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www.europeanrailwayreview.com Issue 1 · 2016

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Welcome to the first issue of European RailwayReview for 2016Instead of commenting on industry progress or highlighting some

recent news, I’d instead like to use this opportunity to provide

some information about what you can expect from the European

Railway Review brand during the year. We’re not just a magazine

and we’re excited about our developments going forward.

As you would expect, our editorial agenda for 2016 contains the usual country/regional

profiles that you have come to enjoy (like our Czech profile starting on page 15 in this issue), plus

we will continue with our topical supplements (like Signalling & Telecommunications and

Safety & Security on page 29 and 54 in this issue, respectively). But something new to look out

for in 2016 are our international articles, giving key industry experts outside of Europe the chance

to showcase to our readers what is happening in their countries – this issue, we see what’s

happening in Canada (see page 46).

Our Events team have also got some exciting conferences planned for this year,

including Scandinavian Rail Development (May), Iberian Rail Development (June), and the

co-located Real-Time Passenger Information and Smart Ticketing & Payments (November).

More information about European Railway Review’s events and how to join can be found on

our website.

We’re also looking forward to September when the 11th edition of InnoTrans will take

place in Berlin. We’ve got a great show preview starting on page 42 in this issue which includes

an interview with the InnoTrans organisers who highlight what visitors can expect from this

year’s event.

Furthermore, we’ve got plenty of opportunities for the industry to place advertising in our

next issues leading up to InnoTrans in September, plus an exciting opportunity for many

companies to take advantage of our three-tier InnoTrans package for our fifth edition.

More information can be found on the inside cover spread of this issue, or by visiting our

dedicated InnoTrans microsite at www.europeanrailwayreview.com/innotrans-2016.

This year, our Digital Content team will also continue to grow our brand’s online offering,

with additional articles and news stories that you might not find within our magazine.

Please bookmark our website at www.europeanrailwayreview.com so you can be the first to see

online-only articles and blogs, plus take part in some topical polls. We also encourage the

industry to engage with our social media platforms and build a great online community – join our

groups on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook – details can be found below.

And finally, as always, if you would like to contribute to a future issue of European Railway

Review with an end-user article or an informative news item, please do not hesitate to contact me

via the email address below.

INTRODUCTION

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

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

www.europeanrailwayreview.com 3

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

Andrew McNaughtonChief Engineer & Technical DirectorHigh Speed Two Ltd

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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No responsibility can be accepted by Russell Publishing Limited, the editor,staff or any contributors for action taken as a result of the information andother materials contained in our publications. Readers should take specificadvice when dealing with specific situations. In addition, the viewsexpressed in our publications by any contributor are not necessarily thoseof the editor, staff or Russell Publishing Ltd. As such, our publications arenot intended to amount to advice on which reliance should be placed. Wetherefore disclaim all liability and responsibility arising from any relianceplaced on such materials by any reader, or by anyone who may be informedof any of its contents. Published January 2016

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00 Intelligent trains foresee when

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CONTENTS

Continued overleaf...

INTRODUCTIONWelcome to the first issue ofEuropean RailwayReview for 2016Craig Waters, Editor

FOREWORDEnergising Europe’s railways…Simon Fletcher, Coordinator Europe, UIC

NEWS

CZECH REPUBLICMuch-neededinvestment tomodernise CzechinfrastructureMojmír Nejezchleb, DeputyDirector General, and AnnaKodysová, Head of the InternationalRelations Department, Czech Railway InfrastructureAdministration

CZECH REPUBLICModernisation andimprovement brings a bright future forCv

eské dráhyPavel Krtek, Chairman of the Board of Directors, C

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CZECH REPUBLICCzech know-howcontinues to pushthrough demandingrail marketsMarie Vopálenská, General Director, Association of Czech Railway Industry

RUSSIAFocusing on projectdelivery to meet goals Valentin Gapanovich, Senior Vice-President for InnovationDevelopment – Chief Engineer,Russian Railways

SHOW PREVIEWEurasia Rail 2016

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SUPPLEMENTSIGNALLING & TELECOMMUNICATIONS

The ERTMS ambition: a European success hanging in the balance Libor Lochman, Executive Director, and Jean-Baptiste Simonnet, Senior Technical Advisor, CER

ERTMS success: long-term planning and stability Monika Heiming, Executive Director, EIM

UIC ERTMS World Conference SHOW PREVIEW

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CONTENTS

■ Progress in Northern Europe and GermanyWe have VR Track (Finland) updating us on what they’re working on to improve infrastructure,plus Frank Sennhenn, Chief Executive Officer at DB Netz, and Ben Möbius, Managing Director of the German Railway Industry Association, provide details about what’s new in Germany.

■ Bogie Design & Developments SupplementIncluding an article from Pedro Fortea, Director of the Spanish Railway Association, detailing how the Spanish rail industry is helping bogie development.

■ Track systems and infrastructure developmentsWith articles from Libor Lochman, Executive Director of the CER, and Monika Heiming, Executive Director at the EIM.

■ Hazard analysis procedures at SBBFrançois Bianco, Hanspeter Schlatter and Isabella Mariani take a look at how Swiss FederalRailways (SBB) deals with safety issues related to the operation of its railway infrastructure.

■ NEW FEATURE FOR 2016 – What’s Happening In…South Africa?Jerzy Wisniewski, UIC African Regional Coordinator, provides an overview of rail developments in this country.

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


COMING UP IN THE NEXT ISSUE:

SUPPLEMENTSAFETY & SECURITY

Metal theft: a daily concern for the rail sector and its customers Libor Lochman, Executive Director, and Alena Havlova, Digital and Security Adviser, CER

RSSB’s role in helping to improve safety on the railways George Bearfield, Director of System Safety, RSSB

Transparency, learning and a positive safety culture Chris Carr, Head of Safety, ERA

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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


ENERGY MANAGEMENTIntroduction of energymetering, settlement and billing at SBBGisela Hinrichs, Programme Manager for Energy Settlement and Billing, and John Hegarty,Programme Manager for Energy Metering, SBB

SHOW PREVIEW

Looking ahead toInnoTrans 2016

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN…CANADA?Building passenger rail: the answer to congestion in Canada…Yves Desjardins-Siciliano, President and Chief Executive Officer, VIA Rail Canada

ON-BOARD TECHNOLOGYDeveloping a wireless on-board entertainment systemfor passengers in GreeceNikolaos Athanasopoulos, Strategic PlanningSenior Adviser, TRAINOSE

SHOW PREVIEWExpo Ferroviaria 2016

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EnergisingEurope’srailways…By Simon Fletcher, UIC’s Coordinator Europe

Europe’s railway network is the recognised transport backbone. It is vital

for economic growth, to create jobs, to facilitate social develop-

ment and mobility. Every year it enables millions of people to travel for

work and leisure and transports millions of tonnes of freight.

The challenge for rail is to focus on generating a real enthusiasm

for rail, attract the customers and as a result strengthen rail’s

market position. Passenger numbers are growing and the length of

electrified railway has doubled over the past couple of decades,

but more is possible.

There is much anticipation around the long-awaited innovation

programme called Shift2Rail. The work will start this year and it will be

incumbent on the railway community at large to ensure that what is

developed and delivered within this multi-million Euro programme will

benefit rail stakeholders in the widest possible sense.

Of course there is a need for new technology to support a

competitive rail system, but there is also the need to focus on a range

of other issues – not all of which the Shift2Rail programme will be able

to deliver.

The rail operating community needs to harness its collective energy

and encourage investment in the railway of tomorrow, investment that

will deliver real benefits for passengers and freight through more

capacity and faster and more reliable journeys. This will however

mean the need for a holistic approach to identifying and managing

projects at a European level – something that will require some really

innovative thinking.

Rail has developed a core vision (Challenge 2050) for the design,

construction, operation, maintenance and renewal of the rail system

and it is this that sets out the challenges of the future. The Shift2Rail

programme through to the end of this decade and into the next has

significantly increased the level of research and innovation funding that

will help to deliver that core vision. However, it will only just scratch the

surface of what is really needed to deliver a real shift to rail.

If we take the energy needed for the operation of the system,

the goal of a fully-electrified railway system connected to clean and

green energy is not a figment of a fertile imagination but a realistic

objective. It will help to increase rail market share and further contribute

to the reducing rail greenhouse gas emissions.

There has been some success in this area already as 21% of all

the electricity used by the railway system comes from renewable

sources. This trend is increasing but it requires concentrated funding to

help this level to increase.

A research and innovation programme will of course be able to

develop new technologies to help that objective, but the real task is

to secure the funding to enable installation and operation. Where this

requires the consent of local, regional and state authorities, it is vital

that there is a coordinated joined-up approach that enables the

maximisation of opportunities for connectivity right across Europe.

Rail and other modes of transport can greatly benefit from such an

approach to delivering a positive focus on sustainable mobility.

On behalf of the railway operating community, the UIC has

developed ever closer links with the United Nations and all the work

that the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) is promoting. With a seat

on the UN Secretary General’s High Level Transport Advisory Group,

the possibility exists to bring all these objectives to the table and ensure

that the necessary attention is being focussed on developing the future

European railway system.

There is a significant opportunity that needs to be embraced and

nurtured. Rail must work with the UN, the World Bank and other global

and European institutions so that collectively rail is being energised and

able to fulfil its potential for society.

As we turn the page from 2015 to the chapter headed 2016, it is the moment to focus on what this year is likelyto bring forth. The key words for 2016 are energy, security, digitalisation and innovation. These are of course onlysome of the components of the railway system, but they are all key to the efficiency of the railway system andthe attractiveness of rail to the customer. But managing them is not without its challenges!

FOREWORD




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MD of ERTMSUsers Groupjoins our Editorial BoardEuropean Railway Review is pleased toannounce that Michel Ruesen (pictured),Managing Director of the EEIG ERTMS UsersGroup, has joined our Editorial Board.

Michel has been the Managing Director ofthe ERTMS Users Group since 2010. He hasbeen active in railway business since 2003 whenhe joined the Dutch Infrastructure managerProRail as a Deputy Director of Maintenanceand Asset Management. While working forProRail, Michel was the President of theERTMS Users Group from 2006 to 2008 and the President of the EEIG CorridorRotterdam–Genoa (now called Rhine AlpineCorridor) from 2008 to 2010.

European Railway Review plans to utiliseMichel’s industry knowledge and expertise tohelp direct our content and also be a platform forMichel to contribute informative articles.

On confirming his position to the EditorialBoard, Michel said: “ERTMS deployment inEurope will be boosting in the next 10-15 years.I’m happy to help European Railway Review asa member of the editorial board to highlight themost exciting developments in this field.”

Michel holds a Master of Science degree inElectrical Engineering from the University ofDelft and a Master of Business Administrationdegree from the Erasmus University inRotterdam and the Simon School in Rochester.He started his career in 1984 as a consultant inthe field of bulk material handling. From 1992until 1999 Michel worked for the DutchElectricity Generating Board. During this periodhe was (among other positions) Manager ofOperations of the Dutch Nuclear Power Plant inDodewaard and contributed to the strategicdecision making process to take this plant out ofoperation and to prepare it for a safe enclosurefor a period of 40 years. From 1999 until 2002Michel worked as Director Marketing and Sales for large power transformers at SmitTransformatoren in The Netherlands and RWESolutions in Germany.

NEWS


Get daily news updates at www.europeanrailwayreview.com

@EuroRailReview10

Four shortlisted bidders announcedfor new NS intercity EMUsTrain manufacturers Alstom, Bombardier,Siemens and Stadler have entered the finalstage of the tender process to supplyNetherlands Railways (NS) with a new fleet ofintercity EMUs as part of its Next Genera-tion Intercity (ICNG) programme.

The four bidders were chosen following anextensive selection process, and the contractaward is expected to be announced in summer2016 with the delivery of the vehiclesscheduled from 2021. The selected biddershave now been asked to submit a final offer forthe tender process.

The awarded contract will provide high-speed vehicles which will travel at speeds of upto 200km/h on the high-speed South line andprovide approximately 25,000 new seats (withthe option to order additional trains). Eachvehicle will be designed to be wheelchairaccessible, feature USB sockets and Wi-Fi inboth first and second class, plus incorporateLED lights with Intelligent Light Control. The new fleet will replace the existing class186 TRAXX locomotives currently in service.

www.ns.nl

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Ceneri Base Tunnel finalbreakthroughAt exactly 12.00 noon on 21 January 2016, thefinal breakthrough in the west tube of the Ceneri Base Tunnel in Switzerland tookplace (pictured). Work will now commence onlining the tunnel and installing the railwayinfrastructure systems, with commissioning ofthe 15.4km-long tunnel scheduled to take placeat the end of 2020.

In his address, Renzo Simoni, ChiefExecutive Officer of AlpTransit Gotthard Ltd,expressed his thanks to all project participants,and especially the miners, for their outstandingwork: “You have done a tremendous job andcan justifiably feel proud. Without yourdedication this great success would not havebeen possible.”

However, Renzo Simoni also recalled thetwo miners who lost their lives duringconstruction of the Ceneri Base Tunnel. DuccioAstaldi, Head of the Condotte Cossi Con -sortium, also drew a positive conclusion: “We have become better acquainted withconditions in the Swiss labour market andlearnt to appreciate them. We, as a company,could also benefit from them.”

The Ceneri Base Tunnel consists of twosingle-track tunnels, which every 325m arelinked by an approximately 40m-long cross

passage, but there are no track crossovers oremergency-stop stations.

In view of the complex geology, the Ceneri Base Tunnel was excavated entirely bydrilling and blasting and mostly performedsimultaneously in both directions from theintermediate heading at Sigirino. From the portals at Vigana and Vezia, inward drives were excavated to minimise time and costs. Construction of the Ceneri BaseTunnel produced about 8 million tonnes ofexcavated rock.

In the coming months, further progress willbe made on the tunnel lining, and by the end of2016, all tubes and adits will have beencompletely lined and concreted. The railwayinfrastructure system specialists will fit out thetunnel with mechanical and electromechanicalsystems such as doors, ventilation systems andbuilding management systems, to ensure that therailway tunnel can be safely operated andmaintained. Installation of the railway infra -structure systems will begin in summer 2017. Therailway infrastructure installations comprise the track, catenary, electric power supply, cables,telecommunication and radio systems, safety andautomation systems, and control systems.

www.alptransit.ch

NEWS



@EuroRailReview11

A new SwedishRailwayCompany –Cactus RailIn December 2015, a new Swedish RailwayCompany – Cactus Rail – started its opera -tions. Cactus Rail develops and deliversTraffic Management Systems (TMS andCTC) to control, optimise and monitorrailways in Sweden and Europe.

Cactus Rail originates from CactusUtilities which specialises in infrastructuresystems vital to society.

In November 2015, Cactus signed a contract worth SEK 100 million as asubcontractor for the renewal of the Swedishnational rail traffic management system(NTL). This major contract led to thedecision to incorporate the railway activitiesin a separate company – Cactus Rail.

About Cactus RailCactus delivered its first railway system toStockholm Public Transport (SL) in theearly-1990s. This system is now controllingfour local lines and monitors the infra -structure for the subway. Starting in 2008,Cactus has been involved in the pilot projectsfor the renewal of the Swedish signallingsystems. In the projects, Cactus provides theCTC for the

Haparanda line (ERTMS L2) andFagersta (Conventional). Among Cactus’customers are Nordic infrastructure owners,as well as global players in the railway sector.The cactus has given its name to ourcompany; it lives and thrives in a roughenvironment with tough demands onadaptability, development and sustainability.Just like we and our systems do.

www.cactusrail.se

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Heathrow Express achieves highpassenger satisfaction rateHeathrow Express has achieved the best‘overall satisfaction’ rate in London and theSouth East according to recent results from aUK rail passenger survey.

The UK’s fastest air-rail link received anexcellent score of 95% for overall satisfaction inthe National Rail Passenger Survey’s pollconducted in autumn 2015.

Heathrow Express, which connects LondonPaddington and Heathrow Airport in just 15 minutes, has consistently received satisfac -tion rates exceeding 90% since 2011 and thisnew result compares favourably to the nationalaverage of 83%.

Heathrow Express performed at anoutstanding level in all of the categoriesexamined and out of the 26 train operatingcompanies surveyed nationally, came top

in the UK in five categories. These were:■ How requests to station staff were handled (98%) ■ The upkeep and repair of the train (94%)■ The comfort of the seating area (95%) ■ Personal security on board (96%)■ Heathrow Express also shared a joint first for

speed with Merseyrail (96%).

Additionally, interior and exterior traincleanliness scored 92% with overall satisfactionof the train scoring 94%.

Fraser Brown, Director of HeathrowExpress, said: “I am delighted that Heath-row Express customers continue to receiveexcellent service. All my colleagues strive totake that extra step each day to ensure thatpassengers receive a world class service fromHeathrow Express in supporting Heathrow’s

goal to provide international passengers withthe best airport service in the world.”

Other high overall satisfaction achieversincluded: First Hull Trains (97%); Grand Central(93%); and Merseyrail (93%), while bottom ofthe scores went to: Thameslink (73%);Southeastern (75%); and Southern (78%).

Full results from the National Rail Pass -enger Survey can be downloaded by visitingwww.transportfocus.org.uk.

www.heathrowexpress.com

The Bombardier-Alstom consortium has signed a framework contract to supply up to 1,362 ‘M7’ double-deck cars (pictured) to theBelgian National Railways (SNCB-NMBS). The total order is valued at €3.3 billion, with Bombardier’s part worth around €2.1 billionand Alstom’s share worth in the region of €1.2 billion.

The first firm order includes the design andmanufacturing of 445 cars with deliveries forexpected to take place between September 2018and 2021. The framework contract also includesoptions for up to 917 additional cars.

Bombardier’s site in Bruges (Belgium) willprovide 65 multifunctional steering cars and 290 trailer cars. Alstom will design and build 90 motorised cab cars in its Valenciennes site(France) with the support of its electrical andsignalling centre of excellence based in Charleroi(Belgium). Alstom will also develop and producethe ETCS Level 2 system to equip the total fleet.

These new trains will increase the overall

capacity on SNCB-NMBS’ network by addingan additional 145,000 seats. The trains will beable to run at speeds of up to 200km/h and willoperate on all Belgian mainlines, and crossborder with the Netherlands and Luxembourg,including on some high-speed lines. The M7concept is based on the very successful andhighly reliable M6 double-deck cars, of which492 were delivered by the same Bombardier –Alstom consortium.

The trains will feature newly designedinteriors of both first and second class cars andwill feature an improved passenger informationsystem and have wheelchair access and space for bicycles.

Furthermore, a predictive train diagnosticsystem will improve preventive maintenanceactivities and reduce the life-cycle costs, turningthis new generation double-deck train into one ofthe most cost-effective solutions available.

www.bombardier.com

Double-deck trains heading for Belgium

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@EuroRailReview12

Lithuanian Railways to receive€68m EIB funding

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Continuing their longstanding cooperation, AB Lietuvos Geležinkeliai (LitRail) and theEuropean Investment Bank (EIB) have signed a€68 million loan in support of the modernisa-tion of rail infrastructure and rolling stock in Lithuania.

The EIB first worked with LitRail in 1996and has since supported the company inmodernising its locomotives and other rollingstock as well as upgrading its infrastructure.

The current project consists of severalrailway infrastructure upgrading and renewalschemes throughout Lithuania and renewal ofthe rolling stock for passenger services in the country.

Albertas Šimėnas, Deputy Director Generalof Lithuanian Railways said: “Modernisation ofrailway infrastructure is one of our toppriorities. Our long-lasting cooperation with theEIB contributes to the implementation of avariety of projects that are significant not onlyfor Lithuania, but for the whole of Europe too.”

The infrastructure schemes include trackduplication, renewal and electrification onseveral sections of the Kena–Vilnius–Kaišiadorys–Radviliškis–Klaipėda line. The

project will also address the renewal andextension of the Klaipėda railway hub and somecomplementary traffic safety and noiseabatement measures. Upon completion, it willhelp to remove bottlenecks and increase the capacity of the lines, so that 1,050m-long6,000 tonnes freight trains can use these tracks.

EIB Vice-President Jan Vapaavuori,responsible for operations in the Balticcountries, added: “Lietuvos Geležinkeliai is akey chain link in the Lithuanian economy andthe EIB is glad it can contribute to this importantmodernisation programme, which will benefitall Lithuanians who use the railways on a dailybasis. Sustainable forms of transport have longbeen an EIB priority and will continue to be soin the coming years.”

The rolling stock component concerns theacquisition of seven three-car diesel multipleunits for passenger railway services. These new units will replace existing obsolete rollingstock thus improving commercial attractive -ness, efficiency, environmental performance,avail ability and reliability of the fleet.

www.eib.org

Siemens to equip Metro Paris Line 4 for driverless operationSiemens has received an order from the Parispublic transport operator RATP to equip the 27 stations of Paris Metro Line 4 with signallingand operations control systems. The ordervolume totals around €70 million, and work onthe line is scheduled for completion in 2022.

