JOIN US AT: Real-Time Passenger Information 2013 · Michele Mario Elia, CEO, Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI) 52 SIGNALLING Network Rail’s operating strategy Ian Chapman, Programme

www.europeanrailwayreview.com Issue 4 2013

JOIN US AT:Real-Time Passenger

Information 201311 September 2013, London, UK

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Reviewing Network Rail, Lithuanian Railways and UIC projects

With contributions from Daniel Smith at Heathrow Express, Claes Broström at SJ and Christian Daniel at SNCF

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ABB is growing fast in the field oftraction converters and traction chain solutions for rolling stock. What kind of projects have you won in the last 12 months?ABB has won some very interesting anddemanding projects, representative of ourwide product range. We received tractionequipment orders for monorails, streetcars,LRVs, metro trains, EMUs, DMUs, and loco -motives. We have also received orders forAuxiliary Power Units as diverse as 30 kVAliquid-cooled units for monorails, multi-system head-end power units for traincoaches, and 1.2 MW forced-air-cooled unitsfor diesel locomotives.

In some projects we deliver highly cust -omised traction chains for the modernisa tion ofexisting vehicles, in others we supply innovativeenergy-saving traction solutions for newapplications and new requirements.

We also received strong follow-up ordersfrom earlier projects. These orders show thatthe operator and the train builders are satisfiedwith our equipment, our service and our supp -ort. Some important projects were acquired byour local organisations in Brazil, China, India,Italy, Poland, and North America, increasing ourmarket shares in these regions.

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market. As an independent supplier, we areable to offer exactly what our many differentcustomers need. For instance, in refurbish -ment projects, the modular design of ourtechnology platform makes us highly flexible.Fit, form and function are guaranteed. ABBcan either supply certain key components orcomplete traction chain solutions.

With our broad expertise in power elec -tronics, transformers, electrical machines,cooling technologies, and mechanical design,we supply the most compact and light-weightsolutions on the market. State-of-the-arttechnology and thorough understanding ofvehicle systems allows us to contributesignificantly to energy-efficiency.

Another reason behind our success is that,with ABB’s global footprint, we are able tosupport our partners locally, taking intoaccount the changing requirements of the local industry. To react quickly and flexibly to the markets’ demand is a key success factor.We are eager to develop innovative and creative products, carefully analysing themarkets’ expectations.

Can you tell us about the innovationsin ABB’s offering?We understand that selling tractive effort andon-board power means selling quality and long-term commitment. This implies thatwe are selling reliability, availability, andenergy-efficiency, resulting in low total cost ofownership. More and more operators andtrain builders are susceptible to discussing

fleet procurement or modernisation projectsbased on a full life-cycle model.

Competitive offers with such commit -ments naturally require state-of-the-artsolutions and cross-industry technology power of a strong electrical partner like ABB. To give you an example, our tractioncontrol hardware and software is based on ABB’s PEC800 platform, which is used across all industries served by power elec -tronics from ABB. This fast and powerful controlplatform enables key features of our products – with hundreds of incremental and break-through innovations. To name but a few: energy savings in all traction chain componentsin all relevant modes of operation, optimumtraction effort, or practical train diagnostics forefficient service.

We invest in service innovations which helpour customers to avoid obsolescence, reducetheir capital employed in spares, or to effici -ently link their service organisation to our‘24x365’ support.

Some of the most recent product inno -vations are in the area of traction systems withon-board energy storage solutions for buses,LRVs and DMUs. We see that the demand forsuch applications is increasing.

We have recently launched a totally newcost-efficient system for electric buses andeasy-to-install charging stations, charging thebus batteries within seconds. Increasingly,ABB’s innovations can be found in opti-mising rolling stock and infrastructure in asystem approach.

In an interview for European Railway Review, ABB’s General Manager ofTraction, Edgar Keller, speaks about ABB’s latest innovations and thesecret behind the company’s success.

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European Railway Reviewwww.europeanrailwayreview.com 3 Volume 19, Issue 4, 2013

Vice-President of the European CommissionSiim Kallas said: “The Channel Tunnel is notbeing used to its full capacity because of these excessive charges. As a result, morefreight is being carried on lorries instead of byrail, freight operators and their customers arebeing over-charged, and passengers are payingover-the-odds for their tickets. The currentregime is also stifling growth in the rail sector.”

The Commission said as much as 43% oftunnel capacity is currently unused. That is ashocking under-utilisation of an expensiveresource, but it pales into insignificance whencompared with the high-speed débâcle in theLow Countries. Here, the Belgians and Dutchhave finally lost their patience and cancelled anorder for Fyra high-speed trains with AnsaldoBreda of Italy, as the contract is years late infulfillment and those trains that have beendelivered are of variable quality. There is ascramble to try and find enough conventionaltrains to fill the gap left by the cancellation.

As a result of this fiasco over rolling stock, the

only trains making proper use of the expensivenew high-speed line in the Netherlands are theAmsterdam to Brussels and Paris services run by Thalys. The Dutch and Belgians are encourag -ing Thalys to run more services on the route, andwant to entice Eurostar to initiate London toAmsterdam services via Brussels.

But Eurostar services to Amsterdam areunlikely to start anytime soon. Siemens isstruggling to deliver the 10 new Velaro e320 Class 374 trains ordered by Eurostar with a viewto expanding its service offering, and they areunlikely to enter service before late-2015. Even when they do enter service, it would be nosurprise to see Eurostar committing its shiny newtrains to its most popular and profitable route:that between London and Paris. Such a movewould offer rather more certain returns thandelving into network expansion on new routesfraught with signalling, security and immigrationcontrol issues.

The difficulties being experienced on thecontract for Velaro trains for Eurostar reflect

problems with the 16 Velaro-D high-speed trainsbeing built for DB (German Rail), where approvalsare running late. The current focus is on gettingthe new trains operating well in Germany beforeany serious attention is devoted to cross-borderoperation. Consequently it looks as if it will be2018 before DB services reach London fromFrankfurt. And like Eurostar, DB could alwaysdecide to use the new trains on existing routesand opt not to expand its international network.

So, problems abound in getting new inter -national high-speed routes up and running. Butthere are some positive trends in this sector:Eurostar, for example, has done well recently,with rising passenger numbers in the first quarterof 2013 driven by a buoyant leisure market.

The responsibility of the railway industry is tomake sure we respond to this latent demand by making the best use we can of expensiveinfrastructure such as the Channel Tunnel andthe new Dutch high-speed line. To do this weneed to ensure that pricing policies are effectiveand new trains work.

INTRODUCTIONCo

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The European Commission has commenced legal proceedings against the UK and France for what the Commissionsees as ‘excessive’ track access charges for passenger and freight trains in the Channel Tunnel. It says the charges donot comply with EU rules.

James Abbott Technical Editor, European Railway Review

Sorting out cross-borderhigh-speed services

HOCHLEISTUNG I PRÄZISION I ZUVERLÄSSIGKEIT

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HIGH-CAPACITY I PRECISION I RELIABILITY

3 INTRODUCTIONSorting out cross-border high-speed services James Abbott, Technical Editor, European Railway Review

9 FOREWORD The Swiss traffic transfer policy gains groundPeter Füglistaler, Director of the Federal Office of Transport (FOT), Switzerland

11 NEWS

14 ALPINE PROFILE: SWITZERLANDGotthard and Ceneri base tunnels on targetRenzo Simoni, CEO, AlpTransit Gotthard Ltd

19 ALPINE PROFILE: SWITZERLANDTailored timetabling at SBBHelga Labermeier, Scientific Specialist, Timetable Planning Department, SBB Infrastructure

22 ALPINE PROFILE: AUSTRIAÖBB – shaping mobility of the futureKlaus Garstenauer, Head of Local and Regional Train Services, ÖBB-Personenverkehr AG

24 ALPINE PROFILE: AUSTRIAWESTbahn shakes up Austrian marketErich Forster, CEO, WESTbahn Management GmbH

26 ALPINE PROFILE: AUSTRIAConstruction, maintenance and upgradingof tracks: the Austrian wayMichael Walter, Bernhard Knoll and Jürgen Stern, Business Unit Integrated Railroad Line Management, ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG

30 ALPINE PROFILE: AUSTRIARail steel grades in trackPeter Veit, Head of the Institute for Railway Engineering and Transport Economy,Graz University of Technology, Austria

33 CONFERENCE REVIEWSouth East Europe Rail & Public TransportDevelopment 2013Craig Waters, Editor, European Railway Review


CONTENTS

Destined for the Great Western Main Line and the East Coast Main Line in Britain, theHitachi Super Express Train represents a step change in train reliability andpassenger comfort. The 596 vehicles will be built in Hitachi Rail Europe’s new trainmanufacturing plant in the UK, creating 730 jobs. www.hitachirail-eu.com

COVER SPONSOR...

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

Robin GisbyManaging Director, Network OperationsNetwork Rail

Alex HynesManaging Director – Rail DevelopmentGo-Ahead

Alex VeitchEU Representative and Sustainability ManagerAssociation of Train Operating Companies (ATOC)

Andrew McNaughtonChief Engineer & Technical DirectorHigh Speed Two Ltd

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

36 ROLLING STOCK MAINTENANCE &REFURBISHMENT SUPPLEMENTTransforming the Heathrow Express fleetDaniel Smith, Head of Engineering, Heathrow Express

40 ROLLING STOCK MAINTENANCE &REFURBISHMENT SUPPLEMENTFully controlled fleet maintenance boosts performance levelsClaes Broström, Vice President of Fleet Management, SJ AB

44 ROLLING STOCK MAINTENANCE &REFURBISHMENT SUPPLEMENTFleet maintenance optimisationChristian Daniel, Maintenance Organisation Director, SNCF

50 INFRASTRUCTURE MAINTENANCEHealthy tracks mean healthy operationsMichele Mario Elia, CEO, Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI)

52 SIGNALLINGNetwork Rail’s operating strategyIan Chapman, Programme Manager (Change), Network Rail

56 LEVEL CROSSING SAFETY SUPPLEMENTImproving on improvementsMartin Gallagher, Head of Level Crossings, Network Rail

60 LEVEL CROSSING SAFETY SUPPLEMENTReducing fatalities – a high priority for Lithuanian RailwaysAndrius Janušauskas, Chief Safety Officer, Lithuanian Railways

63 LEVEL CROSSING SAFETY SUPPLEMENTReducing fatalities – a worldwide issueIsabelle Fonverne, Safety and Interoperability Projects Officer, UIC

67 CONFERENCE SPEAKER PREVIEWReal-Time Passenger Information 2013

72 SHOW PREVIEWTRAKO 2013

73 NEWSTRACK

European Railway ReviewVolume 19, Issue 4, 2013 6

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

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CONTENTS

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

No responsibility can be accepted by Russell Publishing Limited, the editor, staff orany contributors for action taken as a result of the information and other materialscontained in our publications. Readers should take specific advice when dealingwith specific situations. In addition, the views expressed in our publications by anycontributor are not necessarily those of the editor, staff or Russell Publishing Ltd.As such, our publications are not intended to amount to advice on which relianceshould be placed. We therefore disclaim all liability and responsibility arising fromany reliance placed on such materials by any reader, or by anyone who may beinformed of any of its contents. Published July 2013

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● Swedish Profile – SJ AB, Trafikverket andTransportstyrelsen

● High-Speed Supplement

● Developments in Spain & Portugal

● Rolling Stock Design Supplement

Published September 2013. Don’t miss out on your copy – subscribe today. Visit www.europeanrailwayreview.com or contact Karen Hutchinson via email at [email protected]

NEXT SSUE:

FUTURETRANSPORT

Elmia

With the adoption of the ‘Alpine Initiative’ in1994, Swiss voters gave the government amandate to transfer transalpine freight trafficfrom road to rail. Switzerland subsequently took a range of measures to achieve this goal.These included the construction of the new raillinks through the Alps and the introduction of aroad charge for heavy goods vehicles. This hasresulted in a reduction of approximately600,000 HGV journeys a year through thedelicate Alpine landscape. Under currentlegislation, Switzerland should reduce HGVtraffic through the Alps from around 1.2 millionjourneys a year today to 650,000 journeys a yearby 2018.

However, in view of the constitutionalprovisions regarding the financial burden placed on road-borne freight transport and the agreements with the European Union, it will not be possible to achieve the target withinthis timeframe. Nevertheless, the governmentintends to take further measures to safeguard the success of Switzerland’s traffic transferpolicy. These will comply with the agreementsthat Switzerland has concluded with theEuropean Union.

The most significant new measure envisagedby the Swiss government is the upgrading of thekey north-south rail corridor via the Gotthard toaccommodate traffic with a corner height of

four metres. This should pave the way for semi-trailers with a corner height of four metres to betransported by rail along this corridor, therebycombining the advantages of road and railtransport. This segment is becoming increasinglyimportant in freight transport and is growingstrongly in comparison with other loadingoptions. Moreover, existing capacity for four-metre transport on the Lötschberg corridor isalmost exhausted.

Given the rise in the number of four-metresemi-trailers used in transalpine transport,various companies have proposed carrying thesesemi-trailers on new, low-floor wagons. Thisoption is currently being considered, but is not analternative to constructing four-metre corridors.These wagons have not yet been fully tested andare only likely to receive approval for use inSwitzerland in the second half of 2013 at theearliest. Furthermore, such a system would notcreate sufficient capacity. The Swiss governmentconsiders low-floor wagons to be a possibletransitional or complementary solution to thefour-metre corridor.

While the new Gotthard and Ceneri BaseTunnels have already been designed toaccommodate corner heights of four metres, arange of corrective measures will be requiredalong the rest of the stretch. In particular, a newtunnel tube will have to be built to replace the old

2.5km-long Bözberg Tunnel. Various smallertunnels will also have to be upgraded andnumerous platform roofs, overhead contactlines, signal equipment and overpasses will haveto be adapted. While German access routes to theGotthard corridor can already accommodatefour-metre corner height traffic, adjustments onthe Italian side would be needed in order toenable trains to reach Lombardy terminals. The Swiss government is requesting parliamentto finance the costs of around €185 million arisingin Italy because the upgrades primarily serve theinterests of Swiss transport policy. The overallcost of upgrading the Gotthard corridor toaccommodate four-metre corner height traffic will be around €750 million. In addition,Switzerland is also considering the possibility ofcontributing funding towards the construction of a new reloading terminal on the eastern side of Milan, as well as possible additionalterminals. Switzerland has signed a Memor -andum of Under standing with Italy reaffirmingcooperation between the two countries. TheSwiss govern ment is confident that thesemeasures will provide a substantial boost to itstraffic transfer policy and that the chosenmeasures are not only EU compatible, but arealso in the interests of the European transportsector. If parliament approves the requestedfunding, work should be completed by 2020.


FOREWORD

One of the principal aims of Swiss transport policy is to transfer transalpine freight traffic from road to rail. This is why Switzerland has built the new flat-bed rail tunnels through the Alps and introduced a road charge forheavy goods vehicles. In order to further support this development, the Swiss government plans to upgrade the main rail corridor for freight traffic running from Germany via the Gotthard to Italy by 2020, enabling semi-trailers with a corner height of up to four metres to be transported along the whole route.

The Swiss traffictransfer policygains ground Peter Füglistaler

Director of the Federal Office ofTransport (FOT), Switzerland

Why do you think railway operators need a special systempreventing cable theft?Cable theft is a type of crime that is continuouslyincreasing. For example, as many as six to eightcable thefts take place on the UK railways everyday whilst Deutsche Bahn reported that metaltheft grew by 50% between 2010 and 2011.

What is the reason for the growth of cable theft?Rising copper and metals prices have spurredthe illicit market. The World Bank’s commodityforecast shows that copper prices increased by nearly fivefold from 2000 to 2011 to overUS$10,000 per tonne at times. Besides small-time thieves who are dismantling safety fences and selling the metal for scrap,there is obviously organised crime involvedwhereby metal scrap is shipped to smeltersoutside Europe.

What kind of damages do railcompanies mainly suffer from?Not only does cable theft cause remarkableextra costs for railway operators, but significantdelays on national and international lines arealso a consequence. Current figures from aGerman security partnership show that in 2012some 17,000 trains came to a temporary halt onsignalling and track systems owing to stolencopper cable and metal components.

Deutsche Bahn recorded as many as 2,700 cases, with damage to infrastructure alone reaching some €17 million. In Britain, metal thieves cause costs of nearly €24 millionper year, while France suffers the greatestfinancial damage with €40 million. According toestimates, the monetary damage from metaltheft on a European-wide basis amounts toalmost €9 billion.

How does your solution take actionagainst cable theft?This is achieved through monitoring of theentire cable infrastructure. The key element isan innovative sensor developed by our partner WiN MS – an expert in cable infrastructure andsurveillance. Embedded in comprehensivemonitoring equipment, this patented device isable to remotely localise in real-time theposition within a 50m range and length of anycable-cut. The system is known as BTW (BreakTransmission in Electrical Wire) and is installedfor this purpose at the start and end of eachmonitored segment – which can be up to

14km-long. If a thief cuts out a piece of cable, theclosest sensor reports the position of the firstcut via the GSM mobile radio telecommuni -cations network to the maintenance centrewithin no more than seven seconds.

What are the major benefits of your solution?Our solution empowers rail operators to a fasterand much more targeted response. This resultsin accelerating the affected tracks return toservice. Furthermore, the new sensor is, at themoment, the only device that can immediatelyalert the police at the time of theft or sabotage.Thus, the existence of such a device acts as adeterrent. All-in-all, our solution can remarkablyimprove safety and maintenance. It is alsonoteworthy that our sensor-based system canbe easily installed on any existing infrastructure.This keeps the necessary investment low. On the other hand, companies save the lion’sshare of costs caused by cable theft – that’s why our new solution promises a very fastreturn on investment.


email: [email protected]

Vossloh Cogifer, an international specialist in railinfrastructure, has developed the world’s only complete monitoring system against cable theft – called BTW. In an interview for European Railway Review,Julien Berthelot, Sales Engineer at Vossloh Cogifer, talks about the impact of cable theft and the majorbenefits the new solution promises.Julien Berthelot

INTERVIEWSPOTLIGHT

‘‘Our solution empowers rail operators to afaster and much more targeted response. This

results in accelerating the affected tracksreturn to service’’

ADVERTORIAL


NEWS

Bombardier Transportation recently hosted the world

premiere of the Frecciarossa 1000 very-high-speed

train at its Vado Ligure site in Italy. Built by

Bombardier Transportation and its consortium partner

AnsaldoBreda of Italy, the Frecciarossa 1000 is the

newest member of the BOMBARDIER ZEFIROfamily of high-speed trains and is known as the

V300ZEFIRO model. This first train unit will now

begin homologation test runs on the rail line between

Genoa and Savona, which is also connected to the

Bombardier Vado Ligure site. Regular passenger

service is expected for early-2015.

The V300ZEFIRO is the fastest train in Europe

and is capable of reaching commercial speeds of up to

360km/h. During test runs the train will reach speeds

in excess of 400km/h. Its advanced high acceleration

enables the train to deliver excellent travel times, even

on winding routes. It is fully interoperable and will

provide cross-border services, taking passengers to

other European countries without the need to change

trains. It could also be adapted for use on networks in

many other countries.

The train is an eight-car Electrical Multiple

Unit (EMU) that can run in single operation and

multiple operation of two units. It will have a total

capacity of 485 across four classes, plus two

additional tip-up seats for passengers with reduced

mobility and a bistro.

BOMBARDIER and ZEFIRO are trademarks of

Bombardier Inc. or its subsidiaries, and Frecciarossa

1000 is a trademark of Trenitalia.

www.bombardier.com

Bombardier unveils newest very-high-speed train in Italy

Transport for London (TfL) has announced the names

of the companies shortlisted to bid to run Crossrail

services: Arriva Crossrail Limited; Keolis/Go Ahead;

MTR Corporation (Crossrail) Limited; and National

Express Group PLC. The Invitation to Tender is due to

be issued in September 2013 and an operator will be

appointed at the end of 2014.

The successful train operator will start running the

first services from May 2015 between Liverpool Street

and Shenfield, taking over the stopping services

currently operated by Greater Anglia. The route

through Canary Wharf, the City and the West End will

open in late-2018, with the full route running in 2019.

Howard Smith, Crossrail Director of Operations,

said: “We are a step closer to appointing an operator for

Crossrail. As our population grows faster than forecast,

the case for stable and sustained investment in

London’s transport network has never been stronger.

Crossrail will help cut journey times across the city and

will achieve internationally recognised high standards

of reliability, train frequency and customer service.”

When the Crossrail services are fully operational

they will increase rail based transport in the capital by

10%. Crossrail will set the benchmark for passenger

experience for European metro services. It will be

integrated as part of the TfL network providing a fast,

frequent service linking the east and west and relieving

congestion on some of the busiest Tube lines.

Passengers using Crossrail will see reduced journey

times and the new stations will be integrated with

existing London Underground, DLR and National Rail

stations making it easy for passengers to change

between services.

www.crossrail.co.uk

TfL announces shortlist of bidders to run Crossrail

The V300ZEFIRO isunveiled in Italy

£400m Edinburgh–Glasgowelectrification workout to tenderNetwork Rail has now begun the tendering process

for the electrification of the flagship Edinburgh

Waverley–Glasgow Queen Street line. Invitations to

tender for the £400 million project, which is part of the

Scottish Government’s £650 million Edinburgh–

Glasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP), have now

been issued for return by September. The project will

include 156 single-track kilometres of electrification

works and remodelling and platform extension work at

Waverley, Queen St, Croy, Falkirk High, Polmont

and Linlithgow.

A new Edinburgh Gateway interchange station

will also be constructed at Gogar as part of the project

and a new depot created at Millerhill in Edinburgh.

Contracts will be awarded in early-2014 with con -

struction expected to commence next summer.

Network Rail is committed to completing the main

E-G electrification works in 2016.

David Simpson, Network Rail Route Managing

Director for Scotland, said: “The EGIP programme is a

unique chance to modernise and enhance our railway

and transform rail services across the central belt.”

www.networkrail.co.uk

Network Rail recently revealed details of a series of

projects worth nearly £40 million aimed at

improving the reliability of the infrastructure and

punctuality of train services on Britain’s busiest

mixed-use railway line.

The projects, many of which are already

underway, have been specifically targeted to

improve performance on the West Coast Main Line

and range from overhead line improvements to new

security fencing to reduce delays caused by

trespass and vandalism.

Dyan Crowther, Route Managing Director at

Network Rail, said: “We are not satisfied with the

current performance of our infrastructure on

the southern end of the West Coast Main Line,

which is one of Britain’s most vital rail arteries.

This line has seen tremendous growth in traffic and

passengers over the last five years and, just like a

busy motorway during rush hour, more trains mean

that if something goes wrong, the knock on effects

can be significant. We have identified almost

£40 million worth of investment aimed at improv -

ing performance by targeting some of the most

common causes of delay. Some of the measures

will be delivered in a few short months while others

are more long-term.”

www.networkrail.co.uk

Major investmentto improve West Coast railperformance

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Free Wi-Fi will be rolled-out on ScotRail’snew Class 380’s by March 2014

Thanks to Scottish Government funding, ScotRail and Transport Scotland recently revealed that free Wi-Fi will

soon be rolled-out on all 38 of ScotRail’s new Class 380 fleet with connectivity estimated by March 2014.

Nomad Digital, the global leader in wireless solutions for the transportation sector, was chosen to provide the

installations on the new fleet, after offering a strong technical solution and delivery programme – backed-up by an

attractive commercial proposition.

Nomad Digital Director, Haydn Abbott, claims that the ScotRail Class 380 Wi-Fi roll-out is starting at an ideal

time for its passengers: “We’re delighted to help connect yet another UK transport company with on-board Wi-Fi

connectivity – especially ahead of such an exciting year when the eyes of the world will be on Scotland.”

The expansion of Wi-Fi represents the latest phase in the Scottish Government’s long-term ambition to provide

Wi-Fi right across Scotland’s railways. The installations are scheduled to be completed ahead of some major events

in Scotland, including the Commonwealth Games and Ryder Cup.

