track systems germany monika heiming, executive director of … · 2016-03-18 · with articles...

www.europeanrailwayreview.com Issue 2 · 2016

JOIN US AT:Scandinavian Rail Development 2016

24 May 2016, Stockholmwww.scandinavianraildevelopment.com

Iberian Rail Development 20167 June 2016, Madrid

www.iberianraildevelopment.com

Track SystemsMonika Heiming, Executive Director of EIM

discusses how to encourage innovativeinfrastructure maintenance and Libor

Lochman, Executive Director of EIM shares avision for the future of rail infrastructure

Bogie Design &Developments

Assessing axle bearings and condition monitoringfor railway vehicles and how the Spanish bogies and

wheelsets market contributes to the rail industry

Progress inGermanyWith Frank Sennhenn, CEO of DB Netz AG,Ben Möbius, Managing Director of VDB, plus Derek Ladewig, Founder of forthcomingBerlin–Stuttgart service, Locomore

Northern EuropeProgress details of the Copenhagen–Ringsted high-speed lineand Norway’s Follo Line Project is ready for its next step

Celebrating over 20 years of working together in rail

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PLANT ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION

The digitalisationchallengeAs competition in the transportation market continues to grow,

Europe’s railways must keep on top of emerging technology trends

and seek new ways to enhance passenger experience and deliver

outstanding services.

Digitalisation is a growing area that can ultimately benefit

the industry, but although the digitalisation of rail networks,

and the move from analogue to digital automation in all aspects

of rail delivery, is to be embraced – with these advances so too come threats.

With a combination of criminals, cyber terrorists and amateur hackers intent on crippling

critical national infrastructure, the thwarting of cyber-attacks to rail networks is now a necessary

regular occurrence.

Whatever the intended result, we can all agree that the hacking of our rail networks would

be devastating – from the disruption to services, complete loss of power and destruction of

assets, right through to the terrifying prospect of threats to the lives of passengers and staff.

Whichever part of the rail network is targeted, it is the operator – via damage to assets,

staff, passengers and revenue – who will bear the brunt of the downside of digitalisation.

Many believe that continuing to focus on digitalisation will raise standards and bring a

brighter future, as digitalisation can create new opportunities. However, the industry must not

turn a blind eye to cyber threats and everyone involved must step up and bring strategies to the

table for ensuring the protection of rail networks.

As the Finnish Minister of Transport and Communications, Anne Berner, states in her

Foreword from this issue (page 7): ‘Digitalisation is changing the mobility of people and goods in

many ways and a proactive approach in the development of international regulation is needed

to enable further experimentation.’

As well as examining the future of the digital railway and its positive impact for infrastructure

managers, railway undertakings and customers, this year’s Scandinavian Rail Development

conference on 24 May in Stockholm, organised by European Railway Review, will assess the

range of cyber threats to the rail industry and feature an unmissable keynote session presented

by John McCarthy, CEO of Oxford Systems, who will share research and experience of protecting

the digitalised aviation industry from cyber-attacks.

For more information about the conference and to download the preliminary programme

please visit www.scandinavianraildevelopment.com.

As always, if you represent a railway operator or infrastructure owner and would like to

contribute to a future issue of European Railway Review with an article or news item, please don’t

hesitate to contact me via the email address below. If you haven’t already done so, I recommend

bookmarking our website – www.europeanrailwayreview.com – where you will find details of

past, current and future issues, daily industry news updates, exclusive online-only articles and

blogs, plus conference and event information. Don’t forget you can also join our groups on

LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook – just search for European Railway Review.

INTRODUCTION

European Railway ReviewV O L U M E 2 2 , I S S U E 2 , 2 0 1 6

S U B S C R I B E O N L I N E A T:

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Craig Waters Editor

[email protected]

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EDITORIAL BOARDLibor LochmanExecutive Director, Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER)

Simon FletcherCoordinator Europe, International Union of Railways (UIC)

Michel RuesenManaging Director, EEIG ERTMS Users Group

Alex HynesManaging Director, Northern Rail

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Poul FrøsigSenior Adviser on Transportation, EU Interoperability, Signalling and Control Systems

CONTACTEuropean Railway Review: Published by Russell Publishing Ltd, Court Lodge, Hogtrough Hill, Brasted, Kent, TN16 1NU, UK Tel: +44 (0) 1959 563311 Fax: +44 (0) 1959 563123Email: [email protected] Web: www.europeanrailwayreview.com

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CONTENTS

INTRODUCTIONThe digitalisationchallengeCraig Waters, Editor, European Railway Review

FOREWORDRail transportation as part of Finnish societyAnne Berner, Minister of Transportand Communications, Finland

NEWS

NORTHERN EUROPE:NORWAYThe Follo Line Project: historical and challengingErik Smith, Project Director,Jernbaneverket

NORTHERN EUROPE:DENMARKPreparing for the finalstages: the New LineCopenhagen–RingstedJan Schneider-Tilli, Project Director,Banedanmark

NORTHERN EUROPE:FINLANDVR Track heads full steam towardsNordic expansionJouni Kekäle, Vice President of Corporate Strategy andDevelopment, VR Track

NORTHERN EUROPE:ESTONIAVital Estonianinfrastructurerenovation to ensure safety and qualitySulev Loo, Chairman of theManagement Board – GeneralDirector, Estonian Railways Ltd

SHOW PREVIEWInfrarail 2016A look at what to expect from the 11th edition of this event

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SUPPLEMENTBOGIE DESIGN & DEVELOPMENTS

Axle bearings and condition monitoring for railway vehicles Volker Brundisch, Product Manager Mechatronics, Bombardier Transportation

The Spanish bogies and wheelsets market:constant innovation for a new era Pedro Fortea, Director, MAFEX

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COVER SPONSOR:

Bombardier Transportation is a globalleader in rail technology and offers thebroadest portfolio in the industry. It coversthe full spectrum of rail solutions, rangingfrom trains to sub-systems and signalling.The company also provides completetransport systems, e-mobility technologyand maintenance services. As an innovationdriver, Bombardier Transportation con -tinuously breaks new ground in sustainablemobility. It provides integrated solutionsthat create substantial benefits for opera -tors, passengers and the environment.Headquartered in Berlin, Germany,Bombardier Transportation employs around39,400 people and its products and servicesoperate in over 60 countries.

www.bombardier.com

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00 Intelligent trains foresee when

spare parts will be needed.Thinking mobility further through prescriptive maintenance.

Each transport system is only as reliable as its com-ponents. Thus, we develop digital remote-monitoring and diagnostic systems that track the condition of components and processes in real-time and identify operational deviations early on.

Thanks to this prescriptive maintenance of vehicles and infrastructure, errors can be corrected before

damage occurs. And with the support of intelligent spare part logistics, which enables short-term maintenance, train availability can subsequently be increased.

This ultimately results in more efficient services for operators and more reliability for travelers.

siemens.com/mobility

SIEM_Availability-Service_210x297_Master_engl_39L.indd 1 17.06.15 18:12




CONTENTS

■ ForewordFrom Jaqueline Galant, Federal Minister of Mobility, Belgium

■ Belgium & NetherlandsMain developments at ProRail, plus Infrabel provides a look at the €500 million construction project to modernise tracks between Brussels and Denderleeuw

■ Rolling Stock Developments SupplementIncluding an article from Joachim Winter from the German Aerospace Center about developing innovative solutions for future rolling stock of Great Britain

■ Real-Time Passenger Information & Rail Ticketing SupplementWith articles from Govia Thameslink Railway and The UK Cards Association

■ South East EuropeA look at the latest projects in Bulgaria and Croatia

■ NEW FEATURE FOR 2016! – What’s happening in…Latin America?Guilherme Quintella, Chairman of the Latin American Region at the UIC provides an overview ofrail developments in this region

Published May 2016 Don’t miss out on your copy – subscribe for free today by visiting:


COMING UP IN THE NEXT ISSUE:Do you want yourarticle published

in European RailwayReview?

We’re looking for end-user industryexperts from railway operators and

track infrastructure owners, plusindustry association personnel, to

contribute free-of-charge informativeand thought-provoking articles.

Can you write about ERTMSdevelopments, level crossing

safety initiatives, infrastructuremaintenance technology, or high-

speed rail progress?

Contact Craig Waters, Editor, via email at

[email protected] forour editorial calendar or visit


INTERNATIONAL RAILTRANSPORT LAWThe CIT: legal expertisefor rail transportundertakings Cesare Brand, Secretary General,International Rail TransportCommittee (CIT)

SAFETY RISK ASSESSMENTSA possible universalapproach for riskassessmentsFrançois Bianco, Isabella Marianiand Hanspeter Schlatter, Swiss Federal Railways (SBB)Signalling Department

GERMANY‘Zukunft Bahn’ – the future of railwayFrank Sennhenn, CEO, DB Netz AG

GERMANYNew horizons for Germany’s railway industry Ben Möbius, Managing Director,German Railway IndustryAssociation (VDB)

GERMANYBahn-stormingAn interview with Derek Ladewig,Founder of Locomore, and Achim Stauß, DeputySpokesperson, Deutsche Bahn

WHAT’S HAPPENINGIN…SOUTHERN AFRICA?Southern Africarailway revitalisation…Jerzy Wisniewski, African Region Coordinator, UIC

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SUPPLEMENTTRACK SYSTEMS & INFRASTRUCTURE

Building a seamless European rail infrastructure for the future Libor Lochman, Executive Director and Enno Wiebe, Senior Advisor,Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER)

The Gotthard Base Tunnel’s world-leading track technology voestalpine

Fostering innovative infrastructure maintenance Monika Heiming, Executive Director and Ville Saarinen, Technical AffairsManager, European Rail Infrastructure Managers (EIM)

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NEW FEATUREFOR 2016!

Harsco RailA Global Supplier for Track Maintenance and Construction

Harsco Rail supplies railway track maintenance and construction with expertise in high quality equipment, cutting-edge technology, and service support. With over 100 years of experience, Harsco Rail works diligently to provide railways across the globe with reliable solutions to keep their lines operating efficiently and safely. We prioritize our customers by optimizing our product and service offerings to meet their needs.

For more information contact:

Americas

T (803) 822-9160 F (803) 822-8107International

T +49 2102 55562 0 F +49 2102 55562 12E [email protected]

To see our solutions:www.harscorail.com

Rail transportation aspart of Finnish societyBy Anne Berner, Minister of Transportand Communications, Finland

When Finland’s first railway was constructed in 1863 between Helsinkiand Hämeenlinna, its purpose was to transport products of the AulankoCastle to Helsinki as quickly as possible. Now, 150 years later, Finnish railfreight volumes amount to approximately 37 million tonnes a year,consisting primarily of wood, metal, chemical products and transittransportation. Growth in the mining industry is also reflected intransport volumes. In 2014 all foreign trade transport in Finlandamounted to approximately 109 million tonnes.

Despite recent efforts, there has been a decline in the condition ofthe Finnish rail network. However, the Government has now decided toaddress the problem and has allocated €223 million toward renewingsignalling control systems, bridge works, track and structure repairs andfor updating technology. Electrification of rail sections and repairs and extensions of railway yards and raw timber terminals are alsoincluded in the list of improvements. The primary goal is to enhance therailway network and increase punctuality and safety.

A lack of financing has caused problems in the past, so for newtransport projects we are looking into innovative financing modelswhich should improve the operating environment and removeobstacles to growth and provide support for competitiveness.

Finland’s population is growing and urbanisation is bringing extrachallenges. New rail infrastructure projects are aimed at improvingcommuting conditions – for example, projects for rail tracks in theHelsinki Metropolitan Area, the construction of the western metro linein Helsinki and Espoo, and additional light-rail infrastructure. Thesetypes of track are effective in promoting more compact land use andhousing and, hence, a sustainable and energy-efficient urban structure.

In the Helsinki region, the only metropolitan area in Finland, traincommuting plays an important role in daily travelling. But the railnetwork is also well established in long-distance travelling and freighttransport, proving the importance of railway transportation in theoverall Finnish transport policy.

An important TEN-T project for Finland is Rail Baltica, a railconnection between Tallinn, the Baltic countries, Poland and Warsawwhich includes the construction of a tunnel under the Gulf of Finlandconnecting Helsinki and Tallinn. A Memorandum of Understanding fortransport issues was recently signed between the two cities, and Estoniaand Finland have applied for EU project funding worth over €1 millionto further examine the profitability, effects and technical possibilities of the tunnel.

There have also been on-going discussions about building an ArcticOcean railway in Finland with several route suggestions still on thetable. At the moment such a large-scale route from the north is notneeded, but is a future possibility for Finland.

After almost a decade of rail traffic negotiations between Finland

and Russia, a new agreement will come into force in summer 2016 thatwill abolish some of the market restrictions between the countries. It hasbeen estimated that the annual turnover of the transport marketbetween Russia and Finland could be around €100 million and secureroughly 1,000 new jobs in Finland. The agreement will remove importand export barriers between the countries.

The process of opening up passenger railway services to comp -etition is underway in Finland which aims to promote healthycompetition, deregulation and market-based operations. Rail freightwas already opened up to competition in 2007. Liberalisation of therailway market means that the state and VR Group Ltd will no longerhave exclusive rights and the market is open to other operators. This does not mean privatisation of the VR Group, though; it willcontinue under state monitoring and the current passenger serviceagreement between the VR Group and the Ministry of Transport andCommunications that guarantees the VR Group exclusive rights topassenger transport, is valid until the end of 2024. However, theopening up to competition calls for a renegotiation of the agreement.

The automation of railway traffic has guaranteed the safe travel oftrains for years. Continuing digitalisation and automation will raise thestandards for the transport infrastructure. It is vital that our entire railnetwork is in such a good condition that we can meet these standards.The existing infrastructure must enable the creation of intelligenttransport services.

Automation is commonplace in rolling stock, safety devices, railtracks, passenger hall and ticket sales systems, and also in informationcollection and distribution systems. Freight traffic has been mainlyautomated for a long time and transport chains, including Mobility as aService (MaaS), have been established in passenger transport to meetcustomer needs.

Digitalisation is changing the mobility of people and goods in manyways and a proactive approach in the development of internationalregulation is needed to enable further experimentation. For example,new railway safety equipment could speed up the development ofautomatic train control.

Finland is working towards becoming the world-leader in thedevelopment of transport automation: it possesses a clear vision,traditions in information and communications technology, expertise in robotics and work machinery, and has the skill to operate in harshwinter conditions.

However, at a global level the focus of debate has shifted towards‘Hyperloop’ – a means of transport to replace all others. This reduced-pressure tube in which people and freight could travel in pressurisedcapsules, would remove any need to worry about bumpy highways orpoor rail sections.

To ensure Finland’s competitiveness, rail transport chains between exports, imports and regions must beefficient, as should distribution, commuting and international connections. Railways play an important role butthere are certain parts of the network that are defective. The state is being criticised for not paying sufficientattention to the needs of all enterprises that rely on rail transportation. However, one goal of the Ministry ofTransport and Communications is to ensure sufficient maintenance of tracks.

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Furrer+Freystrengthensoperationsin GermanyFurrer+Frey – the family-run companythat has grown to become Switzerland’sleading builder of overhead lines sinceit was founded over 90 years ago – is toboost its presence in Germany byestablishing a subsidiary based inBerlin; with Thomas Salega (anexperienced hand in overhead lineconstruction) having been named thenew Managing Director for Germany.He will head up a team of expertsplanning, assembling and maintainingsystems on-site for German customers.

Furrer+Frey was responsible forelectrifying the underground section ofBerlin’s central station using its ownconductor rail systems and has alsoequipped a large number of stablingpoints and traction maintenance depotswith fix and swivelling conductor rails.The company is setting up a subsidiaryin Germany in order to ensurecontinuity and respond even moreeffectively to customer requirements.

“We’re very fortunate to haveappointed Thomas Salega,” said SeniorChief Executive Officer Beat Furrer.“With his experience, he will enable usto make the high-quality service that wegive our German customers even better.He also brings an excellent network ofcontacts with him.”

Thomas Salega is joining from therail technology team at EQOS EnergieDeutschland, having previously headedup the department responsible formainline overhead lines and majorprojects in the Electrical Engineeringdivision of Großbeeren-based SPITZKEAG. At Furrer+Frey Deutschland,Thomas will be tasked with putting itscombination of German and Swissexpertise to good use in high-qualityoverhead line projects. Furrer+Frey iswell-versed in designing and planningall kinds of overhead line systems forcustomers including rail operators and transport companies that are look-ing for experience, creative solutions and quality.

The company began operations in1923 electrifying Switzerland’srailways and remains family-owned tothis day, with the fourth generation now at the helm. A personal service,sustainability and high quality havealways shaped its business activities.Furrer+Frey also has subsidiaries in theUK, Italy and China.

www.furrerfrey.de

NEWS


Get daily news updates at www.europeanrailwayreview.com

@EuroRailReview8

Schmidt’s new snow blower ensures clear tracks on theMatterhorn Gotthard Railway The Matterhorn Gotthard Railway in Switzerlandwas looking for a contemporary, powerful and safesnow-clearing vehicle to be deployed in toughwinter conditions on the Oberalp Pass. Afterexamining various options, a Bernina snow blowerwas acquired from the Rhaetian Railway at the end of 2014. However, it was more than 50 years old and had to be thoroughly renovated andupgraded, which was a task for Schmidt’s railwayexperts in St. Blasien.

The first examination revealed that, of theoriginal vehicle, only the chassis, the cabin andparts of the power unit could be retained. The innerworkings of the cabin, the technology and theclearing head had to be completely replaced and, insome cases, redesigned. The power train wasconverted from an electrical clearing head drivesupplied with power via roof-mounted pantographsto a diesel-hydraulic clearing head drive, with animproved power unit. The vehicle was retrofitted

with a cogwheel brake plus received a new dieselengine and a telescopic clearing head. The controlconsole was completely overhauled. The clearinghead is now operated by joysticks, which increasedcontrol functions significantly.

The biggest challenge was the time. “Ninemonths is usually a long time, but for this project itwas just a blink of an eye,” recalls Clemens Rosa,Head of Development for Winter MaintenanceTechnology at Schmidt. “The snow blower on theMatterhorn Gotthard Railway (pictured) is not just aready-made machine. In spite of meticulousplanning, some details could not be foreseen.Experienced staff, great team spirit and closecustomer contact throughout the project made itpossible to carry out the work ‘on time’.” In November, the HB10 named ‘Tschamut’ wasceremoniously put into operation in Disentis.

www.aebi-schmidt.com

UK remains one of the safestrailways in EuropeAccording to annual figures recently released byrail safety experts RSSB, the UK remains one ofthe safest countries in Europe for train travel, withno passenger or workforce fatalities occurring ontrains in 2015. This is against a sustainedbackdrop of increasing passenger usage whichamounted to 1.68 billion journeys.

The findings reveal that for a record breakingeighth year in a row, no passenger or workforcefatalities in train accidents were reported in 2015,and there was an overall decrease in the number offatalities on the network (excluding trespass andsuicide) over the past year.

The last on-board fatality in a train accidentoccurred in 2007 when a passenger train derailedat Grayrigg.

George Bearfield, RSSB Director of SystemSafety, commented: “Even though we are pleasedto see these results we can’t afford to be complacentas the precursors to train accidents indicate that thepotential for a major train accident remains. As anindustry we have to collaborate and work togetherto understand and manage potential risks, with thesafety of all those who interact with the railwayremaining at the forefront of our minds.”

www.rssb.co.uk

NEWS



@EuroRailReview9

Colmar’sbiggest evercontractColmar has been awarded a tender from Rete Ferroviaria Italiana SPA (RFI) to supply141 model T11000FS railroad loaders(pictured) to be delivered over the next fouryears. These new machines will join 400 existing Colmar railroad loaders alreadyin RFI’s possession.

The total value of the tender is €45 million and is the biggest contract everfor Colmar.

The T11000FS maximises liftingcapacity and the operability of the trackwithout compromising on safety. The specialrated lifting capacity system monitors themachine’s load status and compares it to the machine’s true lift capacity in its state ofgradient, rail cant and axle lock configura -tion. Slew, cant and gradient duties arecontinuously calculated to ensure full use ofthe machine’s lifting capacity in everyposition. The T11000FS weighs 29 tonnesand has a maximum lifting capacity on rail of 12 tonnes.

The machine features a hydrostatictransmission in closed circuit, a load sensinghydraulic system and a special system thatallows the operator to modify the contactpressure between the tyres and the steelwheels, directly from the cab. This model ispowered by a 125kw diesel engine, liquidcooled, Step 4, complying with the latestEuropean norms for emissions.

This outstanding order follows anexcellent 2015 for Colmar, with theconsolidation of the UK leadership for the supply of railroad loaders to severalcompanies involved in electrificationprojects, and with the opening of newmarkets such as Northern Africa, Far Eastand South America.

www.colmar-rail.com

PORR’s proven track recordwith state-of-the-art Slab TrackAustria technology Faster, safer and longer-lasting – today’s high-speed track must meet these requirements. The demand for high-speed train connections has been increasing for years.

The railway companies in Austria andGermany have been using slab track for manyyears. Slab Track Austria (ÖBB/Porr) hasbecome the standard slab track construction inAustria since 1995 and is being used for theconstruction of the currently longest railwayproject in Germany – VDE 8 (Verkehrsprojektder Deutschen Einheit 8) – forming a major linkon the line connecting Berlin and Munich. Morethan 300km of Slab Track Austria is installed onearthworks and on a large number of viaducts,bridges, and in tunnels.

PORR’s experience demonstrates that slabtrack has substantial advantages when comparedwith ballasted track. Especially, on high-performance and high-speed routes of up to300km/h, ballastless track systems such as theelastically supported Slab Track Austria,

precast elements are installed to ensure maxi -mum track reliability, availability and minimummaintenance needs.

The system is proven in use on high-performance lines as well as on high-speed linesand provides numerous advantages, some of themost important being: low maintenance;reduction of structure-borne noise; lowconstruction width and height; precast for fast,accurate installation and less labour; andadjustable in case of settlements.

PORR’s state-of-the-art slab tracktechnology with its carefully designedcomponents has a proven track record. Since thefirst installation in 1989 and approximately500,000km of STA under operation, the system has required no maintenance (except rail grinding and periodic inspection of track equipment).

PORR will be exhibiting at InnoTrans 2016in Hall 25, Stand 301.

www.slabtrackaustria.com

Slab Track Austria (ÖBB-PORR)

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New Gatwick Express trains launchedThe first new Gatwick Express Class 387/2ELECTROSTAR train to enter into passengerservice was officially launched on 10 March2016 from Victoria Station. From there ittravelled on to Gatwick Airport for a ceremonyattended by senior representatives from the rail industry.

A total of 108 ELECTROSTAR vehicles for Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) arebeing manufactured by Bombardier Trans -portation to replace the 1980s-built trainswhich have previously been operating on theGatwick Express service.

The new 27 four-car Class 387/2s havebeen specially designed for the GatwickExpress route; key features include two doubledoors per vehicle with more space around themfor easier boarding, 2x2 seating with more leg-room and under-seat storage, more luggagespace, Wi-Fi, air conditioning and the latestautomated on-board service information inseveral languages. The new trains will enterinto service during the course of 2016.

Bombardier and ELECTROSTAR are trademarks ofBombardier Inc. or its subsidiaries.

www.bombardier.com

NEWS



@EuroRailReview10

Many secondary railway lines which wereconsidered unproductive towards the end ofthe last millennium are nowadays enjoying alittle renaissance. Especially in areas withsmall to medium-sized urban agglomera -tions, these abandoned lines are rehabilitatedto satisfy the growing need for mobility.

One recent example is the so-calledproject Lehmsief, located in the area ofStollberg in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate/Germany (pictured), realised inlate-2015.

Geometric discontinuities resulting froman existing railway underpass did not allowthe reactivation with a standard ballast trackcross sections. Additionally, the plannedelectrification of the line required a structuralmodification of an existing railwayunderpass. Furthermore, a nearby water -course led to quite severe requirements forthe newly constructed tightly curved troughstructure, requiring for it to be longer thaninitially planned and to be executed as awaterproof structure.

As an optimum track solution for thisdemanding set of challenges, RAIL.ONE’sasphalt based track system GETRAC A3 waschosen. Project-related modifications such asa significant height reduction of the tracksystem to 513mm (approximately 12%compared to the standard cross section)contributed to the realisation of importantcost savings. Both the competence of theconstruction company Leonhard Weiss andRAIL.ONE’s engineering experts facilitatedan in-time design, approval and realisationprocess of this interesting project.

For RAIL.ONE Group’s CEO JochenRiepl also smaller projects like the Lehmsiefreactivation are an excellent example for thecompetitiveness of innovative ballastlesstrack solutions: “We are proud that ourGETRAC A3 system was identified to be themost suitable solution for the complex set ofchallenges that the Lehmsief project posedfor all involved stakeholders. Close coll -aboration of Deutsche Bahn, the contractorLeonhard Weiss and RAIL.ONE’s experi -enced engineers made sure that the in-timeand quality finalisation of this project areindeed a team success.”

www.railone.com

Further 25 Siemens trains for LondonSiemens and Govia Thameslink Railway(GTR) have struck a deal worth over £200 million to replace its suburban train fleeton the Great Northern route. The 25 six-carriage units (150 vehicles) will enter serviceby the end of 2018 and feature widergangways, climate-control air-conditioning,RTPI technology and full passenger Wi-Fi functionality.

The trains (pictured) will run betweenMoorgate in the City of London and Welwynand Hertford, Stevenage and Letchworth. Theywill be made by Siemens as a variant of theClass 700 trains, based on the Desiro Cityplatform, which is being built for GTR’s newThameslink service. These trains replace Class313 trains built in 1976/1977, which are theoldest type of electric trains in operation inmainland Britain.

GTR Chief Executive Officer Charles

Horton said: “We are delighted to have securedthe financing for this new fleet which will giveour passengers on Great Northern’s suburbanroutes a modern, high-quality environment…and when we bring the Moorgate trains onlinewe’ll also increase the frequency of servicesconsiderably. The new Moorgate trains makeup just one of three major fleets we areintroducing which will steadily improveservices and drive up passenger satisfaction.”

“This is already the third order we’vereceived for our Desiro City vehicle platform developed especially for the UKmarket,” says Jochen Eickholt, CEO of theSiemens Mobility Division. “The platformconcept was developed in the context of a two-year, €50 million research programmebased on proven Desiro UK trains; aninvestment that has paid off.”

www.siemens.com

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Backing for Crossrail 2 and HS3 in the UKIn his Budget 2016, the UK’s Chancellor of theExchequer George Osborne has confirmed acommitment to Crossrail 2 and High Speed 3.

