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Rail Articles

High quality railway infrastructure should lead to increased competition

31 May 2010 | By Jan Komárek, Director General, SŽDC (the Railway Infrastructure Administration)

SŽDC, the Czech Railway Infrastructure Administration, is responsible for the modernisation and development of the railway network in the Czech Republic. We put great effort into enhancing the quality of our railway infrastructure and, together with carriers, we offer reliable services to both passengers and freight transport. In my opinion,…

Discussing demand & opportunities for Poland’s rail network

31 May 2010 | By Craig Waters, Editor, Global Railway Review

On 11 and 12 of May 2010, Global Railway Review organised Polish Rail Development 2010 – a comprehensive event for industry personnel to gather in one place to learn and discuss the most important issues surrounding the development of the railway market in Poland. Held in the vibrant and historic…

Customised Air Spring Systems for rail vehicles

31 May 2010 | By Friedrich Hoppmann, Head of ContiTech Railway Engineering, ContiTech AG

Innovative suspension technology for modern rail vehicles for urban, mainline, or high-speed rail services; this is what ContiTech Railway Engineering is all about...

Application of technology improves wheelset performance

31 May 2010 | By James Abbott, Technical Editor

The wheel/rail interface is one of the most critical parts of an entire railway operation. Through a contact patch the size of a small coin, all the forces between the moving element (the train) and the static element (the track) are transmitted. These forces are immense, and if not properly…

EBA in a liberalised railway market

5 April 2010 | By Ralf Schweinsberg, Vice-President, Eisenbahn-Bundesamt (EBA)

With the German Railway Reform in 1994, the sovereign functions were transferred from the former state railways Deutsche Bundesbahn and Deutsche Reichsbahn to the Eisenbahn-Bundesamt (EBA). These comprise primarily the issuing of approvals and the supervisory function. The approval function of the EBA encompasses the authorisation of technical products and…

Fresh challenges for German railways in the new decade

5 April 2010 | By James Abbott, Technical Editor, Global Railway Review

The economic recession has had a big impact on Germany’s railways – but restructuring of the industry is continuing, albeit at a slower pace. The 2008 credit crunch had a severe effect on manufacturing across Europe, with automobile assembly and construction hard hit. This had knock-on effects on the railways:…

The VDV and its important work as a railway partner

5 April 2010 | By Martin Henke

The Verband Deutscher Verkehrsunternehmen (Association of German Transport Companies (VDV)) with approximately 550 ordinary members and more than 50 extraordinary members is the established address for many institutions in politics and administration, trade and industry, research and training for questions of public transport and rail freight traffic in Germany. Thus,…

Highlighting Iberian high-speed railway progress

5 April 2010 | By Craig Waters, Editor, Global Railway Review

The Iberian region represents one of the most exciting opportunities for development and business opportunities, with considerable investment in both infrastructure and rolling stock alike. With this in mind, Global Railway Review organised Iberian Rail Development 2010 which took place on 16-17 February 2010 in Madrid, Spain.

Major projects keep Turkey on track

5 April 2010 | By Süleyman Karaman, Director General and Chairman of the Board, Turkish State Railways

TCDD, Turkish State Railways, is forging ahead with high-speed projects and other infrastructure developments to ensure they continue to provide effective, efficient and up-to-date passenger transportation for their country.

Re-engineering Greek railways

5 April 2010 | By Erifyli Gallis, General Director, TRAINOSE S.A

TRAINOSE S.A. was founded in 2005, initially as a subsidiary of OSE S.A., but became independent of the OSE Group in 2009. Its operational and organisational split from the Hellenic Railways Holding Organisation was part of its initiated restructuring programme to fortify Greece’s railway business and consumer offering in the…

Route management and route maintenance

5 April 2010 | By Werner Baltram, Head of Route and Railway Station Management Division, ÖBB- Infrastruktur AG

ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG was established in October 2009 following the merger of ÖBB-Infrastruktur Bau AG and ÖBB-Infrastruktur Betrieb AG. Since the restructuring of ÖBB in the year 2005, both of these companies were operational subsidiaries under ÖBB-Holding. The interfaces between the two infrastructure companies, however, were too versatile. There were many…

Highly elastic tracks for ballast-type permanent ways

5 April 2010 | By Winfired Bösterling, Head of System Technology and in charge of Technical Sales, Development and Engineering, Vossloh Fastening Systems GmbH

The speed of today’s trains and the number of different regional specifications are factors posing stiffer challenges on modern track construction. Vossloh Fastening Systems is addressing these trends by developing new rail fastening systems for ballast-type tracks.

Real-time clearance analysis via mobile laser scanning

5 April 2010 | By Marius Schäuble, Product Manager and Project Leader, Amberg Technologies AG

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is responsible for the entire public transportation network of New York City. The largest in North America, MTA’s rail infrastructure is impressive, with 8.5 million passengers per day, operation of 8,934 railway cars and 734 stations, 3,310 kilometres of track and the budget in 2008…

FACILITIES SERVICES: expert for maintenance and renewal

5 April 2010 | By Arnold Schiefer, Member of the Executive Board, ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG

Following the merger of the two companies ÖBB-Infrastruktur Bau AG and ÖBB-Infrastruktur Betrieb AG into ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG on 3 October 2009, the two divisions Construction and Maintenance and INFRA.service were also consolidated with effect from 1 January 2010 (see Figure 1).

TRACKELAST RPU – the ideal material for noise and vibration reduction

5 April 2010 | By Edilon Sedra

edilon)(sedra is a company active worldwide in the field of products for railway infrastructure projects. edilon)(sedra develops, manufactures and markets innovative, highly durable rail fastening systems for trains, trams, metros and crane tracks, which are an elementary part of the edilon)(sedra track systems.