All Blog Entries - International Railway Journal

Jan 30

2012

Wenzhou crash report blames design flaws and poor management

Posted by David Briginshaw in Untagged

The long-awaited official report into the Wenzhou high-speed train crash in July 2011 cites serious design and management failings as the causes of the accident which killed 40 and injured 172. In the report, the Chinese government for the first time provides details about what happened in the hour before the crash, reports Han Qiao from China Features in Beijing.

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Jan 30

2012

Wagonload must become Europe-wide to survive

Posted by David Briginshaw in Untagged

Despite falling by 10% during the last 16 years, wagonload freight still accounts for around a third of DB Schenker Rail’s total freight traffic says Dr Alexander Vogt from the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV). But the future viability of wagonload freight depends on reducing costs, and developing a Europe-wide network.

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Jan 30

2012

Managers need to get to grips with new technology

Posted by David Briginshaw in Untagged

IT appears that some senior railway managers are unaware that a revolution is underway in signalling, telecommunications and train control which will change the way railways and metros are operated and managed.

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Dec 16

2011

The red gold rush

Posted by Keith Barrow in Untagged

With copper prices soaring, cable theft from railways has become more prevalent in recent years impacting the reliability of rail services all over the world. Kevin Smith examines the challenge posed to railways and the steps they are taking to tackle the problem.

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Dec 16

2011

Dutch government fuses concessions to stem HSA crisis

Posted by Keith Barrow in Untagged

After many months of uncertainty, the Dutch government has revealed how it intends to rescue the High Speed Alliance from bankruptcy. Quintus Vosman explains how high-speed services will be merged into the conventional network, and examines the structure of the new 10-year core network concession, which starts in 2015.

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Dec 16

2011

Australia’s “unlimited opportunities” excite operators

Posted by Keith Barrow in Untagged

THE recent AusRailPlus conference and exhibition staged in Brisbane gave a fascinating insight into the current state of play and thinking in Australia which is more akin to a continent of several countries rather than one nation due to its mixture of track gauges, the different political climate in each state, the diversity of railways and types of operation, and the mixture of manufacturers.

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Dec 16

2011

Redefining the station as a multi-service centre

Posted by Keith Barrow in Untagged

In the quest to redefine the modal interface and make rail a more accessible option for travel, French National Railways is reinventing its stations as multimodal hubs, while also ensuring they are living spaces integrated into the communities they serve. Sophie Boissard, CEO of SNCF Stations & Connections, explains the strategy to Keith Barrow.

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Nov 28

2011

Selling Freight One: what does it mean for Russia?

Posted by Keith Barrow in Untagged

Independent Transport Company (ITC) won the battle to secure a 75% minus two shares stake in Russian Railways (RZD) subsidiary Freight One on October 28. Yuri Saakyan, director of the General Institute for Natural Monopolies Research, Russia, considers the history and prospects for Russia’s largest single owner and manager of freight wagons.

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Nov 28

2011

Harmonised fares systems are the ticket to success

Posted by Keith Barrow in Untagged

The lack of integration between national booking systems can be a major obstacle to cross-border rail travel. Philip Martin, head of marketing for Amadeus Rail tells Keith Barrow why standardising distribution networks will be a crucial step towards achieving the European Commission’s targets for increasing rail’s modal share.

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Nov 28

2011

Railways need to get the best out of new technology

Posted by Keith Barrow in Untagged

THE resurgence in rail transport that has gathered real momentum in the last few years can be attributed to several factors, but one of them has been rail’s ability to reinvent itself through the use of new technology. I would argue that rail is actually making more technological progress than the other modes of transport and on several fronts.

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