Steve Montgomery, ScotRail Managing Director, said: “It is exciting that people will be able to enjoy free

Wi-Fi on-board our largest fleet of electric trains. We are confident that the expansion of Wi-Fi will be warmly

welcomed by our customers, who increasingly want to stay connected during their journeys, whether for business

or to chat with friends.”

www.nomadrail.com / www.scotrail.co.uk

ScotRail rolls-out free Wi-Fion new train fleet

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin confirmed

on 18 July 2013 a £1.2 billion order for more state-of-

the-art trains to transform rail travel on one of

Britain’s busiest intercity routes.

The 270 carriages will be manufactured in

Britain by Hitachi Rail Europe at its new purpose-

built factory in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, as

part of the government’s overall £5.8 billion Intercity

Express Programme (IEP).

The latest order for the trains, called the class

800 series, will be operational on the East Coast Main

Line from 2019 and will deliver significant benefits

to passengers, including boosting capacity by 18%,

improving train reliability by a factor of five and

cutting journey times between London, Leeds,

Newcastle and Edinburgh by up to 18 minutes.

The order is a boost for Hitachi’s North East

manufacturing facility and its 730 planned jobs. It

will further enhance the factory’s ability to win

lucrative rail contracts across Europe and give the

UK another runner in the global race to build

the world’s best trains.

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said:

“By signing this deal we have provided further proof

of our determination to transform Britain’s railways

into a world-class operation through continued

investment and state-of-the-art technology.”

www.dft.gov.uk

£1.2 billion deal to transform rail travelon East Coast Main Line

The European Investment Bank (EIB) is lending

€40 million to PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe S.A.

(PLK) for the upgrading of rail track and the

signalling system in East Poland. This is a

continuation of the EIB’s successful cooperation

with PLK. Including the current loan, the EIB

has provided loans to PLK totalling €1.42 billion

to finance railway modernisation projects

across Poland.

Thanks to the EIB loan, track and platforms

at three railway stations between Warsaw and the

Belorussian border (Siedlce, Lukow and

Miedzyrzec Podlaski) will be modernised.

Furthermore, the signalling system on 78km of

double-track mainline in the section between

Siedlce and Biala Podlaska will be improved.

Modernisation works are due to begin in 2013 and

will continue until the end of 2015.

The project will result in infrastructure

maintenance savings and the reduction of vehicle

operating costs and journey times – the modernised

line will allow for the introduction of trains running

at a maximum speed of 160km/h for passenger

trains and 120km/h for freight trains. This should

encourage the shift from other modes of transport.

The project will not only improve the quality

of rail services, but also provide additional

environmental mitigation measures (noise barriers

and better drainage) which will reduce existing

negative impacts during operation. In addition, the

safety of the line will increase, as 33 level crossings

will be improved.

www.eib.org

Further supportfrom EIB for Polish railways


NEWS

Bombardier Transportation has won the first contract

awarded by ADIF as part of the upgrade of the

Mediterranean Corridor between Alicante and

Barcelona to deliver its BOMBARDIER INTERFLO

200 mainline solution. The section between San Vicente

and Tarragona will be equipped by Bombardier, part of

a longer section of the Mediterranean Corridor

being equipped by a consortium comprising

Bombardier and other signalling equipment suppliers.

The total contract is valued at approximately

€61 million, with Bombardier’s share valued at

approximately €17 million.

The Mediterranean Corridor will be upgraded

over three years as part of ADIF’s infrastructure

improvement plans. This will feature the adoption of a

dual gauge solution with three rails that will allow

either Spanish or international gauge traffic.

Bombardier’s scope on the San Vicente to Tarragona

section will involve the installation of two new and the

upgrade of five existing BOMBARDIER EBI Lock

950 computer-based interlocking (CBI) systems. This

first contract is planned for completion by March 2015.

BOMBARDIER, INTERFLO and EBI are

trademarks of Bombardier Inc. or its subsidiaries.

www.bombardier.com

Bombardier wins first contract forMediterranean Corridor

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What the interior of the newHitachi trains will look like


NEWS

The Desiro City will offer a much improvedpassenger travel experience and a step

change in capacity and reliability

The Department for Transport (DfT) has awarded a contract worth approximately £1.6 billion for 1,140 new Desiro

City commuter rail carriages for the Thameslink route to Siemens Plc and Cross London Trains, a consortium

comprising Siemens Project Ventures GmbH, Innisfree Limited and 3i Infrastructure plc.

This is the largest contract ever awarded to Siemens plc, covering the capital cost of the trains and

associated depot infrastructure and will boost Siemens’ UK rail portfolio to over 2,800 carriages. In addition, the

consortium will be responsible for financing the deal, with Siemens also looking after the long-term maintenance

of the trains.

Siemens has invested around €50 million to

develop the Desiro City train – the platform that has

been selected for the Thameslink Programme –

specifically for the UK. The second-generation,

evolutionary Desiro City combines the latest

technology with the proven Siemens Desiro platform,

one of the country’s most reliable train designs, which

travels more than 50 million passenger miles

nationwide each year.

The Desiro City has been developed to offer a

metro-style service, with a spacious and airy design

that maximises capacity and significantly increases

passenger comfort levels. The Desiro City Thameslink

fleet will be maintained at two new traincare depots at

Three Bridges (Crawley) and Hornsey (London

Borough of Haringey) providing outstanding facilities.

The trains will be introduced into service from early-

2016 with the full 24 trains per hour service coming

into effect at the end of 2018.

www.siemens.co.uk

Alstom has been awarded a contract worth approximately €27 million by Landesnahverkehrsgesellschaft

Niedersachsen (LNVG) to modernise 24 Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) Coradia Lint trains currently operating

on Weser-Ems network in Lower Saxony. The modernisation contract will add about 15 years to the lifespan of

the trains and improve the journey for the roughly 20,000 passengers who travel daily on the network.

The modernisation and certification of the trains will be performed at the Braunschweig facility in Borsigstraße,

a site specialised in services for passenger trainsets, and completion is scheduled for December 2015.

www.alstom.com

Alstom to modernise regional trains in Germany

EVENTSReal-Time PassengerInformation 201311 September 2013Location: London, UKEmail: [email protected] Web: www.rtpiconference.com

TRAKO 201324-27 September 2013Location: Gdańsk, Poland Email: [email protected] Web: www.trakofair.com

Elmia Nordic Rail 20138-10 October 2013Location: Jönköping, SwedenEmail: [email protected] Web: www.elmia.se

Railway and Mass-Transit InteriorsTechnology and Design Expo 201312-14 November 2013Location: Cologne, GermanyEmail: [email protected]: www.railwayinteriors-expo.com

If you have a diary event you wish to publicise, send details to Sarah Wills at:

[email protected]

Thameslink deal goes to Siemens

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o.uk

ORR sets outfuture of railregulationThe Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) recently

published its ‘Long-Term Regulatory Statement’,

setting-out its proposed regulatory approach for the

future and identifying priorities for the growth and

sustainability of Britain’s railways.

The shape of Britain’s railway is set to

transform with continued support and investment

in the mainline network and new projects. The

Long-Term Regulatory Statement explores some of

the possible effects of this transformation on the

future of rail funding and regulation.

ORR believes that future success of the rail

industry will be underpinned by achieving long-

term financial sustainability and a collaborative

commercially-aligned rail industry.

Richard Price, ORR Chief Executive, said:

“ORR wants to ensure that future rail funding is

sustainable and the industry is organised to

anticipate the future needs of its customers. Today

we are highlighting the challenges and oppor -

tunities Britain’s railways face over the next

decades and to debate the ways in which future

growth can be secured.”

The Long-Term Regulatory Statement

highlights how:● Network Rail is financed, the use, growth and

sustainability of its government-backed debt;● Network Rail and both passenger and freight

train operators can work better together to

reduce costs and improve the performance of

the railway for its customers;● Stronger commercial relationships could be

developed through the industry so that

businesses are better placed to deliver for their

customers with less intervention from the

regulator and governments;● Public subsidy to the industry can best be

delivered to maximise its benefits for

customers and taxpayers – and how it can be

more transparent.

To read the statement in full, visit:http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/server/show/

ConWebDoc.11196

Gotthard Base Tunnel: statusOverground section Altdorf–Rynächt The environment between Altdorf and Erstfeldhas changed during the last year. Work on thebuilt structures along the overground section iscomplete. In August 2012, the Riedstrasseunderpass was completed, and in September2012 the Wysshus underpass and bothroundabouts were completed.

Since 3 December 2012, SBB has had twotracks available between Altdorf and Erstfeld.Because of the construction work on the

approach route to the Gotthard Base Tunnel, fora period of one year the entire north-south trafficsouth of Altdorf railway station had to travel on a single track. AlpTransit Gotthard Ltd had 12 months in which to complete the complexconstruction work on the SBB main line. Newbridges, underpasses and retaining walls werebuilt, after which SBB equipped the new railwayline with tracks, points, overhead conductors andcable systems.

In December 2012, the Stägwald retainingwall attained its final height. Further concreting

work was executed and the dimensions of the complete built structure are becomingincreasingly impressive.

Erstfeld

In the last 12 months, the appearance of the landscape at Erstfeld has changed. On theinstallations site, the conveyor-belt systems,train-loading bay and loading ramp have beendismantled and removed.

From February 2012 until September 2012 inthe east tube, the ballastless track was laid


Work on the Gotthard and Ceneri base tunnels is on course. In the Gotthard Base Tunnel between Erstfeld andSedrun, the ballastless railway track has been laid in both tubes. In total, 45% of the railway infrastructuresystems have been installed. A pilot operation between Faido and the south portal at Bodio will start onschedule in December 2013 – a further important milestone on the way to the world’s longest railway tunnelbecoming operational in 2016. Also, more than 60% of the Ceneri Base Tunnel has now been excavated.AlpTransit Gotthard Ltd is confident that the Ceneri Base Tunnel will be ready for operation with scheduled trainservices in 2019.

Gotthard andCeneri base tunnelson target Renzo Simoni

CEO, AlpTransit Gotthard Ltd

ALPINE PROFILESWITZERLAND

PLAN. BUILD. OPERATE.

EMPOWERING RAILWAYS

MEMBER OF TÜV SÜD GROUP

NEWS

www.signon-group.com | www.signon-rail.com Zurich | Berlin | Dresden | Duisburg | Munich | Vienna

SIGNON have expert-mandates for AlpTransit

Gotthard on rail energy supply systems, EMC,

earthing, auxilliary systems and cabelling in

the Gotthard and Ceneri Tunnel projects.

between Erstfeld and Sedrun. This work wasperformed using a mobile concrete-making planton rails – at approximately 500m-long, theconcrete train was developed specially for the Gotthard Base Tunnel project. Approxi-mately 220m of track were concreted per day. In March 2012 following completion of thestructural works, installation of the rail-way infrastructure systems also began in thewest tube.

At the end of March 2013, the permanentrails had been laid in both tubes from Erstfeld toSedrun (around 22km). Following the laying ofballastless track, the overhead conductors arebeing installed in the tunnels.

Amsteg

Dismantling and removal work has beenperformed at the installations site at Amsteg.

The gravel plant was dismantled and theErstfeld–Amsteg construction-site track and the visitor trail were removed. Part of the graveldeposit area has already been re-cultivated andsown and the dry-stone walls and hiking trail arenow being constructed.

Sedrun

In June 2012 at Sedrun, the attractive Lag Claus

Surrein bathing lake was inaugurated. The lakeis located on a deposit of material excavatedfrom the Gotthard Base Tunnel. As part of the renaturing measures, a 3,200m2 lake wascreated on the deposit. Along with a kiosk,terrace and sanitary facilities, the lake hasbecome a popular summer attraction.

In 2012, the north and south track-crossoverdoors were installed in the multifunction

station. The doors were transported by road from Erstfeld to Sedrun and assembled on site. During normal operation the doors areclosed and aero dynamic ally separate the tubes. When needed, for example during main -tenance work, they can be opened to allow trains to pass.

In parallel with the installation of the railwaysystems, final fitting-out work was completed


Lining work in the Ceneri BaseTunnel’s east tube at Vigana isalready well advanced

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in the multifunction station at Sedrun. In Shaft 1,the shaft lift and machinery were dismantled andremoved. During operation, Shaft 1 serves as afresh-air duct as well as containing various cablesfor the railway systems and water pipelines forthe multifunction station. At the end of December2012, the final section of the multifunction

station was handed over by the constructioncontractor to AlpTransit Gotthard Ltd. On 1 March2013, the entire area of the multifunction stationat tunnel level was handed over to the railwaysystems contractor.

In March 2013, dismantling work began in Shaft 2.

Faido

From mid-2012 to mid-2013, the multifunctionstations, ventilation centres and railway systemsbuildings at Faido and Sedrun were mech -anically and electromechanically fitted out.

In January 2012, preparatory work for the future portal building at Faido began.


The Gotthard Base Tunnel’s northportal is beginning to take shape

At the end of 2012, the external walls of the base -ment of the building had already been concreted.In December 2012 in the lateral cavern – the two-storey railway systems building – was completed.

Installation of the bench and cable trayproceeded rapidly. Also in December 2012,finishing work in both single-track tubes between the multifunction station at Faido andthe section boundary at Sedrun was largelycomplete. Since January 2013, the installation ofdoors and ventilation systems in all 41 cross-passages is complete.

In January 2013, the 22km of tunnel werehanded over by the tunnel constructioncontractors to AlpTransit Gotthard Ltd. SinceMarch 2013, the railway systems are also beinginstalled at Faido.

Bodio

The east tube at Bodio is still being used totransport supplies to the construction sites inthe Bodio section. In November 2012, anadditional supply line for intermodal transportwas set up. At Bodio, road trucks can drive overspecial ramps onto railway wagons. They arethen transported on the finished tracks in thewest single-track tube to the multifunctionstation at Faido. Work on concreting the bench

to the south continues. At the end of April 2013,around 13,930m of bench had been concretedon both sides.

In the west tube, the cable ducts andelectrical enclosures in the cross-passages wereinstalled as well as the evacuation-route signsand emergency lighting. In the west tubebetween Faido and the south portal at Bodio,preparations are in progress for pilot operation.

From December 2013 on this approximate 16km-long section in which the railway infrastructuresystems have already been installed, test runs atspeeds of up to 230km/h will take place.

Biasca

At Nodo della Giustizia junction, work onimportant built structures continues. Theseinclude the bridge over the Froda Canal, the cut-and-cover Giustizia Tunnel, and the retentionbasin of the Stabiello stream with undergroundoutflow into the Froda Canal. Ballast has been

laid for the embankment of the new route of thecantonal road.

In February 2013, work began on the finallandscaping of the south portal. Construction ofthe retention wall along the Pollegio substation iscomplete and planting work for final landscapingof the Buzza di Biasca continues.

Ceneri Base Tunnel: statusAt the end of April 2013 in the Ceneri BaseTunnel, almost 62% of the 39.9km-long tunnelhad been excavated and excavation andconcreting work continues in both tubes.

Camorino

Around Camorino, to the north of the northportal of the Ceneri Base Tunnel, work hascontinued on various built structures and sub-projects. These include the erection of the firstV-pillars for the approximate 1km-long Lugano–Bellinzona viaduct. In autumn 2012, the oldrailway bridge over the A2 motorway near theBellinzona exit was demolished. It will bereplaced by two new bridges situated adjacentto each other. During the night of 10 March 2013,the first of the two new railway bridges over theA2 motorway was successfully moved hori -zontally by 14m. In May 2013, construction of


‘‘At the end of April 2013 in the Ceneri BaseTunnel, almost 62% of the 39.9km-long tunnel

had been excavated and excavation andconcreting work continues in both tubes’’

the second bridge began. From 2019, railwaytraffic will travel over the four tracks of the newbridges: two tracks will be available for theexisting Giubiasco–Cadenazzo line and twofurther tracks will continue in the direction ofthe north portal of the Ceneri Base Tunnel. In December 2012, most of the work south of the cantonal road was complete. This markssuccessful completion of the first main lot, onwhich construction began in 2008.

Vigana

Near the north portal at Vigana, the invert of theconnecting tunnel between the east and westcaverns and in the east tube has been con -creted. In the east tube and the bretella, work onthe seal and inner-lining is complete. In March2013, work began on the inner-lining of the west tube.

Sigirino

All driving work in the Ceneri Base Tunnel fromSigirino has continued. The Linea Val CollaSouth geological fault zone was overcomewithout major problems. At the same time, theinvert was laid.

The spoil deposit at Sigirino continues togrow and the Dosso di Taverne wild-animalcorridor is structurally complete.

Around 62% of the Ceneri Base Tunnel, as at the end of May 2013 has been excavated. In the main drive towards the south, the lead on the contractually agreed time scheduleincreased to approximately five months.

The northward drives are lagging 10 to 11 monthsbehind the construction schedule, mainlybecause of geological difficulties. AlpTransitGotthard Ltd is nevertheless confident that the Ceneri Base Tunnel will be ready to oper-ate scheduled train services at the end of 2019 as planned.

Vezia

Underground lining work in the west and easttubes was completed in November 2012.

Work on the cut-and-cover tunnel began inDecember 2012 and the first invert and vaultblocks have now been concreted.

In the area of the new railway embankment,work on the railway systems, substructures andinfrastructure has begun with execution of the

cable blocks, foundations for the overheadconductor masts and concrete slabs.

OutlookFrom December 2013 in the Gotthard BaseTunnel, test runs at speeds of up to 230km/h willtake place. The 16km-long section betweenBodio and Faido is already completely equippedwith the railway infrastructure systems.

In the Ceneri Base Tunnel, also in the comingyear, excavation work will only take place fromthe intermediate heading at Sigirino. Driving isscheduled to be completed in 2016, after whichthe railway systems will be installed. Invitationsfor tender were issued in 2012 and contracts willbe awarded during the current year.

From today’s standpoint, opening of theGotthard Base Tunnel for operations in 2016 andthe Ceneri Base Tunnel in 2019 is feasible.



Renzo Simoni joined AlpTransitGotthard Ltd on 1 April 2007. Hisprevious employment includedperiods with Helbling Beratung +Bauplanung AG, Ernst Basler + Partner AG and Gruner AG.Renzo studied civil engineering

at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH),Zurich, followed by a postgraduate diploma anddoctorate at the ETH Institute of Spatial Planning.

Construction of the technical ceiling inthe multifunction station at Faido in the

Gotthard Base Tunnel

‘‘From today’s standpoint, opening of the Gotthard Base Tunnel for operations

in 2016 and the Ceneri Base Tunnel in 2019 is feasible’’


At the core of the process is the ‘planning penta -gon’ (see Figure 1, page 20). The demand forecastdetermines the product offering, which in turnforms the basis for the timetable. The latterdefines the functional requirements to be met byinfrastructure and stations as well as by the rollingstock. And finally, the financial arrangementsdetermine the implementation timeframe.

In other words, construction only goes ahead insofar as it is needed to implement thenew, to-the-minute timetable. The network istailored to the timetable so that usage becomesmore and more efficient.

Given Switzerland’s limited size, the empha -sis is not on speed but on meeting enormousdemand; and at the same time financial,ecological and spatial-planning aspects must betaken into account. To cater for increaseddemand on a section of route whose capacity isalready fully utilised, a number of possibilitiesexist in principle – for example: to deploy longertrains with more seats (double-deck units); to

shorten train headways; to harmonise speeds offreight, regional and long-distance trains; and tobuild additional tracks and segregate traffic flows(with flyovers, etc.).

Planning processLong-term planning (approximately 8-20 years prior to implementation)Demand for travel is rising. The federal parlia -ment and the cantons decide which services areto be expanded and where. SBB Infrastructure istasked with conducting studies for developing abasic regular-interval timetable that will enablethe desired service offering to be implemented.Despite the long planning horizon, once thecapacity requirements have undergone struct -ural analysis, this development work is alreadyperformed down to an accuracy of one minute.As a rule, different timetable concepts for thefuture always point to the same bottlenecks inthe network. The upgrade/expansion workultimately implemented is geared to the

concept that achieves the greatest consensusamong the stakeholders involved (parliament,cantons and railway undertakings).

If the planned service offering cannot beimplemented with the infrastructure and rollingstock available, the necessary infrastructureupgrades and/or rolling stock specifications aredefined in a series of detailed agreementsbetween the Federal Office of Transport (FOT),the cantons, the railway undertakings (RU) andSBB Infrastructure. The ultimate goal is to alwaysfind the solution with the best cost-benefit ratio.

The Swiss are world champions of rail travel. Every day, approximately 10,000 trains travel on Switzerland’sstandard-gauge network which covers just over 3,665km. They take almost a million people to theirdestinations – safely and punctually – and transport 200,000 tonnes of freight. These impressive figures areunequalled anywhere else in the world. To cope with the constant rising demand on this heavily used network,SBB Infrastructure applies an ingenious timetable planning process.

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Tailored timetabling at SBB


Helga Labermeier Scientific Specialist, Timetable PlanningDepartment, SBB Infrastructure

Long-term planning example

Demand on the Zurich–Olten–Bern route exceeds

current capacity. It is no longer possible to plan any

further train paths on this heavily used section.

Instead of building additional tracks, which would

have to run through a tunnel, a much cheaper

option is to extend Lausanne station so that longer

double-deck trains can operate along the entire

St. Gallen–Zurich–Bern–Lausanne–Geneva route.

Timetable and train-operation simulations assistin the definition of these tailored investments.

A legislative ‘message’ is submitted to thefederal parliament setting out the necessaryfinancing concepts. This iterative step outlines thefuture timetable concept and the way in which the necessary rail network is to be financed.Under certain circumstances, the final decision istaken by the Swiss electorate in a referendum.

An overview of the measures planned inSwitzerland for the period up to 2025 can be viewedon the Federal Office of Transport’s website1.

Medium-term planning (approximately

2-8 years prior to implementation)

In this phase, the timetables are planned indetailed, taking due account of the nece-ssary construction phases for the expansion/upgrade works. In addition, time windows arecreated and integrated into the timetable for maintenance and renewal work on theexisting infrastructure.

Individual additional trains (especially thosedesigned to strengthen services at peak travelperiods) are worked into the timetable alongsidethe basic diagrams. Talks then begin withneighbouring countries’ railways on the planningof international connections.

Deployment of rolling stock is defined anddeadlines are set for the commissioning of new installations.

Narrow-gauge lines plus bus and boatcompanies are informed about the futureservices so that the entire public transport chaincan be properly coordinated. In this phase, animportant role in coordinating the overall serviceoffering is played not only by the transportcompanies but also by the cantonal offices forpublic transport, which commission the services.

Annual planning (two years prior

to implementation and up to the

timetable change)

Two years before implementation, the time -table planners start planning the precise 24-hour annual timetable. The times of the firstand last trains to adopt the basic regular-interval timetable are defined, along with

detailed amendments (including extra stops, for example) at off-peak times. A train-pathcatalogue is set-up for freight services.

Actual ordering of RUs’ train paths can thenbegin. If RUs request short-term changes, it ispossible prior to the ordering process to check thefeasibility of such changes and integrate them intothe timetabling process. To ensure that all RUs aregiven non-discriminatory access to the railnetwork, they submit their train-path wishes to theindependent path-issuing body – Trasse SchweizAG (Swiss Train Paths Ltd). Provided they arefeasible, the paths can be provisionally allocated.The RU then has the opportunity to ascertainwhich train paths it wishes to order on a definitivebasis. It has to do this by arrangement with itscustomers. In the freight segment these may, forexample, be container shippers, whereas for regional passenger services the cantons (inconjunction with the FOT) comm ission thetimetable offering. If two RUs request the sametrain path and no alternative can be offered,Trasse Schweiz AG decides on the awarding of therequested path. The timetable is then published inthe online and official printed timetables andhanded over to SBB’s operating units.

Creating the daily timetable

(after timetable changeover date)

During the course of the year, the remaininggaps in the timetable are filled with additionaltrains for events (e.g. exhibitions and concerts),relief trains (where heavy traffic is predicted atweekends or at the beginning or end ofholidays), charter trains, seasonal freight traffic, one-off consignments or service trains(for engineering works or trade fairs).

Analysing the timetable

The current timetable is subject to on-going analysis. In this process, the main focus ison punct uality. Every opportunity for improve -ment is identified and – unless it can beimplemented immedi ately – incorporated in the next timetable.

