Dear Readers,
For those that missed the UK rail industry's glittering awards night at London's Grosvenor Hotel last week here is the list of the overall winners of the National Rail Awards 2019.
Congratulations to the winners and also to those who were Highly Commended.
Major Project of the Year
Network Rail and Siemens Mobility - Oxford Corridor
Freight And Logistics Achievement Of The Year
Railfreight Consulting, British Airways, BP, VTG, Network Rail and Freightliner - Jet Fuel to Heathrow
Customer Service Excellence
Network Rail and Govia Thameslink Railway - Brighton Main Line Improvement team
Sustainable Development Award
Chiltern Railways - Taking environmental issues to a new level
Great Place To Work
Merseyrail
Infrastructure Achievement Of The Year Award
Network Rail & IP Track Delivery - Polmadie and Rutherglen Improving Functionality
Train Of The Year
ScotRail Alliance - Class 365 Introduction
Innovation Of The Year
LNER - Project Sensa
Safety Initiative Of The Year
South Western Railway - Paramedics
Outstanding Teamwork
Govia Thameslink Railway - Rail Enforcement Officers
Stations Of The Year
Small: South Western Railway - Templecombe
Medium: ScotRail - Pitlochry
Large: East Midlands Railway - Derby
Major: Network Rail - Liverpool Lime Street
Passenger Operator Of The Year
East Midlands Trains
Outstanding Personal Contribution (Senior)
Network Rail - Sir Peter Hendy CBE
Outstanding Personal Contribution (Frontline)
South Western Railway - Tarnia Rayment, Customer Ambassador
Outstanding Personal Contribution (Management)
Porterbrook - Helen Simpson and Chandra Morbey, Head of Innovation and Technical Services
NRA Lifesavers
Govia Thameslink Railway - Ashley John
East Midlands Railway - Jono Todd
Arriva Rail London - Silvia Sangiorgio
Network Rail - Hanif Patel and Ian Inns
Lifetime Achievement Award
South Western Railway - Jeffery Fry
For further information and other opportunities worldwide, visit our website at www.railpersonnel.com.
Regards
Ceri Taylor
Editor
ceri@railpersonnel.com
This Week's Headlines:
28 Sep 2019. India. Launch date announced for Vande Bharat Express Delhi to Katra
Railway Minister Piyush Goyal has announced the launch date of the Delhi-Katra Vande Bharat Express.
Source: Metro Rail News
27 Sep 2019. Denmark. Copenhagen Cityringen Metro Line set to open
Copenhagen's new metro line: Cityringen. - The Queen of Denmark, Margrethe II, will be officially opened on Sunday, 29 September.
Source: Railway News
27 Sep 2019. France. Changes planned for Eurostar, rail operator announces
Rail operator SNCF wants to merge Eurostar, which operates high-speed trains to London, and the Thalys service that takes passengers from France to Belgium and the Netherlands.
Source: AFP
25 Sep 2019. France. Alstom's digital signalling technology chosen by SNCF Reseau
Alstom, in a consortium with Setec Ferroviaire, has been awarded a contract worth approximately E50m by SNCF Reseau to supply its Atlas ERTMS Level 2 system, on over 500 kilometres of the Paris-Lyon high speed line.
Source: Alstom
25 Sep 2019. China. World's longest cross-sea rail-road bridge completed
The main structure of the world's longest cross-sea road-rail bridge in its south eastern province of Fujian has been completed with the installation of the last steel girder.
Source: Xinhua
More Rail News:
28 Sep 2019. India. Launch date announced for Vande Bharat Express Delhi to Katra
Railway Minister Piyush Goyal has announced the launch date of the Delhi-Katra Vande Bharat Express. The all-new engine-less Vande Bharat Express or Train 18 will be flagged off by Home Minister Amit Shah during Navratras on 3rd October. The new Vande Bharat Express will cut down the travel time between New Delhi and Katra to just 8 hours, from the current 12 hours. Indian Railways is planning to manufacture 40 more Vande Bharat Express-style train set by March 2022. The new trainsets will consume less electricity compared with the first two Vande Bharat Express trains. The new trainsets will also be manufactured with Rajdhani Express-style sleeper classes for overnight journeys.
