ISSUE TWO 2016

The latest news & reviews from the industry The latest news & reviews from the industry The latest news & reviews from the industry M A G A Z I N E

InfrastructurespecialSwitzerland’s Gotthard Base Tunnel

A Look at 3 Important Railway Bridges

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Welcome to the second magazineissue of 2016 for Railway-News.Spring is here and the Railway-Newswebsite has been given a new, sleekand modern look. Do go and take alook at www.railway-news.com.

This issue focuses on infrastructure.Although we’re in the rail sector, wecan never help being a little bit excitedby tunnels and the engineering featthat they are. So we are very pleasedthis issue to have an article about theGotthard Base Tunnel in Switzerland,which goes under the Alps and openson 1 June, ahead of schedule! We alsotake a look at railway bridges, startingwith the 19th century Forth Bridgeand finishing with the ThirdBosphorus Bridge in Turkey, which isto open in May/June of this year.

We are also expanding our regularfeatures section. In addition to aninfrastructure piece and an article witha European focus in every issue, weare adding an interview and a cartoon.In this issue we take a look at thecreation of the Single EuropeanRailway Area as our European article.The interview piece ties in nicely aswe spoke to Richard French atBombardier about its role in Shift2Rail.

We have guest contributions byMichelle Papayannakos, RSSB’ssustainable development specialist.She discusses how we can increasesustainability for the rail industry.Sustainability is an increasinglyimportant issue, not just for railwaysbut for all areas of transport as well asfor industry and private citizens.Jake Mason, CEO of Evolve, writes

Welcome to the second magazine issue of 2016 for Railway-News.

Letter from the Editor

Josephine Cordero Sapién, editor-in-chief

about the importance of visualcommunications in calmingdisgruntled rail passengers.

ASC (Advanced Sensors Calibration),with headquarters in Germany,introduces itself and discusses thetypical applications of ASC sensors inthe rail sector. Eltek presents its powerconversion module that is perfectlysuited for rail and metro. Finally, ArgusFluidhandling, part of the Alfa GommaGroup, announces the acquisition ofHiflex Europe Group.

All of us here at Railway-News hopeyou enjoy this issue as much as thelast. If you have any questions orsuggestions, please don’t hesitate toget in touch. We would also verymuch like to hear any commentsabout anything you’ve read in ourmagazine. Our upcoming issue will bepublished just prior to the Britishreferendum on its EU membership.How will the outcome impact the railindustry? Please email jcs@railway-news.com with comments.Meanwhile, enjoy the read and we willbe back again in June.

ANDREW LUSHDirector

al@railway-news.com

JOSEPHINE CORDERO SAPIÉNEditor-in-chief

jcs@railway-news.com

NICOLA BROWNHead of Sales

nb@railway-news.com

NAOMI THOMPSONContributing Editor

nt@railway-news.com

AMBER GUY-KEMPHead of Client Contentagk@railway-news.com

A2B Global MediaThird Floor

11–15 Dix’s FieldExeter EX1 1QAUnited Kingdom

Office: +44 (0)1392 580002Mobile: +44 (0)7432 725001

Email: info@railway-news.comWebsite: www.railway-news.com

If you would like to submit editorialcontent, or you are interested in giving an interview for the magazine, please

contact Josephine Cordero Sapién. If you would like your company to join

Railway-News’s online platform, please contact Andrew Lush.

To subscribe to our newsletter, visitwww.railway-news.com.

COVER: Courtesy of Herrenknecht AG

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The MPV®�s operational use is widespread and fit for the future.

... FOR CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE OF OVERHEAD LINE SYSTEMS & TRACK

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Contents

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EDITORIAL FEATURES

p.12 Railway BridgesA look at four iconic railway bridges, from a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to a bridge that turns into a tunnel and a crossing between Europe and Asia that is set to be the widest suspension bridge in the world.

p.32 Universal Access to European Rail Transport16% of the population of the European Union are affected by disability. What is being done in the rail industry to allow people with reduced mobility and sensory impairments to participate in society and access public transport?

p.40 Making the Railway More SustainableRSSB’s Sustainable Development Specialist Michelle Papayannakos talks to us about what the industry is doing to make rail greener and gives us an insight into RSSB’s Sustainable Development programme.

p.46 Designing a Visual Communications Strategy is Key to Calming Disgruntled Rail PassengersJake Mason, CEO of Evolve, discusses how visual communications can be used to keep passengers happy.

REGULAR FEATURES

p.6 Major Infrastructure Projects in the Rail IndustryGotthard Base TunnelA detailed look at the behind-the-scenes stats and details about the longest railway tunnel in the world, which runs under the Alps and is due to open 1 June 2016.

p.11 Cartoon

p.20 EuropeThe Single European Railway AreaA look at the EU’s railway packages in order to create a standardised, efficient, competitive railway industry in the European Union.

p.24 InterviewSharing Risk to Take Risks Railway-News speaks to Bombardier about Shift2Rail, an undertaking to support the creation of a Single European Railway Area

p.44 Upcoming EventsMay – June 2016

SUPPLIER FEATURES

p.16 ASC – Acceleration and Rotation Rate SensorsWhat are the typical applications of ASC sensors in the railway sector?

p.28 Eltek: A Breakthrough in Power Conversion Ready for Rail and MetroThe Rectiverter is the world’s first 3-port bidirectional power conversion module, combining the functionality of a rectifier and an inverter in one unit.

p.38 Argus Fluidhandling, part of Alfa Gomma Group, acquires Hiflex Europe GroupThis is a positive step for Alfa Gomma Group in strengthening its presence in the German and British markets.

A Ground Breaking Project

GotthardBase Tunnel

By Naomi Thompson

Sedrun Shaft© AlpTransit Gotthard Ltd.

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40oC and humidity of up to 70%,all had to be contended with, aswell as a high risk of corrosionfrom an aggressive salineenvironment, brake and concretedust and soot particles in theenvironment.

Because of the narrow diameter ofthe tunnel, the logistics oftransporting equipment andworkers into the tunnel wasintricate; nearly everything wastransported as far as 40km intothe tunnel by rail from twoinstallation yards at the north andsouth portals. In addition, allequipment had to be transportedand stored in containers whichwould protect them from theenvironmental conditions, makingthem heavy and cumbersome.

Also, larger equipment andmaterials had to be delivered inexactly the right order becausethere was no room to shufflethem once inside the tunnel.

The first Gotthard Tunnel throughthe Gotthard Massif is 15km longand took ten years to build, from1871 to 1881. Its constructionrequired the use of explosives,entailed the deaths of hundreds ofworkers and originally ran steamtrains – and although this makes itan engineering feat of its day, itrendered it a grim businessnonetheless.

