RCA is on target foreven better this year, with Ebit ofƒ100m looking like a real possibility.
RCA’s international growth strategyis based on connecting strategicterminals on four railfreight corridorslinking the North Sea ports withAustria, eastern and southeast Europeand a key focus is the underdevelopedEurope - Turkey market, where railcurrently has a market share of just 1%.Working in partnership with Turkey’sBalo Logistics, Rail Cargo Carrier runsfive return block services per weekbetween Duisburg, Germany, andKapikule in Turkey via Austria,Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria with atransit time of four-and-a-half days.
RCA says its approach for tappinginto this market is centred on offeringhigh-frequency shuttles between keyeconomic centres, providing its owntraction along the entire route to ensureconsistent service and reliability,developing advanced intermodal hubsto speed up container handling, andfinding a strong local partner in Turkey.
RCA will increase its services fromGermany to Kapikule to 10 trains perweek from the end of this year and itsees potential to add Paris, Warsaw, andBucharest to the network.
At the heart of RCA’s plans for the
Europe - Turkey corridor is a newƒ300m intermodal terminal atInzersdorf near Vienna, which is underconstruction. In addition to the twointermodal terminals for containers andswapbodies, there will be a wagonloadloading area and a warehousing anddistribution centre.
Inzersdorf is better located for links tothe road network than ÖBB’s existingterminals at Freudenau and Praterstern,and the site is also large enough tofacilitate expansion if required.
The first phase of the terminal will be
completed in mid 2016, when four 700mloading tracks will be commissionedproviding capacity to handle 210,000TEU per year. This will increase to420,000 TEU when the site is fullyoperational in 2017.
While challenges remain, particularlyaround infrastructure quality in easternEurope and interoperability, RCA isconfident that its new businessstructure and international strategy willstrengthen its bottom line, give itcapacity to invest, and enable it tosurvive in a consolidating market. IRJ
consolidating freight business
0
-50
-100
-150
-200
-250
-300
50
100
10 10
53
25
-39
-102
-279
12
56
7694
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Budget2014
Extraordinarywrite offs
Ebi
t in
e m
illio
ns
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 0 40 80 0 2 4 6
Revenue(in e millions)
Ebit(in e millions)
Ebit Margin(in %)
Rail Cargo Group
SBB
PKP Cargo
Fret SNCF*
DB Schenker
SNCB*
2404
772
1155
1950
4843
526
76
19
26
-100
57
-24
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2.5
2.3
-5.1
1.2
-5
Figure 1: RCA Ebit 2004-2014
Figure 2: European freight operators 2013
* estimate
Source: RCA
Source: RCA
OctRCG:Layout 1 18/09/2014 2:43 PM Page 43
44
Switzerland
In preparation for the start of test operations of the complete tunnel system in autumn 2015, over 650test runs were carried out on a 13km section of the Gotthard base tunnel in a six-month pilot schemewhich ended in June. Anitra Green reports from Switzerland on progress to date.
Gotthard Tunnel edges
Oct Gotthard:Layout 1 17/09/2014 12:44 PM Page 44
45
W HEN it opens for fullcommercial operation forscheduled train services on
December 11 2016, the 57km twin-boreGotthard base tunnel will be the longestrailway tunnel in the world. The officialopening of the tunnel will take place sixmonths earlier, on June 2 2016,following a formal handover to SwissFederal Railways (SBB) from its 100%subsidiary, Alptransit Gotthard (ATG),the body in charge of constructing andcommissioning the tunnel.
A six-month pilot testing programmewas recently carried out on the tunnel’sfirst completed section at the southernend of the west bore between the southportal at Bodio and the multi-functionstation at Faido. Concluding in June, atotal of 650 runs took place during 78test days at speeds of up to 220km/husing SBB rolling stock and personnel.
The results from the tests are nowbeing evaluated by SBB and ATG, andalthough every conceivable aspect isunder examination, there is a particularemphasis on the interfaces between thetunnel’s various systems - track, powersupply, tunnel control, communications,and security and safety systems.
While the finishing line is now insight, it has been a long haul to reachthis stage. Construction of the Gotthardbase tunnel started as long ago as 1996,with work commencing at both ends -Erstfeld and Bodio - and threeintermediate sites including theapproximate halfway point nearSedrun, where vertical twin 800m shaftswere constructed to provide access. The
hugely ambitious project is a majorpart of Switzerland’s
modal shift
policy to transfer as much transit freightas possible from road to rail in the faceof the rapid increases in volumespredicted on the Rotterdam - Genoacorridor.