Fully automatic operation can increase thecapacity of this line by up to 20% because trainswill be able to run at shorter headways.

“Siemens has equipped about 300 route kmworldwide with signalling technology for fullyautomatic operation, making it the market leaderin this field. Automatic operation will enableLine 4 to offer a service interval of 85 seconds. At the same time, the automatic control will allowto reduce energy consumption by up to 15%,”says Jochen Eickholt, CEO of Siemens Mobility.

To upgrade the 12km of Line 4, Siemenswill supply the Trainguard MT automatic traincontrol system that uses communications-basedtechnology to achieve fully automatic, driverlessoperation. All train movements will besupervised via the operation control centre,

which will also be supplied by Siemens. Specialdoors at the platforms will ensure additionalsafety at all 27 metro stations. With around700,000 passengers a day, Line 4 of the ParisMetro is one of the most frequented sections ofthe whole Paris mass transit network. It is also the most important north-south metro linkin the city, connecting the stations of Porte deClignancourt in the north of the city and futurestation Bagneux in the south. On its way throughFrance’s capital it stops at three major long-distance railway stations and is also the only linewith transfer terminals to all 16 other masstransit lines.

Apart from Line 4, Siemens has alsoequipped Metro Lines 14 and 1 for driverlessoperation. Metro Line 1 is the oldest and mostheavily frequented underground line in Paris. It links the east and west of the city along 17kmof track. Siemens has likewise recently suppliedimportant signalling components and systemsfor Lines 3, 5 and 9.

www.siemens.com

Rosehill Railenjoys continuedsuccess in Czech RepublicThe ongoing investment in modernising theCzech Republic’s railway infrastructure has seena successful period for Rosehill Rail.

During the last year, Rosehill Rail – aleading global provider of modular rubberrailway crossings – supplied systems to Prague,Benešov, Brno, Klatovy and other towns andcities across the country. Its innovative crossingsystems have been installed across a wide rangeof level crossings, including on high and lowintensity roads, for agricultural and pedestriancrossings, and for temporary track access pointsfor structural repairs and infrastructure projects.

Commenting on the continued success,Andrew Knight (pictured), Export Manager atRosehill Rail said: “The speed at which oursystems can be installed and removed formaintenance, combined with the cost savingsthat can be achieved compared to traditionalconcrete or other modular systems, have beenmajor factors in our ongoing success.”

To meet rapidly growing global demand, in2014, Rosehill Rail invested in a new state-of-the-art, highly automated production facility,boosting production capacity from 600 to over1,200 units per week. Its investment programmeis continuing, increasing its capacity by a further300% to 3,600 units per week in 2016.

With a strong order book in place for 2016,Andrew said the company expects to see furtherprogress this year: “We’re very excited at thepace with which our strategy is coming tofruition. We’ve built a strong position in theCzech Republic and are confident that this willcontinue into the future.”

www.rosehillrail.com

Andrew Knight, Export Managerat Rosehill Rail

NEWS



@EuroRailReview13

EdinburghGatewayinterchangeshapes up

Bombardier Transportation’s BOMBARDIERTRAXX AC3 Last Mile Locomotive (pictured)has been homologated in Germany, withofficial approval for operation granted from theGerman Railway Authority Eisenbahn-Bundesamt (EBA) on 17 December 2015.

The TRAXX locomotive’s Last Milefeatures an innovative support diesel enginewith an accompanying traction battery and aremote control for shunting. Together, thesesystems enable this electric locomotive toefficiently bridge sections of non-electrifiedtrack. This ability is put to great use in placeslike ports, terminals, depots or factories wherea supporting diesel shunting locomotive isoften called in to help trains cross the final,non-electrified, track sections known as the‘last mile’. Efficient, economical (with one

driver only) and environmentally-friendly, theTRAXX AC3 Last Mile locomotives use theirsupport diesel engines only when necessary,and are entirely emission-free when operatingin traction battery mode while providing fulltraction performance also in last mile mode.The Last Mile locomotive is also the firstlocomotive with the Last Mile functionality toreceive homologation in Germany.

Bombardier has already received over 240 orders for different TRAXX AC3 loco -motive variants and the innovative locomotivehas also won various certifications inaccordance with the applicable TSI (technicalspecifications for interoperability).

BOMBARDIER and TRAXX are trademarks ofBombardier Inc. or its subsidiaries.

www.bombardier.com

Cred

it: B

omba

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TRAXX AC3 Last Mile locoreceives official approval foroperation in Germany

EVENTSUIC ERTMS WorldConference 2016Date: 29 February-2 March 2016Location: Brussels, Belgiume: [email protected]: www.ertms-conference2016.com

IT-TRANS 2016Date: 1-3 March 2016Location: Karlsruhe, Germanye: [email protected]: www.it-trans.org

Eurasia Rail 2016Date: 3-5 March 2016Location: Istanbul, Turkeye: [email protected]: www.eurasiarail.eu

Asia Pacific Rail 2016Date: 22-24 March 2016Location: Hong Konge: [email protected]: http://bit.ly/RailERR

Expo 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

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

[email protected]

Scottish Government Transport Minister DerekMackay, recently joined Network Rail’sManaging Director for Scotland, Phil Verster atthe new Edinburgh Gateway station development,to review the ongoing work to construct thetram/train interchange to the west of the city.

The new interchange station (pictured, artistimpression) is part of the Edinburgh GlasgowImprovement Programme (EGIP) which will seethe electrification of central Scotland’s railwayinfrastructure – delivering increased capacity andfaster speeds on key routes.

Engineers have been on-site at Gogar sinceJanuary 2015 working on the new £41 millionstation which will serve passengers from Fife and the north accessing Edinburgh airport and interchanging onto the tram network. The station is scheduled to open to the public inDecember 2016.

Gateway will consist of two 265m (10 car)platforms and boast 1,500m2 of concourse andcirculation space and a step-free access bridgelinking the platforms within the railway stationand connecting to the tram stop via lifts and

escalators. It will offer an interchange with thetram network to allow fast and efficient move -ment between train and tram.

As well as delivering a new vibrant andmodern gateway to Scotland’s rail network, it isanticipated that the new station at this locationwill be a catalyst for future economic investmentand activity.

Network Rail Managing Director forScotland Phil Verster, said: “Despite thechallenging weather, the project team atEdinburgh Gateway has maintained its focus onkeeping this work on programme. There is a realcommitment and enthusiasm to build a facilitywhich will deliver significant benefits forpassengers on our network, enhancing theconnectivity between different modes oftransport and becoming a catalyst for economicinvestment and local development. The quality of

the station being constructed has the potential tobecome a true gateway to Scotland’s capitalwhich will leave people with a positive first orfinal impression of our railway network.”

EGIP is a Scottish Government investmentof £742 million in central Scotland’s railwayinfrastructure which will see key routeselectrified and facilities improved and upgraded.

www.networkrail.co.uk

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Rail

rosehillrail.comFor more information, or to fi nd a distributor, please call the Rosehill Rail sales team on +44 (0)1422 317 473, or email [email protected]

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12 - 14 April 2016

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CZECH REPUBLIC




Much-neededinvestment tomodernise CzechinfrastructureDespite the Czech Republic’s railway infrastructure being in a suitable condition, it still requires a lot ofinvestment and intensive modernisation for it to fall in line with the quality of other railways of the EuropeanUnion and Western Europe. Mojmír Nejezchleb, Deputy Director General, and Anna Kodysová, Head of theInternational Relations Department at the Czech Railway Infrastructure Administration (SŽDC), explain thatrecent investment has helped to improve some key sections, especially with the modernisation of large railwaybridges on regional routes.

CorridorsWe have almost completed all four Czech ‘backbone’ corridors under

European interoperable parameters (see Table 1 on page 16).

The backbone of the Czech railway network forms part of the defined

Regulation concerning a European Rail Network for Competitive

Freight (Rail Freight Regulation 913/20101) entered into force

on 9 November 2010. It is thus part of the most significant European

route which provides rail connections with important harbours, whether

from the North Sea or the Baltic Sea.

SŽDC – the Czech Railway Infrastructure Administration (RIA) – is a

member of the four Rail Freight Corridors (RFCs) shown in Table 2

on page 17.

Other investments in the Czech railway infrastructureIn addition to modernisation of the aforementioned essential

‘backbone’ networks of the Czech Republic, redevelopment of large

railway junctions are also in progress. Large projects carried out in 2015

include the modernisation of junctions in Ústí nad Orlicí, Olomouc, and

Plzeň, plus the great construction project and development of new

tunnels on the Rokycany–Plzen route (Ejpovice tunnel).

We have also concentrated on rail freight capacity projects,

electrification projects for selected routes, and the development

of the ETCS system in compliance with the approved National

Implementation Plan.

Project financingThe Czech Railway Infrastructure Administration was as a national

railway investor, successful in gathering subsidies from funds of

the European Union. Projects were co-financed mainly from the

Operational Programme Transport I (OPT); starting this year, we enter

OPT II, and we will also use a new tool called the Connecting Europe

Facility (CEF) where we were successful in the initial call with all five of

our submitted applications. Together with Czech national resources, we

had more than CZK 40 billions available for capital constructions in

2015, which has been a record-breaking amount since RIA’s foundation

on 1 January 2003. Thanks to this financial ‘injection’, many projects

could be carried out (approximately 100 construction projects were in

progress on our network at the same time) which required demanding

closure operations resulting in impacts on traffic continuity. On the

other hand, after completing these investments, we will be able to offer

a more modern and high-quality railway of European parameters to all

rail carriers.

Regional investmentsIn 2015, and after some financial disposal and reorganisation, we

were in a position to implement projects outside of the selected

European railway network, i.e. on our regional railways – lines and sect -

ions that had been delayed for a number of years. We are aware of the

fact that modern regional railway transport is greatly beneficial for

the provision of the quality transport service within the region. One of the

projects included rail modernisation in North Bohemia, Lovosice – Ceská

Lípa, with the restoration of a total of nine bridges – an investment of

CZK 307 million; the most significant was the bridge over the Elbe River.

Bridge over the Elbe River in LovosiceThe elegant old bridge with seven bays was formed by steel truss

structures from Austro-Hungarian Monarchy times (from 1898). However,

they did not meet current and modern requirements and due its bad

condition, train speeds over the bridge had to be reduced to just 30km/h.

Furthermore, the bridge dimensions did not conform or meet the

required structural gauge, and it did not conform in terms of its loading

gauge either. So, the new bridge required the following parameters:

■ The bridge has seven bays (Elbe and floodable zone)

■ Support structure: steel, stiffened arched girder (Langer’s joist),

with lower orthotropic deck with a rail bed, fitted vertically

■ Bridging length: 336.2m

■ Span: 3 x 74.37m

■ Bridge width: 6.6m

■ Bridge height: 7.1m (TK – common Elbe level)

■ Building height: 2,500mm.

The project attracted a great deal of professional and public attention,

especially with the replacement of steel support bridge structures to bays

3, 4, and 5. Each steel structure actually formed an independent bridge,

so unique technology never seen before in the Czech Republic was

chosen for their replacement, relying on ship and waterway operations.

Applying the Archimedes principle in practiceAfter several months of preparations, ‘D day’ arrived on 15 August 2015

when three connected river crafts – nicknamed ‘floating bays’ – lifted

and moved the first of the three 19th century bridge structures –

75m-long and weighing 250 tonnes. The remaining two old steel

giants followed later that month.

To disassemble the old bridge and install new bridge structures, the

Archimedes principle was applied; to ‘lift up’ the 100-year-old

structures, 250,000 litres of water needed to be pumped.

At the end of September to mid-October 2015, the demanding

task of assembling the three new bridge structures took place. This took

quite some time because they were not only 170 tonnes heavier than

the previous structures, but also much bigger to ensure required

technical parameters. The new bridge is capable of carrying a greater

load – the rail bedding is not seated on bridging joists as in the original

bridge, but on concrete ties in the ballast.

How was the new bridge fitted?After demolition and removal of the last bay of the old steel structure,

the new bridge structures started moving on carriages from the left

Elbe River bank to heavy towers, which provided lowering and lifting of

the whole load. The structure was lifted up to a height of 4.5m, which

CZECH REPUBLIC



www.europeanrailwayreview.com16

Table 1: Czech ‘backbone’ corridors

Corridor 1 Germany/Czech Republic-border, Děčín, Ústí n. L, Prague, Česká Třebová, Brno, Břeclav, Austrian/Slovakian-border

Corridor 2 Czech Republic /Austrian-border, Břeclav, Přerov, Ostrava, Petrovice u Karviné, Polish-border

Corridor 3 Czech Republic/Slovakian-border, Mosty u Jablunkova,Dětmarovice, Přerov, Česká Třebová, Prague, Plzeň, Cheb, Czech Republic/German-border

Corridor 4 German/Czech Republic-border, Děčín, Ústí nad Labem, Prague, České Budějovice, Horní Dvořiště, CzechRepublic/Austrian-border (although not everything is completed here – total of three construction projects remaining between Votice and České Budějovice)

The Archimedes principle was applied to remove and install the newbridge structures over the Elbe River

The new railway bridge structure over the Elbe River

CZECH REPUBLIC




corresponded with the fitting height. On the floating bay, the structure

was arranged on eight points using blocks providing evenly distributed

loads. After the floating transport moved into the bridge opening, the

floating bay was anchored in the river and the structure’s position was

fitted. It was then laid aside on temporary supports with reinforced

mounting points. The structure was released from the floating bay,

which was subsequently filled with water up to the point when the

whole bridge bay ‘pulls off’ from the blocks.

The reinforcement of slopes came next, plus the masonry restoration

of pillars and the backfilling of transition areas, so that the trial operations

could start on 9 November 2015. During this trial operation, finishing

works continued with no impact on regular train operation.

The project also included the restoration of the remaining four

bridge bays and the other eight bridges, plus the builders also

redeveloped the track superstructure. The use of modern super -

structure material in selected parts of the route section now enables

much higher transverse stress of the rail grid. This also contributed to

increased speeds to 90km/h. Thanks to the new parameters allowing

higher axle loads, heavier trains can now operate on this track section.

The old bridge over the Elbe River served for almost 120 years; let’s

hope the same applies to the new bridge.

Reference1. Based on Regulation (EU) No 913/2010, the map shown on page 00 was created by

RNE and agreed with all RFCs. Any use without modifications of the map inelectronic or printed publications is permitted with the explicit reference to RNE as theauthor and holder of the copyright.

Mojmír Nejezchleb is Deputy Director General for Infrastructure Modernisation at the Czech RailwayInfrastructure Administration (SŽDC). In 1986 hegraduated from the Technical University in Brno, CivilEngineering Faculty, branch of study Constructions andTraffic Structures. He then worked in various executivefunctions within civil engineering infrastructure ofCzechoslovak and later Czech State Railways. Between

2000 and 2008, Mojmír was Director for Railway Track Maintenance. Uponthe establishment of SŽDC he worked as Director of the StrategyDepartment. Since July 2013, Mojmír has been the Deputy Director Generalfor Infrastructure Modernisation at SŽDC.

Anna Kodysová graduated in 1982 from the CzechTechnical University in Prague, Faculty of CivilEngineering, branch of study Structural and TransportationEngineering. In 2003, she received an executive MBAdegree. She held various railway functions in the area ofcivil engineering, e.g. Regional Head of Bridges andTunnels section, Director of Head Office of CzechRailways and afterwards SŽDC, spokesperson, etc. Since

2003 Anna has been involved in international affairs and is currently theHead of the International Relations Department of the Czech RailwayInfrastructure Administration (SŽDC).

Table 2: The Czech Railway Infrastructure Administration is a member of thesefour Rail Freight Corridors (RFCs)

Rail Freight Corridor (RFC) Member States

Baltic–Adriatic Corridor PL, CZ, SK, AT, IT, SI

Orient/East-Med Corridor CZ, AT, SK, HU, RO, BG, EL, DE

North Sea–Baltic Corridor DE, NL, BE, PL, LT, LV, EE, CZ

Rhine–Danube/Czech-Slovak Corridor FR, DE, AT, SK, HU, RO, CZ

Map overview of the Rail Freight Corridors (RFCs), 2015, including extensions expected in 2016 as indicated by the RFCs1

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Modernisation andimprovement bringsa bright future forCeské dráhy

CD transports 170 million passengers a year Ceské dráhy recently went through substantial changes; we used every

possibility a business company has to modernise our rolling stock fleet

and to improve our services. We have repeatedly and successfully

issued Czech and international bonds and we receive EU grants to

purchase coaches and to, for example, equip tractive vehicles

with GSM-R.

Until recently we operated seven Pendolino trains which

represented the highest level of services in passenger transport

on the Czech railways. At present, Railjet trainsets connecting

Prague, Vienna and Graz as well as many new regional trainsets were

added to our fleet. Furthermore, coaches of classical construction for

domestic and international long-distance trains are undergoing

modernisation; almost 100 coaches are currently being adapted for

the Prague–Berlin–Hamburg route. Since 2008, CD has invested

approximately 40 billion Czech Crowns in coaches and lowered the

The joint-stock company Ceské dráhy (CD) is one of the most important carriers in Central Europe, providingservices for passenger transportation plus rail freight services through its subsidiary company, CD Cargo. For European Railway Review, Chairman of the Board of Directors at CD, Pavel Krtek, explains that improvingthe services it offers is having a positive all-round effect for the company.

CZECH REPUBLIC




CZECH REPUBLIC




average age of our rolling stock fleet by

about 10 years.

Both domestic and foreign manufact -

urers took the opportunity to participate in

tenders, and the contract for the production

of regional trainsets was awarded to the

Polish company PESA and DMUs for

local mountain railway lines were prod-

uced by the German branch of the Swiss

company Stadler.

Ceské dráhy pays great attention to

being able to transport people with reduced

mobility; after having consulted with them,

CD modified 64 coaches of long-distance

trains and equipped them with a hoisting

platform, restrooms for wheelchairs and

other helpful elements. Each day we

dispatch approximately 7,000 trains and

almost two-thirds of them have barrier-free

access. Ceské dráhy thus fulfils one of the

main roles of a national carrier, which is

ensuring network transport servicing for all

passengers, not only in the Czech Republic

but also reaching out to Central Europe.

Improved offer and services to passengersCeské dráhy is a customer-oriented company that provides services for

all kinds of customers. One of the most sought-after services in the

Czech Republic is the transport of bicycles. CD currently provides this

service in approximately 6,500 trains, including Pendolino and Railjet

trains. Modern services also include Wi-Fi connection which is being

gradually installed both in long-distance express trains and in new

commuter and regional trains.

We pay great attention to modern communication technologies

both as part of our own rail operation and with respect to our

customers. For instance, all trains running on main corridors, or just

going to the junction stations of these corridors, are now equipped

with the GSM-R system. Train conductors have portable cash

registers with an on-line connection to the central sale server, which

facilitates and speeds up ticket control, especially if tickets were

purchased via the e-Shop.

Ceské dráhy on-linePurchasing e-tickets via CD’s e-Shop is a popular sales tool and the

number of transactions using this method is constantly growing;

our passengers made 1.9 million transactions in 2013, with approxi -

mately 800,000 more in 2014. We fully expect a similar trend

in the future. CD’s e-Shop sells domestic tickets that also include

discounts and all stations in the Czech Republic. There is a

wide selection of e-tickets to many places in Germany, Austria,

Slovakia and selected destinations in Poland, Hungary, Denmark,

Switzerland and Slovenia. E-tickets can be purchased not only

on the Internet but also via smartphones; our latest application

‘Muj vlak’ provides fast information about timetables, current

operations and train delays and sells tickets. This application

became popular very quickly among users and received several

professional recognitions.

International passenger transportWe keep developing traditional international cooperation and

restoring disrupted connections, such as the route Aš–Selb. Starting on

13 December 2015, nine pairs of direct international passenger trains

run every day through the new border crossing on the return route

Hof–Aš–Cheb–Marktredwitz. Passenger transport on this route was

restored after approximately 70 years when the viaduct over the

Ohre River was taken down, which disrupted the train connection for

many years. Our passengers can now also take a direct Stadler train

from Liberec all the way to Szklarska Poreba in Poland; the train used to

end in Harrachov where passengers had to switch to a train of another

carrier. New trains to Poland also go to the border with the Moravia-

Silesian region. With the agreement of the Silesian province and the

Polish carrier Koleje Slaskie, we dispatch four pairs of passenger electric

train-sets EN57 from Bohumín to Katowice / Racibórz / Rybnik and back

through Chałupki. Six pairs of passenger diesel train-sets Regionova

now run between Frýdek-Místek, Ceský Tešín and Cieszyn every two

hours during the day. The current timetable shows a direct connection

with a sleeper coach between Prague and Kiev that we have restored in

cooperation with the Ukrainian Railways. The sleeper coach of the

Ukrainian Railways has special equipment for changing bogies in

the border crossing station Chop where the track gauge changes from

1,435mm to 1,520mm. The last direct train connection between Prague

and Kiev was provided through Poland on the route Prague–Cracow–

Kiev in 2011. On this currently restored route used to run the famous

express train ‘Dukla’ providing transport between Prague, Košice and

Kiev and all the way to Moscow until the beginning of the 1990s.

