Industry news

Cracked carriages cause commuter misery

11 May | INFRASTRUCTURE

Rail operators in the UK have cancelled services following the discovery of cracks on trains worth £6bn.

Hitachi 800 trains have been removed from service on Great Western Railway, London North Eastern Railway and TransPennine Express, and the rest of the Hitachi fleet is currently being fully inspected.

In response to the disruption, the UK Government has instructed the rail industry to immediately form a comprehensive plan for fixing the prolonged disruption, which is expected to continue this week.

Rail Minister Chris Heaton-Harris has asked for a detailed plan from Hitachi to detect the magnitude of the cracks, as well as the safety regarding the resumption of the services.

Hitachi is also expected to present a detailed inspection regime to guarantee safety.

As an independent safety regulator, the UK Office of Rail and Road will closely monitor Hitachi’s work and help in resolving all the related issues, and the government has asked the rail industry to develop a plan for managing capacity and suggesting where alternative trains can be obtained.

Harris said: “I expect operators to explore all options for replacement services to help people complete their journeys, and have asked Hitachi for a safety inspection plan, as well as a longer-term repair strategy.

“Our focus is to ensure trains are returned to service as quickly as possible, once they are fully approved as safe. Only then can we start to rebuild a reliable and punctual timetable for passengers.”

These trains were ordered in 2012 and 2013 at a cost of £5.7bn ($8.03bn) as part of a 27.5-year programme.

10 May | CONSTRUCTION

£8M FACELIFT FOR PADDINGTON SQUARE

Paddington train station is set to get a £8m facelift, complete with a new entrance to the London Underground.

Mace has awarded Lonsdale Rail, part of the Michael Lonsdale Group, the £8m fit-out for the Paddington Square development.

Works will integrate London Underground's existing Bakerloo Line tube station at Paddington, with a new entrance underneath the Paddington Cube building.

The new tube entrance is part of a £65m investment in transport and public realm on the Paddington Square development.

John Kennedy, project director at Mace, is "delighted to have Lonsdale Rail on board”.

The 360,000-sq-ft Paddington Cube building will sit on a three-storey podium 12m above the newly created 1.35-acre public space, connecting it directly to the London Underground network.

Lonsdale Rail will complete the design from RIBA stage 5 and fulfil the manufacture, delivery, offload, distribution, installation, testing, and commissioning for the mechanical, electrical, fire, public health, and communications fit-out packages.

The project is set to be completed in 2022.

10 May | Contract

COVID-HIT INDIA GETS TRAIN CONTRACT BOOST

The European Investment Bank (EIB) has signed a £129m ($182m) finance contract with the Indian Government for the Pune Metro Rail project’s second portion.

The contract was signed between EIB vice-president Christian Kettel Thomsen and the Ministry of Finance on behalf of the Indian Government.

Funds will be utilised for carrying out the construction and operation of Corridor 1 (North-South) from Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation to Swargate, as well as Corridor 2 (West-East) from Vanaz to Ramwadi.

The total length of both corridors will span around 31.25km – and the EIB’s financing will aid in the acquisition of a related fleet of metro cars.

This project is expected to offer urban mobility to a large population, including the working class.

The Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation will work on this project as the implementing agency.

The goal of the project is to offer a safe, economic, and eco-friendly mass rapid transit system for the population of Pune.

After completion, the project is expected to create around 1,100 new jobs.

In September 2020, EIB announced nearly £560m ($790m) to support the construction of a metro rail system in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. The 32.4km metro line will have 18 elevated and 12 underground stations.

07 May | Metro

STOP GAP: PARIS METRO TO GET NEW ROLLING STOCK CONTROL

The Paris Metro is set to get a much-needed rejuvenation, after plans were announced to fit 90 carriages with a new control system.

Alstom has secured a new contract from French public transport operator Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens (RATP) to supply its automatic I-CBTC train operation system for Paris Metro.