Included within his plans to invest £300 million on transport projects across thecountry are £80 million for London’s proposedCrossrail 2 rail line and £60 million for the newHigh Speed 3 (HS3) link across the north ofEngland. The Chancellor has also confirmed afocus towards building new housing develop -ments around railway stations.

The proposed Crossrail 2 project will create a new rail line serving London and the South East that will connect National Rail networks in Surrey and Hertfordshire. The counties will be connected via new tunnelsand stations between Wimbledon, TottenhamHale and New Southgate, linking in with London

underground, London Overground, Crossrail 1,plus national and international rail services.Crossrail 2 will also increase tube capacity inLondon and reduce pressure at Victoria andWaterloo stations.

The Government’s backing of HS3 follows a report published by the National Infra-structure Commission which was asked to adviseon strategic improvements for transportconnectivity in the North of England. The reporthighlights the importance of kick-starting HS3,whilst integrating the line with HS2 and theNorth’s city gateway stations.

The HS3 proposed line will connectLiverpool in the west to Hull and Newcastle inthe east via upgraded lines and sections of newtrack where necessary.

www.gov.uk

Rehabilitatingabandoned lines

NEWS



@EuroRailReview11

Rosehill Rail (UK), a leading global manu -facturer of modular rubber railway crossingsystems, has appointed Andrew Knight(pictured) as Export Manager to furtherdevelop the company’s export business.

With the company experiencing sust -ained international growth, Andrew willspearhead Rosehill Rail’s export business,including the continued development of itsexisting distributors, as well as seeking outnew partners in new territories.

Over the last 16 years, Rosehill Rail hasseen its innovative engineered rubber railcrossings adopted by rail networks across the globe. During this time the company has established an extensive global cust-omer base with distributors in over 21 countries, and is now looking to grow itsreach even further.

The speed at which its systems can beinstalled and removed for maintenance,combined with the cost savings that can beachieved compared to traditional concrete, orother modular systems, have been majorfactors in its ongoing success.

Commenting on the appointment, Dr Alexander Celik, Managing Director ofRosehill Rail, said: “Growth in the UK andoverseas has been strong and although wealready have an extensive distributionnetwork, we’re constantly looking to expand our export activities and open up new markets.”

On joining the company, Andrew said:“Rosehill Rail is very well respected and has been tremendously successful at bring-ing innovative new products to market. It has built strong positions in many markets across the globe and I am lookingforward to bringing their crossing systems toeven more countries.”

www.rosehillrail.com

Alstom to supply of 28 Coradia Lintregional trains to TransdevAlstom has been awarded a contract worth over€115 million to supply 28 diesel Coradia Linttrains (19 Coradia Lint 41, 4 Coradia Lint 54 and5 Coradia Lint 81) for operation on the Augsburgdiesel network 1 in Germany. Transdev GmbH,Germany’s biggest private operator of busses andtrains, was recently awarded by the free state ofBavaria a contract to run the Augsburg-Landsberg, Augsburg-Füssen and Munich-Füssen network. The new vehicles are due toenter service for the Transdev-subsidiaryBayerische Regiobahn GmbH from December2018 onwards.

The regional trains, which are to be built atAlstom’s site in Salzgitter, Germany, can each

transport between 225 and 485 passengers andcan run at a maximum service speed of up to140km/h. The high flexibility on the con -figuration of the fleet allows for optimum use for the operator.

The new vehicles will provide barrier-freeaccess for a quick passenger flow, spaciousmulti-purpose areas for wheelchairs, bicyclesand prams and a large number of luggage racks.Facilities also include a 1st class area, passengerinformation system and video monitoring forpassenger and staff safety.

www.alstom.comwww.transdev.de

Andrew Knight,Export Managerat Rosehill Rail

Credit: Alstom

One year on for the Wessex Capacity Alliance One year on and the Alliance appointed todeliver Network Rail’s Wessex CapacityImprovement Programme reports valueengineering and client savings to date in excessof £40 million. The four partners in the WessexCapacity Alliance, namely AECOM, ColasRail, Mott MacDonald and Skanska, areresponsible for planning and carrying out majorimprovements to boost increased peak timecapacity into Waterloo Station, the UK’sbusiest station, and across the Wessex Route.The five-year programme is due for completionin December 2019.

Over the past 12 months the WessexCapacity Alliance has been working closelywith Network Rail to scope out detailed plansto deliver the largest investment for decades on the UK’s busiest railway. Works will includethe re-opening of the former WaterlooInternational Terminal for use by 10-carcommuter services and the lengthening ofPlatforms 1-4 to allow 10-car services to run onsuburban routes for the first time during peakcommuter hours. Colas Rail is involved in

delivering track systems elements for theproject from GRIP 2 design through to GRIP 8.The first year of the project has seen thedevelopment of GRIP 4 and some GRIP 5designs for the 10-car services. Week 47marked the disconnection of WaterlooInternational from the rest of the network for 12 months. “Colas Rail has been delivering on-site since November 2015,” says Liz Baldwin,Alliance Manager – Wessex Capacity Alliance.

In addition to having a core team within theWessex Capacity Alliance, Colas Rail can alsocall upon a wealth of expertise from within itsown organisation, as Liz explains: “Forexample, colleagues from our in-house S&CAlliance are currently involved in ongoingS&C works at Waterloo International, whichform a key enabler for the whole programme.”

A challenging schedule of works willcontinue during 2016 for the Wessex CapacityAlliance as the programme prepares for aplanned 25-day blockade of Waterloo Stationin August 2017.

www.colasrail.co.uk

Rosehill Railappoints ExportManager to drive internationalgrowth

NEWS



@EuroRailReview12

Stadler wins €125 million contractin the NetherlandsStadler has been awarded the contract tomanufacture 16 FLIRT3 electric multiple-unit(EMU) trains for the operators Syntus bv andKeolis in the Netherlands.

The trains (pictured) will operate on the Zwolle–Kampen and Zwolle–Enschedelines, with services scheduled to begin inDecember 2017.

The contract includes delivery of the trainsand maintenance for 15 years. The 16 electricFLIRT3 trains are split into nine three-carriageand seven four-carriage multiple-unit trains, and have a maximum speed of

160km/h. All FLIRT3 vehicles sold complywith the new 2014 TSI standards, meaningthey are state-of-the-art in terms of noise-pollution levels, energy efficiency and accessfor persons with reduced mobility. The firsttrains will be delivered in June 2017 to allowtype tests to be completed. Once again, the factthat the vehicles are able to be manufactured soquickly – thanks to the unique modularconstruction of the FLIRT3 series – played acrucial role in Stadler being awarded thecontract. The 16 new trains will be produced in Switzerland. www.stadlerrail.com

Bombardierachieves furthermainline rail controlsuccesses in PolandBombardier Transportation has further boosted itsmarket leading mainline project portfolio inPoland with the recent completion of two majorrail control projects as well as the extension of a rail signalling maintenance agreement.

In December 2015, the BOMBARDIERINTERFLO 200 rail control solution enteredservice on the Warsaw Zachodnia– Skierniewicesection of the Warsaw–Lódz mainline, one ofcentral Poland’s high capacity connections. Theproject was delivered with minimum disruption toexisting operations, with over 440 trains passingdaily through the busiest point at Warsaw Wlochy.

This installation included the set-up of anintegrated control room equipped with theBOMBARDIER EBI Screen 300 central trafficcontrol system at the Grodzisk Mazowieckistation, completed in a record three months. Thesystem also introduced Bombardier’s latestgeneration EBI Switch 2000 point machine,manufactured in Poland. The technologyprovides increased suitability for high-speedlines, protection against extreme weatherconditions, and a modular structure for easiermaintenance and unit replacement.

In addition, another highly demanding projectwas completed in December 2015 whenBombardier equipped a total of 92 EBI Gate levelcrossing systems across seven Polish provinces, aspart of a network-wide upgrade. The upgradeprojects required activities ranging from civil, trackand signalling to power supply and telecommuni -cation engineering works.

Delivered in consortium with KrakowskieZaklady Automatyki S.A. (KZA Krakow), thedelivery, installation, testing and commissioning ofthis high number of level crossing systems wascompleted according to a demanding timetable.Six of the 92 level crossings were located on thehigh priority lines prepared to operate Poland’snew high-speed trains, a process which required amajor reorganisation of installation schedules toensure on-time delivery.

Bombardier has also been a key supplier ofproducts and spare parts for maintenance for itsrail control technology installed on the entirePKP/PLK Railway Network since 2008. A current agreement recently extended through to 2019, covers spares for a full range ofBombardier products including relays, pointmachine, train detection signalling, level crossingand computer-based interlocking systems.

Bombardier Transportation has 90 years ofexperience in providing the latest signallingtechnology to the Polish rail network, and hasprovided rail control systems on all main rail linesas well as two Warsaw metro lines. In 2015,Bombardier’s INTERFLO 450 technologybecame the first European Rail TrafficManagement System (ERTMS) Level 2 to startoperation in Poland.

BOMBARDIER, INTERFLO and EBI are trademarksof Bombardier Inc. or its subsidiaries.

www.bombardier.com

Smart ticketing available onScotRail routes by end of summerScotRail has launched its ‘Summer of Smart’campaign highlighting the introduction ofsmartcard technology across every ScotRailroute by the end of summer 2016. The launchwas attended by Transport Minister DerekMackay in the presence of ScotRail AllianceCommercial Director Cathy Craig atGlasgow Central station. The introductionwill mark an important step towardsScotRail’s target of 60% of journeys beingmade using smartcards by 2019.

Annual, monthly and weekly seasonticket holders can currently use smartcardson four routes in the Central Belt. By the endof the summer, smart season tickets will beavailable on the remaining 24 lines, fromStranraer in the south to Wick in the north.Season ticket holders will be able to accessbest value fares across the network.

Cathy Craig, ScotRail Alliance Comm -ercial Director said: “Smart ticketing promisesto revolutionise travel in Scotland. Ourcustomers tell us that one of the biggesthassles they face when travelling is having toqueue up for a ticket either before or after theyget on the train. With smart ticketing, the daysof standing in queues are coming to an end. By the end of the summer, season ticketholders the length and breadth of Scotland willbe able to buy their season tickets at home orat one of our at-station ticket machines, loadthem up onto their smartcard and then just tapand go. Once people move to smart they willhave access to best-value fares and will enjoysmoother journeys with less need to queue.

The technology that sits behind our smartcardsis the same as that being used by many othertransport operators. We are absolutelycommitted to working with these otheroperators to find a way to make sure thatsmartcards work right across Scotland’stransport network, making travelling inScotland a seamless, hassle free experience.”

Transport Minister Derek Mackay said:“This announcement is good news for railpassengers in Scotland who will start to seemore smart-enabled route options right acrossthe ScotRail network during the summer.These will offer passengers increasedflexibility and value for money whilstaligning the rail industry for future smartticket integration with other forms oftransport as they become Smart enabled. Aspart of last year’s ScotRail franchise contractaward, Ministers emphasised the need for aninnovative approach to smart ticketing withinrail, which included an ambitious target todeliver an overall figures of 60% of journeysby smart by 2019. The Scottish Government’slong-terms vision for smart travel is thatpassengers on all forms of public transportwill be able to pay for their journeys usingsome form of smart ticketing.”

Scotrail has also announced furthersmart ticketing options will be rolled outbeyond season tickets to the majority ofticket types by 2017, all ticket types will beavailable on smart by 2019, including somemulti-modal tickets.

www.scotrail.co.uk

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EVENTSExpo Ferroviaria 2016Date: 5-7 April 2016Location: Turin, Italye: [email protected]: www.expoferroviaria.com

Infrarail 2016Date: 12-14 April 2016Location: London, UKe: [email protected]: www.infrarail.com

SmartRail Europe 2016Date: 19-21 April 2016Location: Amsterdam, the Netherlandst: +44 (0) 207 045 0900w: www.smartraileurope.com

Scandinavian RailDevelopment 2016Date: 24 May 2016Location: Stockholm, Swedent: + 44 (0) 1959 563 311e: [email protected]: www.scandinavianraildevelopment.com

Asia Rail Summit 2016Date: 26-27 May 2016Location: Bangkok, Thailande: [email protected]: www.ourpolaris.com/2016/ars

12th World MetrorailCongress 2016Date: 26-27 May 2016Location: London, UKe: [email protected]: www.terrapinn.com/Metrorail/RP

Iberian RailDevelopment 2016Date: 7 June 2016Location: Madrid, Spaint: + 44 (0) 1959 563 311e: [email protected]: www.iberianraildevelopment.com

FIRE 2016Date: 5-6 October 2016Location: Baltimore, MA, USAe: [email protected]: www.firesinvehicles.com

18th InternationalWheelset CongressDate: 7-10 November 2016Location: Chengdu, Chinae: [email protected]: www.iwc2016.com

If you have a diary event you wish to publicise, send details to Martine Shirtcliff at:

[email protected]

More double-deck EMUs forBrittany in FranceBombardier Transportation has revealed that theFrench National Railway Company (SNCF) hasexercised an option to receive four additionaleight-car Regio 2N double-deck electric multipleunits (EMUs). The order will be financed by theBrittany region and is valued at approximately€34 million. The contract signed in 2010 with SNCF covers the supply of up to 860 trains for various French regions. Altogether,10 French regions have ordered a total of 213 Regio 2N trains.

This new order will increase the Brittanyregion’s fleet to 21 Regio 2N trains; 14 eight-cartrains offering 491 seats each and seven

six-car sets with 350 seats each. Delivery of thefour new trains is scheduled for 2019.

Bombardier’s Crespin site in NorthernFrance complies with the SNCF planning andhas already delivered a total of 53 trains to six French regions. Since commissioning inOctober 2014, the Regio 2N fleet, based on the BOMBARDIER OMNEO double-deck EMU platform, has travelled over a millionkilometres in service and has shown strongperformance results.

Bombardier and OMNEO are trademarks ofBombardier Inc. or its subsidiaries.

www.bombardier.com

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@EuroRailReview13

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Stable passenger numbersrecorded for EurostarEurostar, the high-speed rail service betweenthe UK and mainland Europe, has reportedstable passenger numbers in 2015 at 10.4 million (10.4 million: 2014).

Nicolas Petrovic, Chief Executive ofEurostar, said: “After a challenging end to2015, trading is picking up and the outlook forthe summer is positive. With our new state-of-the-art trains and highly competitive fares to arange of destinations, we expect this trend togather momentum over the coming months.”

Following the introduction of eight e320trains on the London–Paris route, passengerscan enjoy a complete transformation of theirtravel experience as Eurostar unveils its new on-board entertainment service and Wi-Fi connectivity.

By connecting their mobile phone or tabletto the free on-board Wi-Fi, customers canunlock more than 300 hours of popular TVshows and movies, plus there is news, games, a

special children’s zone and a live movinglocation map.

Nicolas continued: “The successfulintroduction of our new fleet marks animportant milestone for the business as ittransforms the travel experience for ourcustomers. Our e320 trains bring the ultimate instyle and comfort alongside the latest in on-board digital connectivity for both business and leisure travellers.”

Carrying 900 passengers as opposed to 750 on the original Eurostar trains, the e320trains boost capacity by 20%. Equipped withinteriors created by world-renowned Italian cardesigners, Pininfarina, the e320 brings a wholerange of exciting new features includingergonomically designed reclining seats in all classes of service and digital screensfeaturing up-to-date journey information ineach carriage.

www.eurostar.com

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ACCIONA designs and builds infrastructures based on respect for the environment and for the communities around us. We believe that this respect is not only an end in itself but also a means to achieving excellence, driving research and building a better world.

LEAVING A FOOTPRINT IN SOCIETY, NOT IN NATURE

@acciona

www.acciona.com

WATER SERVICECONSTRUCTION INDUSTRIAL

Oslo and the surrounding regions are fast growing, and the existing

infrastructure is under great pressure. The new 22km-long double-track

railway line between Oslo and the small city of Ski will provide a

significantly improved railway capacity for the Follo and Østfold region.

The high-speed railway line allows travellers to leave Oslo Central

Station and arrive in Ski approximately 11 minutes later – resulting in a

50% reduction in travel time.

The new tunnel is being built for minimum 100 years and will

have two separate single-track tubes with cross passages every 500m.

When the Follo Line Project is completed at the end of 2021, it will fulfil

NORTHERN EUROPE: NORWAY




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The Follo LineProject: historicaland challengingThe Follo Line Project is currently the largest infrastructure project in Norway and will include the longest railwaytunnel in the Nordic countries. The new double-track rail line forms the core part of the InterCity developmentsouthwards from Norway’s capital. As Jernbaneverket’s Project Director, Erik Smith, explains the Follo Line twin-tube tunnel runs through 20km of hard rock formed by several glacial periods and will be one of the first tobe constructed using tunnel boring machines.

safety and maintenance requirements for a densely

trafficked high-speed railway line.

Innovation and modernisation The Follo Line Project is a pilot project for a new contract

model, as well as new tunnel excavation methods, for

Norwegian railway tunnels. The use of EPC contracts; the

use of conventional drill and blast in combination with

drill and split methodology; and the use of tunnel boring

machines (TBMs) pave the way for innovation and

knowledge upgrading – in addition to alliance-building –

between Norwegian and foreign engineering and

construction companies. Furthermore, the reintroduction

of TBM tunnelling will help the development of

Norwegian tunnelling industry and innovation for

the Norwegian market, where a modernisation of the

current rail infrastructure is now taking place.

Companies from all over Europe and Asia have

participated in the Follo Line Project, which is the first

rail project in Norway with English as its ‘contract

language’. The contract strategy has been formulated

based on the size of the project, and the result is five

EPC contracts and one Signal contract. The Norwegian

National Rail Administration has signed two contracts

with Società Italiana per Condotte d’ Acqua S.p.A.

(Condotte) for the EPC Civil Oslo C and EPC Tunnel Drill &

Blast, one contract with ACCIONA Infraestructuras S.A.

and Ghella S.p.A. (AGJV) for the EPC Tunnel TBM and

one contract with Obrascón Huarte Lain S.A. (OHL)

for the EPC Ski. The last EPC contract for Railway

Systems (Oslo C) will be signed during 2016.

The contractors have so far signed numerous con-

tracts with a broad spectre of Norwegian companies.

After months of preparatory works, full development




www.europeanrailwayreview.com16

The timeline for the Follo Line Project

The drill and split method has been chosen for some parts of the Follo Line Project due to the alignment of fragile surrounding infrastructure andexisintg tunnels. This is the first time drill and split has been used in a tunnel project in Norway

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When the Follo Line Project is

completed at theend of 2021, it will

fulfil safety andmaintenance

requirements for adensely trafficked

high-speed railway line




is now underway at the four rig areas: Oslo Central Station, Sydhavna,

Åsland and Ski.

A large-scale urban construction project Constructing new railway lines in the densely trafficked metropolitan

area around Oslo Central Station is a major challenge. Much of the work

is performed whilst the daily flow of

traffic to and from the busy station is

operating as normal. Furthermore,

there are a number of limitations

concerning locations close to sensitive

urban infrastructure and the great

archaeological excavation taking place

nearby. So far, archaeologists have

unearthed more than 100 skeletons

from graves found in the area around

Oslo’s Medieval Park, which date back

to the middle ages.

New excavation methods for the tunnels

Until recently all railway tunnels in Norway have been excavated by

the drill and blast methodology. However, the main part of the

Follo Line tunnel will be the first to be excavated by tunnel boring

machines and conventional drill and blast in combination with drill

and split methodology.

Extensive work has been carried out to analyse and compare

different methods of excavation to determine a solution that would

satisfy the various requirements. In the northern part of the tunnel

section, both the Follo Line and the relocated Østfold Line are

located close to other existing tunnels, caverns and sensitive

installations. Consequently, the excavation of both the two Follo Line

tunnels and the inbound Østfold Line tunnel will be performed with

great care as they cross under one of the existing main road tunnels.

There are also strict requirements regulating the limits of vibrations as

Furrer Fr ey O v e r h e a d c o n t a c t l i n e s

®

www.furrerfrey.ch

Furrer+Frey AGOverhead contact line engineeringDesign, manufacturing, installationThunstrasse 35, P.O. Box 1823000 Berne 6, Switzerland

Telephone + 41 31 357 61 11Fax + 41 31 357 61 00

The Follo LineProject is a pilotproject for a new

contract model, aswell as new tunnel

excavation methods,for Norwegian

railway tunnels

Follo Line Project facts

The Follo Line Project was developed by the Norwegian National RailAdministration under commission from the Ministry of Transport and Communications.■ It is currently Norway’s largest transport project■ It is a 22km new double-track line from Norway’s capital to the Ski public

transport centre■ It will comprise a 20km-long tunnel; the longest railway tunnel to

date in the Nordic countries and the first long railway tunnel in Norway to have separate tubes

■ It is one of the first railway tunnels in Norway to be excavated with tunnelboring machines (TBMs)

■ The project includes extensive works at Oslo Central Station and theconstruction of a new station at Ski

■ It includes the necessary realignment of tracks for the existing ØstfoldLine on the approach to Oslo Central Station and between the tunnel and the new Ski Station

■ It will comprise the construction of approximately 64km of new railway tracks

■ It provides increased traffic capacity to/from Oslo■ It will enable a 50% reduction in journey times between Oslo and Ski■ Is designed for speeds up to 250km/h■ Is scheduled for completion in December 2021■ It forms the core part of the InterCity development southwards from Oslo■ In the future it could be combined with a possible high-speed line to

the continent.

the tunnel passes in the vicinity of storage

caverns for petroleum products.

After careful consideration of the

different potential excavation methods, and

due to limited space for TBMs in this area,

the Norwegian National Rail Administration

decided to excavate the tunnel for the

inbound Østfold Line using a combination of

drill and blast and drill and split method -

ology, marking the first time this method has

been used in a tunnel project in Norway.

Whilst the method provides a careful

excavation of the rock without explosives, it

is a slow process providing, on average,

approximately 1m of excavated tunnel per

day. However, the tunnel activities are

well underway, with two access tunnels

completed thus far. The works on this part of

the Follo Line are scheduled to be

completed in 2018.

One central TBM launching location18.5km of the 20km-long tunnel sections will

be excavated by four TBMs operating from

one centrally located access point at Åsland,

close to the main road and with a limited

number of neighbours in proximity to the rig

area. Two access tunnels, each approximately 1km-long, have

been excavated from the main rig area down to the location for

the future railway tunnels so far. Additional auxiliary tunnels and

two large assembly chambers are being constructed utilising

conventional drill and blast techniques as a preparation for the

assembly and operation of the TBMs.

The four TBMs are specially produced for Norway by

Herrenknecht in Germany. The first one will be delivered this

summer. The TBM boring activities will begin in September and


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Companies from all over Europe and Asiahave participated in the

Follo Line Project

A 3D illustration of the Åsland rig area, a major construction site of the Follo Line Project. From the rig area two TBMs will work towards Oslo Central Station, and another two TBMs will work towards Ski





are expected to be completed by the end of

2018. Two TBMs will start in a northward

direction toward Oslo Central Station, and

another two TBMs will work in a southward

direction toward the city of Ski, where they will

be connected to a cut-and-cover section.

All four TBMs are double shield machines,

designed for extreme hard rock conditions.

The diameter of each machine is 9.960m.

The location at Åsland and the oppor -

tunities to develop a compact site arrangement,

including all the necessary operations for the

production of the 18.5km-long tunnels,

provides significant environmental benefits

compared to excavation by drill and blast from

several different access points. Conveyor belts

transporting the excavated material from the

tunnels will reduce the number of vehicle and

traffic movements. Inside the tunnel, precast

water tight concrete segments are installed in a

closed ring to ensure rock support, as well as

protection from water leaking into the tunnel.

The production of these elements is taking

place at Åsland and approximately 10% to

15% of the TBM spoil will be used in the

production of these concrete segments. Launching all four TBMs from Åsland

also enables reuse of spoil for potential

future residential developments within

the area. This will reduce the volume of

traffic on public roads and pollution

from vehicles.

Town development The Follo Line will run along a 1.5km-long

open section south of the tunnel before

reaching the public transport hub at Ski.

Ski Station will be completely rebuilt and

extended geographically and is scheduled

for completion in 2020. The station will

become a modern and efficient public

transport hub with three central platforms,

six tracks and will include a new pedestrian

underpass, a new road bridge, bus

terminal and an extended parking area for cars and bicycles. The main

activities started in February 2016 after months of preparatory works.

The first major construction work, a new road bridge above the railway

tracks, is now being built and will be completed in autumn 2016.

Erik Smith is a civil engineer and Doctor of Engineeringfrom NTH, the Norwegian Institute of Technology. He started his career as a Researcher at SINTEF inTrondheim and joined the Norwegian Hydro in 1983where he spent 20 years as Project Director. Erik has yearsof expertise and experience with large projects,international suppliers and turnkey contracts. He wasappointed as Executive Chairman of the Follo Line Projectbefore taking over as Project Director in 2012.

ACCIONA completes the logistical tunnels of the Follo LineProject in record time

ACCIONA Construcción has successfully completed –three months ahead of schedule – the logistical tunnels forthe Follo Line railway project using the drilling andblasting method.

These tunnels, which will provide access foremployees and material during the construction phase ofthe main rail tunnels, have been drilled at a depth of 100min Åsland, near the Norwegian capital, Oslo.

The work will continue with the digging of a 2.7km-long rescue tunnel and the preparation of a new system of tunnels forthe underground assembly of four tunnelling machines. It is expected thatthese machines will start work in the fourth trimester of 2016.

ACCIONA heads the joint venture for the Follo Line project under anEPC contract that includes the design and construction of twin tunnels dugby four 10m-diameter tunnelling machines (double-shield system). The design of these tunnels, with an interior diameter of 8.75m and a lengthof 18km each, will allow high-speed train traffic up to 250km/h.

Fernando Vara, Project Director at AGJV (pictured) and head of theproject’s Tunnel Boring Machine excavation said: “We have completed the first phase of excavating tunnels ahead of schedule. Now we arepreparing for a new and exciting phase – the construction of the tunnel withfour TBMs.”