Basic principles of timetable planningSymmetrical regular-interval timetableIn Switzerland, timetables are organisedsymmetrically around the hour (‘minute .00’). If a train arrives at ‘x’ minutes before the hour,its counterpart travelling in the oppositedirection departs at ‘x’ minutes after the hour.This basic timetable structure is then repeatedevery 60 or even every 30 minutes. In otherwords, it follows a ‘clockface’ rhythm.

As connections to other services are alwaysthe same in both directions, passengers can thuswork out the departure time of their returnservice themselves.

Node concept

A node station is a station at which a rapid succ -ession of trains arrive from different directions,thus permitting close connections, and subse -quently depart again at around the same time.Owing to the symmetry provided, this is bestachieved on the hour (.00) or the half hour (.30).With half-hourly services, which are becomingincreasingly common, additional transfer possi -bilities are created at 15 and 45 minutes past thehour. To permit the greatest possible number ofsuitable nodes, the travel time between theindividual nodes must be kept within half anhour or one hour, as the case may be.



Medium-term planning example

A double-track tunnel needs to be renovated.

During the two-year construction period, trains can

only use one of the two tracks. Some trains have to

be re-scheduled to run on other routes.

Figure 1 The timetable ‘planning pentagon’ process

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This node concept, which is highly devel -oped in Switzerland, defines the underlyingprinciple – namely, that trains should travel notsimply as fast as possible but rather as fast asnecessary to ensure good connections at the next node. This not only greatly reduces costs but also generates the greatest possible benefit for the public transport networkthroughout Switzerland.

Timetable design

Timetables are planned in accordance with the regulatory specifications of the FOT. Thetimetable planners thus adhere to a certainhierarchy. First, long-distance passenger andtransit freight trains are scheduled. Next,interregional passenger services are timetabledalong with domestic freight trains. And finally,regional services – i.e. S-Bahn rapid transit andshort-distance freight services – are integratedinto the timetable.

IT systemsThe operating framework for a timetable is socomplex that it has not yet been possible to automatically generate timetables for anetwork the size of the Swiss standard-gauge

network. This remains a manual task performedby timetable planners and requires a great dealof experience and detailed knowledge. How -ever, the planners have powerful tools at theirdisposal for visualising the timetable in variousways (i.e. network and route diagrams and trackoccupancy plans). For medium and long-termplanning they utilise the Viriato programme,while for annual and daily scheduling the NeTS(‘network-wide train-path system’) is used.

At the microscopic level, future timetablescan be simulated using the Open Track2 tool. Thisalready comes into play in long- and medium-term planning by optimally defining the requiredinfrastructure and helping to identify andaddress stability risks in future timetables. In thisprocess, various delay scenarios and disruptionsare simulated in order to estimate their impact.

The OnTime3 tool is used to calculate theexpected punctuality of a future timetable. This tool allows us to compare different time -tabling options, to identify their weak points, andto address these proactively.

The data on trains that have alreadyoperated are analysed intensively to enhancetimetable quality. For this, we use ‘Open TimeTable4’ – a tool which very efficiently examines

the quality of the timetable that has beenproduced. This process is assisted by statisticalanalyses of the ‘train’, ‘time’ and ‘place’ dimen -sions. The findings obtained flow directly into theplanning process for the next timetable, thusensuring continual improvements.

References1. http://www.bav.admin.ch/themen/03044/

index.html (Ger/Fr/Ital only).

2. http://www.opentrack.ch/

3. http://www.ontime-rail.com/index_en.html

4. http://www.via-con.de/en/development/open-timetable-ott


Dr. Helga Labermeier studiedher Ph.D. at the Swiss FederalInstitute of Technology in Zurichin Operations Research. After -wards she spent four years in theStrategic Network PlanningDepartment at Swissair as an

expert of the demand and market model. At SwissFederal Railways, Helga’s functions have been –besides others – in the field of business analysisand requirement management of the newdispatching system (RCS) and the developmentof the new Customer Punctuality KPIs. TodayHelga works as a Scientific Specialist in the teamfor methods and simulations in the TimetablePlanning Department.

The focus of the design concept of these trains iscentred on adding extra comfort and providingadditional passenger capacity in order to copewith the continuously rising demand of travel inAustria. The order was placed as a frame-work agreement with Siemens – 30 trains willserve in the local traffic network in and aroundVienna and 70 are earmarked to serve theregional traffic networks in Lower Austria,

Upper Austria and Styria. Completing thefinishing-construction process of the trains willbe carried out in ÖBB workshops and it isexpected that the trainsets will be taken intoservice by the end of 2015.

A new age of local and regional train serviceEighteen trains in this order will operate asregional trains in Styria. They are stronglyneeded in this location because the number of train commuters and passengers has risen by 33% in the last five years. In UpperAustria, 17 of the new trains will go into service while 35 will operate in Lower Austria,


In early-2013, the Supervisory Board of ÖBB-Personenverkehr AG and ÖBB-Holding AG concluded an orderworth approximately €581 million for 100 new Siemens Desiro ML mass transit and regional trains. The newtrainsets will contribute significantly to improving passenger comfort and prove that ÖBB is committed toenhancing its offering.

ÖBB – shapingmobility of the future

Klaus Garstenauer Head of Local and Regional TrainServices, ÖBB-Personenverkehr AG

ALPINE PROFILEAUSTRIA

‘‘All trains will have air-conditioning and will be easily accessible for people

with reduced mobility’’

and a further 30 trains in and around Vienna on the local S-Bahn network. They willintroduce a new age in riding comfort in the

local and regional service in Austria and will add to a modern lifestyle in Austria.

More comfort for passengersDesiro ML is an electric train consisting of three single units. The trains built for localservices will have 244 seats, whilst the trains built for regional operations will have 259 seats. All trains will have air-conditioningand will be easily accessible for people

with reduced mobility – local trains will have six doors per side, and regional trains will have four doors per side. Optionally, thetrain can be extended with an additional car.Desiro ML is designed for a high-speed of160km/h. The new trains will be 75m-long, have two water closets, plenty of room in themulti-use-area and a bigger seat pitch than the current local and regional trains operating in Austria.

Finishing work at ÖBB workshopsAs previously mentioned, the order was placed within a framework agreement whichwas made in 2010. The finishing-work in the construction process of the trains will

be carried out in ÖBB workshops which willsecure 140 jobs.

Consequent rolling stock modernisation programmeWithin the last 10 years, ÖBB have investedsome €2 billion in renewing its rolling stock fleet.As a result, ÖBB currently has one of the mostmodern train fleets in Europe. For local andregional service trains, new double-deck cars,Desiro and also Talent trains have been ordered.For long-distance traffic, ÖBB brought a newexperience for passengers by introducing theÖBB railjet high-speed service, and there arecurrently 51 railjets operating today. The orderof new Desiro ML trains is the next step in thischain of measures to ensure that ÖBB will be ina position to shape the mobility of the future.The modern trains ideally fit with the demand ofthe Austrian railway ecosystem and are tailoredfor service in the Austrian regions.



Klaus Garstenauer has beenHead of Local and RegionalTrain Services at ÖBB-Personen -verkehr AG since 2009. Prior tothis Klaus worked in the Market -ing & Sales and Controllingdepartments of the ÖBB-

Infrastruktur AG Business Division for TechnicalAccess to the Rail Network. Klaus also previouslyheld a Marketing & Sales position at ThalesAustria GmbH and between 1995 and 1997 was aResearch Follow in the Institute of TransportIndustry at the Vienna University of Economicsand Business.

ÖBB-Personenverkehr AG

ÖBB-Personenverkehr AG was founded in 2004and first started passenger transport operations bytrain and by bus in January 2005, as set out in theFederal Railways Act 2003. The Company is awholly-owned subsidiary of ÖBB-Holding AG.ÖBB-Personenverkehr AG is Austria’s largestmobility service provider. With over 4,000 trainsand 30,000 bus routes available, every day, morethan one million passengers choose to travel on ourrail and road transport services. Our team is madeup of around 2,900 employees, and whether it ison-board staff, a call centre agent or one of ourtravel consultants, they all contribute to providingyou with the highest level of service, safety andreliability – every day – in all weathers, around theclock. Customer orientation is at the heart of ourmission statement. Our goal is to meet the mobilityneeds of our customers. By creating products thatare matched to customer requirements anddemands, we have the right offer for everyone. Our products and services speak for themselves.

Source: www.oebb.at

ÖBB-Personenverkehr AG isAustria’s largest mobilityservice provider

‘‘ÖBB currently has one of the most modern train fleets in Europe’’

Stadler Rail AG was commissioned to manu -facture our trains – the spec was to focus onfunctional technology, lightweight materialsand a service-friendly design that would keepenergy and maintenance costs low, with anoverall objective to design trains that focusedon our customers and their needs. It wastherefore important that values are remi-niscent of the WESTbahn brand: comfortable,customer-friendly and efficient. This is thereason why we also commissioned Spirit Design– Innovation and Brand GmbH – a creativecompany for innovations and brand, to actuallydesign the trains.

Each WESTbahn wagon has its own stewardor stewardess who guarantees optimal customerservice as well as safety for the customer. Barrier-free entrances allow parents with infants and

buggies or people with reduced mobility easyaccess to the trains. We always rank customersatisfaction first. Another benefit is that thetoilets are gender-specifically separated andavailable in each wagon. It was important thatthe customer perceives all of these advantagesthrough an individual design.

WESTbahn operates seven trains, eachconsisting of six double-deck wagons and 501 seats without separation in classes. Based onthe design of airlines, every seat includes a largefolding table that provides, among other things,sufficient space for a laptop. An electricity socketand plenty of legroom is available for eachpassenger, plus free Wi-Fi guarantees continuousinternet access.

For passengers who prefer travelling moreluxuriously, WESTbahn offers WESTbahn PLUS

– for a small extra charge these passengersexperience even more legroom, an empty seatnext to them, a free hot drink, a free dailynewspaper, personal service and discounts oncar rental rates. This offer is comparable to anairline’s business class service and is tailored forbusiness travellers who need extra space to work.

With our friendly stewards in each wagon,four WESTcafes per train, on-board ticket salesand ergonomic leather seats for first-classcomfort throughout the train, WESTbahn standsfor unprecedented and innovative service andquality in the Austrian long-distance passengerrail market. Top service and quality are providedfor every customer and WESTbahn is famous forits customer-friendly price policy.

The results from a recent survey among railcustomers which was conducted by University


WESTbahn Management GmbH is a private railway company that launched operations in December 2011offering passenger services between Vienna, Salzburg and Freilassing. We are the first private long-distancerailway company in Austria, offering almost hourly intervals. Due to a top speed of 200km/h, the journey time ofWESTbahn trains from Vienna to Salzburg is just 2 hours and 30 minutes.

WESTbahn shakes upAustrian market


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Erich Forster CEO, WESTbahn Management GmbH

Professor Dr. Peter Filzmaier in February 2013,confirmed that WESTbahn has evolved into anintegral part of the Austrian railway market dueto the outstanding customer ratings achieved:64% rate the WESTbahn offer as very good. The qualitative study of the Institute of StrategicAnalysis (ISA) shows that WESTbahn is seen asextremely attractive in terms of quality (21%) andprice-performance (53%). Primarily, the friendlyWESTbahn crew members are highly appreci -ated. In addition, the possibility to purchasetickets on-board, as well as modern technologyfeatures, is highly rated. This results inunprecedented levels of satisfaction in theAustrian railway sector. These results demon -strate that the first step of railway liberalisation inAustria has flourished. That’s why it is important

to press ahead with the liberalisation of therailway market. Therefore, the next logical step isthe fourth railway package, presented by theEuropean Commission in order to achieve furtherquality improvements for customers and costsavings for the public purse.

Competitive markets have a positive impacton technology, service and price and lostworkplaces are replaced by new and moreproductive jobs. Thus, there is a need for faircompetition that can be achieved with an equal

opportunity in vehicle financing, extension of theregulator’s rights and a break of compositestructures that prevent the liberalisation.

So far in 2013, WESTbahn reports a steadyincrease in passenger numbers, already countingapproximately 60% more passengers than lastyear. This is a great success, considering thedifficulties that an open access provider couldcome across during the start of operations.Typical market barriers from the beginninginclude high fees for infrastructure or nointegration in timetable-information-systems,which leads to a lack of interchanges with trafficof the incumbent. It is also difficult getting idealplaces for advertising and information as well astrain paths, because of the predominant positionof the incumbent.

As previously mentioned, customer satis -faction is our top priority. WESTbahn is a private company that offers reasonable ticketprices, friendliness and punctuality, makingtravelling with WESTbahn an attractive alterna -tive to the private car. That’s the reason whyWESTbahn is expected to achieve operatingbreakeven this year.



Since May 2012, Erich Forsterhas been the CEO of WESTbahnManagement GmbH. Prior to this position he was the CCOfrom April 2011. Between 1975and 2011, Erich worked atÖsterreichische Bundesbahnen,

finishing his career there as Managing Director ofthe Long Distance Traffic division. Erich wasawarded a PhD in Psychology from the Universityof Vienna.

WESTbahn offers a 200km/h top speed totransport passengers from Vienna to Salzburg

in just 2 hours and 30 minutes

The interior of WESTbahn trains have beendesigned with passenger satisfaction in mind

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‘‘WESTbahn has evolved into an integral partof the Austrian railway market due to theoutstanding customer ratings achieved’’

Line layout and cross sectionsOperating trains on a line that allows highspeeds for passenger trains and low speeds forfreight trains requires careful considerationabout track alignment design. The maximumallowable values of cant deficiency (Imax =130mm) and a max. cant excess (Emax = 110mm)enables expectable rail wear and reducedmaintenance costs. A maximum gradient of12.5‰ guarantees a load of 1,000 tonnes perfreight train. A minimum radius of 3,000menables a comfortable train speed of 200km/h,but 250km/h for trains with low axle loads is also possible.

The invention of the ‘Viennese Curve’ – atransition curve calculated for the centre ofgravity of a vehicle – reduces lateral track forcesand rail wear. In addition, this transition curveguarantees a full compensation of the rate ofchange of the lateral acceleration at the points

of discontinuity – as a result, new and betterpassenger comfort will occur.

The distance between track centres is 4.70m because of aerodynamic effects and mixedtraffic. The whole width of the cross section is 17.55m. The 55cm ballast bed lays on a 70cm thick sub-grade or a 12cm thick asphaltlayer. For maintenance reasons, a 60cm broadtrack access-path is located along both sides ofthe track to allow trains to pass while inspectionor maintenance work outside the danger zone ofthe track is being carried out. Noise barriers aremounted 4.20m from the track centre and a 10cmuplift of the ballast bed is also incorporated intothe cross profile as well as a 4cm reduction of theballast bed in the sleeper spacing to avoid ballastflow at higher speeds.

In case of inconsistent load-bearing capacityon the formation and ground water sensitiveareas, ÖBB has experience with using asphalt

layers on the sub-grade beneath the ballast bed.This asphalt layer is hydrophobic and loaddistributing. It deters plants growing up into theballast bed and separates definitively sub- fromsuper-structure. Therefore, the effect of pumpingup fine grains into the ballast bed is impossible.Calculations have shown an extended service lifeby more than 10% and tamping cycles by morethan 30%. A lower ballast bed thickness ispossible in combination with under sleeper pads(USPs) without reducing track geometry qualityand the total maintenance costs decreases. In addition, an asphalt layer of 12cm is trafficableand extends the construction period, especiallyin winter times which is quite a good cost savingmethod for building high-speed lines.

Track componentsFollowing the principles of an economic track,several track components in several basic and


The liberalisation of European railways, particularly the free network access of passenger and freight traffic,have a basic influence on the construction of new lines and the maintenance and upgrading of tracks of ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG. This article outlines the essential characteristics of track systems including track substructure.

Construction,maintenance andupgrading of tracks:the Austrian way

APLINE PROFILEAUSTRIA

Michael Walter,Bernhard Knoll andJürgen Stern Business Unit IntegratedRailroad Line Management,ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG

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voestalpine Schienen GmbH

www.voestalpine.com/schienen

Imagine an entirely new dimension of customer benefit:

DOBAIN® – the first maintenance free rail in the world

Vision becomes reality. The first industrially produced crack-free rail in the world is on the verge of market launch: DOBAIN®. It consists

of a new, especially heat treated bainitic high-performance steel and has already proven itself up to now in rig and track testing. The

target is to prevent rail damage by rolling contact fatigue in the first place. The result is exceptionally low life-cycle costs in combination

with highest system availability. Customer benefit is our trademark: DOBAIN®.

maintenance conditions and with differentservice lives need to be taken into account. A cost driver on the Austrian track system istaken into account and is based on the yearlydepreciation of the assets, followed by opera -tional hindrances and maintenance costs.Therefore, the following two main strategies foran economic track are deduced:● The initial quality must be the best possible

● Carrying out proper maintenance to extendservice life is the best solution.

By applying these strategies, the following trackcomponents are implemented into the track: 60E1 rail with concrete sleepers and a SKL-fasteningSystem w14. The fully mechanised track plusswitch and crossing laying guarantees the bestinitial quality. The better durability of tracks with concrete sleepers and USPs can be easilydemonstrated with a measuring strip of the trackrecording car. The minor forces and settlement inthe sub-grade leads to a much better durability oftrack geometry.

Switches and crossings for speeds more than200km/h are designed with an inclination of 1 in40 and a moveable manganese point. A hydraulicdriven turnout with electronic detection systemand encapsulated spherical locking placed in a

hollow-sleeper has replaced the old mechanicalclamp lock.

Today, modern turnouts are assembled withall combination of modules for setting, lockingand position monitoring completely at the plant.This ‘plug and play’ turnout can be delivered byspecial turnout transport wagons to the con -struction site ‘just-in-time’. The placement of acrane on a pre-compacted ballast bed shortensinstallation time and reduces track possession.High quality materials and mechanised installa -

tion guarantees the best initial quality for a longservice life and extended inspection intervals ofsix months. To increase turnout geometry dura -bility, the concrete bearers are mounted withUSPs as well as track sleepers. Pads with differentvertical stiffness and movable points ensure asmooth running at speeds above 200km/h.

On Austrian high-speed lines, slab track isapplied in tunnels more than 500m-long or onshort sections between two tunnels. The widely

used slab track design has been developed jointlyby Austrian Railways and Porr since 1989.

The main element of this type of ballastlesstrack system is a conventionally reinforcedprecast concrete slab with two rectangularopenings and an elastic separation layer appliedto both the bottom of the slab and the side facesof the rectangular openings. The slab is placed onan appropriate foundation and, following finalalignment of the rails, is concrete backfilled toensure the transfer of forces. It is 5.16m-long,2.40m-wide and 16-24cm-thick. The standard railfastening element used is a Vossloh IOARV 300-1with soft rail pads.

The advantages of this slab track system arethe fast installation time, the minor costs, almostno maintenance actions and an easy change ofthe concrete plates in the worst case scenario of a derailment.

MaintenanceEuropean recommendations for safety inrailway tunnels are restrictive and costly. TheAustrian philosophy is based on a self-rescueconcept followed by intervention of the firebrigade. In addition, the operational provisionprohibits a burning train to stop in the tunnel byan intelligent emergency brake override.


‘‘Operating trains on a line that allows high speeds for passenger trains and lowspeeds for freight trains requires careful

consideration about track alignment design’’

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Together with Robel Bahnbaumaschienen,ÖBB has developed a Mobile Maintenance Unitfor inspection and minor maintenance works onthe track like welding, screwing or changingisolated joints.

One of the most interesting benefits is theprotection of the workers from aerodynamiceffects of passing trains. That’s why no speedrestrictions occur on the nearby tracks in case ofmaintenance works.

Characteristics of track substructureAs a rule, layers with a thickness of 40cm areinstalled as a base/sub-base in the trackroadbed. If the underlying subsoil is not strongenough, it will either be replaced or consoli -dated by the addition of a lime-cement mixture.This applies both to railroad construction and maintenance.

In order to ensure the sustainability of thesubsoil in the long-run, railway drainage isessential. The drainage will be built either as open ditches, concrete channel drains ordrainage pipes. In order to keep maintenance toa minimum, mostly open ditches and concretechannel drains are built. Furthermore, the servicelife of these two measures is significantly higher(about 80 years) than those of the drainage pipes (about 30 years). The regular maintenanceworks on the drainage include re-cutting andcleaning of the ditches, flushing of concretechannel drains and drainage pipes, flushing ofculverts and constructing low-water channelsand cleaning of manholes.

Retaining or supporting walls and supportstructures are erected if there is not enoughspace available for appropriate earthworkmeasures, or the stability of embankmentscannot be achieved by earthwork measures


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Technical solutions for tracks andtrack superstructure require the bestpossible initial quality

alone. In terms of efficiency, stone gravity wallsand concrete gravity walls are preferred. In orderto increase the service life of the walls, the firstpriority in maintenance is to remove vegetation.With stone cladding and masonry, specialattention is paid to the joints. The wall tops andguardrails are replaced or supplemented, ifnecessary. Trenches which were built as part ofthe wall construction are checked for theirfunction and are restored.

For the construction of noise barriers,distinction is being made between noise mitiga -tion as a maintenance measure and noiseprotection measures in the course of con -struction projects. The reason for this lies in theunderlying legal framework in Austria.

Noise barriers are founded with steel rampiles. In the pile heads, steel uprights areconcreted. Between the individual steel uprights,elements of concrete are used on which noisebarrier elements are situated. In order to keep themaintenance costs low, the noise barrier panelsare constructed mainly of aluminium orconcrete. Wood panels are avoided due to servicelife issues. In the construction of noise barriers,particular attention is paid to the drainage of the track roadbed. It is important to avoid the

drainage flow of the surface water beinginterrupted by the foundations of the noisebarriers. Otherwise an un-drained roadbedwould lead to a softening of the ground under -neath the track and increase the maintenancecosts of the ballast bed significantly. To ensurethe service life of the noise barriers, vegetationmust be removed.

Roadways only play a subordinate part in therailroad network of ÖBB infrastructure. They arebasically used to reach railway stations and bus stops or railway-owned installations. The design depends on the importance andfrequency of traffic on the planned road.Emphasis should be placed primarily on theproper installation of the base layers, as thesehave a high impact on the road quality. Especiallyin the winter, cracks and damage may occur tothe road surface due to frost and thus requirecorresponding maintenance.

Platforms for passengers are built at a height of 380mm or 550mm above rail level. The platform edge is produced as precast con -crete. The surface area is fixed by small concretepaving stones. In terms of maintenance, it isimportant that only frost and de-icing agents areused, which do not damage the concrete.

Protection measures against naturalhazards are rock-fall protection nets and nettingsand torrent and avalanche control measures.Because of the reduced maintenance effort,protection measures close to the tracks arepreferred. It has to be noted in this context thatnot all hazards can be secured by structuralmeasures as they tend to be costly. Thereforetemporary measures such as surveillance andearly warning systems are considered for suchcases. Surveillance systems monitor the struct -ural health of remote countermeasures. Thisparticularly concerns rock-fall or avalanche nets.

Technical solutions for tracks and tracksuperstructure require the best possible initialquality and the best possible extension of service-life by carrying out proper maintenance. This isthe Austrian way and is to be continued to ensure the safe and efficient operation of rail-way infrastructure in the future.



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‘‘Technical solutions for tracks and track superstructure require the best

possible initial quality and the best possibleextension of service-life by carrying out

proper maintenance’’

Lines that allow trains to operate at high-speeds requirecarfeul consideration about track alignment design

The basic data for defining life-cycle cost basedstrategies are so-called standard elements.These standard elements are track sections with a set of defined parameters (traffic load,alignment, type of super-structure, dewateringsystem, sub-layers, sub-soil quality). For allrelevant standard elements, working cycleshave been worked out defining the demand ofmaintenance for the entire life-cycle and theeconomic service life. These cycles exist fordifferent types of super-structure taking intoaccount rail profile, rail steel grade, and the type of sleepers as there are concrete sleeperswith under sleeper pads, conventional con-

crete sleepers and wooden ones (see Figure 1,page 31).

These standard elements are cross-checkedwith real track sections facing these parametersand with the information provided by a datawarehouse showing the deterioration function oftrack over time based on time periods of 12 years.

Within the basic strategies (1998-2001) RCFwas not taken into account as it was not a realproblem in Austria in those days. Therefore thecalculations resulted in a track investmentstrategy using the standard steel grade R260 fortrack sections with radii bigger than 500m, whilehead hardened rails R350HT were proposed in

smaller radii targeting an increase of rail servicelife by reducing the side wear of the rails.