The joint project of CD and ÖBB connecting Prague, Brno, Vienna and

High-speed Railjet trains

Graz with Railjet trains proved to be very

successful. These trains consist of seven

blue CD units and three red ÖBB units.

Thanks to these new train-sets running

since December 2014, passenger numbers

grew considerably, both in international

and in domestic transport. Starting with the

current timetable, the journey from

Prague to Vienna is shorter by approxi -

mately 10 minutes. For the first time in

history, a journey by train between our

capital cities takes less than four hours.

Furthermore, the train connection to Berlin

and Hamburg is very important to us. This is

where we shall gradually put in service a

fleet of modernised trains to further

improve the quality of transport services

and to attract more passengers. All our trainsets on this route shall have

a coach for wheelchair users, an enclosed children’s compartment

with a room for a baby buggy as well as a coach for transporting

bicycles. The trainset shall also have Wi-Fi that has become a standard

part of domestic and international connections.

Liberalisation and competition in the Czech Republic In spite of the growing competition, we have maintained our market

share both in passenger and freight transport. Our strategic goal is to

create a strong CD Group focusing on three basic areas: passenger

transport, freight transport and support activities such as repairs.

For us, market liberalisation means that we have to be more effective

and cheaper and provide better services than our competitors.

Our big advantage lies in our network transport servicing, longstanding

support and good business relations built-up over time.

We have become actively involved in drafting legislative changes

that are to prepare the Czech Republic for full market liberalisation in

passenger transport. Other carriers can now compete for the favour

of passengers in the Czech Republic; however, there is no independent

market regulator, the mutual recognition of tickets has not yet been

resolved, and the role of a national carrier, which every state should have,

has not yet been defined, etc. Meanwhile, we watch private companies

taking over profitable routes, which is exhausting the infrastructure

capacity for regional passenger transport as well as for freight transport.

It mostly concerns the third corridor between Prague and Ostrava. There

are growing disputes among carriers who expected state-owned

Ceské dráhy to relinquish these profitable connections to them, which,

however, Ceské dráhy as a business company cannot and quite logically

does not want to do. Our goal is to service the entire Czech Republic and

abroad to avoid a breakdown of the train connection network where one

can travel with a single ticket under the same transport conditions and

with the same services across the entire Czech Republic.

Freight transportOur subsidiary company CD Cargo, a.s., which transports all kinds of

freight, such as raw materials, high value-added products, containers

and special shipments, leases train coaches and provides siding and

other transport services, is gradually getting recognised on the

international market. In terms of annual transport volume, it is

one of the five biggest rail freight carriers in the EU’s Member States.

CD Cargo services customers at approximately 1,000 places in the

Czech Republic and, through its subsidiary companies, across Europe as

well. It currently operates trains in Poland (mostly with black coal),

Slovakia and Hungary (intermodal) and Germany (automotive).

The combination of the ‘last mile’ on the home territory and complete

train loads in Central Europe gives CD Cargo a unique opportunity to

maintain and develop its leading position among European carriers in

an increasingly competitive environment of future rail freight transport.

The transportation via rail of containers between China and Western

Europe also has great potential.

Railway Research Institute – VUZ, a.s. VUZ is an important part of the Ceské dráhy Group, accredited and

authorised to perform comprehensive activities related to rolling stock

and general rail equipment testing and certification. The VUZ

Accredited Testing Laboratory performs driving properties and safety

tests, brake tests, traction tests, noise tests (in compliance with TSI),

electrical and power supply system tests, electromagnetic compatibility

tests, power collector tests, plus tensile strength and fatigue tests.

The Testing Centre Velim has two test circuits; the Dynamic Testing

Laboratory and the Training Centre is especially important. The large

rail circuit makes it possible to test typical trains with maximum speeds

of 210km/h and tilting trains with maximum speeds of 230km/h. It also

has a platform for aerodynamic tests in compliance with TSI HS RST, a

noise section and two noise measuring stations in compliance with TSI

CR – noise and TSI HS RST, ETCS L1 and ETCS L2 systems and GSM-R

signal coverage. Thanks to these parameters, the majority of

developed, manufactured and certified trains are tested at the Testing

Centre Velim.

CZECH REPUBLIC




Pavel Krtek graduated from the French state technicaluniversity – Ecole Centrale Paris. He became a Member of the Board of Directors of České dráhy in February 2014 and was elected the Head of the national carrier on 10 November 2014. In September 2015, the GeneralAssembly of the Community of European Railway andInfrastructure Companies (CER) appointed him asMember of the CER Management Committee.

Fast and comfortable – ČD’s Pendolino trains

CZECH REPUBLIC




The Czech railway industry has 200 years of tradition behind it. The

former Ringhoffer wagon plant in Prague, the wagon plant at

Kopřivnice, the first Czech-Moravian machine works in Prague – later

CKD, ŠKODA plants in Pilsen, together with a range of other producers,

have always been at the top of their professions. The quality of their

products is proven through large export orders.

This long-standing tradition is successfully linked with the present

representatives of the Czech railway industry who do not just rely on

tradition but invest significantly into the development of new products,

in the use of new technologies, in the renewal of production plants, and

who strive for higher labour efficiency. This has secured it a stable

position within the European region.

Currently, the Association of Czech Railway Industry (ACRI) member

companies employ 22,000 people in the Czech Republic, and their

annual turnover is more than CZK 84 billion (approximately €3.1 billion),

of which exports account for 54%. ACRI firms contribute significantly to

employment and GDP creation in the Czech Republic.

ACRI members export their products and services, especially to the

member states of the European Union, Balkan countries, Turkey and

Russia. Their products, such as train control systems, locomotives

and tram cars, are of the highest European standards. The Czech

railway industry is at the top of its game among European manu -

facturers, and Czech companies are in a position to compete with

Europe’s railway giants.

Samples of recent export achievementsAmong its export achievements, it is worth mentioning the recent

contract for the delivery of six sets of carriages and six locomotives from

Czech know-howcontinues to pushthrough demandingrail marketsWith recent significant contract-wins and proven industry know-how, Marie Vopálenská, General Director of theAssociation of Czech Railway Industry (ACRI) believes that Czech companies are in a firm position to competewith Europe’s railway giants.

We delivered our first railway system already in the early 1990s.

The great demand for our TMS and CTC (Traffic Management)

expertise has now made us incorporate our railway activities in

a separate company – Cactus Rail.

This will enable us to increase our focus and commitment to the

railway of tomorrow – and your needs.

After 25 years in the railway business, we proudly introduce Cactus Rail.

www.cactusrail.seRAIL

ŠKODA Transportation to Germany for Deutsche Bahn Regio, plus the

delivery of tram cars from the same manufacturer to a number of

European and non-European cities. Furthermore, CZ Loko is busy

trading with the Baltic States, Belarus and the Balkan states, and AŽD

Praha is helping to modernise railways in Slovakia, the Balkans and

Turkey, while railway wheels from Bonatrans can be found practically all

over the world, and the same is true of anti-friction bearings from ZKL.

Rolling stockŠKODA Transportation will supply 39 single-deck electric units to

Germany, with a total contract value in excess of €380 million.

The RegioPanter-type vehicles will operate on the suburban lines

of the Bavarian city of Nuremberg.

ŠKODA Transportation Group is also active and successful in the

demanding Chinese market. A new tram car, type 27T, was recently

introduced and is technically based on the design of the ForCity

tram car family, meeting the latest technical and safety parameters.

It can even be driven alternatively by battery or hydrogen fuel cells.

Moreover, ŠKODA Electric is now supplying drives and motors for

40 metro sets in the Chinese city of Suzhou. This is proof that Czech

know-how can push through even in the most demanding markets.

The new tram car follows the successful development of these

cars in the ŠKODA factory. Nowadays the company is producing

tram cars for the Slovak capital city of Bratislava, and has already

been completing the second contract for the Turkish city of Konya.

Furthermore, the company continues to manufacture tram cars for

Prague; these will feature a new design.

ŠKODA Vagonka has successfully delivered 10 electric train units

manufactured for Lithuanian railways. The value of the contract

exceeded two billion CZK. The type 575 bi-level train sets,

manufactured by the ŠKODA Transportation subsidiary, significantly

helped to innovate Lithuanian mainline railway trainsets, since the

vehicles from Ostrava are operating between the cities of Vilnius

and Kaunas.

ŠKODA Transportation’s new 109E Emil Zátopek locomotive has

obtained approval to be put into operation on all German railways.

Approval had already been obtained before this in five other countries

– Austria, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. It was just

the second locomotive in the world to obtain the TSI High Speed RST

certificate, necessary for the European interoperability of a high-speed

railway system.

Latvian national operator LDz has selected CZ Loko to

remanufacture 14 Type 2M62U twin-section diesel locomotives used by

its freight subsidiary LDz Cargo. The 14 locomotives will retain only the

bogies and underframes from the donor units, which will be extensively

reconditioned and given new engines, traction equipment and body

shells developed by the Czech builder.

CZECH REPUBLIC

The Association of Czech RailwayIndustry (ACRI)ACRI represents the Czech rail manufacturing industry. The Associationgathers over 50 of Czech’s leading large and SME rail supply companies,who are active in the design, manufacture, maintenance and refurbishmentof rail transport systems, subsystems and related equipment. ACRIrepresents its members’ interests at a national level and via its membership atUNIFE, also at a European level.

CZECH REPUBLIC




SignallingAŽD Praha – Czech producer and supplier of control

and signalling equipment – has equipped the

13.3km-long loop at the Velim test centre with ETCS

Level 2, and has won a significant contract with the

Belarusian Railways.

Signalling equipment worth approximately

350 million CZK will be supplied by AŽD Praha for the

railway line Žlobin–Gomel in Belarus; the eighth

largest Czech contract for the region.

Furthermore, AŽD Praha signed a contract for

work amounting to €3.1 million for delivery and

installation of signalling equipment for the railway

corridor Kumanovo–Beljakovce in Macedonia.

ComponentsIn 2013, Bonatrans India Pvt. Ltd was founded. Currently, the plant for

the wheel and axle machining and assembly of complete wheelsets is

under construction. The opening is scheduled for mid-2016.

Development and manufacturing of brake systems for metro

vehicles has been a major part of Dako-CZ activities. The company

successfully completed many projects, mainly in co-operation with

Siemens AG. Currently, Dako-CZ is getting ready to supply brake

systems for metro vehicles in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.

Siemens AG will supply 74 Inspiro metro trains for two lines of the

Riyadh metro, which will be equipped with Dako brakes.

This significant order will start in April 2016 when the first four brake

units will be delivered. The Riyadh metro project will is due to open in

September 2017.

Prospects for the Czech railway industryThe Czech railway industry has tremendous potential. Investments in

this sector will have a ‘multiplier’ effect on domestic and economic

development; they will have a favourable impact on employment, will

improve the quality of transport services and lead to a higher culture of

travelling, while also raising the export performance of enterprises.

In general, the Czech railway network will require considerable

investments over the next few years to attain the desired standard.

In particular, this means investment in the development of railway

infrastructure, in addition to the completion of railway corridors and the

modernisation of key railway junctions.

We must not forget about regional railway lines either. To be

competitive, we must fit the main corridors with the ERTMS/ETCS,

modernise freight corridors passing through the Czech Republic,

harmonise the costs of all types of transport, invest in the modernisation

and purchase of new carriages and, last but not least, start preparations

for the construction of high-speed lines that will free-up the

conventional lines for freight transport to operate on.

Last but not least, there is the issue of drawing money from the

funds earmarked for the current programming with the aim of maxi -

mising support for the modernisation and development of railways and

rail transport in the Czech Republic.

The rail sector is very complex. Owing to its history, railways are

bound by an unbelievably complicated system of regulations.

In addition, railways were developing unevenly in different countries,

so that the operation of railways in Europe has not, to this day, been

unified, as regards both regulations and technical equipment. A help in

this respect should be the adoption of Technical Specifications for

Interoperability. For the time being, however, their introduction is seen

rather negatively by the technical community.

Nevertheless, there are many partial areas, on which attention

must be focused. But from a global point-of-view, research and

developmental activities must focus on the adoption of a

uniform European railway system. Such a system would make railway

transport more cost efficient and more environmentally-friendly.

This is a matter of principle. On the other hand, the fact is that

technical branches do not have an easy life today. In comparison

with other branches they are highly demanding both in the knowledge

of students and the cost of the equipment in schools at different levels

that would be needed. This is especially true of the railway sector. In

view of the complex character of the branch, the training of

new technicians takes a very long time. Therefore it would be

desirable that technical education receive preferential treatment from

the state authorities. This also naturally applies to the railway sector.

Otherwise, there is a danger that in a few years certain professions will

completely disappear, and this will have a strong negative impact on

the whole sector.

However, on the other hand, a long-term development strategy

cannot be built on short-term fluctuations of economic cycles. The basis

for securing resources to finance railways is to include these priorities

in the currently prepared operational programme for the area of

transport so that the first investments in rail freight corridors and

the modernisation of lines to allow trains to travel at a speed

of 200km/h can be made in the 2014-2020 period, and the financing of

new high-speed lines, including the fulfilment of the interoperability

conditions, ensured.

Marie Vopálenská has been General Director of ACRI – the Association of Czech Railway Industry – since 2003.Her core professional experience includes an expertconsultancy in areas of railway infrastructure and publictransport focusing on interoperability. As graduatedInformatics Engineer from CZU, Marie has worked atDHL in marketing and at Mikroelektronika as Area SalesManager for Latin America. Between 2003 and 2009,Marie worked on a development project in Indonesia.

ŠKODA’s 109E locomotive – the second locomotive in the world to obtain the TSI High Speed RST certificate

Focusing on projectdelivery to meet long-term goals

The railways of Russia hold special strategic importance for the country,

providing a unified economic system which ensures the stable

operation of industrial enterprises and is the most available type of

transport for millions of people in the country.

During the time that has passed since the establishment of

JSC Russian Railways, we have managed to achieve significant innovative

potential. Technical equipment has significantly improved, equipment for

the automation of production processes has got better, plus forecasting

of risks and effective management of resources have all proved

successful. Furthermore, there are new locomotives on our tracks.

The development of our locomotives was aimed primarily at fleet

renewal and increasing their efficiency by improving their technical

readiness, understanding the expense of fuel and energy and other

resources, plus improving the productivity of locomotive crews.

Today we are using unique practices; some that are being performed

for the first time in the world, and others that are significantly exceeding

worldwide achievements. Among some of these practices include:

■ The world’s first gas turbine locomotive

■ Developing hardware/software to implement energy saving

schedules of passenger and freight trains

■ Implementing a system of digital operational and techno-

logical communication of railway transport on the basis of

the DMR standard

■ Establishing a system of railway automation on the basis of

integrated appliance of track circuits, satellite navigation, local and

distributed digital radio channel

■ Improving the decision support system that provides

comprehensive resource management, risk management and

management of reliability in the life cycle phases of railway

transport objects (URRAN).

At the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games, JSC Russian Railways

managed to fully demonstrate its innovative potential; the games

put focus on us to deliver our wide experience, knowledge and our

The main aim of JSC Russian Railways holding company is to provide a decent and ‘always-available’ service forpassengers, plus provide safe mode of transportation on the Russian railway infrastructure. To meet this aim,Senior Vice-President for Innovation Development – Chief Engineer Valentin Gapanovich, explains that variousinnovative technical and technological inventions have been used.

RUSSIA




RUSSIA




latest developments. But we wouldn’t have

managed to cope with the difficulties that

the games brought if we didn’t have a

powerful background and a serious techno -

logical reserve. We needed to create a

system that not only met the requirements of

the International Olympic Committee, but a

system that also ensured the adoption of

adequate decisions on optimisation in terms

of the volume of construction work.

As a result, and together with partners

from Siemens (Germany), we managed to

develop and approve an automated train

control system. It provides a precise schedule

– up to 1 minute – and quickly adapts to

deviations of trains from the schedule.

The system has no analogues in the world:

no one had ever before organised such an

intense passenger traffic schedule for

the mountain district. With the accurate

schedule, speeds could in some cases

reach 140km/h.

One of the basic elements of the

management system is the information

operating functional block. On the basis of interaction with various

systems it monitors the condition of infrastructure and rolling stock,

forms infrastructure facilities management teams for the preparation of

routes, prioritises the admission of trains and other teams, relates to the

organisation of train service, and also provides appropriate

recommendations to the dispatch centre.

The system solves several major challenges. First of all, it

monitors the movement and manages conflicting situations which could

interfere with the admission of trains. Taking into account these

conflicts, the system calculates the expected forecast schedule

and offers it to the dispatcher. Secondly, the automatic data

exchange between the dispatch centre and locomotives is performed,

upon which the delivery of the new schedule is provided to all moving

trains and is downloaded to the autopilot system, where the mode of

movement of the train is automatically recalculated based on the new

situation on the route segment. This information is also submitted to

the engine driver.

Functioning of the system is ensured by a specialised comm -

unication system through the GSM-R digital channel with the

reservation through the public GSM channel.

The automated management of train movement system which

received the name ‘Sochi-2014’ is now used on the Sochi–Adler–Imereti

resort (Krasnaya Polyana)–Airport line.

As for monitoring the condition of the railway infrastructure, we use

another of our latest innovations: a self-propelled multi-functional

diagnostic laboratory locomotive. For the first time in Russia, the

locomotive has a fully-fledged diagnostic system capable of controlling

the considerable volume of infrastructure parameters. The laboratory

provides the control of a condition of ways, devices of railway automatic

equipment, conducts diagnostics of a contact network and train radio

communication at working speeds up to 100km/h. The system is

universal and is capable of operating both on electrified and non-

electrified sections of track. The control of track parameters is

conducted under the load of 23.5 tonnes per axle. It is especially

important for obtaining more precise diagnostic data characterising the

state of infrastructure objects in the process of train movements.

Within just one check, more than 120 technical infrastructure

objects are controlled, and 140 parameters of an automatic assessment

of results and analytical processing are formed.

Within this project, new high-tech equipment was improved and

installed, including measurement systems of track and rail geometry,

high-speed video control, spatial scanning, control of the contact

network, and the residual magnetisation of

rails. A built-in automatic life-support system

allows the equipment to work in almost all

weather and climatic conditions. Where

functionality is concerned, the laboratory is

the most saturated diagnostic system in the

world. Thus, the structure of the crew

is minimal, and the equipment itself is

extremely compact and is placed in just one

section of the locomotive. Also placed Russian Railways’ measurement laboratory

Over 20,000km of new railway lines are to be laid by 2030

on-board the locomotive are energy supply, heating and air-

conditioning systems.

The economic efficiency implementation of the diagnostic

laboratory is defined by its versatility and high degree of automation.

This system not only replaces a number of specialised wagon-

laboratories (track recording wagon, limiting dimensions observing

station, contact network testing wagon, telemetry and automation

control wagon, radio communication control wagon), but also exceeds

them in terms of functionality. The economic effect has been achieved

due to the reduction of operating costs for diagnostics, since these

wagon-laboratories were released.

Besides, additional economic effect is reached due to a more

complete diagnosis of the railway infrastructure, high measurement

accuracy and reliability of the information received for the areas of

heavy traffic. Information received by the laboratory allows effective

monitoring of a number of objects, predicting transition to a fault state,

conducting planning of repair works and subsequently estimates

their quality.

Therefore, diagnosis and monitoring becomes active components

of infrastructure exploitation, which directly influences its quality and

readiness to solve the challenges it is facing.

Environmental strategyJSC Russian Railways remains among the leaders of railway companies

of the world in energy efficiency and, most importantly, environ -

mentally-friendly freight and passenger transportation.

In 2007, the company adopted an environmental strategy and

we have reduced emissions by 44%. Executing a set of energy

saving measures, which also includes the implementation of innova-

tive development, highly assists to the reduction of the impact on

the environment.

For example, thanks to application of advanced software and

hardware systems, train control is organised according to power

optimum schedules, including the use of automated driving systems.

Significant energy savings have been obtained from the use

of more efficient lighting, as well as from the implementation of

LED technology.

We have also been working on increasing the efficiency of various

technological processes for heating systems, reducing greenhouse gas

emissions by almost 0.5 million tonnes of CO2-eq.

We recently completed work on the creation of production on

utilisation of dangerous organic wastes, including PCBs. During the

construction of the system, Russian scientific and technical

development were applied. The equipment meets all Russian and

European standards of quality and safety. The most modern techniques

of environmental control of production and of utilisation process are

used. The control system is completely automated. The thermal energy

generated in the process of neutralisation is converted into electric

energy and is used in the enterprise. The production capacity of the

system reaches 500kg per hour. Annually the system will neutralise

thousands of tonnes of waste, including waste containing hazardous

substances – PCBs.

Therefore, from the moment JSC Russian Railways was established,

we have been able to execute a number of significant projects for the

industry, highlighting our know-how and inviting investments with

foreign partners into Russia, plus with the localisation of advanced

technologies and creation of new workplaces.