He continued: “In September 2016 the first TBM will start boring andlining the tunnel with concrete segments. The starting point is theconstruction site in the middle of the 22km distance between the capital Osloand the city of Ski. The TBMs will be delivered throughout the year – two ofthem will drill north towards Oslo and two will drill south towards Ski,starting from the construction site at Åsland.”

With a diameter of nearly 10m, the TBMs are huge machines. Fernandosays: “…these TBMs have been customised to suit Norwegian rock andgeology. The collaboration between Herrenknecht, Jernbaneverket and AGJV has been very good which is reflected in a delivery ahead ofschedule, and with excellent quality.”

www.acciona.com

Tunnel excavation has been completed ahead of schedule

...the main part of the Follo Line

tunnel will be thefirst to be excavated

by tunnel boringmachines and

conventional drilland blast in

combination withdrill and splitmethodology

Preparing for the finalstages: the New LineCopenhagen–Ringsted

Construction of the new high-speed line from Copenhagen to

Ringsted on Denmark’s main island, Sealand, is progressing

well. Construction work began in the spring of 2013 on the earliest

awarded contracts. Work has now been completed on some of the

smaller contracts, for example on bridges and troughs, and they have

already been handed over from the contractors to Banedanmark,

a state-owned enterprise responsible for maintaining and developing

Danish railway infrastructure.

Successful tender strategyA key consideration of Banedanmark’s tender strategy for the

Copenhagen–Ringsted project was to split the construction of

the 60km-long railway into smaller contracts called Tender Packages.

Thus, the construction of the new dual-track high-speed line is carried

out by several contractors, mainly Joint Ventures comprising Danish

companies, which complement each other’s strengths. In fact,

contractors are currently working on seven different Tender Packages

With construction work on time and on budget, the Danish high-speed link between Copenhagen and Ringsted’snext challenge is to incorporate two major national programmes: the Electrification Programme and theSignalling Programme. For European Railway Review, Banedanmark’s Project Director, Jan Schneider-Tilli, gives an update on Denmark’s first high-speed line, which is due to open in December 2018.

NORTHERN EUROPE: DENMARK




For more information on Colas Rail:T: 020 7593 5353W: www.colasrail.co.ukE: [email protected]: @ColasRailUKFB: Colas Rail UK Colas Rail, Dacre House, 19 Dacre Street London SW1H 0DJ, United Kingdom

From design to delivery, construction to support, training to maintenance, Colas Rail delivers total solutions in all aspects of railway infrastructure, from high speed rail systems to light and urban rail.

As award-winning specialists in the design and construction of all forms of railway, we focus our world-class performance in four key areas of rail infrastructure; Track, Rail Services, Rail Systems and Training.

World leading engineering, construction & rail support services.

ranging from 750m up to 23km. According to the project’s execution

schedule, all construction and earth works will be carried out by

early-2017. We are currently on track and are confident that there will

be no serious delays.

No matter the type of contract, the relationship between client and

contractor is essential. The client organisation only absorbs a minor part

of the total ‘cost-pie’ and, by far, most costs are spent in civil works and

constructions. Cooperation is therefore key to success in budget

and execution schedules.

Urban tunnelsThe high-speed line will head out of Copenhagen from the borough of

Valby. The New Line Copenhagen–Ringsted’s official starting point is

Ny Ellebjerg Station, some 4km from Copenhagen’s Central Station.

Shortly after Ny Ellebjerg Station it will enter into the first of two cut ‘n’

cover tunnels, Kulbanetunnellen, which was completed in the autumn of

2015. The second tunnel, Hvidovretunnellen (see visualisation image

on page 20), will be completed in late-2016. The stretch out of

Copenhagen is the most densely-populated area along the new railway

and it was there fore decided to construct the tunnels in order to reduce

noise impact. The area above Kulbanetunnellen was previously a park

and most of the space above the 750m-long tunnel will be re-established

as a public park in co-operation with the Copenhagen Municipality.

Five motorway crossingsUsing an existing infrastructure corridor, the new railway will run closely

to three national motorways: Holbæk Motorvejen, Køge Bugt

Motorvejen and Vestmotorvejen, crossing the motorway network five

times – four of which will be through tunnels under the motorway.

The latter and most spectacular motorway crossing is a 512m-long steel

bridge crossing one of the biggest motorway junctions in Denmark,

Vallensbækgrenen, south west of Copenhagen.

A landmarkThe bridge across the Vallensbæk motorway junction will be completed

in autumn 2016. Work on foundations and pillars began in late-2014

and during the spring of 2015 the bridge’s spans were prefabricated in

Poland under strict supervision; shipped to

the port of Korsør on Western Sealand

and then transported nearly 100km on

the motorway to the construction site.

The steel elements, some of them up to

39m in length, were then lifted into place

above the motorway in several operations

during the summer of 2015, forcing total

closure of the southbound motorway

during one weekend and then closure of

the northbound motorway during a

weekend one month later. The closures

of the southbound and northbound motorway were executed to

perfection in cooperation with the Danish Road Directory and the

Police. The new railway bridge is now towering approximately 10m

above the motorway junction and future passengers will get a great

view of the landscape from both sides of the train.


We are currently on trackand are confident

that there will be noserious delays

An innovative solutionDuring the construction of a railway tunnel

beneath Holbækmotorvejen, Banedanmark

established an 800m-long temporary motorway

in Brøndby curving out of the normal motor -

way. In so doing the construction period of the

railway tunnel was reduced by nearly one year.

The 800m-long temporary stretch with six lanes

was in service for a period of 14 months,

enabling Banedanmark’s contractor to work

undisturbed in the area of the temporary

closed motorway.

An internationally acknowledged stationBanedanmark plan to build a new station in an

area situated north of Køge, approximately

40km southeast of Copenhagen. It will be

known as Køge Nord Station and will become a

strategic hub for commuters from the Køge

Area to Copenhagen. Here, passengers can

transfer from the existing local train line (S-tog)

to the New Line Copenhagen–Ringsted and to

the local railway, Lille Syd-banen to Køge and Næstved. The two

railways’ platforms are separated by an eight-lane motorway.

The station is an important element in an over-all policy of

promoting railway transport in Denmark and will make it possible

for all passengers to change from one mode of transport to another

(train, car and bus).

In May 2014, Banedanmark, Køge Municipality and DSB (the Danish

national rail operator) jointly invited entries for an international

restricted competition for the design of the new station in Køge.

The winner was announced as a team consisting of Danish architect

firms COBE and DISSING+WEITLING with COWI as consultants.

The station’s design claimed international recognition by being

nominated as one of four projects in the ‘Best Futura Project’ category

in the 2015 edition of the MIPIM Awards in Cannes, France.

Five prequalified contractors are competing for the ‘build to order’

contract for Køge Nord Station and we expect to award the contract

before summer 2016.

Sleeper Plant and client deliveriesIn order to operate a high-speed railway, strong

sleepers are required. A new type of sleeper

labelled S-16 has been developed and is being

produced at Banedanmark’s Sleeper Plant in

Jutland. A total of 180,000 sleepers are required

for the New Line Copenhagen– Ringsted.

During the autumn of 2015 the Sleeper Plant

had to be readjusted for the prod uction of the

new sleepers and is currently producing the new

high-speed sleeper only. The production of

the high-speed sleepers is expected to con-

tinue for the remainder of 2016. Other client

deliveries are 23 points approved for speeds up

to 250km/h and 130,000m3 of ballast.

3D ‘first-mover’ in DenmarkSince 2012 Copenhagen–Ringsted’s CAD

group and colleagues in our sister project, the

Ringsted–Fehmarn Line, have identified

requirements for working with 3D models and

delivery of traceable and buildable projects.





The 512m-long railway bridge in Vallensbæk towers 10m above one of Denmark’s busiestmotorway junctions

An 800m-long temporary motorway reduced the construction period of the railway tunnel beneath the Holbæk motorway by approximately one year





Using these experiences, the requirements are adjusted for use in

further projects for Banedanmark. Based on the experiences so far,

a company CAD manual was released in October 2015 marking the first

step in implementing usage of BIM (Building Information Modelling) in

design and construction as well as BIM for FM (Facility Management)

in operation and maintenance.

Moving towards BIM is being defined

and planned through Banedanmark’s

strategic project ‘Fremtidens Digitale

Jernbane/The Digital Railway of the

Future (DIGI)’ with key members from

the Copenhagen–Ringsted project.

Future challenges At this stage work to incorporate

Banedanmark’s two major programmes,

the Electrification Programme and the

Signalling Programme, into the New Line is high on the agenda.

Copenhagen–Ringsted will be the first line in Denmark, equipped

with signalling and catenary/power supply for 250km/h. Interface

meetings with the two programmes are held on a regular basis in order

to adjust and coordinate time schedules. These programmes are crucial

for the completion of the New Line, so a lot of effort is made to

avoid any disappointment.

After Copenhagen–RingstedIn the Danish Parliament there is broad support to invest in and upgrade

the railway network. The New Line Copenhagen–Ringsted is the first

stage in reducing travel times between the biggest cities in Denmark.

Several other projects, among them three new lines, currently carry out

EIA-procedures, enabling political decision later in 2016 or in 2017.

As Denmark has traditionally been a ‘diesel train country’, continuous

electrification of main lines and the most important regional lines is

foreseen over the next 10 years. Furthermore, all signalling will be

substituted with ERTMS technology by the beginning of the 2020s.

Elsewhere, plans to connect Denmark and Germany through the

Fehmarn tunnel are continuing, leaving the investment in Danish railway

infrastructure at a high level.

Ready for future projectsIt is the first time in over 30 years that a railway to this scale has been

constructed. With future railway projects on the horizon, the knowledge

gained over the course of the Copenhagen–Ringsted project could be

of benefit for others. The best testimony for attracting new projects is to

deliver this new line on time, by 9 December 2018. Our experience with

elaborating and dealing with turnkey contracts, the use of 3D

modelling, budget management, as well as dealing with various

stakeholders, will put us in the frame for future railway projects.

Jan Schneider-Tilli has worked within the railway fieldfor 25 years, with around 20 years in project management.He has been employed as Project Engineer for the ØresundBridge, Great Belt Bridge and the Metro in the 1990s andas Project Manager on Ringbanen, S-tog to Roskilde (not executed), the KØR project and the New LineCopenhagen–Ringsted. Jan worked at DSB from 1992 to1995, Carl Bro (Sweco) between 1995 and 1996,

Banestyrelsen/Trafikstyrelsen between 1997 and 2009, and Femern A/Sfrom 2009 to 2010. Jan has worked on the New Line Copenhagen–Ringstedproject at Banedanmark since 2010 and since March 2016 has been theSignalling Programme Director.

Køge Nord Station is designed by Danish architect firms COBE and DISSING+WEITLING with COWI as consultants

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, DIS

SIN

G+W

EITL

ING

and

COW

I

It is the first time in over 30 yearsthat a railway to this

scale has beenconstructed

VR Track heads full steam towardsNordic expansion

VR Track’s services cover the whole infrastructure of a project’s life-

cycle: the design, construction and maintenance. The company is

also a major provider of track machinery services and railway materials

to the transport industry.

VR Track’s customers include the government, municipalities, ports

and companies that require high-quality railway infrastructure

engineering services and other types of infrastructure engineering

work. The company is part of the Finnish state-owned railway company,

VR-Group, and its largest customer is the Finnish Transport Agency.

“Our competitive advantages in the infrastructure field include

our unique overall expertise in complete project life-cycles, a solid

experience in railway systems and project management of large

contracts in today’s highly competitive market environment,” says Jouni.

Project alliancing paves the way for growthSince VR Track’s establishment in the mid-1990s, Finland’s

infrastructure-engineering market has transformed profoundly.

In today’s infrastructure engineering business, every contract is either

won or lost through competitive tendering.

“During VR Track’s early years, competition in the industry was

minimal and track laying and track maintenance contracts were mainly

assigned based on negotiations between two parties – us and the

VR Track Oy is Finland’s biggest rail constructor, with expertise covering all aspects of railway engineering, fromdesign to project implementation. The company employs some 1,450 expert personnel in Finland andapproximately 350 people in Sweden. In an interview for European Railway Review, Jouni Kekäle – VR Track’sVice President of Corporate Strategy and Development – explains that it now has its eyes set on the entire Nordicregion which offers good growth potential for the future.

NORTHERN EUROPE: FINLAND




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customer,” explains Jouni. “However, for the past 10 years VR Track has operated in a fully

competitive business environment. Today infrastructure engineering projects are large and

so-called project alliancing, or alliance contracting, has also found its way to the Finnish market.”

Jouni notes that such changes have sparked the need for the company to restructure its

business. The company has also successfully gone through a multi-year turnaround programme

in order to enhance profitability and enable future growth in an optimal manner. Today the

company is, in fact, one of the most profitable major construction companies in Finland.

“In addition to today’s open-market competition in the infrastructure sector, customer

behaviour in the industry has also changed markedly,” says Jouni. “While already having been

able to show our competitiveness in winning new business through traditional bidding contracts,

we have also been able to demonstrate our strengths in more collaborative, project alliancing

contracting models.”

Jouni explains that project alliancing is a project-delivery system originating from Australia

and New Zealand. The method is based on a joint contract between the key players in a

project – i.e. the project owner (customer) and service providers – whereby all parties assume

joint responsibility for the design and construction of the project to be implemented through

a joint organisation. The basic idea behind it is that risk is borne jointly and reward is shared on

the basis of the success of the entire project.

Jouni explains: “This makes the parties take each other’s views into account and collaborate

more efficiently for the benefit of the project. The method also allows for combining a wide range

of expertise needed to foster innovation and making demanding

ventures successful.”

Successful realisation of an alliance requires a more-

collaborative working culture than before. VR Track has already

proven successful in winning contracts through the new contract-

delivery method. Together with the Finnish Transport Agency,

VR Track carried out the first public procurement contract in Europe

in accordance with the alliance contract model for the Lielahti–

Kokemäki track section. Moreover, last summer a consortium

consisting of VR Track, engineering company Pöyry PLC and Finnish

construction company YIT was selected to construct a 23.5km-long

light-rail line in the city of Tampere, Finland. The project, valued at

€250 million, is scheduled to conclude in two phases: the first in

2019 and the second in 2023.

“Our alliances place a big emphasis on safety,” states Jouni.

“In large sites, it is vitally important to react immediately to

shortcomings and observations on points of safety. We discuss these and resolve problems

openly as an alliance.”

The construction work on the Lielahti–Kokemäki alliance project – completed in early-2015

(nearly one year ahead of schedule) – received, in fact, an occupational safety award1

for promoting occupational safety. It was also awarded a prize by Finnish local newspapers for

actively communicating about the project.

Eyes on Nordic expansionJouni admits that the company worked hard in recent years to improve its competitiveness in a

changing market situation. However, now the company has reached a turning point in which past

restructuring and cost-cutting measures are starting to pay off. For VR Track, this means an even

stronger focus on growth.

“Over the past three years we have been concentrating on restructuring our company

in order to build a strong foundation for the competitiveness of our business,” Jouni says.

“Now, our strategic focus is on achieving international growth. We want to see strong growth in

the Nordic countries; our strategic mission is to become the top railway-infrastructure service

provider in the Nordics by 2020.”

Because VR Track already holds a major market position in Finland, Jouni adds that

it is natural for the company to seek new business opportunities outside Finnish borders.

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Over the past three years we havebeen concentrating

on restructuring ourcompany in order to

build a strongfoundation for the

competitiveness ofour business

Already holding a major share of the Finnish market, Sweden

and Norway are becoming increasingly attractive targets

in the field of railway engineering because of their good

future-growth prospects.

Jouni notes that Sweden especially offers prime growth

opportunities. VR Track has offered its railway network

construction and maintenance services in Sweden since 2004.

In 2012, the company opened its Swedish subsidiary,

VR Track Sweden AB.

“We see great demand for our services in the Nordic

countries in the near future, especially in Sweden,” explains

Jouni. “First of all, the size of Sweden’s railway engineering

market is about three to four times larger than in Finland.

Unlike in Finland, where we already hold a strong market

position, the Swedish and Norwegian railway infrastructure

markets are expected to grow in the near future.”

In 2015 VR Track entered the Swedish market with its

new brand, VR Infrapro. In addition to offering railway

network construction and maintenance services to Swedish

customers, VR Track now also sells design and consulting

services to the whole infrastructure market in Sweden.

So far, some 25% of VR Track’s total sales of around

€300 million are generated from their Swedish operations.

With help from the new design and consulting services

division, Jouni anticipates the share to grow ‘significantly’

over the next five years.

In terms of Norway, Jouni says that VR Track is closely

following how the rail-network market develops there,

because the country has set out plans for railway reforms

in a bid to bring more competition to the industry: “The

Norwegian market isn’t as open to competition as the Swedish

market is, but we are following developments in the country

closely to be ready to take action when the time is right.”

Digitalisation for efficiency and safetyTrack construction and maintenance work requires a lot of

specialised rolling stock. VR Track’s heavy machinery

represents the latest in technology to streamline work-flows

and enable a consistently high-quality standard of work. With

the use of highly automated equipment, work can be carried

out quickly, efficiently and accurately.

Jouni highlights that in addition to improving the

efficiency of VR Track’s projects, the use of 3D machine-

controlled maintenance and heavy-duty construction

equipment, such as ballast cleaning machines and

excavators, helps create clear time and material savings for

the company.

“The use of 3D machine-controlled equipment and

guidance systems has particularly revolutionised the way

VR Track builds superstructure layers in new rail production

and in the renewal of existing ones,” explains Jouni.

“With the use of such advanced technology, staking out and

manual surveying can be reduced. This saves time, money

and personnel requirements, and at the same time improves

work performance.”





VR Track’s 3D machine-controlled infographic





Jouni adds that the use of high-tech

construction equipment is VR Track’s key to its

high-quality work performance. When using 3D

machine-controlled equipment, the machine

itself knows when a particular work stage is

being accurately performed.

“3D machine-controlled equipment knows

what quality its operator is reaching, and quality

feedback from that is immediate,” Jouni states.

“This produces outcomes that are of more

uniform quality, thus reducing the need to fix

mistakes made during the construction of

superstructure layers after having already moved

on to the next stages of rail construction.”

One important cornerstone of VR Track’s

business is its heavy emphasis on safety.

So far, the company’s efforts have paid off well,

with the frequency of work-related accidents

having halved in the past five years.

Jouni says: “We are taking actions to

ensure that none of our activities may endanger

passenger or freight safety and, in addition, that rail traffic may not

endanger the safety of our employees or our partners. Occupational

safety has been systematically improved at VR Track over recent years

through a focus on measures such as accident investigation, preventive

action and safety communications targeting all employees.”

Jouni adds that the use of modern, digital technologies is not only

increasing the efficiency of VR Track’s projects but also helps reduce

risks related to them and improves safety through increased

construction awareness from easy review of complex details or

processes on site.

Today VR Track uses 3D technology in its planning and construction

phases. So-called building information modelling (BIM) is the process of

generating, building and managing data through the life of the

project by using model-based technologies linked to a database

of project information.

“BIM enables us to enhance the productivity, efficiency and safety

of our service,” explains Jouni. “It has and will be used in a number of

our projects, including the already-completed Lielahti–Kokemäki

track project, the tramway project in Tampere, and the rail link project

related to the construction of a new bioproduct mill in Äänekoski,

central Finland.”

Another area of digitalisation at VR Track is the use of machine

vision technology. This provides valuable information in a variety of

areas to enhance productivity and reliability of the company’s

operations – for instance in tracking rail safety conditions.

So far, machine vision has been used by VR Track in the digital

evaluation of the condition of speed signs located along the main-

line. Traditionally this task would have been carried out manually,

thus requiring a significantly higher amount of time and effort of

VR Track’s personnel.

“We also use drones in our measuring and mapping operations and

plan to exploit them even further in the future and in a growing number

of applications,” states Jouni. “Moreover, today’s fast advances in

remote sensing technology and the significant decline in its price are

creating new opportunities for us to use real-time data gathered from

our railroad equipment and infrastructure.”

Jouni notes that digitalisation is also an integral part of the

company’s new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, as well as a

new maintenance control system that is

currently being built for the company.

With the new system, the company will be

able to combine information gathered

from a number of different sources and

add real-time spatial information (GIS) to,

for instance, the company’s design projects.

“Digitalisation significantly enhances

the efficiency of our project planning

and management operations,” Jouni says.

“In particular, the new maintenance control

system will significantly change the every -

day lives of our supervisors. This requires, of

course, that our workers have access to

modern working tools. Over a year ago, we updated our principles

related to smartphones: all employees are offered the opportunity

for versatile communication and use of mobile services via smart-

phones and tablets.”

Reference1. From the H. Roos Foundation

Jouni Kekäle is Vice President of VR Track Oy andresponsible for corporate strategy and development. Hehas worked within the company for more than 20 years,and the past 10 years as a member of the company’s SeniorManagement. Jouni has held different roles within thecompany and led various business units. He has a widecompetence of railway technology, railway infrastructurebusiness, leadership and different aspects of development

including M&A’s. He is a Member of the Board of Vossloh Cogifer FinlandOy and Vossloh Rail Services Finland Oy.

VR Track Oy is one of the most profitable major construction companies in Finland

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Digitalisationsignificantly

enhances theefficiency of ourproject planning

and managementoperations

Vital Estonianinfrastructurerenovation to ensuresafety and quality

Over the past decade 320 of Estonian Railways’ 1,225km of railways

have undergone major repairs. All passenger waiting platforms have

been refurbished, plus tracks, overhead contact lines and the auto -

mated equipment of level crossings have been repaired thoroughly.

However, a portion of the existing railway today still dates from

the 1960s.

In the course of the next few years, railway repairs on south-

bound and westbound lines will play an important role in ensuring

the safety and quality of traffic. The railway is being reconstructed on

the Tapa–Tartu line, with Stage II major repairs beginning on the

Tallinn–Keila–Paldiski and Keila–Riisipere lines.

The investment priority for the project is to connect environ -

mentally-friendly, low-noise and low-carbon transport systems

(including inland waterways, maritime transport, ports and various

other transport modes), and to develop and improve airport infra -

structure in order to promote sustainable regional and local mobility.

The objective of the projects is sustainable transport, including rail

transport in the TEN-T network.

On 5 November 2015 railways in Estonia celebrated their 145th anniversary. Over the course of nearly one anda half centuries, Estonia has seen various governments in power and different principles, technology and toolsemployed in railway construction. With some important repairs already finished, Sulev Loo, Chairman of theManagement Board – General Director of Estonian Railways Ltd., highlights what is next on the list of projects tobring more of its infrastructure up-to-date.

NORTHERN EUROPE: ESTONIA




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The southbound Tapa–Tartu line is important for

passenger transport between Estonia’s two largest cities, and

for freight transport to and from Russia and Latvia to be able

to function via Koidula Station. Repairs on the Tapa–Tartu line

began in 2015 and will continue through 2017.

Repairs on the railway section from Tallinn to Tapa ended in

2012, completing a major project that had taken four years and

saw a total of 112.8km reconstructed. The bulk of the work

consisted of major railway repairs on main open track (60.5km)

and on station gridiron (20.2km). In addition, the track bed was

cleaned, plus sleepers and 114 turnouts were replaced.

The westbound electrified Tallinn–Keila–Paldiski and

Keila–Riisipere lines with busy passenger train traffic also

support freight transport to Paldiski Harbour. Stage II major

repairs on this line will begin during 2016 and end in

late-2018. Stage I major repairs on the same line were carried

out from 2011 to 2013.

Repairs on the southbound line: Tapa–Tartu lineThe Tapa–Tartu segment is part of the Tallinn–Tapa–Tartu–Koidula line

which is part of the TEN-T core network, supporting passenger transport

from Tallinn to Tartu and freight transport from Tallinn to Russia.

In addition, the overall TEN-T network includes the Tartu–Valga section,

which supports passenger and freight transport from Tallinn to Valga.

Sections undergoing repairs lie along the 112.5km stretch between Tapa

and Tartu, of which slightly more than half is being repaired.

Due to rail wear, rail defects, unserviceable sleepers and areas of

contaminated track bed, speed had been limited on 41%, or 23.5km,

of the total 57km-long section in order to ensure safety. A speed limit of

up to 50km/h introduced in places extended the travel time for both

passenger and freight trains, whilst significantly reducing capacity.

In total, the travel time became longer by at least 20 minutes for

passenger trains and by at least 40 minutes for freight trains, compared

to the travel speeds sought (120km/h and 80km/h, respectively).

The reconstruction of the Tapa–Tartu railway aims to ensure traffic

safety and the continuity of operation, reduce the number of speed

limits and allow travel speeds of up to 120km/h for passenger trains and

up to 80km/h for freight trains.

The project has a total scope of 57km of major repairs on open

track and main station gridiron. The major works will include the


A section of renovated railway near Tartu

replacement of the entire railway superstructure (track bed,

rails and sleepers), an expansion of the track formation and an

increase in load-bearing capacity, if necessary, as well as

repairs on level crossings, with drainage facilities constructed

or cleaned. Superstructure repairs will deploy crushed granite

and reinforced concrete sleepers with flexibly mounted type

60E1 jointless track. The jointless track is welded together,

resulting in a railway with low noise and vibration levels, on

which design travel speeds of up to 120km/h will be restored.

2015 saw the completion of 12km of the section under

repairs, with 35km and 10km of railways to be upgraded in

2016 and 2017, respectively.

In order to improve traffic safety and gradually increase

passenger train speeds in the future, all the automated

signalling systems at level crossings on the Tapa–Tartu section

will need to be modernised with broken lights being replaced.

Continuing during 2016, automated signalling at level

crossings on the Tapa–Tartu line will be modernised. As part

of the project, the existing signalling at level crossings will be

supplemented with barriers to ensure the highest possible

level of safety. A total of 16 level crossings are being upgraded.

Once the automated signalling at level crossings has been supple -

mented with barriers, the speed limit on the aforementioned line will be

increased to 135km/h.

To ensure the seamless operation of Estonian Railways’

telecommunications, the fibre-optic cable runs will be backed-up on the

Tapa–Tartu line in 2016. In 2017 fibre-optic cable runs will be backed-up

on the eastbound Tapa–Narva line.

Repairs on the westbound line: Tallinn–Keila–Paldiski lineThe Tallinn–Keila–Paldiski railway supports passenger and freight

transport, whereas the Keila–Riisipere section mostly supports

westbound passenger transport from and to Tallinn in Harju County.