Due to the density of the network, heaviertraffic loads and more powerful traction unitsusing higher slip, the phenomena of RCF, mainlyhead checks, increased within the entire Austrianrail network. Research carried out by railproducers, German Railways and ÖBB3 depictedthe relationship between rail steel grade and thegrowth rate of head checks. At the same time the tests showed the different appearance ofhead checks due to different radii.

The tests were carried out with rail steelgrades R200, R260, and R350HT. R200 was tested


Since 2002, track strategies at the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) have been based on life-cycle costcalculations1. These basic strategies have been adopted due to new technologies – for example the use of undersleeper pads, changing price levels, and the phenomena of rail contact fatigue2 (RCF).

Rail steelgrades in track

ALPINE PROFILE:AUSTRIA

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Peter Veit Head of the Institute for Railway Engineeringand Transport Economy,Graz University ofTechnology, Austria

to check if the head checks would be worn outautomatically due to this soft rail steel grade.However, this expectation did not come true. The measurements showed the softer the railsteel grade the deeper the cracks and the widerthe distances between the cracks. The testsproved the growth rate (given in mm per1,000,000 gross tonnes passed) of the cracks tobe doubled for R260 compared to R350HT.Moreover, the test showed that head checking isa phenomenon for radii wider than 500m with amaximum at radii of 1,500m and very lowimportance for radii of more than 3,000m.

As the operation density, the power and theslip of the rolling stock cannot be influenced bythe infrastructure and three possibilities remainto react on head checks. Firstly, to change railsmore frequently is a very uneconomic solutionand should therefore be avoided whereverpossible. Secondly, is to implement higher steelgrades in order to reduce the growth rate of headchecks and thus the demand on grinding. And finally, to implement cheaper standard railsR260 but to intensify grinding.

The remaining two possibilities are either toinvest additional money into higher steel gradesor to go for more intense grinding. This is a pureeconomic question. As head checking dependson the traffic load, the radii standard elements fordifferent rail steal grades and different radii hadto be developed taking the respective grindingdemand into account. However, there is onemore input data required: the maximumaccepted crack depth. In case of the discussedanalyses this threshold value was set to 1mm.This assumption defines the number of grindingpasses and thus the costs of grinding. The railsteel grade and its growth rate of head checksallows calculating the demand of grinding. But grinding is executed not only to reduce RCF but due to other reasons as there arecorruga tion waves in straight sections and

corrugation of inner rails in sharp curves.Furthermore, depending on the alignment, railsneed re-profiling – a possibility to steer theequivalent conicity and thus the riding behaviourof rolling stock. Last but not least, some grindingmight be executed to reduce the noise level. In Austria, new rails are ground in any case withintrack relaying as well as after rail exchange.

The life-cycle costs for these working cyclescan be figured out in calculating all track workdescribed within the working cycle. The servicelives within the different standard elements are,in general, long but nevertheless differ. The

dynamic average annual cost were calculated,taking a rate of interest of 5% net into account.This allows choosing the option with the leastannual costs in order to formulate an investmentstrategy (see Figure 2).

The results clearly show the new fields ofimplementation for higher steel grades on heavyloaded sections, while sections facing littletransport volumes remain areas for imple -menting standard steel grade R260 in radii bigger than 500m. In some areas, both rail typesare mentioned, showing that the cost differencescan be neglected in these cases.

However, it must be stated, that an invest -ment strategy must always be based on theassumption of the execution of the demandedmaintenance. If this maintenance would not beexecuted for one reason or other, the investmentstrategy might be foiled.

Unfortunately there keeps some space evenfor the first option, to change rails morefrequently. In the past grinding was executedmainly in sharp curves to reduce the corrugationof the inner rail. This maintenance action wasrequired in order to reduce the accelerations andthus the wear of the fastening system and thesleepers. On the other hand, little grinding wasexecuted in bigger radii or straight sections.Therefore there may be rails in service having notfaced the required grinding actions taking head checks into account. This may lead to crack depths of more than 1mm. The maximum

crack depth in regard to safety is approximately2.3mm. Therefore rails showing crack depthsclose to this limit need to be exchanged.However, in executing the new rail strategy thisdemand must disappear in future.

Currently, similar track tests are carried outfor bainitic rails showing very promising results.However, these tests have not yet been finishedand therefore are not yet incorporated into therail investment strategy.

Head checks are increasing the life-cyclecosts of track, either by additional investmentinto higher rail steel grades or in increasing the demand of grinding. On the other hand theeffect of more grinding has a positive impact ontrack quality. Maintenance always tries tominimise the dynamic forces in track in reducingall kind of track failures as these failures lead to additional dynamic forces. For example,



Figure 1 Working cycle for a specific standard element (no RCF taken into account)

Figure 2 Rail Investment Strategy taking head checks into account

tamping is reducing the track errors with wavelengths longer than 3m. So grinding is reducingthe dynamic forces caused by corrugation.Executing tamping and grinding within someweeks must minimise the dynamic forcesaltogether. As track deterioration is not linear butcan be described by an exponential function, aminimum level of dynamic forces in track mustlead to its least deterioration.

Therefore, Austrian Federal Railwaysimplemented the so-called ‘integrated main -tenance’ bundling tamping and grinding in ashort period of time, sometimes even in the

same track possession. The maintenance actionitself is caused by a tamping demand andtamping is executed first, the grinding cycle is fitted to the tamping cycle. In general this does not mean additional demand of grinding, as grinding is executed more frequently any-how, compared to the past. After tests started in2003 this strategy has already been imple-mented for the new high-speed lines since 20114. The results will be analysed in detail and ifexpectations will be fulfilled this maintenanceaction is going to be spread over more tracksections in future.

References1. P. Veit: Projekt Strategie Fahrweg ÖBB, zev rail 09/2004

2. P. Veit, St. Marschnig: LCC Gleise Aktualisierung Gleise,unpublished; 2010

3. G. Girsch, R. Heyder: Head-hardened rail put to the test,Railway Gazette International; 2004

4. M. Wogowitsch: Stopfstrategie der ÖBB, unpublished; 2011

Peter Veit is Head of theInstitute for Railway Engineeringand Transport Economy at GrazUniversity of Technology inAustria. He studied civil engin -eering and economics in Grazand started working at the

Institute in 1987. In 1991 Peter graduated toDoctor of Technical Sciences and finished hishabilitation 1999. In the 1990s Peter developed alife cycle cost model for the permanent way ofrailways. In cooperation with the Austrian FederalRailways (ÖBB) he formulated life-cycle costbased track reinvestment and maintenancestrategies. Peter was a member of the ÖBB from2000 to 2002 when he was asked to implementthese new strategies. After being AssociateProfessor in Graz from 2002 to 2010, Peter wasappointed to a professorship in June 2010. His institute cooperates with Europeaninfrastructure companies as the Austrian, theSwiss and the Norwegian one as well as the Austrian railway industry.

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Maintenance increasesthe track’s lifespan

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SOUTH EAST EUROPE RAIL& PUBLIC TRANSPORT DEVELOPMENT

Industry peers who do business in this region of the industry are well aware that cooperationis needed to move forward. There is work to be done by all – railway operators, infra -structure owners, industry associations andgovernment officials.

The event attracted over 100 delegates who came together under one roof to shareknowledge and experience on the topics that areaffecting the current and future condition ofrailways in the Balkan region.

With presentations from many top industryexperts from all areas of the railway marketplace,the conference provided a perfect platform fordelegates to hear the latest news about projectdevelopments and investments.

Just some of the stand-out topics presentedduring the event included: the contributionSerbian Railways can make to drive the economyforward; rail projects of importance in theDanube region, Corridor X becoming a modernrail freight corridor; pre-stressed concretesleepers and their benefits to infrastructure;rolling stock fleet renewals and investments; andsecurity and safety solutions.

South East Europe Rail & Public Transport

Development 2013 was hosted by SerbianRailways and Dragoljub Simonović, the DirectorGeneral, made a Keynote Address for delegateswhich emphasised the crucial importance ofcooperation across the industry.

The Chairman of the conference was BrankoBajatović – Director of Avistum Ltd who intro -duced the first full-speaker – Libor Lochmann –Executive Director of the Community of EuropeanRailway and Infrastructure Companies (CER).

Libor gave an analysis of the current situation ofthe rail market in South East Europe, taking intoaccount market performances for passenger andfreight traffic and infrastructure investments.Libor was keen to highlight recent legislativedevelopments at EU level and what this meansfor the region. Speaking after the conference,Libor said: “The geographical position of Western Balkans as the natural bridge betweenSouth East and Central Europe is a very valuableasset. If railways are managed in a way whichallows its exploitation, Western Balkan countrieswill become an asset for the whole EU. Goodquality rail tracks and faster border crossingprocedures are the two key priorities: with thesein place, anybody who has an interest in movingfreight from Asia to Europe faster will have tochoose rail.”

The conference was split into two sections – the morning focussed on heavy rail, while theafternoon session looked at urban transportissues. One stand-out presentation of the heavy rail session was from Frank Jost, PolicyOfficer from the European Commission. Frank’spresentation was entitled ‘When will the WesternBalkans put on a Green Signal?’ and focussed onkey aspects including market access in theregion, recast of market access legislation(Directive of 2012), rail freight networks(2013/2015) and a legislative proposal for a 4th Railway Package. Speaking after theconference, Frank said: “A recent recast of EUmarket access rules extended the jurisprudenceof rail regulators to all infrastructure relatedfacilities, including stations and terminals etc.Therefore EU rules on transparency and

non-discrimination also apply to facilities, butthey are also enforceable by regulators. South

East Europe Rail & Public Transport Development

2013 covered a full range of current rail reformincluding access regulation, engineering andmarketing of new rail services. Speakers stressedthe need for more cross border cooperation – theconference provided a platform to reinforcecontacts along the South Eastern rail corridor.”

A networking drinks reception was held tomark the end of the conference where alldelegates and speakers were invited to attendoffering the opportunity to discuss the day’sproceedings in a relaxed atmosphere, as well ascatching up with existing industry friends andmaking valuable new contacts.

Commenting on the success of the con -ference, Sarah Gooding, Content Director forSouth East Europe Rail & Public Transport

Development 2013 said: “This conference wasone where true collaboration between therailways was possible. The region’s railwaysfaced up to the major challenges ahead. Theoverwhelming theme that delegates left with was that by working together, challenges can beovercome and that the solution to attractingmore passengers and more resources lies in themodernisation of all resources.”

European Railway Review and the RussellPublishing Conferences Team would like tothank all speakers, delegates and partners fortheir involvement. We look forward to welcomingyou to South East Europe Rail & Public Transport

Development 2014! Don’t forget to bookmark ourwebsite at www.europeanrailwayreview.com tokeep up-to-date with forthcoming events.


The railways in the Balkan region have many years of backlog in investment in development projects,infrastructure, rolling stock, new technology and new business philosophy. This territory represents apotentially vital part of the European railway system – from economic and geographical aspects. To showcasewhat is needed in this region, on Wednesday 5 June 2013 European Railway Review was pleased to welcomedelegates to its South East Europe Rail & Public Transport Development conference in Belgrade, Serbia.

Time for changeCraig Waters Editor, European Railway Review

Hosted by:

Lead Partners:

Supporting Partners:

Serbian Railways Zeleznice Srbije

CONFERENCE REVIEW

For further information call us on +44 (0) 1302 340700 or email [email protected]

POWERINGANDSUPPLYINGTHERAILWAYS

The Wabtec Group is one of the leading railway engineeringcompanies, undertaking the maintenance, overhaul, refurbishment,life extension and repair of railway rolling stock and associatedcomponents.

Components•Air Brake Equipment•Suspension Systems and Dampers

•Buffers•Friction•Parts Supply•Train Data Recorders

Power Packs•Engine Overhaul•Frame Overhaul•Transmission Overhaul•New Hydraulic Hoses•Overhaul of Hydrostatic Equipment

•Overhaul of Generator

Rolling StockMaintenance &Refurbishment


SUPPLEMENT

SPONSORED BY:

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Transforming the Heathrow Express fleet

Fully controlled fleetmaintenance boostsperformance levels

Fleet maintenanceoptimisation

Heathrow Express was, and still is, a uniqueoperation in the UK rail industry as it is the onlytrain company in the UK to own the rolling stock and the tunnel infrastructure in which itoperates after branching off the Great WesternMain Line.

In 2008, Heathrow Express extended itsservice to include the new Heathrow Terminal 5and the following year saw the introduction ofFlight Information Display Screens and AirlineSelf Service Check-In at Paddington stationmaking it the first rail station in the UK to offer this service.

Heathrow Express was one of the very firsttrain operating companies in the UK to introduceon-board Wi-Fi offering passengers 2Mbpsinternet access throughout their journey.Heathrow Express was also the first traincompany in the UK to launch a Blackberry and Android app which allows users to buy andreceive tickets direct to their mobile phone.

Research process – customer at heart of changeIn 2009, the Heathrow Express management

team saw a need to upgrade the proposition. In addition to quantitative analysis providedtwice-yearly by the National Passenger Survey(NPS), they commissioned TMI to undertake afunctional and emotional customer experi-ence analysis.

Workshops with existing customers showedthat Heathrow Express offered an oasis of calmpre and post airport and the service was seen ashaving a premium quality which was highlyvalued. However, comments highlighted thatinternal standards and systems were in need ofmodernisation.

An internal business case, supported by thiscustomer feedback, was approved and planswere put in place to modernise the fleet in 2011.At the same time a broader plan was agreed toupdate and ‘premiumise’ the brand identity to build staff pride and appeal to customers.

Improvement processWith the objective to premiumise the brand, thefleet enhancements aimed to mirror a premiumairline experience reflecting the Heathrowheritage whilst also complying with forth -

coming safety standards due to be introduced in 2019.

In order to aid the design process fromconcept through to production, a single carriagewas removed from traffic to produce a mock-upof the proposed new train. Further focus groupstook place with suppliers, staff and customersand airline representatives to establish theoperating suitability of proposed changes.

The interiors have been designed with anaircraft feel in mind, with First Class delivering atruly ‘turn left’ feel and Express Class aimed atBusiness/Premium economy.

For First Class, designers Tangerine, whowere responsible for British Airway’s first flatbedconcept, inspired a carriage layout reflecting anairline with individual ‘one-plus-one’ seating – afirst on any rail vehicle in the UK. Customerfeedback suggested that individual seats wouldallow more privacy and space. The configurationof seating in Express Class was mixed to includebay and airline seating layouts and the seat backsnow feature coat hook buttons.

High intensity reading lights are activated byan illuminated switch on table. Vestibule lighting


The 1991 Heathrow Express Railways act paved the way for BAA plc. and British Rail to realise the concept of ahigh-speed rail link between central London and its principle airport, Heathrow. The project was completedseven years later with an opening by the then Prime Minister Tony Blair and the first trains started servingcustomers on 23 June 1998.

Transforming the Heathrow Express fleet

ROLLING STOCK MAINTENANCE & REFURBISHMENT

SUPPLEMENT

Daniel Smith Head of Engineering, Heathrow Express

is a bespoke feature which is integrated into theintake for air-conditioning, fulfilling the functionof supplying air-conditioning whilst providing aunique and stylish first-impression.

In Express Class, customers felt that full-sizetables were not needed for such a short journeyand therefore tables have been replaced bysmaller ‘trinket tables’ with useful cup holders.At-seat power sockets have been added through -out with First Class tables now featuring twointegrated power sockets plus reading lightswitches and cup holders.

To enhance the ambience and capitalise onpre and post airport relaxation, coloured mood-lighting has been introduced under seats and inthe vestibule areas. To aid transition from train toplatform, all lighting intensifies when the trainarrives in stations. New window positions have been added and new glazing has been fitted throughout in order to improve pass-enger visibility and encourage natural light intothe carriages.

To further guarantee a brighter environ -ment, LED lighting has now been introducedthroughout. These are also more energy efficient and have a longer life, reducing costs inmaterials and labour.

To really improve the customer experiencethe latest technology has been installed. Safety

step-lights on door-pillars have been introducedto highlight the gap between the train and theplatform as well as lighting the ground below foremergency escape. The fitting of an Ethernetbackbone has future-proofed the on-boardsystems and enables the fitting of CustomerInformation Screens offering journey informationas well as digital advertising. A PassengerInformation System (PIS) has been addedthroughout the train to inform customers of thenext station, security announcements, courtesymessages, and emergency instructions. The call-

for-aid system has also been improved and iscompliant to the latest standards.

A strong area of focus in order to gain theright balance for the passenger has been that ofluggage storage. All luggage stacks have seen thebottom shelf removed so that heavy bags can be rolled on and rolled off rather than lifted. In Express Class, clear glass has been fitted tooverhead racks to aid the visibility of luggage andhas also seen an improvement in the brightnessof the saloon. To further enhance the customerperception of security of their personal belong -


SUPPLEMENT

Carriages are now much lighter andbrighter and include modern features to

improve the customer experience

ings, seats now face luggage stacks for increasedvisibility and the luggage stacks are now nolonger visible from outside the train.

In First Class, overhead luggage racks havebeen removed as there is space for passengers tokeep hand luggage by their side and enhance the‘lounge-like’ environment.

An area that is always a challenge on rollingstock is the toilet. The fully updated toilets areergonomically designed to be a toilet, babychange and changing room combined. It includesa no-touch vanity unit (soap, wash, dryer) withfunctional lighting, a no-touch toilet flush, soft-close toilet lid, nappy bin for baby-change(now located above the baby change table),illuminated bag hooks plus LED lighting andimproved access for wheelchair users.

To comply with TSI-PRM (European-wideaccessibility regulations) improvements havebeen made throughout the vehicle. New door-pillars have been added with easy-accesshandles, step-lighting and repositioned doorcontrols for universal access. Two fully compliantwheelchair positions have been introduced with a new call-for-aid system and dedicated at-seat power.

Additionally, investment has been chann -elled into the driver’s cabs to ensure enhancedworking conditions and increased safety.Upgrades have been made as a result ofextensive employee feedback and research andinclude new sun blinds, cup holders and coathooks and enhanced safety features includingnon-slip flooring, emergency lighting, an audiblewarning system and increased surround lighting.

The project took nine months from conceptdrawings to delivery of the first unit to works,

working closely with teams from Siemens,Railcare and Interfleet. The work saw a completestrip and rebuild from the floor to the roof of eachcarriage in the fleet with over 200 suppliersproviding in excess of 1,300 new components per carriage.

The new bespoke carpets and vestibulematting are the very best quality from AxminsterCarpets. Based in Axminster and with a historyspanning 250 years, Axminster Carpets arenatural, British and beautiful, often 100% wool,jute backed, and in many cases made on eightpitch looms, the ultimate in quality, unique to theAxminster Carpets company.

The seat coverings for both First and Express Class are produced by Scottish company Replin Fabrics. Replin Fabrics havebeen creating textiles since the IndustrialRevolution for some of the world’s most

famous fashion houses and prestigious brands.Their renowned tartans are worn by ScottishRegiments at home and abroad.

ConclusionThe fleet transformation was supported by anextensive corporate rebrand exercise whichtook place in spring 2012. Changes within the Heathrow Express estate included a full brand redesign and roll out, introduction of new ‘way finding’ throughout the airport, new mobile sales kiosks, updated website, newmobile apps, tickets and more.

It has been a tremendous privilege to leadthis process – a significant milestone in thehistory of Heathrow Express. This recent wave of investment means the fleet is years ahead in terms of safety compliancy and continues tolead the industry in on-board innovation andtech nology as well as improving the style and comfort that our passengers require andrightly expect.



SUPPLEMENT

Daniel Smith is a CharteredEngineer with a degree inMechanical Engineering with apostgraduate conversion toAeronautical Engineering. He is a Member of the CharteredManagement Institute. Daniel

has over 15 years of experience in operationalengineering and asset management. Previous tohis four and a half years in the rail industry, Danielmanaged a number of maintenance facilities inthe British Army ranging from light weapons and vehicles to battlefield Helicopters. He hasbeen with Heathrow Express for two and a half years where he is responsible for £1 billion of assets covering rail infrastructure, rolling stock, technology systems and the Heathrow Rail Estate.

Wabtec: Providing a full range of railway engineering servicesThe Wabtec Group is one of the UK’s leading

railway engineering companies; undertaking the

maintenance, overhaul, refurbishment, life exten-

sion and repair of railway rolling stock and

associated components.

The Wabtec Group is unique within the rail

industry in the breadth and depth of services that it

offers its customers. This range of services is

supported by a versatile, skilled workforce fully

conversant with the overhaul and repair work.

Through the combined resources of Wabtec Rail

Limited, Wabtec Rail Scotland, Brush Traction and

LH, we are able to provide rolling stock owners,

passenger train and freight operators a range of

services that cover all aspects of railway rolling stock

maintenance, overhaul and refurbishment.

These services include the refurbishment of

passenger rolling stock, re-powering of locomotives,

supply of new traction systems, manufacture and

overhaul of train doors and air conditioning systems.

In addition we are able to offer a full train main -

tenance service including the overhaul of diesel

power packs and cooler groups, air brake equipment,

wheelsets, bogies, dampers, buffers, diesel engines,

traction motors and alternators.

Whilst the Group’s main activities cover the

UK market, it has also undertaken work for organisa -

tions throughout Europe including in Ireland

and Germany.

All our products and services are supported by

our in-house engineering team. By combining the

engineering resources of the group, we are able to

provide customers a complete design service

encompass ing passenger stock interior design, new

traction and control systems, locomotive diesel engine

re-powering, retro-fit air conditioning systems design

and re-engineered rolling stock door systems.

www.wabtec.com

After customer feedback, plans were put in placeto modernise the Heathrow Express fleet in 2011.

Railcare’s facilities were used for the project


Adapter couplers are needed whenever twotrains have to be coupled which are equippedwith incompatible couplers. This can be thecase when shunting or towing vehicles, e.g. when a type-10 automatic coupler and aconventional drawhook need to be connected.The adapter coupler is mounted between these two to bridge the differences. To do so, thecoupler is manually fitted on one train, usuallyby the operating personnel. Then the trains areslowly moved towards one another, so that thesecond end can be connected.

Voith Turbo Scharfenberg is looking back onmore than a century of experience in developingand manufacturing couplers for all kinds oftrains. Over the years, the products have seenmany changes and technological refinements.However, one thing always remained the same:They were all made of steel. And even thoughadapter couplers remain unused most of their life time, they still have to meet challengingdemands: They must be small and compact insize yet have the strength required to drag anentire train. And, not to be forgotten, they have tobe light-weight to allow manual mounting.

Concerning weight reduction, all options forsteel couplers have been maxed out. Thus, for thenew development, Voith has focused on carbonfibre reinforced plastics (CFRP). One end of thenew CFRP adapter coupler features a front plate with the coupler profile of the train to betowed. The other end consists of an ‘eye’ to beconnected to the drawhook of the towing train. This eye is of vital importance for the coupling process since both the tensile and the compressive forces converge at this point.Therefore, titanium elements were added hereand on further small components like theconnections for brake pneumatics. Titanium is acomparably light-weight metal which improvesthe strength properties without adding too much

thickness, thus remaining within the limits of thedesign envelope.

The CFRP adapter coupler weighs only 19kg making it a real light-weight. “We aimed at halving the weight of the steel couplers,” says Kay-Uwe Kolshorn, Project Manager at Voith Turbo Scharfenberg. “Most trains these days are operated with just one train conductorwho cannot handle the heavy weight of a steel coupler.”

After successful load tests of separatecomponents as well as the complete coupler,next will be an ‘on-track’ test in workshops of the Deutsche Bahn. Here, the coupling functionand the correct interaction between theindividual components will be issues. When theseprove to be satisfactory, the market introductionwill follow.

For the development of the CFRP adaptercoupler, the developers of Voith TurboScharfenberg, the Technical University ofChemnitz and East-4D GmbH LightweightStructures received the ‘Composite InnovationsAward 2012’.

Every train needs to have one on-board: An adapter coupler. Usually, adapter couplers are made of steel andweigh more than 40kg. Now, Voith Turbo Scharfenberg GmbH & Co. KG, in collaboration with the TechnicalUniversity of Chemnitz and the Dresden-based enterprise East 4D, have developed an adapter coupler weighingonly half as much. The big advantage this coupler offers is that it can be fitted on the vehicle by one person alone.