The Gotthard will also be used byhigh-speed passenger trains, cuttingjourney times between Zürich andMilan by around an hour to less thanthree hours. SBB has ordered 29transalpine EMUs from Stadler tooperate these services (IRJ June p7). Partof the New Railway Link through theAlps (NRLA) which will provide fasternorth-south links through themountains, the tunnel will cost aroundSFr 9.8bn ($US 10.83bn) according tocurrent estimates, and is financedmainly by taxes on HGV traffic andmineral oil.
Around 80% of the tunnelling wascarried out by 9m-diameter tunnelboring machines, although somesections were excavated byconventional drill and blasting becauseof difficult rock conditions. As theworld’s deepest tunnel, with a rockoverburden of up to 2300m, a specialreinforcement technique which usesmultiple steel rods to combatdeformation was used in places.
The final breakthrough in the easttunnel was made in October 2010 with adeviation of only 8cm vertically and1cm horizontally. However, there wasstill a long way to go. Once theconstruction gangs moved out, theinstallation teams moved in, in this casethe Transtec Gotthard consortiumwhich secured a SFr 1.7bn contract to fitout the tunnel in May 2007.
The consortium comprises Alpiq, thelead contractor, along with Alcatel-Lucent/Thales Railway Signalling
Solutions, Balfour Beatty Rail andRenaissance Construction.
By the end of
August, its teams of engineers hadcompleted 84% of the infrastructurework. Indeed most of the track is nowin place following a vastly complicatedeight-year exercise that includedplanning, logistics, temporaryinstallations, track laying (mostly slabtrack), and cable-laying for the 50Hzpower supply for general use, andinstallation of a 15kV 16.7Hz system fortraction supply, communications andsignalling, safety and security systems.
According to Alpiq’s CEO Mr MarcoHirzel, the detailed plan of actioncomprises more than 18,000 procedures,a figure that is still rising. But withaccess for transport, workers andmaterial only possible from each end ofthe tunnel, and with 250 peopleworking at up to six sitessimultaneously, constructing the tunnelpresented a number of logisticalchallenges, not least maintaining thepower supply and communication linesthrough more than 114km of tunnel.
Hirzel’s colleague Mr Roland Herlig,CEO of Alpiq Burkhalter Technik(ABAG), is also well aware of thedifficulties. ABAG is responsible forelectrical installations, includingventilation and lighting which Herligsays is the first priority for any tunnelproject. “It is essential to get this rightearly on given that temperatures in thetunnel can rise to 40oC with humidity of90%, making working conditions at bestuncomfortable and potentiallydangerous,” he says.
ABAG drew on its experience ofworking on the electrical installations
in the Lötschberg BaseTunnel, and it
ges towards completion
A total of 650 runs tookplace during 78 test days atspeeds of up to 220km/husing SBB rolling stockand personnel.
Oct Gotthard:Layout 1 17/09/2014 12:45 PM Page 45
46 IRJ October 2014
possesses two specially designedwagons for cable laying, which cancarry up to 30 tonnes of material at amaximum speed of 40km/h.
ABAG is also responsible forequipping the cross-passages,emergency exits situated every 320mwhich allow passengers to escape to theparallel tunnel in an emergency. Thereare 178 cross-passages, which are fittedwith heavy heat-proof doors at eitherend, while ABAG is also installingemergency lighting, supported by anemergency power system. In the eventof an emergency evacuation, specialstations have been built at Faido andSedrun which have emergency facilitiesand track crossovers in both directions.
The cross-passages are also thelocation for wayside control cabinets,with yellow cabinets hosting powersupply equipment, blue cabinetstelecommunications and grey cabinetssafety and security systems, includingwayside ETCS Level 2 equipment, theonly signalling, control and trainprotection system installed in thetunnel.
The power supply for train operationand catenary installation is beingmasterminded by ARGE 16.7Hz, apartnership between Balfour Beatty Railand Kummler + Matter. ARGE, too, hasthree specially designed, poweredvehicles for the installation, and projectleader Mr Martin Kuhn says the major
challenge has been fitting all of theequipment above the train whileleaving an adequate safety margin. The result was a very compact dualcatenary system suitable for high-speedand high power operation which wasdesigned and successfully tested atspeeds of over 200km/h.
