Rail industry news

Bullet train builder plays key role

Presents an analysis of the Japan Railway Construction, Transport and Technology Agency which handles the construction and maintenance of the bullet train network, while also undertaking other services such as the construction of other railroads and joint ownership of shipbuilding for domestic coastal transportation. The Agency has been assigned an AA corporate rating with stable outlook by Rating and Investment Information.

The Nikkei Weekly, vol.46, no.2.343, 30 June 2008. p.22.

BAA talks on Crossrail in 'final stages'

Talks aimed at persuading BAA to put up an estimated £250 M towards the new rail link between Heathrow and the City are in their final stage according to sources. Ministers have been forced to deny that Crossrail's funding is in doubt, insisting that the scheme was progressing according to the planned timetable.

Financial Times, 8 August 2008. p.2.

Watchdog hits at rail carriage costs / Decades of rolling accusations

The Competition Commission has found that train companies funded by the taxpayer are likely to be paying too much for carriages because the market is uncompetitive. The commission, which has been investigating rolling stock leasing companies for more than a year, says that there is insufficient competition in a market dominated by three companies. Notes that the supply of rolling stock to Britain's train companies has been contentious for a number of years.

Financial Times, 7 August 2008. p.3.

Rail chiefs face bonus curbs

A report for the Office of Rail Regulation by KPMG suggests 'amending the management incentive structure' for Network Rail chiefs, which could in effect mean curbing large bonuses. The report recommends that the Network Rail board should issue a public explanation when the company underperforms. It also calls for a change in the company structure that would make it easier to remove board members.

Financial Times, 9/10 August 2008. p.4.

New Metrolink trams ordered

Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive has placed an order worth £56 M with Bombardier for 28 trams to operate on new Metrolink lines to Oldham and Rochdale, Droylsden, and Chorlton. Construction work is due to start in early 2009 and the lines are expected to begin opening from spring 2011.

Modern Railways, vol.65, no.719, Aug.2008. p.7.

Usual suspects up for Thameslink contract

The Department of Transport has announced the short-listed applicants to build the new fleet of trains, valued at around £1.4 bn, for Thameslink routes. They are Alstom Transport, Bombardier Transportation, Hitachi Europe and Siemens Transportation Systems. An invitation to tender is expected to be issued in September, with the award of the contract expected in summer 2009.

Modern Railways, vol.65, no.719, Aug.2008. p.6.

Siemens wins Scotland EMU order

The Scottish Government has announced a £200 M deal with Siemens and HSBC to provide 130 new electric multiple-unit vehicles from December 2010. According to Transport Scotland it will lead to 134 new jobs being created to operate and maintain the new fleet.

Modern Railways, vol.65, no.719, Aug.2008. p.6.

High-speed rail gains from air

Highlights the success of the European high-speed rail network in gaining market share as increasing numbers of passengers switch from short-haul air routes. As well as the success of Thalys and Eurostar there is growth on routes from Paris to both Geneva and Zurich. Notes the potential for faster times on the East Coast route from London to Edinburgh.

Modern Railways, vol.65, no.719, Aug.2008. pp.58-59.

Operators accused over longer train journeys

Liberal Democrat transport spokesman Norman Baker has accused train companies of manipulating journey times to avoid paying fines after data showed that some key commuter routes into London now take longer than they did 20 years ago. A spokesman from the Association of Train Operating Companies has called the claims 'simplistic nonsense from people who had no understanding of how rail worked'.

Financial Times, 13 Aug.2008. p.2.

Japan close-up

Reports briefly on the opening of Tokyo's new subway line, the Tokyo Metro Fukutoshin Line. Officials hope that the new line, with a total length of 20.2km and 16 stations and which officially started operations on June 14th, will help to ease rush hour congestion.

The Nikkei Weekly, vol.46, no.2,341, 16 June 2008. p.2.

Freightliner bought

Freightliner Group has announced that it has been bought by Arcapita, the Bahrain-based bank. Arcapita is acquiring Freightliner from 3i and Electra Private equity, who have each had a 38% stake since supporting a management buy-out when the British Rail business was privatised in 1996. Arcapita is also acquiring the 24% held by management and staff. The value of the transaction is reported to be about £340 M.

Railway Gazette International, vol.164, no.7, July 2008. p.404.

GE to resignal Rotterdam

Rotterdam transport operator RET has selected GE Transportation to undertake the resignalling of the city's 55km two-line metro network. GE will begin work on the Euros 62 M contract early in 2009. The company will replace relay-based equipment and supply interlockings, audio frequency track circuits and cab control products.

Railway Gazette International, vol.164, no.7, July 2008. p.411.

Frankfurt LRV handed over

Frankfurt Transport Authority has taken delivery of the first of 146 Flexity Swift light rail vehicles which are being built by Bombardier. A further 11 will be supplied this year, with deliveries continuing until autumn 2015.

Railway Gazette International, vol.164, no.7, July 2008. p.411.

Infrastructure: UK

Network Rail has awarded Westinghouse Rail Systems the contract to design, install and commission signalling and telecoms for the £300 M Airdrie-Bathgate line reopening. (Item contains no further information).

Railway Gazette International, vol.164, no.7, July 2008. p.415.

News in brief

Bombardier Transportation and Transmarsh Holding have signed an agreement to establish an equally-owned joint venture to develop locomotives with asynchronous traction equipment for the CIS market. The companies already cooperate in component production under a May 2007 agreement. (Item contains no further information).

Railway Gazette International, vol.164, no.7, July 2008. p.417.

Ambitious rail plan finally leaves the sidings

Reports that the Crossrail project has received royal assent and will now go ahead with construction beginning in 2010 and the first trains running in 2017. The rail link, which will be 118.5km long and carry 200 M passengers a year, is designed to cut at least a third off the journey time between Canary Wharf and Heathrow.

Financial Times, 24 July 2008. p.

Underground upgrade

LPA Group of Saffron Walden, Essex, has won new contracts totalling £850,000 to supply step lights, both on trains and platforms, for several London Underground lines.

Cambridge Evening News, 15 Jul 2008. p 20

Eurostar's relocation helps lift passenger numbers

Reports that passenger numbers at Eurostar were 18% higher in the first half of this year than last year as improved journey times and more convenient connections at its new London terminus boosted demand. There were particularly strong increases of sales of joint tickets with UK train operators serving places convenient for the new St Pancras terminal.

Financial Times, 17 July 2008. p.19.

Restructure pays off at Eurotunnel

Group Eurotunnel has announced its first ever interim profit following a huge debt restructuring and buoyant traffic levels. There were net profits of Euros 26 M for the six months ending in June against a loss of Euros 32 M for the same period last year. Executive chairman Jacques Gounon said that growth would slow in the second half of the year, but pointed out that Eurotunnel's competitors, including some ferry operators, have been forced to introduce surcharges to combat the high price of oil.

Financial Times, 18 July 2008. p.18.

Review to focus on new era of travel / Europe's high-speed lines that fall victim to political influence / High-speed rails

Network Rail has confirmed that it is launching a review that could lead to five new lines. Chief executive Iain Coucher said new signalling systems and other improvements were no longer enough to increase capacity. However not all new routes would run high-speed trains. Suggests that Britain could learn from the Continent where a number of such lines have proved inefficient or unpopular. Comments that high-speed lines should not be built at the expense of improvements to the commuter network.

Financial Times, 24 June 2008. p.3. and p.14.

Harmonised education and certification for aluminothermic welders

Describes RAILSAFE, a system for the education, training, qualification and certification of aluminothermic rail welders on a common European basis to facilitate compliance with EN 14730-2. The system improves welder mobility between railways in different countries and between contractors and gives wider recognition of skills and qualifications.

Welding and Cutting, vol.7, no.3, 2008. p.130.

CSX to choose which route to bottom line / Rail group catching up, says chief

Reports that the underperformance of US rail freight company GSX and its efforts to close the performance gap with its peers are the key issues in a battle over board seats that will dominate its annual general meeting. The Children's Investment Fund and 3G Capital, another hedge fund, are trying to win five of CSX's 12 board seats. TCI has demanded radical changes in CSX's pricing policy and investment spending. CSX chief executive Michael Ward has admitted that the group has underperformed in the past but insisted that it was now catching up on its competitors.

Financial Times, 24 June 2008. p.26.

Alstom chief shunts group towards freight

Reports on moves by Alstom chief executive Philippe Mellier to increase the group's profitability. He wants the group to compete for export orders and to move more towards business with private operators. However he intends to ensure that the company competes only for business that is guaranteed to bring a good return, trying to compete better in the freight locomotive market.

Financial Times, 26 June 2008. p.26.

Network Rail looks at extra main lines

Network Rail is expected to announce that it is launching a strategic review to look at the possibility of building five new main lines. The company is expected to say that the lines will be need by 2025 when existing routes north and west of London will be full to capacity. Most routes are expected to be high-speed passenger lines which would free up space on existing lines for local passenger and freight trains.

Financial Times, 21/22 June 2008. p.1.

Fast train on the route towards modernisation

As part of a five year programme to spend $250bn modernising Mexico's infrastructure, three new rail routes have been built to link the most heavily populated areas of the Valley of Mexico to Mexico City. Journey times have been drastically cut. The government also plans to spend about $4bn on road construction, with an additional $3bn from private funding. The country hopes to have 10 new multi-use railway routes, including 12 state-of-the-art, strategically located, cargo terminals by 2012.

Financial Times, 16 Jun.2008. Special report. Mexico: Business & Infrastructure. p.4.

Network Rail workers down tools

Reports that two thirds of Network Rail's maintenance workers were due to strike in what the company believes could be the first of several strikes over pay contracts. The strike action follows 18 months of discussion by a working group formed by the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union and the company to agree on harmonising 50 different employment contracts inherited by Network Rail when it took maintenance back in-house in 2004.

Financial Times, 14/15 June 2008. p.2.

RBS sells train leasing arm to Babcock & Brown group / Buy out caps turbulent week for infrastructure player

Royal Bank of Scotland has confirmed the sale of Angel Trains, its train leasing subsidiary, to a consortium led by Babcock & Brown, the Australian infrastructure company. Babcock said that the UK market offered substantial value. At present Angel Trains has about 40% of the UK train leasing market. The news comes at the end of a week that saw Babcock's shares fall substantially after short-selling attacks.

Financial Times, 14/15 June 2008. p.15.

Freightliner sets sights on Australia

Bahrain's Arcapita has agreed to pay a total of £340 M, including assumed debt, for Freightliner, the country's largest rail carrier of maritime containers. Arcapita has said that it would look to expand internationally, including potentially Australia due to the boom in commodities in that country.

Financial Times, 14/15 June 2008. p.18.

Green light for Pendolino lengthening at last

Alstom has received formal notification from the Department of Transport to proceed with the manufacture of 106 Pendolino vehicles, valued at £255 M. Four new 11-car Class 390 Pendolino sets are covered by the deal, plus 62 new coaches to extend 31 of the existing nine-car Pendolinos to 11 cars. The work will be carried out at Alstom's new maintenance facility at Liverpool rather than the main Pendolino depot at Longsight, Manchester.

Modern Railways, vol.65, no.717, June 2008. p.6.