Light-weight adapter coupler

Voith Turbo Scharfenberg GmbH & Co. KG

Tel: +49 (0) 5341 / 21-02Email: [email protected]

Web: www.voith.com

Kay-Uwe Kolshorn graduatedin Mechanical Engineering fromthe Technical University ofClausthal, Germany, in 1988. Hethen received a doctorate at theInstitute of Technical Mechanicsin 1994. In the years that

followed, Kay-Uwe worked for different comp -anies as a Consultant and as a DevelopmentEngineer, among other things. In 2002, he joinedVoith Turbo Scharfenberg working in the field ofdevelopment and design, additionally beingresponsible for technical IT. Today, as a TeamLeader for Product Management, Kay-Uwe isresponsible for the development and stand -ardisation of coupler systems.

CFRP adapter coupler


SUPPLEMENT

SJ’s continued journey involves meetingcompetition out on the track through furtherefficiency measures and development of new customer offerings. SJ will continue to offer more and improved sales channels,attractive ticket offerings and new on-boardservices, more efficient traffic production andbetter trains.

“An important component of our con-tinued effort to enhance efficiency involves thetrains themselves,” explains Claes. “Firstly, the trains must be clean, in good order andoperated on time. Travellers must be able to relyon the trains. SJ has now reduced the number ofdisturbances affecting services by two-thirds,meaning that the level is low relative to theindustry as a whole. Secondly, other costs mustbe reduced through further rationalisation incooperation with maintenance providers. Lastly,capital utilisation in the fleet must be increased.The ultimate goal is to have 0% of the fleet out of

service during rush hours. Instead, all trains mustbe used for the benefit of our passengers.

When asked about new developments at SJ, Claes said: “We now have full control overmaintenance at SJ. This might not sound likemuch, but I can assure you it is no easy task when you consider the immense size of theoperation at SJ. When I began working at SJ, we had no control over some of the out-sourced maintenance.”

He continued: “Many operators, includingSJ, have outsourced maintenance to trainsuppliers by way of service level agreements(SLAs). Today, the operation at SJ is assignment-based with full control. Significant investment inreliability has enabled SJ to reduce train-relateddelays by 75% between 2008 and 2012, withpunctuality currently exceeding 90%.”

Business development is another concernwhen SJ has to increase its efficiency. “Part of thisinvolves increasing industrial expertise,” relates

Claes. “In general, the degree of industrialisa-tion in the rail industry is low compared withother sectors. Expertise has been brought in fromthe automotive industry and other manu -facturing industries that use standardisedproduction flows.”

He continues: “Another difference since 2008is that the structure of the agreements provide uswith full disposition over the system – bothpremises and the track area – despite the factthat we are not the owners. This allows us to havemultiple maintenance contractors in the sameworkshop and simultaneously evaluate and takemeasures to correct a continuous process. This iscompletely new.”

Claes explains that internal processes must be enhanced and enforced with respect to management and the correction ofnon-conformities. He says: “SJ has createdmeasurability by developing merit values forvarious components in the process. This is also


It has been quite a journey for SJ following its conversion to a limited liability company. In 2002, SJ was as apublic authority on the verge of bankruptcy. Since then, the company has undergone tremendous change andis now a market-focused enterprise. The company has created a flexible pricing model that enhances itsprofitability, despite a significant reduction in its lowest fares. Unnecessary costs have been eliminated, and thefleet is used more efficiently. In an interview for European Railway Review, Claes Broström, Vice President ofFleet Management at SJ who is involved in the procurement of new trains and maintaining the old rolling stockfor the company, comments on how fleet maintenance is handled at SJ and the importance of upgrading the SJ 2000 fleet for future performance.

Fully controlled fleetmaintenance boostsperformance levels


SUPPLEMENT

Cred

it: S

J AB

A COMPLETE MAINTENANCE OFFER FOR FREIGHT TRAFFIC.24/7. 365 days a year. www.swemaint.com

possibly what sets Sweden apart from much ofthe European rail systems. Everything is de -regulated from traffic down to the depots andmaintenance facilities, and the services in theworkshops are procured in competition. It’s aconsiderable challenge to structure solidagreements that provide the right incentives. SJ wants the highest level of maintenancepossible at the lowest price while suppliersnaturally want to do as little as possible whileachieving favourable profitability. On top of this,we have to acquire the capital ourselves, eitherby saving or by financing through loans.”

SJ has also upgraded and developedfacilities that were out of date and in adilapidated state. For example, SJ has invested inthe development of its depots through theintroduction of lean production.

“The level of maintenance has increased by about 15% while costs have declined by 12%,” explains Claes. “We have also increasedcapacity at our main depot by 40%, which is asignificant improvement.”

Claes continues: “The difference betweenright and wrong is enormous. Flawed main -tenance results in insufficient capacity utilisation, which naturally leads to a negativeearnings trend and, not least, excess tied-upcapital. Out in operations where we meet the customer, the effect is reduced services and cancelled trains, as well as an adverse

impact on punctuality and experiencedpassenger comfort.”

Claes explains further: “Fleet Management –as it is known in the industry – is instead the keyto guaranteeing favourable availability, reliabilityand safety throughout the service life of the railvehicle. In doing so, we ensure a higher rate ofchange and shorter lead times. It also involvesmaintaining control over the entire process fromthe technical platform and maintenance systemto the implementation of the maintenance, withtraceability at all levels. SJ looks at its trains interms of a 10-20 year perspective. This enables

us to plan different types of processes andupgrades to keep the trains in good condition. We take more of a proactive approach, work-ing with maintenance to alleviate a problem before it occurs.”

SJ currently operates four main types ofproducts: Regional, InterCity, Night Train andHigh Speed. In relation to the latter of these, SJ recently introduced its newest offering – the SJ 3000.

“The fleet consists of 20 four-car trains withbistro,” says Claes. “The first SJ 3000 wasintroduced in February 2012, while the last came


SUPPLEMENT

SJ’s newest fleet – the SJ 3000 – has provenhighly successful from day one

Cred

it: S

J AB

into service in early-2013. The SJ 3000 has provenhighly successful from day one, with no teethingproblems, which is both positive and rare.”

The trains are of course an importantparameter for SJ’s continued success. The

premium product comprises high-speed SJ 2000trains. These are now 15-20 years old and theirinteriors were refurbished in 2006 and 2007.However, in the late spring of 2013, SJ’s Board ofDirectors approved a comprehensive modernisa -tion of the entire SJ 2000 fleet. The 36 train units,each containing six carriages, will undergo acomprehensive refurbishment for several billionSwedish kronor that will extend the service life ofthe popular trains until approximately 2035.

The SJ 2000 (formerly known as the X 2000) isone of the best and most comfortable trains everbuilt and is uniquely adapted to the Swedishrailway system. Its tilting carriages and softbogies ensure a very comfortable ride on theoften curvy Swedish railway tracks.

“We will face strong competition fromseveral large train operators in the future and, inthis light, an updated SJ 2000 train is a verypowerful competitive advantage,” declaresClaes. “Aside from a more modern train andincreased comfort for our customers, theinvestment will also enhance operationalreliability, improve punctuality and ensure moresustainable rail.”

The approved modernisation is extensive, asClaes explains: “In terms of technology, we will bereplacing both the brain and heart of the trains,

meaning the control and drive systems. We willalso invest considerably in comfort, adapting tothe demands that customers currently place on amodern train. This will be one of the largestinvestments for SJ in modern times and, for ourcustomers, the result will essentially be acompletely new train.”

The timeframe is for the 36 train units to be upgraded during 2016-2019 and put intoservice on a phased basis as they complete their refurbishment.

The modernisation of the SJ 2000 does notmean that SJ will shelve its plans for a new high-speed train. “We are continuing to examine ourentire train fleet on the basis of our customers’requests. SJ’s plans for the future also include ahigh-speed train project,” concludes Claes.


SUPPLEMENT

Claes Broström is a MechanicalEngineer and a Market Econo -mist and he has also completedexecutive leadership studies. Hiscareer includes experience in anumber of roles including DesignManager at Netab, Production

Factory Manager at Mattsson Group, Market-ing and Sales Manager at Nokia, BusinessDevelopment and IT at Ericsson andScandinavian Airlines System.

Cred

it: S

J AB

SJ 2000: Facts

● The maiden journey of the X 2000 (which

the train was formerly called) took place on

4 September 1990 between Stockholm

and Gothenburg.● The first two train units put into service have

each travelled more than 7 million kilometres to

date. In total, all SJ 2000 trains have travelled

261 million kilometres.● More or less all Swedes have travelled on an SJ

2000 at some point. Over the years, in the region

of half a billion journeys have been completed.● The train’s normal technical top speed is

210km/h, but the highest permissible speed in

operation is 200km/h. The record set during tests

of the SJ 2000 is 276km/h.● The special features of the SJ 2000 include its

bogies and carriage tilting, which enable the

train to travel faster and more smoothly in bends

than other models of train.● SJ carried out an update of the SJ 2000 in

2005-2007 which, in addition to a new design,

involved fitting new, comfortable seat cushions,

power outlets, Internet connectivity and

redecorating the bistro. At present, a project is

also under way to strengthen and improve

on-board mobile telephony and internet.


The purpose of our innovation strategy is tocreate superior bogies and additional featureswhich solve mobility solutions. We want to bejudged by our customers as being ’best-in-class'at competitive prices. Our focus is to offerBOMBARDIER1 FLEXX1 bogies and services to the market. We bring solutions or add value to current and future market needs as identifiedby our customers. This changes over time andfinding the right focus is only possible throughcontinuous dialogue with our customers so wecan understand their needs and provide theright solutions.

All our innovations are developed to beSMART products (Simple, Maintainable, Afford -able, Reliable and Timely) and Services that bringSolutions and value-added for our Customers.

We need more than funding and engineers to create an environment where innovation can thrive.

Naturally we need funding! For this reasonwe have doubled our R&D investments atBombardier Bogies over the past four years and we will continue to grow by this amount in the future.

We also require engineering expertise. We have broadened our expert base over the pastfive years and this will continue in the comingyears across all domains including structures,dynamics, wheelsets, brakes and suspension.Currently we have more than 200 SpecialistEngineers across the Bombardier Bogies network.

However we also need to do more. The mostinnovative companies enable organisationalagility, constantly broaden perspectives andfocus on collaboration. Fueled by ideas butdriven by culture.

This is only possible as a result of a compre -hensive programme we launched last year at theBogies business unit. It provides:1. Direction and clear goal setting. Ambit-

ious goals and clear direction leads to

superior products

2. Operational processes that are being

revisited to enable idea generation. This

makes it easier to develop and comm -

ercialise good ideas

3. Support processes that allocate ade-

quate resources at the right time and

stimulate knowledge sharing throughout

the organisation

4. Indicators and incentives which evaluate,

control and drive innovation

5. A stimulating culture that allows people

to express and develop their ideas. With-

out the right culture, innovation will not

take place.

Are we where we want to be? Absolutely not. Wehave to do more but we are determined toimprove and make progress in all areas.

The creation of our Bogies Technical Centrewill definitively help us and allow us to develop arange of innovative solutions. It will provide a stimulating environment for our experts tomeet and engage with the outside world,including academics and suppliers. We will havethe necessary test equipment to devise and testgood ideas. Engineers will work together in adynamic environment where they can combinetheir ideas and expertise

Employees of many nationalities will work and collaborate within the Bogies businessunit and we consider this diversity as one of ourstrengths. The clash of ideas in a stimulating andpositive environment will lead to truly greatproducts, SMART products!

With FLEXX Bogies, we are driving ourcustomers into the future.

Reference1. BOMBARDIER and FLEXX are trademarks of Bombardier

Inc. and its subsidiaries.

Innovation is all about preserving our market position and securing our future. However, innovation needs tohave a purpose and a focus. Innovation for the sake of innovation without direction does not add any value.

Innovation at the Bogies businessunit – Bombardier Transportation

www.bombardier.com

Bart Vantorre enteredBombardier in Brugge as ayoung engineer in 1991. Heacquired experience in thequality and pre-dominantly the procurement department,followed by operations and

taking up the leadership of the Business UnitBogies in 2007. Under his leadership, the BU Bogies invested in technological leadership,diversified activities and expanded inter -nationally into China and India.

An artist impression of theBombardier Bogies Technical Centre

ADVERTORIAL

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SUPPLEMENT

Let’s describe here the triptych of the RailwayBusiness (see Figure 1, page 46). On the rightleaf we have the owners (as ROSCO), on the left leaf we have the train operators and finallyin the centre leaf we have maintenance. A closerlook to our triptych could divide each leaf intotwo panels. The top of the left leaf features theupcoming rules ISO 55000 (from PAS 55 of BSI)to border relations between train owners, trainoperators and the relevant franchising process.The top of the centre leaf features the ECMs(entities in charge of maintenance) – Europeanregulation 2011/445 and the future extensionsto passenger traffic. The top of the right leafsupports the existing bible of interoperabilityand safety rules from the ERA. A closer look atthe centre leaf’s lower panel reveals a blurredimage of a major issue – the Maintenance Plan.To follow are some concepts for a compre -hensive and mutual sharing of a potentialdefinition of a Maintenance Plan.

Let’s go back to the actors described in the

middle leaf under the ECM. The four main blocksare the functions of the ECM, which include:● Management (leading the other three)

● Maintenance development● Maintenance delivery● Fleet management.

The Maintenance Plan is not visible at theforefront but is structuring the hinges betweenthe leafs. A Maintenance Plan is a container thatshould answer the following basic questions:● What: describe the maintenance item● Why: describe the job (preventive/

corrective/damage…)● Where: in-depot/on-service/in-workshop● When: it is the periodicity of the operation● Who: detail the skill to operate● How: detail the logistic support.

Employees that fulfil the job in the depot MUSTunderstand the meaning of these simplequestions. The two formers of these questions

have greater weight in the exchange betweenbusiness processes (we could define them asdata and the four others as metadata).

What describes a maintenance item on a rolling stock vehicle, so here we need two structures:● One to describe the ‘class data’ – with the

evidence we are facing a gap to standardisethis data

● One to describe the maintenance itembreakdown; ISO 15380 (railway applications– designation system for railway vehicles – part 2: product groups) is a good oppor -tunity to share the same meaning betweenall the actors and during the lifetime of therolling stock.

Why describes the maintenance operation.Generally it is coded by a name; each comp-any using its own code to describe and refer operations. CMMS (Computerised Main -tenance Management System) hosts the


Methodology and organisation are essential issues for effective fleet management and there are alwaysimportant safety items to contemplate. Defining a high level maintenance strategy will safeguard the dailyavailability of rolling stock and continue providing commitment to customers/passengers.


SUPPLEMENT

Fleet maintenanceoptimisation

© Stefan Ataman / Shutterstock.com

Christian Daniel Maintenance OrganisationDirector, SNCF

Maintenance Plan (MP) but we can sum-up twocategories of the MP model:● Each operation refers to a specific route

(with a sequence of tasks)● Each operation cross references a list of

predefined tasks (see Figure 2).

The ‘a’ model gives a feel of simplicity but incase the MP engineering changes, this modelgives more modifications in the records fromeach MP. Routes also describe the activities in a depot, we could reach some limits if a group ofdepots shared the same routes. The ‘b’ modelgives more flexibility and simplicity for meta -data and engineering changes.

When is the trigger of the operation.Generally, for a preventive MP, operation is basedon mileage/time meters while corrective MP istriggered after a fault isolation procedure. Otherunits are available for preventive MP operationbut generally they are labelled as ‘ConditionMonitoring’ (hours, millimetres).

Who and How describe the logistics support for the maintenance operation. I couldrecommend the huge work form aerospace anddefence industries: the 3000L internationalprocedure specification for logistics supportanalysis. The list of the elements in LSA (LogisticSupport Analysis) output during the MaintenanceTasks Analysis (MTA) is:● Skill● Generic tools/specific tools/test equipment● Infrastructure● Information technology support● Documentation/technical publication● Training● Parts and expendables● Packaging/handling/storage/transport● Scrapped products.

The LSA Business Process (see Figure 3) alsoplaces the Maintenance Plan in the middle ofthe scene. The Maintenance Plan is structuredwith the tasks (and the LSA Records) and links todocumentations (via Technical Publication). Thefeed-back refines the nine records within the documentation contents.

The Maintenance Plan Business Process (seeFigure 4, page 48) enlarges the activities for eachmain actor:

The train manufacturer

The train manufacturer who issues the firstMaintenance Plan with the following contents:● Preventive operations – scheduled opera -

tions (which prevent failure modes) and‘special events’ operations

● Corrective operations – failure (to recoverafter an isolated fault), standard repair(mount and dismount), and casualty –damage operation after shock or derailment.

The maintenance development

The maintenance development which organ-ises the sub-data of the Maintenance Plan and

actuates the data by analysing feedback fromthe maintenance staff.

The maintenance delivery

The maintenance delivery which inputs theMaintenance Plan into the CMMS to create‘Work Orders’.

The Maintenance Plan is the key referentialdata for a CMMS (the second one is the fleet). The daily trains operated by a train operator



SUPPLEMENT

Figure 1 The railway triptych

Figure 2 The Maintenance Plan content

Figure 3 The LSA Business Process

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supplies the CMMS with the mileage. The CMMScompare the threshold of each operation foreach rolling stock to the technical limits andcreate the corresponding preventive workorders. Faults are resolved by isolating thedefected parts – thus corrective work orders arecreated manually in the CMMS.

The MP could be addressed in the followingtwo formats:● A simple format describing only operation

and the relative limits (alias SMP: SimplifiedMaintenance Plan)

● A detailed format describing links betweentask versus operation and the logisticsupport items for each task of each opera -tion (alias DMP: Detailed Maintenance Plan).

The choice between SMP and DMP is a matter ofthe following two elements:● The availability of the data● The capacity of the CMMS to operate

such data.

The DMP allows Life-Cycle Cost estimations; anexample is given later in this article.

The registration 2011/445 is requestingnamely two major data from maintenancedevelopment to maintenance delivery: Main -tenance Plan and Configuration. These arerecords from specific and heavy engineering

studies. The methodologies to achieve theserecords are supplementary and CMMS have to separate these records to be compliant withthe relevant standard. Maintenance plans refer toa definition of work while configuration data referto a physical description/organisation of therolling stock. The standard ISO 10007 determinesbusiness processes for configuration manage -ment. It also specifies that ConfigurationManagement exchanges data with maintenancein operation. The Maintenance Plan is organisedwith maintenance items on maintenancebreakdown and in the same declination,configuration management produces Con -figuration Breakdown and Configuration items.The overlaid data are populated with LRU (LineReplaceable Unit) which have a metre formaintenance purposes.

Figure 6 depicts the major activi ties aroundCMMS at a depot location, including:● Maintenance Plan● Configuration● Changes● Services.

Only Services activities are not CMMS relevant (but some could manage it). The three other activities are the pillars of any CMMS. We have demonstrated that these three activities result in independentstudies and independent constraints so



SUPPLEMENT

Figure 4 The Maintenance Plan Business Process

Figure 5 When the Maintenance Plan overlays the configuration data

Figure 6 CMMS: Data management

‘‘MP (SMP or DMP) is a key dynamic data which structure the maintenance

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CMMS have to preserve these functionalindependences.

A DMP offers any train owner the opportunityto simulate maintenance costs over a long period (as long as the entire life). In case offranchising processes some matters appearwhen the length of franchise reaches the first critical component overhaul. In Figure 7, we have esti mated the preventive maintenancecost per month. The red line gives an averagecost, the pointed-out elements (10, 15, 17 and 20 years) will introduce non-linearity in thefranchising cost. The better the DMP will be at the beginning of franchising, the smoother the

exchange between the train operator and the owner will be (are these maintenance items to include, to exclude or to challenge?). A third partner has perhaps the key to thesechallenges: the maintenance develop ment. The maintenance development has to analysecontinuous defects, faults and wears to issue anew DMP for the maintenance of these items at regular periods. The quality of the serviceexperience is a key factor to validate thehypothesis made of the train manufacturer level; whatever the recalcu lation will be (opti -mistic or pessimistic), it will impact thefranchising process.

To concludeMP (SMP or DMP) is a key dynamic data which structure the maintenance process of afleet. Many business processes are based on these data and they could be considered as a framework for many actors. Exchangingdata also means standardisation to achieveupdating of the business processes. We are now entering a new scheme where actors jump from an organisation to another, andgaining more standardisation in the data will solve planning and cost issues in fleettransfers. But we also have to look to the best of ‘breed’ of the ‘S Series: S1000D/S2000M/S3000L’ and see how we could decline these methodologies to the railway industry. It may be the right time now to open our LSAthink-tanks.


SUPPLEMENT

Christian Daniel is the Main -tenance Organisation Directorfor SNCF. He is in charge ofbusiness processes for the Engin eering Department andMaintenance Workshops. Christianis also part of the work in defining

IT tools for CAMMS for rolling stock and wheelsets,and in charge of RFID for railways.

Figure 7 LCC estimate

For a few decades now, all major world-wide railway companies have been operatingmobile diagnostics tools – from small main -tenance trolleys to trains – which monitor theline in typical operating conditions and are equipped with the latest technologicalsystems to detect, process and analyse data onthe infrastructure.

By incrementing the development ofdiagnostics, Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI) – acompany of Gruppo FS Italiane, the Italiannetwork manager – has optimised costs andminimised resource waste by programmingmaintenance actions. As a matter of fact, the

field of ‘on-condition’ maintenance has beenenlarged, reducing cyclic maintenance to the minimum.

In addition to saving on maintenance costs,mobile diagnostics has contributed additionalbenefits to the Italian rail network – among thema higher availability of infrastructures (lowernumber of interruptions) and a higher operatingreliability (reduction of possible failures).

Sensors and defect detection algorithmsrequire state-of-the-art technologies and adiffuse use of expert systems. Such circum -stances are impaired by a common drawback ofhigh-tech systems, i.e. a rather short life-cycle

(from two to four years). Therefore all organisa -tions operating in the diagnostics field mustforesee a continuous use of resources for‘development’, often providing useful elementsfor the evolution and experimentation of new rail technologies. This makes it possible tooffer tools and incentives to rail infrastructureproviders – from control to development andfrom certifica tion to support for innovativemaintenance policies.

RFI has its own fleet of diagnostics trains – the Dia.Man.Te. and Archimede vehicles areequipped with very high technological instru -ments, equivalent, if not better, to the famous


Railway diagnostics – in other words a set of activities used to detect the ‘health conditions’ of rail infrastructure– is today an irreplaceable tool to optimise the maintenance of railway networks. It is a crucial area for railwaynetwork providers because it guarantees operating safety, prevents failures and directs both human andtechnological maintenance resources where necessary in an efficient way.

INFRASTRUCTUREMAINTENANCE

Michele Mario Elia CEO, Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI)

Healthy tracks meanhealthy operations

‘Doctor Yellow’ vehicle – the diagnostic train forthe Japanese high-speed network.

Fixed and mobile diagnosticsEvery year, RFI invests €10 million for thetechnological development of fixed and mobilediagnostic systems. Fixed diagnostics is madewith measurement devices installed perma -nently in specific infrastructure bodies forcontinuous detection of operating parameters.Mobile diagnostics is made with dedicatedtrains owned by RFI and equipped with highlytechnological measuring systems, which travel on high-speed and traditional lines todetect parameters on the infrastructure statusand operation.

Several parameters are measured duringtest running cycles, among them height, slope,stagger, contact wire thickness, and voltage ofthe contact line. Moreover, diagnostic trains areequipped with video-inspection systems for thepower area contact line. For track inspection,they analyse parameters such as rail profile andwear, track geometry, compliance with distanceand level difference between two rails. When the parameter values exceed the referencethreshold, a defect is recorded and suitablemaintenance actions must be implemented.

For this reason, the measures detected bydiagnostic trains and the data processing systemare going to dramatically change the way inwhich maintenance actions on infrastructure areplanned and made.

Diagnostic trainsDiagnostic trains permit what is technicallydefined as ‘predictive diagnostics’ – being theresult of mathematical models that interpretthe data measured by the diagnostic trains andsimulate the cause/effect ratio upon occurrenceof a failure. They are basically used to ‘predict’when the failure is going to occur in order toprevent it.