Source: Metro Rail News
27 Sep 2019. Denmark. Copenhagen Cityringen Metro Line set to open
Copenhagen's new metro line: Cityringen. - The Queen of Denmark, Margrethe II, will be officially opened on Sunday, 29 September. The new Cityringen line and the future M4 metro both contribute to Copenhagen's ambitious efforts to become the world's first carbon neutral capital by 2025. Metroselskabet is responsible for the Danish capital's metro network. It estimates that the number of passengers using the city's metro network will double to 122 million by 2020. Copenhagen got its first metro line in 2002. It has been an 8-year process to construct the M3 Cityringen metro line. In total, it features 17 new stations. Italian company Salini Impregilo won the contract to construct the new line. Cityringen, a circular line, consists of two parallel tunnels, each 15.5km in length. The metro vehicles operating on the Cityringen line will be driverless and fully automatic. They will run 24/7 as do the trains on the existing lines. However, unlike the existing lines, Cityringen will feature CBTC. This enables smaller headways. Hitachi Rail STS won the contract to manufacture the rolling stock for the Cityringen line. In addition, it was awarded the contract to operate the M3 metro services with Metro Service as a subcontractor. The M4 metro line, which will connect Orientkaj to Ny Ellebjerg, is currently under construction.
Source: Railway News
27 Sep 2019. France. Changes planned for Eurostar, rail operator announces
Rail operator SNCF wants to merge Eurostar, which operates high-speed trains to London, and the Thalys service that takes passengers from France to Belgium and the Netherlands. CEO Guillaume Pepy said that the move, which would take up to two years to implement, would create a single and more efficient European railway company and allow travellers simpler and more efficient journeys. He said that the two networks, which are majority owned by the SNCF, had a total potential to transport 30 million passengers a year compared with 18.5 million in 2018. The project for the merger, dubbed "Greenspeed", would have to be approved by the other shareholders of both railway firms and their supervisory boards. The brand name and the headquarters of the proposed new company have yet to be determined.
Source: AFP
25 Sep 2019. France. Alstom's digital signalling technology chosen by SNCF Reseau
Alstom, in a consortium with Setec Ferroviaire, has been awarded a contract worth approximately E50m by SNCF Reseau to supply its Atlas ERTMS Level 2 system, configurable to the hybrid Level 3, on over 500 kilometres of the Paris-Lyon high speed line. Under the terms of the contract, Alstom will design and supply the equipment, along with installation, testing and maintenance. Setec Ferroviaire will be responsible for the verification of the design, integrated project management and testing. The Paris-Lyon high speed line is the busiest route in Europe with 240 trains per day on the main section. It is likely to become even busier in the years to come, particularly with the opening up of the rail passenger transport market. Modernising the line is a priority project for SNCF Réseau as well as for Europe, which is devoting E125m million to the project.
Source: Alstom
25 Sep 2019. China. World's longest cross-sea rail-road bridge completed
The main structure of the world's longest cross-sea road-rail bridge in its south eastern province of Fujian has been completed with the installation of the last steel girder, weighing 473 tonnes. The 16.34km The Pingtan Strait Bridge will connect Fujian's Changle city and five islands off the Haitan coast. It is China's first, and the world's longest bridge of its type to be built in the sea. The site of the bridge is known as one of the windiest spots in China. It is due to open next year after seven years of construction.