Phased plans for Glasgow Crossrail

Strathclyde Passenger Transport has unveiled proposals for a three-stage development of the Glasgow Crossrail project. The first stage could be completed in time for the Commonwealth games in 2014. A report, carried out for SPT by transport consultants Faber Maunsell, predicted that more than four million passengers would use proposed new stations at Glasgow Cross, Gorbals and West Street.

Modern Railways, vol.65, no.717, June 2008. p.7.

GrantRail, Laing O'Rourke, Thales in frame for Metrolink expansion

Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive has selected the M-Pact Thales consortium as preferred bidder for the 'design, construct and maintain' contract for the major expansion of the Metrolink system. Under the plan, the Network Rail lines to Oldham and Rochdale will be converted to light rail operation, and new lines will run to Droylsden and Chorlton.

Modern Railways, vol.65, no.717, June 2008. p.7.

Contractors must fix cracks on tracks in Phoenix

Reports that repairs to cracks in steel rails along a $1.4 bn 20 mile Phoenix area light rail project are nearly complete. Officials had found fissures up to 7.5" long in three of five segments during routine inspections. Investigations found that high heat from plasma welding torches used to cut drainage openings changed the steel's structural properties resulting in brittleness and microscopic cracks that worsened with expansion and contraction during seasonal weather changes.

Engineering News-Record, vol.260, no.16, 12 May 2008. p.12.

Network Rail attacks spending proposals

Network Rail has attacked proposals by the Office of Rail Regulation which they say would leave it with a shortfall of £34 bn on its spending plans between 2009 and 2014. The ORR proposals allow it to spend £27.8 bn or 11% less than it said that it needed for operating, maintaining improving and renewing the rail network. Network Rail said that the proposals put at risk much needed improvements for passengers and freight users.

Financial Times, 6 June 2008. p.5.

Dutch train sports composite panels

Composite nose and rear panels used in the latest Dutch high-speed InterCity trains are expected to save around Euros 200,000 in construction and maintenance during the train's lifetime. The parts are manufactured by NPSP Compostieten based in Haarlem using a vacuum-assisted moulding process and DSM Composite Resins' products. Using composites instead of metal for these parts will remove 1000 kg of weight from the trains.

Reinforced Plastics, vol.52, no.5, May 2008. p.5.

Network Rail ordered to improve west coast service

The Office of the Rail Regulator has demanded action from Network Rail to improve train performance on the west coast line following recent disruption caused by upgrade work disturbing ageing signalling cables. 250,000 Virgin train passengers have been affected.

Financial Times, 24/25 May 2008. p.5.

Metronet's future in mayor's hands

Metronet has been taken over by Transport for London. The department for transport is likely to press TfL to return as much of the company as possible to private ownership.

Financial Times, 27 May 2008. p.2.

Rail hub plan for Heathrow

Plans are being put forward by Arup to build a new station, between West Drayton and Iver on the Great Western mainline at Heathrow, that would make the airport more accessible from the west, south-west and Wales, the Midlands, the north-west and Scotland. This includes extending the current high-speed rail line currently terminating at St Pancras to the new Heathrow hub.

Financial Times, 28 May 2008. p.4.

Franchise aims to cut train crush

Tom Harris, rail minister has invited bidders to compete for the South Central franchise covering parts of south London, Surrey and Sussex. It is hoped to ease overcrowding by providing 10% more capacity. The franchise is due to start in September 2009.

Financial Times, 23 May 2008. p.

Crash-proof train seams

Engineers at the Vienna University of Technology are trying to simulate the behaviour of weld seams under crash loading to improve rail vehicle design.

Materials World, May 2008, p.12.

Business, business, business

Reports on the formation of the Rail Alliance, a rail business network formed with the specific charter of helping the industry make the most of the pool of opportunities over the next decade. The Alliance aims to complement the activities of more established trade associations and already has a membership of over 350. Activities have included technology transfer projects and assistance with export contracts.

Railway Strategies for Senior Management, Issue 48, Apr.-May 2008. pp.10-11.

Much more to come

Reports on the cooperation between Alstom and TBM Consulting Group which aims to help businesses achieve improved levels of efficiency and productivity and sustained profit and revenue growth. The improvements have been brought about by the use of Kaizen events which look to eliminate waste within maintenance tasks by removing the non-value-added activities from the process.

Railway Strategies for Senior Management, Issue 48, Apr.-May 2008. pp.16-17.

Shortening line closures

Network Rail has ordered 26 specialised tilting wagons from Krow in an effort to reduce line closure times. The £10 M order forms part of Network Rail's modular switches and crossings programme and will help engineers to renew a set of points in overnight eight-hour possessions. At present it takes around 54 hours to carry out this work.

Railway Strategies for Senior Management, Issue 48, Apr.-May 2008. p.25.

Integrated Engineering Services for 'turnkey' solutions

Describes the activities of the County Durham Engineering Cluster which has been formed to offer the joint capabilities and expertise of the 57 companies to the rail industry. Companies within the cluster cooperate in unique ways to provide a blend of skills and capabilities which allow the creation of custom integrated engineering services that can be configured on demand to meet specific customer requirements. The Cluster offers an effective one-stop stop for turnkey projects that require a diverse range of products and services.

Railway Strategies for Senior Management, Issue 48, Apr.-May 2008. p.31.

Sparks are flying at LPA

Recounts the recent history and problems of railway electrical parts supplier and manufacturer LPA, based in Saffron Walden, Essex.

Cambridge Evening News, 13 May 2008. pp 24-25

Travel in style

Details of the Tangula luxury tourist train, being developed in China for service in September 2008, that will carry passengers up to the Tibetan plateau, 5.072m above sea level.

Engineering, vol.249. no.3. Mar. 2008. p.5.

New lines

An outline of the steps being taken by Siemens to create greener railways, including regenerative braking in the Desiro Class 350 electric train fleet, and reduction of fuel consumption in the diesel Desiro class 185 fleet.

Engineering, vol.249. no.3. Mar. 2008. p.6.

Count down

A detailed description of the production of a replica Peppercorn class A1 Tornado passenger steam locomotive by the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust at the old Hopetown Lane Carriage Works, Darlington.

Engineering, vol.249. no.3. Mar. 2008. pp.22-24,26.

Thameslink train procurement starts

The Department of Transport began procurement of a new fleet of dual-voltage electric multiple-units for Thameslink services on April 9th with a Notice in the Official Journal of the European Union seeking expressions of interest. The new fleet is intended to start entering revenue-earning service by 1 February, 2012, providing additional capacity prior to the Olympics.

Modern Railways, vol.65, no.6, May 2008. p.6.

Penistone line in West Yorkshire picked for tram-train trials

The Department of Transport has announced that five new tram-trains, which can run on both tram tracks and railway lines, will replace conventional trains on the 37-mile Penistone line between Huddersfield, Barnsley and Sheffield. The trial, which starts in 2010 and will take two years, will look at the environmental benefits, operating costs and technical suitability of the tram-trains as well as testing how popular the vehicles are with passengers on the route.

Modern Railways, vol.65, no.6, May 2008. p.7.

Green mobility: rail in a new environment

A series of articles covering: making rail travel attractive to reduce car use; how engineers are looking at ways to reduce rail's carbon footprint; Siemens response to climate change and also some of the company's energy saving ideas; global warming and the railways; intelligent concepts for future rail travel; and the use of light rail.

Modern Railways, vol.65, no.6, May 2008. pp.39-78.

Bullish outlook at Alstom

Alstom could once again be the world's biggest manufacturer of railway equipment, as recent orders for the Paris network have enabled the French firm to edge ahead of Bombardier in terms of size of order book. The company has expressed an interest in Russia and has denied that its pull-out of the bidding for the Inter-city Express Project in the UK signalled a lack of interest in the country

Modern Railways, vol.65, no.6, May 2008. p.100.

Dresden tram order for Bombardier

Dresdner Verkehrsbetriebe (DVB) has ordered 11 more Bombardier Flexity Class trams, for delivery between July 2009 and May 2010. The new order, worth Euros 34 M, will bring the fleet up to a total of 83 trams. The city's entire tram fleet is being replaced by modern, low-floor vehicles.

Modern Railways, vol.65, no.6, May 2008. pp.101-102.

Alstom seeks to reassure investors

Patrick Kron, Alstom chief executive, has said that business practices at the company are above board as he highlighted a strong performance during the past 12 months. The company is cooperating with Swiss and French authorities investigating suspected bribery to win foreign contracts in South America and Asia between 1995 and 2003.

Financial Times, 8 May 2008. p.25.

Network Rail penalty upheld

The proposed record £14 M penalty on Network Rail for engineering work overruns in the New year has been confirmed by rail regulators. Network Rail wanted the fine set aside and suggested that instead the company spend the £14 M on a series of improvements. However the Office of Rail Regulation said it remained convinced of 'systemic weaknesses' in Network Rail planning and execution of engineering work and that the penalty should stand.

Financial Times, 8 May 2008. p.4.

SNCF eyes stake in Italian freight

SNCF's potential purchase of up to 49% of Ferrovie Nord Cargo, the freight arm of Ferrovie Nord Milano, continues a string of acquisitions by the company since Guillaume Pepy took over as president in February. It is suggested that the company is also looking at other potential purchases including the privatisation of CFR Marfa, the freight arm of Romania's national railways.

Financial Times, 8 May 2008. p.28.

Europe blows the whistle on state railway aid

The European Commission has told governments to end 'hidden' state aid to railway companies by the end of next year. The Commission wants to boost competition at a time when several rail companies have been acquiring privately owned train operators.

Financial Times, 1 May 2008. p.11.

UK float for Russian rail group

Globaltrans, Russia's largest private train operator has reported that it will raise $449 M when it floats on the London Stock Exchange. Sergey Maltsev, Globaltrans' chief executive, said that the offer's success showed that investors recognised the potential of the Russian freight industry.

Financial Times, 1 May 2008. p.21.

West Coast trains face more delay

Virgin Trains said that it would aim to keep passenger disruption to a minimum after regulators allowed network rail to close the West Coast Main Line for more often this year than first planned. Virgin had wanted to delay the start of a new train timetable with faster journeys and 30% more trains until next year and keep closures this year at the original level. However Network Rail, other passenger train operators and all but one of the route's freight users favoured extra closures.

Financial Times, 3/4 May 2008. p.6.

Seventy die in China train crash

A collision between two Chinese passenger trains has killed at least 70 people and injured 420. The crash in eastern Shandong province was blamed by the railway ministry on human error, but the accident is likely to raise questions over funding shortfalls and government attempts to privatise parts of the rail industry.

Financial Times, 29 Apr.2008. p.10.

Passenger numbers show rail sector is on move

Atoc, the Association of Train Operating Companies, has announced that mainline railways passenger traffic in 2007 was higher than in any previous peacetime year, having grown 7%. However due to the railways semi-public, semi-private finances little of the growth has turned into profit for the companies holding the 20 government-let franchises.

Financial Times, 19/20 Apr.2008. p.21.

Germany agrees partial sale of Deutsche Bahn

The privatisation of Deutsche Bahn is to take place, with a holding company owning 75.1% of passenger and freight transport and all of the entity running stations and the rail network. 24.9% in the transport arm will be sold in a flotation expected to raise $4.8bn - $7.9bn. Most of the money would go to the German government, but some would be used to fund Deutsche Bahn's investment plans in Europe and other European countries.