CatenaryAsked why SBB is not deploying the
same overhead catenary system in theGotthard tunnel as it used in theWeinberg tunnel and at Löwenstrassestation on the new cross-city link inZürich, Kuhn says that this technologywas not far enough advanced at thetime when the specifications for theGotthard were outlined. In this system,the overhead conductor rail consists ofan aluminium profile with the coppercatenary wire clamped inside, whichdelivers the same amount of power as astandard installation but saves on theinstallation space required, reducing thediameter of the tunnel and massivelyreducing costs. For the Gotthard project,however, the aim was to use only triedand tested technology, and there had tobe a cut-off point.
SBB is currently preparing to obtainan operating licence from the SwissFederal Office of Transport for the lineand it anticipates starting testoperations on May 27 2016. In addition
to acquiring new rolling stock, SBB ispreparing an operating, interventionand maintenance system and trainingaround 2900 employees to use both theGotthard and the 15km Ceneri tunnel tothe south, which is under constructionand is due to open in 2019. “Thelogistics of equipping the tunnel areextremely complex, but maintenance isjust as complicated,” says Mr PeterJedelhauser, project leader in charge ofthe north-south Gotthard axis at SBB.
Added to these considerations is theneed to upgrade access lines to thenorth and south to create a 4m corridorand adapt stations for 750m-long trains,as well as making sure all trains areequipped with ETCS Level 2.
As for controlling the operation ofhigh-speed passenger, regional andfreight trains in each direction, SBB hasdeveloped a new system which isdesigned to maximise traffic flow andminimise delays. It uses three passingloops for three trains at each end of thetunnel. Therefore six freight trains anhour travelling at 100km/h will passthrough the tunnel with a short wait ateither end, allowing passenger trains tooperate at 200km/h through the tunnelwithout stopping, thus maximising theuse of the Gotthard tunnel and givingrail a real leg up over competingmodes. IRJ
Switzerland
Existing lineGOTTHARD BASE TUNNEL Surface sections Tunnel Shafts or adits Tunnel portals
Erstfeld
Amsteg
Sedrun
Faido
Bodio
BiascaIRJ
N
Alpiq Burkhalter is carrying out cable laying as part of the Transtec Gotthard Consortium.
Gotthard Base Tunnel
Oct Gotthard:Layout 1 17/09/2014 12:46 PM Page 46
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48 IRJ October 2014
T RADITIONALLY controlledlimitations on the distancesbetween signals and points and
the point-to-point cabling of the fieldelements has underpinned the cost ofconstructing and operating electronicinterlockings.
These technical specifications, whichhave previously been difficult if notimpossible to change, limit aninterlocking area to a maximum of 13km.As a result remote computer locationsare deployed to cover longer distances,which require the construction ofnumerous equipment buildings tohouse wayside interlocking equipment,and its associated power supply andair-conditioning systems.
Such installations inevitably increasecosts, with cabling, cable ducts and cabledistribution racks accounting for 20-30%of the cost of the entire interlocking.
Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) issearching for cheaper, more adaptablesolutions for operating its field elementswith the aim of introducing an adaptableinterlocking architecture, which reducescabling costs, improves or at the veryleast offers the same level of availability,while providing an open-standard system.
Following an invitation to tender in2010, Siemens responded to SBB’sdemands for innovative solutions byoffering its Sinet interlockingarchitecture.
Sinet is designed to offer real-timeand high-availability connectionsbetween decentralised field elements ininterlocking systems with the aim ofreducing costs. The system’s built-inredundancy mechanism and anintelligent communication component,which is specially developed for therailway environment, works to prioritiseoperational data while providing thehigh system availability required.
This technology was successfullyintroduced for the first time last autumnin an SBB Simis W electronic interlockingat Sevelen and a further implementationwill go live this month in Tösstal.
In order to prove the technology infront line service, initially only the
Switzerland
Siemens and Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) are currently introducing a new interlocking architecturewhich incorporates the latest in communications technology. Reto Wagner, head of electronicinterlockings and track vacancy detection systems at Swiss Federal Railways (SBB), and Peter Heftiproduct lifecycle manager, Siemens Switzerland, outline Sinet.