RUSSIA




Valentin Gapanovich graduated from The NovosibirskInstitute of Railway Transport and from The Academy ofthe National Economy of the Russian Government. His experience has included working as the Assistant to thelocomotive engine driver, being the Senior Repairman ofrolling stock, the Assistant Auditor on traffic safety, theChief of a locomotive depot, the Deputy Chief of Western-Siberian railway (branch of JSC Russian Railways),

and the Chief Engineer of the October Railway (branch of JSC Russian Railways). In 2003, Valentin was appointed Vice-President of JSC Russian Railways, and then in 2008 was appointed Senior Vice-President – Chief Engineer of JSC Russian Railways.

By 2030, Russian Railways will spend approximately 3.1 trillion roubles on acquiring new rolling stock

The 6th Eurasia Rail International Rolling Stock, Infrastructure &

Logistics Exhibition will take place at the Istanbul Fuar Merkezi and will

bring together products, services and technologies of international

manufacturers and suppliers from all across the world. The exhibition is

expected to attracted around 10,000 visitors from 70 countries and

provides a effective business platform.

Eurasia Rail 2016 allows professional visitors to meet with the key

companies of the sector and to closely follow the latest developments

and technologies. It will serve as a major platform for sharing sector-

specific information and experience via the conference and seminars to

be held alongside the exhibition.

Moris Revah, Group Director of the organiser (ITE Turkey

Transportation & Logistics), said: “With Eurasia Rail, in 2016 we’ll be

organising an exhibition for the rolling stock industry for the sixth time

– the biggest trade platform of the rolling stock and logistics industry of

the Eurasia Region. With the ITE Group organising 23 trade fairs in

14 countries, we have special expertise in the ‘transportation and

logistics’ industry. And with the Eurasia Rail exhibition, ITE Turkey has

expertise in Turkey and the Eurasia region. Combining the powerful

global network of ITE Group with the experience and portfolio of ITE

Turkey, Eurasia Rail will continue to create a stronger synergy for the

industry. Approximately 85% of the exhibition space is already sold out

and we are excited to be hosting the key companies of the industry and

10,000 professional visitors from 70 countries.”

Moris Revah continued: “In 2016, we’ll again hold conferences and

seminars alongside the exhibition. Key themes and main discussion

topics will include: a rolling stock ‘open session’; the difficulties of intra-

city railway systems; railway legislation/liberalisation; developments

related to railway vehicles; safety management systems; and special

topics for the rolling stock sector. These will all serve as a major platform

for sharing sector-specific information and experience at a senior level.”

The Czech Republic, France, Germany and Italy, which have the

most advanced railway lines in Europe, and People’s Republic of China

which has the highest number of high-speed train lines in the world, will

all be attending the exhibition with their national pavillions. Plus, Iran,

which has became one of the major target markets of the world after

removal of the embargoes, and the Russian Federation which is the

second rated country with the longest railway system in the world, will

both be participating at the exhibition with their national pavillions.

Since the first time the event was organised, The Ministry of

Transportation, Maritime Affairs and Communications of Turkish

Republic, Turkish State Railways, TÜVASAŞ, TÜDEMSAŞ and




Eurasia Rail 2016 will be held in Istanbul, Turkey

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SHOW PREVIEW

Known as the ‘only rolling stock industry exhibition of the Eurasia Region and as the 3rd biggest rolling stockindustry exhibition of the world’, Eurasia Rail returns for 2016 on 3-5 March in Istanbul, Turkey. Playing host to300 participant companies from 30 countries and attracting approximately 10,000 professional visitors from 70 countries, the event brings together decision-makers of the industry via its conference and seminars to be heldconcurrently with the exhibition.

SHOW PREVIEW




TÜLOMSAŞ have participated as exhibitors.

In addition to these organisations, Eurasia

Rail is also supported by KOSGEB.

Products featured at Eurasia RailEurasia Rail will play host for companies to

feature many products under many different

categoris, including: public transport rail

cars; freight cars; locomotives; magnetic

levitation trains; narrow-gauge railway

vehicles; special-purpose cars; inter-

modal transport vehicles; driving gears;

maintenance services; cleaning services;

restorat ion services; ra i l inter iors;

energy.electrical components; railway track

machinery; track equipment and tools;

station buildings; technical equipment;

building materials; overhead line equipment;

station and stop premises; passenger

information systems; passenger fare

management; parking area management;

cleaning/waste disposal; safety and control systems; transport

management; data processing; information technology; quality

assurance systems; components for information technology;

location and navigation systems; software/software development;

tunnel construction; tunnel maintenance; tunnel safety features; tunnel

building materials; clothing and workwear; and many others.

The attraction of Eurasia RailEurasia Rail attracts key decision-makers and buyers from a wide range

of organisations, including:

■ Local and international rolling stock operators

■ Local and international municipalities

■ Heavy industry establishments

■ Construction establishments

■ Local and international media

■ Local and international finance corporations

■ Engineering and consultacy establishments

■ Rolling stock whole salers, retailers

■ Military bodies

■ Technology establishments

■ Electrification and signalling establishments

■ Infrastructure establishments

■ Spare parts producers

■ State railways executives

■ Ministry of transportation executives.

Why Turkey?By 2023, $350 billion of investment is to be made to the transport

sector, with $45 billion to be allocated to the railways. In the regional of

3,500km of high-speed, 8,500km of fast rail lines and 1,000km

of conventional lines are to be achieved, totaling 13,000km of railways

to reach a total of 25,000km of railways. There are plans to increase the

share of rail passenger transport in the transport sector by 1% to total

10% and a 4.4% rise in the share of freight transport to 15%.

The previous eventThe 5th edition of Eurasia Rail was held in March 2015, and brought

together 274 participant companies from 26 countries and

6,268 visitors from 68 countries.The representatives of the public

and private sector as well as academicians joined the conference which

was held alongside the exhibiton. Among the main discussion topics of

the 2015 conference were: the latest developments in the global

railways industry; high-speed train technologies; and an assessment of

the potential for regional cooperation in infrastructure.

About ITE TurkeyITE Turkey is the Turkish affiliate of international trade events organisa -

tion company ITE Group Plc. Organising leading trade events in the

leading sectors of Turkey, ITE Turkey is comprised of YEM Fuarcılık,

EUF – E Uluslararası Fuar Tanıtım Hizmetleri, Ekin Fuar, Platform

Uluslararası Fuarcılık and TF Fuarcılık companies.

ITE Turkey organises the leading trade events of Turkey for

the construction, tourism, cosmetics, food, fashion, energy, packaging,

construction machinery, rail system and logistics industries and gets

its power from its profound experience in Turkey and the region

and from the global network of the ITE Group, which it is an affiliate of.

ITE Turkey, the Turkish affiliate of ITE Group Plc., which organises over

240 exhibitions and conferences annually at global levels with

over 1,000 experienced personnel from 32 offices in 20 countries,

offers opportunities for new business deals, partnerships and

purchasing agreements by opening its powerful global network in the

exhibition industry to every sector it operates in and contributes to

the growth of these industries.

European Railway Review is pleased to be Media Partner with Eurasia Rail 2016

Date: 3-5 March 2016 Location: Istanbul, TurkeyWebsite: www.eurasiarail.eu

Various conferences will be held during Eurasia Rail 2016

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Signalling &Telecommunications

SUPPLEMENT

30 The ERTMS ambition: a European successhanging in the balance Libor Lochman, Executive Director, and Jean-Baptiste Simonnet, Senior Technical Advisor, CER

33 ERTMS success: long-term planning and stability Monika Heiming, Executive Director, EIM

36 UIC ERTMS World Conference SHOW PREVIEW

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SPONSORED BY:

The ERTMS ambition:a European successhanging in the balance

Not ‘just’ another signalling system in Europe ERTMS is more than a popular signalling system already deployed in

30 countries around the world. ERTMS is primarily a European ambition

enabling the convergence towards harmonised railway target systems

and, ultimately, the Single European Railway Area.

However, this ambition is not without challenges: a business

challenge for European rail operators, who must contend with the high

cost of migrating to ERTMS from their current national systems and

the double equipment this requires during the transition period; an

industrial challenge for the rail suppliers, called to deliver single,

Recognised as the voice of European railways for more than 25 years, the role of the Community of EuropeanRailway and Infrastructure Companies (CER) is to represent the interests of its members by actively providinginput to EU policy. Their objective is to contribute to a regulatory environment that enhances businessopportunities for European railway operator and infrastructure companies. With regards to the European Railway Traffic Management System (ERTMS), CER monitors and evaluates the implementation of ERTMS policiesin close cooperation with its members. As CER’s Executive Director Libor Lochman and Senior Technical AdvisorJean-Baptiste Simonnet explain, it is through CER’s permanent dialogue with the legislators and otherstakeholders that they are able to provide strategic visions as well as detailed opinions on the laws in order topromote better regulation for ERTMS development and deployment.

SIGNALLING & TELECOMMUNICATIONS S U P P L E M E N T




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uniform, compatible products despite having to comply with various

national specifications; and finally, a heavy and demanding regulatory

challenge for the policymakers tasked with defining ERTMS.

A detailed specification forms part of the European mandatory

regulatory framework for ERTMS. Deadlines for deployment are

set and some national as well as EU public funding is made avail-

able. Still, although general principles have been defined to allow

the emergence of a good system, the regulatory provisions must

be fine-tuned or amended to ensure that ERTMS will safeguard the

general interests of improving rail competitiveness and ensuring

pan-European interoperability.

Cooperation and concerted action by all rail industry actors – the key to ERTMS successThe objective of ERTMS is to develop and to deploy a single European

control/command and signalling system that is fully interoperable

across borders, that can be delivered by a broad supply base, and that

will evolve based on compatibility principles. Interoperability and

compatibility are collective European challenges, and CER, supported

by the UIC (the International Union of Railways) and the ERTMS Users

Group, is doing its utmost to cooperate with the European Railway

Agency (ERA), as well as other institutions and railway representative

bodies, in order to reach a consensus resulting in mutual benefits.

ERA’s central role as the ERTMS system authority has recently been

confirmed in the context of the Fourth Railway Package. It appears now

to be getting down to the real process of ERTMS specification

development and implementation. This can only be of benefit if the

process is based on cooperation between all actors involved in ERTMS

development and deployment.

The last conference on ERTMS organised by ERA was entitled

‘Turning a mature system into a business case’. We are however in a

difficult phase, where large investments are necessary in the short and

medium-term, while the full benefits of interoperability, standardisation

and economies of scale will only appear over time. During this migration

period, ERTMS must not become an economic factor disadvantaging

railways in intermodal competition. It is essential

that the required investments and life-cycle

costs for on-board as well as track-side

equipment be reduced.

While ERTMS specification now seems

mature enough to allow large-scale deploy -

ment, ERTMS products and certification

processes still need to be improved. Due to

various national rules and product incompati -

bilities, it is still possible for an ERTMS train,

compliant with the last ERTMS specifica-

tion (baseline 3) and authorised by the appropriate bodies, to be

unable to run on all European ERTMS lines. Urgently achieving full

interoperability of ERTMS on-board equipment without any

further delay must be the key objective in ERTMS development.

A constructive and relevant dialogue must be established to identify

and solve diverging views between safety authorities, infrastructure

managers and manufacturers, for the benefit of ERTMS users – the

railway undertakings.


Railway signalling needs to evolve in the

coming years

ERTMS evolution: time for European ambition but also discipline Railway signalling needs to evolve in the coming years. Infrastructure

capacity has to be used to the maximum extent possible or for the

lowest cost. When planning the long-term evolution of ERTMS, it is

essential to take into account the technological and economic

environment surrounding the system, as well as legacy considerations

(many older national systems are already in place and have to

be interfaced with ERTMS). A strategic roadmap for the system’s

evolution must guide its development. If ERTMS equipment is to

become the unique criteria in terms of control command and signalling

for access to the railway lines and networks in Europe, we must consider

how to manage its technological improve -

ment and consistency vis-à-vis other signalling

systems like Communication Based Train

Control (CBTC).

Pilot projects on specific lines should drive

the increasing maturity and the continuous

technological improvement of the system

over the next years, and promising develop -

ments can already be identified. With ERTMS

Level 3, less trackside equipment will be

necessary, and virtual coupling will allow the

best use to be made of infrastructure capacity.

If it is deployed in conjunction with Automatic

Train Operation (ATO), optimised speed

profiles will be achieved, improving punctuality and reducing energy

consumption. Through satellites, sensors and enhanced automation,

we can undoubtedly expect the operational and safety performance of

railways equipped with ERTMS to keep getting better.

Digital technologies will certainly open up many new opportunities

for the evolution of railway signalling. ERTMS hardware components

will get less and less specific. If telecom operators provide appropriate

5G coverage of the railway infrastructure, one could imagine 5G

sensors allowing not only to reduce maintenance needs, but also

offering a solution for train integrity checks. New communication

services may also be defined, offering efficient alternatives to today’s

mobile rail radio (GSM-R). However, ambition for ERTMS must go

hand-in-hand with discipline. We must always question how to make the

best use of new technologies while retaining ERTMS as a modular

platform delivering interoperability and allowing true benefit for the

railway users. Technology is constantly changing and consequently

affecting the life cycle of equipment. As railways become increasingly

dependent on external technology, their entire approach to asset

management will inevitably change and it will be more and more

important to find consensus within the sector and with the supply

industry on key user requirements which support interoperability,

performance and low costs.

From individual non-coordinated decisions to a stable and complete ERTMS specification for all The current challenge is to define a framework facilitating the migration

to ERTMS. To allow the convergence towards fully interoperable

products, it is crucial for the mandatory specification to remain stable

during a sufficiently long period. This specification can be stable only if

no new changes are introduced affecting the backward and forward

compatibility between products. The stability period should allow fleet

owners to equip their trains without facing unpredictable and costly

retrofitting. For infrastructure managers, this time should allow them to

get rid of any network access criteria related to control command and

signalling not included in the ERTMS specification. In addition, with a

stable mandatory specification for ERTMS, the system costs will begin

to be predictable, in particular for railway undertakings.

If the specification as it currently stands can remain stable over a

sufficiently long period, many trains equipped today with ERTMS would

probably keep the same hardware for another decade. For the interface

between ERTMS components and between ERTMS and the train, the

specification should however be further developed, so as to offer

harmonised solutions to be deployed across Europe, regardless of

national differences in safety and operation rules. This fine-tuning would

facilitate product upgrade, in particular the migration to a future new

baseline specification or a ‘plug-and-play’ approach to ERTMS-related

modules like ATO. It seems essential to progress towards

modularisation and to fully specify some form of interface within the

system (grey box approach as opposed to today’s black box approach).

There is no shortage of ideas on ways to achieve this; the real task now

is to collectively refine them and settle on a common approach for their

introduction into a comprehensive and coherent specification.

A true European governance enabling the involvement of all

ERTMS stakeholders and decision-makers is now a must. Infrastructure

managers will have to deliver reliable ERTMS implementation timelines

as well as decommissioning plans for national signalling/train protection

systems. Tendering for ERTMS must be simplified and specific

requirements have to be identified and harmonised so they do not

jeopardise economies of scale and interoperability.

Development must deliver on-time, fully mature, compatible

systems. Disciplined evolution and configuration management

mechanisms have to be applied in order to avoid the current problem

of several ERTMS ‘dialects’ affecting interoperability. Year-after-year,

ERTMS is getting more structured; a Europe-wide programme is on the

way. As long as product development, the appetite for evolution and

the needs of day-to-day operations are well managed, it cannot fail to

become a success.





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.

Jean-Baptiste Simonnet has been Senior TechnicalAdviser at CER since 2012. He graduated from theGrenoble Polytechnical Institute in 2000, and worked asProgramme Management Officer in the defence andaeronautic industry, steering the design, certification andsupport of safety critical systems. In 2007, Jean-Baptistejoined SNCF and acted as Project Buyer for new-buildtrain tenders and contracts. As CER Senior TechnicalAdviser, Jean-Baptiste covers a range of technical issues

including rolling stock, safety and ERTMS regulations.

Digital technologies will

certainly open up many new

opportunities for the evolution of

railway signalling

As an officially recognised body, EIM acts directly with the European

Railway Agency (ERA) and the European Commission (EC) both on a

political and technical level. The technical expertise available via the

180 experts working in the 16 different EIM technical working groups

has contributed significantly to the development of the European

railway’s regulatory framework.

Both technical and operational aspects play a crucial role when

deploying ERTMS. In order to achieve the Single European Railway

Area (SERA) both aspects need to be taken into account. It is often the

case today that ERTMS is deployed to the track side in parallel to an

existing Class B system (the national signalling system) which often has

decades of lifespan remaining. This leads to a situation where the

train drivers have to know two sets of operational rules and the infra -

structure managers have to maintain two systems instead of a one. This

is a unique challenge to railways which needs to be properly managed.

EIM’s role in developing ERTMSIn 2015, ERA adopted a new process for drafting its annual work

programme titled Single Programming Document (SPD). EIM was

involved in the development of the following five strategic activities in

the SPD with the industry:

■ Harmonised Approach to Safety

■ Removing Technical Barriers

■ A Single EU Train Control and Communication System





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ERTMS success: long-term planningand stability The association of European Rail Infrastructure Managers (EIM) was established in 2002 to promote the interestsand views of independent infrastructure managers in Europe. With 12 members and two associate members, EIM represents over 50% of the EU’s railway lines. Currently, all EIM members have ERTMS projectsimplemented, ongoing or under planning for future deployment, establishing them as the key players in thedevelopment of ERTMS. But as EIM Executive Director Monika Heiming explains, in order for progression andsuccess, the industry end-users must make their voices heard.

■ A Simplified access for Customers

■ The Evaluation, Management and Resources.

EIM was the industry lead for the activity related to

ERTMS development, ‘A Single EU Train Control and

Communication System’.

As an industry lead EIM introduced several

proposals amending the original ERA SPD 2016 and

has taken the position that the quality of ERTMS

products has to be made a top priority. A crucial part

in this process is the performance of the Notified

Bodies (NoBos) whose assessment is needed both

for the EC certification of products and for the

authorisation for placing subsystems into service.

EIM members have had suboptimal experiences

with the quality of ERTMS products which have been

certified by a NoBo. It has to be remembered that

NoBos are the clients of the ERTMS suppliers, which

causes a conflict of interest. This is a situation which is

unbearable – in aviation for example, products which

have received certification but yet fail to comply with the relevant

EU laws would not be allowed on the market for long. EIM is pleased to

see that ERA is about to release a certification scheme for the

Accreditation of Notified Bodies and hope to see the scheme result in a

reduction of NoBos issuing certification to products of poor quality.

EIM members already collect this information and are considering

creating a public database of non-compliant ERTMS products as a

service to its members.

EIM also sees that the selection of ERTMS Change Requests (CRs)

for the future development of ERTMS has to be conducted in

co-operation with the sector; this applies both for the GSM-R and ETCS.

EIM has been voicing this position actively vis-à-vis the EU institutions.

Shift2Rail will drive the innovation furtherToday’s control command and signalling systems are mainly static

systems indicating the location of the train and the path allocated to it


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in a safe manner. In the future, these systems should migrate towards

active decision supporting tools which are an integral part of future train

traffic control centres which enable safe operation, energy savings and

predictive operation of the trains. In the railways of the future, trains

should move in ‘green waves’. The introduction of Automatic Train

Operations (ATO) as part of ERTMS will take these developments

further, and Shift2Rail has a major part to play in the development of

these intelligent systems.

The future signalling systems, based on ETCS, will increase the

capacity of the railways. But in order to achieve this, the already

envisaged principles of ERTMS Level 3 have to be brought into daily

business of the railways. These future developments have to be

designed and implemented so that the investments made by

infrastructure managers and railway undertakings into ERTMS today are

protected. This means a proper backwards compatibility and smooth

migration paths have to be assured.

As mentioned, infrastructure managers have legacy signalling

systems with decades of lifespan remaining, and the co-existence of

ERTMS and legacy systems is a reality. This transition from the existing

systems into the systems of tomorrow still has room for some innovation

regarding how to manage the transition process in a safe and cost

effective manner. The challenge is not only technical, but operational

aspects play a key role in this process as well.

Long-term planning and stability of ERTMS is the key to successEIM sees that the role of ERA will increase in the future developments

of ERTMS, to ensure proper stability and its update process. ERTMS

is fundamentally an IT-system; the approach to ‘software bugs’ is

challenging for the infrastructure managers and railway undertakings to

manage today. The process of finding errors is all too familiar to us from

our desktop computers: the manufacturers push out early versions of

the software and the early adaptors of the technology act as the beta

testers. This thinking has to be changed around.

Manufacturers need to start publishing stable products compliant

with the European laws whose compatibility is assured by EC

verifications granted by a qualified and un-biased Notified Body.

The product testing has to be conducted in laboratories rather than

on the line side where ‘installing product update patches’ is time

consuming and causes operational delays.