Thanks to IT systems with small dimensions,low cost and low impact on the engineering ofinstallations and equipment, modern tech -nologies play a crucial role in managing largeamounts of data (saving, processing anddisplaying) of complex diagnostics and auto-diagnostics systems of the installations.

In the last decades special rolling stock hasbeen developed for mobile diagnostics – fromtraditional IT trolleys to the first measuring cars that can detect values at high speed incomposition with ordinary trains or individual

locomotives. Back in the 1950s the rail infra -structure provider (Azienda Autonoma delleFerrovie dello Stato) was equipped withdiagnostic machines with more and moresophisticated tools, progressively enlarging thesystems detected in its installations and the typesof diagnosed failures.

Dia.Man.Te.Dia.Man.Te. – an acronym of Diagnostica eManutenzione Tecnologica – is RFI’s latest andmost technologically-advanced diagnostictrain. It is dedicated to high-speed lines and isthe first rail vehicle in the world capable ofmeasuring the status of rail infrastructure at300km/h. It controls over 200 parameters onfitting-out (track and ballast), energy (contactline), signalling (ERTMS) and telecommuni -cations (GSM-R radio system).

The diagnostic systems on-board Dia.Man.Te.are the result of a 100% Italian innovation. Thetrain is a bi-voltage 3 kVcc and 25kVca ETR500composed of two locomotives in doublesymmetrical traction and eight cars.

Data, measurements and defect lists areconcentrated in the on-board database. At theend of each day, they are transferred by means ofa mass memory unit or over a wireless or intranetRFI connection, in order to be additionallyprocessed and loaded into the RFI MaintenanceInformation System and made available to alloperators. Relevant defects, considered asabnormalities in progress under all aspects, areidentified in real-time, validated by the operatorand informed to the Infrastructure OperationCentres – infrastructure check points – so that thetechnical staff can take immediate action.

Each car of the Dia.Man.Te. vehicle has itsown function: data on electrical voltage iscollected in the first car, data on telecommuni -cation (and on GSM-R network) is collected in thesecond car; and the next car operates asworkshop/warehouse for tools, instruments andspare parts. Some generators are installed in thefourth car in case of emergency energy; the fifthcar is used for logistics; the sixth car has twomeeting rooms (one with 22 and one with eightseats) used for work meetings and data sharing;the seventh car analyses operating dynamics

(for example, wheel/track interaction) and finallydata on fitting-out is collected in the eighth car.

Other RFI diagnostics vehiclesArchimedeIntroduced in 2003, Archimede is anextraordinary innovative concentration oftechnology. It can measure 119 differentparameters per minute at 200km/h that areintegrated to control the rail infrastructurestatus in real-time. Archimede is mainly dedi -cated to analysis and tests on traditional lines.

Galileo

Introduced in 1997, Galileo is a measuring trainthat carries out rail ultrasound checks anddigital video-inspections.

Talete

Used to detect rail geometry, accelerations andwear, Talete measures all rail alignment and level values by means of optical triangula -tion laser and gyroscopes.

Caronte

Caronte is the motor train unit dedicated todiagnostics of lines equipped with TrainRunning Control Systems (SCMT) and DrivingSupport System (SSC). Moreover, it is the firstrail vehicle in the world to certify signalling inaccordance with European standards.

Aldebaran

The mobile diagnostics of electrical installationsis entrusted to Aldebaran – a special car thatwas the first to use laser technology to measureall parameters of a contact line and theinteraction between pantograph and wires.

The fleet is completed by 15 railcars spread outon the territory and fitted with specialequipment used to detect the rail geometry anda series of portable trolleys used to check theswitch geometrical parameters.


INFRASTRUCTUREMAINTENANCE

In September 2006, MicheleMario Elia was appointed CEOof RFI – part of the Ferrovie delloStato (FS) Italiane Group. Hebegan his career at FS in 1975 as an Electrical Systems andPlant Inspector, and from there

worked doing surveys of operations andmaintenance of signalling, electrical traction,lighting and electromotive systems and plants inthe Bari Infrastructure Regional Offices.

‘‘In addition to saving on maintenance costs,mobile diagnostics has contributed additional

benefits to the Italian rail network’’

We currently have over 800 signalling locations –including around 500 Victorian signal boxes – many with legacy equipment which isbecoming difficult and expensive to operate andmaintain. This equipment cannot keep up withtoday’s fast paced network and is limiting thepotential of Britain’s railway.

Therefore, Network Rail plans to consoli-date all signalling and control activity into 12 state-of-the-art Rail Operating Centres (ROCs)over the next 30 years – with around 80% moving within 15 years. The ROCs are a mixture ofexisting and new buildings, using a modulardesign to ensure consistency and interoperabilityacross the network: ● Cardiff (existing)

● Derby (existing)● Didcot (existing + upgrade, 2014)● Edinburgh (existing)● Gillingham (existing) ● Glasgow (existing)● Basingstoke (new – 2015)● Manchester (new – 2014)

● Romford (new – 2014)● Rugby (new – 2015)● Three Bridges (new – 2013)● York (new – 2014).

This new way of working will also include atraffic management (TM) system, building onthe experience of railways that already use TM,using what we have seen from the best in theworld including Japan and elsewhere in Europe.

The introduction of TM in other countries hasseen improvements in punctuality overnightthanks to its ability to better regulate trains atjunctions and other pinchpoints.

When you combine this with the efficienciesinherent in modernising signalling (the reductionin costly lineside assets and a reduction in overallsignalling headcount) this will save the railway anestimated £250 million a year – further reducingthe cost of Britain’s railway. This more thancompensates for the upfront costs of accelera -ting our modernisation process.

A more affordable railway with more pass -

engers will help create a sustainable future and we can only continue to justify the money we are investing in the railway if we make con -tinual efforts to increase efficiency and improvethe service.

In fact, far from being an unheard ofdevelopment, our operating strategy is simplycontinuing the process – albeit at a significantlyaccelerated speed – that has seen more than10,000 signal boxes in the 1900s reduced toaround 800 locations today. Where we oncereplaced mechanical boxes with relay-basedpower signalling, we are now using the latestcomputer technology to increase the pace. In fact, during the 1970s and 1980s, British Railclosed approximately 100 signal boxes per year;since privatisation in the early-1990s, withdifferent asset policies and priorities, thisdropped to around 10 per year.

Network Rail’s modernisation plan wouldmove this back up to around 50 per year –with agoal to have the entire network controlled from12 ROCs within 15-30 years.


Network Rail is embarking on a process that will revolutionise signalling in Britain and allow it to run moretrains, more punctually and more efficiently than ever before. The company has mapped out where and how itwill run the network of the future, and this has been driven by the fact that our railway is more popular than it has ever been on a network that is half the size it was in the 1960s. Projections show that this growth willcontinue, with demand for passenger and rail freight services expected to double over the next 30 years.

Network Rail’soperating strategy

SIGNALLING

Ian Chapman Programme Manager (Change), Network Rail

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Why are we doing this?There is currently a huge variance in sig-nalling systems across the network, withtechnology in use today spanning more than150 years. Much of these systems need to be renewed over the next 30 years, so it makes sense to work towards an end goal orvision for modernisation rather than continuepiecemeal upgrades.

With the increasing demands placed on the railway (the number of trains has in-creased by 20% in the last decade and passengers by 50%), we need to move fromlargely reactive to proactive control of trains – essentially an intelligent system which predicts and prevents conflicts.

We accept that the industry in this country is too expensive and needs to deliver better value for funders – including government andfare payers. This is part of our plan to make those savings.

How will it work?Our new ROCs will cover much wider areas thantraditional power boxes and they will alsobecome regional control hubs with facilities not just for Network Rail but for our partners in the train operating companies. This willencourage greater integration and offer greater support when recovering from delaysand perturbation.

Of course, one of the primary drivers fordeveloping traffic management is to makeregulating decisions earlier. To take full advant -age of that we need to move away from route-based signalling to speed-based technology.

ERTMS has been chosen as the preferredmethod of future re-signalling, not just because itis now the European standard, but also becauseit provides a proven technology that will help getmore from our network.

ERTMS optimises performance by allowingthe maximum permissible speed for each class oftrain, rather than fixed signal sections. And bygiving drivers target speeds instead of relying onred and green signals, trains can be slowed miles before any potential conflictingmovements – keeping trains moving, reducingpower con sumption and delays.

Of course, ERTMS will not roll-out at thesame pace as the new traffic managementtechnology, as that is predicated on existing re-signalling. For that reason a stop-gap is being designed to give drivers advisory speeds,

with movement authority still coming fromtraditional signalling.

This builds on the existing driver advisorysystems (DAS) that are already in use with someoperators. Currently these standalone systemscompare the train’s position to the timetable, butare unable to locate other trains or aid regulation.Connected DAS would be linked directly to thetraffic management system and give the drivers aspeed indication that will make the most ofcoasting and regenerative braking to saveenergy, but will also predominantly avoidforthcoming conflictions allowing the service torun exactly to the planned train path.

By bundling all these technologies togetherwith the best modern buildings designed tofoster greater links between operators andsignallers, we can offer a step-change in theperformance and resilience of the railway.

What about heritage?We recognise that our plans will result in manyold signal boxes being left without a role to playon our railway.

Therefore, we’ve been working with EnglishHeritage, Historic Scotland, Cadw (WelshAssembly Government) and the National RailwayMuseum to make sure there is a record of signalboxes for future generations.

A comprehensive review of all signal boxeshas been carried out and a process put in place toidentify boxes which are of particular historicalsignificance and should be preserved.

We’re working with a number of comm-unity groups interested in acquiring a signal box and will support their proposals wherefeasible/practical.


SIGNALLING

Network Rail has chosenERTMS as the preferred

method of future re-signalling

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The cab of an ERTMS-equipped train

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Improving onimprovements

Reducing fatalities– a high priority forLithuanianRailways

Reducing fatalities– a worldwide issue

One of the first areas we focused on wasorganisational capability. We reviewed how well equipped we were as an organisation tomanage this critical safety risk. We started byidentifying who was responsible for eachcrossing and the management of each aspect ofthe crossing, what training was in place, if thoseresponsible had the tools and equipment toperform their role and if the business pro-cesses and systems were appropriate. We alsoreviewed our approach to risk management,data quality, asset quality, the cost of enhance -ments, controls and hazard elimination,timescales for the delivery of these, localstakeholder management, collaboration,

joint action plans, competence, professionaldevelop ment and assurance.

We also looked at technology solutions andopportunities to innovate and drive greatercompetition in the supply chain, plus identify-

ing our top 10 highest risk accident precursorsand developing different interventions toaddress these.

A contradictory picture emerged of an area

with a good safety record but lots of oppor -tunities for change and business improvements.There was duplication of effort and consequentlymuch smarter ways of working, data qualityissues, responsibility was fragmented, limitedtraining was available and core systems were notintegrated and did not have business rules orintelligence. Technology solutions were veryexpensive and limited and the timescales forimplementation appeared overly long.

Level crossings were the company’s biggestcorporate risk and a significant safety risk and theopportunity for transformational change was notallowed to pass.

Our approach was to divide the programme


Network Rail has spent the last two years developing and implementing a huge business change programme forlevel crossing safety improvement. With an objective from Network Rail’s CEO to reduce risk by 25% by March2014 in return for a company investment of over £130 million, Martin Gallagher, Head of Level Crossings atNetwork Rail who leads the project, highlights for European Railway Review readers the results theinfrastructure owner has already achieved through various action plans.

Improving onimprovements

LEVEL CROSSING SAFETY SUPPLEMENT

‘‘In the risk management improvementportfolio the key project was the introduction

of over 100 Level Crossing Mangers (LCMs) for England, Scotland and Wales’’



into three project portfolios: Risk ManagementProjects, Safety Enhancement Projects andInformation Management Projects. Each of thesehad a number of discreet projects aligned to the realisation of key benefits culminating in a25% reduction in risk.

In the risk management improvementportfolio the key project was the introduction ofover 100 Level Crossing Mangers (LCMs) forEngland, Scotland and Wales. These are new

roles to combine the activities that werepreviously the responsibility of a variety ofdifferent functions – none of which had overallresponsibility for any level crossing directly.

The new LCMs have their own areas ofresponsibility with a defined number of crossingsto manage. They are the single points of contact,trained in risk assessment and inspection,stakeholder communications and management.A new training programme was developed along with a coaching and mentoring frameworkand a competency framework with aspiration for our staff to become accredited risk prac -

titioners. Each manager has had an initial 26 days of training covering eight modules. The level crossing specific training pro-gramme has delivered over 480 training days, or 2,000 individual training days.

We are removing paper-based systems andtransactions eliminating multiple hand-offs.Mobile working using iPads is being imple -

mented allowing Level Crossing Managers on-site working with new Apps for risk assess -ment and asset inspection.

Cleansing system data was a prerequisite forsystem integration and system enhancements.Over 4,000 data anomalies were removed fromour systems. Fifteen thousand tasks were createdto smooth work flow reducing multiple site visits.Every level crossing is risk assessed. Theseassessments have been aligned to inspections to reduce multiple visits. Risk assessmentfrequencies have been changed from three yearly to a risk based frequency using the outputfrom our level crossing risk model as the driver forthis. The new assessment frequencies are off-setso that crossings are regularly assessed duringdifferent seasons.

New functionality has been added to the risk model and a new system for managingstakeholders, Oracle Right Now CustomerRelationship Management, introduced. One ofthe benefits of this will be the capability to sendtext message updates to users of privatecrossings or key stakeholders to offer advice,information or alerts instantaneously.

This will also be used to support on-goingsafety campaigns. We recently ran in conjunction

‘‘Over 700 crossings have been closed since 2010 with a target of

850 by March 2014’’

Installation of a new footbridge at BirchlandWood closed the level crossing there

‘‘There is still much work on-going with unprotected crossings and the

development of lower cost warning and train detection systems is where a large

amount of our focus is’’

Over 700 level crossings have been closedsince 2010 with a target of 850 by March 2014

with our ILCAD partners (International LevelCrossing Awareness Day) over 100 safety eventsin Great Britain a day. Building on the success ofthis day we will continue to run both national andlocal campaigns regularly. These events havefocused on a number of issues including,distractions and the use of mobile devices andheadphones. Increasing understanding of thedangers of crossings is designed to reduce driver

impatience and frustration. We will be intro -ducing a new winter awareness campaign thisyear to mirror the international summer cam -paigns now held all over the world. Education is akey part of changing behaviour but the benefitsare more difficult to measure in risk terms.

Now that we have improved our capabilityand have a better enabled organisation, it wasimportant to ensure that where risks wereidentified there was a toolkit of mitigationsavailable at an affordable cost.

Two new types of camera have beenintroduced. The first is a fixed enforcementcamera that will generate prosecutions for road

traffic offences at level crossings automaticallywith an aim of improving user behaviours. We have also developed an intelligent camera at unprotected crossings to gather census data and help create an accurate risk profile ofthese crossings. This is extremely important interms of risk ranking and adds to the case forfurther investment.

The enforcement aspect is a natural

continuation and extension of our Mobile SafetyVehicles that operate continuously at levelcrossings across the network and are operatedby British Transport Police officers.

Eliminating risk is always the preferableoption. Over 700 crossings have been closedsince 2010 with a target of 850 by March 2014.This represents more than 10% of the total levelcrossing population. The operational expendi -



The future is about research anddevelopment to create an innovativeculture around level crossings

Level Crossing Managers at their community launch

‘‘Network Rail have made significant progress in improving level crossing

management, reducing risk by 22.8% and improving organ isational capability

to create a sustainable operatingmodel going forward’’

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ture savings from this enable greater benefits tobe realised and makes the change programmecost neutral.

Closure can be achieved in a number of waysincluding providing an alternative access if onedoes not already exist. A programme of build-ing footbridges has been very successful intargeting the highest risk footpath crossings andreducing the cost of building them.

Innovating and reducing cost is an objectivefor every organisation and this was particularlyimportant for Network Rail in dealing with safety concerns over Automatic Open Crossings.These crossings had developed a much higheraccident history than their status would predict. This type of crossing had relatively lowusage and lower train speeds meaning justifica -tion for significant enhancement investment was not positive.

In response to this, a much lower cost overlaid half barrier solution was developed at circa75% less than the cost of upgrading thesecrossings with a standard half barrier solution.After successful trials the national rolloutprogramme will be competed by March 2014.

Automatic obstacle detection has also beenintroduced with a primary radar detectionsystem. This will enable the replacement of

hundreds of manually operated crossings overthe next five years.

There is still much work on-going withunprotected crossings and the development oflower cost warning and train detection systems iswhere a large amount of our focus is currently.Introducing new technologies and new systemswill help to reduce cost but maintain the safetyintegrity levels required. There are currently fournew systems going through the process of trialsand approvals with the objective of having theseready for deployment shortly, but potentially allby the end of the current financial year.

The behaviour of humans and human factorsis an area of much research for Network Rail andthe Rail Safety & Standards Board. This will helpto inform the configuration of crossings andapproaches as we move forward towards a visionfor intelligent crossings.

Part of this forward view is a move away from a standards and compliance culture to one where guidance and expert judgement issupported by technical specifications and whereprocess and bureaucracy is an enabler and notinhibiting progress or driving the wrong type of behaviours.

Being prepared to share information openlywhen it is not a regulatory or statutory require -

ment is the sign of a maturing organisation – particularly when it is in relation to a sensitiveissue such as level crossing safety that has beencovered extensively in the British media over thelast seven years. Our final project is precisely that.All details of our 7,000 level crossings have nowbeen surfaced on the company website. Phasetwo of this is to complement the core data withthe uploading of the narrative risk assessmentsfor each crossing.

Network Rail have made significant pro-gress in improving level crossing management,reducing risk by 22.8% and improving organ -isational capability to create a sustainableoperating model going forward. The future is now about research and development to create an innovative culture around levelcrossings that is on par, or better, than theprogress and clever use of technology veryevident in other transport sectors.


Martin Gallagher is currentlyHead of Level Crossings atNetwork Rail. Previously, Martinwas Head of Community Safetyand National Crime Manager forNetwork Rail.

Accidents at level crossingsIn 2012, Lithuanian Railways recorded anapproximate 50% reduction in the number offatalities and injuries at level crossings than in2011. There were 11 accidents, three fatalitiesand two serious injuries in 2012, compared to 15 accidents, six fatalities and four seriousinjuries in 2011.

When these accidents were analysed, it wasfound that the main causes were motoristsignoring warning signals or attempting to crosswhen barriers are being lowered. Motoristsassume there is a delay from the first warningsignal to when the train actually arrives and think

they have enough time to cross safely – butsometimes this can be misjudged.

Number and types of level crossingsLithuanian Railways maintains 538 levelcrossings covering over 2,000km of railwaytrack. These level crossings are split into two types: regulated and unregulated cross-ings. There are currently 382 regulated levelcrossings that are equipped with signallingsystems that warn both motorists and ped -estrians of an approaching train, and there arecurrently 156 unregulated level crossings where motorists and pedestrians are warned

by normal traffic signs. Unregulated cross-ings are mainly found on industrial sidings orlocal lines.

Thirty-seven of the regulated crossings arebarrier controlled – 18 of which are manned by aguard and the remainder have CCTV systemslinked to the local station monitored by the duty manager.

According to the Level Crossings Installationand Usage Rules, there are four main ‘Category’types of crossings – depending on the volume oftrain and vehicle usage over a 24 hour period. And the volume of traffic impacts the level ofsafety and technical requirements.


Although Lithuanian Railways have achieved excellent results in improving safety at level crossings, they stillconstitute a major safety concern. Compared with the annual number of fatalities in road accidents in Lithuania,fatalities at level crossings amount to just 1%. Despite this low figure, safety at level crossings remains a highpriority for Lithuanian Railways.

Reducing fatalities – a high priority forLithuanian Railways

Andrius Janušauskas Chief Safety Officer, Lithuanian Railways


Six level crossings are listed as Category One, meaning they have the highest volume oftraffic. Then there are 35 Category Two cross-ings, 50 Category Three crossings, and 447Category Four crossings which have the lowesttraffic volume.

Penalties for level crossings misusePenalties for level crossing misuse havedoubled over recent years. Currently motoristscrossing tracks at unauthorised places or over -taking on a level crossing will receive a penaltyranging from €145 to €290. The same penalty isgiven for ignoring the warning signs or failing tostop at a closed barrier and a driving ban fromtwo to six months is also enforced.

Pedestrian offenders will receive a levelcrossing misuse penalty from €25 to €40 andthose crossing at unauthorised places will receivea penalty of €60 to €145.

It is peculiar for Lithuania that the police canonly issue penalties for misuse at level crossingswhile penalties for misuse at unauthorised placesare issued by the State Railway Inspectorate.

Technical maintenance of level crossingsThe Infrastructure Manager checks the volumeof the traffic at level crossings annually and

according to the results decides if the categoryshould be changed.

Also every year, between April and June,technical checks are carried out with partici -pating representatives from the Police, RoadAgency and Local Authority.

Important requirements to follow forvisibility include:● Motorist not closer than 50m from the side

track should be able to see an approaching

train 500m from level crossings

● The approaching train driver should be ableto see the level crossing from 1,200m

● The Infrastructure Manager is responsible forthe maintenance of the ground 10m from theside rail.

New safety programmeThe Lithuanian Railways Board recentlyapproved a Railway Safety Programme for 2014-2020, which sets safe guidelines for pedestriansand motorists and the implementation ofpreventive measures. This has to be signed bythe Transport Minister of Lithuania. The maincriterion sets out the following points:● To evaluate categories of level crossings

not only according to traffic volume, butevaluating the number of accidents, visibilityand other relating factors

● Additionally assess all level crossings andsuggest any new technical measures whichneed to be implemented

● To repair and maintain level crossings which have fallen below required standard – this includes CCTV systems, lighting at level crossings, safety barriers and ground maintenance

● Upgrade of signalisation equipment at over50 level crossings, which will allow levelcrossings to be operated from the RailwayTraffic Control Centre

● To install warning lights for pedestrians – currently warning lights are for motoristuse and audio warnings are for pedestrians

● To install bridges or underpasses forpedestrians at very high risk level crossings.



Lithuanian Railways holds a Level CrossingAwareness Day each year – a perfect opportunity toraise publicity of safety at level crossings

Improving night-time safety at level crossingsSafety at level crossings is a pivotal issue. With six

people dying on level crossings in 2012 in the UK

alone (three pedestrians and three in motor vehicles),

level crossings represent the single largest risk of

catastrophic train accidents on Britain’s rail network.

Astucia specialises in high-visibility delineation

solutions for enhancing night-time road, cycle path,

crosswalk and level crossing safety that can be either

solar- or mains-powered, providing a highly visual

warning system that alerts users to the potential

hazards at level crossings.

The Astucia SolarLite Surface mounted studs in

particular have been accepted onto Network Rail’s

Achilles Link-Up framework catalogue, having

successfully completed the audit process and a trial of

the solution at pedestrian level crossings in Scotland

such as at Culross. The SolarLite studs delineate the

edge of the crossing to safely guide pedestrians across.

It is not just the United Kingdom that has seen

the light for enhanced delineation at level crossings,

for example, at the Upanja railway crossing in East

Croatia the road crosses the track on a dangerous

S-bend. The level crossing is un-gated and prior to

the improvements, the approach to the railway had

little to warn drivers of the hazard ahead. Astucia

SolarLite Road Studs were deployed to delineate the

crossing at night-time. The flush-mounted Solarlite

road studs were either side of the crossing to

highlight the edge of the road in red and the centre

line in white, creating an innovative highly visible

road safety scheme. Since the scheme has been

implemented there have been no accidents on the

railway crossing.

Astucia intelligent road studs provide a smart,

safe, sustainable, cost effective and proven solution

for night-time safety at railway level crossings for

pedestrians and drivers alike.

www.clearviewtraffic.com

The estimated cost for these new measures is €30 million.

Current safety measuresCurrently the highest risk level crossings such as those with poor visibility and accident black spots are equipped with informationwarning signs for pedestrians and motorists. In total there are 54 level crossings with thesesigns in place.

Twenty-nine level crossings are supervisedwith CCTV – footage of misuse recorded fromthese is passed to the police for them to take legal action.