SBB seeks cost savings w
Oct Sinet:Layout 1 18/09/2014 3:30 PM Page 48
IRJ October 2014 49
signals and level crossings in theinterlocking were operated via a datanetwork. However, it is possible toachieve the required increases inefficiency by deploying an integratedsolution across all field elements. Thehigher-level concepts and standardswere therefore defined at the same timethat the SBB project was implementedthus facilitating a quick and low riskstep-by-step introduction.
Figure 1 shows a diagram of thestructure of an interlocking using theSinet architecture. Element controllers(EC) are located close to the fieldelements they operate and monitor,with detailed diagnostic informationused to efficiently manage and rectifyany faults.
The ECs are connected to both thecommunication bus and a separatepower source, which is an importantfeature in adapting the system tospecific situations and for retainingmaximum reliability independent of thecommunication system.
A redundant connection links the ECs with the interlocking via thecommunication bus. The redundancy isimplemented by the standardisedParallel Redundancy Protocol (PRP)specified in IEC 62439-3.
Figure 2 shows a diagram of thecommunication architecture. Theelement controllers are connected to thecommunication network by a Sinet
Communication Unit (SCU) via twoindependent network paths. A datapacket sent by a terminal unit is alwaystransmitted over both physicallyseparate network paths. At the receivingend, the first valid data telegram isaccepted and the second redundanttelegram discarded. This means thatany loss of redundancy is diagnosedimmediately, while communicationbetween the end points is maintained.
As the PRP used is located beneaththe TCP/IP stack all users benefit fromthe redundancy provided by the PRP(Figure 3). As a result, other servicessuch as diagnosis via the SimpleNetwork Management Protocol (SNMP)and network camera streaming are alsoconnected redundantly to thecorresponding indoor equipment.Consequently, in the event of a singlefault in the communication infrastructurethese services remain available.
In addition to operational data likecommands and messages, informationsuch as diagnostic data is also transmittedthrough the Sinet communicationnetwork. Prioritising the operationaldata means it is transmitted in real-timebetween the various communicationend points. In contrast, conventional IPdata telegrams are handled with alower priority and cannot disturb real-time operational dataflow, a cornerstoneof the Sinet philosophy.
Figure 4 shows a layer model offailsafe communication between theinterlocking computer and the elementcontroller. Safety-related applicationsare implemented in the form oftechnical processes at both end pointssuperseding the need to meet safetyrequirements for the communicationcomponents as outlined in EN 50126.
The SCU supports the TCP/IP stack,and with the standardised PRP
Controltechnology
Signalboxcomputer
Diagnosis Powersupply
Communications bus (operation and diagnosis)
Energy bus
Elementcontroller
Fieldelement
eg signal
to furtherelements
controllersfield elements
Network backbone
SCU
Signalboxcomputer
Switch
SwitchSwitch
Switch
Ethernet
Ethernet
Ethernet
SHDSL
SCUSCU
EC EC EC
SCUSCU SCU
Figure 1
Figure 2
s with Sinet interlocking
Oct Sinet:Layout 1 18/09/2014 3:30 PM Page 49
Switzerland
50 IRJ October 2014
provides redundant transmission of theuser data. If safety protocols withintegrated redundancy mechanisms,such as Redundant Safe TransportApplication (RaSTA), are used in thesafety layer, they are also supported bySinet. Here again, Sinet allows theredundant transmission of non-vitaltelegram traffic, such as diagnosticinformation. Thanks to the use ofstandardised interfaces and protocolsthroughout, it is possible to connect alarge number of indoor and outdoorcomponents to the Sinet architecture,giving it huge scope for futuredevelopment.
In addition to transparent transmissionof diagnostic data from the elementcontrollers, Sinet also provides detaileddiagnostic information about the status
of the communication network. Byemploying a higher-level diagnosticsystem such as the SNMP typicallyused in network technology, it ispossible to centrally monitor thenetwork’s status. The web serverintegrated in the SCU can also analysedetailed information such as a line’s biterror rate. And through appropriaterouting, it is possible to make thediagnostic data available at any locationin the customer’s network.
Because Sinet is compatible withtoday’s interlocking infrastructure,migration can take place step-by-step oronly partially, if necessary. For example,in the Sevelen project, the signals andlevel crossings were connected by Sinettechnology, while the other field elementswere integrated with conventional
point-to-pointconnections. Moreover,it is also possible toassign existinginterlocking areasalready based on Sinetarchitecture to anotherinterlocking byreconfiguring thenetwork.