An electrified rail track extends from Tallinn west to Keila, where

it splits into two branches – one runs to Paldiski, where the harbour

handles freight transport, and the other runs to Riisipere. The

line to Paldiski, in turn, splits at Klooga, from where travel is possible

to Kloogaranna.

The length of the railway section covered by the project is

75.5km and is part of the electrified railway linking the cities of Keila

and Paldiski, and the settlement of Riisipere to the capital. Today the

project railway section is mainly used for passenger train traffic:

more than 96% of the train kilometres travelled on this section are

travelled by passenger trains.

The project aims to ensure traffic safety and the continuity of

operation on the Tallinn–Keila–Paldiski and Keila–Riisipere sections,

reduce the number of speed limits and resume the works from Stage I

carried out in 2012 and 2013. The major repairs on the Tallinn–

Keila–Paldiski and Keila–Riisipere lines during Stage I included repairs of

six stretches of open track totalling 47km. Repairs were undertaken on

the open track in the worst condition on this line. Additionally,

pavement was replaced on nine level crossings. Neither repairs on

station gridiron (including main station gridiron) and some open track,

nor replacements of main track turnouts, were completed.

Currently, the situation is critical at the Keila, Klooga, Paldiski,

Vasalemma and Riisipere stations on the lines to Paldiski and to Riisipere





The reconstruction of overhead contact lines on the Estonian network ensures the lines are ready to operate new trains in accordance with applicabletechnical requirements

Estonian Railways’ overhead contact line maintenance machine

For more information call +44 (0)1422 317 473, or email

[email protected]

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due to the poor technical condition of the railway infrastructure.

The railway superstructure (rails, sleepers, track bed and turnouts) have

become damaged, with the railway geometry considerably exceeding

the permissible values. Due to defects, the geometry of turnouts has

become critical in several places, with maintenance repairs resulting

from the defects potentially paralysing train traffic along the entire

section. The current situation, with regard to speeds, is already critical

in several locations. Speeds on main station gridiron are mostly

40km/h, with speed limits of 25km/h in effect in some places. If poor

condition is resulting in the number of defects, it makes sense to

introduce a lower speed for the entire station gridiron. This, however,

directly affects whether trains run on time. Most speeds set for station

gridiron range from 5km/h to 25km/h; 5km/h is the lowest speed that

can be introduced, but in the event of any additional defects there will

be a risk of station gridiron closure.

Major repairs are scheduled to occur at stations on the Tallinn–

Keila–Paldiski and Keila–Riisipere lines, with sections during Stage I that

were not reconstructed totalling approximately 42km. The major

repairs work will include the replacement of the entire railway

superstructure (track bed, rails and sleepers), an expansion of the track

formation and an increase in its load-bearing capacity, if necessary, as

well as repairs on level crossings, with drainage facilities constructed or


The renovated Valga border station (left) and the small passenger station in Keeni (right)

cleaned, plus all main track turnouts being replaced.

Superstructure repairs will deploy crushed granite and

reinforced concrete sleepers with flexibly mounted, type

60E1 jointless track. The jointless track is welded together,

resulting in a railway with low noise and vibration levels.

This project is currently in the preparations stage (with

project and technical documentation and procurements

being prepared). Works are scheduled to begin in the second

half of 2016.

Between 2016 and 2019 the replacement of electricity

centralisations on the Tallinn–Keila, Keila–Paldiski and

Keila–Riisipere lines will also begin. As a result of the

implementation of the project, trips will begin to be set

automatically and the existing Tallinn–Tapa CTC will be

merged with the new traffic control system to ensure

the smoothest possible organisation of train traffic in the

immediate vicinity of Tallinn.

Overhead contact linesThe beginning of 2016 saw the completion of a four-year major project

to upgrade overhead contact lines1.

The reconstruction of overhead contact lines aimed to assure

quality conditions for the provision of passenger train services using the

new Stadler Flirt trains (the entire fleet of passenger trains was replaced

in the summer of 2013) and the conformity of the railway overhead

contact lines for operating the new trains in accordance with the

applicable technical requirements. Furthermore, conditions were

created for an increase in passenger traffic intensity and speeds in the

future. The project was divided into the following three parts:

1. Reconstruction of overhead contact lines

2. Reconstruction of freight substations at Järve and Keila

3. Purchase of a maintenance vehicle for overhead contact lines.

Overhead contact lines on the Tallinn–Paldiski and Keila–Vasalemma

lines were built from 1958 to 1964. No major repairs were undertaken

during the exploitation phase, as a result of which reinforced concrete

supports, load-bearing structures, load-bearing cables and mounting

assemblies for overhead contact lines needed to be replaced.

Accordingly, owing to the non-replacement of overhead contact lines,

it would not have been possible for electric train traffic to con-

tinue going forward, so this project was a precondition for the

continued operation of electric trains.

Renovation of overhead contact lines included the replacement of

all the elements of overhead contact lines, including load-bearing

supports and structures, cables and wires, insulators and other line

equipment; a total of 84km of electrified railways, or 38% of the total

length of electrified railways in Estonia. Overhead contact lines were

reconstructed for speeds allowing passenger trains to potentially travel

at up to 160km/h on main tracks. Solutions were used to reduce the

costs and time required by the maintenance and repairs of overhead

contact lines going forward.

Traction substationsThe traction substations at Järve and Keila feeding overhead contact

lines were built over 50 years ago; the equipment mostly dated from the

1960s, conforming to the technological designs in effect at the

time. Due to the ageing and degradation of the equipment, it was

difficult to provide the overhead contact lines and railway with a

steady power supply. The works undertaken will result in fully up-

graded traction substations at Keila and Järve that conform to all the

applicable requirements.

As part of the renovation of traction substations, all equipment was

replaced and installed inside new purpose-built structures. One of the

aims of the reconstruction was to improve voltage quality in overhead

contact lines in conjunction with the launch of new, more powerful

electric trains.

The works included the construction of new buildings, the

installation of new switchgear, connected to the existing lines, and

the disassembly of old switchgear. Switchgears – 35, 10 and 3 kilovolts

– were built at the new, more reliable and more compact traction

substation. In a major change, 35 kilovolt outdoor switchgear was

replaced with indoor switchgear inside the new substation building,

and rectified current sources were transferred to a 12-pulse system to

increase electricity quality in overhead contact lines, and the utilisation

of elegas (SF6) to enable the installation of compact switchgear of

reduced dimensions.

To ensure the sustainability of the results of the project, a

maintenance vehicle was purchased to conduct checks, maintenance

and repairs on overhead contact lines. The maintenance vehicle for

overhead contact lines makes it possible to ensure the undisrupted

operation of overhead contact lines and the speedy restoration of

traffic in the event of faults or breakdowns in overhead contact lines.

The project concluded in early-2015.

Reference1. ‘Reconstruction of the overhead contact lines of electrified railway lines’, co-financed

by the European Union Cohesion Fund.





Sulev Loo has extensive management experience in theinternational transit and logistics sector. He has been incharge of many big Estonian transit and logisticscompanies, such as N-Terminal Group, Milstrand Ltd,Pakterminal Ltd, and Tarcona Ltd. Since 1 September2015, Sulev has been the Chairman of the ManagementBoard – General Director of Estonian Railways Ltd.

Voltage quality has been improved in the renovated traction substations which feedpower to overhead contact lines

INTERVIEWSPOTLIGHT

What products/services can Colas Rail offer the Scandinavian railway sector?Our primary aim at Colas Rail is to be the partner of choice for rail

infrastructure solutions and to deliver on the challenges set by rapidly

changing railway environments around the world. With this in mind we

are continually seeking to adapt our behaviours and collaborative

culture to meet and exceed the expectations of our clients. As far as the

Scandinavian rail sector is concerned, we believe Colas Rail is ideally

placed to add value through innovation in rail infrastructure solutions.

We can bring proven expertise to a broad spectrum of projects, from

light urban systems through to high-speed and heavy rail infrastructure.

Light-rail and metro in Copenhagen as well as high-speed rail routes

that link Stockholm to Malmö or Göteborg already play a pivotal role in

connecting people and industry throughout Scandinavia. As part of a

complete product and service package, Colas Rail is also committed to

applying its wealth of expertise to training local workforces through

initiatives like our Graduate Training Scheme and by recruiting local

people to run regional offices. This unique approach creates a

professional environment in which to build the future for the rail industry

in different regions of the world.

How important is sustainable development for Colas Rail? At Colas Rail we see sustainable development as a driving force behind

innovation and creativity not a constraint. Building a sustainable supply

chain is at the heart of all matters relating to health, safety and the

environment, which are of prime importance to our business. We are a

company that cares about our corporate and social responsibility and

we are constantly looking for ways to manage and improve our impact

on the environment and society – as well as operating fair and safe

working conditions for the people we employ. And in addition to

pursuing these objectives within our own business, Colas Rail has also

developed strategies to help our clients improve their own

environmental credentials.

What has been Colas Rail’s biggest success to date?Being part of a large international group with over 120,000 staff in over

100 countries provides Colas Rail with a solid financial, technical and

management foundation and is, I believe, one of the keys to our

outstanding growth in recent years. It gives us a strong platform for

integrating different people and cultures and helps us achieve the very

best for our clients on a national and local level. In addition, our

collaborative behaviours and ‘can-do’ attitude enable us to inspire

our experienced teams and engage with clients to ensure we meet, and

exceed, their expectations.

What makes Colas Rail stand out from your competitors, and what are your future aims?Rail projects are long-term projects, so our long-term aim is to build

and maintain mutually beneficial relationships with clients, suppliers and

communities. Such relationships can only be achieved through honesty,

integrity, excellent communication and project ownership. We are

looking to our future in the railway industry with continued enthusiasm

and a commitment to add value to every project down to the smallest

detail, from the development of the state-of-the-art OSCAR safety

helmet to value engineering innovations that will help to ensure our

clients’ trains operate on time, safely and economically.

Colas Rail is one of Europe’s leading suppliers of railway infrastructureservices with an award-winning record for designing and constructing allforms of railway across mainland Europe and the UK. In an exclusiveinterview for European Railway Review, Alejandro Moreno, ManagingDirector – Scandinavia, explains how a commitment to delivering projectssafely, on time and on budget is opening up new opportunities for thisforward-thinking company in the Scandinavian rail sector.

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Exhibitors will be presenting technologies and services covering track

construction and maintenance, signalling, communications and electri -

fica tion, as well as installations such as stations and depots. They will be

joined by companies specialising in recruitment and training,

occupational health and security. This year, some 75 exhibitors will be

participating in Infrarail for the first time, many of them introducing new

products to the rail market.

The show takes place against a background of levels of investment

in Britain’s rail network that are unprecedented in recent years as

capacity is sought for ever-increasing passenger numbers. In London,

work continues on the north-south Thameslink scheme, and fitting

out of the new east-west Crossrail line progresses well following

completion of tunnel construction in 2015. Furthermore, upgrading and

expansion of the London Underground network is ongoing.

Major mainline electrification projects are also continuing, albeit

less quickly than planned, and the Northern Hub capacity

improvements in England and route upgrades in Scotland are also

keeping the rail infrastructure market busy. On a much larger scale, the

first phase of the HS2 high-speed network, linking London and

the West Midlands, is poised to gain parliamentary approval later in

2016, with the initial prequalification processes for some civils contracts

already under way.

ExhibitorsIt is this market environment that has drawn suppliers to Infrarail 2016.

Among exhibitors in the track sector will be ArcelorMittal Europe –

Long Products business. The company claims to be Europe’s leading

steel producer, with rail mills in Luxembourg, Poland and Spain capable

of producing longer lengths up to 120m. Also present will be UK rail

manufacturer Tata Steel, which as well as showcasing its own

capabilities is equipping ‘The Track’ – sections of track in the main hall

enabling exhibitors to display their equipment and products.

Companies using this facility are 3M UK, Rosehill Rail and Sperry Rail

International and Quietstone; the last-mentioned will display its Track

Slab – a sound-absorbing acoustic panel designed to be situated

between tracks to reduce noise generated by wheel-rail interaction.

German track construction firm and slab track specialist Max Bogl

Stiftung will be present, as well as track products suppliers Direct Track

Solutions and Schwihag. Track substructure construction products

manufactured in Japan from fibre-reinforced foamed urethane (FFU)

will be on show by Sekisui Chemical Co. FFU longitudinal baulks and

cross-sleepers have been installed as a trial at two bridge sites on the

UK system, receiving a Network Rail Certificate of Acceptance in

October 2015.

Several companies will feature on-track machines for construction

and maintenance. Road-rail vehicle specialist SRS Sjölanders will

highlight the Type FRB25 Multipurpose Road-Rail Vehicle built on a

Volvo FM 330hp 6x4 rigid chassis, while on-track plant suppliers

Linsinger Maschinenbau from Austria and Germany’s Windhoff will be

present too. In the field of track tools, Infrarail 2016 will see the UK

launch by Cembre of new generation

models of both its benchmark Pandrol clip

insertion/extraction machines and a

battery-powered variant of its rail drill.

Among exhibitors targeting oppor -

tunities generated by Network Rail’s

plans to electrify a number of its main lines

is Italian company NAEF, showcasing a

product range that includes vehicles for the

installation and maintenance of overhead

line equipment. Equipment including

cameras, lasers and robots for the main -

tenance, control and observation of

overhead power supply systems and tracks

will be exhibited by ROV Développement

from France. Project management of

electrification schemes will be offered by CPMS, which cites its ability to

recover the problematic Great Eastern Overhead Line Renewal as

testimony to its expertise. Other participants covering the

electrification sector and related products will include L C Switchgear

and Prysmian Cables & Systems.

In the signalling sector, STT Solutions plans to demonstrate a

working level crossing control system connected to an animation of it in

operation and also linked to its LED road traffic lights. Also covering

signalling and train technology and products will be Park Signalling,

Selectrail and Unipart Dorman.

Elsewhere, civils products for rail applications will feature

prominently. Access Design & Engineering (ADE) will highlight its

The 11th Infrarail exhibition will take place at ExCeL London in the UK capital’s Docklands from 12-14 April 2016.More than 200 companies will be taking part in the show, which focuses on the systems, equipment and skillsneeded for building, managing and maintaining all elements of the railway’s fixed assets.

SHOW PREVIEW: INFRARAIL 2016




Infrarail 2016will be formally

opened on 12 April2016 by Claire Perry

MP, ParliamentaryUnder-Secretary of

State at the UK’sDepartment for

Transport

SHOW PREVIEW: INFRARAIL 2016




GRP station platforms, as well as structures such as GRP ballast

retention walls, location cabinets, drivers’ walkways, debris screens and

end-of-platform gates and fences. Station upgrading products by

Marshalls will include single coping units and a combined platform

coping tactile unit designed to Network Rail and London Underground

specifications. Plus, new from Dura Composites will be Dura Slab

Structural Stair Treads with a built-in riser for rapid installation,

fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP) dagger boards for platform canopies and

FRP solutions for screening and height adjustments of parapets.

CUBIS will unveil its FLEXI Pit system which utilises the company’s

STAKKAbox™ Ultima access chamber, plus ScottParnell Rail will

introduce a lightweight GRP elevated cable troughing system used

commonly throughout Europe and now available in the UK. Natural

Cement Distribution plans to explain how its Shotcrete 430F dry spray

was used for a Network Rail tunnel refurbishment project.

Companies providing power supplies will include g2 Energy, which

will launch g2 Energy Networks, offering a source of power that is an

effective alternative to using the local Distribution Network Operator.

Ground-breaking hydrogen fuel cell technology will be profiled by

BOC. Its Hymera™ product forms an environmentally-friendly power

supply that the company says is ideal for working off-grid, with water

the only by-product.

Specialists lighting products will be exhibited by Abacus Lighting,

which has recently concluded installations for the Thameslink project

and London Underground. In the same field, Aluminium Lighting

Company will feature ‘raise & lower’ lighting columns incorporating its

Echalon Hinge.

Depot and vehicle maintenance equipment will also be featured.

On show by Semmco will be its latest access equipment for rolling stock

maintenance, including pit boards and handrails in high-strength

lightweight aluminium and GRP, plus the Eco Platform, providing a

working height of 4.2m and a platform height of 2.2m. LISTA (UK) plans

to highlight its capabilities in the design and manufacture of innovative,

efficient, modular storage and workspace systems.

A strong list of organisations supporting Infrarail 2016 includes

Network Rail, London Underground, the Railway Industry Association,

the Rail Alliance, the Rail Supply Group and UK Trade & Invest-

ment. The exhibition is additionally supported by Crossrail, the Transport

for London body responsible for creating the eponymous railway across

the capital, and HS2 Ltd, the government company developing the UK’s

planned high-speed rail network. Both will have a stand presence

offering insights into the progress of these two major projects.

Minister to open showInfrarail 2016 will be formally opened on 12 April 2016 by Claire Perry

MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the UK’s Department for

Transport. The Minister will also deliver a keynote speech the same day

as part of an extensive and informative programme that extends over all

three days of the event. The programme includes technical seminars,

project updates and discussion forums.

Free entry to Infrarail gives access to all these activities. Keynote

speeches will also be delivered by Network Rail Chairman Sir Peter

Hendy CBE and David Waboso, Capital Programmes Director for

London Underground. Visitors and exhibitors will be welcomed at the

now customary Networking Reception towards the end of the first day

of the show. A visit to the show could also lead to a new career move,

as participating companies will be publicising their skills needs on the

Recruitment Wall.

This will be the first time ExCeL London has hosted Infrarail.

Sharing the venue will be the Civil Infrastructure & Technology

Exhibition – CITE 2016. Open to Infrarail visitors without re-registration,

this will showcase many of the civils products and services needed

for transport projects, utilities and communications networks.

The accompanying conference programme and seminars will feature

topics of possible interest to attendees from rail sector. CITE was first

staged alongside Infrarail in 2014, when the combined event attracted

more than 6,600 managers, engineers and industry specialists.

Registration to visit Infrarail 2016 and its associated events is

free-of-charge and open via the show’s website. Online registration

closes at midnight on 11 April 2016. For visitors who prefer to register

on arrival at ExCeL London, a £20 entry fee will be payable.

Full details on all that will be happening at Infrarail 2016 can be found

on the show website, together with the latest list of exhibitors.

European Railway Review is pleased to be asupporting media organisation for Infrarail 2016

Date: 12-14 April 2016Location: ExCeL London, UK, Hall Entrance N1/N2Website: www.infrarail.com

Opening times: Tuesday 12 April, 10:00-17:00Wednesday 13 April, 10:00-17:00Thursday 14 April, 10:00-16:00

The organisers of Infrarail expect an increase in visitor numbers fromthe previous event in 2014

The CIT: legal expertise for rail transportundertakings

The CIT’s mission is to implement international rail transport law at a

railway level. Its aim is to ensure and extend legal interoperability.

Its strength is in exploiting its high level of legal competence within its

excellent networks in Europe, Asia and North Africa. CIT’s current

members include 128 railway and maritime undertakings (full members)

and six associations of railway undertakings (associate members) – more

than ever before. The CIT’s activities help them to lower costs and

improve their competitiveness.

Products for the real worldThe CIT is a centre of competence for international transport law

based in Bern, Switzerland. It is always available with advice and other

services for its members, constantly keeping them up-to-date on the

latest global information on international passenger and goods

transport. Activities are focussed on developing products: manuals,

terms and conditions, guidelines, boilerplate contracts and CIT forms

for different sectors, all of which simplify operations and improve

International rail transport can be tricky – at borders, everything suddenly comes to a standstill; tickets orconsignment notes cause problems, rules for carriers concerning liability and damages don’t tally, and theinterface between rail and ship or road is unclear. Having international law that governs railways is just notenough; it needs to be implemented on an operational level by the railways. And this is exactly where theInternational Rail Transport Committee1 (CIT) comes into play, explains Cesare Brand, Secretary General.

INTERNATIONAL RAIL TRANSPORT LAW




© cybrain / Shutte

rstock.com

efficiency. The best-known products, which are

used thousands of times daily, are consignment

notes for rail freight and international rail tickets

for passengers.

When the law is not necessarily rightThe world of railways is complicated, not just

in a technical sense but also legally. The

‘Convention concerning International Carriage

by Rail’ (COTIF) applies in 50 countries;

27 countries in Eastern Europe and Asia use the

SMPS and SMGS agreements on international

passenger and goods transport; and EU rules

are in force in 26 countries with their own rail

infrastructure. The CIT ensures the legal

interoperability of these different systems so

that traffic can flow as quickly and cost-

effectively as possible. It makes certain that rail

transport law is applied consistently and

developed further by mutual agreement.

Stronger together The CIT follows the principle ‘together we are

strong’. The CIT combines the resources of its members and uses

their standing in expert and decision-making bodies, such as

OTIF (the Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by

Rail) and EU organisations. To increase its impact it seeks to work

collaboratively with other rail sectors such as the CER (the Community

of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies) and the UIC

(the International Union of Railways). Interests are thus represented

effectively and fairly, provided they are non-discriminatory, trans-

parent and credible – these are the guidelines by which the CIT pursues

its activities.


Legal interoperability is the aim of the International Rail Transport Committee (CIT)

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1. Circulation figure relates to period from 01/01/2015 to 31/12/2015

Passenger rights and ticketingThe CIT is actively involved in many issues regarding passenger rights.

For example, it is particularly active in the development and uniform

implementation of EU passenger rights (PRR). International tickets are

particularly important. The security background for international tickets

defined by the CIT protects against forgery and avoids loss and

complications for the railways. The new CIT Manual for International

Rail Tickets (MIRT) came into force in December 2015. It outlines

international carriage legalities and contains all essential information

and standards for the issue, use and checking of international tickets.

Thanks to these CIT standards, international tickets can be mutually

recognised by railways and easily used by their customers.

Legal advice and expertiseThe CIT supports its members with free legal expertise and advice.

For example, the CIT General Secretariat supported ÖBB (the Austrian

Federal Railways) in this way during their year-long legal battle in the

USA. On 1 December 2015, the US Supreme Court unanimously

endorsed the position of ÖBB and the CIT, that an American customer,

following an accident whilst boarding a train, did not have the right to

seek damages in the USA, particularly as the rights of passengers are

optimally protected under COTIF. A contrary decision by the highest

court in the USA could have resulted in unpleasant consequences for all

European railways.

Efficiency in international goods transportThe more efficient and cost-effective goods transport by rail becomes –

in particular when crossing borders – the better market opportunities it

has. The CIT is currently contributing to this by promoting the practical

implementation of the CIM Uniform Rules, amongst other things.

Various manuals, specifications and specimen documents are avail-

able to CIT members for the organisation of international goods

transport. The CIT is currently carrying out important preliminary work

towards the realisation of the CIM electronic consignment note and

the CUV electronic wagon note. The revised legal and functional





Organisation of the International Rail Transport Committee (CIT)

International Freight Traffic corridors between Europe and China

Members join in

The senior bodies of the CIT are the General Assembly of members and theExecutive Committee, led by Chairman Jean-Luc Dufournaud (SNCF).Experts taken from the circle of members advise the decision-makingbodies. As a result there are committees for passenger traffic (CIV), freighttraffic (CIM), use of infrastructure (CUI) and multimodality – all of whichare supported by permanent working groups and occasionally by ad-hocworking groups. Therefore, the CIT members have the opportunity to bringtheir position and expert knowledge to the table in the various committees.The General Secretariat, which is based in Bern, Switzerland, supports theCIT bodies, experts and members both professionally and administrativelyand conducts operational business.





specifications for the electronic consignment note will come into force

on 1 January 2017.

Multimodal transport is growingMultimodal transport is occurring more and more frequently in

international traffic, and the CIT is factoring in this trend.

Since 2014/2015, the new Multimodality Committee and Working

Group, com prising experts from CIT

members, are contributing to improved

interaction between rail, maritime and

road law. On 1 January 2015, the GTC

Rail-Sea Traffic (General Terms and Con -

ditions Applying to Joint-contracting for

Rail-Sea Freight Traffic), as developed by

the CIT, came into force. A boilerplate

contract for rail and maritime carriers is at a

preparatory stage. Meanwhile, there is

close cooperation between the CIT and

the IRU (the International Road Transport

Union). The associations want better links

between their different legal systems. As a first step towards this

they have jointly issued a map of the geographical scope of

their legal systems and a table of the most important practical issues

(liability, obligations of the parties, important documents such as

consignment note etc.).

No traffic without infrastructureWithout a rail infrastructure there would be no passenger or goods

transport by rail – it is for this reason that the CIT aspires to uniform rules

for the use of infrastructure. Almost all EU member states have now

recognised the CUI Uniform Rules (Uniform Rules concerning the

Contract of Use of Infrastructure in International Rail Traffic).

However, in practice these rules are often not used, which may be due

to lack of clarity in the wording of the scope in Article 1 of the CUI Uniform

Rules. The CIT is therefore taking part in an OTIF working group to

develop more precise wording. Together with the UIC, RNE and the CER,

the CIT is helping the EGTC (European General Terms and Conditions of

Use of Railway Infrastructure) to achieve a breakthrough.

Reference1. www.cit-rail.org

Cesare Brand has been the Secretary General of the CITsince 2012. Trained as a lawyer, Cesare has held severalsenior positions within the railway industry over the past20 years. After starting as Head of the Legal Section in theSwiss Confederation’s Federal Office of Transport, hemoved to SBB (the Swiss Federal Railways) in 2002where he took on management of the central legal service.Between 2009 and 2012, Cesare managed the Regulationand International Affairs Unit of SBB.

Focus on East-West traffic

The CIT is taking a leading role in strengthening East-West traffic betweenAsia and Europe. Many obstacles to East-West traffic have been removed,thanks to the CIM/SMGS uniform consignment note. According to RZDdata, in 2014 more than 9,000 import and almost 12,000 exportconsignments were sent using the CIM/SMGS uniform consignment note.Around 3,500 consignment notes were used for transit transport from Chinaor Kazakhstan to Europe. The importance of a CIM/SMGS electronicconsignment note, which the CIT is pressing for, is also continuouslygrowing. Practical documents relating to East-West traffic are also availableto CIT members in several languages, some even in Russian and Chinese.Together with the Universal Postal Union (UPU) and other organisations and undertakings, the CIT is currently setting up legal rules for postaltransport by rail between China and Europe. CIT products could have a vitalrole to play.