The latter incarnation, theGotthard Base Tunnel, is equally asimpressive an engineeringachievement, but not nearly sogrim. It is 57.1km long, it has taken12 years to construct, and runs600m below its predecessor. Itwill run electric trains at up to150km/h, and at a cost€9.34billion, it will revolutionisenorth-south rail travel in Europeby linking Erstfeld and Bodio inSwitzerland. It is the longest,deepest railway tunnel in theworld, and is due to open, aheadof schedule, on 1 June 2016.

ConstructionAlpTransit Gotthard, a whollyowned subsidiary of the SwissFederal Railways (SBB) wasresponsible for the construction ofthe tunnels. The work was brokendown into four segments,undertaken by the TranstecGotthard consortium consisting offour companies: AtelInstallationstechnik AG (lead),Alcatel-Lucent Schweiz AG/ThalesRail Signalling Solutions AG, AlpineMayreder GmbH and BalfourBeatty Rail GmbH. Additionalworks have been carried out bypartners ABB Schweiz AG,Burkhalter AG, IBM Schweiz AG,Kummler+Matter AG, Pöyry InfraAG and Scheuchzer AG.

The Challenges600m below the earth could besafely described as hostile terrain.The climactic conditions, such asambient temperatures of up to

S211 Tunnel Boring Machine.Herrenknecht AG

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pour 131,000m2 of concrete andlay 290km of rails.

Catenary SystemThe R250 GBT overhead catenarysystem in the tunnel is cutting-edge; the overhead conductor railconsists of an aluminium profileand the copper catenary wireclamped inside, delivering thesame power as a standardcatenary system but reducinginstallation space, meaning thatthe tunnel diameter is smaller thanwould be expected from astandard overhead cabling system.The system is capable ofsupporting trains travelling atspeeds of up to 250km/h. A peakvalue of 2,220 A over any 15minute period in the R 250 GBTsystem meant that a parallelfeeder cable was required.

Installing 57km of cable into twosingle-track tunnels was alogistical feat in its own right;installation specialistsKummler+Matter and Balfour

There was sometimes no room todeliver components whole,meaning that some had to beassembled underground.

The tunnel was split into foursections, and each section wasconstructed in the same way –installing temporary structures andcables, which were systematicallyreplaced by permanent ones,starting with the track in order thatequipment and materials could betransported to the work site, andthen catenary system to supplythe electrics. There followedwiring, data points, technicalsystems and testing equipment.Measuring technology provided byLeica Geosystems and AmbergTechnology was in constant use,ensuring that everything wascarried out correctly on the firstattempt.

Tunnel BoringMachinesThe tunnel boring machines,

named Gabi I and II, Sissi andHeidi, are big girls; S-210s and S-211s respectively. Both weighedmore than 2,700 tonnes and were8.8m in diameter for the first partof the tunnel, before being refittedwith 9.4m heads for the second.They were both 440m long andtunnelled up to 40m per dayrequiring 17 men to operate them.They were operational 320 days ayear. They cut through slate,gneiss and granite with 62 rollerbits, requiring 2,500 kW energy topropel them, shifting a total of28million tons of rock. Themachines for the project werebuilt by Herrenknecht AG.

TrackworkThe trackwork was undertaken byBalfour Beatty and Renaissanceconstruction, who installedSonneville Low-Vibration Track inboth tunnels over the course of 39months. The construction took125 engineers working in shifts for24 hours a day, seven days a weekto lay 380,000 sleeper blocks,

Erstfeld Track Installation© AlpTransit Gotthard Ltd.

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and the fans and cooling towershad to be as unobtrusive aspossible, and the whole systemhad to be robust enough tosurvive the environmentalconditions.

Tunnel ControlSystemThe tunnel control system wasprovided by Siemens who installedtheir LP60 Tunnel Control System,a pair of tunnel control centres(TCC) at the north and southportals of the tunnel, which willhouse two fully redundant TunnelControl Systems (TCS). Thesesystems monitor and control all ofthe electrical systems in thetunnel, collecting, consolidatingand visualizing data in order toprovide maintenancemanagement strategies as well asemergency responses. Asecondary, identical TCS isinstalled in the TCCs as backup,guaranteeing the highest level ofsafety.

The tunnel is continuouslymonitored, any malfunctions areimmediately reported and a

Beatty Rail undertook the venture.The saline conditions required thatall components needed to bemade of hot-galvanised steel, withall screw joints and relevantfixtures heavier than aluminium.Re-tensioning devices, cantilevers,drop tubes, feeder supports andsilicon insulators were all testedextensively to meet the demandsof the environmental conditionswithin the tunnel.

The tunnel holds 2,800km ofcables for power supply and datacommunications. NKT Cablesprovided 170km of 120mm2 CuAGcontact wire and 70mm2 of Bzmessenger wire, as well as 850kmof copper overhead lines, inaddition to 100km of Al wires ofdifferent cross-sections as feederand return conductors were beinginstalled.

SignallingThales were the preferred bidderto supply the interlocking andsignalling systems for the 300trains per day that will run throughthe tunnels at speeds of 140km/hto 250km/h. The system installedwill be European Train ControlSystem Level 2 (ETCS 2), thestandard signalling control systemin Europe.

The ETCS signalling, control andtrain protection system, whichwas developed with the support ofthe European Commission inorder to standardise signalling andcontrol systems in Europe toenable easier cross-border travel,is an automatic train protection(ATP) system. It relies on real-timemonitoring and communicationbetween the radio block centre(RBC), track, cab and other trains,taking into account location,speed, predicted speeds (onbends, for example) andinfrastructure integrity. It thenanalyses this data automatically

and sends instructions directlyinto the train cab to instruct thedriver on the safest and mostefficient routes. The system doesaway with the need for red lightsand manual braking.

Ventilation andCooling SystemThe ventilation and coolingsystem was a two-phase project;the first was for the constructionphase and the second is forpassenger systems. Duringconstruction, with diesel engines,machinery, heat from the rockmass and tunnel walls, and thetonnes of cement which heated asthey hardened, the cooling systemwas required to maintainacceptable working conditions.

It also had to be a compactsystem that would not interferewith the installation of thecatenary system and track laying,and, to fulfil safety requirements,include airlocks at four pointsalong the length of the tunnel.The incident tunnel had to bepressurised in order that it remainsmoke-free in the event of a fire,

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message navigation systemidentifies the exact point of issue,for example, the status of radiocommunication equipment,emergency calls and status oflighting and track monitoringsystems. By delivering a visualoverview to the operator of thestatus of the tunnel and thelocation of trains in the tunnel, theoperator has a clearunderstanding of the status of thetunnel at all times.

In emergency scenarios, the firstpoint of interest is the rail trafficmonitoring function. Once

© Herrenknecht AG

Installation of the Ventilation System at Erstfeld© AlpTransit Gotthard Ltd.