The tender for theSevelen interlockingindicated that it wouldbe an optimal pilotdeployment for Sinet,with the size,equipment andcommissioning dateideal prerequisites fora trial.
The Sevelenconstruction project and the Sinetdevelopment project were managedseparately by SBB and Siemens.However, both project teams were incontinual contact throughout the process.
Sevelen is operated as a remoteinterlocking from the Simis W typeused in Buchs. In Sevelen, 12 signals areconnected via Siemens’ MSTT modularcontrol actuators and three levelcrossings via LCM200 with Sinetcommunication architecture. Thesystem includes two field rings, eachstarting from an interlocking building,with the larger of the two ringscovering a distance of around 5km.
In order to minimise risks, the systemwas constructed redundantly and testedusing both new and conventionalcabling. This meant that if a difficulttechnical problem occurred with Sinet,it would be possible to immediatelyrevert to the conventional solution.Development and constructiondeadlines were met, and commissioningtook place as planned at the end ofOctober 2013.
Following on from the Sevelenapplication, the first stage of the Tösstalinterlocking will go into operation thismonth. The new Simis W typeinterlocking will control around 30kmof a single track line with seven junctionstations which require interlockings,and four intermediate stations with nointerlocking requirements.
The system includes 66 MSTT signalsand 30 level crossings with LCM200,which are connected by 14 field rings.The field rings in Tösstal will beconnected to the interlocking computersfor the first time using SBB’s redundantSDH network to construct multi-stationfield rings.
With Sinet encompassing both
Safety-criticalsignalbox communication
Non-safety-criticalapplications
Application layer
Safety layer(EN 50159)
TCPUDP
Web servicesdiagnosis
Ethernet/SHDSL
PRP (Parallel Redundancy Protocol)
IP
Signalbox computer Element controller
Application layerApplication layer
Safety layer(EN 50159)
Safety layer(EN 50159)
Transport layerTransport layer
Sinet - backbone and field ring (PRP)
Safety relevant
Not safetyrelevant
}
}Figure 3
Figure 4
Oct Sinet:Layout 1 18/09/2014 3:30 PM Page 50
IRJ October 2014 51
outdoor equipment networking and theuse of telecommunication networks inthe electronic interlocking, the railway’sengineers have to develop a strongunderstanding of both areas in order toproperly realise the benefits of low costand simpler installations and the lowermaintenance requirements offered bySinet.
Integrating each technical departmentfrom the start of the process wasessential in developing and introducingan appropriate training programme.The agreed procedure for configurationand assignment of the IP addresses is atypical example of how SBB andSiemens’ technical departments jointlydefined the specifications.
The advance testing of the actualnetwork technology on a particularlyheavily-used SBB line in non-safetycritical circumstances has allowed thedevelopment of the safety standardsrequired to achieve the technology’sdesired robustness and performancecapability. Following close cooperationbetween Siemens’ and SBB’s technicaldepartments, the project is expected toenter service with no major difficulties.
Controlling signals and levelcrossings is regarded as the first step in
the deployment of Sinet. SBB willcontinue to pursue its target of operatingall field elements using the new conceptby 2018, and is also looking tocollaborate with German Rail (DB),which is pursuing the same goals, onthe project.
By optimising the data communicationand interlocking architecture powersupply, the interfaces between theoperator’s infrastructure and theelectronic interlocking will have morelayers than current conventionalproprietary approaches. An in-depthunderstanding of the operator’s
modified systems, such as the networkbackbone and the correspondingoperational processes, are very importantfor developing a robust concept.
SBB and Siemens realised this at anearly stage and have consistentlyexploited the corresponding synergies.The successful introduction of Sinet isdemonstrating the advantages ofconnecting safety critical equipmentsuch as signals and level crossings to amodern IP network. However, evenmore principles and standards will haveto be specified and implemented inorder to successfully implement acompletely new interlockingarchitecture.
SBB’s initial installations have shownthat there is real potential for Sinet tobring the costs of signalling upgradesdown significantly withoutcompromising safety. Furthermore, thepotential for additional capabilities tobe added to Sinet is huge, making itboth upgradeable and future proof forinfrastructure managers as they striveto deliver a completely new interlockingarchitecture. Indeed with furtherrollouts in Switzerland expected, it islikely that many of these developmentswill be realised on SBB’s network. IRJ
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Sinet will take over control of signals inthe first step of deployment.