Financial Times, 15 Apr. 2008. p.10.

Eurostar still confident of growth in spite of strong euro

Despite the strong Euro, Eurostar expects continued growth on the high-speed trains between the UK and Europe.

Financial Times, 15 Apr. 2008. p.20.

Rail passenger journeys hit peacetime record

Britain's railways saw record passenger traffic last year, the 13th year of consecutive growth. Figures from the Association of Train Operating Companies show that there were 1.21 bn passenger rail journeys in 2007 and traffic of 30.1 bn miles, journeys multiplied by the length of each.

Financial Times, 10 Apr.2008. p.2.

Rail contract tender in disarray as Alstom pulls out

A consortium of Alstom Transport and Barclays Private Equity has withdrawn from the bidding to supply the order for between 500 and 2,000 carriages for the Intercity Express programme. Two further bidders - the Express Rail Alliance and Hitachi - have demanded more time to submit tenders: they are thought to be struggling to make sense of the requirements for the trains for which they are supposed to produce at least three basic designs and many further permutations of train lengths and layouts.

Financial Times, 14 Apr.2008. p.2.

Big order for trains expected to cost £1.4bn

The Department for Transport is to issue a tender for new trains for the cross-London Thameslink route. The size of the order is not yet finalised but is expected to range between 900 and 1300 carriages, with a likely cost of £1.4 billion.

Financial Times, 9 Apr 2008. p 4

Eurotunnel strikes first profit; Shareholder coup that put the train back on the tracks

Eurotunnel has declared a profit for the first time in its 22 year history. Following a traumatic restructuring the group declared net profits of Eur 1 million for 2007. The story of the rescue is recounted.

Financial Times, 9 Apr 2008. p 24

Full steam ahead for £500m stations upgrade

A £500 M redevelopment of a number of Network Rail owned stations in the south-east is to be given the go-ahead following the agreement of a joint venture with developer Kier Property. Kier will initially work on a portfolio of six station sites, including Enfield Town, Epsom, Guildford, Maidstone East, Twickenham and Walthamstow.

Financial Times, 3 Apr.2008. p.22.

Globaltrans set for LSE listing

Globaltrans, Russia's largest private rail freight operator plans to list on the London Stock Exchange in a deal that could raise about $200 M in fresh capital and value the company at about $1.3 bn. Proceeds from the listing will be used to expand the company's fleet of wagons and locomotives which mostly carry high-value steel and oil products.

Financial Times, 5/6 Apr.2008. p.22.

Metronet resolves contract dispute

Metronet Rail has resolved its dispute over the supply of new trains and signalling to Transport for London. Bombardier will withdraw from its subcontract to resignal all the non-tube lines but will retain its contract to supply 238 new trains for the Victoria and sub-surface lines.

Financial Times, 2 Apr 2008. p 22

Composite railroad bridge

HC Bridge Company of the United States has announced that a full sized locomotive pulling 26 heavy axle load coal cars has crossed the first composite railroad bridge in the world in a live load test. The bridge was a 30 ft span comprised of eight hybrid-composite beams. The beams, known as the Hillman Composite Beam, are designed to be stronger, lighter and more corrosion resistant than the standard concrete and steel beams traditionally used in infrastructure application.

Reinforced Plastics, vol.52, no.3, Mar.2008. pp.48-49.

Rumbles out as Serco wins Dubai

Grant Rumbles has left his position as Serco's chief operating officer after his position was described as 'no longer required'. Serco has announced that it has won a £400 M, 10-year deal to operate and maintain Dubai's new light railway system which will carry 200 M passengers a year and start in 2009.

Financial Times, 26 Mar.2008. p.22.

Warning issued to Network Rail

Network Rail has been warned that it could face severe consequences unless it acts quickly to improve poor train punctuality on the Great Western route from London Paddington. The Office of Rail Regulation has told the company that it could eventually be investigated for a breach of its licence to operate the network unless there were rapid improvements. (Item contains little further information).

Financial Times, 27 Mar.2008. p.4.

Soaring costs derail German train plan

Plans for a high-speed 'Transrapid' magnetic levitation train linking Munich to its airport have been abandoned after construction costs almost doubled from Euros 1.5 bn to Euros 3.4 bn. German companies, who were among the pioneers for this technology, have failed in several bids to apply it in their own country.

Financial Times, 28 Mar.2008. p.6.

Growth on track for oriental express

China is pressing ahead with building a high-speed rail network and is also trying to improve its harbour, airport and highway infrastructure. It is suggested that these public works contracts are a sign that the country wishes to sustain high economic growth, while tightening credit to stem booming corporate capital investments and an overheating property market.

The Nikkei Weekly, vol.46, no.2,328, 17 Mar.2008. p.15.

JR Tokai to take maglev underground

The proposed route map for the high-speed magnetic-levitation trains that Central Japan Railway plans to begin operating in 2025 shows that about 80% of the route, which runs in a straight line from Tokyo to Nagoya, is underground. The route was built straight to prevent losses of time and money and underground to cut the costs and hassle of acquiring land.

The Nikkei Weekly, vol.46, no.2,328, 17 Mar.2008. p.16.

Transport duo step up heat on rivals

Two of Italy's biggest public transport operators are to merge to form a competitor for international transport contracts that will be Europe's ninth-biggest public transport operator by revenue. Executives have said that ATM, the Milan operator, plans to merge with Turin's GTT because neither was competitive in profitability or unit costs with the British and French operators that dominate the sector.

Financial Times. 31 Mar.2008. p.24.

'£60billion benefit' from new high speed rail network, says Atkins

Engineering consultants say that the benefits would be felt across the UK, from London to the Midlands, the North, and Scotland, through connecting the major business centres and increasing productivity. New high speed lines would not only provide new capacity, but also help free up space on existing lines and encourage more local investment in transport improvements to reduce road congestion in urban areas.

Modern Railways, Apr.2008. p.9.

Forth Bridge is licked with glass-flake epoxy paint

Reports that Balfour Beatty is expected to complete its £74 M contract with Network Rail for painting the Forth Bridge in 2012. They will use a specialist glass-flake epoxy paint from Leigh Paints, similar to that used in the offshore oil industry, which is designed to last 20 years but could well last up to 30 years.

Modern Railways, Apr.2008. p.13.

Repairing worn rails

Network Rail has purchased from ESAB ten Railtrac BV 1000 units. This is specialised equipment for repairing worn rails by laying down weld metal. The automated welding process is considered to offer significant time savings over conventional arc welding techniques. The ESAB process does not require interpass grinding which makes the repair process quicker, easier and safer.

Modern Railways, Apr.2008. p.14.

Wind power for railway

Railway infrastructure authority Infrabel has announced a Euros 65 M programme for the installation of a wind farm of 20 windmills along a high speed line in Belgium, in collaboration with Electrabel and the local authorities along the line. Output should amount to 100 GWh a year and a third of this will go directly to railway power supply.

Modern Railways, Apr.2008. p.83.

Thalys waits on new high-speed lines

Reports on current developments in high-speed train services offered by Thalys. Of particular importance is the service offered between Brussels and Paris. Key to Thalys development is the new and upgraded infrastructure from Brussels to the Netherlands and Germany, which will result in improved services to Amsterdam and Cologne.

Modern Railways, Apr.2008. p.82.

Network Rail - the future is modular

Interviews Network Rail's Chief Engineer Andrew McNaughton on his concept of modularity. He argues that items can be manufactured to a standard design under factory conditions, thus reducing both costs and disruptions. Standardisation means higher quality maintenance as maintaining fewer and standardised pieces of equipment will result in better performance. Areas where modularity can be applied include stations, footbridges, roadbridges, level crossings and signalling.

Modern Railways, Apr.2008. pp.59-63.

Panorama of transport

Gives a selection of transport statistics that set out to describe, from various angles, the development of the European transport sector from 1990 to 2005. Covers: transport in the EU; transport infrastructure; means of transport; enterprises, employment and economic performance; traffic and transport quantities and performances; transport safety; and energy consumption and the environment.

Eurostat. European Communities, 2007. ISBN 978-92-79-04618-6 / TransportinEurope.pdf

Private sector urged to continue Tube role

Responding to a report by MPs into the collapse of Metronet Rail the Department for Transport said that any problems with the Metronet contract were the fault of the company alone rather than the public-private partnership. It argued that the success so far of TubeLines - the contractor for the Northern, Jubilee and Piccadilly lines - showed that the PPP system is sound.

Financial Times, 1 Apr.2008. p.4.

Bullet train service on Taiwan trunk route gathers speed, driving midsize airlines out

Uni Air will stop offering flights between Taipei and Kaohsiung, Taiwan's second largest city. The move is in response to a steep decline in passenger traffic since Taiwan High Speed Rail began offering a Japan-built bullet train service on this route last year.

The Nikkei Weekly, vol.46, no.2,325, 25 Feb.2008. p.13.

Plea to cut rail incident delays

A report from the National Audit Office says that the rail industry should minimise the delay and inconvenience following mishaps on the network by improving co-ordination with emergency services and giving passengers better information. It notes that in financial year 2006/07 there were 800,000 incidents on the railways which delayed passenger trains by 14 M minutes, costing those delayed at least £1 bn.

Financial Times, 14 Mar.2008. p.4.

Call to improve northern towns' road and rail links

A report from the Centre for Cities has said that small northern towns need better communication links with their regional capital if they are not to fall further behind counterparts in the south of England. The report says that people and businesses in thriving smaller towns in the south-east have much better connections with London which helps them keep pace with the growth of the capital's economy.

Financial Times, 18 Mar.2008. p.7.

Trains to run on streets of Sheffield

The Department for Transport has announced a trial of 'tram-train' technology where trains would run from Huddersfield to Barnsley and on to Sheffield, starting in 2010. A potential second stage of the trial would see the trains leave the national rail network and travel on the Sheffield Supertram tracks, through the city's streets.

Financial Times, 19 Mar.2008. p.5.

Raider Perloff ready to give LPA a rocket

Corporate raider Andrew Perloff is set to give the board of Saffron Walden-based railway electronics company LPA a rough ride at its annual meeting this week. But chief executive officer Peter Pollock claims that many of Mr Perloff's arguments are based on inaccurate and potentially misleading interpretations of the company's annual accounts, and points out that the company's order book going into 2009 is stronger than ever.

Cambridge Evening News, 7 Mar 2008. p 62

Shanghai delays rail project after protests

Shanghai's local government has delayed work on a new electro-magnetic train line until at least next year after the proposed development triggered mass protests from people living near to the planned track. The city's mayor has said that the project is not on the list of those planned to go ahead this year. The project is seen as a test of the influence of the newly wealthy middle classes.

Financial Times, 7 Mar.2008. p.7.

Belgium completes high-speed system

Infrastructure on three high-speed routes, linking Brussels to France, Germany and the Netherlands, has now been finished. The West Line goes via Lille, the East Line via Aix-la-Chapelle and the North Line via Antwerp. Describes some of the principal stations involved, signalling systems and the financing of the projects.

Modern Railways, vol.65, no.714, Mar.2008. pp.63-69.

Work begins on Beijing-Shanghai line

Construction on the 1,318 km line started in January and is expected to take five years, with work proceeding from forty sites. The line has a design speed of 350 km/h, permitting an end-to-end journey time of five hours, compared with nearly ten hours at present.