Level crossings on the Lithuanian railnetwork only have half barriers. However, plansare in place to use full barriers in the future. There is always a risk, however small, of a vehicle being caught on the track between theclosed barriers.

New technologiesA new technology system will be installed at twolevel crossings in the Vilnius region consisting ofinductive loops, cameras, infrared detectorsand other safety equipment. This system willimprove safety by informing approaching traindrivers with an alarm warning of any obstacleon the crossing up-ahead and will minimise therisk of motorists crossing when the warninglights are active.

Specialised equipment will also be installed in the driver’s cab which will show video camera images of the crossing up-ahead.This will activate when the train is not less than 2.5km from the crossing allowing the driver enough time to decide whether tocontinue, slow, or stop the train should they feel there is any problem.

Additionally, should a vehicle becomestranded on the crossing, there are loops on thetrack which prevent the barriers closing.

The Railway Traffic Control Centre willreceive a live video stream and also warningsfrom level crossings.

Awareness dayFor the third year running, Lithuanian Railways,along with other railway partners within the EU,have held a Level Crossings Awareness Day – this was most recently held on the 9 May 2013.Traditionally in Lithuania this lasted for threedays and involved Lithuanian Railways staff and Traffic Police working together to informlevel crossing users at the most dangerous level

crossings in the regions of Vilnius, Kaunas,Siauliai and Klaipeda.

Rail staff handed level crossing user bookletsgiving the main rules and correct procedures onusing level crossings in the correct and safestmanner. Reflective bracelets and caps were alsoissued to the users. During this period, eventhough Lithuanian Railways and police staff werepresent, some users still failed to comply with thecorrect procedures and were prosecuted by the police.

Similar actions are held throughout the yearat some railway stations in an attempt to stoppassengers and residents crossing rail tracks atunauthorised crossings to reduce fatalities.

Safety dayOn 6 April each year Lithuania holds a trafficsafety day covering all modes of transport. Thisday is a good opportunity to inform motorists,pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists aboutthe safe way to travel and to inform them about the number of fatalities and seriousinjuries to try to improve everyone’s safety.

Lithuanian Railways takes an active role inthese safety days. The most recent event held atRadviliškis railway station saw guests participateincluding the Transport Minister, the City Mayor,the Police and Road Agency managers. The eventinvolved quizzes, other informative events andissuing small gifts to the most active participants.

The most interesting display was a demon -stration involving Lithuanian Railways staff, firecrews, police and ambulance staff. This involveda rescue operation of passengers trapped in a caron a level crossing with the fire crew breaking intothe car to reach the trapped passengers, and

then ambulance crew giving first aid and gettingthe car passengers out of the wrecked vehicle tohospital. All stages of the recovery operationwere explained to the watching public.

The futureIn an ideal world, all level crossings would bereplaced with either bridges or underpasses.However, in the real world this is not possible – even in the richest of countries, because thereis still a lack of finance in the industry.

For as long as vehicles and pedestrians needto cross rail tracks, there will always be a high riskof accidents.

We need to continue to look for newmethods which will reduce, and hopefully stop, incidents, fatalities and serious injuries atlevel crossings. Awareness and safety days are a good start, but each country must look tofind their own correct technical measures,information and enforcement to stop accidentsand incidents happening.



Andrius Janušauskas hasbeen Chief Safety Officer atLithuanian Railways sinceOctober 2007. In 1997, afterreceiving his bachelor’s degreein Transport Engineering fromVilnius Gediminas Technical

University, Andrius joined Lithuanian Railways.He started his carrier as a Maintenance Engineerin the Passenger Cars Depot. After two years there he obtained his master’s degree at thesame university and gained experience indifferent areas within Lithuanian Railways. These included Head of the Technical Unit,Internal Auditor, Head of the Internal AuditDivision, and Deputy Director of the FreightTransportation Directorate.

Level crossing warning signs have beenerected for motorists and pedestrians


Level crossing figuresIn 2011, there were 114,615 level crossings in theEU. Level crossing accidents and fatalitiesrepresent over 25% of all railway accidents onEU railways. However, level crossing fatalitiesaccount for just 1% of all road deaths – this iswhy it is seen as a minor problem for the roadsector, but a key issue for the railways. Levelcrossing accidents represent ca. 10% of totalirregularities of the railway traffic depending onthe severity of the accident.

In 2011, the fatality risk level at levelcrossings in the EU (fatalities per billion train/km)was the lowest in the UK (also best performer onthe roads) with 19 deaths. The highest figure wasrecorded in Greece with 537.

Also recorded in 2011, there were 528

accidents at level crossings in the EU comparedwith 619 in 2010, causing 294 fatalities in 2011compared with 359 in 2010, and 273 seriousinjuries in 2011 compared with 327 in 2010.

According to the European Commission (EC), in 2009, more than 35,000 people died on EU roads. The number of fatalities at levelcrossings is certainly not very high compared toroad figures, but in the current strategy ofdecreasing the number of fatalities on the roadsin the EU, almost 300 fatalities and almost the

same number of injuries at level crossings are stilltoo many.

While the number of significant accidents atlevel crossings have been decreasing steadilysince 2006 in the EU (15%/year on average), thenumber of casualties was almost constant whenthe number of people killed on the roads hasreduced by 35% by 2009, the target of the EC is tohalve road deaths by 20202.

According to estimations there might be one million level crossings in the world and over 6,000 fatalities at level crossings per year.According to WHO, over one million people arekilled on the roads each year worldwide – 90% ofthem occurring in low and middle incomecountries. The global population has beengrowing – particularly in poor and developing

The train is the safest mode of land transport but the interface between road and rail is very risky. According tothe European Railway Agency1 (ERA), in recent years, one person has been killed and close to one seriouslyinjured every day (on average) at level crossings in the EU.


Reducing fatalities– a worldwide issue

Isabelle Fonverne Safety and InteroperabilityProjects Officer, UIC

‘‘Level crossing accidents and fatalitiesrepresent over 25% of all railway accidents

on EU railways’’

countries – and this will continue. Road and railtraffic has also been increasing so we musttherefore expect that the interface between thesetwo transport modes becomes the scene ofincreasing conflict in balancing the needs of thecommunity, economy and safety.

Society still regards these incidents as arailway problem, despite evidence of motoristsbeing at fault for many accidents. There areplenty of examples of collisions originated by road users that caused not only the casualty ofroad users, but also sometimes of the train driverand train passengers, because of a train derail -ment or fatal injuries caused by a heavy roadvehicle. In addition, thousands of near-missincidents happening every day in the world couldlead to a catastrophe.

Causes of level crossing incidentsAlmost 98% of all incidents at level crossings (atleast in Europe) are caused by misuse of roadusers and pedestrians who do not respect trafficrules and signals.

According to a majority of specialists, almostall level crossing collisions or near-misses are dueto user behaviour problems. According to the EC,human error is mainly the cause of road acci -dents (80%). Users’ education, awareness andtraining should have the potential to dramatic -ally improve their behaviour and reduce thenumber of errors or violations.

Safety initiativesRailway companies have been tackling levelcrossing safety issues for a long time. Inaddition, the UIC3/ILCAD4 signed the EuropeanRoad Safety Charter in 2009. ILCAD is also part ofthe UNECE Decade of Action for Road Safety2011-2020 as a road safety awareness campaign(unique worldwide road-rail safety campaign).

Engineering, enforcement andeducational solutionsWe could engineer-out the problem and removeall level crossings but it would restrict mobilityin many places. Also, building bridges orunderpasses are not always possible in built-upareas or small countries and it is also veryexpensive (approximately €5-10 million). It isalso sometimes the result of a long and difficultnegotiation process with local authorities andcitizens, etc.

Preventing access to level crossings can beachieved by erecting gates or barriers andmaking visible road signs and light signals.

Education can also act as a deterrent – andmaking use of enforcement measures wheneducation has failed.

This is why the European Level CrossingForum (ELCF) was formed in 2005. ELCF bringstogether road and rail safety experts from acrossEurope with a strong commitment to reduceaccidents and fatalities at level crossings. ELCFpromotes the multi-modality of the issue

through involvement in various projectsincluding the international awareness day atlevel crossings, the European Road Safety ActionPlan, encouraging joint inspections by road andrail authorities and comparison of road signs.

Other organisations (RSSB in the UK, RISSBand Tracksafe in Australia, Chris CairnsFoundation in New Zealand, Operation Lifesaverin the U.S.A., Canada, Estonia and Argentina)work mainly on the three main pillars ofengineering, education and enforcement toimprove safety at level crossings.

EngineeringLots of research and development in the area ofengineering has been carried out and differentsolutions that have been adopted or proposed

so far include: close or upgrade level crossingsreplacing passive by active protections (fullbarriers, four semi barriers instead of two, ortwo full barriers to prevent zigzagging, flashinglights and bells); close or upgrade footpathcrossings and farmers’ crossings; separate roadand pedestrian/cyclists traffic lanes; improveinformation available to signallers to locatetrain positions; install systems for detectingvibrations of approaching trains at levelcrossings – for example, the solution from thecompany WaveTrain: four sensors (two on bothtracks) installed at unprotected farm levelcrossings with low road and rail traffic inNorway; installation of a low-cost level crossingwarning system called ‘Micro’ in Switzerland (10 foreseen from January 2012 to 2014); uploadlocation of level crossings on GPS (RFF France,NR UK); set up obstacle detectors on the tracks;install CCTV cameras at level crossings toobserve and understand behaviours; speedbumpers; improve vertical alignment of theroad; improve traffic signs and signals; reducethe boom gate closure timing; improve visibilityby cutting vegetation, adding LED-lights on thebarriers, or along the tracks, double-side lights;install overhead lights to prevent high truckstearing off electric wires and catenaries; postautomatic safety LED-messages; and paintmarkings on pavements.

EnforcementThe pillar of enforcement centres on: levelcrossing legislation; working with the railaccident investigation authorities and rail regu -



The International Level CrossingAwareness Day logo

A British Transport Police vanequipped with cameras deployed atlevel crossings to capture offenders

lators; working with the police to collectprosecution data and witness statements;working with Judiciary, Magistrates andProsecution Services; lobbying for strongerenforcement and penalties for offenders;installation of speed radars (speeding in Francecosts €135 and four points on the drivinglicense, Network Rail in the UK equip vans withon-board cameras which the British TransportPolice place at level crossings, filming offenders,checking registration plates and insurance and send the fine to the offender’s home within48 hours); and the installation of fixed camerasat red lights or speed radars (about 50 so far in France).

EducationThe pillar of education centres on: publiceducation campaigns; making pedestrians androad users aware of train speed and noise and thepotential hazards associated with them; edu -cating farmers, bus drivers, employers, suppliersof farmers and machinery manufacturers; andeducating judiciary and politicians, makingmisuse socially unacceptable.

ELCF signed the European Road SafetyCharter in 2009. This committed ELCF to the first awareness campaign at level crossings in2009 called European Level Crossing Aware-ness Day (ELCAD) coordinated by the UIC. This was a collaborative effort built on existing

national initiatives and involving major railwayunder takings, the road sector, infrastructuremanagers, government agencies from manyMember States, the European Commission, lawenforcement authorities and the media.

The focus was to link together a series ofexisting national campaigns all on the same date,around a common theme and branded in aunique way which would be held at variouslocations in every participating country. Theobjective was to raise awareness of the risks atthe road/rail interface, focusing on the behaviourof users at level crossings.

The second edition of the event took place in2010 and became a worldwide campaign withalmost 40 countries – now called ILCAD. It had asingle theme to address users’ behaviour with thecatchphrase ‘Act Safely at Level Crossings’translated into 28 different languages.

On 7 May 2013 we celebrated the 5th editionof ILCAD. The event was followed by almost 45 countries worldwide. An international pressconference and a round table with experts washosted by the UNECE in Geneva at the occasion ofthe 2nd UN Global Road Safety Week.

The UIC promotes ILCAD through a numberof communication initiatives (videos, posters,website, social network) which are used on acollaborative basis by ILCAD partners in pressconferences, education sessions, on TV, internetand social networking sites5,6.

References1. www.era.europa.eu

2. http://ec.europa.eu/transport/road_safety/specialist/statistics/

3. www.uic.org

4. www.ilcad.org

5. www.facebook.com/ilcad

6. http://twitter.com/#!/ilcad



Isabelle Fonverne is currentlyProjects Officer for Safety andInteroperability at the UIC. Shejoined the UIC in 1992 after someyears spent abroad. Since 1992,Isabelle has worked in differentdomains of activities including:

Environment; High-Speed; Economics; Tech -nology and Research; and Safety. From early-2010, Isabelle started to work on level crossingsafety and took over the Secretariat of theEuropean Level Crossing Forum (ELCF) and the SSMG (Systems Safety Management Group:ERA/CER/UIC group). Isabelle is a Member of theUNECE Working Party 1 on Road Safety and the UIC Coordinator of the internationalawareness campaign on the dangers of levelcrossings – ILCAD.

DIARY DATE

The next ILCAD event is scheduled for early-June

2014 (tbc). For more information please contact

Isabelle Fonverne, Coordinator of ILCAD, via

email at [email protected].

In 2011, the fatality risklevel at level crossings in theEU was the lowest in the UK

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eurotransport conference

Passenger information is of more importancethan ever to the travelling public. Passengersmust not only be given sufficient information tochoose whether to make a journey by public orprivate transport, but they must also be able totrust the information given. This is particularlytrue in times of disruption.

In such times of unplanned disruption,making sure that passengers are quickly andreliably informed can be very demanding. Foraccurate and relevant information to reachpassengers consistently and in a format which isboth helpful and solicited, local authorities, PTEs,transport operators and systems providers mustall work together effectively.

Back by popular demand with anoverwhelming responseFollowing a hugely successful inauguralconference in 2012, Real-Time PassengerInformation 2013 will be held in London on 11 September and will once again bring together local authorities, Passenger Trans-port Execu tives, railway operators, RTPIconsultants and systems suppliers to discuss and debate world-class best-practice in

Real-Time Passenger Information strategy and implementation.

Just some of the highlights in this superbprogramme of case studies include Bent Flyen,Advisor for Real-Time Information systems atNSB Operations IT, who, using practicalexamples from around the world, will assesswhether there is now a need for a best-practice‘board now’ display, recognisable in all countries.Tim Rivett, Head of Information & Technology atSouth Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executivewill present on the long-term operation of a Real-Time Information System, the way in which customer expectations have changed and will continue to change in a rapidly changingtechnological landscape and his plans to addressthis. Guy Dangerfield, Passenger Issues Managerat Passenger Focus will also give a presentationon the increasing importance of passengerinformation with key findings and recommenda -tions from extensive research among passengers.

We have been overwhelmed by the responsefrom transport authorities and transportoperators since we released the conferenceprogramme just a few weeks ago, and I amdelighted to share the latest news that the

conference will also now play host to Transportfor Greater Manchester, RATP and LondonUnderground. Transport for Greater Manchesterwill be presenting at the conference in order toshare plans for a brand new RTPI and TrafficManagement System. London Underground willbe joining the speaker line-up to providedelegates with information on how they wereable to successfully implement event-driven real-time disruption information direct to VictoriaLine Stations and also to the Victoria Line trainfleet. And Philippe Hubaut, of RATP has nowjoined the speaker faculty to share his RTIexperiences and future plans as the person incharge of RATP’s real-time projects.

Conference Host – Transport for LondonI am thrilled to also share the news thatTransport for London (TfL) will once again beacting as Host of the conference and Phil Young– their Head of Online – will be sharing theexperiences and future plans of TfL to ensurethat London remains at the very cutting-edge ofpassenger information provision.

RTPI 2012 was a hugely successful con -ference at which all RTPI stakeholders from alltransport modes were brought together in onelocation, over the course of just one day.

Real-Time Passenger Information 2013 isset to be an outstanding second conference andthe most significant meeting of Real-TimeInformation heads of recent years and I lookforward to welcoming European Railway Review

readers joining us in London.


CONFERENCE SPEAKER PREVIEWREAL-TIME PASSENGER

INFORMATION 2013

“...discuss anddebate world-classbest-practice inRTPI strategy andimplementation”

For further information, please visit: www.rtpiconference.com

Sarah GoodingDirector of Content

Real-Time PassengerInformation 2013

In a world of constantly changing technology,rail passengers have come to expect more andmore genuine real-time information. With theadvent of applications like Facebook andparticularly Twitter, the ability for stationinformation systems to match the pace of thisinstant communication is being questioned.

As an industry, our passengers are regularlysurveyed and as a company we are held toaccount in many areas based on the perceptionof our passengers. These survey results are not only available to our passengers andstakeholders, but are also of regular interest to the media. Any user of Twitter will know thatthe perception of a company can be greatlyenhanced or detracted by half a dozen prolificTweeters. The media is increasingly turning to Tweeters as their information source and theyare therefore interviewed live or quoted in thepress as a ‘representative’ passenger voice. Eventhough many of the viewers or media readersmay not have a Twitter account, the power ofTwitter has influenced them. Unfortunately theperception sometimes given by Twitter and otherapplications is at best unfair and at worst can behighly damaging. Like it or loath it, these systemsare here to stay and we therefore have to adapttheir use to our own benefit.

London Midland was one of the first trainoperators to embrace Twitter and the honestyand standards of operation by London Midlandhas resulted in multiple awards for the service.

Needless to say damage limitation is also integralto their role.

To begin with, the Twitter service workedtotally independently of the station informationproviders. However, for consistent information,London Midland soon realised how closely these teams needed to cooperate – but how was this achieved?

With the advent of the PIDD process(Passenger Information During Disruption) in2010, London Midland began the process oflinking and involving all aspects of its informa-tion delivery.

The PIDD process is constantly evolving, and London Midland is a firm believer in lookingfor the next leap forward – be it in technology,software or standards of implementation.

My presentation at European Railway

Review’s Real-Time Passenger Information 2013conference will cover the following topics:● The basic set-up and information flows

throughout London Midland – the current

technology used, and why?

● Meeting Passenger Focus requirements for

the ‘live voice factor’ whilst maintaining thesame good standards across a largecommuter network

● How coordinating key information deliveryteams were completed and the benefits topassengers in real-time

● How using real-time station informationsystems proactively can rival systems likeTwitter and actually promote greater use ofthe instant communications applicationsavailable – not to mention improve thestation information flows

● Is it really worth investing in your stationinformation system and does thatinvestment deliver tangible benefits?



INFORMATION 2013

“...rail passengers have come to expect more...”


Matt ClarkePassenger Services Manager,London Midland

SpeakerWednesday 11 September 2013

With over 25 years of railway experience, Matt Clarke has spent the past 15 yearsspecifically in the field of Information Delivery. Hisachievements to date include participation in thecreation of the functionality specification of the Amey CIS system, as well as innovativedevelopment of the ATOS CIS including ‘extendedcomments’ and ‘disruption mode function’. Mattis currently the Chair of the Darwin DevelopmentGroup and has worked closely with many TOC’sand Passenger Focus to develop good industrypractice. He is also the London Midland PIDDChampion. Matt’s day-to-day role includes thedelivery of new CIS installations as well asmonitoring the standards required for effectiveuse ; a role he has previously developed forSouthern, South Eastern Trains and previousfranchise holders. Matt has had significantsuccess in achieving major improvements inNational Passenger Survey results for all TrainOperating Company perceptions in the area ofinformation delivery.

‘‘As an industry, our passengers are regularlysurveyed and as a company we are held to

account in many areas based on theperception of our passengers’’

Imagine the scenario – a train is coming intoNationaltheatret Station in Oslo – the secondlargest station in Norway – it is peak time andduring this period trains are scheduled to stop for one minute at one of the 240m-longplatforms. There are approximately 200 peoplewaiting to board the incoming train. However,the problem is that all of the passengers are waiting at one end of the platform. The 220m-long incoming train has 10 doors ineach of the two train-sets that are available for boarding. The passengers are queuing up at only four of them, waiting for pass-engers to disembark which delays the train fortwo minutes.

How do you get passengers to spread outalong the platform for the length of the train?Several methods have been used over the years.In Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Sweden, theNetherlands and Denmark, sector/zone signswith letters A to D have been used. These aremostly signs above the track and in some caseson platform displays or flap-signs. At BrusselsMidi Station in Belgium, sector/zone signs withletters and numbers A1 to A4 are displayed aboveand on platforms. On platforms in Korea on brasssigns, and also on Eurostar trains, carriage signswith numbers and carriage lengths are shown.And in some areas there are maps of trains

marked on platforms so people can see anoutline of the train.

However, the problem is to communicatethese methods in just a few seconds and get thepassengers to move along the platform beforethe train arrives. With new LCD and LED signs infull-colour, it is possible to show a virtualrepresentation of the train.

At Nationaltheatret Station, along with 45 other stations in Norway, a 46” full-colour LCD-display is used to show a virtual representa -tion of the train before it arrives. Combined with 30m-long sectors marked on the platformfloor, passengers are able to find the exactposition of their carriage. A future extension ofthis is to use Automatic Passenger Counting(APC) to show the occupancy in each carriage –Norwegian State Railways is a customer of Dilax and have real-time occupancy data forabout 25% of the sets.

When seeing the problem of getting a virtualrepresentation of a 220m-long train on a 46’’ display the project started to dream about a display as long as the train itself – just like LCD-displays seen at football stadiums.

It turned out that NS in Netherlands hasalready tested this out at Den Bosch Station,south of Utrecth1. In seven trains going fromRoosendaal to Zwolle, an APC system communi -

cating in real-time with a 180m-long LED-screenplaced above track one show:● the doors are displayed in white with

facility symbols

● compartments with low occupancy are displayed in green

● compartments with medium occupancy is displayed in yellow

● compartments with high occupancy is displayed in red

● The system uses a Wi-Fi system provided byNomad to send the data for the seven trainsto the central system.

One-thousand customers also tested thesystem using Android and iPhone applications.

The response from the customers was verypositive and a revolution in real-time customerinformation display is in the making with thearrival of affordable LCD and LED displays.

Reference1. http://bent.flyen.no/node/75



INFORMATION 2013

“...a revolution inreal-time customerinformation displayis in the making...”


Bent FlyenReal-Time Information SystemsAdvisor, NSB Operations IT


Bent Flyen has been working with real-timeinformation in public transport since 2005. Afterworking on the first real-time widget in OperaSoftware he created the successful Trafikantenmobile app for the real-time system in the Osloarea in 2008. Bent was the initiator of the firstnational real-time seminar in Norway in 2010 andhas since then been working on the new standardfor real-time platform displays in Norway.

Real-Time Passenger Information (RTPI) issubject to much passionate acclaim in today’sintegrated transport market, with almosteveryone agreeing that offering passengersreal-time information on the status of theirjourneys is worth significant investment. Real-Time Passenger Information Systems(RTPIS) are revolutionising the way publictransport riders interact with and obtaininformation from transport operators, andthese systems have gone from being a ‘nice tohave’ to a ‘MUST have’.

But whilst these great services are worthinvesting in, so too are the communicationscampaigns you run to alert your passengersabout RTPI’s impending arrival. Getting the wordout about your new RTPI service requiresstrategic and targeted outreach with the travell -ing public to ensure that not only are peopleaware of the new service, but that they under -stand it. And the key to making passengersunderstand it is that the communications aresuccinct, coordinated and therefore significant.

There are various best practice tools thatoperators can utilise to implement streamlinedawareness campaigns, but operators must beaware that these can quickly escalate into costlyand time-consuming projects. It’s best to keep an

eye on this by uniting ‘traditional’ awarenesscampaign channels – such as print advertising onbus stops and on vehicles – with digital channelssuch as websites, microsites and of course socialmedia. A word of warning, though – with thecampaigns being about the positive changesreal-time travel updates can bring to a person’sjourney, it is absolutely crucial that social mediainteraction – especially on Twitter – is alsotreated as being ‘real-time’. Do not let a greatservice like RTPI be tarnished by out-of-datetravel alerts or tardy responses on otherchannels. Another question to think about with social media is ‘what happens when socialmedia has more up-to-date information aboutservices than the boards or mobile apps do?’ There will be times when staff have theopportunity to keep their customers updated onservice issues or changes quicker through Twitteror Facebook than it is through boards at busstops or mobile apps.