Oct Sinet:Layout 1 18/09/2014 3:31 PM Page 51
52 IRJ October 2014
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29-30—Charlotte, USASmart Rail Congress & Exhibition� Stephen Scott, GlobalTransport Forum, London, Britain.Tel: +44 20 7045 0916Stephen.scott@globaltransportforum.comwww.globaltransportforum/smartrail-rail-usa.com
28-31—Beijing, ChinaModern Railways Exhibition� China Academy of RailwaySciences, Beijing, China.Tel: +86 10 5189 [email protected]
29-Nov 1—Moscow, RussiaExpoCity Trans Congress &Exhibition � Yussup Khassiev, UITP,Brussels, Belgium.
[email protected]://ntexpo.com.br
26-28—Bangkok, ThailandSmart Rail Congress & Exhibition� Global Transport Forum,London, Britain.Tel: +44 20 7045 0900Fax: +44 20 7045 0901Stephen.scott@globaltransportforum.comwww.globaltransportforum.com/smartrailasia.com
December 20148-10—Birmingham, BritainNEW: International Conference onHigh Speed Rail� Rhianne Evans, University of Birmingham, Birmingham,[email protected]/research/activity/railway/events/high-speed-rail-conference.aspx
February 201518-20—Barcelona, SpainNEW: International RailwaySummit - a joint IRJ/IRITS event� Jules Omura, IRITS Events Ltd,London, Britain.Tel: +44 20 7112 [email protected]
Tel: +32 2 663 6657Fax: +32 2 660 [email protected]/en
November 20144-6—London, BritainCBTC Congress & Exhibition� Global Transport Forum,London, Britain.Tel: +44 20 7045 0900Fax: +44 20 7045 [email protected]
11-12—Perth, AustraliaAusRAIL Conference & Exhibition� Informa, Sydney, Australia.Tel: +61 2 9080 [email protected]/
11-12—London, BritainEuropean Rail Congress� European Rail Congress,London, Britain.Tel: +44 20 7036 8571enquiries@europeanrailcongress.comwww.europeanrailcongress.com/
11-13—São Paulo, Brazil NEW: Business on RailsConference & Exhibition� NT Expo, São Paulo, Brazil.Tel: +55 11 4878 5990
Rendezvous
Operator sought for urban passenger rail services in Auckland, New Zealand
Opens: The Expression of Interest document and all related information are scheduled to be available from 6 October, 2014, from https://www.tenderlink.com/aucklandtransport and https://www.gets.govt.nz/ExternalIndex.htm
Closes: Expressions of Interest should be sent to the address shown in the EOI document, before the deadline given in that document
Enquiries: Please contact [email protected]
Auckland Transport (AT) is inviting organisations with the appropriate experience and expertise, to register their interest in operating Auckland’s passenger rail services from July, 2016.
Auckland is New Zealand’s largest city with a population of 1.4 million people distributed over a large geographic area. The population is expected to double within 30 years.
As per the Auckland Regional Public Transport Plan and the Auckland Integrated Transport Programme, Auckland’s rail services are growing rapidly due to significant investment in infrastructure, rolling stock and services, network electrification (planned for completion by end of 2015) and bus, rail and ferry services which are being integrated.
The proposed City Rail Link is the next major investment in the network and will be key to fully implementing the programme.
For more information about:
The Regional Public Transport Plan or the Integrated Transport Programme go to: https://at.govt.nz/about-us/transport-plans-strategies
The City Rail Link go to: https://at.govt.nz/projects-roadworks/city-rail-link
This should not be construed as a request for a tender. It is a preliminary stage in the proposed tender process. AT will separately short-list organisations to be invited to submit a tender. AT reserves the right, at its sole discretion, not to call for Expressions of Interest, not to proceed with any submitter’s Expression of Interest or not to proceed with a tender or any other procurement process. Strict conditions of probity will apply.