Railway Gazette, vol.164, no.2, Feb.2008. p.67.

DB enters UK passenger market

Deutsche Bahn has signed a contract to acquire 100% of Laing Rail in the UK. Laing owns M40 Trains and holds 50% of both London Overground Rail Operations and the Wrexham, Shropshire & Marylebone Railway.

Railway Gazette, vol.164, no.2, Feb.2008. p.69.

Stafford bypass could slash London-Glasgow times

Two new sections of line to bypass Stafford could slash journey times to around four hours. The bypass would cost around £550 M and the Department for Transport believes that it would bring about a significant shift from air to rail in the Anglo-Scottish market.

Railway Gazette, vol.164, no.2, Feb.2008. p.69.

Market

Reports on a number of new contracts for Bombardier: a Euros 90 M order for 64 double-deck coaches for use in Schleswig-Holstein; an order for six Bombardier Traxx F140AC2 electric locos for use on the Sweden-Germany corridor; a Euros 44 M order from Angel Trains for 12 two-car Class 172 second-generation Turbostar DMUs for use by London Overground and Chiltern Railways; a Euros 23 M for 10 Flexity Outlook trams for use in Innsbruck and a SFr 85 M contract for 18 of the same to be used in Geneva; and a Euros 32 M contract to replace the 1-2 km peoplemover at Gatwick Airport and a $63 M contract to extend the peoplemover at Atlanta Airport.

Railway Gazette, vol.164, no.2, Feb.2008. pp.73-74.

An open market beckons

Investigates some of the preparations being made for the opening up of the European market for international rail passenger services. Competition from low-cost airlines is one of the reasons behind the deregulation and German company DB is expected to be among the leading operators. Also considers the Italian market, overnight services and the hurdles new entrants face in trying to break into traditional markets.

Railway Gazette, vol.164, no.2, Feb.2008. pp.89-91.

Sea-rail transport model linking Akita, Russian interior put to test

The regional bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has launched a pilot test of a proposed sea and railway transport programme which carries containers via the northern Japanese Akita Port to Russia. The Tohoku Regional Bureau has sought to validate the feasibility of the transportation model to deliver automotive parts and other parts to the Russian interior. The bureau hopes to raise the region's competitiveness as a distribution base through the intermodal transport system.

The Nikkei Weekly, vol.46, no.2,324, 18 Feb.2008. p.8.

Welding Lines interviews Eur Ing Bob Sawdon, Balfour Beatty Rail's Rails & Welding Engineer and Vice-Chairman of the Institute of Rail Welding

Asks about Sawdon's part of the group and his role within the group. Follows with questions on changes in the industry, his own personal achievements and the future of the Institute of Rail Welding.

Welding Lines, Issue 23, Feb.2008. p.2.

Network Rail fined £14 M

Following a £14 M fine for overruns on engineering works the Office of Rail Regulation has given Network Rail until March 31st to agree with passenger and freight train operators a new plan for the upgrade of the London-Glasgow West Coast Main Line. The project is currently more than 300 hours behind schedule.

Financial Times, 29 Feb.2008. p.2.

Engineers bypass railway work

A group of former British Rail engineers has developed a system that allows trains to bypass tracks under maintenance, potentially saving millions of pounds. The Non-Intrusive Crossover System, being tested by Network Rail, allows trains to be switched safely to an adjacent track or to a new siding without installing a permanent connection, and without interfering with the existing track and signalling system. (Item contains no further information).

Financial Times, 3 Mar.2008. p.4.

Maglev attracts public funding

The consortium UK Ultraspeed, whose members include Siemens, is to announce that it has received funding from the Merseyside Partnership to develop its plans for a high-speed maglev route between Liverpool and Manchester.

Financial Times, 27 Feb 2008. p 4

India to invest billions in rail revamp

India's railways minister has announced investment of nearly Rs2,500 billion (£32 billion) in the country's railways over the next five years. Rs1,000 billion will be raised from the private sector with concessions for major stations in New Delhi, Mumbai, Patna and Secunderabad.

Financial Times, 27 Feb 2008. p 12

Eurotunnel plan to raise Euros1.7 bn

Eurotunnel intends to follow last year's restructuring with a plan to raise funds through new equity issues. It will seek to raise Euros800 M immediately through the issue of subordinated deferred equity securities. It then plans a rights issue to raise a further Euros900 M in June.

Financial Times, 21 Feb.2008. p.26.

Argentina awards £1.3 billion contract for high-speed rail

An estimated $1.3 bn turnkey contract for the 710 kilometre, 329-km-per-hour, Buenos Aires-Rosario-Cordoba train line has been awarded to the Veloxia consortium of European and local contractors.

Engineering News-Record, vol.260, no.3, 28 Jan.2008. p.7.

Targets to press Network Rail for fewer delays

Network Rail will have to meet individual targets on improving service to each train operator under proposals put forward by the Office of Rail Regulation. The company will have to make further significant cost cutbacks and meet targets for the amount of time the network is available for use as part of an effort to reduce engineering closures.

Financial Times, 15 Feb.2008. p.4.

Slower rail passenger growth hits Go-Ahead

Shares in Go-Ahead fell by 17% after it said that rail passenger growth had slowed in the first half and warned that increasing fuel costs and reduced subsidies were likely to hit full-year operating profits. The company is looking to trim costs or pass them on to customers.

Financial Times, 16/17 Feb.2008. p.19.

Colas Rail buys Carillion rail plant

Colas said that the purchase meant that it now owned the largest fleet of modern on-track plant in the country. Plant transferred to Colas comprises 12 tampers, three regulators, a locomotive, a 125-tonne Kirow crane and 16 switch handling units

Modern Railways, vol.65, no.713, Feb.2008. p.18.

Franchisees celebrate ten years of growth

Notes the growth in passenger numbers over the past decade, but also the disparity between the various franchises. Bus companies - Stagecoach, Govia, First Group, National Express and Arriva - remain major owners of franchises while the French are the biggest overseas investors.

Modern Railways, vol.65, no.713, Feb.2008. pp.36-37.

London Overground: a charter for improvement

Gives some background on MTR Laing, owners of London Overground, and their plans for regenerating its network, which is that of the former Silverlink Metro. Lines run through some parts of the capital with acute social problems and improvements include work on stations, more transport police, more ticket gates and new trains.

Modern Railways, vol.65, no.713, Feb.2008. pp.50-53.

Opportunity knocks for the Leeds-Morecambe line

Reports on a detailed study of the line which covered the existing timetable, the fares structure, the demand for travel, financial performance, local market demographics, various aspects of service quality and the needs and aspirations of passengers and other stakeholders. Concludes that, despite recent strong growth, there is significant potential the improve both patronage and revenue on the line.

Modern Railways, vol.65, no.713, Feb.2008. pp.54-57.

Alstom re-enters the UK market

Presents an interview with Paul Robinson, Alstom Transport's UK Managing Director. After restructuring the company is again ready to bid for any UK contracts for the supply of new rolling stock. The company has shown interest in the lengthening of Pendolino trains from nine to eleven cars, Piccadilly Line replacement stock, the Inter-city Express Project and the Thameslink upgrade.

Modern Railways, vol.65, no.713, Feb.2008. pp.60-61.

574.8km/h and all that

Reports on a visit made by the Railway study Association to France. Topics covered include the structure of SNCF, the high-speed long-distance network, the international rivalry with Germany and Britain, commuter services, the freight business and rolling stock.

Modern Railways, vol.65, no.713, Feb.2008. pp.62-65.

Bombardier launches hybrid unit

Bombardier has launched what is claimed to be the world's first hybrid multiple-unit, a dual-mode (electric and diesel) and dual-voltage (25kV AC and 1.5kV DC) AGC (Autorail Grande Capacite). The stock has been designed specifically for the French regional market.

Modern Railways, vol.65, no.713, Feb.2008. p.66.

Kuwait planning $11 bn rail system

Kuwait is planning to build a rail network that will include a metro system for its capital Kuwait City.

Financial Times, 5 Feb.2008. p.6.

Book more seats on the high-speed train

Alstom has launched a high-speed train designed to reach speeds of up to 220mph. Dubbed AGV, the single-deck prototype is claimed to be the first in the world to feature an articulated architecture with bogies located between the carriages - a solution the designers say will increase safety. The train also incorporates a distributed drive system with motors located on bogies under the train.

The Engineer, vol.293, no.7741, 11-24 Feb.2008. p.7.

Rail station revamp receives £400m boost

The government has given more money than expected for the redevelopment of Birmingham's New Street station. Local business leaders, who had grown irritated at delays to the Gateway scheme, have welcomed the move.

Financial Times, 13 Feb.2008. p.3.

North minds the gap over transport projects

Reports on the debate over the amount of money spent on London's infrastructure schemes such as Crossrail, the renovation of St Pancras and the expansion of Heathrow. Regional representatives feel that they are being short changed with the disparity in transport spending, but others argue that London has unique costs, notably the only significant underground rail network in the country.

Financial Times, 13 Feb.2008. p.3.

Euro high-speed ambitions

Detail of the work being undertaken to expand the high-speed rail links between France and Spain. The work will enable uninterrupted high-speed travel from St Pancras, London, 2,250km to the Mediterranean coast. Maps of the current and proposed routes, and details of planned Spanish networks are given. The proposed extension of HS1 in the UK to Heathrow Airport and central England is mentioned.

Engineering News-Record, 24/31 Dec. 2007. pp.90-92,94.

Ebbsfleet station opens officially

Although Eurostar services have been using the station since November Ebbsfleet International station has now been officially opened. It is hoped that Ebbsfleet will help the planned regeneration of the Ebbsfleet Valley and provide an international gateway to the 2012 Olympics.

Financial Times, 30 Jan.2008. p.4.

Train operators tell government to move on new carriages order

The operators' demands follow a government strategy document which said that trains' passenger capacity would grow by just 10% by 2014. The Department of Transport's rolling stock plan follows a commitment by Douglas Alexander, then transport secretary, to introduce 1,300 extra carriages across England's railways to alleviate overcrowding.

Financial Times, 31 Jan.2008. p.5.

Shanghai and Nanjing order cars

Bombardier is to supply 32 six-car Movia trainsets for Shanghai Metro Line 7 under a contract worth approximately Euros 150 M. Alstom and its Chinese partner CSR Nanjing Puzhen have received a contract worth Euros 120 M to supply 144 Metropolis cars for use on the Nanjing Line 2.

Railway Gazette International, vol.163, no.6, June 2007. p.332.

SNCF prepares to face the competition

Presents an interview with SNCF Chief Executive Guillaume Pepy as the company prepares to compete in a liberalised European rail system. Pepy is looking for efficiency savings of 20-30% if the ailing rail freight business is to be turned round and he is keen for the expansion of high speed lines which he sees as a real alternative to air travel. He is also keen to promote the environmental advantages of rail travel.

Railway Gazette International, vol.163, no.6, June 2007. pp.351-354.

Northeast France joins the high speed network

Reports on the opening of revenue services on the LGV Est Europeen line which will cut journey times from Paris to Metz, Nancy and many other eastern towns, as well as expand international and inter-regional links. The LGV Est is the first line in France designed for regular operation at 320km/h. Work on the second phase of the line to complete the final 150km to Strasbourg is planned to start in 2010, although no final decision has been taken.