The confirmed part of the contract will involve the adaptation and rollout of the I-CBTC solution three lines, covering 44 trains.

Alstom will carry out the development, authentication, industrialisation, deployment, testing, and commissioning of its solution.

In addition, RATP may grant conditional phases to Alstom, including the rollout of the system on a further 47 trains, maintenance services for 15 years, or other upgrades.

The contract work may lead to equipping a total of 91 carriages of the new MF19 trains with the I-CBTC solution.

The upgrade project will be executed under the OCTYS programme, which aims to improve the automatic operation system on Paris Metro.

Alstom France president Jean-Baptiste Eyméoud said: “It is a great honour for us once again to work on modernising the Paris metro system.

“Our I-CBTC solution is already in operation across 34km on lines 5 and 9, and over 80 million kilometres have already been covered since it entered service. It is also being rolled out on lines 6 and 11 of the Paris metro.”

07 May | Travel

FARE TRADE DEAL FOR NORTHERN STATIONS

UK-based train operating company Northern has installed more than 620 new ticket vending machines across its network as part of a comprehensive modernisation scheme.

Under the £17m scheme, the rail operator introduced modern touch-screen machines at around 420 station locations.

The installation works, which were announced in 2016, were carried out by Flowbird Transport Intelligence.

In addition to generating tickets, the machines offer discounts and concessions, as well as suggest cheaper alternatives to commuters, and will complement other ticket-buying methods, which includes ticket offices, Northern’s website, and the dedicated mobile app.

Northern commercial and customer director Mark Powles said: “Our new machines provide more options for customers and have greatly improved facilities for our customers, particularly at unstaffed stations.

“The full touchscreen design is modern and intuitive and has a number of features, which means it is accessible for disabled customers too.”

06 May | Railways

WANDER VISION: NEW STAFFING VENTURE AGREED DOWN UNDER

Foresight Autonomous’ affiliate Rail Vision has signed an agreement with Hitachi Rail STS Australia to deliver equipment, services, and workers to Australian rail firm Rio Tinto Railway Network.

As the project integrator, Hitachi Rail STS will supply a model of Rail Vision’s Collision Avoidance System to Rio Tinto for the demonstration and viability testing for a proof-of-concept project.

With added detection capabilities, Rio Tinto aims to amplify its current collision detection system to detect potential threats on or near the rail tracks.

If the testing completes successfully, Rail Vision may upgrade Rio Tinto’s full fleet of nearly 220 locomotives with its solutions.

The company stated that the system prices and additional commercial terms are yet to be disclosed.

Until the conclusion of the proof-of-concept project, this agreement will remain effective.

In the event Hitachi Rail STS orders and gives a notice to proceed, Rail Vision will have to deliver the needed solutions and services according to the mutually agreed terms.

This project will be executed in three stages, where the first phase will involve live demonstrations and data acquisition, and the second phase will include introductory technical work in connection with the deployment of the system.

The third phase will see the installation of Rail Vision’s system at Rio Tinto’s location for about three months for assessment, and the project is planned to continue for nine months while the deployment is expected in the third quarter of this year.

Rail Vision will also offer support, customisation, and development services throughout the project.

05 May | Trains

BOMBARDIER DISPOSAL OF STOCK SHARES

Canadian train transport company Bombardier Transportation is disposing of its interest in French rolling stock manufacturer Alstom in a £430m ($608m) transaction.

Bombardier is selling 11.5 million shares, which were obtained as part of the divestiture of its rail business to Alstom, in a deal aimed at reducing debt and allowing Bombardier to focus on its business aviation division.

Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) and Bombardier signed a memorandum of understanding to sell Bombardier Transportation to Alstom in February 2020.

In September 2020, Alstom signed the sale and purchase agreement to acquire Bombardier Transportation with revised price terms, which reduced the price range by £258m (€300m).

The revised offer was reportedly the result of Bombardier’s poor quarterly performance and the Covid-19 pandemic.