OctRendez:Febrrend 17/09/2014 11:29 AM Page 52
46 Killigrew Street, Falmouth, Cornwall TR11 3PP, UKTel +44 1326 313945 Fax +44 1326 211576
Editor-in-Chief/Associate PublisherDavid Briginshaw CMILT [email protected]
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Regional editorsAustralia Mark Carter Tel +61 8 8367 8572 [email protected] Chile Ian Thomson Newman [email protected] Keith Fender [email protected] Marco Chiandoni [email protected] Yoshihiko Sato Tel +81 3 5721 6616 [email protected] Zealand Richard Worrall [email protected] Africa John Batwell [email protected] Fernando Puente [email protected] Anitra Green Tel +41 61 461 4536 USA/Canada William C Vantuono Tel +1 212 620 7240
Correspondents
Executive officesSimmons-Boardman Publishing Corp55 Broad Street, 26th Floor, New York, NY 10004-2580, USATel +1 212 620 7200 Fax +1 212 633 1165
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For all areas except those listed below contact:
Steve Barnes, International Area Sales ManagerTel +44 7870 525617 Fax +44 1444 458185 [email protected]
Louise Cooper, International Area Sales ManagerTel +44 7515 732275 Fax +44 1444 458185 [email protected]
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Suite N2, The Priory, Syresham Gardens, Haywards Heath, West Sussex RH16 3LB, UK
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JAPANKatsuhiro Ishii, Ace Media Service Inc12-6, 4-chome, Nishiiko Adachi-ku, Tokyo 121-0824, JapanTel +81 3 5691 3335 Fax +81 3 5691 3336 [email protected]
NORTH AMERICAAL, AR, IN, KY, LA, MI, MS, OH, OK, TN, TX Emily Guill, 20 South Clark Street, Suite 1910, Chicago, Illinois 60603Tel 312 683 5022 Fax 312 683 0131 [email protected]
AK, AZ, CA, CO, IA, ID, IL, KS, MN, MO, MT, ND, NE, NM, NV, OR, SD, UT, WA,WI, WY, Canada (Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan) Heather Disabato (Chicago Office) Tel 312 683 5026 [email protected]
CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, MA, MD, ME, NC, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, SC, VA, VT, WV,Canada (Quebec & East Ontario)Mark Connolly, 55 Broad Street, 26th Floor, New York, NY 10004-2580 Tel 212 620 7260 [email protected]
Classified Advertising SalesJeanine Acquart (New York Office) Tel 212 620 7211 [email protected]
Editorial contacts
Advertising contacts
Advertisers IndexAlstom 25Auckland Transport 52CDMC (Railworld Summit, Bangkok) 51CNR 36/37CSR 28/29MEED (MENA Rail & Metro Summit) 41Mersen IFCMitsubishi 21Nexans 55Plasser & Theurer 5Rosehill Rail 30VTG 19Zhuzhou CSR Times Electric BC
Israel Jeremaya GoldbergNetherlands Quintus Vosman
Pakistan Naeem Qureshi/Rashid AliSpain/Portugal Barry Cross
Taiwan Glenn SmithUkraine Alexander Kava
Zimbabwe Ed Chikuni
Argentina Jorge WaddellAustria Erwin ReidingerBrazil Gustavo FerrariDenmark Denis BowersEast & West Africa Shem OirereHungary Ferenc JooIndia Raghav Thakur
Expressions of Interest? Tenders?Requests for Proposals? If you are planning one of these for your project then advertise it in the
next issue of IRJ.
For more information, contact Louise Cooperon +44 1444 416368or by email [email protected]
Take advantage of the attractive packagesavailable, combining our printed and
electronic versions with the IRJ website.
Recruitment
To advertise products or services in the classified section of IRJ, please contact
Steve Barnes on +44 1444 416368 or email [email protected]
For US companies contact: Jeanine Acquart on +1 212 620 7211
or email [email protected]
IRJ October 2014 53
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54 IRJ October 2014
on a journey and seek outfaster modes of transport,”Ratkovic says. “In order toachieve our objectives,journeys up to 50km shouldlast 50 minutes, up to 100km1h 30min, 200km 2h 30min,and 400km four hours. WithHZ Infrastructure intensifyingits focus on projects toimprove railway infrastructurewe hope this will soon be thecase. The infrastructuremanager invested É200m in2013, and is investing a similaramount in 2014.”
While rail is currently lesscompetitive on Croatia’s long-distance routes, it does presenta significant advantage inurban areas, in particular inZagreb and Split, where railjourneys from the suburbstake around 30 minutescompared with up to 1h 30minby road. Demand for suburbanservices is such that 170regional trains are stopping atsuburban stations to boostconnections, and Ratkovic saysHZ Passenger wants toexpand this type of service toother cities soon.