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A Once-in-a-Generation ProjectThe original Gotthard Tunnel usedcutting-edge, innovativetechniques in its construction;initially this was gunpowder andhand drills, boring around 75cm aday. Dynamite and pneumaticdrills were introduced a year intothe construction, increasing theboring rate to around four metresa day. It was physically demandingwork in unsafe conditions, withoutthe benefits of adequate coolingand ventilation systems, and nohealth and safety regulations toprotect workers. That 15kmtunnel, which is still in operation,was an engineering marvel of itsday. It is therefore fitting that the57km Gotthard Base Tunnel willbe lauded as the engineeringmarvel of our generation.

detected, a notice of malfunctionwould be delivered to the relevantelectrical system via the “tunnelreflex” facility which initiates allscenarios to address themalfunction: activatingappropriate ventilation to the area,switching lights on, opening doorsat appropriate points so that anemergency evacuation can takeplace.

The system even goes so far as todrain the storm water reservoir atthe north or south end of thetunnel so that the water isaccessible to fire-fightingoperations and to change theventilation routes to minimisesmoke damage. The system issuesstep-by-step instructions to theoperator as to each course ofaction to ensure procedures arefollowed.

The system also enables reactiveand predictive maintenance with acentralised planning system;alerting the operator as to whatmaintenance is required where,and even where the tools andcomponents are stored with therelevant maintenance manuals.

Rolling StockStadler Rail were the preferredbidder to supply the rolling stockfor the tunnel. They have supplied29 11-car EC250 trainsets, each200m long with capacity for 400passengers. They offer disabilityaccess with low floors and widedoors and aisles. They also have adining car, quiet, family andbusiness zones, and power-sockets at every seat. Theirmaximum speed is 249km/h.

Gotthard Base Tunnel opens early

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materials such as iron towardslight-weight, greener solutions,our railways have undergone thesame transformation and nowface a pivotal role yet again as theenvironmentally friendly, high-speed, clean form of transport forboth passengers and freight.As such, this article wants tocelebrate some of engineeringmarvels that carry our railways:bridges. First we take a look atForth Bridge in Scotland, whichopened in 1890 and is a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site.

Our railways have always beenassociated with majorinfrastructure projects. Just in thelast issue of this magazine we sawthe incredible engineering behindLondon’s Crossrail project. In thisissue we also look at the GotthardBase Tunnel in Switzerland, atunnel running 57km under theAlps, making it the longest railwaytunnel in the world. It is set toopen 1 June 2016. Theseengineering feats are not justreserved for undergroundconstruction, nor are they

reserved for any particular periodin history. The infrastructureprojects of the past were just asimpressive for their day as theengineering developments of ourtime. And indeed, thedevelopment of the railway wasinstrumental in driving forward theindustrial revolution, a turningpoint in history for humankind. Asour society has been transformedby ever-new innovations in everyfield including engineering andconstruction, away from a worldof coal and soot and heavy

RailwayBridges

By Josephine Cordero Sapién

Forth Railway Bridge, Scotlandaccredited to: Dave Conner (http://ow.ly/10pXby),Creative Commons license

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The early years of the bridge’s construction werefocused on building the granitepiers. To allow the men access tothe floor of the Forth, wroughtiron cylinders were pushed intothe riverbed; next the water waspumped out, providing the access.In fact, the bottom of thesecaissons had to be filled withcompressed air for this reason,meaning the men had to gothrough air locks to access thesite6.

After the granite piers werecomplete, work began on thesteel superstructure, first upwards,then outwards, allowing people tomarvel at the sheer scale of theconstruction. Indeed, 53,000tonnes of steel were used7. Whenit was complete, the bridgeunderwent load-testing, takingtwice the load the bridge wasdesigned for. In February 1890 thefirst complete crossing tookplace8. When the bridge wasformally opened the followingmonth by the Prince of Wales(later King Edward VII), heknighted Benjamin Baker duringthe ceremony9.

The bridge runs a double track. In2000, 54,080 passenger trainscrossed the bridge, with 190–200trains a day in 200610. It is nowowned by Network Rail.

The bridge was put forward by theUK Government as a candidate tobe included on UNESCO’s list ofWorld Heritage Sites in 2011. In2015 it was inscribed onUNESCO’s list as a building ofspecial architectural or historicinterest, under criteria i and iv.UNESCO says: “The Forth Bridge is anextraordinary and impressivemilestone in the evolution ofbridge design and constructionduring the period when railways

Next, we look at the longestrailway bridge in Europe, ØresundBridge, which connects Swedenand Denmark and was opened in2000.

Finally, we look at Yavuz SultanSelim Bridge, or the ThirdBosphorus Bridge in Turkey, whichconnects Asia with Europe. It is setto open in May/June this year.

Forth BridgeLocation: Scotland, UKCompleted: 1890Length: 2529mType: Cantilever Bridge

The Forth Bridge in located ineastern Scotland. It crosses theFirth (estuary) of Forth, where theRiver Forth flows into the NorthSea. Fife is located to the northand Lothian, home to the Scottishcapital Edinburgh, to the south. Initially, the people who wanted tocross the estuary relied on ferriesand indeed, there are records of aregular ferry service here datingback as far as the 12th century.Over time this ferry link becomeincreasingly busy and the need forfixed-link crossing that was notweather-dependent becameincreasingly obvious1.

At the same time it was knownthat a stiff wheel on a rigid rail wasmore energy-efficient than roadtransport per tonne-mile. It then

became possible for the first timeto mass-produce steelinexpensively in the mid-19thcentury. These two factortogether triggered a period ofgreat expansion of the railways.This development furtherhighlighted the need for a bridgeover the Forth. An engineer calledThomas Bouch put forward plansfor suspension bridges to crossthe Tay and Forth estuaries.Construction commenced, butthe Tay Bridge collapsed, haltingconstruction on the suspensionbridge across the Forth. However,in 1881 John Fowler and BenjaminBaker submitted their plans for abridge. They were approved byParliament and construction ofthis bridge began in 1883 with thecontract having gone to MessersArrol & Co of Glasgow3.

Forth Bridge is a cantilever bridge,meaning that it is constructedusing cantilevers, i.e. horizontalstructures that are only supportedat one end, leading to asuspended span in the middle ofthe bridge. At the time of itsconstruction, it was the longestcantilever bridge span in the worldand even today it is still thesecond-longest4.

During the peak of its seven-yearconstruction phase, 4,600 menworked on the bridge. It is likely63 men died building it and manywere left crippled5.

Forth Bridgeaccredited to: Dr Michael Scuffil

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to promote regional development,taking into account Sweden’sdecision to apply for membershipof the European Community, as aconnection between the twolargest cities in the region as theywere struggling economically, andto improve access to KastrupAirport, the main airport in thearea14.