Becoming a member of the CIT

It is very easy to apply for membership of the CIT via the organisation’swebsite1. A range of benefits are available to CIT members, including:practical resources and tools for international passenger and goods transport;competent representation of interests at an international level; assistancefrom in-house experts in the development of international transport law;opportunities for further professional development and exchange of ideas;legal advice and services; plus continually updated information from the CITGeneral Secretariat. The membership subscription is calculated on the basisof transport services provided by the undertaking in international passengerand goods transport.

Sweden, Italy and Slovakia have recently joined the states recognising the CUI Uniform Rules

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The world of railways is

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sense but also legally

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Bogie Design &Developments

SUPPLEMENT

42 Axle bearings and conditionmonitoring forrailway vehicles Volker Brundisch, Product Manager Mechatronics,Bombardier Transportation

46 The Spanish bogiesand wheelsetsmarket: constantinnovation for a new era Pedro Fortea, Director, MAFEX

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SPONSORED BY:

Axle bearings andcondition monitoringfor railway vehiclesBearings and their failure behaviourThe railway’s major differentiator from other means of transport is a pair

of wheels (often jointed to a wheelset) rotating around a common axis,

and supported and guided through a pair of rails. Axle bearings are the

connecting design elements from the wheelset to the non-rotating parts

of the vehicle. They must transmit the weight of the vehicle to the

wheelsets while providing a smooth rolling movement for the wheelsets.

Combining significant relative movements and high forces creates the

risk for wear. Recent rolling stock are equipped with greased roller

bearings – while historically, these were plain bearings which require

maintenance (re-fil lubrication) and monitoring (sensing manually).

An axle bearing’s lifetime for a specific application is influenced by

a large number of factors. When the design assumptions on the

operating conditions are all fulfilled, the axle bearing will statistically

reach its calculated life. But if this is not the case, the deviation between

the real operating conditions and the design assumptions leads to

damage of the axle bearing before its calculated end of lifetime

(see Figure 1 on page 43). Once the damage process is initiated, it

tends to accelerate: the pre-damaged bearing is source for local

vibrations and heat, which both represent additional loads, and

subsequently a source for damage increase.

The standard ISO 15243 classifies the bearing failure modes in six

main groups and various sub-groups, with reference to features which

are visible on the bearing’s functional surfaces.

Technology survey for condition monitoringRailway operators follow different maintenance strategies; the widely

distributed ones are:

Axle bearings are a fundamental rolling stock component. Volker Brundisch, Product Manager Mechatronics atBombardier Transportation, discusses the different monitoring strategies and technologies available for axlebearings to ensure they are observed effectively during their lifetime.

BOGIE DESIGN & DEVELOPMENTS S U P P L E M E N T




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■ Preventive – when components are maintained

/replaced ‘far before a failure’ based on lifetime

(measured in years or kilometres) and inde -

pendent from their precise condition

■ Reactive – when components are maintained/

replaced only ‘after the failure’

■ Condition-based monitoring (CBM) – when

components are maintained/replaced depend -

ing on their condition, by intention ‘closely

before an upcoming failure’.

The CBM strategy offers to exploit the maximum

lifetime of each single component, provided that its

residual lifetime can be estimated:

■ A measureable parameter exists which describes

the state of an upcoming failure

■ The failure follows steady characteristics,

i.e. it does not suddenly change

■ The upcoming failure can be monitored and

recognised well before a fatality occurs.

These pre-conditions are given for characteristic failure patterns of axle

bearings. In all cases, the measurable parameter represents the

energy which is dissipated from the bearing towards the environment.

Looking forward until fatality of a blocked or destroyed bearing occurs,

this includes:

■ Vibrations – in a very early fault stage, the axle bearing excites

structural vibrations

■ Noise – with increasing mechanical damage of the rollers’ path, the

bearing becomes more and more a source of noise; although

the level is much lower than environmental noise, it can be detected

due to the characteristic frequencies

■ Heat – in the final stages, the axle bearing gets hot, which can be

noted from either trackside (hot axlebox detection, HABD) or

on-board (request from TSI High Speed).

Therefore, condition-based monitoring for axle bearings can be based

on evaluations for either mechanical vibrations, noise, heat, or a

combination of these technologies. The lower the emitted energy to

characterise an upcoming issue, the earlier a suspicious axle bearing can

be detected, ensuring plenty of time to set up a maintenance action.

On the other hand, a prognosis for a period larger than the

maintenance interval is without practical benefit.

Energy harvesting must be noted when discussing bearing

condition monitoring. At a first glance, avoiding cables from the

axlebox to a controller in the carbody looks attractive; but this requires

wireless data transmission plus local data compression at the sensor,

which allows the collection of limited data only due to limited data

transmission bandwidth.

Monitoring strategiesWithout consideration of costs, the best approach is the permanent

monitoring for every single axle bearing. For the practical purpose of

supporting maintenance decisions, it is not necessary to reach these

maximum. A collection of monitoring strategies exist and it is up to the

vehicle operator (and maintainer) to select the approach with the best

cost benefit ratio for their fleet.

Permanent On-board Monitoring (POM)A well-known technical strategy is Permanent

On-board Monitoring (POM) whereby all axle

bearings are equipped with dedicated sensors.

Data is then collected in controller units which provide

permanent monitoring of the bearings’ health

condition. This strategy provides maximum

information; it can even detect damages which

suddenly occur, for example from a strong mechanical

impact. A set of different data handling procedures

can be applied to reduce the available data to a status

information flag for each axle bearing. Similar

monitoring systems for POM are offered from several

suppliers, although deviating slightly from each other

in details of their design and data handling.

From a commercial point-of-view, POM has some

Figure 1: Axle bearing damage and its ‘fingerprint’ in measured accelerations

Figure 2: Bombardier’s mobile kit (sensors and controller) for in-service assessment of axle bearing conditions


characteristic features. The investment is significant,

because every bearing to be monitored must be

equipped with a sensor. In the best case, the POM

system can be integrated in the vehicle design, which

requires investment from the very beginning (even if

a retrofit is possible in most cases) as well as periodic

maintenance efforts for the POM system. In case of a

robust axle bearing design without serial defects, the

return on investment for the monitoring equipment

may be low, especially when grouping of maint -

enance is concerned (for wheels, wheelsets and axle

gear boxes) the axle bearings must be replaced

anyhow independent from the condition, and their

residual lifetime cannot be specifically exploited.

As such, POM is especially interesting from an

engineer’s point-of-view, rather than from a share -

holder’s point-of-view for the vehicle owner.

Temporary On-board Monitoring (TOM)Temporary On-board Monitoring (TOM) is a strategy

with a part-time installation only of condition

monitoring systems to the vehicles. Internally, the technology can

basically be similar to POM. TOM’s cost efficiency results from sharing

one piece of equipment for numerous axle bearings, which is to be

balanced against TOM equipment’s handling efforts and train’s out-of-

service costs. This pushes the application of TOM to cases with very

long intervals between monitoring, or with a reasonable pre-indication

of the necessity to monitor.

Up to a certain degree, dedicated measurements can be classified

as TOM as well.

Permanent Trackside Monitoring (PTM)For Permanent Trackside Monitoring (PTM), the sensors are arranged at

specific locations along the track. A controller collects the sensor data,

together with the identification of each passing vehicle. In closed

networks, the vehicles return to that trackside station in high frequency,

for example once per hour. As such, a quasi-permanent flow of state

information can be collected and traced for every axle bearing. Several

suppliers offer monitoring systems for PTM.

By its nature, PTM can never provide the same precision and

continuity like POM. But, these drawbacks remain virtually irrelevant for

the practical purpose (to support maintenance decisions for axle

bearings). And some commercial aspects are strongly in favour of

PTM rather than POM. Basically, the PTM system is not linked to the

vehicles, also enabling to ‘unlink’ the investments in a condition

monitoring system from those in new vehicles.

Bombardier’s recent and future activitiesBombardier has already developed a broad range of technical solutions

in order to provide efficient and well-proven systems and services for

every railway operator.

High-speed trains are equipped with the safety systems which are

required from the Technical Specification of Interoperability (TSI).

With implementation of additional analysis routines, the data gathered

for safety purposes are also exploited to report bearing conditions.

One application example of the POM system is the axle bear-

ing condition monitoring function in the CBM system for V300

BOMBARDIER1 ZEFIRO1-ETR1000 which is developed in partnership

with Hitachi Rail Italy for Trenitalia.

For temporary monitoring purposes, Bombardier developed a

‘mobile’ kit (see Figure 2 on page 43), mainly designed for

easy installation and dedicated to automated bearing assessment

without infringement to the vehicle’s operation. A simple colour

scale indicates the severity of a potential bearing’s issue, which pro-

vides the link to the residual lifetime and subsequently to an

optimum intervention time.

At present, trackside monitoring is subject to intensive field

tests. Investigations are ongoing about the optimum microphone

arrangement and reliable detection algorithms (see Figure 3).

Moreover, Bombardier is carefully investigating the potential for further

commercial improvements, for example through different approaches

to maximising the number of bearings (and, not just bearings but

wheels too) which can be monitored with a single monitoring system.

In the near future, more field tests will be performed to further

evaluate the monitoring systems which are under development.

In the long-run, both on-board and trackside monitoring systems shall

be integrated as components into BOMBARDIER1 ORBITA1 – a

predictive asset management system.

Reference1. BOMBARDIER, BOMBARDIER ZEFIRO and BOMBARDIER ORBITA are

trademarks of Bombardier Inc. and its subsidiaries.





Dipl.-Ing. Volker Brundisch completed a degree inRailway Engineering from the University of Transport‘Friedrich List’ in Dresden (1993). Volker has obtained 20 years of experience in suspension development fromthe Swiss Industrial Company (SIG), Fiat SIG, Alstom andBombardier, with an emphasis on vehicle dynamics and mechatronics. Since 2010, Volker has been ProductManager Mechatronics at Bombardier Transportation,Internal Supply Chain (ISC).

Figure 3: Test of concepts for the trackside axle bearing monitoring system

One stop shop

With our skilled and dedicated people, top-class equipment, decades of

experience in bringing new products to the market, and global presence

– we ensure safe and reliable wheelsets and their contribution to

comfortable rides of each vehicle rolling on our wheels, no matter where.

We care for all stages of our products’ life-cycle – from design,

optimisation and validation, to in-service monitoring and LCC

management. Hundreds of customers in 80 countries over five

continents benefit from our enormous wheelset knowledge base.

High-speed: we will not stop to accelerateSupplying wheels and axles for Deutsche Bahn generation ICX built by

Siemens and Bombardier and for TGV of Alstom among others,

GHH-BONATRANS demonstrate ability for ultimate technical

competence, precision and flexibility in solutions for maximal speeds

above 200km/h.

Trams: we speak low-floorGHH-BONATRANS is the world leading supplier of low-floor solutions.

From driven wheelsets to the independent wheel unit, we design,

engineer, manufacture and assemble every solution for low-floor

applications. Our customers – i.e. manufacturers of light-rail vehicles

– rely on our competence in providing resilient or super-resilient

wheels composed of silencing segments and thus delivering high noise

comfort in public transport.

Metro: silent wheels on trackWe provide metro solutions to all five continents. Regardless of

application or requirement, we can provide tailor-made solutions,

paying special attention to noise reduction. Our fine-tuned wheel-

mounted noise absorbers bring effective reduction of noise generated

by wheel/rail contact having achieved up to 30 dB(A) lower noise levels

compared to wheels without noise absorbers. GHH-BONATRANS is

proud to be recently selected as a supplier for S-Bahn Berlin and Metro

Kochi, as well as in the past for majority of cities with metro systems.

DMU/EMU/PassengerFor this type of transport served usually by electric or diesel multiple

units with distributed power and typical maximal speed between

160-200km/h, GHH-BONATRANS design and produce a number of

alternatives of power and trailer wheelsets as well as wheelsets for

passenger coaches. We are a traditional supplier to the leading global

as well as regional manufacturers of rolling stock in Europe, Asia

and America.

Locomotive and special cars: the more difficult the task,the higher our performanceGHH-BONATRANS is a benchmark in the locomotive segment – our

wheels move both passengers and goods within Americas, Europe,

Africa, Asia, Africa and Australia. Our wheelsets bring benefits in the

form of high tractive effort and have been applied to the most powerful

locomotives worldwide.

Freight and Heavy Haul: safety and long service lifeGHH-BONATRANS railway wheels B29™ and/or BBS™ are optimised

and dedicated for railway vehicles, in which wheels are exposed to high

thermal and mechanical loads, especially for freight wagons equipped

with tread brakes. Through careful optimisation of wheel design and

steel grade and through implementation of the most developed

calculation and testing methods, we have developed wheels that are

considerably more resistant to thermal loading than the existing

commonly used wheel designs. Our freight wheelsets have thus

become the most frequently applied freight wheelsets in modern

European freight wagons.

GHH-BONATRANS is the premium supplier of wheelsets for rail bound transportation worldwide, with a strongR&D department committed to develop and homologate tailor-made solutions; one out of 100 – each and everyyear – can be ready for you. GHH-BONATRANS operates under the values of expertise, innovation, power,quality and passion.

BOGIE DESIGN & DEVELOPMENTS A D V E R T O R I A L S U P P L E M E N T




www.ghh-bonatrans.com

The Spanish bogiesand wheelsets market:constant innovationfor a new era

Technological advances in all aspects have been gradually introduced,

ranging from the standardisation of bogies to as far as tools and

technological applications that increase lifecycles, along with the

efficiency and maintenance of wheels. Progress has also been made in

the manufacturing of the latest generation of pioneering dampers and

suspension elements, plus new variable width gauge axes for

interoperability on freight networks.

The strident efforts undertaken in recent decades on the part of

multiple agents that carry out their professional activity in the field

of components, such as bogies and wheels, has led to the acquisition of

valuable know-how and the development of an industry with a high

level of specialisation and major exporter potential.

Innovative components and technological solutions for a new era The fruits of this hard work on the part of its companies, notably in the

field of research and development (R+D), the products offered and

solutions that embrace the latest technology, are now implemented in

more than 95 countries, in which their efficiency and reliability have

been duly proven, thus positioning the Spanish railway industry at the

forefront of these markets.

Amongst the numerous examples of tasks undertaken in terms of

R+D, we have the accomplishments of companies such as AL-KO, which

has positioned itself at the fore of the manufacture of dampers and

suspension equipment. With more than 80 years’ history, AL-KO has

established a stronghold in more than 70 countries. Furthermore,

AL-KO has developed a pioneering design and established a

manufacturing centre located in the Basque Country in which more

than 250 professionals are employed, devoting their time to

research and engineering tasks that provide customised railway

solutions. From there, all of the production plants are controlled

(Spain, Germany and China).

The railway activities’ portfolio includes a wide range of

applications for rolling stock suspension, doors and pantograph

systems. These components have already been incorporated into the

trains operated by the main rolling stock companies for all types of

service: locomtive, regional, metropolitan and tramways.

Another of the major contributions of the Spanish railway industry

in this field is focused around the development of new technological

and specialised consultancy services. In this field, NEM Solutions has

established one of the most advanced tools for railway rolling stock

management: the A.U.R.A Wheel. This involves a complete solution

that allows for the optimisation of the lifecycles for wheels and their

maintenance. To achieve this, all of the data gathered pertaining to

different devices, advanced analysis of the wheel tread and dynamic

scheduling based on condition has been pooled. This application has

been exceptionally well received and, presently, handles more than

40,000 coaches and 35 million wheel measurements. Amongst the

multiple reference points using A.U.R.A., worthy of special mention

include: Metro Madrid, HTM, BRU, CAF, ACTREN, Renfe, Stadler,

Alstom, Hitachi, Euromaint, Keolis, Washington Metro, Euskotren,

TTC, CPTM, TCDD, SRO, CTA, and LA Metro.

Spanish progress in terms of standardisation relating to rolling stock

components has also helped to position this industry at the forefront of

the sector. Operators and manufacturers from around the world

trust the highly-skilled abilities and competences of the independent

and internationally-renowned testing laboratories for new bogies.

A thorough undertaking requires demanding monitoring and a detailed

The rolling stock components market within the Spanish railway industry has grown significantly over recentyears. Featuring at the forefront of the most demanded product and service ranking lists on a national scale,Pedro Fortea, Director at MAFEX – the Spanish Railway Association – says that its evolution is due to the abilityto develop solutions adapted to the new needs facing the sector.





CAF designs and manufactures the bogies for all of its rolling stock projects

Cred

it: C

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Zagreb

Trieste

Graz

Villach

analysis on the part of rigorously endorsed

institutions. Take CETEST for example, which is

officially accredited (ISO17025) as one of the

exclusive laboratories in Europe capable of

carrying out the complete homologation test

package with the maximum level of assurances,

in a flexible manner and with cutting-edge

installations and equipment. For this reason,

they have a thorough portfolio that deals with

clients and offers a service that reduces

standardisation times, thus ensuring the best

results whilst minimising the technical risks as

much as possible.

With a proven track record of more than

40 years’ experience, railway testing under -

taken by CETEST covers a wide range of

technical disciplines such as ride dynamics,

including instrumented wheelsets, structural

resistance and fatigue for validation of bogie

frames and bolsters, as well as components and

subsets. This range is completed with the

vibrations testing including modal analysis,

electro magnetic compatibility EMC, traction,

braking and pantograph validation testing,

noise and acoustics and aerodynamics and

climatic testing. Static tests according to

EN14363 with portable test benches are

also performed in order to assure the safety

against derailment of a rail vehicle, along with

SŽ – Vleka in tehnika

At SŽ – Vleka in tehnika (SŽ – VIT), we providecomprehensive services in the field of rail vehiclemaintenance and train traction together with adiverse range of technical wagon services.Boasting a market presence of over 150 years andwith main locations in Ljubljana, Ptuj, Maribor,Dobova, Divača and Koper, we take pride in theknow-how and expertise gathered over the yearsand keep them in touch with the latest advances inrail technology, thus creating added value for ourbusiness partners.

Our maintenance, traction, and technicalwagon services are provided to SlovenianRailways (Slovenske železnice) as well as toclients outside Slovenia. Quality servicing andspecialised know-how coupled with flexibility andthe skill to tackle any challenge has persuadedmany private keepers and national operators tobecome our partner.

Our qualifications are attested by variouscertificates, authorisations and approvals, such as ECM, ISO 9001:2008, VPI, and TSI for theassembly of new wheelsets, while the quality ofour work has been attested by some of the biggestkeepers of rail vehicles.

One-stop shop All services needed for safe and reliable vehicleoperation from a single source:■ Comprehensive preventive and

corrective maintenance, ■ Renewal and modification of all rail

vehicle types,■ Processing and assembly of wheelsets and other

component servicing,■ Mobile servicing,

■ Engineering and technical support,■ Integrated and reliable traction services for

freight and passenger operators, and ■ Technical examinations, brake testing, repairs

of coupled wagons, and loading assistance. www.sz-vit.si


‘souplesse’ and bogie rotational stiffness tests; all in accordance with

the established standards and norms related to bogie and vehicle

homologation (EN13749, EN13261 and EN13262, EN14363, EN50121,

etc.). CETEST has been performing these types of tests for clients such

as Alstom, Bombardier, CAF, Nippon Sharyo, Amtrak, Matisa and

Titagarh Wagons, among many others.

An additional factor in this industry rests in the major level of

specialisation and technological resources used by its companies. In this

sense, railway divisions such as the one belonging to DANOBATGROUP,

provides complete machinery all over the world for axle, wheel,

wheelsets and bogies for maintenance workshops run by railway

manufacturers. Amongst these we can highlight the portal and pit lathes,

wheel measurement equipment and dynamic testing benches for

bogies. Along with the supply of this type of machinery, they also act as

technological allies to provide comprehensive engineering solutions;

from project planning to its final construction and subsequent working

life. One of the most sizeable projects undertaken by the company is

located in Australia where they have installed one of the world’s most

advanced automated workshops dealing with the maintenance tasks for

mining trains in which they have fulfilled the need to integrate more than

30 pieces of equipment, robotic handling devices and a computerised

system for comprehensive control of the line.

The challenge lies in enabling a complete set of installations located

close to the mining operations, which are difficult to access and where

there is a notable shortfall of local workforce. Therein, it is possible to

perform, in an automated manner, the tasks involving the disassembly,

repair, subsequent assembly and final inspection of all the components.

In the field of freight railways, major milestones have also been

surpassed in recent years. Azvi, in tandem with other companies in the

sector, for example, has managed to develop new axes offering variable

gauge width for this type of transport. In this way, we have been able to

overcome one of the main hindrances for rail transport between Spain

and the rest of Europe, plus the rest of Europe and Asia: interoperability.

Based on a prototype from the 1960s, Azvi, Tria and Ogi embarked

on the ECASYS project in 2014 to improve the design of variable gauge

axes and gauge width change infrastructure. The new system is

composed of an ‘axle’ that allows for the axial slide of the wheels.

The most innovative part is the incorporated locking system, which

forms a solid block without any additional mobile or rolling parts, thus

ensuring the effective blocking of the Iberian and standard gauge

systems. The axle, directly assembled onto the standard bearings of

coaches and bogies, does not require any type of additional adaptation

or frame. The process is performed automatically using a changer,

without stopping the vehicle and without unloading each coach, at a

passing speed of up to 30km/h.

Likewise, with regard to interoperability, companies such as CAF have

contributed with significant progress in the field of railway transport, such

as BRAVA – the self-propelled Universal Variable Gauge System. BRAVA

allows railway vehicles to be adapted to any track width whilst running in

a time of just three seconds. This new system can be applied to any type

of train irrespective of its origin and technology. Also worthy of special

mention, is the fact that the company has a specialist arm known as CAF

MiiRA which is considered amongst the most advanced in the world in

terms of design, manufacture, assembly and maintenance of railway

wheelsets and their components: wheels, axes, gear boxes and axle

boxes. This is the sole manufacturer capable of delivering a wheelset with

a complete design: including the wheels, axes, gear box and the axle box

itself. CAF MiiRA provides installations fitted with the most cutting-edge

technology available, following a significant investment plan put in place

in recent years. With its own steelworks, the company has first-rate

responsiveness to the specific requirements of each project.

Research centres: design of new materials and processes Along with the companies in the sector, we also boast renowned and

qualified research centres. The aim is to provide responses to the

challenges set forth by the market and serve to improve the integration

of rolling stock components whilst finding a solution to complex multi-

disciplinary issues. In Spain, the research tasks undertaken have their

main international reference point in the IK4 Research Alliance Centre.

Ceit-IK4 focuses its workload on the design of new materials and

processes along with railway dynamics. In the first case, the technical

skills are based on research and advancements in improved qualities of

steel used on tracks, wheels and wheel treads, propagation of cracks as

a result of fatigue, tenacity and resistance to wear and tear. Work is also

undertaken on improvements associated with thermal treatments to

enhance quality in terms of brake shoes for high-speed rail vehicles,

characterisation of defects, deterioration and service inspections.

With regard to railway dynamics, Ceit-IK4 is involved in working




New state-of-the-art freight wheelset designed for container wagonsIn 2015 GHH-BONATRANS Group launched onto the market a new state-of-the-art freight wheelset designed for container wagons. The wheels are madefrom BONASTAR™, the new steel grade specifically enhanced for the wheel-application in the harshest environmental and operational conditions. Unlike its regular freight counterpart, the wheel has a uniquely shaped web and significantly reduced weight (320 kg). The axle is produced from thematerial EA4T.

Instead of widespread tread/contact concept the wheelset relies on axle-mounted brake disk and it can run up to 160 km/h. In such applications,BONASTAR™ helps to prevent formation and propagation of rolling contactdefects. As a result, the product’s lifetime is greatly extended – approximately30% longer life in mileage terms compared to wheels made of standard EN grades and reduction. Operating costs as well as LLC are significantlyreduced too.

Nearly 1,000 of these upgraded wheelsets have been delivered toTatravagónka Poprad and subsequently integrated into wagons for AAE fleet.Both companies are leading players in their field of freight railway industry.Completely assembled, first-class wheelsets possess all the necessary

TSI certificates and strictly follow the EN standards. “We are completingnegotiations of several analogical deals and so expect in future suchtechnologically advanced freight applications will be seen much morefrequently on the European network,” said Jakub Weimann, ManagingDirector of BONATRANS. www.ghh-bonatrans.com


ADVANCED WEAR COMPONENTS FOR THE RAIL INDUSTRY

www.TENMAT.comTENMAT Ltd. I Ashburton Road West I Manchester M17 1TD I T: +44 161 872 218 I F: +44 161 872 7596 I E: [email protected]

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lines for measurement and analysis of the dynamic conduct of railway

vehicles, corrugation and noise or modelling and testing of compo -

nents. Its research team also provides new testing processes for the

measuring of axle loads, mechatronic systems, as well as the effect of

transversal cross winds on the circulation of railway traffic.

The works carried out in the aforementioned fields have been

added to by companies which have contributed with significant

improvements in bogie washing processes; a key factor in the whole -

scale maintenance of components. Protocols that involve the handling

of mobile pieces of railway vehicles require special attention and

greater care should these be subject to wear and tear. For this purpose,

companies such as Aquafrisch have developed a series of automated

equipment specifically designed so that the task can be considerably

facilitated by turning this into a simple, clean, fast and effective process.

Furthermore, these are distributed to the most renowned railway

manufacturers’ workshops throughout Europe.

All of these developments are merely some examples of the current

state of play in the Spanish railway industry that has placed us in the

position of one of the most advanced on the world stage in terms of

innovative solutions and with a significant technological input.

After spending some years as the Assistant Manager ofFundigex – the Castings Exporter’s Association of Spain –Pedro Fortea became the Director of Mafex in 2004 andhas helped to develop its professional activity. Pedrostudied at ESADE Business School, Escuela Universitaria(Cámara de Comercio de Bilbao) and Deusto University.

Advanced wear components for the rail industryTENMAT is a leading manufacturer ofadvanced materials and components withoutstanding mechanical and thermal propertiesfor demanding industrial applications.

For over 100 years TENMAT high qualitythermoset wear parts have been the material ofchoice for safety critical applications withinthe passenger rail industry.

Specifically designed for use in passengerand freight rolling stock, TENMAT’sproprietary FEROFORM and RAILKOproducts are made out of fibre reinforced,thermoset composites and used for crucialapplications such as anti-roll bar bearings,emergency air spring plates, suspensionbearings, centre pivot liners and many othertailor made applications.

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0.04, TENMAT materials replace greasedmetal systems to provide low wear, easymaintenance components, eliminating corro -sion and seizure.