Ratkovic says HZ Passengeris aiming to become anintegral element of anintegrated Croatian transportnetwork as it looks to 2019 and beyond, which will helpto enhance its revenue andleave the company in a strongposition to compete.
“Improving links betweenregions in Croatia willcontribute to higher mobilityof all Croatians as well astourists and will result inincreases in gross domesticproduct and a better quality oflife for all citizens,” Ratkovicsays. IRJ
C ROATIA’s state-ownednational passenger
operator HZ Passenger haschanged significantly since itwas founded as the successorto Zagreb Railway TransportCompany, a former subsidiaryof Yugoslavia Railways,following Croatia’s declarationof independence in 1991.
After the conclusion of theBalkans civil war in 1995, andCroatia’s gradual developmentas an independent republic, itsrailway was separated intofour entities in 2007. A furtherrestructuring took place in 2012when the assets of HZ Tractionwere divided between HZPassenger and HZ Cargo,while HZ Holding was mergedwith HZ Infrastructure.
Throughout its existence HZ Passenger has remainedthe sole operator of passengerservices in Croatia. However,this is set to change in 2019when the market opens up tocompetition.
As a result CEO Mr DrazenRatkovic says the company isengaging in a comprehensiverestructuring with the aim ofincreasing patronage bymodernising its services.
HZ Passenger aims toincrease ridership by 22% and revenues by 23% by 2016, while lowering statecontributions to less than 45%of revenue. The company alsoplans to increase its financialproductivity by 20% throughcutting expenses, rationalisingand introducing new rollingstock, and cutting 500 jobs.
“This process started in July2012, and while we remain thesole provider of passengerservices in Croatia up to 2019,we will use this period to
adequately prepare HZPassenger for competition,”Ratkovic says.
HZ Passenger reported a lossof Kuna 312m ($US 54.9m) in2013 following increases inmaintenance and energy costsas well as severance payments.The company foresees a furtherloss of Kuna 17m this year.However, with its strategygradually taking hold, itexpects a positive result in 2015.
It currently operates 701daily trains on a 2625kmnetwork and carried 24.7million passengers in 2013.The operator also offers 20daily cross-border trains,
including 10 to Slovenia, andtrains to Austria, Germany,Switzerland, BosniaHerzegovina and Serbia.Additional services to Sloveniaand direct trains from Split toBudapest, Prague and Moscowoperate in the summer.
“Croatia is a tourism-oriented country,” Ratkovicsays. “More and more touristsare visiting Croatia by trainevery year and we operate sixadditional daily trains duringthe tourist season. In 2013 wecarried just under 500,000international passengers. Butby upgrading our fleet andintroducing an integratedticketing and booking system,we are planning to increasethe level of service and attractmore passengers.”
HZ Passenger took the firststeps towards revitalising its
ageing fleet when itannounced a Kuna 1.63bn dealwith domestic manufacturerKoncar in January. Koncar willdeliver 32 160km/h EMUs and12 120km/h DMUs between2015 and 2017, with 16 EMUsfor suburban operations inZagreb, and the remaining 16EMUs and the DMUs forregional services.
In addition a new integratedticketing system is set forintroduction in mid-2015 aftera É5.8m investment.
“The current concept forissuing tickets does notcomply with market trendsand requirements. Hence it
needs modernisation,”Ratkovic says. “By introducingseveral modes of paymentwhich make it possible forcustomers to buy tickets 24hours a day we hope toincrease revenues. We alsoplan to offer new tariff models,reduce the time it takes toissue a ticket, and implementan automated process.”
New rolling stock andupgraded ticketing must beaccompanied by high-qualityinfrastructure. Ratkovic admits that Croatia’s networkhas suffered from insufficientinvestment in the past 20years. The average speed oftrains in 2013 was a painfullyslow 45km/h with somejourneys of around 250kmtaking up to four hours.
“Many passengers do nothave that much time to spend
The last word
HZ Passengerprepares formarket openingHZ Passenger, Croatia’s sole passenger operator, ismodernising its operations in preparation for the openingof the domestic market to competition in 2019, as CEODražen Ratković explains to Marco Chiandoni.
“By upgrading our fleet and introducing anintegrated ticketing and booking system, we areplanning to increase the level of service andattract more passengers.”
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