With the Fourth Railway Package Technical Pillar, ERA will get the

right to pre-assess any tender documents related to ETCS trackside

projects. Although EIM was not in favour of this approach due to

the potential delay and cost increase it could cause to our projects,

if implemented correctly this approach can bring benefits to the

interoperability. The precondition for this is that the ETCS specifications

are free of bugs. Today’s situation where ETCS has been installed with

incompatible bugs is unsuitable and completely demolishes the idea of

interoperable European railways.

EIM members are committed to making the ERTMS into the truly

interoperable system for the European railways. This means that the

voice of the end-users has to be heard at all stages of the process.

EIM has identified cyber security as one of the key aspects which

has to be analysed properly in the field of future railway signalling

systems. This has to be approached via black-box thinking – focusing on

the interoperable component of ERTMS security. In this context this

means system components whose security cannot be managed by one

individual infrastructure manager or railway undertaking, but has to be

tackled with a holistic view on a European level. Railways operate a

unique system from an IT point-of-view; on-board computers are

constantly moving and crossing borders while changing the partner it is

connected with. This will most likely require further standardisation

work in order to facilitate the good practices being applied across

the sector.

Railways are the greenest land transport modeAs a green mode of transport it is clear that Europe cannot lose its

potential when it comes to developing the railways. The railway as a

sector has to facilitate the transition from non-flexible government

owned incumbent monopolies into a customer oriented and cost

effective business. Signalling developments play an important role in

facilitating these changes as railways continue to play a crucial role

in the European economy.

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 has helped develop the association UNIFE in Brussels from 1993 to1997. She also managed and marketed the engineering activities ofEuropean engineering group Europengineers EEIG from 1999 to 2004,before being made Secretary-General of ERFA in January 2005.

The future signalling system, based on ETCS, will increase the capacityof the railways


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Following the successful previous edition in Istanbul (2014), the

12th UIC ERTMS World Conference will take place with technical visits

on 29 February 2016, while two days of plenary sessions will take

place on 1-2 March 2016. Furthermore, a trade exhibition will also be

held during the conference within the main venue.

This international event entirely dedicated to ERTMS and both its

components – ETCS for train control and GSM-R for radio-communi -

cations – has become a worldwide reference for all decision-makers

and railway professionals involved in the development of rail systems

across the world.

The UIC’s purpose in organising this conference is to support and

advance the momentum of ERTMS towards its objective. By bringing

together the most knowledgeable professionals in the business to

speak on a large variety of topics, the UIC ERTMS World Conference

provides the main platform to take stock of progress and to publicly

present an agenda for the future.

Debates, exchanges of experience and best-practice will focus on

the general theme ‘ERTMS – managing long-term safety investment in

a rapidly changing world’.

During the 2016 ERTMS World Conference, the railways and supply

industry will come together to showcase the latest achievements of

ERTMS and prove their commitment to further development and

progress. The technical exhibition will convincingly demonstrate the

supply potential and the application of leading technologies within the

ERTMS concept.

Conference – 1-2 March 2016Session 1: Long-term vision on safety, security and testing Management of the risk; IT/cyber security; How to face the digitalisa -

tion of the railway environment; Challenges when introducing

IP technologies to Railways, GSM-R QoS requirements; experiences of

lab testing vs. field testing; network security; transition management;

human resources aspects.

Session 2: Migration Interoperability issues at the border crossings or inside a country;

GSM-R interferences and envisaged solutions; maintenance efficiency

and reduction of cost for Legacy CCS systems; migration scenarios,

national philosophies and best practices.

Session 3: Global opportunities and challenges Development and implementations of ERTMS outside Europe; new

lines and new environments; technology changes and different

normative to consider; A fair competition among suppliers as a result of

a worldwide standardisation effort.

Session 4: Telecom GSM-R evolution towards IP and PS; dispatchers, network, ERTMS data

transmission; ETSI specifications/ EIRENE and GSM-R specifications

evolution in line with TSI; applicability to network and mobiles;

equipment readiness and capabilities to ensure transition; Interferences

from Public operators, existing solutions, implementation planning,

coordination processes put in place, risks mitigation.

The 12th UIC ERTMS World Conference is being organised by the UIC, the worldwide association of railways, and the Belgian rail infrastructure manager, Infrabel, under the patronage of the Belgian Federal Public Serviceof Mobility and Transport.

SIGNALLING & TELECOMMUNICATIONS S U P P L E M E N T S H O W P R E V I E W




The joint organisers of the 12th UIC ERTMS World Conference





Session 5: Financing and asset management Business cases; understanding and evaluating the return on investment;

optimisation of financial resources; long-term strategy for investments

and visibility of financial effort; System versioning and updating vs.

securing the value of investments in the future; support required by

small-medium RUs.

Session 6: Operations Training/Traffic Management/ maintenance of different assets, how to

deal with different environments for L1LS.

Session 7: Evolution Technological Innovation; IP-based Radio; private network (GSMR) vs.

public networks: pro/contra; Satellite utilisation, where and how;

Automatic Train Operation with ERTMS, when and how, which

interfaces; ERTMS L3, the reasons of a possible development, required

min trackside train detection devices.

VenueThe ‘Square – Brussels Meeting Centre’ (www.square-brussels.com)

is an attractive location in the Centre of Brussels city, prized for its

position and practicality, situated in the cultural quarter of Brussels in

front of the Central Station, with easy access to train connections

and accommodation

Technical visits programmeInfrabel, the Belgian rail infrastructure manager, is closely involved in the

implementation of the unified ETCS train control system on its network.

On 29 February 2016, Infrabel will hold two technical visits dedicated to

the discovery of Liege-Guillemins and Anvers central stations, followed

by the visit of the recently inaugurated Train World Museum in Brussels-

Schaerbeek. Participants will have the choice between the following

two groups:

■ Group 1: Visit to Antwerp Central station and Train World Museum

■ Group 2: Visit to Liège Central station and Train World Museum

Group 1, for 250 participants■ 13h: Welcome and registration at the Square center

■ 13h30: Departure on foot to Brussels-Central station

■ 14h: Train departure at Brussels-Central station to

Antwerp-Central station

■ 15h: Arrival at Antwerp-Central station and break with snacks and

drinks at Antwerp-Central station

■ 15h30: Guided tour of Antwerp-Central station

■ 16h45: Departure to Schaerbeek/Train World Museum

■ 17h45: Arrival at Train World, and visit to Train World Museum

■ 19h30: Cocktail.

Group 2, for 250 participants■ 13h: Welcome and registration at the Square center

■ 13h30: Departure on foot to Brussels-Central station

■ 14h: Train departure at Brussels-Central station to Liège station

■ 15h15: Arrival at Liège and break with snacks and drinks

at Liège station

■ 15h30: Guided tour of the Liège station

■ 16h45: Departure to Schaerbeek/Train World

■ 18h00: Arrival at Train World, and visit to Train World Museum

■ 19h30: Cocktail.

Delegate registrationRegister as a 2016 UIC ERTMS World Conference delegate to exchange

and share your knowledge: this entitles delegates to attend the two day

conference, one of the technical visits, plus the social events, (cocktail

ceremony, gala dinner, after drink). Registration fees and practical

information are available on the official website.

Exhibitor registration and sponsoring opportunitiesThe UIC ERTMS Trade Exhibition will take place in Hall 2 of the

Square Meeting centre, close to the venues where the opening

ceremony, the sessions and the closing sessions are planned to be held.

All coffee breaks and lunches will be held in the exhibition area.

This location will definitively facilitate excellent synergies and

contacts between the participating delegates and the exhibitors.

You can also register to be an official sponsor of the event, raising your

company profile.

AccommodationWe can offer participants a wide choice of 3, 4, and 5 star hotels. Visit

the event website for further information on how to book.

Luc Lallemand, CEO of Infrabel, and Jean-Pierre Loubinoux, DirectorGeneral of the UIC, present the 2016ERTMS World Conference‘Dear colleagues and conference attendees,Infrabel and the UIC are very pleased to jointly organise the 12th ERTMSWorld Conference. For many years, Infrabel has been committed tosupporting ERTMS both on the national and European stage. We firmlybelieve that the move in favour of the ERTMS signalling solution will leadto huge changes in the way that we run our trains.

To start with, ERTMS will make rail transport even safer, which is thenumber one priority for us all. Furthermore, it will have a positive effect onour performance in terms of punctuality and rail network capacity.

We are convinced that a conference of this kind is beneficial to allattendees. It is the ideal time and the perfect platform to exchangeexperiences and knowledge and establish relationships for the future. It will become increasingly important to share knowledge with one another over the next few years. Now that we are gradually shifting from system development to the roll-out of ERTMS, there are bound to be many challenges along the way. We strongly believe that the UIC and the supporting network can help to organise this migration and ensure its success.

Lastly, we trust that you will enjoy all that Brussels has to offer. Someof you are frequent visitors to our capital, while others may seize this uniqueopportunity to make it their first visit. We encourage you to sample thedelights of this wonderful city during your free time; a sense of history anddiversity lies around every corner.’

European Railway Review is pleased to support the 12th UIC ERTMS World Conference

Date: 29 February-2 March 2016Location: Square – Brussels Meeting Centre,

BelgiumWebsite: www.ertms-conference2016.com

Registration is now open

TOPICS THIS YEAR WILL INCLUDE:

Trafikverket: Investments for a new generation of rail travel

Horizon 2020: The DESTination RAIL Project and its implications for the Nordic region

The Norwegian National Transport Plan to 2023

Ensuring the Safety of the Scandinavian Railways

Best Practice in Upgrading Level Crossings

Best in Class ERTMS Deployment

Doubling Denmark’s rail transportation by 2030: Plans and Progress

Sweden’s East Link (Ostlänken)

Sweden’s first high-speed railway

Innovations in Rolling Stock

Maintaining the Region’s Railways

Enhancing Transport Links on Either Side of the Fehmarn Strait

Denmark’s Togfonden Investment Plans

Liikennevirasto Investment Plans

Part of the european railway review series of events

Limited opportunities are available for organisations that wish to present or exhibit at this conference. To discuss sponsorship opportunities please contact Ben Holliday on: +44 (0) 1959 563311 | [email protected]

24 May 2016, Stockholm, Sweden

Register now at: www.scandinavianraildevelopment.com

Hosted by:

Bronze Sponsors:

ENERGY MANAGEMENT




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Introduction ofenergy metering,settlement and billing at SBBIn 2012, the Board of SBB (the Swiss Federal Railways) decided on a new energy strategy, with efficiency andsaving being one of the strategic directions. SBB plans to reduce its yearly energy consumption by 600 GWh,which is about 20% of its total energy consumption, by 2025. Approximately 80% of the total SBB energyconsumption is produced by its own hydro power stations. With the planned reduction, SBB intends to operateexclusively on electricity from renewable sources, thus supporting the strategy of Switzerland for sustainableenergy production and consumption. SBB’s Gisela Hinrichs, Programme Manager for Energy Settlement andBilling, and John Hegarty, Programme Manager for Energy Metering, explain further.

One of the most important conditions for managing energy efficiency is

the introduction of a meter-based energy settlement and billing system.

For years SBB has been billing the rail energy consumption using

approximate consumption factors and planned gross tonne-kilometres.

The consumption factors differ according to various train categories

which had been estimated based on reference measurements.

These are published as part of the yearly SBB Infrastructure List of

Services. Changes to the factors have to be decided approximately

18 months before they come into effect; thus it has been difficult to

reflect individual efforts of Railway Undertakings (RU) to reduce energy

consumption, let alone to enable an immediate payback. Billing based

on measured consumption values will radically change this situation.

Trying to cut down on their operational costs will lead RUs to invest in

energy efficiency. Energy savings by the Swiss RUs are the key success

factor for SBB’s energy saving programme.

The change towards metered energy settlement at SBB requires

a two-fold approach: Firstly to adapt the train path settlement

and billing system of SBB infrastructure to handle metered energy

consumption, and secondly to equip the existing fleet of vehicles with

energy meters. Both projects are headed by the Energy Department

within SBB Infrastructure.

Energy billing – part of train path settlementUnlike other infrastructure managers, SBB is billing the rail energy as an

integrated part of the train path settlement. Being part of this process

sets some very high requirements: train path settlement is a highly

automated process which allows three train path

vendors to settle over 10,000 train runs a day.

Train path costs are calculated for each individual

section of every train run. The monthly billing

process is finished on the fifth working day of

the following month when invoices are sent to the

customers. The SBB solution for metered energy

settlement and billing had therefore to fulfil the very

same constraints.

ERESS – an experienced partnerFor the realisation of this concept, SBB decided to

cooperate with ERESS (the European Partnership for

Railway Energy Settlement Systems) and became a

partner in February 2014. This step posed several

advantages for SBB. Whereas SBB did not have any

experience with energy metering for trains, ERESS

had already started to introduce meter-based rail

energy settlement in 2004. Even more important, SBB could make use

of the existing rail energy settlement and billing system EREX

(European Rail Energy eXchange) which is developed by ERESS and has

now been in operation for nine years; the module EREX Exchange

which is common to all ERESS Partners. It carries out the validation of

metered data and the data exchange with other infrastructure

managers as established in the UIC 930 leaflet. To meet special SBB

requirements, a customised solution of the EREX settlement module

was developed for Switzerland.

The Swiss solution – fully automatedThe aim of the Swiss solution was to integrate the metered data into the

train path settlement process. Furthermore, the energy consumption

should be established per train for each individual train run section.

All actual train run information for trains operating on the SBB network

is available in the Rail Control System (RCS), a powerful IT-application

managing the rail traffic on a real-time basis. Additionally, information

on the vehicles such as weight, composition and above all EVN

(European Vehicle Number) is needed. Various planning and disposition

systems for both passenger and cargo trains deliver this information.

All of the vehicle data is received by the SBB train path settlement

system I-Prix where the vehicle information is linked to each train run.

I-Prix transmits the information via a web interface to the Swiss

settlement module of EREX where the train management data is linked

to the energy consumption data, the key identifier being the EVN.

The energy consumption is then validated and established per

train run section and sent back to I-Prix where the price is calculated.

For trains without meters, the energy consumption is estimated

based on the actual train run data and the published consumption

factors. This process runs daily and is especially time critical at the end

of each month when the invoice is due to be sent out to the customers.

The system also offers train path vendors the possibility to take

corrective actions in order to update train information, if necessary.

With this solution, customers do not need to provide train run

information manually. However, RUs have to make sure that their

systems deliver the EVN, which sometimes is an operational challenge.

As long as all data is delivered completely and correctly, the system can

provide a 100% billing quota. Of course the benefit of the system

can only be realised with metered vehicles. SBB is therefore installing

meters into all vehicles of its passenger and cargo fleets.

The challenge – one solution fits allSBB operates a fleet of approximately 1,200 traction

units of many different types. In order to minimise

operation and maintenance costs, a single uniform

solution for all vehicle types was sought. As the

available space for mounting new equipment is

extremely limited, a key success factor of the one-

solution-fits-all concept was to design a compact

system which would fit in all vehicle types. SBB also

set the goal to implement energy measure-

ment systems which would conform with the new

European standard for energy measurement on-

board trains, EN 50463, released in 2012.

Technical solution – not just for billingFrom a high-level perspective, the technical

ENERGY MANAGEMENT




Figure 1: The SBB energy settlement solution

Figure 2: Components of the Energy Measurement System (EMS)

ENERGY MANAGEMENT




implementation of an energy measurement system in

a train is quite simple. Install an electricity meter,

connect it via voltage and current transducers to the

overhead line, add a data handling unit to compile

the energy data with the location data. Finally,

connect the unit to an antenna to provide GPS-

information and transmit the compiled energy billing

data via the mobile network to a ground server.

As many vehicles are already equipped with

transducers suitable for energy measurement, a

modular system was chosen whereby the energy

calculation and data handling functions are

implemented in a separate device. This gives more

flexibility in the installation design and also better

investment protection due to the different lifetimes

of the components. Following a public tender, SBB

selected the Ecomodule rail energy measurement

device from Microelettrica Scientifica SA, as the

central component of its solution. The Ecomodule incorporates the

energy calculation and data handling functions together with GPS and

GSM interface units into a single compact device.

In addition to the standard energy billing data in 5-minute intervals,

as defined by the EN50463 standard, SBB’s system also supports

1-minute billing data to allow a more accurate allocation of energy data

to train runs as well as for detailed analysis of energy use for efficiency

management. The system can also provide 1-second measurement of

voltage, current and energy which opens the potential for detailed

analysis of traction performance and new applications such as power

management in the rail energy network.

The installation of an additional antenna on the roof of each vehicle

is not only costly, but in some cases almost impossible due to conflicts

with existing roof installations. For this reason a mobile router will be

used on many vehicles which will allow the energy measurement system

to connect to the existing antenna of the vehicle application platform.

Conformity – uncharted territoryA major challenge in the project is conformity assessment. Rail energy

in Switzerland falls under the railway regulatory and legal framework.

However, at the beginning of the project, the railway regulations

contained few specifications for energy measurement and billing.

EN50463 was only first released in December 2012 so that experience

in conformity testing and certification to this standard was very limited,

both within industry and test institutions.

The process defined in the standard required a phased conformity

assessment of the components, the system integration and the

integration of the system into the vehicle. In the course of the project, a

modular approach was developed which builds on the existing

certification of the system components and utilises the standard

technical documentation prepared for the installation personal. In this

way the additional documents required specifically for the conformity

verification is minimised and the assessment process becomes almost a

by-product of the regular engineering and installation process.

At the end of 2015, test vehicles for most of the different SBB

vehicle types have been equipped. The rollout of the installations will be

ramped up in 2016, and by the end of 2018 SBB intends to have all

vehicles equipped with energy measurement systems. At latest by then

every kilowatt-hour saved will count.

Gisela Hinrichs is currently Programme Manager forEnergy Settlement and Billing at the Swiss FederalRailways (SBB), and since 2013 has been responsible for the introduction of energy settlement and billing atSBB Infrastructure. She joined SBB in 2006, holdingprogramme management and executive positions in theareas of ETCS and asset management. Prior to this, Giselaworked as a Project Manager for light-rail vehicles,

industrial automation and customer information projects in Germany,Mexico, the USA and Switzerland. Gisela holds master’s degrees inElectrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Erlangen and in General Management from the University of Berne.

John Hegarty is currently working as ProgrammeManager for Energy Metering at the Swiss FederalRailways (SBB), and since 2013 has been responsible for a5-year programme to equip all of SBB’s vehicles withenergy metering equipment for billing and energyefficiency management purposes. Previously, John helddifferent management functions within SBB and in thetelecommunications sector as well as board membership

for a number of SBB subsidiary companies. He holds a degree in ElectricalEngineering from the National University of Ireland and a master’s degree inBusiness Management from the Bern University of Applied Science and theUniversity of London.Figure 3: Installed energy measurement device on-board a Re450

Figure 4: SBB’s approach to the conformity assessment

Looking ahead toInnoTrans 2016

The last InnoTrans, held in 2014, saw almost 140,000 visitors pass

through the doors, drawn from almost 150 countries. Organisers

recorded 2,761 exhibiting companies (from 55 countries) flocking to

Berlin with wares to promote.

InnoTrans is hosted by trade-fair company Messe Berlin, which

describes the event – one of the biggest in its portfolio – as ‘the driving

force for the entire transport technology market’. It is so vast that the

world’s latest trains glide (all being well) into the exhibition grounds on

‘real’ sidings.

Exclusively for this edition, European Railway Review interviewed

the two leading figures in InnoTrans’s organisational

engine – Kerstin Schulz and Matthias Steckmann

– to ask what’s new this year (see page 44). They are,

as you would expect, passionate about the show, and

tell us in our interview their “hearts beat faster when

we see the first trains arriving” and promise a

“spectacular opening event”.

Berlin bonanzaBut what of the show’s historical context and

Berlin home? Messe Berlin (which would translate

as ‘Fair Berlin’) puts on numerous internationally

renowned trade fairs throughout the year.

The city itself indeed has a rich history as a trade-

fair venue. ITB Berlin (Internationale Tourismus-Börse

Berlin) – ‘the world’s leading travel trade show’ – has

With nine months to go until InnoTrans 2016, organisers of the Berlin event – billed as ‘the leading internationaltrade fair for transport technology’ – are cooking up a corker. The sprawling four-day jamboree has its 11th gathering in September and the organisers are keen to trumpet the increasingly global nature of this festivalof everything from high-speed trains to the latest smart-ticketing gizmos. European Railway Review’sIan Hall finds out more.

SHOW PREVIEW: INNOTRANS 2016




The impressive outdoor exhibition area of InnoTrans





been running for almost five decades and

next lands in March 2016; International Green

Week (International Grüne Woche Berlin)

has been a fixture on Berlin’s exhibition

calendar since 1926 and has just taken place

(15-24 January 2016); and, shuttling into town

just before InnoTrans (it takes place from

2-7 September 2016), IFA (International

Funkausstellung Berlin) focuses on consumer

electronics and home appliances.

