List view / Grid view
6 April 2011 | By Ashwin Kumar, Rail Passenger Director, Passenger Focus
Passenger Focus is the independent consumer watchdog which, through its National Passenger Survey (NPS), provides a network-wide picture of passenger satisfaction with Britain’s rail services. Overall, Passenger Focus’s NPS of more than 31,000 passengers reveals that overall satisfaction has been rising gradually over recent years – with 84% satisfied in…
6 April 2011 | By Michel Clement, President, Kapsch CarrierCom
GSM-R is a big area of the railway industry. Many railway operators worldwide are integrating and upgrading their systems to ensure that they are running their networks as best as possible. In an interview with Craig Waters, Editor of Global Railway Review, Kapsch CarrierCom’s Vice President of GSM-R, Michel Clement,…
6 April 2011 | By Prof. Dr. Karsten Otte, Head of Rail Regulation Department, Bundesnetzagentur (BNetzA)
The German rail market is – due to its size of infrastructure and number of customers and its central transit position within Europe – a very interesting target for domestic and foreign train operators. Both the European legal framework and the German Railway reform programme of 1994 encouraged liberalisation of…
6 April 2011 | By Dr. Alexander Hedderich, CEO of DB Schenker Rail
Thanks to strong companies, and cooperation and joint ventures with partner railways which have matured over the years, DB Schenker Rail offers rail freight services throughout almost the whole of Europe. DB Schenker Rail comprises the three regions East, Germany/Central and West. The regions are supported by central functions such…
6 April 2011 | By Dr. Klaus Franke, Executive Board Member, AKN Eisenbahn AG
With 128 years of tradition in railway traffic, AKN Eisenbahn AG looks back on a proud history. Operating 39 double traction wagons, AKN’s service is of utmost importance to ca. 12 million passengers a year, as it opens up metropolitan Hamburg and the interior of Schleswig-Holstein to the public. AKN’s…
6 April 2011 | By Ulrich Weidmann, Professor for Transport Systems and Stephan Moll, PhD Student, Institute of Transport Planning and Systems, ETH Zürich, Switzerland
Rail freight transportation in Europe is a challenging business, characterised by low margins and high fixed costs. In this context, an efficient and effective use of production resources, such as locomotives, freight wagons or engine drivers, is a fundamental requirement for the financial success of freight railways.
6 April 2011 | By Jörg Saalbach, Representative of European Affairs for the Regional Planning Authority Rhein-Neckar
The trans-European railway axis (TEN-T) no. 24, also called ‘Corridor 24’ is the major North-South freight corridor in Europe connecting the international harbours of Rotterdam and Antwerp to the Mediterranean port of Genoa. Corridor 24 covers a number of the most important economic regions in Europe. The major European North-South…
6 April 2011 | By William Powrie, Professor of Geotechnical Engineering and Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and the Environment, University of Southampton and Tony Leyland, Project Coordinator for Track21 and Secretary of the Rail Research UK Association (RRUK-A)
Track21 is a major new research programme funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) with the aim of developing the fundamental science needed to bring about a step-change improvement in the performance of the UK’s railway track system. Led by Professor William Powrie of the University of…
6 April 2011 | By
The EU co-funded INNOTRACK project has been a joint response of the major stakeholders in the rail sector – infrastructure managers (IM), railway supply industry and research bodies – to further develop a cost-effective highperformance track infrastructure by providing innovative solutions towards significant reduction of both investments and maintenance related…
6 April 2011 | By Goran Brankovič, General Manager, Slovenske železnice (SŽ)
Slovenske železnice have a long and respectable tradition. It has been more than 160 years since the first train arrived in Slovenia and since then our railway system has undergone many changes. Today we are proud to be a vital part of Slovenia’s freight transport system. We are the largest…
6 April 2011 | By Süleyman Karaman, Director General and Chairman of the Board, Turkish State Railways (TCDD)
When the worldwide and European Union transportation policies of the last 30-years are analysed, it will be observed that some radical changes have taken place elevating railways to a prioritised position so that the share of railways in the transportation sector increases and a balance between the transportation modes is…
6 April 2011 | By Jan Steinkohl, Public Affairs Manager, UNIFE
Over the past years, a market for maintenance has developed and this market is becoming more-and-more vibrant, leading to astonishing cost savings and efficiency gains. The industry welcomes this development and calls up on the legislator to put in place the right framework for the future. For decades, the maintenance…
6 April 2011 | By Jeremy Candfield, Director General, Railway Industry Association (RIA)
Governments, passengers and freight customers have rising expectations and aspirations for the rail system. There is a constant pressure to drive up availability and reliability, and to drive down costs, while assuring and improving safety. At the same time, users want improved service levels, with increasing demands for better information…