Source: Xinhua
24 Sep 2019. Indonesia. Agreement reached on Jakarta-Surabaya rail project
Indonesia and Japan have signed a deal on an outline of a medium-speed train project linking the capital of Jakarta and its second-largest city, Surabaya. After two years of negotiations, the two countries agreed to use a narrow gauge on the railway track, instead of standard gauge, to better adapt to land characteristics in dense and multi-networked areas on the island of Java. Under the agreement, the project will be split into two phases, with the first between Jakarta and the Central Java provincial capital of Semarang and the second between Semarang and Surabaya, the capital of East Java province, covering distances of 436 km and 284 km, respectively. The initial investment value of the project was estimated at 60 trillion rupiah (Y458bn). President Joko Widodo said he expected construction of the railway to start next year.
Source: The Japan Times
24 Sep 2019. New Zealand. Quake rail repair job wins major international award
The massive repair job on the earthquake-damaged railway line between Picton and Christchurch has scooped a prestigious North American rail industry award. Nearly three years since the giant magnitude 7.8 tremor devastated the critical South Island road and rail corridor, KiwiRail and its project partners in the North Canterbury Transport Infrastructure Recovery alliance have become the first entry from outside the United States and Canada to win the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance of Way Association's (AREMA) annual WW Hay Award for Excellence. KiwiRail's COO for capital projects David Gordon said it recognised the "remarkable efforts" in getting the Main North Line reopened to restricted freight services within 10 months of the November 14, 2016 earthquake and a return to 24/7 operations for both freight and tourism services the following year.
Source:
24 Sep 2019. France. Latest strike sees half of regional trains services cancelled
France has been hit by another train strike over a looming pension system overhaul after Paris saw its biggest strike action in more than a decade earlier this month. Just two out of five of SNCF's intercity services ran during the strike along with three of five regional TER lines, the operator said, adding that high-speed TGV services were a "little disrupted". International rail, including the heavily used Eurostar lines, was unaffected. The strike held on 13 September was the first major protest against President Emmanuel Macron's plan to implement a universal pension system that would do away with the more advantageous plans enjoyed by workers in state transport and utility companies. Metro workers say the reforms would force them to work longer by removing their long-held rights to early retirement, secured decades ago to compensate for spending long hours underground.
Source: AFP
23 Sep 2019. UK. Infracapital acquires GB Railfreight
Investment firm EQT Infrastructure II has announced that its portfolio company Hector Rail Group has entered into a definitive agreement to sell GB Railfreight to Infracapital, the unlisted infrastructure equity arm of M&G Prudential, with the deal expected to close in mid-October 2019. Founded in 1999, GB Railfreight is the third largest rail freight operator in the UK. The company's team of 900 people operates over 1,000 trainloads a week, moving approximately 23% of UK's rail cargo. The company has a fleet of over 180 locomotives and 1,500 wagons, transporting goods for a wide range of customers, including Network Rail, MSC, Bombardier, Tarmac and Aggregate Industries. GB Railfreight was acquired by EQT Infrastructure II, through its existing portfolio company Hector Rail, in November 2016. The strategy during EQT's ownership has been focused on driving sustainable growth in the UK rail market. Commercial initiatives have been supported by investments into the locomotive fleet, where locomotives and wagons have been acquired to further accelerate growth.
Source: Handy Shipping Guide
23 Sep 2019. USA. Hyundai Rotem win MBTA train contract
The Massachusetts's Bay Transport Authority (MBTA) has awarded a US$278.5m contract to Hyundai-Rotem for the procurement of 80 new Commuter Rail Bi-Level Coaches, which will increase capacity by over 14,000 seats daily. The transit agency said the bi-level coaches are a reproduction of the current bi-level fleet, guaranteeing compatibility with the existing fleet and having minimal design impacts. The first coaches are expected in September 2022 and the last coaches under the procurement are due in June 2024. A US$41m contract for engineering and program management services for the project was also awarded to WSP USA Inc., in close cooperation with Keville Enterprises, Inc., and VP Engineering, Inc.