The impact of major trade shows on host

cities is considerable, and authorities in the

German capital are inevitably big InnoTrans

fans. A spokesperson for VisitBerlin told

European Railway Review: “InnoTrans is of

big importance for Berlin as it serves as the

industry’s showcase and brings many visitors

to the city, causing a good occupancy rate for Berlin’s hotels.”

International growthFor InnoTrans, Messe Berlin is making a particular play of promoting

the growing number of Turkish, Taiwanese and Chinese comp-

anies exhibiting.

Firms from Armenia and Vietnam will be among the new kids

on the block in 2016, showing – respectively – thermostats and

wastewater/toilets.

Individual attendees are thirsty for innovation: ‘information on (new)

products/technologies/solutions’ was the top motivation cited by

attendees at the last InnoTrans (2014) for heading to Berlin.

The event is divided into five parts: Railway Technology (where in

September you’ll find the Armenian newcomer), Railway Infrastructure,

Public Transport, Interiors (where you’ll find the Vietnamese firm) and

Tunnel Construction. Some attendees will laser in on exhibitors in just

one sector whereas others will have multiple interests.

Although InnoTrans is targeted at trade professionals (in 2014

the organisers reported that 96.2% of visitors were ‘trade’ visitors),

it does have a broader impact, for example upon ‘consumer’-

focused commentators.

For example, Mark Smith, the founder of well-respected rail-travel

website The Man In Seat Sixty-One, tells European Railway Review:

“I have never been to InnoTrans, but it does showcase new rolling

stock that’s not yet in service, so I often get early info on what’s in store

for passengers from all the various media reports.”

Train tech trade focusBut it is the ‘trade’ that InnoTrans fires up the most. In 1996 the event

attracted 172 firms (88% German). A decade on, 2006, was the

final year that the host nation constituted the exhibiting majority

(1,603 firms; 51% German). By 2014 just 40% of the 2,761 exhibitors

were German.

One company excited by InnoTrans 2016 is Bombardier.

A spokesman told European Railway Review: “InnoTrans is the

most important trade show for the rail industry. Bombardier has

been an exhibitor at the event for many

years and will, of course, continue to do so

in 2016.”

The spokesman continued: “We are

looking forward to the outstanding oppor -

tunity to meeting our customers and

suppliers from all over the world in Berlin.

At InnoTrans 2016 Bombardier will showcase

its comprehensive product portfolio as

well as its latest products and innovations

that match the mobility demands of today

and tomorrow.”

Singing from a similar hymn sheet is

Libor Lochman, the Executive Director

of Brussels-based CER (Community of

European Railway and Infrastructure Comp -

anies), and Editorial Board Member of

European Railway Review, who tells us:

“InnoTrans is traditionally a unique platform

Full details of the InnoTrans 2016 Convention will be available in April 2016

A wide range of railway technology will be on display during InnoTrans 2016

to get to know trends and developments in the worldwide railway

sector. The exhibition also offers an excellent occasion to meet

railway experts and engineers from a vast network and discuss

challenges, opportunities and outlook.”

He continues: “The fair also has a political dimension, since the

solutions presented are expected to bring railways closer to

the expectations of customers and policymakers. CER therefore looks

forward to discovering the innovations that can be regarded as the next

step in building a modern, efficient, safe and interoperable European

railway system.”




European Railway Review is pleased to once again support the InnoTrans event. In our print-issues leading up to the event,we will feature editorial from railway operators and infrastructure owners focusing on the key themes that InnoTrans isfamous for. Furthermore, we are offering an exclusive three-tier advertising package for industry supplier companies to takeadvantage of and gain maximum exposure before and during InnoTrans 2016.

For more information, visit www.europeanrailwayreview.com/innotrans-2016

Editorial Opportunities: Craig Waters, Editor – [email protected]

Advertising Opportunities: Ben Holliday, Sales Director – [email protected]


InnoTrans: key facts www.innotrans.de■ Billed as ‘the leading international trade fair for transport technology’■ Takes place every two years in Berlin■ Contains five parts: Railway Technology, Railway Infrastructure, Public

Transport, Interiors and Tunnel Construction■ Will next take place from 20-23 September 2016 at the Berlin Exhibition

Grounds – this will be the 11th InnoTrans■ Hosted by trade fair company Messe Berlin, which forecast annual

turnover of €238m last year (2015)■ The last InnoTrans (2014) attracted 138,872 visitors (including 133,595

trade visitors); 2,761 exhibitors; 46% of visitors were from Germany, and54% non-German

InnoTrans 2016: an interview with the organisers

ERR: What are you most looking forward to at InnoTrans 2016?MS: Our biggest challenge this year will be, ifpossible, to satisfy every attendance request, sinceInnoTrans 2016 will most certainly exceed thecapacity of the exhibition grounds. Even thoughthis trend demonstrates the success of InnoTrans itwould be a pity if, for lack of sufficient space, somecompanies were unable to exhibit at the fair.Unfortunately, as things stand, we may not be ableto avoid that.

ERR: What is the biggest challenge with putting on the event?MS: Year on year the biggest challenge is, ifpossible, to satisfy all the frequently conflictinginterests of our customers. The positive reactionswe receive to InnoTrans are proof that up to now wehave been very successful in that respect.

ERR: What memories stand out from past InnoTrans?KS: Every year the outdoor display site featuring3,500 metres of rail track, along with its exhibits,provides an impressive spectacle. Other highlightsinclude products at InnoTrans shown by companieson the world stage for the first time. The logisticsinvolved, particularly in operating the outdoordisplay site, are among the special challenges atevery InnoTrans. Our hearts beat faster when wesee the first trains arriving. The wide range ofvehicles and high-speed technology shown on thetracks are always impressive. Exhibits includeroad-rail vehicles, locomotives, regional trains,trams, goods trains and many more.

ERR: How has media attendance grown since the first InnoTrans? KS: Media attendance at InnoTrans has grown inline with the fair; 1,127 members of the media from49 countries (including Brazil, China and the UAE)were at the 2014 event.

ERR: Of InnoTrans’ five exhibitionsegments, which ones have grown most?MS: The core segments are Railway Technologyand Railway Infrastructure, which was intro-duced in 2000 shortly after the first fair took place. Both these areas and their themes have grown continuously and they are the ones that have expanded most. The other segments,including Public Transport and Interiors, have alsoevolved into leading specialist displays in their own fields.

In 1996 the first InnoTrans covered a displayarea of around 10,000m2 in four halls. Since then,and over the course of 10 events, this marketingplatform has grown approximately 20-fold and nowcovers around 200,000m2 in 40 display halls.

Highly specialised segments such as TunnelConstruction, Career & Education and TravelCatering, our latest addition, also play an importantrole. In terms of growth, these segments do notcompare with the key themes at InnoTrans, but theydo deal with important common topics and are thusindispensable to the industry.

ERR: When will the finalprogramme/speakers be confirmed? KS: InnoTrans 2016 will kick off with aspectacular opening event. The participants have already been confirmed. They include: the EU Transport Commissioner; the FederalMinister of Transport; the Governing Mayor of Berlin; the CEOs of three vehicle manu-facturers (Alstom, Siemens and Bombardier); theHead of Deutsche Bahn; the President of the Association of German Transport Companies(VDV); and a further guest belonging to aninternational transport company, whose name wewill not yet reveal.

As regards its concept, InnoTrans will continueto focus on the trade fair. At the InnoTransConvention we will also be holding a compact andoutstanding programme of supporting events which

includes the Dialogue Forum, the Rail Leaders’Summit, the International Tunnel Forum, the PublicTransport Forum and the Public Transport &Interiors (PTI) Hall Forum.

The InnoTrans Convention with itsoutstanding podium discussions and debatesamong experts on current and future mobility issuesis the platform for a face-to-face exchange ofviews. This is where discussions about the future of transport take place at international level. Full details of the programme will be available in April 2016.

ERR: What do you recall as the mostspectacular thing ever at InnoTrans? KS: Every year the outdoor display site featuring3,500 metres of rail track, along with its exhibits,provides an impressive spectacle. Other highlightsinclude products at InnoTrans shown by companieson the world stage for the first time.

ERR: Are there any organisational novelties this year? New areas? KS: The Future Mobility Park took place atInnoTrans 2014 for the first time. We are lookingforward to Hyperloop exhibiting in this segment atInnoTrans 2016. In 2014 the outdoor display sitefeatured a Special Gauge Display for the first time.This is also in preparation for 2016. We arecurrently working on improving the InnoTrans app.This year, as part of ‘Conference Corner’ events,MAGLEV 2016 will take place for the first time.The organisers and holders are InternationalMaglevboard. The new Conference Corner formatgives conference organisers an opportunity to holdtheir own events and lectures, starting on the finalday of the trade fair. In particular, it targets transportcompanies and associations.

Wir sehen uns im September in Berlin (see you in Berlin in September)

European Railway Review (ERR) speaks to Matthias Steckmann (MS), Senior Vice President, who has beeninvolved with InnoTrans since its inception, and Kerstin Schulz (KS) who joined the InnoTrans team in 2004 andbecame Exhibition Director in 2010.

INTERVIEWSPOTLIGHT

What was Harsco Rail’s biggest success in 2015?While Harsco Rail had a strong year delivering grinding, surfacing and

track building equipment, our biggest success in 2015 was the

significant improvements to our global customer service within regional

markets such as India, Europe, and China. We continue to focus on

bringing additional value by listening to our customers’ needs.

Overall, we have been asked to be faster and bring ourselves closer to

our customers. In response to these requests, we have expanded the

number of international warehouses, and we have increased our service

teams that are available in the key, strategic global hubs from which we

are growing our business.

Furthermore, India and China continue to be strong regions for

Harsco Rail. With these regions, there are core, traditional Harsco

products with high demand, particularly railway grinders in China and

surfacing equipment for India. We also focused on building up the

service and support network for our equipment deliveries. It is more

than selling equipment for Harsco Rail. It’s about the lifetime support

that we can offer our customers as well, and we are strategically setting

up these support networks across our focus regions. We look forward to

continued expansion of this strategy in 2016 by emphasising growth of

our sales teams in our strategic, global hubs.

The EU team continued to grow in size and capability in 2015.

This growth in Harsco Rail is foundational as Europe develops into a key

location for Harsco Rail, with its own engineering centre. The teams

continue to have meaningful discussions with customers in order to

better understand all of their challenges that will drive new product

developments in forward in the upcoming years. Harsco Rail embraces

those challenges and embeds them into the newest product designs

that are being prepared for the market.

What can Harsco Rail look forward to in terms of orders/projects in 2016?Going into 2016, Harsco Rail has much to look forward to as a business.

Currently, in the European market, we are busy delivering the Utility

Track Vehicle project for SBB, particularly for the Gotthard Tunnel in

Switzerland. This is a unique, high-tech track maintenance vehicle and

we look forward to leverage the knowledge and experience acquired

through this project into other European markets.

India is also booming with activity as they continue to expand the

freight corridor. We have already seen equipment investment increasing

in the region, and it will absolutely be a focus for us this year. Harsco Rail

strives to continue as a key partner for DFCC in the development

of this freight corridor with our different production technologies

and equipment.

Harsco Rail will be exhibiting at InnoTrans 2016 in September – what can visitors to the show expect to see at your stand?Our InnoTrans display seems to grow more important each year with

Harsco Rail’s global expansion. The planning for the exhibition is still in

process, but we expect to feature more on the new European products as

we look more heavily about entering this market. We will also feature our

transit and production grinders, either with an electrical head or hydraulic.

Overall, Harsco Rail has dedicated significant resources to develop a next

generation grinding technology which will further enhance the value of

Harsco Rail’s grinder for all global customers. In planning stages, is also a

display about new, innovative surfacing technology. Furthermore, our

aftermarket service and support capabilities will certainly be on display at

InnoTrans, as well as some of our new Protran safety equipment.

On the outdoor stand we currently plan to showcase an SBB Utility Track

Vehicle used for Gotthard tunnel maintenance.

In line with Harsco Rail’s aim to grow internationally,what new markets/regions are you looking to work in?It should be no surprise that Harsco Rail is focused on growth

internationally. We have established locations in Germany, UK, China,

Australia, India, Brazil, and the US. Deploying our unique technology

globally and continuing to create value at the local level continues to be

a core focus for our company. Currently, we are highly focused on our

European expansion as we see many opportunities. In addition, we

continue to devote attention to the other global markets such as China

and India, with plans to increase the number of strategic local

operations during 2016. Some of these changes should be advanced

enough to be openly discussed at InnoTrans this coming autumn.

As Harsco Rail reflects on a successful 2015, VP International Andre Schoenis excited about what the year ahead will bring the global supplier ofrailway track maintenance machinery and construction management. With a strong presence once again at the forthcoming InnoTrans event, thecompany is continually devoted on growing its worldwide customer base.

ADVERTORIAL

www.harscorail.com




Building passenger rail: the answer tocongestion in Canada…

Shared infrastructureSince the national railway was completed in 1885, passenger and

freight trains have shared the same infrastructure; an infrastructure that

is owned and operated by the freight companies. In 1977, the Canadian

government formed VIA Rail, specifically to take over the passenger rail

side of the business for Canada’s largest freight railways Canadian

National and Canadian Pacific. Despite the very different needs of

passenger and freight trains, the infrastructure remained shared, and

continued to be operated by the freight companies.

Nearly 40 years later, the Canadian economy has grown, along with

the freight rail industry. Because of the high volume of freight trains

and the fact that VIA Rail trains run mainly on freight-owned infra -

structure, VIA Rail trip times are longer than they need to be, the

number of trains we can run is limited and our punctuality is beyond our

control and often unacceptable to travellers. Despite these challenges,

more and more people are choosing to take the train. Recently, VIA Rail

has seen its revenue and passenger base grow for the first time in years,

and this is certainly attributable to the many improvements we have

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN...CANADA?




…by Yves Desjardins-Siciliano, President and Chief Executive Officer, VIA Rail Canada

We are at critical point in Canada with respect to the mobility of the population. Road congestion in and out ofurban centres is growing and there is no relief in sight. Airports are reaching capacity. And, in times of inclementweather, road travel remains unreliable. With limited investment options for road infrastructure, passenger rail isbecoming for many the only affordable and efficient way to increase people’s mobility in Canada. The good newsis that rail travel is affordable, productive and environmentally responsible. Its growth and development can alsobe financially viable. In addition, its versatility means that trains can easily adapt to market demand by allowingfor larger or smaller numbers of passengers by simply adding or removing train cars.

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN...CANADA?




made to accommodate our clients’ needs

and to our renowned customer service, but

the increase in road congestion in and out of

urban centres is likely to also be a factor.

However, this growth is extremely low

compared to the market potential.

As the need for mobility of the popula -

tion increases, passenger rail is on the verge

of a renaissance in Canada. Regional pass -

enger rail operators serving Canada’s two

largest metropolitan areas of Montreal

(Quebec) and Toronto (Ontario) have

experienced double-digit growth over the

last five years, while VIA Rail lost 10% of its

passengers over the same period up until

this year. Given the increasing need for more

transportation options coupled with the

saturated highways, the timing is perfect for

a high-frequency inter-city passenger rail

project designed to safely move more

people, more often, at faster speeds.

The dedicated rail projectThe current cohabitation between freight and passenger rail is neither

sustainable nor desirable. It is an inefficient use of infrastructure, and a

hindrance to both rail industries.

The freight industry is vital to Canada’s economy. Hence its

productivity and efficiency must not be impeded so that it may continue

to enhance Canada’s supply chain. Consequently, removing passenger

services from freight railway infrastructure is in the best interest of both

rail systems and of the Canadian economy as a whole.

In the United States, investment in express trains has proven that,

even in North America, the solution to affordable, sustainable and

efficient inter-city mobility is through passenger rail on a dedicated

infrastructure. Though not yet operating on an entirely dedicated

railway, Amtrak’s Acela Express, from Boston to Washington (with 14

intermediary stops), is still able run at the higher speeds that a

dedicated rail would support. The Acela service offers the three

qualities passengers look for when making their transport choice:

reliability, frequency and shorter trip times. With this, the Acela Express

is capturing an increasing share of the car market between New York

and Washington.

VIA Rail has developed a plan to build a dedicated passenger rail

infrastructure, at a minimum, within the busiest Toronto–Ottawa–

Montréal (T-O-M) routes (at a cost of $3 billion, or $4 billion if we include

electrification of the railway). This plan would eliminate the challenges

of sharing tracks with freight trains, it would offer an environmentally

responsible solution to congestion, plus it would stimulate the

Canadian economy. The dedicated rail line would be built using both

acquired and new infrastructure and would be completed in four years,

plus it would use a new fleet of VIA Rail trains, running at conventional

speed of up to 177km/h compared to its current average of 100km/h

due to its use of congested freight infrastructure. In this new

environment, passenger trains would not have to concede the

right-of-way to freight trains. The project would also meet the needs of

the passenger by supplying a reliable and fast service with departures

that can be tailored to market demand. Conservative projections for

this project show a 300% increase in ridership and an eventual

5.5 million fewer cars on the road per year. As importantly, it transforms

a deficit-making, subsidy-dependent service into a profit-making,

self-funded business.

Along with the Acela Express, many other projects of this nature in

other cities around the world have already proven successful.

Investment in passenger rail, both inter-city and regional, is at an

all-time high. Passenger rail is being recognised for its potential to

move great numbers of people, quickly, and with less impact on the

environment than any other inter-city transport option.

Dedicated rail along the most-populated economic and knowledge

corridor is the right project – and at the right time for Canada.

Prior to his appointment as President and Chief ExecutiveOfficer of VIA Rail Canada, Yves Desjardins-Sicilianowas the Corporation’s Chief Corporate and Legal Officerand Corporate Secretary. An experienced lawyer andseasoned executive, he is a member of the Quebec BarAssociation and holds a law degree (LL.B.) froml’Université de Montréal, plus he completed GraduateStudies in Law (GSD) at McGill University. Yves also has

a designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD.D). With proven experience, he has held several positions in the past in legal, regulatory and government relations, business and corporatedevelopment, marketing communications and finance. In Montreal andToronto, Yves worked for private and publicly held companies, in theinformation technology, telecommunications, marketing and entertainmentindustries. Past President of the Canadian Bar Association, Quebec Division,Yves was also Chief of Staff to the Federal Minister of Labour and Minister of State for Transport.

European Railway Review’s nextinternational instalment will focus ondevelopments in South Africa, writtenby Jerzy Wisniewski, UIC’s RegionalCoordinator for South Africa. Make sure you receive Issue 2 2016published in March 2016 by becoming a subscriber today – visit:www.europeanrailwayreview.com

Recently, VIA Rail has seen its revenue and passenger base grow for the first time in years©

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ON-BOARD TECHNOLOGY




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Developing a wirelesson-board entertainmentsystem for passengersin GreeceTRAINOSE S.A, the Greek railway operator, is currently developing and testing an innovative on-board wirelesssystem that will provide its intercity passengers with entertainment facilities including movies, music, e-books ande-magazines, as well as Wi-Fi internet access. For European Railway Review, Strategic Planning Senior Adviser atTRAINOSE, Nikolaos Athanasopoulos and colleague Panagiotis Georgas explain that the system has beendesigned within a ‘Bring Your Own Device’ (BYOD) concept.

With the BYOD concept, there is no need for a complex and expensive

on-board screens installation programme, as passengers will be able to

experience the system via their own mobile devices – laptops,

tablets and smartphones – no matter what operating system their

device runs on; i.e. iOS, Windows, Android.

Validation of the pilot results will soon introduce a fully

operational passenger experience, named TRAINOSE Passenger

InfoTrainment Service.

System architectureThe InfoTrainment System has been installed on an A Class passenger

wagon of an intercity train. The system’s general architecture is shown in

Figure 1 on page 50.

The system is divided into two subsystems that operate

independently through a common communication channel and

implement two independent wireless local networks:

Entertainment NetworkThis provides the entertainment part of the InfoTrainment system. Users

connect to the Wireless Entertainment Network via their own device by

activating the Wi-Fi functionality, and after successful and authenticated

connection, they have access to movies, music, e-books and

e-magazines. Its main part is a server where all digital content has

been stored. The server also includes the appropriate software

for media streaming and for data exchanges, enabling users to

authenticate and to navigate the content.

Internet NetworkThis provides the information part of the InfoTrainment system,

i.e. internet connectivity. Users connect to the wagon’s Wireless Internet

Network via their own device by activating the Wi-Fi functionality.

After successful and authenticated connection, they automatically

connect to the internet, enabling them to visit their favourite web

pages, or doing any action that demands internet connectivity.

The main component of the Internet Network is the 3G Modem-Router

(ICOMERAX6) and all associated modules including external antennas

for data transmission/reception. A long period of field tests concluded

the number of SIM cards needed from telecommunication providers in

order to achieve sufficient load balancing and satisfying throughput

improving internet usage.