Leading train manufacturers such asBombardier, Alstom, Siemens, and CAF use TENMAT components and value thematerials’ self-lubricating capabilities andoutstanding wear performance even under the most arduous conditions.

FEROFORM and RAILKO wear partsare approved and specified by all majorrailway authorities and train manufacturersand solve issues such as high wear, noisepollution, corrosion, mating componentprotection and many others.

www.tenmat.com


A possible universalapproach for riskassessmentsCommon solutions versus different approaches in EuropeIn any technical system there is no safety measure that entirely

eliminates risk, as the concept of absolute safety is utopian – particularly

in railway. As a consequence socially- and economically-acceptable

safety values have to be established. In Europe the definition of a

common risk assessment method is challenging, especially due to the

cultural differences that influence every country’s decisions. An on-

going debate has been conducted for many years that aims to

synthesise a harmonious solution. This led in 2009 to the definition of a

European Common Safety Method (CSM) which1 states that; in case of

significant changes in a railway system, the member countries have to

assess the risk by applying codes of practices, given as a set of written

rules, or by comparing the new system to an equivalent reference

system using the GAMAB (‘globalement au moins aussi bon’) principle2.

In case none of these two methods can be used, the risk acceptability is

performed using an explicit risk estimation.

For evaluation of the risk acceptance different approaches can be

applied i.e. using quantitative analyses. For example: for hazards that

arise from pure technical failures and which can have critical or

catastrophic consequences, the so-called ‘harmonised design targets’

are, according to the CSM, defined as upper limits for technical failure

rates that must not be exceeded3,4. Another approach represents the

For European Railway Review François Bianco, Isabella Mariani and Hanspeter Schlatter from the Swiss FederalRailways (SBB) Signalling Department present their risk assessment method and suggest that a possible universalapproach could be used.

SAFETY RISK ASSESSMENTS




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risk assessment according to the ALARP

method (‘as low as reasonably practicable’),

which focuses on a cost-benefit analysis and is

socioeconomically oriented2. Alternatively, the

MEM (‘minimum endogenous mortality’)

approach considers risk acceptability estima -

tion on risk limits for the individual, i.e. the risk

to which an individual using this system is

exposed2. This approach is also applied in the

explicit risk analyses methodology recomm -

ended by the Swiss Federal Office of Transport

(FOT) for railway projects that are not able

to comply with all the statutory regulations.

The aim is to prove that, despite the lack of

compliance with the law, no unacceptable

individual risks to passengers and railway

employees can arise5. There are many ex-

amples across Europe, beside transport, where

the concept of individual risk is applied, for

instance in civil engineering, natural hazards,

or energy production.

These different approaches can be com -

bined with each other, as we shall see in the UK

and Italy, where quantitative analyses are

used. Further details of the specifications of

collective risk − also called ‘societal risk’ − and

‘individual risk’ are also given below.

British railway companies mostly assess the

risk using the ALARP method6: the costs of

implementing a particular safety measure are

compared to the benefits of the risk reduction

and the result is monetised accordingly.

Additionally, the individual risk is calculated and

classified according to the categories: accept -

able, broadly acceptable or unacceptable.

However, this is not used as a risk acceptance

criterion, but rather integrated in the risk

analysis and used as an indicator to prioritise

the safety management efforts. The risk

tolerability in the UK is established at a regulatory level.

In Italy the presidential decree for safety, police and regularity in

railway7 sets the following principle (article 8(1)): “In the exercise of

the railways measures and precautions must be taken, as suggested by

technical and practical considerations, in order to prevent accidents.”.

This principle was applied8, where one fatality is considered a

‘catastrophic’ consequence, yet in the EN 50126 it was characterised as

a ‘critical’ consequence2. This is an example of how a risk may be

perceived differently and also illustrates the difficulty with defining a

harmonised risk evaluation framework across the European railways.

Furthermore, the ministerial decree for safety in tunnels9 bases

risk acceptability on the individual risk that is subdivided in three

categories: acceptable, broadly acceptable or unacceptable. If the risk

falls within the intermediate category, further studies and accurate

documentation are needed and, in case of residual uncertainty, an

ALARP evaluation must be conducted.

The risk assessment method at the signalling department of the SBBThe Safety Concept of the FOT states equivalently to the CSM10:

‘We accept residual risks only when, to the best of our knowledge,

these risks are justifiable and cannot be eliminated by taking reason-

able measures17.’ However, the FOT and the Swiss laws allow the railway

companies the freedom to choose the exact method18. To evaluate

Figure 1: Flow diagram for the risk assessment method at SAZ. Each hazard is evaluated withrespect to an absolute individual risk limit based on the MEM approach. If the risk is acceptablethe ALARP principle is then used with respect to the collective risk. If the risk is too high on anindividual basis, measures are compulsory. The residual risk is then accepted when no morereasonable measures can be defined.

Table 1: Example of limits for the individual risk and values for the marginal costdepending on the different risk categories (values according to11). These values canbe otherwise defined. Once established, however, it is essential to use themhomogeneously across risk analyses.

Individual risk limit Marginal cost[Death/Year] [Mio. CHF]

Railway workers ≤ 10-4 2−5

Passengers ≤ 10-5 5−10

if a risk is acceptable the SBB established, in recent years, some

internal regulations concerning risk assessment12,13. Prior to these official

regulations the Safety Team of the signalling department at SBB

(hereafter SAZ, from ‘Sicherungsanlagen und Zugbeeinflussung’)

independently developed a method to assess the risk linked to the

operation of technical systems for signalling14. This method (see

Figure 1 on page 51) is a quantitative two-step approach based on a

probabilistic risk assessment, coherent with the FOT concept10 and the

SBB internal regulation13. When a possible hazard is identified, the first

step is to compare the individual risk arising from this hazard with upper

limits derived from the MEM. In a second step safety measures are

evaluated according to the ALARP method. The explicit comparison of

risk and measure is made through the monetisation of the collective

risk, based on the so-called ‘value of preventing a fatality’, i.e. the

‘willingness to pay’ of society to prevent a fatality. Please note: this is

not the value of a human being! This method thus focuses first on the

acceptance of risk that every single person involved in the system

intrinsically carries, and then moves to an economical practicable limit

of the collective risk.

Risk estimationThe collective risk of a given hazard is defined as the product of its

frequency of occurrence and its severity, i.e. the number and degree of

fatalities (injuries19, as well as damages to rolling stock, infrastructure

and environment can also be taken into account). Hazards are analysed,

for example using failure or event trees which take into account the limit

of the technical system as well as the human handling and error. In fact

human beings possess, in most of the cases, base-rate errors that are

much greater than the error rate of technical systems. On the other

hand they can also help to avoid an accident when they notice that

something is wrong or unexpected, i.e. stepping in when the technical

system fails.

Assessment of the individual risk: ethical aspectWhen the collective risk of the system is determined, based on

numerical estimations or statistics, it is then distributed among the

average number of heavy users of the system (i.e. commuters) and

the number of train drivers involved in the

region. This allows for estimating their

respective individual risks. Different limits are

attributed to the different risk categories,

according to the fact that a train driver has

more influence to prevent an accident

compared to the less voluntary commuters,

who sit in the train only. The threshold for the

train driver is defined in relation to typical

work related accidents at a value of 10-4

deaths per year5,16. The equivalent limit for

passengers equals 1/20th of the MEM which

corresponds to 10-5 deaths per year (see

Table 1 on page 51)2. If the estimated indi -

vidual risk is above these limits, compulsory

measures are applied, regardless of their

cost, as the risk is unacceptably high for

individuals. This ensures that the railway

system does not add an unjustifiable amount to the risk ‘budget’ of a

single person. The dashed line in Figure 2 is defined by the MEM

criterion. Below this limit the ALARP principle is applied. According to

our experience, the individual risk for passengers is usually in

an acceptable range, whereas the railway workers are more

often concerned with unacceptable individual risks.

Assessment of the collective risk: economical aspectIn the second instance, if the risk is acceptable from an

individual point-of-view, we proceed with the ALARP criterion

further. The collective risk of the different categories is

monetised to enable comparison of the risk reduction and the

cost of the safety measures. In order to do so we use, as a

conversion factor, a marginal cost based on the ‘value of

preventing a fatality’ (example of values are shown in Table 1

on page 51). Compared to the British Railway, where a unique

value is applied6, at SAZ different marginal costs are assigned

to the different risk categories, congruent with what is done

for the individual risk acceptance criteria: higher marginal

costs are associated to passengers compared to train drivers.

We then consider the effect of aversion, by introducing a

differential risk aversion weighting factor depending on the

severity. This factor takes into account the public risk

perception: in case of a bigger accident the risk is over-

proportionally perceived compared to many small accidents

of the same total severity. The concept of the aversion is

controversial, however it is necessary to come to an

agreement on how to consider it. The SAZ definition of the





Figure 2: Schematic Frequency-Severity diagram for the risk assessment. A given hazard is a point defined by its severity and frequency in thisrepresentation. The dashed black line corresponds to the limit between anacceptable and unacceptable individual risk, which is established according to theMEM principle (i.e. maximal acceptable individual risk = severity × frequency).When the risk falls in the unacceptable zone, measures are compulsory, whereasin the area below the black line the ALARP method has to be applied based onthe collective risk.

In any technical system

there is no safetymeasure that

entirely eliminatesrisk, as theconcept of

absolute safety isutopian –

particularly in railway





aversion factor is 0.8 times the square root of the severity11.

The monetised collective risk is then given by the product

of the collective risk, the marginal cost of the related category

and the aversion weighting factor. The benefit of a measure is

the difference between the initial collective risk and the

residual risk after the application of the safety measure.

The annual total cost of the measure is the sum of the

investment distributed over its lifespan and its annual

maintenance cost. Measures that are not cost effective have a

cost over benefit ratio larger than one. The optimal measure

corresponds to the smallest sum of residual risk and annual

costs. This concept is illustrated in Figure 3. Other losses

during operation can also be taken into account in the

effective cost to compare the possible measures.

ConclusionThe risk assessment method used by the signalling

department of the Swiss Federal Railways defines the

acceptance of a risk based on a two-step approach, which

ensures the following: (i) no individual is exposed to an

unacceptable risk according to the MEM principle, and (ii) the

optimum in collective safety is achieved based on a cost-

benefit analysis according to the ALARP approach. It takes

into account the individual right to safety (ethical aspect) and

the societal aversion of events with high severity. It is

transparent, objective, plausible and comprehensible, as risks, costs and

benefits of measures (economical aspect) can be calculated

and compared. In recent years the method has proved its practicability

for our everyday work life. Additionally, the presented technique is not

only limited to railways signalling but can also be used elsewhere to

define risk acceptance criteria.

AcknowledgementsWe would like to thank Roman Slovak (FOT, Switzerland), George

Bearfield (RSSB, UK), Maria Grazia Marzoni and Roberto Calamai (ANSF,

Italy) for the fruitful discussions and for reviewing this article.

References1. European Union (2009) Commission implementing Regulation (EC) No 352/2009 of

24 April 2009 on the adoption of a common safety method on risk evaluation andassessment as referred to in Article 6(3)(a) of Directive 2004/49/EC of the EuropeanParliament and of the Council, Belgium

2. C.E.N.E.L.E.C. (2000) EN 50126 – Railway application – The specification and demonstration of dependability, reliability, availability, maintainability and safety (RAMS).

3. European Union (2013) Commission implementing Regulation, (EU) No 402/2013 of30 April 2013 on the common safety method for risk evaluation and assessment andrepealing Regulation (EC) No 352/20091, Belgium

4. European Union (2015) Commission implementing Regulation, (EU) 2015/1136 of 13July 2015 amending implementing Regulation (EU) No 402/2013 on the commonsafety method for risk evaluation and assessment, Belgium

5. R. Slovak, H. Meuli, H. Schlatter: Assessing the individual risk of rail transport forpassengers and staff; 9th Symposium on Formal Methods for Automation and Safetyin Railways and Automotive Systems FORMS/FORMAT 2012, Braunschweig 2012

6. RSSB (2014) Taking Safe Decisions, United Kingdom

7. Presidenza della Repubblica Italiana (1980) Decreto del Presidente della Repubblican. 753 del 11 luglio 1980 – Nuove norme in materia di polizia, sicurezza e regolaritàdell'esercizio delle ferrovie e di altri servizi di trasporto, Italy

8. RFI (2007) Disposizione No 51 del 12 Nov. 2007 – Modifiche alla Disposizione delGestore dell’Infrastruttura n.13 del 26 giugno 2001 e successive modifiche, Italy

9. Ministero delle Infrastrutture e dei Trasporti (2005) – Decreto del Ministero delle Infrastrutture e dei Trasporti 28 ottobre 2005 – Sicurezza nelle gallerieferroviarie, Italy

10. Swiss Federal Office of Transport (2013), FOT Safety Concept v1.2_e, Ref. 051/2012-12-11/390, Switzerland

11. Swiss Confederation (1999), Risikokonzept für Naturgefahren – Leitfaden, Teil A:Allgemeine Darstellung des Risikokonzepts, Switzerland

12. Swiss Federal Railways (SBB), Regulation K 250 (2012), Umgang mitsicherheitsrelevanten Änderungen

13. Swiss Federal Railways (SBB), Regulation K 252.0 (2015), Managementsystem SBBKonzern: Teil Safety – Methodik Riskmanagement Safety bei der SBB

14. Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) I-SA, H.P. Schlatter and S. Einer (2008), Sicherheit beiSBB, I-SA: Das Risikokonzept zur Beurteilung von technischen Risiken zum Schutzvon Reisenden und Angestellten, Version V 1.2

15. Swiss Federal Office of Transport (2014), Methode zur Beurteilung des individuellenRisikos www.bav.admin.ch/grundlagen/03514/03589/03593/index.html?lang=de

16. Hans A. Merz, Thomas Schneider, Hans Bohnenblust (1995), „Bewertung von technischen Risiken“; Polyprojekt Risiko und Sicherheit, Band Nr. 3,Hochschulverlag AG an der ETH-Z (vdf), ISBN 3-7281-2178-9

17. The FOT is preparing a new safety regulation which will be published soon.

18. A new method for assessing the individual risk is currently undergoing verification atthe FOT5,13,14

19. Conversion of medium, highly injured occurs by a change in the order of magnitude, i.e. 100 medium injuries = 10 high injuries = 1 fatality, as given in theannex of EN 501262.

Dr. François Bianco is a physicist and works as a SafetyEngineer within the Safety Team of the SignallingDepartment at the Swiss Federal Railways. He obtained a Ph.D. in nanophysics at the Universityof Geneva.

Dr. Isabella Mariani is a physicist andworks as a Safety Engineer within theSafety Team of the Signalling Depart -

ment at the Swiss Federal Railways. She obtained a Ph.D.in climate sciences at the University of Bern.

Hanspeter Schlatter is an Engineer andis the Head of the Safety Team within the SignallingDepartment at the Swiss Federal Railways. He obtainedhis diploma in engineering at the ETH Zurich. He has beena safety specialist in railway systems for 15 years and isone of the authors of the risk assessment method describedin this article.

Figure 3: Plot of the residual collective risk versus cost of measure, both axes areexpressed in the same timescale (i.e., per year). The diagonal lines correspond tothe equal sum of residual risks and costs. The initial risk defines the zone of non-economical costs: above the dashed line measures are not cost-effective (i.e., initial collective risk < residual collective risk + cost of the measure). In this example the measure M2 owns the smallest sum of residual risk and cost and is therefore the optimal safety measure.

GERMANY




‘Zukunft Bahn’ – thefuture of railway

The competitive environment for the German railway has changed

dramatically over the last few years. The liberalisation of long-distance

bus services, an increasing market for car-sharing services, a liberalised

rail market with new international train operating companies (TOCs),

the sharp decline of oil and fuel prices and a remarkable number of

innovative digital business platforms are all influencing and challenging

the railway business to its core. Using smartphones and the Internet

everything is transparent, comparable and everybody has the

opportunity to book train tickets, in addition to other means of

transport, online with a click, anywhere and at any time.

Besides all the challenges and threats, however, the railway has the

potential to become the desired mode of transport of the 21st century:

reliable, comfortable and environmentally-friendly. Admittedly, though,

we are not currently exploiting its potential. This is especially the case

for the base elements of our service quality, such as punctuality and

information. By focussing on improving these areas, the so-called

For European Railway Review Frank Sennhenn, CEO of DB Netz AG, explains how the organisation makes use of technology and innovation to improve the quality and availability of Germany’s railway infrastructure.

operational excellence will be essential for the

entire railway sector in Germany – especially

with regard to the aforementioned changes in

the competitive environment.

DB’s strategic programme ‘Zukunft Bahn’ – the future of railwayWith the strategic programme ‘Zukunft Bahn’,

Deutsche Bahn (DB) has developed a compre -

hensive vision to shape the future of railway

business in Germany. In this context DB Netz

AG, as the infrastructure operator, will play a

significant role in achieving the overall goals of

operational excellence, customer satisfaction,

growth and economic success for the entire

rail system.

For DB Netz AG, nine strategic measures

have been identified to support the strategic

goals of ‘Zukunft Bahn’. A key element of these

is to place our customer in the centre of what

we do and to enable train operating companies

using our infrastructure to offer punctual

and reliable services to their passengers and

customers. Achieving this requires us to focus

on increasing availability and reliability as well

as minimising the number of track disruptions

caused, for example, by signal or other tech -

nical failures.

This includes the management of one of

the largest modernisation and investment

programmes for German rail infrastructure with

a focus on building new track capacity as well as

the modernisation of existing tracks and

stations. In addition, DB Netz AG will invest

extensively in digitalisation and technical

innovations that will enable and support

us to improve the performance and robustness of our pro-

cesses. These include the latest signalling and interlocking

technologies, intelligent diagnostic systems as well as the

digitalisation of several processes in timetabling and our train

dispatch centres.

A major area to improve the reliability and availability of the

rail infrastructure is that of intelligent diagnostic systems and

predictive maintenance.

Some of the main reasons for non-availability of the

infrastructure are, for example, disruptions at point machines.

Modern and innovative technology has allowed us to install

small devices that are capable of detecting propagation curves of

point machines (see Figure 1). Using IP-based communication,

the results of these are transferred to a central diagnostic

platform in a very short period of time. This new diagnosis

system will not only detect system failures, but

will also be capable of detecting degrada-

tion of process parameters, providing the

opportunity to implement a preventive

maintenance regime. This is an important

milestone in increasing the system avail-

ability and finally the punctuality of our

train services.

At present we have connected approxi -

mately 2,000 point machines to our central

diagnostic platform. By 2018 we plan to have

connected an additional 26,000 point machines

and by 2020 we expect 30,000 major point

machines will all be equipped and connected

with this innovative diagnostic tool.

The development of new algorithms

to further improve the central diagnostic

platform is still in progress. Big data analysis

and machine learning mechanisms using

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Figure 1: ‘DIANA’ – a device to detect the propogation curve of a point machine

DB Netz AG is focused on providing punctual and reliable services for passengers and customers

...the digitalisation of

traffic managementprocesses will alsohelp us to operate

the network on aday-to-day basismore effectively

Swiss Federal Railways SBB, Infrastructure Sales, Hilfikerstrasse 3, 3000 Bern 65, Switzerland, + 41 51 222 88 88, [email protected], www.sbb.ch

Rail Control

management for Europe’s densest rail network.Controlling and monitoring with Swiss precision.

neuronal networks will enhance the quality of our preventive

maintenance regime in the future.

Another innovative project aimed at detecting all manner of

irregularities and irregular phenomes on our infrastructure is making use

of fibre optical sensing by analysing the disorder of light wave structures

caused, for example, by the acoustic patterns of passing trains.

Since each wagon of a train has an individual acoustic fingerprint,

we are able to detect irregularities (see Figure 2).

Potential areas for using fibre optical sensing include, amongst

others, the detection of barriers, track fractures, metal theft, or the

warning of passengers at platforms.

Initially, we aim to further develop and test different realms

GERMANY

Figure 2: Fibre optical sensing

Cred

it: D

B N

etz A

G

of applications in two dedicated areas of our

network. After a successful pilot phase we are

planning to further roll-out this innovative

technology to our infrastructure.

Next to these innovative and predictive

tools and techniques, we are also planning to

invest in modern signalling and interlocking

technologies. This is essential since we are

currently confronted with investment backlogs

which are significant causes for disturbances

and delays. Next to this we are facing a large

variety of signalling and interlocking tech -

nologies in our infrastructure. In order to

operate our network safely and cost efficiently,

we need to reduce system complexity.

Therefore, if we want to drive technical

innovations we must be dedicated to specifying

our systems following the idea of technical

platforms as precisely as possible. We must also

gain the technical expertise to enable us to

adopt the role of system integrator taking control of these platforms.

Following this idea, and based on industrial mainstream tele -

communication- and IT-technologies, we managed to commission

signalling systems based on standardised IP-communication.

Additionally, in December 2015, we

commissioned ETCS Level 2 without

trackside light signals on the new line

‘VDE 8.2’ from Erfurt to Halle/Leipzig.

Both projects are important technical

break throughs, both for us and the railway

sector as a whole.

Modern signalling systems and ETCS

will jointly facilitate more efficient railway

operations in the future. In order to create

synergies, we are planning to combine

the necessary investments in modern

signalling systems with the upcoming

deployment of ETCS. Together with our

national authorities and the European

Commission, we are working on the

upcoming deployment plan of ETCS for

Germany. Our goal is to become a role

model for modern infrastructure in the

European Union and a pioneer in the comprehensive deployment

of modern signalling and interlocking technologies. The roll-out of

these modern technologies will also help us to significantly reduce

delays caused by failures of control and signalling equipment, as well as

maintenance costs.

Today’s computer technology and innovative mathematical

methods also allow us to rethink and digitalise key processes of

timetabling and traffic management. The long-term vision is to access

robust and up-to-date timetables on a daily basis. In a first step, we plan

to start with the introduction of systemised and pre-defined train paths

for non-regular freight trains. A computer programme will identify and

pre-define available train paths based on the existing timetable, which

will not only shorten the process of offering non-regular train paths to

the TOCs, but by using systematically and computer planned train

paths it will also increase the overall capacity on our network.

Additionally, the digitalisation of traffic management processes will

also help us to operate the network on a day-to-day basis more

effectively; especially in case of disruptions, digital and partly

automated conflict recognition and resolution will contribute to

enabling faster and better traffic management decisions and, therefore,

lead to an increase in punctuality and quality.

ConclusionWe possess leading-edge technologies with respect to ecology, safety

and efficiency. Our business is based on an infrastructure that provides

access to almost all areas of high population density. ETCS,

digitalisation and other outstanding technical innovations, for example

in the area of predictive maintenance, will have the potential to

significantly improve our quality in order to attract and satisfy many

more people than at present. Nevertheless, technical innovations are

vital to reach our goals, yet it takes even more to be successful. In order

to fully exploit the opportunities that new technologies offer, we need a

close collaboration from all stakeholders: government and authorities

as well as our industry partners.

Finally, only with strong commitment to quality and customer

satisfaction from everyone in the industry, can the railway have a real

chance at creating a new image and become the most relevant mode of

transport of the 21st century.

GERMANY




Frank Sennhenn has been CEO of DB Netz AG since 1 May 2013. Prior to this, Frank was CEO of DB Regio AG from June 2009 to April 2013. Frankcompleted his degree in Business Administration at theUniversity Erlangen-Nürnberg and started his career in anassistant position at AGIV ‘Aktiengesellschaft fürIndustrie und Verkehrswesen’. Between 1992 and 2000,Frank worked as Division Manager for DEG-Verkehrs-

GmbH. In 2000 he joined Deutsche Bahn as Head of Business Developmentand Project Director for the re-organisation of DB Regio AG. In 2003, Frank was appointed as COO of DB Regio AG.

Today’s computer technology and innovative mathmatical methods allow DB Netz AG to rethinkand digitalise key processes of timetable and traffic management

In order to fully exploit the

opportunities thatnew technologiesoffer, we need a

close collaborationfrom all

stakeholders:government and

authorities as well as our

industry partners

Germany’s railway industry generates over half its revenues through

export. More than 180 enterprises belong to the VDB, the industry

umbrella organisation in Germany. Whether rail vehicles, infrastructure

equipment, communications technology or services, technology made

in Germany is the finest in the world and sets the standards for

tomorrow’s mobility – a success story that we aim to continue, but

achieving this depends on three prerequisites.

Firstly: promoting Rail 4.0Germany’s railway industry is becoming increasingly digital, presenting

enormous opportunities. Many travellers demand access to their digital

worlds via Wi-Fi or on-board repeater technology when travelling by

train. Offering the ‘anytime, anywhere’ platform enhances both

the productivity and convenience of business and personal travel.

But this isn’t the only ‘digital’ element of railways, for example:

■ Modern, trans-national control and safety technology is finally

replacing Europe’s patchwork and creating a unified European

rail zone

■ Electronic railway signalling installations act as efficient rail

‘nerve centres’

■ Self-driving technology, which enables more frequent, customer-

oriented scheduling e.g. in urban metro networks

GERMANY




New horizons for Germany’s railway industry Sustainable mobility means quality of life: people want climate-friendly, affordable and convenient mobility, and Germany’s rail industry offers just that. For European Railway Review, Ben Möbius – Managing Director ofthe German Railway Industry Association (VDB) – explains that continued future success for the German railwayindustry depends on delivering a ‘digital’ railway, strengthening industry cooperation, and building on growinga global presence.

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■ Condition-dependent maintenance of rail

vehicles and infrastructure to increase

availability and safety

■ Sensor technology that, for example,

monitors the proper function of points

■ Digital ticketing systems for more con -

venient travel

■ Intermodal data interchange, for example,

between port terminals and the rail.

Rail 4.0 is all of this and more! And all these

technologies in excellent quality serve but a

single purpose: sustainable mobility.

Rail transport in Germany is already

climate- and environmentally-friendly, acc -

ounting for just 6% of all carbon dioxide

emitted in the transport sector; by contrast,

trucks and passenger cars together account for

over 85%. Shipping goods by rail instead

of by road helps to protect the climate.

For instance, a freight train pulled by a modern

multi-system locomotive can transport as much freight as 28 trucks

would on the Alpine transit route via the Brenner Pass – with two-

thirds less CO2 emissions. Furthermore, in the rail sector, electromobility

is a reality, and high-speed trains can replace air traffic on many

intercity routes.