As a cable-stayed bridge, it hastwo pylons on which cables aremounted that support the bridgestructure. The 203.5m pylons are490m apart, meaning that thisbridge has the longest cable-stayed main span in the world forrail traffic15. The construction ofthe bridge was awarded to theSundlink Contractors with 95% ofthe workforce coming from theØresund region. During the peakconstruction period, around 5000workers were involved, includingoff-site workers in Sweden andSpain. The sand and steel usedcame from Denmark, the granitefrom Sweden and quarriedmaterial from Norway16.

Being in such an environmentallyfragile area, the most stringentenvironmental regulations wereadhered to with more thanUS$300 million being spent onenvironmental protection duringthe construction phase. Anothermajor green benefit of this bridgeis that the switch away from ferrytravel across the strait has reducedair pollution in the area17.

The rail track is a double track atstandard gauge and the trains cantravel up to 200km/h. The railwaywas completed on 1 December1999, however, as Denmark andSweden have differentelectrification and signallingsystems, it was agreed that therailway would use the Danishstandard over the crossing beforeswitching to the Swedish standard

came to dominate long-distanceland travel, innovative in itsconcept, its use of mild steel, andits enormous scale.”11

Øresund BridgeLocation: Sweden / DenmarkCompleted: 2000Length: 7845mType: Cable-stayed Bridge

The Øresund Bridge is both arailway bridge and a road bridge. Itcrosses the Øresund Strait thatruns between Sweden andDenmark. It crosses from theSwedish mainland to the artificialDanish island of Peberholm in themiddle of the strait, whereupon

the bridge joins the DrogdenTunnel, which emerges at Kastrupon Amager Island. PeberholmIsland itself is a nature reserve thatwas made of the rock and soildredged up when the bridge andtunnel were constructed12.

The governments of Sweden andDenmark first agreed to build thisbridge in 1973. The combinedroad/rail plans were approved bythe Danish and Swedishparliaments in 1990. Constructionultimately began in 1995 and wascompleted in 200013. The purposeof the link shifted over time, butthe key objectives were toimprove connections betweennorthern Europe and Scandinavia,

Øresund Bridge and Peberholm Island

Øresund Bridgeaccredited to: News Oresund (http://ow.ly/10pWMw),Creative Commons license

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Bosphorus Region is more secureseismically when compared toİzmit shoreline. It is at a level ofone-third of the İzmit shoreline.Our bridge was designed in a waythat it will not be affected fromany earthquake thanks to itsflexibility.” 20

The rail section of the bridge willhave one high-speed trackrunning in each direction. Theyare to have 25kV overheadelectrification. The maximumlength of the trains on the bridge,both freight and passenger, will be400m with the freight trains beingallowed to travel at 80km/h andthe passenger trains at 160km/h.The rail system will run fromEdirne to Izmit. Furthermore it willbe connected to the Marmarayand Istanbul subways to makeairport access easier21.

The Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge is atruly international project withFrench, Belgian and Swissdesigners, Italian contractors, aSouth Korean sub-contractor anda Turkish main contractor. MichelVirlogeux called it the mostimportant bridge underconstruction in the world rightnow.

at the bridge’s eastern end. Nowmore than 150 trains cross thebridge every day18.

The bridge was opened on 1 July2000, several months ahead ofschedule. The bridge has featuredin the news more recently asSweden was granted a temporaryexemption from the SchengenAgreement in January 2016 inlight of the European migrantcrisis. All travellers across thebridge have to carry photo ID, thefirst time in 60 years thatidentification has been requiredbetween Denmark and Sweden.

Yavuz Sultan SelimBridgeLocation: Istanbul, TurkeyCompleted: May/June 2016Length: 2164mType: Hybrid Cable-Stayed/Suspension Bridge

Also known as the ThirdBosphorus Bridge, this bridge willprovide another link between theAsian and European sides of theTurkish city of Istanbul across theBosphorus Strait. It is a combinedroad/rail bridge.

The purpose of the bridge is toaddress busy traffic in Istanbul byconnecting the motorway to thecity centre. It will also create atransport route for freight trafficbetween Turkey and Greece. Inaddition it is hoped that this bridgewill aid with Turkey’s goal ofbecoming one of the ten biggesteconomies in the world by 2023.It is to be a definite landmarkfeature for the country.

And it is indeed impressive. Whencomplete, it will be the widestsuspension bridge in the world,measuring 59m. It will also be thesuspension bridge with the

highest pylon in the world,standing tall at 322m19, which alsomakes them taller than iconicstructures such as the Eiffel Tower.Finally, it will be the longestsuspension bridge in the world toalso feature a rail system.

The bridge was designed bystructural engineer MichelVirlogeux and Swiss company T-Engineering. Constructioncommenced in 2013 and has costUS$ 3 billion. The project is beingdelivered by IC Ictas – AstaldiConsortium. The bridge isexpected to generate around7000 jobs in construction and 500operational jobs. Being both aroad bridge and a rail bridge, thedesign features oblique suspendedcables along with the traditionalsuspended cables in order to copewith the extra load. A derrick and astrand jack were used to lay thesteel deck segments.

As the site is in an earthquakezone, situated on the Anatolianfault, the bridge design has alsoplanned for severe earthquakes.The designing structural engineerMichel Virlogeux said: “Earthquake is a big questionmark in Turkey. Thankfully, the

At 208m, during Third Bosphorus Bridge constructionaccredited to: Ugur Ceylan (http://ow.ly/10pW77),Creative Commons License

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ASC

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ASC sensors are used for crashtests in vehicle development,safety and wear monitoring of rail-bound vehicles, stabilitymonitoring of turbines andmeasurement of fluctuations incontainer vessels.

ASC sensors are used in manydifferent environments to performa wide range of tasks, such asmonitoring the vibration controlof high-speed trains at injection-moulding machines. Diverse areasof application often requireprecisely customised solutions.Therefore, ASC experts co-operate with customers todevelop new sensor solutions andcustomer-specific adjustments ofindividual parts, including cables,plugs and modified housings tocustomise sensors.

ASC (Advanced Sensors Calibration),headquartered in Pfaffenhofen, Germany, is oneof the leading global manufacturers ofacceleration and rotation rate sensors, andinertial measurement units (IMUs).