In both aforementioned subsystems, data transfer is performed

wirelessly via Wi-Fi (802.11 X) technology on a common communication

channel. This is implemented via two basic components:

■ Access Points: Two Access Points cover the wagon and they are

placed in suitable points in the wagon’s indoor roof in order to

succeed sufficient radio coverage

■ Switch/Wireless LAN controller: This performs switching between

the two networks and controls the network’s behaviour; it is the

main component that coordinates network connections, isolates

Entertainment Network from Internet Network, authenticates

users’ access and defines the way the users connect to the network.

The two independent networks are fully isolated, so a user that

connects to the Entertainment Network has no internet access, and vice

versa. This assures that access to the entertainment will be available

even if internet access is not available (e.g. inside tunnels or in rural

areas with poor cellular connectivity).

The entire system is electrically powered by the train’s engine.

A UPS protects modules from unexpected over/under voltages

while in parallel it performs power management and shuts down

normally the Server when the engine stops. All system’s associated

modules are mounted on a rack which also protects the operation from

the train’s vibrations.

Software architectureSuitable software architectures and applications were developed in

order to support the InfoTrainment system’s back-end functionality.

For entertainment content (movies/music) a real-time transfer

Video on Demand (VoD) service has been developed. The entertain -

ment content is transmitted to the users’ mobile devices via streaming,

using HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) protocol. The HLS protocol

performs adaptive bitrate streaming while

adjusting, in real-time, different network

conditions, and is widely supported to

various and different platforms of modern

mobile devices. The HLS protocol fritters

a media file (movie or music file) to small

segments and in different bitrates (low,

medium, high quality) to support different

network statuses. Figure 2 depicts this

VoD scheme.

The overall InfoTrainment back-end

software that performs HLS media

streaming and exchanges all the nec essary data with users, is based on

a RESTful Web Server. The basic back-end logic is that the web

server has the ability to communicate with many different client tech -

nologies and platforms through a uniform interface. The use of HTTP

protocol and RESTful web services ensure client-agnostic and cross-

platform communication. The Apache web server simultaneously

handles multiple users comfortably and a database is installed in order

to handle the application’s data. The RESTful Web Server back-end

implementation is shown in Figure 3.

The InfoTrainment system provides the following four levels of

security in order to provide access only to authorised and authenticated

ON-BOARD TECHNOLOGY




Figure 1: TRAINOSE InfoTrainment System architecture

Figure 2: The Entertainment VoD scheme

Figure 3: RESTful Web Server back-end implementation

...passengers will be able to

experience thesystem via their own

mobile devices

ON-BOARD TECHNOLOGY




users, and in order to protect media content from download, theft and

copyright infringement.

1. A Radius Server is installed in the system’s server in order to control

the users’ authenticated access to the network; it contains a list with

all authenticated logged-in users

2. A token-based authentication is implemented in order to access the

entertainment network’s software applica tion; authenticated users

get a unique token when they log in to the software application,

and they exchange this token every time they exchange data with

the server in order to certify their access

3. During HLS streaming, media segments

that transferred to the client applications

are encrypted

4. The InfoTrainment system has the ability to

encrypt data transferred via HTTP, using

HTTPS protocol.

The entertainment service has been designed

in order to support access via all modern device

platforms including iOS, Windows and

Android. To this end, the corresponding

applications have been designed and dev -

eloped which will be available in the App Store,

Play Store, Windows Store, or via the

TRAINOSE website. Passengers will be asked

to download and install a suitable client

application on their mobile device. Figure 4

shows the application installed and downloaded on an Android

operated smartphone.

The client software applications connect to the Server and

cooperate with its back-end software for HLS media streaming and data

exchange. The main goal of the client applications is to provide a

friendly and easy-to-use graphical environment, through which the user

can navigate to the main movie or music galleries.

The client software applications are designed to respond to

all modern mobile devices and are developed as hybrid, com-

bining the native mobile application logic and the web application

logic. The front-end user interface is implemented by the Ionic

Software Develop ment Kit. The use of hybrid applications helps

improve the user’s experi ence and integrating it with the mobile

device’s functionalities.

Service operationWhen passengers switch on their device’s

available Wi-Fi networks, the two independent

networks appear providing the ability to

connect wirelessly either to the internet or

to the entertainment platform.

Internet accessA passenger connects to the Internet Network

by choosing the network ‘trainoseInformation’

in their device’s list of available Wi-Fi networks.

Instantly, the Captive Portal authentication

mechanism prevents the user connecting to the

network unless they are successfully logged-in

through an authentication web page opened

in a web browser. If the user logs-in successfully,

the connection to the Internet Network is

completed, and the user is now able to

navigate to their favourite web pages and to enjoy activities that

demand internet connectivity. The valid credentials are a valid e-mail

and ticket code combination.

Entertainment accessOnce the passenger has downloaded the app, they can connect to the

Figure 4: The app downloaded and

installed on an Android operated

smartphone

Providing an entertainment system to rail passengers will give them an enjoyable journey and raise customer satisfaction

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Entertainment Network by choosing the ‘trainose -

Entertainment’ network on their device’s list of

available Wi-Fi networks; again, credentials are a

valid e-mail and ticket code combination. The

application then turns to the main menu, where

the user can navigate to the movies or music

galleries, or choose the TRAINOSE menu to find

helpful TRAINOSE information. Figure 5 show the

authenti cation page and the main menu pages on an

iOS operated device.

System administrationThe system and its associated services can be

remotely administrated by authorised personnel via a

VPN connection. Digital content can be added/ removed, while

statistics about the hits of each media file can also be recorded.

A main administrative functionality is the InfoTrainment system’s

update about new valid authenticated users. Periodically, the

TRAINOSE ‘webticketing’ system is connected to the Info Trainment

system and updates server databases with valid email and ticket code

combinations per each train/route so all passengers of each route have

access to the services.

A 3G Modem-Router web platform allows administrators to obtain

statistics regarding the internet connection, obtain detailed information

about internet connectivity, signal strength, throughput, and obtain

details about the behaviour of system’s internet providers.

System deploymentThe successful validation of pilot results on the proposed Passenger

InfoTrainment System creates a significant opportunity for TRAINOSE

S.A to install it on all of its intercity trains and to provide entertainment

and internet access to all passengers travelling in A & B class.

Given the fact that the main equipment of the proposed system is

installed on the A class wagon (where there is the appropriate room for

all installations), the services should be transferred to the succeeded

wagons. This can be easily implemented by installing a switch/controller

and two access points to each one of the remaining wagons

of the intercity train. Wagon-by-wagon, connection is implemented via

UTP cables.

There are thoughts to differentiate the service between A and B

class passengers; for example B class passengers may have access to

just part of the entertainment content, if compared with A class

passengers who may have access to the entire content. In any case,

providing InfoTrainment system to rail passengers will give them an

enjoyable journey and raise customer satisfaction – all with no need for

complex at-seat equipment installation.

ON-BOARD TECHNOLOGY




Nikolaos Athanasopoulos received M.Sc and Ph.Ddegrees from the School of Electrical and ComputersEngineers of the National Technical University of Athensin 2001 and 2006 respectively, all within the Division ofInformation Transmission Systems and MaterialTechnology. Since March 2013, Nikolaos has beenStrategic Planning Senior Adviser at TRAINOSE S.A withthe total supervision of the Strategic Planning Directory of

the company. His professional career has focused on informationtechnologies and telecommunications, initially as Research Associate, PhDCandidate (2002-2006) and as Post Doctoral Researcher (2006-2008) in theInstitute of Communications and Computer Systems (ICCS), NationalTechnical University of Athens. In 2008-2009, Nikolaos worked as aPrimary Engineer, PhD within the private sector. Between 2009 and 2012, he was Temporary Lecturer in the Department of Electronics, and PostDoctoral Research Fellow in the Wireless Communications and e-Applications Research Group of the Technological Educational Institutionof Athens. From April 2010 to March 2013, Nikolaos was Vice President &Executive Member BoD of TRAINOSE S.A while in parallel, from May2012 to March 2013, he was officiate Strategic Planning Director of thecompany. Nikolaos has been participating in a number of European andnational Research & Development projects and has contributed toapproximately 40 international journals and conferences. He is member ofthe Technical Chamber of Greece (since 2001), member of the Computersand Telecommunications Permanent Committee of the Technical Chamberof Greece (since 2009), and Member BoD of the Road Safety Institute ofGreece (since 2014).

Panagiotis Georgas received his Diploma in Electricaland Computer Engineering from the National TechnicalUniversity of Athens in 2009. He was awarded an M.Sc. inAdvanced Information Systems from the National andKapodistrian University of Athens, Department ofInformatics and Telecommunications, in 2011, achievingan Outstanding Academic Achievement Award. He hasworked as a Software Developer in the Information

Technology Department of Hellas Online S.A. from 2012 to 2013, and from2013 he has been an IT Advisor within the Department of Informa-tion Technology and Software Development of the Strategic PlanningDivision of TRAINOSE S.A.

Figure 6: The InfoTrainment main menu on a Windows operated device

Figure 5: The Entertainment authentication page (left) and

Entertainment menu (right) on an iOS operated device




Safety & Security

SUPPLEMENT

54 Metal theft: adaily concern forthe rail sector andits customers Libor Lochman, Executive Director,and Alena Havlova, Digital andSecurity Adviser, CER

57 RSSB’s role in helping toimprove safety on the railways George Bearfield, Director of System Safety, RSSB

60 Transparency,learning and a positive safety culture Chris Carr, Head of Safety, ERA

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Metal theft: a daily concern forthe rail sector and its customers

The cross-border dimension to metal theftIn general, the criminals involved steal any items made from ferrous

or non-ferrous metals, mainly copper, due to their monetary value.

Even though metal prices have been decreasing over recent years,

metal theft persists, above all, due to the availability and accessibility

of metals and to the ease with which they can be sold. The problem is

that the impact of metal theft on rail business goes far beyond the

actual value of the stolen materials.

Metals and their alloys play an important part in rail infrastructure

thanks to their unique characteristics such as strength, conductivity and

durability. Criminals particularly target signalling, telecommunication

and power cables, which are essential for the functioning, safety and the

Despite the fact that serious efforts have been made to fight metal theft at national level and that metal theft hasdecreased in some countries in Europe over the last year, it still remains a daily concern for many services ofgeneral interest – such as railways, public transport, energy networks and telecommunications. Resulting inservice disruption, metal theft negatively impacts the quality of these providers’ services and causes hugeeconomic losses – not only for their businesses and customers, but also for the whole of society across Europe.From the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER), Executive Director Libor Lochman, and Digital and Security Adviser Alena Havlova, voice their concerns and how the industry needsto respond going forward.

SAFETY & SECURITY S U P P L E M E N T




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efficiency of rail services. Metal theft occurs every single day across

Europe and leads to the delay or cancellation of thousands of trains,

affecting millions of passengers and freight customers. In this sense,

metal theft invariably results in the need to quickly repair the affected

infrastructure in order to restore the disrupted services.

In the railway sector, considerable effort has been made to find the

best solution to decrease the negative impact of metal theft on

the quality of rail services and on customers. Different technical

measures have been put in place by the railways to protect their

infrastructure from metal theft. Also, certain cooperation mechanisms

have been established at national level with law enforcement auth -

orities, and other providers of infrastructure of general interest affected

by metal theft, as well as the recycling industry, which have already

proved to be the right way forward when fighting isolated incidents.

At European level, however, further emphasis should be put on

metal theft carried out by organised cross-border criminal networks,

who use sophisticated techniques and are involved in other criminal

activities, as these have a wide European dimension and represent a

threat to the internal security and economies of each EU Member State.

Considering the scope of the problem, there is a need for additional

and complementary EU policy actions.

The EU’s response to metal theftIn 2010, the European Commission Directorate-General for Home

Affairs (DG HOME) provided financial backing from the EU’s Prevention

of and Fight against Crime Programme to a three-year project called

Pol-PRIMETT (Police-Private Partnership to Tackle Metal Theft). The aim

was to improve collaboration between law enforcement agencies and

the private sector in the fight against metal theft and to promote

good practices across the EU, enabling

the exchange of knowledge, skills and

intelligence. This European project, which

was then extended until September 2015,

shows a good example of how a trans -

national public-private sector partnership

can lead to positive results. Such initia-

tives should be supported and further

developed across Europe.

The European Commission also

expressed in the 2011 Transport White

Paper, the need to find an appropriate

European approach to land transport

security. In order to develop policy and

facilitate the exchange between the

Member States and stakeholders of

relevant experiences, policies and good practices, the Commission’s

Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE) established

a permanent Expert Group on Land Transport Security (LANDSEC) in

2013. As a member of this group, and together with representatives of

other railway and public transport associations, the Community

of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER) proposed to

add metal theft to the agenda as a topic which should be further

discussed at EU level. This proposal was readily taken up by the Comm -

ission, which followed-up with several workshops tackling this issue.

In summer 2014, the Council of the EU presented property crime

committed by mobile organised crime groups as one of the European

Union’s priority targets in the fight against serious and organised crime

in 2014-2017. This was followed by the Italian Presidency of the Council

of the EU’s initiative on establishing a European operational network to

counter metal theft, which advocated sharing analysis and knowledge

on metal theft, exchanging good practices and monitoring the criminal

groups involved in metal theft in order to develop successful strategic

and operational activities for combatting the crime.

Building on the existing practices, strategies and approaches

at national and European level, the international coordination and

cooperation between law enforcement authorities and affected

market operators has to be further intensified and extended.

A more collaborative approach by the EU institutions, national

authorities and private sector would enhance the effectiveness of

their respective actions.

The European coalition against metal theftIn order to have an even stronger voice at EU level, CER established a

joint coalition with several stakeholders representing public services

highly affected by metal theft, such as public transport, railways and

energy networks, as well as the recycling industry. A common statement

was issued by this cross-sector coalition made up of eleven associations

Power cables are a particular focus for metal thieves

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Metals and their alloys play an

important part in railinfrastructure thanks

to their uniquecharacteristics such

as strength,conductivity and

durability


(CEDEC, CER, COLPOFER, EDSO, EFR,

ENTSO-E, EURELECTRIC, EUROMETREC,

GEODE, UIC and UITP) setting out

the areas in which EU-wide action and

cooperation is necessary to prevent

and counter metal theft in Europe.

The coalition raises awareness about

the negative effects of metal theft on the

functioning and quality of services of

general interest and its overall impact on

public life. Its aim is to highlight the

measures already in force at national

level and initiatives already undertaken

by the concerned stakeholders and to

encourage EU policymakers to take

complementary actions.

It draws attention to the issue of

uncontrolled management of metal waste

and scrap, which is a significant but

sometimes overlooked contributing factor

to the overall problem, and urges the EU

policymakers to properly implement and

enforce existing waste legislation across

Europe. In order to ensure that minimum

standards are respected, it is important

that the European Commission ensure that

Directive 2008/98/EC on waste is properly implemented by Member

States. In particular, any waste management facility that is not

registered or does not hold a permit, and/or is not running its business

according to existing legislation, must face effective, proportionate and

dissuasive penalties so that it is either forced to comply or closed down

in a timely manner.

In addition, the European Commission

has been asked to propose new measures

requiring all metal waste and scrap buyers

to keep a record of all purchased material

as well as who it was purchased from. This

information would allow for more efficient

and effective investigations by law

enforcement authorities, leading to the

prosecution of metal theft criminals.

Effective law enforcement actions

require further enhanced international

coordination and cooperation between

police forces and a better exchange of

data and intelligence at national and

European level to tackle the cross-border

nature of metal theft and its ties to

organised crime. This must be accomp -

anied by ever more effective EU police and judicial cooperation in

criminal matters so that police forces and judicial authorities in different

Member States can respond quickly and efficiently. In this regard,

appropriate awareness-raising campaigns and training sessions

should be promoted for judicial and law enforcement authorities

throughout the EU.

Last but not least, the European Commission together with the

Member States should introduce common definitions and sanctions for

crime targeting services of general interest, such as metal theft crime

against public services, to make foreseen penalties proportional to the

actual impact and cost of the crime. In some Member States, metal

thieves are punished only based on the value of the stolen material,

while the real impact of metal theft on the businesses affected, their

customers and society at large is not taken into account at all.

CER and their coalition counterparts are relying on the EU policy -

makers to reflect carefully on these concerns and respond with

appropriate and concrete actions.





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.

Alena Havlova has been Security Adviser at theCommunity of European Railway and InfrastructureCompanies (CER) since 1 March 2013. Alena holds aMaster’s degree in Political Science from the University of Vienna and a Master’s degree in EuropeanInterdisciplinary Studies from the College of Europe(Natolin campus, Poland). Prior to joining CER, Alenacompleted a traineeship at the Land and Maritime Security

Unit at the European Commission’s DG MOVE. Prior to that, she gainedvaluable experience through work, inter alia, at the PermanentRepresentation of the Czech Republic in Vienna.

Metal theft occurs every single day across Europe and leads to the delay or cancellation of thousands of trains

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In the railway sector, considerable

effort has beenmade to find thebest solution to

decrease thenegative impact ofmetal theft on the

quality of railservices and on

customers





The UK rail industry’s learning process began in its earliest days in 1840

with the first Railway Regulation Act establishing both a Railway

Inspectorate and a requirement to report all injurious accidents to the

Board of Trade. Within 50 years, block signalling, interlocking and

continuous braking on passenger trains had been made mandatory.

The next century would see many more improvements made,

ranging from continuous welded rail to automatic train protection

systems – new technologies which often came out of the investigations.

The cycle of performance reporting has become essential to ensuring

that this development continues. But whilst statistics show that the railway

has got steadily safer over time, we know that good performance can

breed complacency. It also makes it harder to spot trends and identify

emerging issues, as there are fewer events to plot on charts.

To combat both these problems, RSSB tracks accident precursors

– like signals passed at danger (SPADs) – and analyses risk (risk being a

combination of the number of times something happens and its likely

consequences). Together, RSSB’s consideration of safety performance

and risk helps the UK rail industry make informed judgements and take

safe decisions.

2015 showed that despite continual growth in usage, our railway

remains the safest form of land transport in the UK. The risk associated

with train accidents resulting in passenger and workforce fatalities

remains low, with last year marking no such accidents occurring for the

seventh consecutive year in a row.

However, as an industry we know that there is no room for

complacency and active prevention, monitoring, and learning all play a

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RSSB’s role in helpingto improve safety on the railways Despite continual growth in usage, rail remains the safest form of land transport in the UK. For European RailwayReview, George Bearfield, Director of System Safety at RSSB1 explains what the organisation is doing to improvesafety on the rail network and its role in ensuring that the industry doesn’t get complacent.

role. So what is the RSSB doing to improve

safety on the rail network, and what is our

role in ensuring that the industry doesn’t

get complacent?

RSSB (formerly known as the Rail Safety

and Standards Board) was established in 2003

after the publication of the Review of Fatal

Accident Inquiry Legislation report by Lord

Cullen. We rely on our stakeholders trust to

deliver tangible benefits for the industry, in our

position as an expert, not-for-profit organisa -

tion which supports the rail industry to improve

safety and performance.

We bring organisations together to help

deliver clear benefits to passengers and

businesses whilst providing value to the

taxpayer. We have 68 members which include

infrastructure companies, train and freight

operators, rolling stock owners and suppliers to

the industry.

Rail companies have to manage safety to

comply with legislation and so they need access

to reliable, high quality data to understand the

nature of the issues they face. Likewise, funders

and the regulator want to know that investment

is leading to outputs and outcomes which

reflect a well-performing railway, including its

safety aims and an informed understanding

of the risk.

Our members rely on us to produce the

Annual Safety Performance Report (ASPR),

the Learning from Operational Experience

Annual Report (and associated regular reports

and bulletins) as part of their evidence base for decision making.

This is relied on by cross-industry groups to focus on the risk and

avoid spending time, effort and money on areas that will yield little

or no benefit.

The big picture is that 1.66 billion passenger journeys were

recorded in 2014/2015 – a 4% increase from 2013/2014. There has

been a 54% increase in passenger journeys, a 46% increase in

passenger kilometres and an 8% increase in train kilometres over

the past 10 years. Against these increases, the risks affecting those

that travel or work for the railway have generally remained stable or

have improved. This is the seventh year and the longest sustained

period with no on-board passenger or workforce deaths in train

accidents (derailments or collisions). Across Europe, Britain’s safety

performance for passengers, workforce and level crossing users

ranks at, or near, the top.

This is all positive, but it is important to

remember that you can have no accidents but

still have risk present, and likewise situations

where risk continues to be generally low even if

a serious incident has occurred. Decisions

about safety need to be risk-based and not

based solely on past performance. Despite

the fact that we have seen no passenger or

workforce fatalities for eight years, we still

continue to invest in their prevention.

So with such a substantial increase in

passengers, what’s happening to the risk they

face as they use the railway?

In 2014-2015, there were three passenger

fatalities. All occurred in stations, where the

majority of fatalities occur at the platform-train

interface. But thankfully these are not exactly

everyday occurrences, and so we need to delve

a little deeper into the numbers to understand

the risk to passengers more generally.