Modern logistics is based on the intelligent use of data. Condition-

based maintenance, seamless interchange of information, for example,

in combined-mode transport between ports and rail, intermodality,

data analysis, data security – Rail Logistics 4.0 can result in the most

efficient and climate-friendly possible transport of goods.

What can policymakers do? More than

anything else, they can reinforce the

innovative power, improve the regulatory

framework and realise the uniform

European market. Digitalised rail must be

a European project. Europe has the best

railway industry in the world. Politically,

progress is being made – but is it fast

enough? The unified European railway

zone is one of the most important

transportation, economic and climate

objectives of the European Union – and

rightly so. Yet it still does not exist. The key is to make trans-border

travel more convenient for passengers and more efficient for

freight. The European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS), the

systematic improvement of infrastructure, the Trans-European

Transport Networks (TEN-T), and more efficient certification processes

could make this possible.

Secondly: strengthening cooperation to attain joint successWhat is the German railway industry’s secret of success? Most import -

antly, in all likelihood, the close cooperation between the largest rolling

stock manufacturers such as Alstom, Bombardier, Siemens and Stadler,

as well as a globally unique diversity of highly specialised and

predominantly small and medium-sized suppliers. Around 60% of the

value creation of a rail vehicle today derives from the sourcing of

components. Cooperation thus leads to success through innovation

and quality. As a consequence, the industry is in a position to implement

a turnkey conversion of the entire rail system. High-speed trains,

locomotives, regional trains, carriages, metros, trams, track systems and

electrification, digital control and safety technology, vehicle equipment,

rail grinding systems, information and communication technology,

extinguishing systems, telematics for intermodal networking, turnkey

systems, low-noise braking and a wide range of components and

subsystems – in all these areas, innovation promises the most resource-

friendly, safest and most sustainable mobility possible. This promise is

the product of cooperation. And the focus on innovation has a long

tradition that goes back over 170 years. The German engineer and

entrepreneur August Borsig built the first steam engine in Germany in

Berlin in 1841. And Werner von Siemens invented the electric tram,

which debuted in Berlin in 1881.

And particularly the broad diversity of small and medium-sized

railway enterprises is unique in the world. Everything is available as

leading-edge technology, from door and braking systems for high-

speed trains to monitoring of component systems using ultramodern

sensor technology. Innovation, greater productivity, lower costs – the

SMEs played a key role in making Germany one of the world’s leading

railway industry locations.

The German railway industry – from family-led ‘hidden champions’

to major train manufacturers – recognises its social responsibility:

cooperation also provides orientation toward sustainability and ethical

behaviour. The aim is to jointly realise solutions for efficient rail transport

– and to act entrepreneurially in conformity with clear ethical principles;

with transparency, without exception. To further this ambition, the

German railway industry has committed itself to a Code of Conduct.

Cooperation also means working together with operators,

academia, unions – and policymakers. We can succeed jointly – or not

GERMANY




Germany’s railway industrygenerates over

half its revenuesthrough export

Bombardier’s moving-block signalling technology in operation in China

at all. Policymakers in Brussels and Berlin must urgently create the prerequisites for innovation

wherever they can. This applies in particular to funding for research and development.

Thirdly: build on successes in the global marketThe railway industry is a global player. The demand for German rail engineering is growing:

over the last decade, the railway industry has expanded its business considerably, with revenues

reaching a record €12.5 billion in 2014 – a gain of 25% over the previous year. This high-tech

industry achieves over half its revenues through export business – no easy matter, as global

competition is becoming much tougher. The railway industry is committed to open markets and

fair competition world-wide, but the industry needs better political backing in Europe;

particularly as Europe remains a key market – and still the largest in the world. The European

Union could also help by pushing for a level playing field with transparent competition, fair rules

and high standards.

Globally, the North American and Asia-Pacific regions are among the most important. In the

latter, China is by far the leading rail nation. With a market volume of €18.7 billion and a growth

rate of 4.2% annually, the Asia-Pacific region is incredibly dynamic. Many German railway

companies were quick to grasp the enormous opportunities that collaboration with China opens

up. With their own factories on site, they are the premier suppliers in China. Other enterprises

have launched successful joint ventures with Chinese companies, and yet others are supplying

China with sophisticated rail technology components from Germany.

The global growth in rail freight transport is the basis for progress. In China, for instance, rail

freight is the backbone of the economy, accounting for close to 50% of freight transport. The

share in the U.S. is over 40%. As rail freight transport is essential in Germany, for instance for

connecting the largest port (Hamburg), and additionally runs through densely populated regions,

the railway industry is focusing on solutions for low-noise freight transport. The line-up includes

carriages and locomotives that fall significantly below the strict European noise limits. Noise from

rail freight must be cut by half by 2020. Getting there will require conversion of carriages currently

GERMANY



A new service facility for regional trains of Alstom in Braunschweig, Germany

in service and investment in new, low-noise carriages and locomotives.

Low-noise rail freight can improve the lives of neighbours worldwide.

The inhabitants of the world’s megacities want to be both mobile

and smog-free. In view of chronic gridlocks and oppressive air pollution,

more and more cities are urgently seeking environmentally-friendly

alternatives – such as emission-free local and regional rail transport.

This offers shorter commutes, greater comfort, and better air quality – in

short, better day-to-day quality of life – for millions. This is reinforced by

a further trend: many people prefer an urban, car-free lifestyle.

This translates to greater demand for

metro, tram and regional rail systems as

well as the corresponding infrastructure –

take North America as an example;

numerous cities in the U.S. are experi -

encing a renaissance of local passenger rail

as an answer to terminal gridlock. These

growth markets will go to the suppliers

who can provide the most intelligent

solutions. One example is the self-driving

metro, like in Nuremberg, which permits

more flexible scheduling.

Although the German rail industry is

acting globally, it has not lost sight of its home market. To achieve the

best rail transport, Germany must remain a leading market. At the same

time, leading suppliers need a leading home market. The dynamics of

the home market is a key prerequisite for defending and expanding

global technology leadership. Many projects serve as references:

Germany is the ‘shop window of the railway industry’, and serves

customers around the world. The most important product exhibition in

the world also takes place in Germany: the InnoTrans event in Berlin.

With visitor numbers growing year-after-year, this specialist trade show

will again offer a highly differentiated spectrum of technical innovations,

solutions and services for superior rail transport in 2016. Exhibitors from

five continents testify that the railway industry has become a growing

global business – and that the InnoTrans has become a unique

performance showcase.

Rail transport can become the mode of the future: rail-based

sustainability stands for social participation, prosperity, climate

protection and quality of life – around the world. For the German

railway industry, sustainable mobility goes hand-in-hand with

excellent leading-edge technology. If the industry, government and

operators jointly utilise the chances of digitalisation, to strengthening

cooperation and to secure successes achieved on the global market,

then tomorrow’s mobility will be made in Germany – and in Europe

– making rail even more climate-friendly, economical and convenient

for people.

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Ben Möbius has been the Managing Director of theGerman Railway Industry Association (VDB) since May2015. He studied political science and history in Hamburg,Bamberg and Cambridge. After having worked as ajournalist for the Hamburger Abendblatt and F.A.Z., Ben started his career in the Federation of GermanIndustries (BDI) in 2001as the Personal Assistant to, andSpeechwriter for, the former BDI President, Dr. Michael

Rogowski. Following this, Ben’s BDI positions included: Officer forEuropean Affairs; Head of Office of the BDI President and the BDIExecutive Board; Head of the Department for European Affairs; Head of theDepartment responsible for mobility, infrastructure, telecommunicationsand digital economy; Managing Director of the Traffic Committee of theBDI and the Committee for Digital Economy, Telecommunications andMedia. Ben is a member of a number of advisory bodies and committees,including the Scientific Institute for Infrastructure and CommunicationServices, the trade fairs InnoTrans and Transport Logistics, plus on theBoard of Editors for some industry technical magazines.

Germany’s railway industry

is becomingincreasingly digital,

presenting enormousopportunities

Siemens’ high-speed ICE 4 trains are built with modern German technology. In May 2011, Deutsche Bahn ordered the first of these trains and it wasput into operation in September 2015

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Bahn-stormingThe countdown is under way to 20-23 September 2016 when the global rail industry flocks to Berlin ExhibitionGrounds for mega trade-fair InnoTrans. Also in the German capital, a clock is ticking on a very similar timescale:and the man hoping for an on-time arrival is Derek Ladewig, founder of Locomore, an eye-catching enterpriseusing crowd-funding to launch a Berlin–Stuttgart train service the same month. The venture has been describedas the ‘world’s first crowdfunded train’ – European Railway Review’s Ian Hall was keen to find out more, and whatDeutsche Bahn thinks about market competition.

Locomore – seeking to take advantage of the fact that Germany’s

railways have ‘open access’ – has been almost a decade in gestation yet

remains a mere embryo, of course. The national rail operator

is Deutsche Bahn (DB), the leviathan that straddles arms such as

DB Netz (infrastructure), DB Fernverkehr (long-distance), DB Regio

(short-distance) and DB Schenker (logistics).

DB faces challenges galore and the possibility of at-least-partial

privatisation seems to ebb and flow with Germany’s economic and

political tides.

Deutsche Bahn under pressureJust under three months ago DB announced a major overhaul – its

biggest since Germany’s famous ‘Bahnreform’ of 1994 – including plans

to invest €55 billion over the next five years.

This followed an announcement in July 2015 of a ‘six-point

restructuring programme to make the group fit for the future’ including

corporate cutbacks.

From fierce competition over longer distances from coaches/

buses (a particular bugbear for DB), to the nascent threat of

nimble private operators offering cheaper fares over cherry-picked

journeys (Locomore’s game-plan, albeit initially just a single route),

is feeling the heat. Last year the firm described

digitalisation as ‘the biggest challenge in

DB’s history’.

It is two decades since the 16 German

states (or Länder) were given powers to tender

for the provision of public transport, so private

firms could bid against DB, but the extent of

tendering since varies (and the S-Bahn networks

in major cities are seen as tricky to offer up).

Headlines have been made recently when

National Express won S-Bahn contracts in

Nürnberg to run for 12 years from 2018, much

to DB’s chagrin; and it was announced in

November 2015 that the UK’s Go-Ahead Group is to enter Germany’s

rail sector in 2019, after winning two contracts in Baden-Wurttemberg

south-west Germany.

Berlin-based politics and transport blogger Jon Worth describes

the operation of regional services within Germany as DB’s “absolute

cash-cow” that it is “desperate to hold on to”.

Jon adds: “DB’s strategy has been ‘as we lose tenders in Germany

we’re going to win more outside Germany’.”

Derek LadewigFounder of Germancrowdfunded train venture, Locomore

European Railway Review spoke to DB

about some of the challenges it faces, including

the greater involvement of private operators.

Espousing the virtues of market liberalisation

while your own organisation remains state-

owned is a tricky one, but Achim Stauß, Deputy

Spokesperson, told us that competition

“encourages us to improve continuously”.

Achim said: “For now, we have market-

share in regional rail passenger services of

70%. To keep existing contracts and also to win

future competitions, we reduce our costs at

competitive levels and stabilise revenues.”

Achim continues: “In order to succeed amid competition our offers

simply need to be better than those of our competitors – which they

are not always. One of the most important factors of success is the

quality of personal co-operation on the ground. It ensures that we

understand needs and expectations well enough and thus adjust

our products and services.”

Freight in focusFreight is seen as an area where DB faces particular challenges.

Jon observes: “Rivals to DB on freight – Polish, Swiss, Italian and

even other German companies – seem to have creamed off all the

nice stuff (the profitable container routes, shipping of petro-chemicals,

and so on).”

DB’s Achim says: “DB Schenker Rail is the leading company in

European rail freight. We offer our customers first-class transport

solutions throughout Europe, in line with our claim: first choice

in European rail. A team of 32,000 employees in 15 countries makes us

the most international railway company in the world. Customers

perceive the European network of DB Schenker Rail as a unique selling

point that we consistently expand.”

Achim continues: “We want to grow profitably and thus create the

prerequisites for investments in new cars and locomotives. Our goal is

to achieve market-share of 30% of rail freight in Europe in 2020

(from 25% in 2013)”.

Achim goes on to make a broader point: “Considering

globalisation, all companies have to increase their flexibility to maintain

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InfrastructureDB’s investment plan provides €55 billion up to and including 2020 – €20 billion from DB’s own cashflow.

€50 billion will be invested in Germany, €40 billion of which in infrastructure. Thoseinvestments that are mainly funded by the GermanFederal Government will be used for maintainingexisting infrastructure as well as for new andexpansion construction projects.

DB is investing €6 billion (of the overall €55 billion) in new trains and improved services. Inaddition, DB invests €3 billion in regional railpassenger transport and €1.2 billion in rail freighttransport. For the international business, DBinvests €3 billion in DB Arriva and €1.4 billion in DB Schenker Logistics.

German Unity Transport Project 8: High-speed line Nuremberg–Erfurt–Halle/Leipzig–BerlinSoon, DB will connect Berlin and Munich in lessthan four hours. Trains will then become a realalternative to travelling by car or plane.

By 2017 most of the work on the longestconstruction site in Germany, German UnityTransport Project 8 (VDE 8), will be completed.High-speed trains can travel on the double-trackupgraded and new lines Nuremberg–Erfurt–Leipzig/Halle–Berlin at up to 300km/h. The €10 billion project was approved by the GermanFederal Government in 1991 to improve thetransport connection between East and West andbetween North and South. Freight trains will alsotravel on the route. The line will open manyopportunities for implementing state-of-the-arttransport concepts.

When service began on the upgraded line(VDE 8.3) in 2006, the journey time betweenLeipzig/Halle and Berlin was already halved toabout one hour. The new line, Erfurt–Leipzig/Halle(VDE 8.2), opened in December 2015 and enablesfast journeys between East and West; cutting about half an hour off the journey time betweenDresden and Frankfurt. The upgraded and new line Nuremberg–Erfurt (VDE 8.1) through the

Thuringian Forest will shorten the journey timebetween southern and eastern major citiessignificantly – by up to 1 hour and 40 minutes.

Investments in stations and new lines: Stuttgart 21DB is investing in the construction and modern -isation of stations and new lines. The project‘Stuttgart 21’ will see the capital of Baden-Württemberg getting a modern through-station.With investment of €6.5 billion, Stuttgart will beconnected to the countryside as well as to theairport. The project also includes the constructionof a new line between Wendlingen and Ulm.

The new Stuttgart through-station will be ablecope with increasing passenger demand and ensurefast, convenient connections. Construction startedin 2010 and opening is scheduled for 2021.

New trainsBy 2030 DB’s long-distance range will be

expanded by 25%. The backbone of the largestcustomer initiative in the history of DB is thenewest member of the high-speed fleet: ICE 4.

In the initial phase, more than 100 ICE 4-typetrains have been ordered for approximately €5.3 billion, and beginning in 2017 they willreplace the ICE 1 and ICE 2 vehicles. When needed, DB can access further ICE 4-typetrains at a later juncture.

DigitalisationThe Internet and mobile devices are taking themarket by storm and DB considers digitalisation tobe an opportunity.

With its group-wide digitalisation campaign,DB is working on more than 150 projects related tothis topic in all areas, from passenger transport to freight transport and logistics to infrastructure,operations and IT.

Source: Deutsche Bahn for European Railway Review

The ICE 4 will be the backbone of Deutsche Bahn’sfuture long-distance network

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Deutsche Bahn’s largest current and future investments

Achim StaußDeputy Spokespersonat Deutsche Bahn

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their market position. That is why we want to be the

leading integrated provider of transporta tion and

logistics services, thereby bringing economic success,

environmental protection and responsibility for

employees and society until 2020.”

Taxing times A further threat to DB is fierce competition over

longer journeys with buses and, with this in mind,

DB is particularly irked by having to shoulder what it

perceives to be an unfairly large tax bill.

Achim says: “DB has to bear high costs for the

intended ‘energy transition’. For example,

the charges resulting from the German Renewable

Energy Act tripled between 2013 and 2015 to

€160 million. DB also pays €120 million electricity tax

and €60 million for emission trading per year – none

of the inter-city bus services, lorries, freight ships nor

air-traffic are affected by that.”

Achim continues: “Every year, DB pays

€40 million to passengers for delays caused by

acts of nature – airplanes or inter-city bus services

do not have to pay compensation in such cases.

Additionally, DB has to modify trains for €230 million

to meet noise restrictions by 2020.”

He also says that tolls on lorries are being cut,

meaning a ‘turnover risk’ for DB Schenker Rail of

‘between €80 million and €100 million’.

He concludes: “Altogether, the most eco-friendly

of all means of transport is charged the most for the

energy transition.”

Degrees of separation So, what may the future hold? Germany’s Monopolies Commission’s

Chairman, Prof Daniel Zimmer, warned in July 2015 that “policymakers

have to be more active in advancing competition on the railway

markets. A majority of travellers would benefit from functioning

competition”. His Commission concluded: ‘The only way to establish

undistorted competition is to completely separate the infrastructure

and transport units of Deutsche Bahn’.

Asked by European Railway Review to respond, DB’s Achim says:

“Separation of company units is not crucial to establish undistorted

competition. For example, in Spain the separation of infrastructure and

transport did not create competition.”

He continues: “What is needed for competition is consistent

market openings and effective, independent regulation. The

existing legal framework in Germany is entirely sufficient. In fact,

Deutsche Bahn already ensures legal, organisational and acc-

ounting separation of infrastructure and transport. Also, the

competition-relevant functions of the infrastructure – such as

the allocation of train routes, rate-fixing for routes and timetabling

– are separate from vehicle operation. This integrated structure

does not prevent the development of competition. This is impress-

ively confirmed by competitors’ steadily growing market-share on

Germany’s rail network.”

‘Stagnating development’ However, industry observers seem to largely concur with what the

Monopolies Commission described in summer 2015 as Germany’s

railway’s ‘stagnating development’.

“Privatisation – at least of DB’s core Regio and Fernverkehr

arms – looks highly unlikely in the short-term,” opines Jon. “With the

appointment of [Angela] Merkel-confidant Ronald Pofalla to

the Deutsche Bahn board, relations between government and the

rail firm are closer than they have been for some time.”

As his crowdfunded train looks to shake things up a little – albeit

initially over just one route – Locomore’s founder is of a similar mind to

Jon with regard to DB’s future. Derek says: “I’m not sure people really

want to change it. My guess is that it looks like it will stay as it is. But the

financial side will be under pressure – perhaps this will be the start of

deeper pressure on the whole sector.”

With Locomore’s first train planned on the very same month that

the global rail industry heads to Berlin, European Railway Review

wonders aloud whether Derek hopes to be a happy man come the

arrival of InnoTrans.

He’s certainly looking forward to the fair: “For people based in

Berlin the whole [train] world comes to town – you can get to the show

in 15 minutes on the S-Bahn and meet everyone you’d like to meet!”.

But will his crowdfunded challenger brand have a presence?

“I’m not sure yet – we’ll be very busy at this time,” he says, with

Locomore’s early-September launch naturally the top of his priorities.

Locomore, described as the world’s first crowdfunded train, is hoping to launch aBerlin–Stuttgart service in September 2016

CHA ENGE

voestalpine Schienen GmbHwww.voestalpine.com/schienen

voestalpine VAE GmbHwww.voestalpine.com/vae

In an ever faster moving world, railway operators must meet increasingly stringent

demands. With freights getting heavier and passengers more demanding, there is simply

no room for delays or failures. Not only does voestalpine develop rails and turnouts from

a single source, but also to meet the highest imaginable standards. The result: double

the durability at half the life-cycle costs, with worldwide availability and just-in-time

delivery for good measure.

We take on any challengeRails and turnouts for mixed traffic




Track Systems& Infrastructure

SUPPLEMENT

68 Building a seamlessEuropean rail infrastructurefor the future Libor Lochman, Executive Director and Enno Wiebe,Senior Advisor, Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER)

72 The Gotthard Base Tunnel’s world-leadingtrack technology voestalpine

75 Fostering innovativeinfrastructure maintenance Monika Heiming, Executive Director and Ville Saarinen, Technical Affairs Manager, European Rail Infrastructure Managers (EIM)

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SPONSORED BY:

Building a seamless Europeanrail infrastructure for the future

The European rail system was developed on a national basis and has

undergone historic economic ups and downs. Presently more than one

million employees ensure the day-to-day running of the system and aim

to be prepared for the challenges of the future.

Europe’s railway infrastructure – a large varietyEurope’s railway infrastructure is characterised by its huge diversity,

both technical and structural. The majority of the conventional network

was built applying 19th century design parameters whilst some lines

were adapted to 21st century demands through upgrades. In addition,

a system of newly built high-speed lines has emerged. The rail network

in Europe consists of various gauges, signalling systems and voltage

systems, which differ not only from Member State to Member State, but

even within the territory of a single Member State. Railway

infrastructure specifications and each of their exceptions to the rule, in

consequence of historic reasons, read like a closed book. In order to

The European Union’s vast railway infrastructure reaches from Lisbon to Vilnius and from Glasgow to Athens,totalling more than 200,000km in length and crossing various national borders with conditions ranging from poor to offering excellent high-speed suitability. But as rail customers continue to define new needs which places demand for more and new services, the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies’Executive Director, Libor Lochman, and Senior Advisor, Enno Wiebe, explain that a significant leap forward isneeded to make rail infrastructure both competitive and fit for the 21st century.

TRACK SYSTEMS & INFRASTRUCTURE S U P P L E M E N T




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decrease the costs of Europe’s rail infrastructure, a thorough

harmonisation and simplification programme is needed.

The European transport system as a whole is constantly and

progressively evolving as customers define new needs and demand

new and greater services. The railway system and its infrastructure

need to comply with these future

challenges in order to allow the rail sector

to stay competitive. A significant leap

forward is needed to make the rail

infrastructure fit for the 21st century.

Future rail infrastructure –intelligent and safeThe rail system infrastructure of the future

must be designed to be intelligent and

safe. Intelligent infrastructure will be

fatigue- and wear-resistant as well as

energy efficient, with system components

being monitored autonomously in real-time. The use of new operational

and track-engineering techniques across the network will reduce the

need for intrusive maintenance and greatly improve train/infra-

structure interaction, such as the wheel/rail interface, at conventional

and high speeds.

Bringing more passengers and goods to rail will require a significant

upgrade of the existing system. The railway should be operated on a

‘forever open’ basis. Inevitably this will lead to a conflict with

maintenance programmes on operated lines, as maintenance is

normally carried out in shutdown periods. In order to avoid clashes,

maintenance planning and scheduling must be optimised. Non-

intrusive infrastructure monitoring can be followed up with innovative

and fast maintenance, such as high-speed grinding.

Concentrating on intelligence provided by the system (remote

condition monitoring) will enable the establishment of what, when and

where maintenance is needed. This will ensure that system interruption

has a low impact and product availability to the customer can

be maximised.

Asset management tools will be developed that allow comparison

of maintenance and/or replacement strategies for track and

infrastructure based on traffic levels and whole-life evaluation.

The basic track layout for rail-bound vehicles might not completely

change in the future. However, the main focus will be on optimising

maintenance for ballasted tracks and the development of future slab

track systems. Furthermore, the infrastructure limitations for heavy and

long trains will have to be overcome.

Future freight terminals will have to be designed for swift throughput

and loading and unloading of trains, with freight customers having easy

access to terminals. Optimising processes for train preparation will

increase efficiency while decreasing the noise and vibration, and therefore

the social nuisance caused by terminal operations.

Shift2Rail – an ambitious work planShift2Rail – as the first European rail joint technology initiative seeking

focused research and innovation (R&I) and market-driven solutions – has

drafted an ambitious work programme including cost-efficient and


Europe’s railwayinfrastructure is

characterised by itshuge diversity, both

technical andstructural

reliable high-capacity rail infrastructure. A strong

emphasis is placed on improved reliability and

enhanced capacity, as well as lowering the invest-

ment and operating costs. The expectations to

develop innovative track design (including tunnels

and bridges) and materials (including switches and

crossings) are high and the sector is waiting for

solutions to be delivered that can be fully implemented

in the existing system. Standalone solutions will

not bring any breakthrough for the system as a whole.

Shift2Rail will be of benefit for both the European

manufacturing industry and the rail operating

community. Maintaining Europe’s technologically advanced position

will be key to retaining its competitive position at global level.

TSIs – the regulatory framework for railWhilst technical solutions can help upgrade the railway

networks and make them fit for future challenges, a

final issue needs to be reflected upon: the European

regulatory framework for rail – in particular the Technical

Specifications for Interoperability (TSIs).

TSIs refer to the specifications by which each

subsystem, or part of a subsystem, is covered in order to

meet the essential requirements and to ensure the

interoperability of the European community’s rail systems.

The ‘2014 TSI Infrastructure’ defines all the different

aspects of the infrastructure subsystem including: line

layout; track parameters; switches and crossings; track resistance to

applied loads; structure resistance to traffic loads; immediate

action limits on track geometry defects; plat -

forms and health and safety. In addition, the

‘2014 TSI Energy’ includes parameters on

voltage and frequency and geometry of the

overhead contact line, among others.

The TSIs are a step towards harmonising

the European rail system and the European

railway infrastructure. They are a step forward

but not a breakthrough. Various parameters

remain different in the different Member

States and, for some essential requirements,

even different target systems were defined.

These different target systems are due to

historic reasons but should not be set in stone.

For forthcoming TSI revisions, a migration

towards a single target system should be

determined, accompanied by a sound imple -

mentation strategy and a consistent and

TRACK SYSTEMS & INFRASTRUCTURE




A significant leap forward is needed to make the rail infrastructure fit for the 21st century

Bringing more passengers and goods to rail will require a significant upgrade of the existing system

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The rail systeminfrastructure of the

future must bedesigned to be

intelligent and safe





reliable financing and implementation plan. A commitment to

overcome the existing situation is needed from both sides: the

infrastructure managers and the political decision-makers. Only a sound

and commonly agreed financing and implementation plan,

independent of short-term political wish

lists, will provide the necessary structure to

make the required change in rail infra -

structure – the profound change that will

bring us closer to the desired target: the

Single European Railway Area.

The European railway sector will, in

some fields, follow the blueprint of the

aviation sector. Many aspects from this

sector, such as vehicle platform concepts,

can be taken as good practice. These

vehicle platforms might one day replace

the huge variety of vehicles that currently

exist. Also, in terms of infrastructure – although rail services are

operated on an earthbound network and not just from hub-to-hub,

harmonised solutions are needed.

