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.
26 November 2007 | By Dr. Konstantin von Diest, Head of Development, Stahlberg Roensch
A railway track represents a large investment that is not only meant to enable safe, fast and comfortable passenger and freight traffic, but is also expected to be permanently available. The track should allow decades of intense utilisation with no major interruptions. Track possessions for maintenance work or premature failure…
26 November 2007 | By Jens Kleeberg, General Manager for Track Design, RAIL.ONE International GmbH
The international increase in transportation volume throughout the world over recent years has led to a revival in railway traffic. This has in turn resulted in an appreciable number of technical innovations and an enhancement in railway technology in the areas of rolling stock, train control and track engineering.
26 September 2007 | By James Abbott, Technical Editor, Global Railway Review
Completion of the first high-speed line in Spain 15 years ago gave Renfe a new confidence and investment in the network is continuing at a sustained pace. Spain has one of the fastest–growing railway networks in Europe. Renfe (Spanish National Railways) gained a new confidence with the opening of the…
26 September 2007 | By Steffen Knape, Director, Eurailscout
Corrugation on rails causes severe damage to the railway infrastructure. Corrugation causes noise, additional stress in the rails and high frequency vibration which damages the subsoil; squats can also occur if rail head corrugation is not controlled.
26 September 2007 | By Ton Bontekoe, Product Manager – Gotcha, Lloyds Register Rail
Achieving high levels of rail system reliability in all the phases of the life cycle at an optimal cost requires sound information, robust risk based analysis, proper implementation of asset management activities and on-going critical review.
30 July 2007 | By Federico Fabretti, Director of Media Relations, Ferrovie dello Stato S.p.A
Ferrovie dello Stato’s business plan for 2007-2011 was approved by the Government on 4 May 2007. It is a development plan, a turning point and a real revolution from a quality point of view, with the aim of re-launching the Group on the domestic and European market and turning it…
30 July 2007 | By Arjen Zoeteman, Team Leader of Asset Maintenance Policies, ProRail
ProRail manages an installed base which has an estimated replacement value of more than €30 billion. Tracks and turnouts are a significant part of the pie, amounting to more than €8 billion. Moreover, they consume more than 50% of total maintenance costs and 75% of renewal costs due to their…
30 July 2007 | By Markus J. Kuhn, Head of Marketing & Communications, DB Training
Initial and advanced training, together with lifelong learning, are steadily growing as being the most important attribute in today’s society. Employees’ social or management skills are, alongside their vocational qualifications, more crucial than ever to a company’s success or failure.
30 July 2007 | By Douglas Oakervee, Executive Chairman of Cross London Rail Links Limited
Cross London Rail Links’ proposals for a major new railway for London and the south of the UK, with benefits for the whole of the country, continue to move steadily through the parliamentary process towards construction. Proposed in 1999 as part of a central London rail study (following a prior…
30 July 2007 | By James Abbott, Technical Editor
Recent research has underlined the importance of maintaining rails with regular grinding. The behaviour of the railhead under load used to be an imperfectly understood subject. Research work has broadened the rail industry’s knowledge; now, the question of how rail deteriorates over time and the way in which grinding can…
30 July 2007 | By Poul Frøsig, UIC Project Manager, ERTMS/ETCS and ERTMS Regional Projects and Craig Waters, Commissioning Editor, Global Railway Review
The European Train Control System (ETCS) is a signalling and control system designed to replace the 14 incompatible safety systems currently used by European Railways, especially on high-speed lines. This year, the UIC is holding its ERTMS World Conference in Berne, Switzerland. Switzerland offers a prime example of how ERTMS…
6 June 2007 | By Jon Frøisland, Executive Director of Infrastructure, Jernbaneverket
Stavanger, on the west coast of Norway, is the country’s oil capital. The city and the surrounding Jæren region have consistently enjoyed the fastest population growth in Norway since the oil boom started in the early 1970s. The Jæren line from Egersund to Stavanger is a continuation of the Sørland…
6 June 2007 | By Harri Yli-Villamo, Head of Project Planning Unit, RHK
The planning of Finland's first airport line is well under way and construction is scheduled to begin in 2008 on the outskirts of Helsinki. A working group has recommended that the line will be constructed with normal state budget funds. The project is expected to cost approximately €420 million (at…
6 June 2007 | By Daniel Huerlimann, CEO, OpenTrack Railway Technology Ltd and Andrew Nash, Researcher, ETH IVT
OpenTrack is a user-friendly railroad network simulation program. It is a microscopic model that simulates rail system operations based on user defined train, infrastructure and timetable databases. OpenTrack can be used to evaluate and test infrastructure plans and operating schedules in order to optimise network and timetable design. It can…
6 June 2007 | By Arnold Trümpi, Head of Business Unit ETCS, SBB
Since March 18 2007, the European Train Control System (ETCS) has been in full operation on Switzerland’s backbone of the railway network. The newly built Mattstetten – Rothrist line between Bern and Zurich is the core of the Rail 2000 concept. The new 42km section is used by 242 passenger…