Acceleration and Rotation Rate Sensors

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Gearbox Monitoring: all rotatingcomponents of a bogie produce atypical vibration spectra, whichmakes it possible to identify eachcomponent via the frequency

3. InfrastructureManagement

Track Condition Monitoring:track condition monitoring relieson the influence of the trackcondition on the ride quality asexperienced by the passengers orby the driver

Ground-borne VibrationMonitoring: field measurementsusing accelerometers at differentdistances from the middle of therailway track (for instance,accelerometers mounted 50cmbelow the ground) to detectimpact on nearby buildings

Soil Quality Determination: datais collected on the axle boxes ofthe test train, on the track, in thefree field and in the buildingsclose to the track to check if thesoil is suitable for track layout

Typical applicationsof ASC sensors inthe railway sector

1. Rolling Stock Testing &

Commissioning

Applications

Modal Analysis: modalparameters like resonantfrequencies, structural damping,and mode shapes are essential inpredicting the behavior of the trainstructure and providing inputs tothe FEM model

Passenger Comfort & RideQuality: the ride comfort indexdetermines how good the vehicleand the track perform

Brake & Crash Testing: trains aredriven into a solid barrier todetermine crash survival; brakingdistance measurements andbraking assessments

Commissioning Tests inLaboratories: measuringvibrations on in-servicecomponents; dynamic test ofrunning, accelerometer-basedmethod

2. Service ProviderApplications

Bogie Monitoring: vibrationsensors monitor the stability ofbogies and the wear andfunctionality of shafts, brakes andwheels

Wheelset Monitoring: wheelsetcondition monitoring isimplemented by a vibration sensormounted on the axle box housingor integrated into the axle boxbearing

Axle Box Bearing Monitoring:axle box bearing elementsgenerate specific dynamicfrequencies that can be analysedwith additional knowledge ofcertain geometry data and shaftspeed

ASC’s capacitiveaccelerometers are used in ridecomfort tests

ASC’s Offshoreaccelerometers

are used for bogieand wheelsetmonitoring

ASC’s Industrialaccelerometers

are used formonitoring

gearboxes andaxlebox bearings

ACS’s miniaturetriaxial IEPE

accelerometers are used in

modal analysisapplications

19

Contact Details:ASC GmbHRenate Bay, Managing PartnerSchäfflerstraße 1585276 PfaffenhofenTel.: +49 8441 7865470Fax: +49 8441 7865479Email: r.bay@asc-sensors.deURL: www.asc-sensors.de

Gyroscopes to measure rotating rateASC also produces gyroscopes tomeasure the rate of rotation (turn).ASC gyroscopes are based onMEMS Technology, which meansthat the sensors are shock-resistant and have a steady signal.ASC gyroscopes are offered inboth uniaxial and triaxial models;both come with a range of 100°/s,300°/s and 1,500°/s.

Inertial Measurement UnitsIMUs (Inertial Measurement Units)are also part of the ASC productmix. The IMUs include threeacceleration and three rotationrate sensors each, which measurealong a total of six axes. The IMUsare used for driving comfortinspection and for indoorlocalisation in rail-bound traffic.

The ASC IMU is based on MEMSgyroscopes and MEMSaccelerometers. The IMU can beobtained with acceleration rangeof 2g, 5g and 10g, and rate rangeof 100°/s and 300°/s.

Worldwide railway industryreachASC has catered to many leadersfrom around the world in differentindustries with the high quality ofits products its customisedsolutions.

In 2010 ASC developed tailor-made sensors that are used at thebogies within the scope of a newmonitoring system for SiemensMobility’s new Velaro-D high-speed trains. In order to controlthe oscillations of the bogie, thesensors designed by ASC aredirectly attached to the bogies.The acceleration sensors operateat a low frequency and are basedon MEMS technology.

Repair and calibration serviceASC offers comprehensive

services for sensor maintenance,repairs and calibrations for ASCand third-party products. DAkkSawarded the calibration laboratoryof ASC the authority to executecalibrations according to DIN ENISO/IEC 17025:2005 foracceleration.

ASC produces its products in smallbatches and with short deliverytimes, which is crucial for use indevelopment departments. ASC isDIN ISO 9001-certified and ASCproducts meet a high qualitystandard that is ensured byproduction at its Pfaffenhofen site.

In the area of railways, ASC co-operates with leading playersincluding Alstom, Balfour BeattyRail, Beijing Environment Institute,Faiveley Transport, Italcertifer,Siemens Transportation Systems,Siemens AG Österreich, Strainstall,Trenitalia, IMC Test &Measurement and TÜV SÜD RailGmbH, among others.

Frost & SullivanAwardBased on the analysis of the railacceleration and rotation ratesensors market, Frost & Sullivanrecognized Advanced SensorsCalibration (ASC) GmbH with the2014 European Frost & SullivanCompany of the Year Award. The award from Frost & Sullivanlooks at the emerging marketplayers in the rail industry andrecognises their best practicesthat are positioned for futuregrowth excellence. ASC has notonly consistently deliveredadvanced technology and high-quality service, but has alsoimproved its product range andexpanded into other continents toemerge as a truly globalcompetitor.

20

Norway and Sweden use 15kV AC,while Portugal, northern Franceand the eastern Europeancountries use 25kV AC, to namebut two differences.

Safety standards and certificationalso need to be harmonizedthroughout Europe to bring allcountries up to the same highstandard and substantiallyreducing the risk of seriousaccidents.

The Single European Railway Areaaims to tackle these issues tobring interoperability to theEuropean rail network. Technical,regulatory and operationalrestraints would be removed.Apart from being simpler, thesemeasures would make rail travelcheaper. Trains also have to beauthorized in every Member Stateindividually, which costs millions.Innovation takes a hit as well asnew rail operators and newtechnical equipment struggles tofind a way into the market.

A lack ofHarmonisationThere are many elements in anyone country’s rail system that candiffer from those of aneighbouring country, makingcross-border travel difficult,inefficient and time-consuming.

Starting with basics, trains canonly run on one specific gaugetrack. Indeed, the reason whycountries have different gauges inthe first place was to preventtrains from another country frombeing able to use it. Most of Europe has standardgauge track at 1435mm. However,Russia, Finland, Belarus and theUkraine for example run on theRussian gauge at 1520mm or1524mm, while Spain runs on awider gauge of 1668mm.

Another non-standardised featurehas been signalling. There are 19different signalling systems withinthe EU, meaning that train driverscrossing borders would have to befamiliar with more than one set ofrules. For example, the Thalys PBKcrosses 7 different signallingzones.

The different countriesthroughout Europe also usedifferent electrification systems.Countries like Germany, Austria,

The European Union has set itself the ambitiousgoal of establishing a single European railwayarea, both for freight and passenger transport,with the aim of delivering an efficient, coherent,competitive rail transport system throughout theMember States.

The Single EuropeanRailway Area

By Josephine Cordero Sapién

©European Railway Agency

21

quality, end-to-end serviceswithout being restricted bynational borders. The EuropeanRailway Agency was set up to helpcreate this integrated railway areaby reinforcing safety andinteroperability.”2

The Third RailwayPackageThe Third Railway Packagecontained proposals to open upthe international passengertransport market by 2010, toharmonise passenger rights and tocertify train crews. It was adoptedin 2007.

This package introduced aEuropean driver licence meaningthat train drivers are allowed towork on the whole Europeannetwork. To obtain this licencethey will have to meet standardsregarding their level of education,age, mental and physical healthand practical training.

All passengers on all lines willenjoy a the same set of rightsthroughout the Union, forexample, passengers withdisabilities or reduced mobilitymay not be discriminated against3.Passengers now enjoy basic rightswith regard to insurance andticketing too.