Time to actThe European railway infrastructure will have to change system-

atically and substantially in the next decades. From a technical

perspective, simplification and radical cost reductions are needed, as

well as new, reliable components and smart maintenance. From a

regulatory point-of-view, the definition of a single European target

system is necessary in order to transform the European railway networks

into a real Single European Railway Area. We cannot afford any further

delays; now is the time for the railway sector to begin the complete

makeover of its assets so that it will be in good shape to celebrate its

200th anniversary.

Our vision is ultimately one of a modern and cohesive rail system

that can support vital pan-European rail corridors and intermodal links

with other continents. Interoperability will fully ensure that trains cross

state and operational borders without delays or operational constraints,

offering a smart and competitive alternative to short and medium-

distance flights and water and road-borne freight flows.

In the railway industry, when it comes tothe design, manufacture and distributionof depot equipment, Bulox Equipment isat the forefront.

The evolution of Bulox Equipmentcomes as a result of the success ofCyclosystem, a well-established companyinvolved in the design, manufacturingand distribution of a wide range of qualitystandard and customised equipment forthe process and cleaning industry.

It is with this same conviction toinnovation, passion and realistic approachto providing practical solutions that theclients entrusted Cyclosystem to designand customise more and more equip -ment that is non-cleaning related in therail and track industry.

This business grew to such a levelthat it was necessary to establish aseparate entity – Bulox Equipment. This fully focuses the business andresponds to the changing needs in therailway industry, to ultimately serve cust -omers better.

Most of Bulox-Cyclosystem’s equip -ment is designed to be simple, modular,

practical and reliable, yet much emphasishas also been put into aesthetic appear -ance and quality.

The company offers a wide range ofrailway depot maintenance equipment,including the following:■ Standard and customised test rigs■ Specialised test systems■ Mechanical lifting and handling

systems, which include lifting jacks,bogie and wheelset turntables,traverser and under-floor lifting systems

■ Maintenance vehicles■ Customised railway vehicles

In addition, Bulox Equipment also pro -vides Cyclosystem cleaning systems forthe rail industry, including:■ Component cleaning machines■ Customised cleaning systems■ Wheelset cleaners■ Bogie wash plants■ Automatic train wash plants■ Under-frame cleaners■ Track and tunnel cleaning wagons■ Industrial waste water treatment plants■ Industrial drying ovens

www.cyclosystem.com

Bulox Equipment – Railway DepotEquipment and Maintenance Vehicles

CYCLOSYSTEM PTE LTD15 Woodlands Sector 1

Singapore 738355 Tel: +65-6455-4111Fax: +65-6455-0111

Email: [email protected]

Libor Lochman has been Executive Director of theCommunity of European Railway and InfrastructureCompanies (CER) since 1 January 2012. Libor graduatedat the Transport University in Zilina and has a doctorate inelectronics from the West-Bohemian University Plzen. He has a strong background in control-command andsignalling systems. Prior to his role as CER DeputyExecutive Director and Lead of Technical Affairs

(2007-2011), Libor acted as Director of the Railway Test Centre – a facilityfor testing European rolling stock, infrastructure and signalling componentsin Prague (2000-2005). Libor joined the Editorial Board of EuropeanRailway Review in January 2013.

Enno Wiebe is Senior Advisor for ERA and researchrelated issues at the Community of European Railway andInfrastructure Companies (CER). He is dealing with theFourth Railway Package’s Technical Pillar and energy andinfrastructure issues related to the Technical Specificationsfor Interoperability (TSIs). Enno is the CER representativein the European Rail Research Advisory Council(ERRAC). He is a civil engineer employed by DeutscheBahn and seconded to CER.

The European railway infrastructure

will have to changesystematically andsubstantially in the

next decades

The Gotthard BaseTunnel’s world-leadingtrack technologyConstruction of the New Rail Link through the Alps (Neue Eisenbahn-

Alpentransversale, or 'NEAT' in short) is creating a fast and efficient

transit route. At its heart is the Gotthard Base Tunnel which is not only

the longest, but also the deepest rail tunnel with a rock overburden

of up to 2,000m.

The CHF 12 billion project is an extremely challenging and

complex one from an engineering point-of-view. The new line will be

characterised by an enormous frequency of up to 250 trains a day and

by the fact that it combines high-speed passenger operation with

heavy-loaded freight transportation. Considering the environmental

conditions in the tunnel (such as ambient temp -

eratures of up to 40°C and humidity as high as

70%) this altogether constitutes the ultimate

challenge for mixed traffic tracks. Due to the

expectable strong modal shift from road to rail,

the Gotthard Base Tunnel also brings a crucial benefit

in ecological terms.

It almost goes without saying that only the best

materials and services had a chance to be selected on

this construction project. Therefore each of the two

single-track tunnel tubes is equipped with 120m ultra-

long rails from voestalpine Schienen GmbH and

high-speed turnouts from its sister company,

voestalpine VAE GmbH. A special test train has

The Gotthard Base Tunnel in Switzerland is one of the most imposing structures ever built in the history of railtraffic – at 57km-long, it is the longest railway tunnel in the world and will be officially inaugurated in June 2016.Global player for rails and turnouts, voestalpine, has been a key supplier for this project.





AlpTransit Gotthard Ltd is the constructor of the Gotthard axis of the New Rail Linkthrough the Alps

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already successfully operated along the finished tracks

at speeds of up to 275km/h (10% above the design-

speed). Other test runs are to be carried out with

extra-long freight trains powered by three

locomotives. The total number of test runs will be

around 3,500 cycles before the tunnel is handed over

to the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB).

On the whole, the project developed and

materialised extremely successfully along a precise

multi-year schedule, starting with the delivery of the

provisional tracks by voestalpine that were used

during the tunnel boring phase. Thus, a total of

28 million tonnes of excavated rock was transported

out of the tunnel.

The next step was the supply of roughly

18,000 tonnes of rails and 43 turnouts which

was accompanied by a service package including

comprehensive engineering work, qualification tests,

documentations and trainings. voestalpine experts not only had the

demanding task to intensively accompany and facilitate installation, but

they were also entrusted with carrying out special track work on-site

themselves. Not surprisingly the turnouts feature top-notch technology

– the HYDROSTAR® – a technologically advanced combined point

operating, locking and detection system, as well as the IE 2010 (internal

end position detector).

Although without any doubt constituting a highly prestigious

lighthouse project, this is only one of voestalpine’s many achievements

in the tunnelling business.

In 2013, voestalpine won the contract to supply the new rails for the

Channel Tunnel – the 50km-long underwater section between France

and Great Britain. In this project as well, intensive intra-group

cooperation was called for to secure maximum customer benefit.

The work involved the rail producer voestalpine Schienen GmbH,

and the rail centre voestalpine Railpro BV in the Netherlands plus

voestalpine France. While the rails were rolled in the Austrian high-tech

mill, the Dutch took care of the welding and coating (a special service to

counteract corrosion) and supplied the rail strings by long welded rail

trains to the destination including unloading.

In Switzerland, the voestalpine Group’s ‘track record’ of excellence

includes, for example, the Lötschberg Base Tunnel (opened in 2006 and

having a length of almost 35km). Both the rail and turnout business units

look forward to also supplying for the Ceneri Base Tunnel which is more

than 15km-long.

Journey times between Zürich and Milan will be cut from 4 hours to

3h30 when the Gotthard opens, and to 3 hours when the Ceneri

Base Tunnel opens in 2020. The aim is to manage train traffic down

to intervals of just 3 minutes on this environmentally-friendly route

through the Alps.

It is no surprise that voestalpine also has eyes on other projects such

as the Brenner Base Tunnel which will be the main element of the high

performance railway from Munich to Verona and will connect North and

South Europe much more efficiently than it is possible today: even longer

than the Gotthard, the construction project will be a

pioneering work of engineering to markedly improve

passenger travel and freight transport through the

heart of Europe.

In a nutshell, all this confirms once again that

operational track availability is of paramount

importance when it comes to high performance

(defined as the combination of substantially

extended service-life and drastically reduced

maintenance interventions, of course without

compromising on other factors such as safety). In this

connection, voestalpine also fully welcomes the

European-wide implementation of the so-called

‘MEAT’ principle (the ‘most economically advant -

ageous tender’ as required by the applicable EU

Commission Directive on Public Procurement).

Accordingly, all public contract awards are to take

place on the basis of a lifecycle cost analysis and

may also take into account other criteria such as CSR

(corporate social responsibility).

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Maintenance with a holistic approach Rail infrastructure managers have to offer safe, reliable and cost-

effective track systems. As part of this mandate, they approach

maintenance in a holistic manner, due to its interrelationship with the

entire life-cycle of infrastructure management: funding, building,

operations, maintenance itself and innovation.

Apart from impacting on their overall asset management,

maintenance is also key in the performance of the infrastructure

manager to deliver services to its customers. Hence, maintenance is one

of the key functions of any infrastructure manager, and it will be

amongst the first functions to be innovated and digitalised which is

already being addressed in several EU initiatives.

Maintenance in EU legislation Over 80% of national rail regulations find their origins in Brussels (BE)

within the European Commission, or in Valenciennes (FR) as part of the

European Railway Agency (ERA). ERA was set up to help create a safe and

interoperable single European Railway Area via Technical Specifications

for Interoperability (TSIs) and Common Safety Methods (CSM).

Infrastructure managers are involved via their sectoral body

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Fostering innovativeinfrastructuremaintenance EIM, the association of European Rail Infrastructure Managers, promotes the interests and views of railinfrastructure managers in Europe. With 12 members and two associate members, EIM represents over 50% ofthe EU’s railway lines. EIM members have a key role in developing, operating and maintaining the Europeanrailway network. But how will research and innovation shape future maintenance processes? EIM’s ExecutiveDirector Monika Heiming and Technical Affairs Manager Ville Saarinen take a look.

TRANSFORMING THE WAY THE WORLD WORKS

transformsTECHNOLOGY THAT

Trimble® GEDO Scan System:• Captures detailed information about track and

surrounding features

• Gathers data for use in track clearance assessments and facilities management

• Kinematic collection of high-resolution datasets of 3D points together with location, gauge and cant information

• Get detailed 3D models of tunnels, overpasses, stations and other facilities

© 20

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EIM (European Rail Infrastructure Managers1) in the preparatory works

of these TSIs and CSMs while providing feedback on the experience

from implementing them. A well drafted TSI and the accompanying

Application Guide lays the foundations for an increase in cross-border

traffic and a reduction in operational costs.

EIM provides a platform for its members to exchange experience

working with the TSIs and to improve their implementation. The current

objectives and focus of EIM’s Technical Working Groups is to improve

interoperability throughout the Union by closing the TSI open points

with ERA in a cost-effective way. This objective is actively monitored

and directed by the EIM Technical Steering Group in terms of EIM’s

daily operations.

One of the most relevant TSIs regulating maintenance and

construction of track systems is the ‘Infrastructure TSI’, which covers:

■ Items related to track building and maintenance

■ Interfaces with the other subsystems and TSIs

■ Interoperability constituents subject to the EC verification in this

subsystem, i.e. the rail, the rail fastening system and track sleepers.

EIM members, via EIM’s Infrastructure Technical Working Group, have

actively participated in the drafting of the currently applicable

Infrastructure TSI which came into force 1 January 2015, bringing

together the two former Infrastructure TSIs for conventional rail (CR)

and high-speed (HS).

EIM’s members have also influenced the content and drafting of the

Infrastructure TSI Application Guide, published on 14 December 2015.

A poor Application Guide could reduce the effectiveness of the TSI

and cause a divergence in the national railway systems which should

be heading towards interoperability. In addition, in some cases it may

lead to unnecessary costs resulting from the execution of works not

required in the TSI.


Trimble GEDO Scan – light-weight mobile laser-scanningsystem for clearance checksThe GEDO Scan track measurement system is a mobile and flexible solutionfor railway clearance. It uses a laser scanner to collect high-resolution 3Ddatasets. The scanner is mounted on a GEDO CE 2.0 track measurementdevice which collects position, gauge and cant information as it moves alongthe track. This device has been successfully used for many years inconfigurations such as GEDO Rec for track surveys and GEDO Track forslab track construction and as built check. In the GEDO Vorsys twin-trolleyconfiguration it is used for high productive pre-measuring for tamping andtrack survey.

Trimble GEDO Scan enables a kinematic asset data collection for allobjects close to the track. The resulting 3D point cloud enables furtherprocessing and data extraction.

The GEDO Scan system can operate in two modes: Local Mode forclearance analysis captures information based on the offset from the rail tonearby objects, and in Absolute Mode, the system can create 3D point cloudsin a defined coordinate system and tie objects to the rail. In this mode thesystem is combined with geodetic sensors (GNSS or Total Station).

For 3D railway visualisation and analysis, Trimble GEDO Scan Officeuses clearance envelopes and 3D models to simulate the movement of arailcar through an existing facility or stretch of track. The system canautomatically detect locations where clearance encroachments may occur.

For detailed analysis, Trimble GEDO Scan office can create crosssection drawings and compare differences according to given profiles orenvelopes. Smooth data flow and straight forward data processing and analysis guarantees high productivity. Special export formats (e.g. Clearroute and WinLUE) are available to stream data into trackclearance databases.

www.trimble-railway.com

Maintenance trends Maintenance impacts the entire life-cycle of infrastructure management

and it is also one of the largest cost drivers, making up some one third

of the railway’s operating costs2. Hence, mono- and multi-modal

benchmarking, innovation and automation, predictive vs corrective or

time-based maintenance will gain in

importance for infrastructure managers to

forecast the optimal time and way for

maintenance and renewals.

Research and innovation will substanti -

ally shape current maintenance processes.

A few of them include:

Automation EIM is engaged vis-à-vis the European

Standardisation Organisations to foster

more innovative maintenance. In many

countries, EIM members have installed

advanced wayside monitoring equipment

to monitor the condition of their customer’s rolling stock operating on

the network. So far, the identification of individual rolling stock was a

time and resource-consuming process and the lack of automation did

not allow compiling of effective condition reports. In the future, wheel

defect evolutions can be identified to limit track damage and help

speed-up corrective measures. The same applies to unbalanced or

overweight axle loads impacting the safety of the track.

To address these problems, but also others, EIM is pushing for a

standard for the Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) in rail via the

CEN process. EIM and the Finnish Transport Agency (FTA) will organise

a kick-off meeting on the topic at the end of March 2016 in Brussels

under the CEN umbrella.

Ultimately, automation will help the infrastructure managers to

develop better deterioration models of their networks, thereby

fostering safety and asset management of their tracks.

Resilience Maintenance is also crucial in terms of contingency and congestion

issues on the network following increased traffic or adverse

weather conditions (torrential rainfalls, extreme winter or summer

conditions). Both issues are addressed in EIM for rail but also across

infrastructure modes.

In fact, being subject to adverse winter conditions, many countries

design at least part of their system with a temperature range starting

from -40°Celsius to +30°Celsius in the summer. This means, for

example, that the tensioning devices of the catenary system are built to

accommodate this temperature variance. The neutral temperature of

the rails also reflect this by being lower in the Scandinavian region than

in Central Europe. This detail showcases the difficulty in delivering a

truly harmonised European single railway area.

These issues will have to be addressed from the supplier’s side as

well. Their components and systems need to have a more modular and

interchangeable design approach helping the infrastructure managers

to improve the system’s down-times in the case of disturbances.

EIM’s overall objective is more interoperable components in order

to widen the supplier base and offer for its members; new actors,

as IT companies have already seized this opportunity.


Amberg IMS 1000 / 3000

The new generation of Amberg IMS system solutions combines unrivalled measuring performance with high pre-cision and reliability, in the area of ma-nual surveying.

The only one-trolley long-chord system

Measuring speed up to 4 km/h

Track surveys with up to ± 1 mm accuracy

No operational line of sight dependencies

Reduction of personnel costs

The first and only one-trolley long-chord system

Amberg Technologies AG8105 Regensdorf, [email protected] www.ambergtechnologies.ch/ambergims

...maintenance is key for a more

resilient, predictiveand safe infra -

structure, able tohost for futuretraffic growth

R&D on EU level (Shift2Rail) The Shift2Rail (S2R) Joint Undertaking3 brings together the EU and the

rail industry via a public private partnership.

S2R has identified: a) the aging infrastructure; and b) the increase of

railway traffic as key challenges for the European railway system.

Furthermore, the existing station and terminals are reaching their

maximum capacity in certain areas while the quality of the surround-

ings do not match customer’s expectations. An increasingly

important factor for the attractiveness of the railways is a functioning

intermodal approach with a flawless multimodal passenger and freight

transport chain.

Until 2025, members of S2R will address these issues. Infrastructure

maintenance and innovative construction will be covered in S2R’s

innovation program (IP) 3 – Cost Efficient and Reliable High Capacity

Infrastructure, also involving members of EIM.

Individual approaches Individual members of the EIM address maintenance in parallel to the

EU initiatives. Several of them have embedded innovative maintenance

into their digital strategies, in order to be able to collect large amount

of often non-digital data in order to analyse them for modelling and

clustering with other functions. These processes are often coupled with

investments in fixed assets and devices for automatic monitoring,

supervision and data handling.

Over time, applications such as self-alerting switches or

interconnected devices related to weather forecasts or automated

maintenance planning will develop.

Conclusion Maintenance is a key function for the life-cycle approach of rail

infrastructure managers. It will be amongst the first functions to be

innovated and digitalised. EU and individual research and innova-

tion initiatives will foster this process. Overall, maintenance is key for

a more resilient, predictive and safe infrastructure, able to host

for future traffic growth.

EIM addresses these trends via several activity vectors, both

within its organisation but also with several external stakeholders

and partners.

References1. www.eimrail.org

2. Technical Strategy Leadership Group (TLSG): The Future Railway: The Industry’sRail Technical Strategy 2012

3. www.shift2rail.org




Monika Heiming has been Executive Director of EIMsince October 2011. Monika has been active in Brussels asa lobbyist and manager of international associations andgroupings for a number of years. She studied languages atthe University of Cologne, and holds a Master’s degree inEuropean Management from the University Faculties in Brussels and an Executive MBA from the BelgianSolvay Business School. Among her previous experiences,

she helped develop UNIFE in Brussels from 1993 to 1997. She alsomanaged and marketed the engineering activities of European engineeringgroup Europengineers EEIG from 1999 to 2004, before being madeSecretary-General of ERFA in January 2005.

Ville Saarinen is Technical Affairs Manager at EIM. He holds a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering andhas a background in railway electrification, tunnel safetyand dangerous goods. His specific fields of interest arerailway interoperability and safety. In addition to his role incoordinating the EIM technical activities vis-à-vis the relevant EU institutions, Ville is actively involved in theEuropean railway standardisation via the CEN/CENELECprocess. During his career, Ville has applied the EU legislation in practice byconsulting transport ministries in implementing the railway interoperabilityand safety directives into their national laws.

Meeting demanding rail surveying needs – Amberg’s professional solutionsAmberg Technologies has expanded its established railway surveying system GRP System FX with the new Amberg IMS 1000 and IMS 3000 systemconfigurations. With this technological milestone, railway surveying has neverbeen easier and more efficient.

These configurations provide reliable and highly precise track geometryinformation during the construction and maintenance of railway track systems– while achieving unparalleled productivity. Amberg IMS 1000 and IMS 3000measure the inner and outer track geometry of ballast tracks and slab tracksusing a new, high-performance sensor – the Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU).Measuring 4,000m of track per hour, the system’s performance is twice as highas other devices available on the market today. Furthermore, it ensures that the track will be measured reliably by providing a typical positional accuracyof ±1mm.

“With this system we set a new standard for the speed of hand-pushedmeasurement carts while at the same time achieving the greatest accuracies,”explains Marius Schäuble, Product Manager Rail at Amberg Technologies.

The Amberg Rail software, which is also the platform for Amberg IMS 1000 and IMS 3000, processes the measurement data, analyses the qualityof the track and reports the deviations to a design centreline. Correction data fortamping machines can also be generated directly. The advantage for thesystem’s users is that greater productivity and accuracy during trackmeasurement reduces costs, enables efficient track maintenance and thuscontributes significantly to the quality and safety of railway lines.

The new IMU technology replaces the tachymeter for measuring trackgeometry and therefore only requires a single measurement cart, operated byjust a single operator. Until now, up to four people were required forcomparable track geometry surveys. The ‘Track Sprinter’ also requiresminimal logistical effort and can be used flexibly and at short notice,

ensuring the costs for track geometry surveying decrease up to 90% comparedto traditional methods.

Thanks to the IMS 1000 and IMS 3000, Amberg Technologies is furtherextending its leading position in developing high-performance measurementsystems for rail construction and maintenance. “We continuously work onimproving the technology and functionality in order to optimally meet theincreased market expectations,” says Marius.

www.ambergtechnologies.ch/ambergims

Front: Amberg IMS1000 with tachymeterBack: Profiler 110 FXfor Amberg IMS 3000


African extensions of some networks (South Africa and North Africa)

were implemented for an urgent and economic exploitation of

the continent’s mining and agricultural wealth. The rapid urban

development phenomenon does not only mean that more people live

and work in cities, but also that a large amount of individuals and assets

travel more in urban areas and therefore cover longer distances.

However, the way in which most African cities respond to these

rising needs shall have environmental and economic efficiency

consequences and will also affect the liveability of these agglomera -

tions. The significant growth of informal trade in Africa indicates that the

volume of intra-African exchanges is not as weak as suggested by

official statistics. For example, according to some surveys, the value of

informal trans-border trade in the member countries of the Southern

African Development Community (SADC) can reach 17.6 billion dollars

per year, which represents 30-40% of the total exchanges carried out

within this community.

Recently, a Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa

(PIDA) was developed: energy, transport, water supply and information

and communication technology (ICT) have been taken into

consideration in this study. While stressing the beneficial economic and

environmental impact and its safety (compared to road transport), two

railway components were identified in the PIDA programme, namely:

in Southern Africa, to link the centres of production/consumption in

landlocked countries to the Pacific (Durban, Maputo or other ports)

and/or to the Atlantic (Walvis Bay).

South Africa, the country with the largest railway network in Africa,

has 440km of railway tracks per one million people, which is nearly

equivalent to the European average. In 2000, the Integration of

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN…SOUTHERN AFRICA?




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Southern Africa railwayrevitalisation……by Jerzy Wisniewski, UIC’s African Region Coordinator

The Southern African Region can be considered as including the countries of Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi,Mozambique, Swaziland, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa. This region is close to theIndian Ocean and also comprises the Comoros States, Madagascar, Mauritius and Seychelles. The UIC hascollaborated with experts from the African region in a study called: ‘Revitalisation of Rail in Africa: Destination2040’ which was supported by the African Union and endorsed at the 3rd African Transport Ministers meeting in Malabo in 2014.

Regional Infrastructure in South Africa

programme was introduced by the African

Union and it identified 514 infrastructural

projects, totalling 69 billion USD financed by

public funds at 21%, 25% by FIs, 35% by PPP

and 19% by private investors.

One of the important international projects

is the South Africa–Swaziland link, support-

ing intensive trade between countries and

mining projects, servicing the Lothair line in

Mpumalanga in South Africa and Sidvokodvo,

Swaziland. Costing approximately 2 billion USD

(1.5 billion USD for South Africa) the feasibility

study is due to be complete during 2016.

Cargo transportation on key corridors,

as well as shipments of copper metal from the

countries of the copper belt (but below

the tonnage of iron ore and bauxite) would use

transport facilities specifically developed for

this type of transport. Transit traffic from

landlocked countries is expected to increase

during the next 30 years in Southern Africa,

with volumes rising from 13 million tonnes to

148 million tonnes. Berg Insight1 is of the

opinion that the market for fleet management in South Africa is in a

‘growth period’ which will continue in the years to come. The number of

fleet management systems in active use is forecasted to grow at a

compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.8% from 0.9 million

units in 2015, to 1.5 million by 2020. The penetration rate in the

total population of non-privately owned fleet vehicles used by

businesses is at the same time estimated to increase from 21.5% in

2015 to 32.5% in 2020.

Members involved with the UIC African Region intend to accelerate

the pace of their activities in order to implement the new strategy

supported by ‘Revitalisation of Rail in Africa: Destination 2040’.

Committed to the slogans of innovation, mobilisation and integration,

the efforts intend to:

■ Promote rail transport across the continent and help its

members meet current and future challenges of mobility and

sustainable development

■ Promote interoperability of railway systems and establish

railway standards

■ Develop and facilitate all forms of regional cooperation, continental

or bilateral , to encourage the exchange of best-practices

(benchmarking)

■ Technically support members in their efforts to implement projects,

develop new markets and new business areas

■ Suggest ways of improving technical and environmental

performance, to enhance competitiveness and reduce costs.

In this sense, the UIC African Region will play a key role as:

■ A provider of know-how expertise in the technical and operational

elements, and it will propose technical solutions; variations of

regulations and standards and best-practices will be recommended

by the UIC

■ A facilitator of platforms of exchange, innovation: new ideas and

concepts to defend the common interests of members of political

support for development projects of critical infrastructure

■ A moderator of rail-related forums, platforms, seminars,

conferences and congresses in Africa

■ A developer of specifications, interfaces and interoperability for

continental corridors.

Reference1. www.berginsight.com

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN…SOUTHERN AFRICA?




European Railway Review’s nextinternational instalment will focus on developments in South America,written by Guilherme Quintella, UIC’s Chairman for the Latin Americanregion. Make sure you receive Issue 32016 published in May 2016 bybecoming a subscriber today – visitwww.europeanrailwayreview.com©

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Jerzy Wisniewski is an engineer of mechanics, withspecialisation in rail transport. He is a Member of theBoard of Directors at the International Union of Railways(UIC) and is Director for the Fundamental ValuesDepartment, responsible for cooperation and supportingthe UIC’s core activities in railway infrastructure,passengers and freight transportation – paying specialattention to transversal issues like sustainable develop -

ment, safety, security, expertise development and research coordination.Furthermore, since 2012, Jerzy has been the UIC African RegionCoordinator. Jerzy’s previous roles within the UIC included heading theoffice for international relations when he was seconded from the PolishRailways, and between 1999 and 2005 he was responsible for the UIC’s pan-European railway system integration for Eastern and Central EuropeanCountries, working closely with organisations such as the CER, the OSJD,and the CIT etc. From 2006 to 2009, Jerzy was a nominated PKP expert onplanning and operations including advising international organisations on crisis management for railway infrastructure.

South Africa has the largest railway network in Africa

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