Source: WCBV5
23 Sep 2019. France. First Trenitalia ETR1000 trains arrive for testing
The first of two Trenitalia ETR1000 Frecciarossa trainsets have arrived in France for type approval tests in Bretagne. Trenitalia plans to launch a Paris - Milano high speed service in summer 2020 using a fleet of five ETR1000 trainsets modified for use in France, from its fleet of 50 supplied by a consortium of Bombardier Transportation and Hitachi Rail Italy. The first type approval tests will focus on the trains' ability to activate track circuits; these will be undertaken on the line between Plouaret-Tregor and Plounerin. Subsequent tests will take place on the French high-speed network.
Source: Railway Gazette
23 Sep 2019. Germany. Alstom to equip ICE3 high speed trains with ETCS
Alstom has been commissioned by Deutsche Bahn (DB) to retrofit 17 internationally operating ICE3 high-speed trains with its Atlas ETCS on-board system. The contract is worth more than E30m. The new technology will allow the medium term operational start of the trains to be equipped for the new German ETCS Level 2 high-speed line between Stuttgart and Ulm. Moreover, the vehicles will gain access on the Belgium network and for the first time using ETCS on the French high-speed line between Paris and Strasbourg completely. This order includes the ETCS development, design, manufacturing and integration of the existing national protection systems. The new train control system will be integrated into the vehicles' control technology in cooperation with the train manufacturer. The homologation will be obtained step by step in Germany, on the border routes to Switzerland, in Belgium and in France.
Source: Alstom
23 Sep 2019. The Netherlands. Vossloh awarded ProRail rail maintenance contract
ProRail has awarded Vossloh its corrective rail maintenance tender in the Netherlands, and it's the first time that it has preferred milling over conventional grinding for the corrective removal of rail defects. The frame contract is valid for four years. As the Netherlands' largest rail infrastructure company, ProRail B.V. looks after approximately 7,000 km of railway lines. All its orders for corrective rail maintenance over the next four years are being given to Alpha Rail Team & Co. KG, a 100% subsidiary of Vossloh Rail Services. Reprofiling or removal of rolling contact defects are fundamental tasks for rail maintenance, and this will be the first time that ProRail is using Vossloh milling machines to perform it. Based on the local requirements, Vossloh will select from its entire fleet of milling machines in order to ensure efficient implementation of the different maintenance measures.
Source: Vossloh Rail
22 Sep 2019. China. Changzhou Metro open for passenger service
The City of Changzhou has opened its first metro line for passenger service. Line 1 of Changzhou Metro has a length of 34.3kms and consists of 27 stations (27 underground and two elevated). The route runs from Forest Park in the north of the city to Nanxiashu in the south and provides interchanges at Changzhou North and Changzhou Railway Stations. 36 six-car metro trains serve the transport system. They are expected to carry up to approximately 950,000 passengers per day. The next extension of Changzhou Metro will be open in 2021. It includes the 19.8-km Line 2 with 15 stations. By 2030, the length of the city metro system will increase in five times - up to 186 kms. The new line is operated by 36 trains which are equipped with Bombardier CityFlo 650 CBTC solution and Mitrac propulsion and control system. The systems were provided by Bombardier's Chinese joint ventures, Bombardier NUG Signalling Solutions and Bombardier NUG Propulsion System.
Source: RailwayPro
22 Sep 2019. Australia. Victoria looking for designs for new trains and trams
The Victorian Government is leading the next step in designing the next generation of trams and regional trains by inviting manufacturers to develop proposals and participate in a collaborative design process. The new regional trains will be fully accessible, energy efficient and capable of carrying more passengers. The next generation trams will be fully accessible and include on-board energy storage, reducing the need for power upgrades. Together with the 50 new E-Class trams ordered by the State Government since 2015, the new trams will mean older high-floor trams can be retired. The final proposals will need to maximise local content and jobs, and integrate with Victoria's existing public transport network, reducing the need for expensive infrastructure upgrades. The Victorian Government has invested more than A$4.5bn in new and upgraded rolling stock and supporting infrastructure since 2015.
Source: Infrastructure