Recast of the FirstRailway PackageIn September 2010 the EuropeanCommission opted to amend theFirst Railway Package directives tosimplify and reinforce thecontents by bringing together thethree directives and theiramendments in one text. Thisrecast must be implemented byMember States by April 2015.Some problem areas have alsocome to light in the past ten years,

Given that the Commission hasstated in its Transport 2050roadmap that it aims to ultimatelyhave a complete European high-speed rail network, to triple thelength of the existing high-speedrail network by 2030, to maintaina dense rail network throughoutthe Union and to move mostmedium-distance passengertransport to the rail sector by2050, it is vital technical, safetyand administrative standards areharmonized to open markets,promote competition and makethe European rail network anefficient, cost-effective transportoption.

The First RailwayPackageThe European Commissionpresented three proposals in 1998,which were then adopted by theCouncil in 2001 in the FirstRailway Package, or the ‘railinfrastructure package’.

The directives in the packagewere:• 2001/12/EC• 2001/13/EC• 2001/14/EC

The aim of this package was togive rail operators non-discriminatory access to the trans-European network and to improveEurope’s freight choices, meaningthat operators should have openaccess to railway lines even whenthy do not own that railinfrastructure.

After directives get adopted by theEU, they are passed on to theMember States, whose job it is toimplement them. In 2006 theCommission found thatimplementation of this packagewas not yet complete though itwas already showing very positiveeffects. The fall in rail’s market

share has stabilised and it foundthat rail traffic did best in thosecountries where the rail freightmarket had been opened uprelatively early, finding that“between 2000 and 2005 MemberStates in which non-incumbentrailway undertakings haveundertaken the highest marketshares achieved significantlybetter results in terms of railfreight traffic performance thanMember States in which themarket was still dominated by amonopoly”1.

The set of directives do notrequire that operating companiesare private companies. The goalwas to take the monopoly out ofthe rail freight sector to increasecompetition. It is now easier forcompanies to operate in othercountries, though it must benoted that companies could stillassert themselves on aninternational level to exercisemarket dominance.

The Second RailwayPackageIn 2002 then the EuropeanCommission put forward furthermeasures with the goal of creatingan integrated European railwayarea and increasing safety andinteroperability. This secondpackage was then adopted in2004 in result of which the railfreight market became fully opento competition from 1 January2007 (2004/51/EC).

It was also as part of this packagethat the Commission put forwardregulation 881/2004, which setsup the European Railway Agency,which says about itself: “Theconstruction of a safe, modernintegrated railway network is oneof the EU’s major priorities.Railways must become morecompetitive and offer high-

22

different modes of transport”7

This transport network willconnect Europe north-south andeast-west, allowing bothpassengers and freight to movefreely and seamlessly throughoutthe Union.

With the creation of such aEuropean-wide rail network thataccesses the entire continent andwith policies put in place that cutred tape and make it easier forcompanies to operate throughoutthe Member States, rail travel willbecome simpler and cheaper foroperators and therefore moredesirable for customers, bothprivate passengers and freightcompanies. These two featurestogether, along with othersupporting undertakings (see theBombardier interview in this issueabout the role of Shift2Rail in thecreation of a Single EuropeanRailway Area), will ensure that rail’smodal share will increase,providing innovation and jobs in asector that is environmentallyfriendly, convenient and cost-effective.

which the recast will address,namely: • “clear rules for the funding and

management of infrastructure• access to rail-related facilities

(depots, maintenance etc.)• independence and

competence of regulatory bodies”4

The Fourth RailwayPackageThe Fourth Railway Package,which contains six legislativeproposals from the Commission,aims to nurture competitivenessand innovation in domesticpassenger markets as well asincrease safety, interoperabilityand reliability.

There are four main goals: firstly,reduce costs for rail companiesand make the European RailwayAgency “the single place of issuefor vehicle authorisations andsafety certificates for operators”5.Secondly, train companies need tobe wholly separate from theinfrastructure managers to deliver

financial and operationalindependence. Thirdly, this mostrecent package aims at openingup domestic passenger railways tocompetition, making “competitivetendering mandatory for publicservice rail contracts in the EU”6.This would come into effect inDecember 2019. Finally, thepackage seeks to pass measuresthat are designed to maintain askilled, motivated workforce in thisenvironment.

The Council has adopted theFourth Railway Package at its firstreading in December 2015. Thenext step is for the EuropeanParliament to approve themformally at the second reading.

On 1 January 2014 the EUlaunched its Trans-EuropeanTransport Network, TEN-T, whichidentifies nine major transportcorridors across the EU with thefollowing aims: • “remove bottlenecks• build missing cross-border

connections• promote integration and

interoperability between

23

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at the moment, Mr. French pointsout, there are more than 50variants of ETCS (European TrainControl System) in Europe,requiring 50 systems, 50operators, 50 training regimens; insome instances drivers or trainshave to be changed at nationalborders in order to meet therequirements of different MemberStates. This system is not tenablein the long-run.

Therefore, Bombardier and otherbig hitters in the industry, all co-ordinated by the European RailIndustry professional association,UNIFE, established the JointUndertaking in 2014 to oversee aprogramme of research anddevelopment for the railwaysector. With a budget of€920million (from 2014–2020) itsupports market-driven solutionsby enabling and investing in newand cutting-edge rail productinnovations.

The specific aims of Shift2Rail areto enhance the competitiveness ofthe European railway industry by

The cornerstones of the EuropeanUnion are the principles of multi-national co-operation and raisingthe standard of products andservices for all European citizens.It was inevitable, therefore, thatthe rail industry would at somepoint benefit, in the form ofShift2Rail. The Project ManagerEU-funded R&T Projects, RichardFrench, from founding memberBombardier, took the time tospeak to Railway-News about theirinvolvement with Shift2Rail.

A Shared VisionIn the early years of this decade,there was an alignment ofcircumstances that engenderedthe creation of Shift2Rail: thefrustrations of key Europeanstakeholders with thefragmentation of the rail industry;the political will to address this atboth a national and Europeanlevel; an injection of funds by wayof the Horizon 2020 research andinnovation programme; and thepressures of non-Europeancompetitors to render an initiative

like Shift2Rail a necessity in orderto survive.

A series of publications from 2011onwards, beginning with the whitepaper “Roadmap to a SingleEuropean Transport Area –Towards a competitive andresource-efficient transportsystem” setting out the firstblueprints of the Single EuropeanRailway Area, followed by thepublication of the “European RailResearch Advisory Council’s RailRoute 2050” in 2012 amongothers, all of which created andwere part of a growingmomentum to homogenise therail industry across all 28 MemberStates of the EU.