Railway Gazette International, vol.163, no.6, June 2007. pp.357-358.

Managing rail degradation on the Malmbanan

An upgrading programme started in 1988 and due to be completed by 2010 is allowing the introduction of heavier axleloads on Sweden's heavy haul iron ore line, permitting gross train weights to be increased to more than 8,000 tonnes. However the transition requires careful management if degradation of the infrastructure is to be kept under control. Discusses the maintenance strategy which includes yearly maintenance grinding, including rail head reprofiling, and extensive rail lubrication in curves below 600 m radius.

Railway Gazette International, vol.163, no.6, June 2007. pp.369-372.

New/revised standards

MPs warn on tube deal

The House of Commons transport committee has warned that the private sector is not always more efficient than the public sector in maintaining and upgrading track and trains on the London Underground. The warning comes in the light of the collapse of Metronet Rail last year and efforts to reallocate some of the work, possibly to Bombardier of Canada.

Financial Times, 25 Jan.2008. p.2.

A freight future

Presents an interview with the Rail Freight Group's director general, Alan Bennett. He says that one of the major issues facing the industry is to engage with the government to deal with the forecast increases in rail freight traffic. Discusses Network Rail's Freight Route Utilisation Strategy which was issued in 2006/7.

Railway Strategies for Senior Management, Issue 46, Dec./Jan.2008 pp.4-7.

Network Rail's Strategic Business Plan

The Plan outlines spending proposals for the period from 2009 to 2014 and is a response to the government's High Level Output Specification: to deliver more trains, more seats, more often. Details from the Plan include; doubling current spend levels on rail expansion schemes; improvements in punctuality; making the railways more efficient by halving running costs; investment on maintenance and operating costs; investment on renewing track, signals, structures and stations; and green initiatives such as renewable energy sources, recycling and a reduction in the company's carbon footprint.

Railway Strategies for Senior Management, Issue 46, Dec./Jan.2008. pp.10-11.

Initial assessment

The Office of Rail Regulation has informed the Department for Transport and Transport Scotland that it is likely that their respective output specifications for the railways can be afforded with the public funds they have committed for the five years from April 2009.

Railway Strategies for Senior Management, Issue 46, Dec./Jan.2008 p.17.

National Rail Trends 2007-2008 Q2

Details from the report, published by the Office of Rail Regulation, include total passenger kilometres, total passenger journeys, total passenger revenue, the complaints rate, freight moved and lifted, and the average age of rolling stock for all operators.

Railway Strategies for Senior Management, Issue 46, Dec./Jan.2008 p.19.

Department for Transport sets standards for new intercity trains

The Department for Transport has issued its Invitation to Tender for the Intercity Express programme to three consortia which have been shortlisted for the project. The consortia are Alstom-Barclays Rail Group, Express Rail Alliance and Hitachi Europe. They have been asked to design trains which will be greener, lighter and carry up to 70% more passengers.

Railway Strategies for Senior Management, Issue 46, Dec./Jan.2008 p.19.

Chinese railways

Outlines the challenges, strategy and future for Chinese railways in the light of the country's economic development. Gives statistics on the system's use and infrastructure before discussing its proposed expansion and modernisation. Economic growth has fuelled the demand for rail travel, particularly between the east and west of the country. Although the railways are government-owned the Ministry of Railways has been instructed to draw up reforms to improve the performance and capacity of the system. The final aim is to become a modern business enterprise, breaking the monopoly, allowing competition, transforming the administrative system and management mechanisms, and cultivating market-oriented businesses

Railway Strategies for Senior Management, Issue 46, Dec./Jan.2008 pp.126-130.

Erie monsters are this year's favourite for Inmelt

Reports on GE's transportation business, based mainly on rail products, which is one of the company's best performing sectors. The 150 tonne freight locomotives are in great demand from countries such as China, Brazil and Kazakhstan. Improvements in productivity and output at the company's Erie plant have helped it to retain its position as world leader in diesel-electric freight locomotives, which use diesel engines to drive an electric motor rather than receive power from the track.

Financial Times, 18 Jan.2008. p.24.

Deutsche Bahn close to winning fight for Laing Rail

DB has emerged as the most likely buyer for Laing Rail, the operator of Chiltern Trains. The DB bid of £127 M represents the company's third bid to enter the UK passenger market. Chiltern is unusual in that it has a 20-year franchise whereas most UK rail franchises are for between seven and 10 years.

Financial Times, 19/20 Jan.2008. p.13.

Operators resist talk of shake-up / Little appetite for fresh reform after years spent in flux / Train chiefs prefer to stick with familiar flaws

The UK's train operating companies want to avoid a shake-up of their relationship with Network Rail, despite the disruption of services caused by engineering overruns during the Christmas period. Senior executives have declined to call for the reintegration of train operating with track maintenance and operation under one company. Network Rail has announced a series of changes to its management of engineering projects to avoid a repetition of last month's problems. The creation of two new rail franchises - East Midland trains and London Trains has marked the end of the present bout of rail reorganisation and few in the industry are now keen to embark on a new round in the near future.

Financial Times, 21 Jan.2008. p.3.

Battle is on for the driving seat at SCNF

Reports on the issues facing SCNF as it prepares for the arrival of open competition in passenger services from 2010. The mandate of the group's present head Anne-Marie Idrac is due to run out next month and there are suggestions that she could be challenged for the job by her deputy, Guillaume Pepy. President Sarkozy will make the final decision on the appointment.

Financial Times, 21 Jan.2008. p.23.

Link work starts

Work has started on the construction of a 697.5 km international rail corridor linking Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Iran.

Railway Gazette International, vol.164, no.1, Jan.2008. p.8.

HS1 for sale

London & Continental Railways, owner of the £5.2 bn Channel Tunnel Rail Link and the UK share of Eurostar, is to be separated into three businesses - the infrastructure (including the track and stations), the land interests and the UK stake in Eurostar. The recently completed 109 km high speed link between London and the Channel Tunnel will be sold in 2009.

Railway Gazette International, vol.164, no.1, Jan.2008. p.8.

Market

Porterbrook Leasing has placed its 25th order for Bombardier Turbostar DMUs, ordering 12 two-car and 15 three-car sets of the lighter Class 172 variant for use on Govia's London Midland franchise. (Item contains no further information).

Railway Gazette International, vol.164, no.1, Jan.2008. p.8.

Energy challenge will drive traction policy

Argues that the rail industry must reduce its energy consumption, for both environmental reasons and to contain the increasing cost of energy. Suggests that alternative fuels offer few advantages and that the best option may be to use strategies being adopted by the electricity generation industry to reduce carbon emissions.

Railway Gazette International, vol.164, no.1, Jan.2008. pp.25-28.

Demonstrating the power of hydrogen

Reports on the VLTJ Hydrogen Train project which aims to launch Europe's first hydrogen fuel cell powered passenger train in Denmark in 2010. Argues that hydrogen can become a commercially feasible alternative to diesel or electric traction within the next 15-20 years. Suggests that wind turbines by the sides of the track could generate power to produce hydrogen for trainsets.

Railway Gazette International, vol.164, no.1, Jan.2008. pp.30-31.

GE Genesis in the UK

GE Transportation is to develop its first diesel locomotive design for the UK market, following an order for 30 units announced by the Freightliner Group. To be developed under Project Genesis, GE's new JS37ACi design will feature AC traction motors individually controlled by separate inverters to give a higher starting tractive effect. It will also be 10% more efficient than previous locos, achieving fuel consumption of 197 g/kWh.

Railway Gazette International, vol.164, no.1, Jan.2008. p.39.

Major restructuring at Siemens

The restructuring will create group-wide Industry, Energy and Healthcare sectors, divided into a total of 15 divisions. It is intended to place greater emphasis on global businesses rather than regional activities, producing a less complex organisation with clearer lines of responsibility.

Railway Gazette International, vol.164, no.1, Jan.2008. p.56.

China flotation

State-owned rail infrastructure construction contractor China Railways Group raised 22.4 bn yuan through an IPO in Shanghai on November 23. CRG is one of the largest construction contractors in the world and is expanding from China into Africa, Europe and the Americas.

Railway Gazette International, vol.164, no.1, Jan.2008. p.56.

Alstom announces maintenance deal

Spanish national rail operator RENFE and train builder Alstom have announced the formation of train maintenance joint venture IRVIA Mantenimiento Ferroviario. IRVIA will initially maintain 80 Civia suburban trains built at Alstom's factory near Barcelona.

Railway Gazette International, vol.164, no.1, Jan.2008. p.56.

Delhi leads India's metro revival

Reports how the success of the Delhi metro, opened ahead of schedule in 2004, has encouraged other Indian cities plagued by pollution and congestion to press ahead with their own plans. Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Cochin are planning mass transit systems, while Kolkata, home to India's only other underground system, is expanding its 24-year old metro.

Financial Times, 23 Jan.2008. p.10.

Regulator to probe threat to west coast rail upgrade / Network raillery

The Office of Rail regulation investigation into engineering overruns at Rugby, Liverpool Street and Shields Junction over the Christmas period will look at whether plans for upgrade work on the west coast mainline will deliver in time for timetable improvements in December. The inquiry, which is due to report before the end of February, will also examine the overall approach of Network Rail to planning and managing big rail projects. Comments on the engineering overruns and suggests that the structure of the industry might be looked at when the individual rail franchises come up for renewal.

Financial Times, 9 Jan.2008. p.2. and p.14.

Dispute delays Metronet takeover

Transport for London's takeover of Metronet Rail is being delayed by a dispute with Bombardier Transportation, one of Metronet's shareholders, over the future of a £3.4 bn contract. TfL is in discussions with Bombardier about aspects of its contracts with Metronet including train maintenance and contracts for new signals. TfL is concerned that signalling equipment supplied under Bombardier's contracts may not be compatible with equipment on track and trains on the Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly lines maintained by the Tube Lines consortium.

Financial Times, 10 Jan.2008. p.2.

Eurostar passenger numbers surge

Eurostar carried more than 8 M passengers a year for the first time in 2007. The figure of 8.26 M represents a 5.1% increase on the 7.85 M carried in 2006. Its share of journeys between London and Paris is now 71% - up 2.3% on 2006 - while its share of the London to Brussels market is up 1% to 65.6%. The opening of the high speed link to the Channel Tunnel is expected to bring a further increase in 2008.

Financial Times, 10 Jan.2008. p.18.

New Street runs off the rails

Reports on delays to the refurbishment of Birmingham's New Street station. There are disagreements over the financing of the project with a public sector contribution of $220 M to the £550 M costs not materialising as expected before Christmas. Business leaders have estimated the annual economic benefits of the refurbishment to be worth some £1.7 bn. The project is due for completion by the middle of the next decade.

Financial Times, 14 Jan.2008. p.20.

Network Rail move on contractors

Network Rail is looking at handling more overhead line work in big projects itself rather than handing work to outside contractors, following overruns on three engineering works over the Christmas period. However the company has rejected the idea of taking other work in-house.

Financial Times, 12/13 Jan.2008. p.3.

Rail helps to slow growth of air travel

According to a study by the Civil Aviation Authority the rate of growth in UK air travel is falling as slowing consumer expenditure growth weakens the appetite for leisure travel, and rail becomes a stronger competitor on domestic routes. However rising concerns for the environment and the impact of aviation on global warming do not appear to have played a role in these developments.

