List view / Grid view
Railways face continued growth in passenger ridership numbers and increased demand for rail freight operations. To cope, rail systems must adapt to their changing environment and provide networks that are both safe and secure.
23 January 2009 | By James Abbott, Technical Editor, Global Railway Review
Rail grinding helps to prevent the dangerous build-up of rolling contact fatigue, and also reduces running noise for line side communities. James Abbott, Technical Editor for Global Railway Review, assesses some developments and significant aspects of this important area of our industry.
23 January 2009 | By Erik Ø. Johnsen, Director General, Norwegian Railway Inspectorate
Erik Ø. Johnsen, Director General of the Norwegian Railway Inspectorate looks at their work and projects in the context of today's safety environment.
28 December 2008 | By Prof. Coenraad Esveld, Director of Esveld Consulting Services and Em. Professor of Railway Engineering, TU Delft
One of the most important developments in the last decade was the large scale application of slab track. This is in particular the case for high-speed tracks. In countries like The Netherlands, with very soft soil conditions, classical high-speed tracks could only be realised without massive soil improvements via grouting…
28 December 2008 | By James Abbott, Technical Editor, Global Railway Review
Consultancies are providing expertise that is helping to realise important railway projects in Europe and around the world. Britain’s first high-speed railway line – High Speed 1 – was opened by Queen Elizabeth II with much fanfare on 6 November 2007. High speed Eurostar trains now whisk passengers from the…
28 December 2008 | By Dan Mandoc, Chargé de Mission – GSM-R, Department of Infrastructure, UIC and Olivier Lévêque, ETCS Senior Advisor, UIC.
ERTMS is the European Rail Traffic Management System – a signalling and train control system promoted by the European Commission for use throughout Europe and specified for compliance with the High Speed and Conventional Interoperability Directives. The system aims to remedy the lack of standardisation in the area of signalling…
3 December 2008 | By Professor Andrew McNaughton, Chief Engineer, Network Rail and Global Railway Review Editorial Board Member, Brian Whitney, Head of Rail Management, Network Rail and Ian Banton, Technical Development Manager, Thermit Welding (GB) Ltd.
Isolated rail head defects formed under traffic, detected either by visual inspection or ultrasonic flaw testing, can significantly reduce the service life of rails if not managed correctly. Surface initiated defects account for approximately 50% of all defects removed from Network Rail (NR) Infrastructure. These are predominately made up of…
3 December 2008 | By Uwe Richter, Overhead Contact Line Expert, Eurailscout
How the modern contacting and contactless inspection and analysis of overhead-line systems on normal and high-speed routes are a guarantee of safe railway operation without disturbances.
3 December 2008 | By Anson Jack, Director of Policy, Research and Risk, Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB)
How RSSB’s knowledge, analysis, technical expertise and powerful information and risk management tools deliver a unique mix to the industry across a whole range of subject areas.
3 December 2008 | By Paulo Real Oliviera, Project Manager, Neopul
Details of how Neopul is actively working on some important projects in Ireland which include the Laois Traincare Depot, the LUAS Red Cow Rail Diversion and the LUAS B1-400 extension.
3 December 2008 | By Robert Sarfati, Director Consultant at SYSTRA, Chairman of the UIC ERTMS/GSM-R Operators Group and Chairman of ETSI Technical Committee for Rail Telecommunications
GSM-R is the bearer for ERTMS/ETCS, the European Train Control System, gradually introducing a true intelligent traffic management system all over the railway lines in Europe. This global system is now extending to several countries worldwide as a recognised operating system.
27 September 2008 | By Olle Mornell, Project Manager of Safety, Operational Department, Swedish Rail Administration (Banverket) and Helena Höök, Quality Controller & Strategist of Traffic Safety, Department of Operational Management, Swedish Road Administration (Vägverket)
Two severe accidents in 2004 and 2005 brought focus on the dangers of level crossings. According to ‘Vision Zero’, fatalities and severe injuries are not acceptable in the transport system. Since level crossings concern many key players, Banverket took the first steps to cooperation and Vägverket provided the OLA working…
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…
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…
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.
1 August 2008 | By Harald Loy, System Engineer, Getzner Werkstoffe GmbH
More traffic, increasing axle loads and higher speeds are just some of the ongoing technical and economic challenges railway operators and track managers around the world are faced with today. Under Sleeper Pads (USP) have been proven to extend the service life of the track superstructure and help to reduce…