A universal measure for harm and risk is

‘fatality and weighted injury’ (FWI). This is a way





In 2014/2015, 1.66 billion passenger journeys were recorded in the UK

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During 2014/2015 in the UK, slips, trips and falls in stations resulted in one fatality, nearly 200 major injuries and around 3,500 minor injuries

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2015 showed that despite

continual growth inusage, our railwayremains the safest

form of landtransport in

the UK




of measuring the level of harm or risk in a

consistent way, by combining the fatalities,

major injuries and minor injuries in one unit

of measurement.

By way of example, a major injury –

generally requiring more than 24 hours in

hospital – is condensed to a tenth of a

fatality. This is not equating these

outcomes in any qualitative sense. It is

done to provide a rational way of

quantifying the total risk present.

By weighting non-fatal injuries by a

lesser amount than fatalities, the industry

can ensure that safety expenditure is

directed in a consistent way; those

accidents that have the potential for

serious consequences are addressed,

without ignoring the types of incident that

generally have less severe outcomes.

When the number of non-fatal injuries

is taken into account, the total level of

harm occurring to passengers was

44.7 FWI, compared with 43.6 FWI for

the previous year.

The area of slips and trips is particu -

larly worthy of attention, as it is the main

source of total harm to passengers, as measured in FWI. During

2014/2015, slips, trips and falls in stations resulted in one fatality, nearly

200 major injuries and around 3,500 minor injuries.

Over the last five years, the greatest proportion of harm from slips,

trips and falls in stations occurred on stairs (37%), with platforms being

the next most common location (27%).

Escalators typically contribute a lower level of harm but there are

fewer escalators than stairs on the rail system. There has been one

fatality resulting from a slip, trip or fall on

an escalator in the last five years.

It’s important to remember that the

majority of incidents do not result in

serious injury, and that those that do are

still very small numbers in proportion to

the 1.66 billion passenger journeys.

But the rail industry still needs to manage

the risk it faces.

Opportunities for the railway to

collaborate are structured usefully in a

framework of cross-industry groups

feeding into the RSSB Board. This includes

the System Safety Risk Group (SSRG),

which exists to understand the risk facing organisations with a legal duty

to manage and cooperate on rail safety issues. The group identifies

areas for improvement, facilitating collaboration across the industry

including sharing good practice and horizon scanning to identify

potential threats and opportunities.

The group includes representation from Network Rail, passenger

train operators/ATOC, freight operators, infrastructure companies and

on-track machine companies, suppliers, London Underground, rolling

stock leasing companies as well as observers and associate members

from the British Transport Police, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR)

and trade unions.

Reporting into SSRG are a range of sector groups, project groups,

regional/route-based groups as well as groups dedicated to specific risk

areas. These groups provide the opportunity for industry to consider

collective strategies for risk at stations, including slips, trips and falls.

A key pillar is the Platform Train Interface Strategy published in

early-2015, which while focussing on the risk from the gap between

the platform and train, has also spawned benefits for broader station

safety, such as slips and trips.

From the open reporting culture which we promote, the

strategies we create and publish to the cross-industry groups we host;

all of this culminates in our development of a solid evidence base

for action and inspire cross-industry collaboration. From this we aim

to help those that work or use the railway get home safe, every

day, every year.

Reference1. For further information about RSSB, please visit www.rssb.co.uk and connect on

Twitter via @RSSB_rail

George Bearfield was appointed RSSB Director of SystemSafety in 2014. He is responsible for the analysis andreporting of GB rail’s safety performance and risk, and forsupporting the industry in all aspects of its safetymanagement processes and capabilities. This under standingof risk helps the industry to manage safety in an evidence-based way. George joined RSSB in January 2006 and priorto this, worked for six years at Atkins Rail. His backgroundis in the consultancy and railway supply sectors.

Over the last five years, the

greatest proportionof harm from slips,

trips and falls instations occurred

on stairs (37%)

Escalators typically contribute a lower level of harm for rail passengers, but there are fewer escalatorsthan stairs on the rail system

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Transparency, learning and a positivesafety culture

The beginning of a year is traditionally a moment of reflection; we think

about the past, our families and loved ones, and usually we promise to

do better next year. For us at ERA, we have recently received the safety

performance data for 2014 and have had a chance to see what the

picture looks like at a European level. Some good news was that

the number of fatalities continued to fall. However, precursors across all

categories increased in 2014 and significant accidents went up for the

first time in 10 years. What we also know from the history of major

railway accidents, is that even in Member States where the numbers of

accidents with fatalities are low, this performance on its own is not a

good indicator for the risk of catastrophic accidents. Apart from the

tragic human cost, rail businesses are very sensitive to catastrophic

accidents, more so perhaps than other transport modes.

The recent success at COP21 offers opportunities for rail, given its





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Chris Carr, Head of Safety at the European Railway Agency (ERA), reflects on rail safety performance data for2014 at a European level, and examines how the industry should work together to address future challenges andcreate an encouraging safety culture.

strong environmental credentials, but rail remains an expensive

business and railways across Europe face challenges from alternative

modes. The changes in the Fourth Railway Package are intended to

create a better framework for industry to respond to this competition.

What is clear is that we need to ensure that innovation and change can

be harnessed to maintain one of rail’s competitive advantages: it’s

relatively strong safety performance. We need better safety, not

just more safety.

Whilst the application of safety management systems and risk

assessment are used to support safety in a shared system, rail, in

common with other industries, is increasingly focused on the need for a

positive safety culture to get the best out of our people, frame-

works and tools. Figure 1 on page 62 illustrates how safety culture

drives increasingly risk-based regulatory frameworks, by optimising

safety management systems and creating assurance in the safety of

the rail system.

This risk-based approach to regulation allows:

■ A better use of everyone’s resources

■ A reduced regulatory burden on the rail sector

■ A more open market for new services and companies (through

more efficient rules) and,

■ In itself, contributes to a better cultural focus on improving safety,

rather than ‘ticking boxes’.

To achieve this, we will need to address the challenges of creating

strong, high-performing organisational cultures that have a focus on

safety, as well as making transparency a pillar of how we work together,

if we are to achieve the vision of the European railway system as a

world-leader in safety and a vibrant, successful transport sector.

There has been a lot of discussion about the changes coming for

vehicle authorisation, ERTMS and safety certification in the technical

pillar of the Fourth Railway Package, but in this article I’d like to address

the less talked about new requirement; the requirement to ‘promote a

culture of mutual trust, confidence and learning…’. This development

of a positive safety culture requires leadership. There are some

encouraging signs when we look to the committed safety programmes

in some railway organisations. Building this trust is not easy – it takes

time and effort to establish and can be broken by a single act.

Whilst technical harmonisation of the European railway system is a

work in progress, there are some aspects of safety that are fully

harmonised; the nature of accidents and human performance.

Accidents have common features, not just across the railway

system, but across industries. We know that there are rarely simple,

single causes of major accidents, but we also know of course the

temptation to seek simple answers and create a feeling that justice has

been done. Just as staff across the rail sector use their skill and

commitment to ensuring that most days are safe days on the railways,

we also know that humans make mistakes, particularly when the odds

are stacked against them. In these circumstances we can even predict

the way in which humans err.

In the aftermath of any accident, we see stories of courage and

bravery and often the very positive characteristics of human nature. We

are also all suddenly wise. Very often the warning signs of a problem

were known to someone, but somehow the message didn’t get

through. The creation of an ethos of learning and the drive to


continually be better is an essential element

of a positive safety culture.

Since accidents rarely have a simple

single cause, even if the various investi -

gations do establish negligent behaviour, it is

important that the search for understanding

and improvement does not end there – a

good system should as far as possible

prevent single failures from resulting in

accidents. Or, to put it another way, a good

system should not depend on the ability of

humans to perform at 110% all the time.

It follows that to support an ethos of

learning, people are held accountable for

negligence or fraud, but that individuals are

not be punished for honest mistakes or

failures of the system.

A leadership commitment to under -

standing all the complex causes of an

accident will strengthen organisational

learning and provide the best insurance

against future accidents. Without it we will

relearn lessons the hard way.

A key part of learning is sharing infor -

mation. Across the industry, we see some

very positive examples of behaviours and

systems designed to improve transparency

and the sharing of information, where staff

are encouraged to speak out when there’s a

problem and where they are protected when they do. But these systems

are not used everywhere and there is too often very little sharing

across borders. Better communication and enhanced openness across

organisations and national boundaries will accelerate learning and help

us predict and prevent accidents. When reflecting on safety culture, we

looked across a number of industries and found many positive examples

where these specific challenges have been overcome. One that stood

out in the area of healthcare was a CEO commitment amongst

competing organisations ‘not to compete on safety’. Where they knew

of a risk or were using a method to better manage patient safety,

they shared the knowledge in full transparency. It’s not always easy.

It takes mutual trust and a wider, longer-term view of commercial risks,

but I think we would all recognise it is the right thing to do.

The recast of the railway safety directive will create an obligation on

any actor to share information on safety risks associated with defects,

construction non-conformities or malfunctions of technical equipment.

This is the right thing to do, but it requires trust between the different

actors of the railway system, there will be issues of commercial

confidentiality to consider and the different judicial systems that exist

across Europe. It will need leadership to affirm that whilst the railway

actors are in competition, there is a benefit to all in improving safety for

passengers, customers and investors. As we start 2016, I’m optimistic.

I see clear signs that industry leaders are committed to this and in many

cases have been pursuing this before the legal requirement was

conceived, but it delivers more and creates greater confidence if we all do

this together. The legal text also creates the possibility for the Agency to

create a tool to support this knowledge exchange and the Commissioner

has asked the Agency to press ahead with this work. We are keen to play

our part and work with the railway sector to make this a reality.

At an organisational level, by supporting individual performance,

behaviours and compliance, a good ‘safety culture’ is considered to

have a positive influence upon an organisation’s output, reliability,

competitiveness and profitability. This view has been supported by the

experience across other industries such as aerospace, manufacturing,

construction, agriculture, off-shore oil and gas, highway safety,

maritime and healthcare, where its influence on safety performance

indicators such as injury rates, accident rates and patient safety has

been demonstrated.

A positive safety culture generates capability and commitment to

safety; we don’t just say safety’s important, our actions show safety is

important. One railway organisation set itself the mission of ‘everyone

home safe every day’. If we come together to generate a positive safety

culture, supported by transparent sharing of safety information, we will

be closer to making that mission a reality for Europe.





Figure 1: A risk-based approach to regulation

Chris Carr joined the European Railway Agency (ERA)as Head of Safety in December 2012. He started his careeras an Engineering Management trainee with British Rail in1986. After working in Train Maintenance Chris joined theUK National Safety Authority in 1997 and in 2005 he wasappointed to lead their International Rail Policy Team.Chris joined the UK Transport Ministry in 2006 to lead theimplementation of interoperability before becoming a

Deputy Director at the UK Transport Ministry in 2007, representing the UKat the RISC Committee and on the ERA Board.

SHOW PREVIEW




The show returns to its Lingotto Fiere venue, where EXPO Ferroviaria

will occupy two halls. More than 175 companies from 16 countries have

already booked stands at the show, which is well established as Italy’s

only regular exhibition of railway technology, products and services.

And of the firms taking part, 40 are first-time exhibitors at the event.

An extensive programme of activities alongside the exhibition will

include conferences and seminars within the two halls, B2B meetings

and technical visits to local railway sites.

Heading a list of organisations pledging support for the show are

national railway company Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane and the Ministry

of Infrastructure and Transport. Other Show Partners include the

Association of Italian Railway Engineers (CIFI), ASSIFER – the Italian

railway industries association, ANIAF – the Italian national association of

trackwork contractors, and Tunnel Euralpin Lyon Turin, which is

implementing the new cross-border rail link between Turin and Lyon.

Also acting as a Show Partner and exhibiting for the first time

will be ANCEFERR, the National Civil Engineering Association for

the Railway Sector.

More than 6,400 industry professionals visited the last EXPO

Ferroviaria in 2014 and the event organisers are aiming at delivering an

equally successful event this year. Exhibition Director Olivia Griscelli

comments: “The level of support we are receiving for this exhibition

both from Italian and foreign companies, confirms the attractiveness

of the rail market in Italy – and the important role this event plays

for the industry. It is also good to see so many firms joining EXPO

Ferroviaria for the first time. We are looking forward to a very interesting

and busy show.”

Top names exhibitingRolling stock companies will be well represented, with many of the

best known names serving the Italian market taking part in the show.

Among them will be the business of AnsaldoBreda, now part of Hitachi

Rail. The company has recently secured a Trenitalia contract to supply

136 double-deck cars to form Vivalto push-pull trainsets for regional

services. The train control systems activities of the former Ansaldo STS

will be featured on the stand too.

Also participating will be Bombardier Transportation. Its

V300ZEFIRO model was the design adopted for Trenitalia’s ETR.400

‘Frecciarossa 1000’ high-speed train which entered service last year,

produced in collaboration with AnsaldoBreda. Bombardier has a

€154 million contract to maintain these trains for 10 years.

Polish train builder PESA will feature a range that now includes

diesel and electric locomotives as well as multiple-unit trains and railcars

for intercity, regional and suburban duties, and trams. The company’s

ATR220 ‘Atribo’ DMUs are in service with Trenitalia and several regional

operators, and there was further success in August 2015 when PESA

was named preferred bidder to supply ELF EMUs for the region of Sicily.

Two companies from the Czech Republic will exhibit for the first

time – Dako-CZ, with pneumatic brake systems for rail vehicles and

electromechanical and hydraulic brake systems for trams, and Prague-

based Legios, an established manufacturer of freight

wagons, notably tank cars, container flats and

hoppers for dry bulk products. Czech shunter

manufacturer CZ Loko is also exhibiting.

Exhibitors of rolling stock subsystems and

components will include ZF, with Duo-Drive Ecolife

drivelines that offer intelligent interaction between

traditional hydrostatic and engine-direct powered

driving modes to conserve resources and reduce

CO2 emissions. Also on show will be its Get 2 rail

drive concept, claimed to be the first multi-speed

transmission concept for metro applications.

Making its debut from Germany will be Antonics

Antennas, specialising in sophisticated communica -

tions antenna systems for railway and public

transport vehicles including low-profile models which

allow the mutual use of different communication

Managers, engineers and buyers from the railway industry in Italy and beyond will be gathering in Turin on 5-7 April 2016 for the seventh EXPO Ferroviaria event to be held in the city.

More than 6,400 industry professionals visited EXPO Ferroviaria in 2014

systems. KST GmbH, which manufactures exterior cameras for railway

vehicles, will show the newest generation of airflow optimised cameras

for rear view application, front view and pantograph monitoring.

New exhibitors from Italy include Sicme Motori, which

manufactures and maintains electric motors for rail and metro

applications, and Selet Sensor, with products that include sensors,

connector systems, encoders, panel displays, pushbuttons and

limit switches. NKE will introduce its expertise in fluid filling, glazing,

gluing and sealing, and seals extrusion, and Consilium Italy plans to

present cost-effective solutions for integrated fire protection for

rail vehicles.

Other well-known exhibitors include, Dellner Italia, specialising in

couplers, buffers, drawgear, gangways, and Hübner, supplier of vehicle

articulation and gangway systems, entrance modules and window

systems, and electrical systems specialist Sécheron.

Among suppliers of vehicle maintenance systems and services will

be BBM Officine Meccaniche, showcasing rail vehicle workshop

equipment and systems covering both maintenance and manufacture.

Also representing this sector will be lifting equipment specialist

Emanuel and Spanish firm Patentes Talgo SLU, supplier of bogie and

wheelset maintenance systems.

Infrastructure showcaseThis year’s EXPO Ferroviaria has again attracted a very wide range of

companies supplying the rail infrastructure market, many exhibiting in a

dedicated area of the show in Hall 2 that includes an On Track Display

of equipment and machinery.

Track construction and maintenance machinery specialist Plasser &

Theurer will introduce its E3 (economic, ecologic, ergonomic) concept,

– hybrid equipment with a new drive system that allows it to be

powered either via a diesel engine or from the overhead contact line.

The choice of energy source applies in both transit and working modes.

Exhibiting under its new name will be Alpiq EnerTrans SpA, which

specialises in railway and mass transit electrification systems, covering

the design, procurement, installation and commissioning of both

turnkey and renewals projects. The business is familiar in Italy as the

former Balfour Beatty Rail SpA, acquired by the Swiss-based Alpiq

group in March 2015.

A new exhibitor will be SALCEF Costruzioni Edili e Ferroviarie SpA,

a leader in in Italy in track renewals and maintenance. It also under-

takes major civil works, construction and maintenance of overhead

line equipment and has expertise in the production of concrete

monobloc sleepers.

Similarly taking part for first time in EXPO Ferroviaria will be

infrastructure maintenance equipment supplier FCS, with a product

range that includes track equipment and tools, lifting and carrying

products, measuring devices, lighting, plus track safety and personal

protection equipment.

Vossloh AG will profile its long-established reputation as a leading

manufacturer of rail fastening systems for ballasted and slab tracks, its

expertise in the design and manufacture of points and switches, and

related signalling and safety systems.

Eurailscout will promote its high quality infrastructure monitoring

services using the latest measurement systems, modern test and

measurement vehicles and fully developed processes. The company has

been working successfully with RFI in Italy since 2011, carrying out

switch inspection and measurement.

Railtech Pandrol Italia, distributor in Italy for the Railtech

International group, will present Railtech and Pandrol rail fastening

systems, Railtech alumino-thermic rail welding systems and Plötz

diagnostic equipment.

Also representing this sector will be level crossings specialist

Kraiburg STRAIL, track maintenance equipment and services

supplier LB Foster, sleepers manufacturer Margaritelli Ferroviaria,

track maintenance equipment and services company Matisa and track

products supplier Schwihag.

From Switzerland, Amberg Technologies will showcase its

capabilities as a leading provider of specialised systems for the geo-

referenced collection and refinement of civil infrastructure information.

In the same sector Trimble Railway Solutions will feature the latest

GPS/GNSS, optical measurement, imaging

and 3D scanning technologies to capture

data for track construction, pre-measuring

for tamping and track clearance.

Eltek Italia will showcase high-

efficiency power conversion products for

railway and metro applications such as

passenger information and access control

systems, video monitoring of platforms,

aspects of signalling and safety, and for

tunnel safety functions such as emergency

lighting and ventilation management.

ECM will exhibit safety and signalling systems such as power

systems, advanced energy efficiency management, advanced

interlocking, remote control and remote diagnostics, chronological

event recording systems, LED signals and ATP systems. TECO will be

focusing on its TEFIX safety barriers, the EKOS roller system, sensors for

axle counters and plastic cable ducts. And making its first appearance at

the Turin show will be Time 24, one of Europe’s largest contract

manufacturing specialists for the supply of control and panel wiring, full

systems integration, electromechanical assemblies and cable harnesses.

The development, testing and certification of materials in terms

of railway fire safety will be the focus of French company Crepim, one of

Europe’s major laboratories in this field. Also present will be SITS

France, which specialises in installing telecommunication, fibre-optic,

signalling and power supply networks. Further adding to strong French

participation will be Business France, the government’s foreign trade

promotion body, which will host B2B meetings on its stand.

SHOW PREVIEW




European Railway Review is pleased to be aMedia Supporter for EXPO Ferroviaria 2016

Date: 5-7 April 2016

Location: Halls 1 and 2, Lingotto Fiere, Turin, Italy

Website: www.expoferroviaria.com

Opening times: Tuesday 5 April, 10:00-17:00Wednesday 6 April, 10:00-17:00Thursday 7 April, 10:00-16:00

Entry: Free for visitors who pre-register via theshow website; €30 for on-site registration

More than 175 companies from

16 countries havealready booked

stands at the show

Part of the european railway review series of events

Save The Date

Register your interest as a speaker, sponsor or delegate now at:

www.iberianraildevelopment.com

Limited opportunities are available for organisations that wish to present or exhibit at this conference. To discuss sponsorship opportunities please contact Ben Holliday on:

+44 (0) 1959 563311 | [email protected]

Present your company as a thought leader in Iberian rail

Significantly raise your profile and increase brand awareness

Showcase your solutions and capabilities in front of an audience of key rail industry decision-makers

Develop new relationships and nurture existing ones with key industry stakeholders

Differentiate your company from your competitors

Make sure that your company is front of mind when buying decisions are taken

Iberian Rail Development 2016 is a first-class opportunity to:

Programme to be

announced soon!

HOCHLEISTUNG I PRÄZISION I ZUVERLÄSSIGKEIT

www.plassertheurer.com

”Plasser & Theurer“, ”Plasser“ and ”P&T“ are internationally registered trademarks

The new continuous-action tamping machine for all line categories. The

Unimat 09-4x4/4S successfully continues the series of our cost-effi cient

continuous-action and material-friendly universal tamping machines.

Its compact design enables additional line categories, the new Plasser

Intelligent Control P-IC 2.0 system allows for ergonomic operation, and the

electronic Data Recording Processor (DRP) guarantees precise documenting

of work results.

Turnout tamping made easier

HIGH CAPACITY I PRECISION I RELIABILITY

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