Financial Times, 12/13 Jan.2008. p.4.

Alstom secures Italian high-speed trains deal

Alstom has succeeded, in a bid for a $1.03bn contract, to sell 25 of its next generation AGV (Automotrice a Grand Vitesse) high-speed trains to an Italian group fronted by Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, chairman of Ferrari and Fiat.

Financial Times, 11 Jan. 2008. p.23.

Regulator probes rail work chaos

The rail regulator has launched an urgent investigation into Network Rail's failure to complete two engineering projects that have caused disruption to thousands of commuters returning to work this week. The regulator's investigation will probe Network Rail's planning, management and resourcing of the projects, on the West Coast main line and lines into Liverpool Street, and its failure to communicate with operators when problems arose.

Financial Times, 3 Jan.2008. p.3.

Network Rail faces costs pressure

Bill Emery, chief executive of the Office of Rail Regulation, has said that he believed that Network Rail had overstated by at least £1.9 bn the revenue it would need to operate the network over the five years from 2009. He also believes that the company can make much bigger efficiency savings than it assumed when it published its business plan for 2009-14. Network Rail has said it has already agreed to halve costs in the period to 2014.

Financial Times, 21 Dec.2007. p.2.

North Carolina system opens

Charlotte has opened a new $462.7 M, 9.6 mile light-rail system which runs along both active and abandoned sections of railroad right-of-way and connects the city's central business district with Interstate 485 to the south.

Engineering News-Record, vol.259, no.20, 3 Dec.2007. p.14.

Delays spark fears on vital rail upgrade

Reports on the problems caused by overrunning of Network Rail's engineering work on the west coast main line over the Christmas period. There are now fears that the project to upgrade the line will not be completed by the planned date of this December. Completion of the work is vital to the introduction of a new timetable on this line that would see faster and more frequent trains.

Financial Times, 4 Jan.2008. p.2.

Showcase train project 'too complex' / Signal problems hold up arrival of high-speed system

Industry figures have suggested that the European Rail Traffic Management System, which aims to get Europe's trains running seamlessly from one country to another, is unnecessarily complex and has been poorly managed. The system has been hampered by the need to accommodate widely differing operating practices from across the continent into a single system. Reports that problems with signalling systems have meant that trains have not been able to use newly built lines at top speeds.

Financial Times, 4 Jan.2008. p.6.

Chicago rail system on verge of collapse

The Chicago Transit Authority has made strides in improving efficiency, streamlining procurement, restructuring staff and prioritising spending. However it still needs some $8.7 bn to bring it up to 'good repair' and at present no funding plan is in place. Some experts argue that fare and tax increases are needed to provide a better service.

Engineering News-Record, vol.259, no.19, 26 Nov.2007. pp.66-67.

Rail line projected to arrive on time

The extension of London Underground's East London Line, a key part of the 2012 Olympic Games plans, should open on time according to one of the project's senior managers. Much viaduct refurbishment work had been done whilst waiting for final project approval with the result that contractors would be able to lay track more quickly than usual. The line is part of Transport for London's plans to create an orbital railway around the capital and funnel commuters away from the main London rail termini.

Financial Times, 7 Jan.2008. p.3.

No 'knee-jerk' reaction to rail work problems

Network Rail's chief executive has said that the company will not react hastily to two overruns on engineering work over the Christmas period and would not be cancelling private contractors' agreements. However it would be asking Bechtel, who were the company responsible for the west coast main line overrun, why it had failed to meet an agreed timetable for the work.

Financial Times, 5/6 Jan.2008. p.2.

Chinese maglev rail costs soar

The cost of extending Shanghai's magnetic levitation railway may rise from the budgeted 200 M yaun renmimbi per extra kilometre to Rmb 600 M to take account of residents' concerns about exposure to radiation and noise. There are plans to extend the line by 34 km initially and later by 160 km to Hangzhou. (Item contains little further information).

Financial Times, 5/6 Jan.2008. p.6.

High Speed 1 to be put up for sale

It has been announced that London & Continental Railways is to be separated into three distinct businesses, and that High Speed 1 will be sold in 2009. It is envisaged that there will be an open and competitive process for any sale.

Modern Railways, vol.65, no.712, Jan.2008. p.9.

EWS builds new Channel Tunnel freight network

The new rail freight services will be operated by the EWS subsidiary Euro Cargo Rail and will take advantage of the Channel Tunnel 'open access' regime. For the first time Euro Cargo Rail will take full accountability for reliable, integrated rail services with improved transit times and a reduction in operating complexity. During 2008 services will connect Belgium, Germany, Italy, France, Spain and Switzerland with Scotland, and the Midlands and North West of England.

Modern Railways, vol.65, no.712, Jan.2008. p.10.

UK rail is a success story

Summarises 'The Successes and Lessons of Rail Liberalisation', a new report from the Rail Freight Group. The report seeks to give an objective view of the UK railway model and suggests that, if it is applied elsewhere in Europe, other member states will also achieve growth, improved service quality for both passenger and freight services and reduced state subsidies. Compares the UK situation with those of France, Italy, Germany and Belgium.

Modern Railways, vol.65, no.712, Jan.2008. p.11.

Electrification: the big guns open up

Presents a personal view on the case for rail electrification in the light of a letter from Network Rail and the Association of Train Operating Companies to the Department for Transport arguing the same case. Takes issue with the response from the DfT and says that he is not arguing for 'national electrification', but rather a commitment to a rolling programme, starting with the main lines.

Modern Railways, vol.65, no.712, Jan.2008. pp.18-20.

Train orders start to pick up

Gives an update on the introduction of new rolling stock, particularly Bombardier's orders for the East London Line, London Underground and London Midland. Also details new orders for Scotland, Northern Ireland and light rail units. States that there will be major stock requirements for both Thameslink and Crossrail.

Modern Railways, vol.65, no.712, Jan.2008. pp.30-31.

Overrun disrupts First ScotRail services

Services between Glasgow and Paisley were disrupted after engineering work at Shields Junction overran. First ScotRail said that it was only given hours notice that the line would not re-open on time.

Financial Times, 8 Jan.2008. p.4.

Old railroad span gets new life without taking a break

Reports on how construction teams are working round the clock in an 18-day window to replace a centre support pier and pivot mechanism on a swing bridge that carries 25 trains a day without interrupting services. OCCI is jacking up the 906' long steel-truss bridge in Louisiana, balancing it in shims and then replacing the main pier and power mechanisms that spins the centre spans.

Engineering News-Record, vol.259, no.17, 12 Nov.2007. p.15.

TfL will miss own Metronet takeover deadline

Transport for London has said that it had become clear that it would not be able to meet the self-imposed deadline of January 18th to take over the two contractors owned by Metronet Rail which went into administration in July. The contractors were responsible for maintaining and upgrading track and trains on two thirds of the city's underground network. Although many of the processes to be completed were out of its control TfL insisted that it was still on track to take over Metronet early in the new year.

Financial Times, 18 Dec.2007. p.2.

Strain spotter

Describes a portable device, developed by MAPS Technology under a contract from Network Rail, which can be used to monitor sections of continuously welded rails for early signs of buckling or cracking. It is claimed that the device can measure load in a rail and relate that to the desirable load that should be there, and that it doesn't just detect cracks but also the causes of cracks.

Engineer, 10 Dec.2007-13 Jan.2008. pp.24-25.

On track

ESR Technology of Warrington is an engineering, safety and risk technical consultancy that provides integrity and reliability assessments in a variety of fields. Their assessments in rail have provided key engineering information necessary for delivering performance improvements that suggest ways that rail companies can unlock the potential of their assets to generate greater capacity and improved reliability, whilst avoiding significant expenditure. The company's particular speciality is mechanical failure, where they have extensive in-house facilities for assessing the integrity of failed equipment.

Engineering, vol.248, no.9, Oct.2007. pp.32-34.

Steel Dynamics ships first order of welded rail

The company has made its first shipment from the recently completed rail welding operation at Columbia City. The shipments consisted of 81 rail strings, each 1360 ft in length. Each rail string resulted from welding together 17 80-ft rails. The rail strings were then transported by two trains of flat-bed railcars to an industrial site in southern Indiana. The company is prepared to offer this rail-welding service on a contract basis for Class 1 railroads and other users of welded rails.

Welding Journal, vol.86, no.10, Oct.2007. p.10.

Beijing raises $6 bn in record rail bond issue

China has raised more than Rmb 45 bn in its biggest ever bond deal as part of its plans to modernise its railways. The money will be used to buy trains and pay for the construction of a second rail line linking Hailar and Manzhouli, China's largest land port city on the border with Russia. China plans to build 19,800 km of new railway lines, modernise 15,000 km of existing lines, boost passenger train speeds and increase the load of freight trains

Financial Times, 30 Nov.2007. p.40.

China Railway issue has investors on edge

Assesses on the forthcoming debut of China Railway in Shanghai for clues as to the future of Chinese initial public offerings. There have been some recent first day failures, but most analysts remain confident that demand for Chinese IPOs will pick up.

Financial Times, 3 Dec.2007. p.28.

Need to know: Engineering

Bombardier Transportation has won a 140m euro order from Rotterdam public transport operator RET to build 43 light rail metro vehicles.

The Times, 5 Dec 2007. p.50.

Government gives fillip to high-speed lobby

Greengage 21, the pressure group formed to promote the wider adoption of high-speed rail in Britain, has published 'The Next Steps for High Speed Rail in Britain'. The report identifies five corridors with the potential for high-speed lines: High Speed Two; London-Cambridge-Northeast; London-Bristol/Cardiff; Trans-Pennine; and Anglo-Scottish. The group says that the Department for Transport should now undertake five key tasks: produce a strategic high-speed rail network assessment; develop technical standards for high-speed rail; identify key sites to be protected; conduct consultation on work to date on high-speed rail; and assess funding options.

Modern Railways, vol.64, no.711, Dec.2007. p.10.

Further East West Rail studies

The East West Rail consortium has appointed consultants to conduct further studies into the western section of the projected link between Oxford and Cambridge. The section covers Oxford-Bicester and Bicester-Bletchley-Milton Keynes.

Modern Railways, vol.64, no.711, Dec.2007. p.10.

Four new TOCs commence operations

Reports on the four new companies which started operations on November 11th: Cross Country to be operated by Arriva until March 2016; East Midland Trains to be operated by Stagecoach Group until March 2015; London Midland to be operated by Govia until September 2015; and London Overground to be operated by London Overground Rail Operations until November 2014, with a two-year extension option.

Modern Railways, vol.64, no.711, Dec.2007. pp.12-13.

Alstom sells TGV technology to Moroccan high-speed network

An agreement has been signed to award French industry (and Alstom in particular) the contracts for the design, manufacture, operation and maintenance of the very high-speed Tangier-Casablanca rail-link. Alstom will deliver 18 very-high-speed Duplex double-deck train-sets which will run at speeds of up to 320 km/h and should be in operation by 2013.

Modern Railways, vol.64, no.711, Dec.2007. p.66.

Cross-Channel freight trains set to double.

