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Rail Articles

Upgrading our current system is the fastest way to improve capacity

20 September 2012 | By Gunnar Malm, Director-General, Trafikverket

According to Trafikverket – the Swedish Transport Administration, one must not overestimate the possibilities of improving the Swedish transport system through expansion. Expansions alone will not solve the capacity deficiencies that were identified in a recent study. The greatest and fastest improvements can be found in our existing system, which…

‘Swedish National Team of Rail Competence’

20 September 2012 | By Lennart Klerdal, Chairman of the Board, SWERIG (the Swedish Rail Industry Group)

SWERIG, the Swedish Rail Industry Group, is often referred to as the ‘Swedish National Team of Rail Competence’. Acting on a fairly limited home market which is extremely open to competition, the Swedish rail industry has, over the years, searched for new business opportunities on the international rail market. For…

Injecting infrastructure investment

20 September 2012 | By Jan Olson, CEO, SJ AB

In the 1980s, air travel captured the market share from rail travel. This is no longer the case as since the 1990s, rail travel has gradually taken back the market share. Between 2000 and 2010, passenger kilometres in Sweden grew by more than 50%, with a particularly robust increase after…

Arlanda Express has the most satisfied customers in the Swedish travel sector

20 September 2012 | By Per Thorstenson, CEO, Arlanda Express

Arlanda Express noted major successes during 2011: trains upgraded with prizewinning interior décor, a robust financial result and a record number of passengers. The journey now continues with a stronger focus on service and passenger care, with all personnel undergoing training in the practical philosophy of hostmanship – the art…

The importance of adequate railway infrastructure financing – What does the rail sector need?

20 September 2012 | By Libor Lochman, Executive Director, CER

Mobility is vital for the European Union’s internal market, for society, and for the quality of people’s lives. Overall, transport infrastructure investments and maintenance have a positive impact on economic growth; they create wealth, jobs, and enhance the mobility of people. Infrastructure networks form the backbone of a modern competitive…

Brenner Base Tunnel construction continues as expected

19 September 2012 | By Konrad Bergmeister, CEO, Brenner Basistunnel BBT SE

Construction of the 64km-long Brenner Base Tunnel is in full swing. Two sections of the exploratory tunnel are completed, the access tunnel in Mules now connects the exploratory tunnel with the surface, and two more logistic tunnels are ready for use. The Brenner Base Tunnel (BBT) is a straight, flat…

Promoting the internationalisation of Spanish railway technology

19 September 2012 | By Enrique Verdeguer Puig, CEO, Adif

Since my appointment as CEO of Adif, one of my main strategic priorities has been to drive forward the internationalisation of Spanish railway technology and its companies, and to reinforce the ‘Spanish Brand’ on an international basis. By doing so, the international activity of Adif must be, and is, an…

CP – an attractive transport brand with a clear future focus

19 September 2012 | By José Salomão Coelho Benoliel, Chairman, CP

The Portuguese Government recently decided to lease the suburban railway services of Lisbon and Oporto to the private sector, according its Strategic Plan for Transports, approved by the Council of Ministers Resolution Nº 45/2011 of 13 October 2011. The Government intends to define the model for the new private sector,…

FBSIC – an innovative tool based on GIS technology

19 September 2012 | By Luís Mata, CEO, Ferbritas

Railway infrastructure managers and operators are huge property owners, managing important railway facility and infrastructure territories. Due to the historical background of the railway industry, valuable real estate assets can be found, and there are certain regulations concerned with urban and suburban environments associated with railway lines, stations, logistic terminals…

How much longer can we afford to wait?

19 September 2012 | By Terje Stømer, Energy Director at Jernbaneverket

Terje Stømer, Energy Director from Jernbaneverket, comments on the importance of using actual energy consumption data from trains for billing purposes. The path to a more competitive railway runs through efficient and reliable measuring of energy consumption. Correct measuring of actual consumption is the key to a more effective, environmentally-friendly…

Next generation energy settlement system: Immediate saving, increased competitiveness

19 September 2012 | By Dyre Martin Gulbrandsen, Director of Eress

Eress is an open partnership between infrastructure managers Banedanmark, Infrabel, Jernbaneverket and Trafikverket. A non-profit organisation, jointly owned by its partners, Eress is committed to the development, implementation and supply of the Erex energy settlement system – a system that gives train operators total control over their train’s actual energy…

Infrastructure projects are an engine for growth

1 August 2012 | By Doris Bures, Federal Minister of Transport, Innovation and Technology, Austria

As a starting point for the following considerations, I would like to choose two well-founded assumptions. Firstly, mobility is a basic prerequisite of our modern society and economy. Secondly, both passenger transport as well as cargo transport will see an increase in mobility in the years to come. The respective…

Swiss rail construction projects on track – in cities, through the Alps and across borders

1 August 2012 | By Philippe Gauderon, Head of SBB Infrastructure and Raffael Hirt, Communications Manager for the Zurich Cross-City Link, SBB Infrastructure

Throughout 2012, SBB Infrastructure is undertaking a number of construction projects across Switzerland: in the two largest Swiss cities, Zurich and Geneva, in the St. Gallen and Schaffhausen conurbations, in the canton of Ticino, in the Alps, and even beyond Switzerland’s borders. This article presents an overview of the major…

Gotthard railway systems now being installed and the Ceneri is on course

1 August 2012 | By Renzo Simoni, CEO, AlpTransit Gotthard Ltd

Since the second final breakthrough on 23 March 2011, fitting-out of the Gotthard Base Tunnel has made rapid progress, and since September 2011, installation of the railway systems has been taking place from the north. Elsewhere in the Ceneri Base Tunnel, work has begun on the main drives from the…