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Rail Articles

The imminent inauguration of the Bothnia Line

27 September 2008 | By Lennart Westberg, Managing Director/Project Director, Botniabanan AB

Building of the Bothnia Line began on a modest scale in 1999. In October 2008, Stage 1 is expected to be taken into operation – this is when a subsection is being opened for goods traffic. The entire line will be ready for goods and passenger services in autumn 2010.

RENFE finds unexpected answers to crowd congestion at Atocha

27 September 2008 | By Manuel Rodríguez Simons, Corporate Director for Civil Protection, Safety and Risk Prevention, RENFE OPERADORA

Sitting at the heart of Madrid’s extensive rail network, Atocha station is the biggest public transport interchange in the Spanish capital. Local rail lines, high-speed intercity services and metro lines from across the city come together here to provide an essential link for commuters, tourists and local residents alike. With…

Madrid-Barcelona-French Border high-speed railway line

27 September 2008 | By Antonio Fernández Gil, Director of the Madrid-Barcelona-French Border Line Project, ADIF

Details of the stretch of railway line between Madrid, Barcelona and the French Border, which is managed by RENFE and ADIF.

Poceirão-Caia PPP call for tenders – a vital infrastructure project

27 September 2008 | By João Pereira Fernandes, Lisbon-Madrid Axis Director, RAVE

On 2 June 2008, the launch of the international call for tenders for the Poceirão-Caia Public-Private Partnership rail infrastructure concession took place, which will be part of the high-speed line from Lisbon to Madrid.

Recent progress boosts REFER’s success

27 September 2008 | By Eduardo Frederico, General Director of Infrastructure Exploitation, REFER

The Portuguese railway has recently seen significant developments with many of its operations including the construction and renovation of its infrastructure, railway systems and equipment, as well as making alterations to management personnel. Along with the liberalisation of the railway sector, a set of new challenges demanded the infrastructure managers…

Enhancing competitiveness and addressing challenges

27 September 2008 | By Hristo Monov, Executive Director of Bulgarian State Railways EAD (BDZ EAD)

The railways in Bulgaria celebrate their 120th anniversary in 2008. Railway history, of course, is more than just a string of events – it contains stories of achievement, stories of challenges, stories of hard times and most of all, stories of people who lived through their work and contributed to…

Platform of success: Bombardier exhibits new trains

27 September 2008 | By Bombardier

Bombardier, the global leader in rail transportation, never fails to create an impact with its biannual display of products at InnoTrans. This year is no exception, with Bombardier exhibiting no less than four new trains, as well as its latest developments in energy-saving technologies. Much excitement has surrounded the unveiling…

Tilting trains – another idea for speed

27 September 2008 | By Roberto Rinaldi, Technical Director of the High Speed Group, ALSTOM

Between 2003 and 2005, the world high and very-high-speed market represented an average of €2.4 billion1, just over half of which was accounted for by high-speed...

Weld registration and acceptance

27 September 2008 | By Coenraad Esveld, Director of Esveld Consulting Services (ECS), Professor of Railway Engineering, TU Delft and Global Railway Review Editorial Board Member

For a long time now, poor weld geometry has been a major problem for railway infrastructure. Due to geometrical imperfections, high dynamic loads could be generated during wheel passage. The only way to control the geometrical quality in an effective way, is by measuring and documenting every weld with an…

GSM-R in 2008 – continuing the success story

27 September 2008 | By Dan Mandoc, Charge de Mission GSM-R Infrastructure Department & Klaus Konrad, Project Manager, ERTMS/GSM-R, UIC

Over the last few years, we have tried to give you an update about the GSM-R situation in and outside of Europe. In 2007, the implementations of GSM-R have already shown that GSM-R has become a success story, even if it could have been developed faster.

Social responsibility of the investor

27 September 2008 | By Krzysztof Celinski, President of the Board, PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe SA

For over half a century, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has been an element of strategy of each business entity who wishes to be perceived as a reliable and stable element of economy and society. PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe SA, the administrator of the railway infrastructure in Poland, observes the CSR…

Green wheels will make the difference

27 September 2008 | By Bas Bollinger, Business Development Director Rail, ARCADIS

Bas Bollinger is Business Development Director Rail, leading the development of international rail business for the ARCADIS group. He has worked with the company for over 15 years in various positions. After being Project Manager for the Betuweroute and Director of the Infrastructure Civil Engineering department in the Netherlands, he…

The clue to an ETCS-only access

1 August 2008 | By Jan Richard, Business Unit ‘Train Control Systems’, SBB

Today, railway networks and their infrastructure managers, as well as the railway undertakings, are facing the crucial challenge of migrating their signalling and train control systems towards the common European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS), while perhaps also maintaining conventional and mixed traffic operations. The basic concept of ERTMS, namely…

High levels of mechanisation in Swiss track maintenance

1 August 2008 | By James Abbott, Technical Editor

SBB is minimising the amount of time track is tied up with maintenance, by automating inspection systems and adopting standard components that can be installed rapidly. Global Railway Review’s Technical Editor, James Abbott, talks to Daniel Wyder, SBB’s Head of Asset Management for Track.

Positive prospects for BLS Cargo in 2008 and beyond

1 August 2008 | By Dr. Dirk Stahl, CEO, BLS Cargo AS

With the new Lötschberg Base Tunnel as an established business model and an investment in 10 new multi-system locomotives, BLS Cargo is preparing for future growth. Dr. Dirk Stahl, CEO, looks at the prospects for the company in 2008 and beyond.