EWS, one of only two Cross-Channel freight operators, plans to launch 35-50 weekly services during 2008, compared to just 25 services a week currently using the tunnel. The move follows a decision by Eurotunnel, the Channel Tunnel operator, to offer radically different terms for trains running through the tunnel, cutting average fees from £5,300 to 3,00 per freight train. It is suggested that 1,000 trucks a week might be removed from the country's roads.

Financial Times, 27 Nov.2007. p.6.

Buyback marks shift in fortunes for WS Atkins

The company has announced a £100 M share buyback and a 25% increase in the interim dividend alongside strong first half results. The group took a loss of £91.3 M in June as a result of its involvement in Metronet, the failed rail maintenance consortium. Growth has been spread evenly across the group, although the Middle East has been a particularly strong performer.

Financial Times, 28 Nov.2007. p.24.

Jarvis warning due to lack of contract clarity

The company has blamed the opaque nature of its contracts with British Rail as one of the reasons for recent profit warnings after it had announced first half losses of £3.3 M. Richard Entwistle, chief executive, has said that the group had set its rates for the procurement of work with Network Rail without full visibility of the nature of the contracts.

Financial Times, 28 Nov.2007. p.24.

Eurostar transfers to its new home at St Pancras

The last Waterloo-bound Eurostar trains were due to arrive during the evening of 13 November, and the first to set out from St Pancras were due to leave their new terminal at 11.00 on 14 November 2007. In the intervening hours the whole operation, including some 400 staff, has transferred to its new home. At the same time 450 maintenance staff have moved from North Pole in West London to Stratford in East London.

Financial Times, 14 Nov 2007. p 4

Network Rail needs £430m to stay on track

Network Rail's strategic business plan calls for IT expenditure amounting to £430m over the period 2009-2014 to maintain existing systems and fund systems replacements and upgrades, technology and licence renewals and business-driven change projects. The major components are the European Rail Traffic Management System, scheduled for completion by 2015 and the GSM-R digital network that underpins it and is meant to be in place during 2013.

Computing, 8 Nov.2007. p.4.

Alstom to supply high-speed trains for route linking Helsinki to St Petersburg

The contract for the four Pendolino trains will be worth 120 M euros and includes an option for an additional two trains. The trains, scheduled for delivery in early 2009, will be built for Karelian Trains, a joint venture between Russian Railways and Finnish Railways.

Welding Journal, vol.86, no.11, Nov.2007. p.16.

Trucker turns to rail and water

The Eddie Stobart road haulage company has said that its fuel costs are up 30% over the part five months. It is now seeking to use water and rail transport as an alternative to road and to this end has merged with the Westbury Property Fund to combine its own road haulage assets with Westbury's rail freight and waterborne systems.

Financial Times, 13 Nov.2007. p.3.

Expansion poses a challenge for repairs

Reports on activities at the world's busiest railyard, Union Pacific's Bailey Yard in North Platte, Nebraska. In order to improve UP's ability to handle growing volumes of traffic particular attention has been paid to the effectiveness of repairs to the number of coal trains that use the yard each day.

Financial Times, 13 Nov.2007. p.30.

Mergers signal the rise of an all-powerful seven

A series of mergers during the 1980s and 1990s has shaped the structure of North America's Class 1 railroads, leaving most regions with just two competing operators.

Financial Times, 13 Nov.2007. p.30.

Demand keeps trains on a fast track

Officials at the two largest US railroad companies, Union Pacific and Burlington Northern and Santa Fe, are buoyant about future prospects. This optimism is in spite of a slowdown of consumer demand - which drives railroad's business carrying maritime containers - and of the housing market - which drives demand for building materials.

Financial Times, 13 Nov.2007. p.30.

US rail chiefs say new laws will halt investment

Chief executives of three of the top five US rail roads have warned that accelerating investment in the industry could come to a halt if proposed legislation to re-regulate many of the railroad's prices comes into force; there are currently four bills under debate in Congress.

Financial Times, 13 Nov.2007. p.30.

Railway builders head for market

China Railway Group and China Railway Construction, China's two largest railway construction companies, plan to sell shares in Shanghai and Hong Kong before the end of the year to capitalise on soaring valuations and make up for a shortfall in government funding for the state-owned sector.

Financial Times, 12 Nov.2007. p.26.

Global traveller

This special edition focuses on high speed train travel has articles on: the opening of the new international rail terminal at St Pancras; the new Eurostar services and the potential effects on airlines, particularly on short haul routes; and an interview with Guillaume Pepy, chief executive of SNCF, who comments on pan-European high-speed rail travel.

Financial Times, 12 Nov.2007. Special report

Eurotunnel acts to recapture freight

With rail freight in the first nine months of 2007 down to just 1.16 M tonnes, Eurotunnel has slashed and simplified its pricing in an effort to avoid the complete disappearance of this traffic. A single pricing structure will apply to all operators and there will be a charge per train rather than by tonnage and commodity.

Railway Gazette International, vol.163, no.11, Nov.2007. p.671.

Commission backs 'freight oriented' network

Reports on the publication 'Towards a Rail Network Giving Priority to Freight' in which the European Commission proposes to achieve greater efficiency and sustainability by a series of measures to promote the development of a European freight-oriented rail network corridor by corridor. This is an attempt to give fresh impetus to rail freight services given the increase in the efficiency of road transport.

Railway Gazette International, vol.163, no.11, Nov.2007. p.671.

Third railway package wins approval

The European Parliament has adopted three 'conciliation agreements' on the Third Railway Package. These are; liberalisation of the market for operation of international passenger trains; creation of a European licensing system for train drivers; and standardisation of rights for passengers using long-distance and international rail services.

Railway Gazette International, vol.163, no.11, Nov.2007. p.673.

Interoperable diesels

Reports that SNCF has planned to call for tenders for between 30 and 50 main line diesel locomotives to haul international freight traffic. Notes that these orders are very urgent due to the growing competition for international freight in Europe now that the market is fully open.

Railway Gazette International, vol.163, no.11, Nov.2007. p.674.

SNCF poised for more orders

SNCF plans to order two major fleets of passenger rolling stock. One order will be for up to 500 multi-purpose trainsets suitable for regional and suburban services: the other would be for a fleet of 150 high-capacity trainsets for outer suburban services in Ile-de-France and for busy suburban routes in provincial cities.

Railway Gazette International, vol.163, no.11, Nov.2007. p.677.

EWS joins DB to create a European rail network

The European Union's Directorate-General for Competition was expected to approve the purchase by Deutsche Bahn of all the shares in EWS Holdings, the UK's biggest rail freight operator. Keith Heller, EWS chief executive, explains that the intention is to create a truly continental operation that will span Europe and the next major expansion is to be in Spain

Railway Gazette International, vol.163, no.11, Nov.2007. p.691.

AGC launched on the world market

Reports on the event at Troyes on October 9th to mark the entry into service of Bombardier Transportation's AGC dual-voltage electro-diesel multiple-units.

Railway Gazette International, vol.163, no.11, Nov.2007. p.693.

Kawasaki Heavy to lift railcar output

The company will invest roughly 4 bn yen to increase domestic and US output for rolling stock to meet a strong worldwide demand. The money will be spent on the railcar body plant in Lincoln, Nebraska and the Harima Works in Hyogo Prefecture.

The Nikkei Weekly, vol.45, no.2,307, 15 Oct.2007. p.10.

Working along the same lines

Presents an interview with Simon Kirby, Network Rail's director of infrastructure investment. Network Rail is seeking more improvements and greater efficiency in its operations and has identified the supply chain as an area where progress may be made. Track renewals is given as an example where the number of contractors has been reduced from six to four.

Railway Strategies, Issue 45, Oct./Nov.2007. pp.2-5.

Technorail

Interviews Alcatel-Laurent's global transportation business development Director on the key role that the company plays in the rail industry as a technology supplier, integrator and large project prime contractor. Contracts described include: equipping the Berlin urban railway system with a fully IP-based communication network; developing and installing an on-board real-time video surveillance field trial in the driverless Copenhagen metro; and upgrading the private mobile radio network that covers the Paris Metro.

Railway Strategies, Issue 45, Oct./Nov.2007. pp.6-7.

Q1 national rail review

The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) has published its national rail review and Network Rail monitor covering the first quarter of 2007-08. Trends show more growth in passenger usage, improving punctuality, and higher levels of investment in improving the network for passengers.

Railway Strategies, Issue 45, Oct./Nov.2007. p.12.

£50 million to be invested in Metro in next two years.

The investment in the Tyne and Wear Metro represents Phase 1 of a £600 million programme over 20 years to modernise and operate the network. Investment in the next few years will cover new stations, ticket machines and the overhaul of ageing bridges and tunnels.

Railway Strategies, Issue 45, Oct./Nov.2007. p.12.

Taking the lean track

Presents a series of articles looking at the implementation of lean manufacturing, the production of goods using less of everything, in the UK rail industry. Articles cover: what rail maintenance, repair and overhaul operators (MROs) can learn from their counterparts in the aerospace industry; Northern Rail's development of a lean program for MRO to help meet increasing demands for improvements in service and reliability; and the work of TBM consultants in helping the rail industry to profit from the advantages of lean principles.

Railway Strategies, Issue 45, Oct./Nov.2007. pp.19-27.

Driving forward

Interviews Jim Duffy, First Engineering's regional director south, to profile the company's activities in delivering renewals and enhancement work, asset management, and a variety of framework contracts, including Network Rail's National Track Renewals and High Output Programmes. The company is one of the remaining four track renewal contractors after Network Rail reduced the number from six.

Railway Strategies, Issue 45, Oct./Nov.2007. pp.38-41.

High speed rail line set to be sold at auction

Bob Holden, chief executive of London & Continental Railways, has said that an auction could be held for the 110km High Speed One link between London and the Channel Tunnel. The sell-off would be part of a likely break-up of LCR, which is owned by private sector shareholders but was last year redesignated as part of the public sector: the government would probably receive all of the proceeds from such a sale.

Financial Times, 3/4 Nov.2007. p.4.

Munchen maglev funded

The regional government of Bayern (Germany) has reached an agreement to fund a 1.85bn euro maglev linking Franz Josef Strauss Airport with Munchen Hauptbahnhof [Munich central railway station]. The gap for the Transrapid between state and Deutsche Bundesbahn (DB) funding is being bridged by varied sources, including the federal government and the EU. Construction is being undertaken by DB and the GSV Consortium (including Siemens, ThyssenKrupp, Hochtief, Max Bogl and Bilfinger Berger).

Railway Gazette International, vol.163, no.10. Oct.2007. p.591.

Chinese lines get underway

Construction started on Chinese Rail ways' Passenger Dedicated Line (PDL) between Harbin and Dalian at the end of August. The 904 km line is expected to take 5.5 years to complete. The route is projected to carry 37 million passengers per year by 2020, rising to 51 million by 2030, requiring 165 trains/day to operate on the line. Other work commencing in China is: a new 800 km double track line between Langzhou and Chongqing; upgrading of 834 km of track between Xining and Golmund, which forms the first stage of the line to Tibet; and tracklaying on the 115 km Beijing - Tianjin high speed line. Balfour Beatty Rail has been awarded the contract for design and installation of overhead electrification equipment on the 958 km PDL between Wuhan and Guangzhou.

Railway Gazette International, vol.163, no.10. Oct.2007. p.595.

