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.
1 August 2008 | By Craig Waters, Commissioning Editor, Global Railway Review
Round-up of the 2008 FERRMED conference which took place on 26 June 2008 and welcomed delegates to Brussels for discussion about the development of rail freight in Europe.
28 May 2008 | By Esko Värttiö, Chief Railway Accident Investigator, Accident Investigation Board of Finland (AIBF)
In Finland, railway undertaker VR and Finnish Rail Administration (RHK) became concerned in 2005 about the high number of level crossing accidents. VR sent a letter to the Accident Investigation Board of Finland (AIBF) and asked for it to take action to prevent level crossing accidents. They had noticed that…
28 May 2008 | By Antonio Domínguez Chala, Network Planning and Development Director, ADIF
This article presents the main aspects concerning the experience that the development of the ERTMS system in Spain has produced, and the established criteria for the migration to this new system.
28 May 2008 | By Hans-Peter Bartmann, International Sales Manager, Linsinger Maschinenbau GmbH
It was in 2003 when Linsinger Maschinenbau GmbH from Austria launched its new version of the Rail Milling Train SF 03 FFS for German Railways, DB AG, and Alpha-Rail Team for the German Railway Market. Since then, the rail milling technology of Linsinger started a matchless and incomparable victory lap…
8 April 2008 | By Andreas Beck and Thomas Hempe, Specialists in Track Technology Management, DB Netz AG
Permanent way is required to absorb the static and dynamic forces resulting in vertical (z), lateral (y), and longitudinal (x) directions from railway traffic loads, to effectively distribute them, and to transfer them into the sub-grade at reduced magnitudes. Superimposed on these external forces are additional internal forces arising from…
8 April 2008 | By Dietmar Wegner, RAMS Manager, Industry Sector, Mobility Division, Siemens AG
European cities are linked by an increasing amount of high-speed transport routes that satisfy growing demand for mobility. Ecological and economical/political aspects are also of immense importance to the expansion of the European high-speed transport network. The Netherlands’ connection to the high-speed network takes Europe another step closer to a…
8 April 2008 | By Walter Hackl-Gruber, Head of Human Factors Working Group and Matthias Barta, Project Engineer, Human Factors Working Group, Technical University of Vienna
Our society has committed itself to provide equal access to the public transport system for all citizens. Despite common efforts to improve the accessibility of the rolling stock, there are still some deficiencies towards the Men Machine Interfaces (MMI’s) on mainline trains for physically and sensory impaired people.
8 April 2008 | By Dipl.-Ing. Alfred Gruber, Head of Infra Service Division, ÖBB-Infrastruktur Betrieb AG
In order to be competitive on the liberalised rail transport market, the ÖBB Group must operate with market-oriented companies. A key success factor is the reliable transport handling and, thus, the reliability of the infrastructure facilities. That is where the division Infra Service of ÖBB-Infrastruktur Betrieb AG comes in.
8 April 2008 | By Paul Seller, Director of Technical Sales, Transportation and Chris Knowles, Director of Marketing, Transportation, Lloyd’s Register Rail Ltd
Making sure systems, products and processes are doing the job in the most efficient way, needs a co-ordinated approach and independent scrutiny. Independent assurance is an approach which checks what others have done, are doing and what they plan to do. When this is performed well, it makes a major…
8 April 2008 | By Dr. Nick Thom, Lecturer, School of Engineering, University of Nottingham, UK
Despite modern railways being at the forefront of technologies such as power transmission, signalling, control systems and vehicle dynamics, there is one element which is stuck firmly in the Stone Age – the trackbed. It is true that some tracks are being designed and built with concrete or asphalt bases,…
29 January 2008 | By Christian Aubry, Project Manager, Freight Wagon Engineering, SBB Cargo AG
The possibility of catastrophe always has to be borne in mind in the case of a train carrying hazardous cargo. The risk can be substantially reduced with the use of derailment detectors, which are designed to immediately apply the brakes if a fault is detected.
27 November 2007 | By Professor Andrew McNaughton – FREng, CEng, FICE, FPWI, MIOD, Chief Engineer, Network Rail and Global Railway Review Editorial Board Member
Compare our European railway network today with that of 25 years ago. Safety and punctuality have continued to improve, however, traffic growth has been patchy and costs have risen enormously. Meanwhile there have been revolutionary changes in the communications and transport environment. Mobile phones, internet and e-mail didn’t exist 25…
26 November 2007 | By
Britain is finally getting its first new successful railway line in over a century. Nine years after construction began, High Speed 1 (HS1) is ready to commence commercial services from St Pancras International, the glorious new home of British high-speed rail travel.
26 November 2007 | By Harald Loy, System Engineer, Getzner Werkstoffe GmbH
Geometrical discontinuities along turnouts can lead to strong localised variations of superstructure loads. By using Under Sleeper Pads (USP) with varying stiffness, the bedding conditions can be optimised and as a result the turnout area can be smoothed out. Modern railway tracks need to be able to bear the loads…
26 November 2007 | By Dipl.-Ing. Felix Amberg, President of COSUF and Chairman of Amberg Engineering Ltd/Hagerbach Test Gallery Ltd and Prof. Dr.-Ing. Alfred Haack, Past-Chairman, STUVA e.V.,
COSUF – the ITA-Committee on Operational Safety of Underground Facilities, was set-up in May 2005 at the ITA World Tunnel Congress in Istanbul, Turkey. This important step followed a joint initiative of eight European research projects which all aimed at improved tunnel safety after the disastrous fire accidents in various…