Prior to 2011, collaborationsbetween companies were on aone-on-one basis; it was typicalfor Bombardier to team up withanother company and a universityto address a certain issue or topic.The industry was fragmented andevolving according to thatfragmented design rather than acohesive master plan. As it stands

Railway-News Speaks toBombardier aboutShift2Rail

Sharing Risk toTake Risks

By Naomi Thompson

25

members are, in addition toBombardier, Alstom, Ansaldo STS,CAF, Network Rail, Siemens,Thales and Trafikverket. It also has19 associate members and inputfrom academic, industry andregulatory bodies on a number ofcommittees that serve in anadvisory capacity.

doubling the capacity of theEuropean railway system,increasing its reliability and servicequality by 50% and halvinglifecycle costs. In a more generalsense, the initiative’s ambition is toaccelerate innovation andtechnology and to standardise andharmonise the European railindustry in order to remain

competitive in an increasinglyinternational market. By bringingthe best minds from leadingcompanies to the table, the issuesfacing the rail industry are broughtto the top of the agenda.

Shift2Rail is part-funded by privateinvestors and the EC. Its eight core

©Bombardier

26

Initially the focus was ontraditional segments, such asmechanical and electricalengineering, lightweight solutionsand propulsions. Increasingly,there is more interest in digitalaspects such as big data, datacollection and analysis, predictivemaintenance services andsecurity, as well as looking atimprovements that could be madeto the supply chain and customer-facing elements, includingcustomer service, ticketing,information and infotainment. Agreater importance is placed onenergy-efficiency andenvironmental sustainability.

Sharing KnowledgeMr. French describes the initiativeas having a collegiate ethos, thecompanies involved enjoy anopen and trusting culture. Havingcome from a corporateenvironment, individuals wereinitially tentative, “can I talk to thisperson?” was a common question,sharing ideas was counter-intuitive, but this was overcome.For the greater good, and fromthe top down, it was clear that allthe members would respect eachothers’ ideas and claims and theywould be free to discusscontroversial topics which wouldordinarily be off the table forrepresentatives of competitors.

In the establishment of Shift2Rail,it was required that members findcompromises that didn’tnecessarily mean that everyonewas fully satisfied, but the greatergood has generally prevailed, withan understanding that “relyingand insisting on proprietary rightsdid not engender a sustainableway of working, that the futurehad to be different.” Althoughthere is still room for intellectualproperty and copyrights, it hasdawned on the key players thatthe old way of thinking is

Sharing Risk One of the key motivations whichattracts governments andcompanies to support and applyto join Shift2Rail is that, bycollaboration rather thancompetition, the risks associatedwith accelerations in innovationscan be shared and thereforeincrease the positive impact onthe whole industry should it workout, and minimise the negativeimpact on one company or bodyshould it not.

Richard French said:

“We are able tocollaborate on a high

level to addressproblems that would not

be possible for onecompany alone. That hasalways been one of theprimary incentives for

companies to apply andfor Member States tosupport Shift2Rail.”

Richard French - Project ManagerEU-funded R&T ProjectsBombardier

27

four years ago, “not many peoplethought that Shift2Rail could besuccessful, there were many whothought it could never succeed.The industry has never worked insuch a collaborativeenvironment.” Just the creation ofShift2Rail and bring it to this pointis, Mr. French says, “is a project tobe proud of.”

Activities will kick off this summer,the first cycle of open calls andgrant applications have takenplace. The members are nowwaiting to spring into action in thecoming months in what promisesto be an intense process ofreinventing not only the railindustry, but the way things aredone.

outmoded in an ever more inter-connected and high-speed world.

For example, Shift2Rail wanted tofollow the structure of theEuropean Space Agency JointUndertakings. With the help of theEU legal services, an agreementwas hammered out that everyonecould live with, and with eachmember allowed to play to theirstrengths; members with strongerresearch departments willcontribute research, those withstronger technology developmentdepartments will contribute tothat area, and so on.

As such, it has been an adaptiveprocess. As issues have presentedthemselves, solutions have beenfound by way of an ongoingcollaborative approach. There isvery much the sense from Mr.French that a solution has beenfound to include all members inthat process, and to speak withone voice. It is the highest ofEuropean ideals from start tofinish – in the process as well asthe product.

This collaboration has enabledinnovation – it is jointly agreed bythe members as to what should besubject of the innovationprogrammes and what theintended result would be. Eachand every good idea is needed toachieve the goals of Shift2Rail; if agood idea will bring with it animprovement then the membersare open to discussing it as part ofan ongoing process, but not onethat will hinder development. Thisis especially important in theinnovation of digitalisation; withnew technologies coming outevery day, the industry is losingground with every piece ofbureaucracy that could delay theprocess.

Sharing ResultsThe creation of a homogenised,cohesive railway sector in Europeis not only of a benefit to theindustry, but also a culturalbenefit. In order to increase themarket size and competitiveness,a team effort is invaluable. It ishoped that the collaborative ethosof Shift2Rail will bleed into theindustry as a whole, moving awaynot only from different standardsbetween corporations but alsocountries. As such, it is a bold steptowards a united front that canstand together against thechallenges facing the industrynow and in the future.

By contributing to the increasingaccessibility of rail corridors,which will become standard andenlarged in every country, there isexpected to be a knock-on effecton economics and trade, whileimproving the experience ofEuropean citizens. The model issimple and inarguable – by freeingup resources usually spent onproprietary standards, issues suchas energy management andenergy reduction, as well asvibration and noise reduction canget some real attention, reducingthe impact for people living closeto railways. It will also make lifeeasier for train operatingcompanies, for customers andMember States by making it easierto save energy and meet theirCOP21 CO2 targets.

A Shared FutureAs a European initiative, Shift2Railis governed on several levels,requiring regular meetings andmulti-annual action plans, reportsand high-level talks every fewmonths to discuss the status offunding and procedure, as well asof progress and actions. Just thecreation of Shift2Rail has been anextraordinary achievement. Only

28

The Rectiverter is the world’s first 3-portbidirectional power conversion module,combining the functionality of a rectifierand an inverter in one unit.

A breakthroughin power conversionready for rail and metro

29

for both AC and DC power. Today,there are a number of separate ACand DC power systems, sourcedfrom different vendors. This entailsseparate training, separatemonitoring systems and separatespares.

AC and DC power combinedThe Rectiverter changes thiscompletely. The Rectiverter is a 3-port bidirectional converter thatprovides both AC and DC powersimultaneously. Whereas beforeyou needed many systems orseveral power stages, now youonly need one. This is afundamental change. With itsability to feed both AC and DCapplications, the Rectivertersystem can replace many othersystems. It reduces complexity,saves space and increasesflexibility immensely.

A railway network is a complexenvironment, with numerouscritical and supportingapplications – all relying onreliable and stable supply of powerto work continuously and keepservices running. Eltek’sRectiverter system significantlyreduces complexity and increases

overview, control and reliability ofAC and DC powered equipment inthe rail infrastructure.