Canadian pension fund management company CDPQ became the largest shareholder of Alstom with around 18% of its share capital after the sale of the rail business, which was completed in January 2021 for £4.7bn (€5.5bn).

In brief

Brazilian line boost

Siemens Mobility has secured a contract to provide communications on the Metro Line extension in Salvador, Brazil.

This communications-based train control signalling system will control the trains on the 5km-long extension that will link Pirajá and ÁguasClaras/Cajazeiras.

Siemens Mobility will upgrade the software of onboard units on the current fleet of 40 trains, as well as the main and backup operation control centres for the 32km line.

The Salvador Metro started providing services in 2014 and is managed as a public-private partnership (PPP) by concessionaire CCR Metrô Bahia and the State of Bahia’s Administration.

SoCal cash boost

The company that operates Southern California’s Metrolink commuter rail system has been handed a $59,000 lifeline for an outreach fund to help stop people getting hit by trains.

The US Department for Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration gave the cash to Metrolink to address the issue of suicides along the 534 miles (860km) of track

From 2017 to 2019, there were 93 incidents of train strikes against a person, but it is hoped the cash will help pay for signage and outreach programmes in key areas to prevent further incidents.

Ideas above their station

A British design firm has beaten stiff competition from hundreds of international entries to win a competition to design train stations of the future.

7N Architects triumphed in the Re-Imagining Railways context, to design a railway station that would be in line with Network Rail’s goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

The winning design featured a local landmark clock tower, and sweeping photovoltaic canopies to shelter passengers and also provide renewable energy.

Edinburgh-based 7N Architects noted that its modular station design can merge with several locations that balance the local landscape.

Nuclear option

Demand for British rail freight expertise could explode after a new taskforce was announced to help transport nuclear waste.

Operator Direct Rail Services were announced as part of the logistical arm of Nuclear Transport Solutions, that forms part of the Nuclear Decommissioning Agency.

Nuclear Transport Solutions will specialise in the operational, commercial, legal, and regulatory side of providing safe and reliable nuclear transport solutions.

The operator’s core work remains moving nuclear flasks across the country, but it also runs intermodal and automotive services, as well as providing drivers and haulage for Network Rail’s seasonal operations along with other NR trains.

North-South divide

The Philippine government has announced a call for bids from Japanese suppliers for their massive North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) project.

NSCR consists of 107km of double track works, signalling systems, communications, and power supplies, which the government is attempting to procure from Japanese suppliers and manufacturers.

The new line is expected to reduce traffic congestion in the Manila metropolitan area and boost economic growth in the railways’ thoroughfares and surroundings, especially in Central and Southern Luzon.

04 May | Future

TEXAS LOOKS EAST FOR SPEED

A private railroad company has signed a $1.6bn (£1.13bn) contract to bring a Japanese-style high-speed railway to Texas.

Texas Central signed the massive deal with Kiewit Infrastructure South (Kiewit) and Mass. Electric Construction (MEC) for the deployment of core electrical systems for a proposed high-speed train project from Dallas to Houston, US.

The scope of the contract covers the deployment of systems such as safety and systems elements, signalling, and communications equipment.

Texas Central stated that these systems are a significant element of the N700S Shinkansen technology.

The new project will be modelled on the Japanese Tokaido Shinkansen high-speed rail system, which is run by the Central Japan Railway Company, as it is one of the safest and most punctual train systems in the world.

Texas Central CEO Carlos Aguilar said: “Kiewit and MEC are national leaders in installing complex and large-scale electric systems and have long track records of delivering high-quality rail systems safely and effectively.

“Combining their experience with the safety of an integrated system is essential to the operation of the Texas Central Railroad. Signing this contract is the next step in making the Texas Central Railroad the first high-speed rail system to be implemented in the US.”

During the six-year construction timeline, the proposed train project is expected to generate 17,000 jobs.