Although social media and online campaignsare cheaper than posters at bus stops, thesemore traditional outlets must be fully utilised,too. Not all commuters are tech-savvy, and manywill rely on billboards, vehicle and newspaperadvertising to be made aware of new RTPIS.Make it easier for your communications team to

implement an awareness campaign by using onestrong message – and tell this message to youraudience using a blend of print and digital tools.The beauty of using a balance of both is that printadvertising can, for example, emphasise the factthat an RTPIS is coming, but the digital aspectscan be updated if the launch date changes orcustomer feedback requires changes.

The overarching point of communicationsbeing used to launch RTPIS is that RTPI is aboutproviding up-to-date information to raiseawareness – make time and allocate budget toensure that your communications are up-to-dateand raise awareness, too.



INFORMATION 2013

“...RTPIS arerevolutionising theway public transportriders interact...”


Thomas NoyesDirector of BusinessDevelopment, NextBus Inc.


Thomas Noyes is an experienced transit agencymanagement and business developmentexecutive with expertise in all aspects of transitoperations management. At NextBus (a division ofCubic Corporation), Thomas is responsible forsales, marketing, and related business develop -ment activities for prospective customers, as wellas account management for existing NextBuscustomers. His primary sales region is the easternhalf of the United States (east of the MississippiRiver). Prior to joining NextBus, Thomas served asthe Assistant General Manager for the University ofMaryland transit system where he was responsiblefor all operations. Throughout his 11 year tenure atUMD, Thomas also held other positions includingService Manager, Operations Planning Manager,Marketing Coordinator, and even student Bus Driver. In fact, Thomas continues to main-tain his class B Commercial Driver’s License.Thomas’ education includes a B.S. in AerospaceEngineering and a B.S. in Business Administration,both from the University of Maryland.

EVENT LEAD

PARTNER

The 10th edition of the TRAKO InternationalRailway Fair will be held on 24-27 September2013. The event has received the HonoraryAuspices of Poland’s Minister of Transport,Construction and Maritime Economy.

TRAKO gives the industry a perfect oppor -tunity to promote the latest developments in railtransport (trains and trams), freight forwardingand logistics, and allows supplier companies topresent their latest technologies and solutions.

TRAKO 2013 is organised by the GdańskInternational Fair Co. (MTG SA) and Grupa PKP,and co-organised by Bombardier, Medcom,Siemens, TINES, DuPont and Pojazdy Szynowe(Rail Vehicles) PESA Bydgoszcz SA.

The fair will take place at the AMBEREXPOExhibition and Convention Centre; consisting ofthree integrated exhibition halls with a total floor space of 12,000m2, along with a conventionand conference centre, press centre, restaurant,6,000m2 of office facilities, all the latest ICT tech -nologies and exhibition rail tracks.

The TRAKO Programme Council includes the following industry organisations: theCommercial Chamber of Land Transport (IGTL),the Polish Association of Engineers andTechnicians of Transportation (SITK RP), theAssociation of Polish Electrical Engineers (SEP),the Polish Chamber of Urban Transport (IGKM),

the Polish International Freight ForwardersAssociation (PIFFA), Railway Business Forum(RBF) and SIRTS.

As always, the event is accompanied by anextensive programme which includes oppor -tunities for debate and discussion via numerousseminars and company presentations, details ofwhich can be found at www.trakofair.com.

Honorary patronageTRAKO 2013 is proud to be supported by thefollowing honorary patrons:● Sławomir Nowak, Minister of Transport,

Construction and Maritime Economy

● Jakub Karnowski, President of the Board,CEO of PKP S.A.

● Prof. Janusz Dyduch Ph.D., Chairman,Committee on Transport, Polish Academy of Sciences

● Tadeusz Szozda, Chairman of the OSZHD● Prof.dr.hab.inż. Jerzy Barglik, President

of the Association of Polish Electrical Engin -eers (SEP)

● Antoni Szydło, President of the PolishAssociation of Engineers and Technicians ofTransportation (SITK).

The World of Small RailwayTRAKO incorporates ‘The World of Small

Railway’ – an event co-organised by the PolishAssociation of Railway Modellers and RailwayLovers – which complements the fair’s agendawith an important railway-popularisingelement, not just for professionals. The eventincludes: Polish Railway Models Champion -ships; exhibition of models and dioramas;exhibition of railway photography; presentationof offers by model-making companies; gang car races; and meetings of modellers andrailway fans.

Awards and contestsA number of prestigious awards will be given during TRAKO 2013, including the Ernest Malinowski Contest for the MostInteresting Product and Technical Innova-tion Used in the Railway Industry; the BestSolutions in Technology and EquipmentProduction for Electric Traction Systems; theMedal of the President of the Association ofPolish Electrical Engineers (SEP); and the Prof.Jan Podoski Competition of the Chamber ofUrban Transport (IGKM).


TRAKO is the largest and most prestigious rail industry meeting in Poland and one of the largest in Central andEastern Europe. Held every two years, the event provides a platform for presentations of state-of-the-arttransport systems and railway infrastructure in Poland, Europe and around the world.

Industry professionalsto gather in Poland

SHOW PREVIEWTRAKO 2013

Date: 24-27 September 2013Location: Gdańsk, PolandWebsite: www.trakofair.com


NEWSTRACK

The wheelset solutions supplied by BONATRANS GROUPcover all types of rolling stock

A railway wheelset is a critical safety component.

It carries the whole weight of the train and it has to

withstand high forces during train ride without risk of

failure, ensuring the safety of passengers and goods on

a sustainable basis. The long life of the railway wheel

also reduces train life cycle costs.

Development of railway wheelset designs and

materials and manufacture of reliable and safe

wheelsets is a science that requires skill, experience and

sophisticated equipment. BONATRANS GROUP a.s.

– the biggest European wheelsets manufacturer – has

been bringing this to its customers for many years.

Having developed and delivered products that are in

operation in over 80 countries in all five continents, the

company has built a massive knowledge-base for

the benefit of its customers.

The wheelset solutions supplied by BONATRANS

GROUP cover all types of rolling stock, from heavy

duty freight applications to wheelsets for very-high-

speed trains which are used by major rolling stock

manufacturers (Bombardier, Alstom, Siemens, CNR,

CSR and others) as well as the world leading railways

(DB, SNCF, CR and others).

BONATRANS will present a wide scope of its

products at railway exhibitions in autumn 2013.

At TRAKO in Gdańsk, Poland (24-27 September)

the focus will be on urban transport and mainline

railways, while their presentation at Nordic Rail

2013 in Jönköping, Sweden (8-10 October) will

focus on locomotive and high strength, low-weight

freight applications.

www.bonatrans.cz

Versatility, global experience, skilled people and advancedequipment – key to safe and reliablerailway wheels and wheelsets

Eversholt Rail has announced that it has entered into a

long-term agreement to provide project and asset

management services to Cross London Trains – the

consortium providing the new fleet of Siemens Desiro

City Class 700 trains to be operated on the Thameslink

routes. The Thameslink programme is a major rolling

stock, signalling and infrastructure project which is

designed to improve the London commuter network by

allowing the introduction of longer trains at a frequency

of up to 24 trains an hour in each direction through the

capital between St Pancras and Blackfriars stations.

Cross London Trains was selected by the

Department for Transport to acquire and finance new

rolling stock for the Thameslink service, which is

currently operated by First Capital Connect. The trains

are being built and will be maintained by Siemens.

The services to be provided by Eversholt Rail

under the 22-year agreement will include project

management during the build and delivery of the

rolling stock, and then long-term asset management,

including both technical and commercial support to

Cross London Trains.

Eversholt Rail has more than 16 years of

experience in the procurement and through-life asset

management of new rolling stock and the provision of

maintenance and enhancements of existing stock. The

Cross London Trains agreement will provide a

significant opportunity for the company to utilise its

proven skills and expertise for the benefit of new

entrants to the market.

www.eversholtrail.co.uk

Eversholt Rail wins Cross LondonTrains contract

Mott MacDonald is providing design services to

BAM Nuttall for the upgrade of railway stations at

Bingley in West Yorkshire and MetroCentre in Tyne

and Wear. The improvements are part of Network

Rail’s Access for All (AfA) programme which is

improving access at key stations nationwide by

installing lifts and ramps.

The consultancy is delivering the detailed

design for new 16-person lifts at Bingley. The project

includes an extension to the existing footbridge as

well as a new staircase and landing area. Due to the

complexity of this station and the interface with

the existing structure, a full building information

model has been produced by the consultancy to

highlight possible design clashes.

Mott MacDonald is also providing outline

design for the MetroCentre station upgrade which

includes civil, geotechnical, electrical, signalling,

telecommunication and environmental engineering

expertise. New 16-person lifts will be constructed on

both platforms, located between the existing

footbridge and waiting rooms.

Stephen Leonard, Mott MacDonald’s Project

Director, said: “Both these projects provide various

challenges. At Bingley we have had to stage the

structural works to allow the footbridge to remain

open at all times. Meanwhile MetroCentre station’s

interface with the shopping centre and footbridge has

led to challenges with respect to funding, differing

objectives and design changes due to the different

owners of the station and shopping centre.”

The Bingley and MetroCentre station upgrades

are due to be completed by the second quarter of 2014.

www.mottmac.com

Mott MacDonald providing design fortwo UK railway station upgrades

SYSTRA, with joint venture partner COWI, has

been appointed by Danish state-owned rail

infrastructure provider Banedanmark to advise on

the upgrade of its rail infrastructure. It is

Banedanmark’s ambition to electrify its

network with a ‘best-in-class’ system using

the latest technology by 2022. The Danish

Government has so far allocated 4 billion kroner to

the electrification upgrade.

The first task for the project team will be to

assist Banedanmark with establishing an ove-

rall framework and delivery strategy for the

electrification programme, which will involve

managing suppliers’ contracts through the imple -

mentation and commissioning phases. It is expected

that the first section to be electrified will be the

114km-long Lunderskov to Esbjerg line by 2015.

www.systra.com

SYSTRAappointed byBanedanmark to advise oncountry-wideelectrificationprogramme


NEWSTRACK

The overhaul team

Alstom has completed work overhauling Northern

Rail’s 17-strong Class 323 regional fleet to help

produce a modern fleet for commuters and the client,

with more than 2,000 components exchanged.

The project was undertaken at Alstom’s

Longsight depot in Manchester, with two overhauls

being taken on simultaneously.

The work undertaken on one project included

bogies being exchanged, inter-vehicle couplers being

overhauled, new gangways fitted and brake

equipment exchanged. The rest of the work saw car

floorboards and flooring replaced, seat shells

refurbished and re-covered, and car heaters and train

doors overhauled.

Northern Rail’s 323234 was the first of the Class

323s to be overhauled, with 323231 being the last to

go through the process.

More than 2,000 components were exchanged on

each three-car unit, with the work being undertaken by

a dedicated team over a five-week period.

www.alstom.com

Northern Rail Class 323 overhaulcompleted by Alstom in Manchester

Atkins and Heriot-Watt University have signed an

historic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to

create a Centre of Excellence for High Speed Rail,

aiming to push the boundaries of railway track research

beyond high-speed into the realm of ultra-high-speed.

High-speed rail is one of the largest civil

engineering initiatives currently under development,

with projects worldwide expected to be worth

hundreds of billions of pounds in just the next 15 years.

There is therefore a very real need to create a

platform to share knowledge and practical innovation

to deliver transformational railways that people

actually want to use.

Professor Dr Uwe Krueger, Atkins’ CEO, said:

“The signing of this MoU is a key moment for the

development of high-speed and ultra-high-speed

railway technology. With 15,000 miles of new high-

speed track due to be laid in the next decade or so, it is

vital that we have a Centre of Excellence which is a

‘go-to’ place for design and testing of new ideas such as

design of new track beds and shape of embankments.

Atkins and Heriot-Watt both have significant

experience and expertise in rail research, development

and delivery. Our challenge is to deliver an approach

that meets the needs of investors, technology, industry,

the environment, as well as the political and social

landscape. For example, how can we help reduce the

footprint of the railway and make areas around the

railway more usable? This alone could drastically

improve the business case for such projects.”

Professor Peter Woodward, Director of the

Institute for Infrastructure and Environment at Heriot-

Watt, is one of the world’s leading experts on geo-

engineering of railways. He plans to construct the

world’s most advanced railway test track facility

(GRAFT III) positioning the Edinburgh-based Centre

as the world’s premier railway testing organisation for

high-speed.

He said: “The signing of the MoU represents a

pivotal moment in high-speed railways in both the UK

and worldwide. High and ultra-speed railways are our

future, they have the capacity to transform the

economic prosperity of nations and our challenge is to

develop the technology to underpin their successful

implementation and cost effectiveness across the

world. The formation of this new Centre will allow this

vision to become a reality.”

Heriot-Watt University has a strong track record

of developing high-speed rail research in the UK and

internationally. In early-2013, under the leadership of

Professor Peter Woodward, the UK’s biggest purpose-

built laboratory test track bed (GRAFT II) which can

predict the effects of high-speed trains and simulate the

effects of decades of operation on major lines, was

constructed at the University. It uses hydraulic systems

to simulate a combined 120 tonnes of force, and can be

configured to simulate three times that, allowing

researchers to look at the behaviour of rail tracks,

including high-speed rail tracks, in real life situations

and under full-scale conditions.

www.atkinsglobal.co.ukwww.hw.ac.uk

Landmarkagreement putsultra-high-speedrail on fast track

Perpetuum wins SoutheasternRailways contractPerpetuum recently announced that it has received an

order from Southeastern Railways to supply wireless

sensor systems for all 148 of its Electrostar train stock

(618 cars). The sensor systems monitor wear of the

bearings and wheels to help maintenance engineers

determine when maintenance is needed. Perpetuum’s

world leading Energy Harvesters enable the self-

powered maintenance-free wireless sensors to be

fitted in a few minutes without the need for complex

retrofit wiring. This new agreement follows the

successful installation of Perpetuum sensor systems

on a number of Southeastern trains in 2012.

Perpetuum’s sensor systems collect vibration

data while a train is in motion and this data is

transmitted wirelessly to Perpetuum’s database

where software algorithms look for the signatures of

bearing and wheel wear. The result of this analysis

can then be monitored remotely using web-

based access. Maintenance engineers can then use the

data to view the condition of their assets. Isolated

faults can then be rectified before they become a

problem, thus improving reliability and safety as well

as dramatically reducing operational and main -

tenance costs. This in turn improves asset

utilisation for the operator and reduces service

disruption for passengers.

Current practice on most UK trains is to service

them on a mileage basis. Therefore components are

replaced regardless of their condition and even good

bearings are replaced. However the Perpetuum

system opens up the opportunity of moving to a

‘maintain on need’ regime which enables massive

cost savings to be made. It also means that premature

failures can be identified thus improving safety.

Often improved safety has a cost but this system

enables costs to be reduced whilst at the same time

improving safety.

Wayne Jenner, Engineering Director of

Southeastern Railways said: “The Perpetuum

product has been deployed on a trial basis on some of

our trains over the past year and we have been very

impressed by the information it provides us and the

ease of use. We foresee a very rapid return on

the investment and a solution to unlocking a number

of important issues. The system has the potential to

redefine the way we undertake some significant and

costly elements of fleet maintenance.”

www.perpetuum.com


One of the most important requirements for cross-

border railway transportation is for all the com -

ponents used in managing the trains to function and

interact seamlessly. Digital train communications

(GSM-R) plays an integral role in train

management. As one of the leading providers,

Kapsch has carried out and successfully completed

comprehensive interoperability tests of end-to-end

GSM-R solutions under strict rules as part of a

project sponsored by the European Commission.

The European Railway Agency (ERA), an EU

organisation, has confirmed the compatibility and

interoperability of the systems in accordance with

European Commission guidelines.

In the shape of ERTMS (European Rail Traffic

Management Systems) the European Union has

defined a standard which ensures cross-border

railway transportation is based on a uniform

‘Control, Command and Signaling’ system.

ERTMS comprises two elements: a standard

signalling system (ETCS, European Train Control

System) and GSM-R radio technology. End-to-end

solutions for rail communications are made up

of many individual elements – ranging from

infrastructure components to end-devices, called

terminals. In international railway transportation,

all these elements must interact perfectly together,

even when they come from different providers.

This way, railway customers can rely on the fact

that train safety systems meet the highest of

standards in their own national railway network,

and can be used in international transport without

any additional expense or follow-up cost.

Functional and technical systemrequirements fulfilled, end-to-endOne basic concept of ERTMS is to bridge

individual national solutions and create one

standard train communications framework in

Europe. Kapsch has successfully completed

interoperability testing for its own GSM-R

infrastructure and that of another European provider

in view of end-to-end conn ections. This has been

taking place at regular intervals since 2002

following the updates of the EIRENE

specifications. EIRENE stands for European

Integrated Radio Enhanced Network, and lays

down the functional and technical system require -

ments for cross-border railway transportation.

As part of the on-going TEN-TA ERTMS

project, MAP 3rd Call/2011, interoperability tests

are being carried out between the latest generations

of GSM-R solutions to ensure compatibility

with the new version of EIRENE currently in

preparation. This project is supported by the

European Commission too.

www.kapsch.net

Kapschsuccessfullycompletesinteroperabilitytests for GSM-R

NEWSTRACK

Resilience makes rubber the ideal material for level

crossings. It reduces the damage to track geometry

caused by heavy traffic and it damps noise and

vibration. With their rubber crossings in more than

50 countries, Kraiburg’s STRAIL is the world leader.

And their crossings are environmentally-friendly, being

a by-product of the tyre re-treading industry.

The modern permanent way engineer needs level

crossings which:● Protect the geometry of the railway track from the

impact of heavy traffic● May be installed and removed easily for tamping

and other track maintenance● Insulate one rail from the other● Provide adequate grip between road wheel and

crossing surface ● Have a long life.

STRAIL rubber level crossings do all of these, plus

they reduce noise nuisance by absorbing vibration

within the rails.

Each STRAIL crossing is made up of fully

vulcanised interlocking panels. A combination of heat

and pressure in special moulds makes rubber granules

coalesce into solid rubber panels. This complex process

makes an incredibly tough product. Vehicle tyres are

made by the same vulcanising process. The panels are

clamped together by end-to-end high tensile steel bars

and a tongue and groove interlock eliminates height

differences between them. They cannot come apart.

Corundum grit is moulded into the crossing surface to

make it skid resistant.

Kraiburg offers a range of crossings. Each

STRAIL crossing is tailored to its individual site

and records of every STRAIL crossing are kept by

the company.

A dynamic programme of research and

development keeps Kraiburg ahead of the field.

veloSTRAIL is a typical result. It is designed to

make crossings safer for cyclists and wheel chair users,

etc. It incorporates a compressible and replaceable

element in the flange way gap. This element is strong

enough to support cyclists, but depresses under tram

and train wheels.

Network Rail has ordered 9m of veloSTRAIL for

tests at their Rail Innovation and Development Centre

and it improved safety at the Kattwik Bridge in

Hamburg so much that the bridge was reopened

to cyclists.

www.strail.com

STRAIL – where STREET meets RAIL –vulcanised rubber level crossings

Nexans wins power cablecontract with InfrabelNexans, a worldwide expert in the cable industry, has recently signed a €36 million frame contract with

Infrabel, the Belgian railway operator, to supply 1 kV power distribution cables for network refurbishment

projects over the next two years.

“We are very proud that, following a Europe-wide tender process, Infrabel has awarded Nexans the

contract to supply most of its 1 kV power distribution cables for the next two years. This will amount to more

than 5,300km of cables, 90% of which will be manufactured by our Belgian units. The remaining 10% will be

produced by other Nexans plants across Europe,” said Koen Van Gucht, Sales & Marketing Manager for

Nexans Belgium.

“This contract re-establishes Nexans as one of Infrabel’s main power cable suppliers at a time when

railway infrastructure is undergoing major renovation,” said Eric du Tertre, Nexans Market Segment Director

Rail Infrastructure. “This success reflects the proven quality of our cables and our leadership in this highly

competitive market.”

www.nexans.com

veloSTRAIL’s intelligent compressionkeeps the train on track

ETCS has been discussed in the rail industry, but it is not yet widelyknown. Can you give us a shortintroduction to ETCS?The European Train Control System (ETCS) is acommon signalling and train protection systemwhich has been developed throughout Europe.Trackside equipment, on-board systems andsignalling control centres communicate toprovide the driver with in-cab informationelectronically. This is particularly relevant forhigh-speed train services, where automaticprotection systems and in-cab signallinginformation is vital to safe operations. The jointEuropean effort in specifying this system alsoenables smoother cross-border services, wherethe need to switch from one signalling system to the other is removed. ETCS is part of theEuropean Rail Traffic Management System(ERTMS) and many systems have already beenimplemented around the world.

In Europe, Hitachi Rail is best known for the Javelin™ train that provided theshuttle service to the 2012 Olympic Parkand the bullet trains in Japan. Why areyou involved in ETCS?Hitachi Rail has a long history of involvement inrail signalling technology. Since the intro -duction of the first bullet-trains in Japan in 1964,there was a recognised safety and operationalneed for in-cab signalling. Hitachi Rail hasdeveloped, designed and implemented signall -ing systems for over 30 years and we haveaccumulated a high level of expertise that weare now bringing to our on-board signallingprojects in the UK. The Verification-Train 3 ETCSproof of concept is one of these projects.

What is the Verification-Train 3 project?V-Train 3 refers to Hitachi Rail Europe’s ETCSproject. As part of this, we have successfullyretro-fitted a Class 97 locomotive (97301) with our on-board signalling technology to trialit in the UK. Since April 2013 we have beentesting on the Cambrian Line – the only UKrailway line fitted with trackside signallingtechnology, to verify our technology. Inparticular, we were keen to show that theHitachi Rail on-board system can work seam -lessly with groundside signalling equipmentprovided by other companies, against theformal European Technical Specifications forInteroperability (TSI’s).

What have you achieved during the testing? During the on-line testing, the Hitachi Rail on-board ETCS solution successfully connectedto the Network Rail Cambrian Line signallingsystem, and achieved ETCS Level 2 operation.This means that the Hitachi system wascorrectly identified on the Signalling Systemand Control Centre in Wales (Machynlleth)without any system failures. The locomotivewas driven under its own power with ETCS Level2 via the GSM-R radio network in various opera -tional modes such as ‘Staff Responsible’, ‘OnSight’, ‘Shunting’ and ‘Full Supervision’. For us,this is a great breakthrough and we have provensafety, reliability and interoperability of ourequipment now.

The project success was not only achieved by the system technology, but also through the collaboration and close co-operation with key stakeholders (Network Rail and DBSchenker), and by delivering the

project through an open communication one team approach.

What is the benefit of this to the railindustry and passengers?Network Rail is embarking on a significantnational programme to implement groundsideand on-board ETCS signalling systems. Hitachiis keen to support Network Rail in achieving thisgoal. The project is a ‘proof of concept’ that theHitachi system can seamlessly communicatewith the existing groundside system, givingNetwork Rail and other parties requiringsignalling equipment in the future the oppor -tunity to choose from a range of suppliers,including Hitachi. Through proving theinteroperability of the Hitachi equipment, weare providing full support for Network Rail toachieve their business directives.

The driveability of the system and the end-user confidence in the technology is key to theforthcoming UK rollout success. Hitachi’ssignalling technology has already been tried,tested, implemented and developed againststringent standards, safety and reliabilityrequirements in Japan, which the UK rail industrycan now benefit from.

For the rail industry on the whole and futurepassengers, the key benefits are the safety andreliability that Hitachi’s equipment will bring toeach project.


www.hitachirail-eu.com

Richard Tomlin, Signalling Project Manager at HitachiRail Europe, speaks to European Railway Review aboutthe benefits of the European Train Control System(ETCS) and Hitachi Rail’s involvement in this.Richard Tomlin

INTERVIEWSPOTLIGHT

ADVERTORIAL

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into existing remote monitoring systems without requiring any building measures. Vossloh’s BTW System is a quick and

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when and precisely where thieves are at work on the track – and in a matter of seconds.

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Vossloh Rail InfrastructureWe’ve got something against thieves.

Documents

JOIN US AT: Real-Time Passenger Information 2013 · Michele Mario Elia, CEO, Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI) 52 SIGNALLING Network Rail’s operating strategy Ian Chapman, Programme