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Neopul in high-speed rail – the 350km/h journey

26 September 2009 | By Sergio Alexandre Malaghães Tormenta, Railway Electrification Department Manager, Neopul

Neopul, in conjunction with two Spanish companies, has won the contract for the project to build a new high-speed railway line in Spain between Barcelona and the French border. To this end, a joint venture has been formed in which Neopul has a 38.25% stake. The project consists of the…

The most modern fleet of high-speed trains in Europe

26 September 2009 | By

The year 2008 was the 160th anniversary of railways in Spain, which is all the more significant because now in the 21st Century, railways have clearly been modernised and this modernisation process will continue in the coming years. In accordance with the Strategic Infrastructures and Transport Planes (PEIT), prepared by…

Improving level crossing safety

26 September 2009 | By António Rodrigues Viana, General Director of Strategic Planning, REFER

Each year in Europe, the number of victims from accidents at level crossings (LCs) is approximately 600. It is a disturbing number, which not only demonstrates that this is a problem affecting all countries, but should also prompt awareness and education campaigns on the rules and good practices when crossing…

Preparing to face future challenges

26 September 2009 | By Francisco José Cardoso dos Reis, CEO, CP (Comboios de Portugal, E.P.E.)

In October 2006, the Portuguese government issued the Strategical Guidelines for the railway sector, which aims at empowering the railway competitive advantages in terms of performance and efficiency in the frame of the transportation system and enhance the sector's sustainability as a contributor to the economical development and to the…

Rhomberg builds track for Malmö Citytunnel

26 September 2009 | By Stefan Knittel, Project Manager, Rhomberg Bahntechnik

The new Citytunnel in Malmö is the next major step to connect the City centres of Malmö (Sweden) and Copenhagen (Denmark) even closer. The new line, connected to the Öresund-bridge and the Malmö Main Station will go underneath the centre of Malmö, crossing sensitive areas with hospitals, theatres and private…

Swiss transport policy: top quality service thanks to modern infrastructure

21 July 2009 | By Max Friedli, Director, Federal Office of Transport, Switzerland

On 20 February 1994, a major political surprise occurred when, against all expectations, the Swiss voting population agreed upon a popular initiative to protect the Alps from transit traffic. This popular decision set the tone for a new Swiss transport policy. From then on, the goal of shifting freight transport…

In the view of Philippe Gauderon, Head of SBB Infrastructure

21 July 2009 | By Philippe Gauderon, Head of SBB Infrastructure

Mr. Philippe Gauderon took up his new position as Head of SBB Infrastructure and Member of the SBB Management Board at the start of 2009. After studying law at the University of Fribourg, Mr. Gauderon initially worked as a lawyer until 1985. Between 1985 and 1995, he held numerous senior…

A successful year for the NRLA on the Gotthard and Ceneri

21 July 2009 | By Renzo Simoni, CEO, AlpTransit Gotthard Ltd

The year 2008 was highly successful for AlpTransit Gotthard Ltd. The work continues as scheduled and as things stand today, there is nothing to prevent the opening of the Gotthard Base Tunnel at the end of 2017 and the Ceneri Base Tunnel in 2019 as planned.

Assessing current situations

21 July 2009 | By Mr. Mauro Moretti, CEO of Italian Railways (Ferrovie dello Stato), Chairman of CER (the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies) and Vice-President of UIC (the International Union of Railways)

In an interview for Global Railway Review, Mr. Moretti gives his outlook on the European railways situation and also provides details of the important Florence to Bologna high-speed line, due to open in December 2009.

Spotlight on Shields Depot, Glasgow

21 July 2009 | By Kenny Scott, Engineering Director, ScotRail

Rail travel has been growing in Scotland with more than 20% growth since 2004 and, as a result, government agency Transport Scotland is funding a major enhancement programme for the rail network in Scotland. As a part of this programme, 38 new Class 380 trains will be delivered between September…

Securing a safer future at First Great Western stations

21 July 2009 | By Mark Heffernan, Head of Stations, First Great Western

Customer experience and a safe station environment is paramount to the business ethos of train operator, First Great Western. That is why we have been working hard to achieve Secure Stations Status at 172 of our 210 stations in just over a year. This total exceeds the commitment made by…

The future development of Swiss rail infrastructure – ZEB

21 July 2009 | By Charles Wyss, Senior Program Manager of Gotthard Access and ZEB Program Portfolio and Markus Halder, Head of Energy Saving Initiative of the Rail Environmental Centre, Swiss Federal Railways SBB

Charles Wyss of Gotthard Access and ZEB Program Portfolio and Markus Halder of Swiss Federal Railways SBB discuss the long-term demand and future mobility requirements of its customers in both the passenger and freight sectors.

High-tech solution for ÖBB operation control

21 July 2009 | By Herwig Wiltberger, Member of the Board, ÖBB-Infrastruktur Betrieb and August Zierl, Head of ÖBB’s Business Unit ‘Engineering Services’, ÖBB-Infrastruktur Bau AG

ÖBB-Infrastruktur Betrieb AG is a modern and customer-oriented infrastructure operator allowing the 22 railway undertakings authorised to operate in Austria access to ÖBB's approximately 5,700km-long railway network. To this end, ÖBB's operation control strategy plays a decisive role. ÖBB heralded a new high-tech era with the launch of the operation…

Talgo: at the forefront of high-speed railway technology

21 July 2009 | By Joe Bloggs

The effect of implementing a high-speed network in Spain has been incredibly positive and it has created a ‘before and an after' effect in the Spanish railway sector. Not long ago, trains were competing against cars, but nowadays trains are in competition with planes and this radical change shows the…