Proactive and real-time weather action plan keeps Belgian trains running
Posted: 2 November 2016 | | No comments yet
In the forthcoming issue of Global Railway Review – Issue 6, 2016 – we have the pleasure of publishing an article from Infrabel. Luc Vansteenkiste, Director of Asset Management, and Ann Billiau, Director of Traffic Management and Services, will divulge the myriad ways they work to ensure the smooth running of their trains.
In the forthcoming issue of Global Railway Review – Issue 6, 2016 – we have the pleasure of publishing an article from Infrabel. Luc Vansteenkiste, Director of Asset Management, and Ann Billiau, Director of Traffic Management and Services, will divulge the myriad ways they work to ensure the smooth running of their trains.
A high quality, well maintained rail network is what underpins an excellent train service and this is what Infrabel – Belgium’s railway infrastructure manager – considers to be its main focus and top priority.
“Together we are strong and – even in autumn and winter – we are able to provide a high-quality service to all of our national and European customers.”
Infrabel manages well oiled machine
Belgium is a heavily-used railway network and with its 3,600km of railway lines and approximately 6,500km of main lines, it is also one of the busiest European networks. To keep all of this working in perfect order, Infrabel applies a strict maintenance and replacement policy. This proves its worth during the autumn and winter months when the challenging weather conditions make huge demands on its infrastructure and track installations.
In their article you can read about the essential work they undertake in preparation for the autumn and winter months; both preventative measures and physical real-time responses to conditions. Learn about the new techniques they are trialling as well as their tried and tested solutions that successfully combat adverse weather problems.
Through the joint deployment of many thousands of staff from Traffic Management and Services (Railway Operations Centre and the signal boxes) and Asset Management (Logistics Maintenance Centres and ground crews), Infrabel is constantly doing everything in its power to manage rail services on the Belgian network smoothly and safely.
| Keeping the 4,000 trains running daily on Belgium’s lines is a huge responsibility, but one that Infrabel is more than capable of. Learn how they meet this challenge in Global Railway Review Issue 6 2016 by registering here for the next issue. |
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Biography Prior to her present role of Director of Traffic Management & Services at Infrabel, Ann Billiau held a number of positions for the Belgian railway infrastructure manager since 2005, including Director-General of Rail Access, Account Director of the Rail Access Directorate and Head of the Department for Customer & Products in the Rail Access Directorate. Furthermore, Ann is also a Member of the Management Board of Infrabel. Ann has also held positions at SNCB including Project Leader for ICT Projects and Account Director of the ICT Department. She is a Master of Mathematics and a Master of Advanced Studies in Geophysics, as well as Member of the Board of Directors of TUC Rail, Chairwoman of RFC2 and Vice-President and Member of the Managing Board of RNE. Biography Luc Vansteenkiste has a Bachelor’s degree in Information Science and has been Director-General of Asset Management at Infrabel since 2011. Luc’s career has seen him be Administrator-Director of Eurostar Group Ltd. & Eurostar UK Ltd. (1998-2000), Managing Director of RMF (2002-2004), General Manager of ICT of the SNCB (2000-2004), Managing Director of Rail Access at Infrabel (2004-2011), and Chairman of RailNetEurope (2005-2012), plus Administrator at TUC RAIL. |