Birmingham cool on rapid link

Birmingham's civic leaders are unimpressed by plans for a high-speed rail link to London. They are more concerned to revamp Birmingham's existing New Street station, which now handles double the number of passengers for which it was designed, and to improve local transport.

Financial Times, 31 Oct 2007. p 3

Steaming ahead

Oxford Catalysts has developed a way of producing steam by exothermic chemical reaction. It has created a catalyst which causes methanol and hydrogen peroxide to create a chemical 'steam' when mixed together: so far it has been tested only in miniature but the scientists believe it can be scaled up to power full-size machines.

Eureka, Oct 2007. pp 12-13

High Speed 1

An engineer closely involved in the construction of the Channel Tunnel rail link gives an overview of some of the challenges presented by the project.

Ingenia, Issue 32, Sep 2007. pp 16-24

Radical transport options unveiled

The Government has proposed a new high speed raillink between London and Birmingham in a newly published long term transport strategy document. Other proposals include bigger motorways and pay-as-you-go road pricing in congested urban areas and linking the allocation of landing spots at airports to airlines environmental performance.

Financial Times, 30 Oct. 2007. p.1.

Brown gives green light to Crossrail

Government funding of £16bn has been committed to the east-west rail link; London City Corporation has agreed to contribute £200M, to be paid in financial year 2015-16, a year before the project is due to open. The bill to build the project still has to secure parliamentary approval. The project start date of 2010 is not seen as ideal, as the UK construction industry will be working at full capacity on the Olympic project.

Financial Times. 6/7 Oct.2007. p.4.

EN 13674-1:2003

EN 13674-1:2003/Amendment 1 Railway applications. Track. Rail. Part 1: Vignole railway rails 46 kg/m and above.
This amendment was issued under the CEN UAP to BSI but was not announced. The voting deadline has passed. However, if you wish to view this draft amendment, please contact the programme manager: Bernard Williams (bernard.williams@bsi-global.com).

[BSI] Update Standards. Oct.2007. p.54.

TfL faces pressure on bid to take over Metronet

Transport for London is under pressure from the UK government to increase private sector involvement in plans to take over Metronet Rail, currently in administration, which handles maintenance and upgrading contracts for London Underground. It is thought that the government wants to see Metronet restructured in a way that is closer to the public-private partnership envisaged in 2003, and in use at Tube Lines, the company which looks after the part of the underground not handled by Metronet.

Financial Times, 22 Oct.2007. p.4.

Olympic transport plan excludes spectator car parking

Organisers of the 2012 Olympic Games in London have insisted that there will be no carparking at the events. The transport plan has revealed a strategy to encourage 100% of those attending to arrive on foot, by bicycle or on public transport. Some options for park-and-ride facilities were still being considered but the main emphasis will be on greatly improved rail services.

Financial Times, 24 Oct 2007. p 2

Eurotunnel cuts rail freight charges

Eurotunnel has made sweeping changes to its charging system for freight as part of its drive to double the amount of goods carried through the Channel Tunnel in as little as three years. In 2006 only 1.57 million tonnes of freight were carried and the plan is to increase this to six million tonnes in five to seven years.

Financial Times, 24 Oct 2007. p 23

Rail use on track to break record

British railways passenger numbers look set to rise by 8.3% this year, and are likely to exceed the 47bn passenger kilometres travelled during postwar demobilisation in 1946. The South east and long distance services have seen most passenger growth.

Financial Times, 19 Oct. 2007. p.2.

Alstom agrees Tube deal changes

Alstom Transport has agreed substantial changes to its 20 year contract to maintain trains on London Underground's Northern Line. Tube Lines is awarding Alstom a 10 year extension to its contract until 2017, for £80m, to maintain Jubilee Line trains. Alstom will now be paid according to length of delays and numbers of passengers held up if it fails to provide trains.

Financial Times, 19 Oct. 2007. p.28.

Go-ahead likely within days for £16bn delayed Crossrail project; London deserves something better than Crossrail

Unease at lack of Stansted link

The City of London has approved an extra funding package of hundreds of millions of pounds which should enable the Crossrail cross-London link to go ahead. The £16 billion project will link Heathrow airport, the West End, the City and Canary Wharf, and run from Maidenhead and Heathrow in the west to Shenfield in Essex and Abbey Wood in Kent in the east. It is argued however that Crossrail is no longer the right answer for cross-London travel and alternatives are suggested. In a further piece, there is criticism that it will not go to the international rail terminal at St Pancras, to the growing Stansted airport and will not connect to the main centres of housing development in Milton Keynes and Northampton. Supporters say that it links Heathrow, the West End, the City and Canary Wharf, and also links to the Eurostar terminal at Stratford.

Financial Times, 3 Oct 2007. pp 1, 13

Financial Times, 4 Oct 2007. p. 3.

Edinburgh airport rail plan axed

A £650m rail link to Edinburgh airport has been scrapped by the Scottish national party government. In its place a new airport station will be added to the Edinburgh tram system, due by 2011. In addition an electric rail link between Edinburgh and Glasgow will be introduced, reducing the journey time from 50 to 35 minutes and increasing train frequency.

Financial Times, 28 Sept. 2007. p.2.

Tube walkout over safety worries

London Underground train drivers staged a walkout, closing the Circle and Hammersmith and City lines in the rush hour because of concerns by the drivers over an automatic braking system. A return to work occurred, after safety checks, after it was thought that devices, meant to prevent trains restarting after application of the emergency brakes, could be overridden.

Financial Times, 28 Sept. 2007. p.5.

RBS seeks Angel Trains sale

The Royal Bank of Scotland is interested in selling off Angel Trains, a leasing company which owns around 5,000 locomotives and coaches, and has hired Lazard to investigate the options. Meanwhile, the UK's Competition Commission is looking into the market for the leasing of rolling stock following suggestions that excessive profits are being made.

Financial Times, 24 Sept.2007. p.21.

Germany to build maglev railway

The Bavarian state government is to build a high speed maglev rail line between Munich city centre and the airport and to this end has signed an agreement with rail operator Deutsche Bahn and the industrial consortium Transrapid, which includes the developers of the train (Siemens and ThyssenKrupp). The cost of the project is estimated at 1.85bn-euro ($2.6bn; £1.3bn). This will be the first commercial maglev service in Europe, and should reach a top speed of over 500km/h (310mph)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7011932.stm

Need to know: Engineering

Bombardier Transportation has won an order worth around Eur225m (£156m) for 60 Bombardier Traxx locomotives plus options from Angel Trains.

The Times, 25 Sep 2007. p.42.

Hybrid trains take to the rails

East Japan Railways Co. (JR East) has started operating the world's first hybrid diesel-electric hybrid train, using 10% less diesel fuel than a regular diesel train, on the Koumi Line, in Yamanashi and Nagano Prefectures. This is part of the company's plan to develop eco-friendly trains for areas where there are no electric tracks.

The Nikkei Weekly, vol.45. no.2,300. 27 Aug. 2007. p.16.

Private company may still bid for Metronet

Tube Lines could mount a bid for Metronet Rail, even though London Underground has said no private buyer is likely to want the failed company. However, London Underground is unlikely to welcome the bid as it is keen to buy Metronet itself and change how the contractor operates. Tube Lines maintains and upgrades track and trains on the Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly lines, with Metronet covering the rest. Metronet went into administration in July. Tube Lines is waiting for the valuation to be completed before deciding its position.

Financial Times, 13 Sep 2007. p.4.

Rail and rail joints

The following standard has been withdrawn from the Railway Group Standards Catalogue:
GC/RT5022 Rail and rail joints.

RSSB Information Bulletin. No.101. March-May 2007. p.2.

Railway applications

The following new standard has been published:
BS EN 14587-1:2007 Railway applications. Track. Flash butt welding of rails. Part 1: New R220, R260, R260Mn and R350HT grade rails in a fixed plant.

[BSI] Update Standards. Aug.2007. p.15.

Private buyers sought for failed Metronet

The administrator of failed London Underground maintenance contractor Metronet has approached several possible private buyers to assess interest. This was revealed at a meeting of the London Assembly's transport committee, where deep disagreements about Metronet's future were made public. Another view is that London Underground itself should take over the contracts as quickly as possible.

Financial Times, 12 Sep 2007. p 4

Network Rail cuts renewals contracts

Network Rail is to reduce from six to four the number of companies with long-term contracts for track renewal. The companies that lose out are Grant Rail and Carillion. Those that remain are: Amey SECO; the rail division of Balfour Beatty; First Engineering, part of Babcock; and Jarvis.

Financial Times, 12 Sep 2007. p 22

Refurbishment celebrates the golden age of steam

Cylinder and axle box bearing refurbishment work for The National Railway Museum, York's famous Flying Scotsman steam locomotive was recently completed with help from Corus Process Engineering, Workington.

Industrial Technology, Jul. 2007. p.12.

A Strategic Freight Network - what will it mean?

The Department for Transport's White Paper 'Delivering a Sustainable Railway', is allocating £200M for the development of a Strategic Freight Network (SFN) to provide 'a selective ability to handle wagons with higher axle loads and greater loading gauge'. SFN is aiming for network reliability and a 24h/7 day railway. The topic is discussed.

Modern Railways, vol.64, no.708. Sept.2007. p.15.

Bidders await Metronet price

The investment bank Rothschild has been appointed to value Metronet, the failed London Underground railway infrastructure company. Valuations should be complete by the end of September, when administrators Ernst and Young will consider whether to invite formal bids.

Financial Times, 29 Aug 2007. p 2

Eurostar sets Paris-London record

A Eurostar train on its inaugural run over the second stage of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link has travelled from Paris to London St Pancras in just under two hours and four minutes, cutting the previous journey time by half an hour. When passenger services begin in November the scheduled time for the journey will be two hours and fifteen minutes.

Financial Times, 5 Sep 2007. p 4

Network Rail admits Grayrigg failures

Network Rail has admitted that repeated failures in track-side safety checks led to the derailment of a London to Glasgow train near Grayrigg, Cumbria, in February. One person died and 20 people were injured when a Virgin Trains Pendolino derailed on a broken set of points at 95 mph.

Financial Times, 5 Sep 2007. p 4

Need to know: Engineering

Bombardier reported a quarterly loss as it wrote off its investment in Metronet, the company contracted to upgrade the London Underground.

The Times, 30 Aug 2007, p 42.

Renewable railway

The Oslo Metro, a three car electric passenger train, designed and manufactured by Siemens Transportation Systems, is described. Key environmental performance indicators have been detailed for the system and Siemens has also devised a programme for recycling and disposal of the train (94%) at the end of its lifetime.

The Engineer, vol.293, no.7729. 30 July-12 Aug. 2007. pp.24-25.

Bidders for new high-speed train listed

Hitachi Europe, developer of the bullet train and the Express Rail Alliance, a consortium of 4 companies including Bombardier Transportation and the Alstom-Barclays Rail Group, have been named among the short-list of bidders to build the new generation of high speed trains for the UK. Alstom is the world's largest manufacturer of high speed trains, including the TGV. Hitachi has already been contracted to supply a bullet train type for services between London and Kent on the Channel Tunnel rail link, and shuttle trains for the 2012 London Olympics. As full electrification of the high speed network has been ruled out by the government, the new fleet will need to be power-flexible, and capable of running at 125 mph. 500 - 2000 vehicles will be purchased, depending on co