In recent years, innovations inpower technology have improvedreliability and driven down cost.However, in rail environments, likeeverywhere else, there is a need

accredited to: Shutterstock

30

Not only is it dual output, it is alsogenuinely modular and can bescaled according to future needs.It reduces wasted energy due toits high overall power conversionefficiency of 96% in mains modeand 94% when operating as aninverter.

Perfect for Rail & MetroThere are a number of Rail &Metro applications where theRectiverter is a particularlyattractive proposition. Oneexample is level crossings, where,for obvious safety reasons, thereare very long back-up times.Rather than using over-dimensioned AC UPS’s with extraDC chargers, the DC capacity inthe Rectiverter is sufficient to

recharge the batteries. The addedreliability with the modular design,redundancy and built in transfertechnology, also adds to theattractiveness.

Reduced total cost of ownershipThe bottom line is reduced totalcost of ownership over theproduct’s lifetime, and a future-proof power supply infrastructurefor rail & metro environments.The Rectiverter is one of the thefirst new major power technologyadvances in rail & metro powerconversion in many years.

The Rectiverter will make its debutat the Infrarail show in Eltek’sstand (Stand B44).

31

Visit our stand Infrarail 2016, 12 - 14 April, Stand B44 www.eltek.com/rectiverter

Visit the campaign siteand find out more about the

Rectiverter technology.

With both AC and DC outputs, the RECTIVERTER is a small revolution in the world of power supplies. It has the power to forever change the way you power your rail infrastructure equipment and applications.

Welcome to a new world in railway power

32

it, independence and a full andactive participation in society.

A Transport for London surveyfound that 93% of people livingwith disability say theirimpairments limit their ability totravel and get about, which, ifextended across Europe, meansthat more than 70 million peoplein Europe suffer a lower quality oflife for reasons flowing from theirdisability, rather than the disabilityitself. The rail industry is leadingthe charge, yet again, to amendthis situation.

Because people with disabilitiesare often barred from driving carsby reason of their disability, theyare more likely to be publictransport users than able-bodiedpeople. Although they are lessfrequent passengers because theyare more likely to be unemployedand therefore have lessrequirement to commute, andalso because the lack of access to

With an aging population, thisfigure is expected to rise to 120million by 2020, which willaccount for roughly a quarter ofall European citizens.

“Disability” can cover a number ofimpairments, including limited

mobility, visual and hearingimpairments, intellectualimpairments and mental illnesses.Some people may have multipleimpairments. They range fromslight to severe and have varyingimpacts on a person’s ability toaccess public transport, and with

80 million people in the EuropeanUnion are affected by a disability tosome degree, which equates to around16% of the total population.

Universal Accessto European RailTransport

By Naomi Thompson

Wheelchair-accessible ramps at Fishbourne©Network Rail

33

Senior ergonomist Kate Moncrieff and BEAP member TraceyDearing try out the new platform surface from Pipex

©Network Rail

34

telephony and audio-visualservices, e-commerce andtransport.

The EAA will put the principles ofthe 2011 UN Convention on theRights of Persons with Disabilities(UNCRPD) into standardisedpractice based on functionalrequirements; rather thanspecifying the ways in whichproducts and services should bemodified, it only states whatfeatures need to be accessible. Inthe case of rail, this not onlyincludes physical access tostations and trains, but also accessto information and assistance.

People with disabilities andmobility impairments are a ripemarket. Research conducted bythe UK’s Department for Transportfound that journeys made bypassengers with disabilities havetrebled in the last 15 years inEuropean countries which havetaken firm action toaccommodate them. Stakeholdersare required to cater to theirneeds in law as well as ethically,but when they will account for25% of the general population inonly four years’ time, catering totheir needs also makes goodcommercial sense.

Putting Law intoPracticeRolling stock manufacturers arenow building and refitting trainsand metros with accessibilityfeatures as standard. Siemens’ ICEhigh-speed train, which operatesin Germany, led the market in2014, providing a large wheelchairspace with height-adjustabletables and a service call button, aswell as low floors, wide aisles andwide doors. In addition, it alsofeatures a tactile guidance systemwith floor strips and tactile seatnumbers for sight-impaired

public transport precludes theiruse of it, both these elementswould be positively impacted byuniversal access.

Accessibility and theLawEuropean Regulation 1371/2007on Rail Passenger Rights sets outthe rights of persons withdisabilities and reduced mobility inrelation to rail travel. This includesnon-discriminatory access tofacilities and services with noadditional charge, access toinformation relating to theaccessibility of facilities andservices, free assistance on boardtrains and at staffed stations, andcompensation if these needs arenot met.

Primarily, it states that trainoperating companies and stationstaff should make all reasonableefforts to ensure that facilities andservices are accessible to personswith disabilities and reducedmobility. In enacting thisRegulation, Member States havecreated a fragmented and unevenmarketplace, inhibiting cross-border travel as well as trade.

In response, on 2 December 2015,the European Commissionproposed a European AccessibilityAct (EAA), a pan-Europeanlegislative document which willrequire Member States to enableequal access to products andservices. The EAA relates to,among other things, banking,

The eassier access area 'hump' on theManchester platform©Network Rail

35

machines on the whole network,door closure warning lights onmost trains, a relief map of themetro network and a guideavailable in braille.

Passengers withSensory LossPassengers with any impairmentcan request assistance to usemost rail services in Europe.However, this limits spontaneoustravel, is costly for serviceproviders and train operatingcompanies, and can bedisempowering for the individualsin receipt of the service, as manywould prefer to be able to usepublic transport independently.

Navigating around stations can behazardous and frightening topassengers with visualimpairments or blindness; multipleexits, entrances and access areas,ambiguous soundscapes anddense crowds can be confusingand intimidating. Features such astactile paving are now standard atmost stations, and increasingly,talking signs and emergingsmartphone technologies,including infrared verbal guidancesystems and tactile guidancesystems, help.

The recent development of anapp, which is being trialled inLondon, enables users to navigatetheir way around the LondonUnderground using theirsmartphone and Bluetoothbeacons, informing users thatthey’re approaching escalators,ticket barriers and platforms.Technologies like this areespecially useful in areas withlimited cellular reception such assubways and undergroundmetros.

passengers, grab poles in thelonger-aisle sections and grabhandles on all aisle seats, as wellas stronger visible contrasts oninternal and external doors.

Stadler’s FLIRT (Fast LightInnovative Regional Train) is amarket leader across thecontinent, and features space forwheelchair users, as well aswheelchair-accessible toilets,double doors and low floors toenable wheelchair access.Similarly, Alstom’s Coradia Lintdiesel trains all featurewheelchair-accessible features.

In designing the Flexity andMOVIA Series of Trams,Bombardier consulted with specialinterest groups in order to meetthe needs of passengers withdisabilities, increasing the numberof priority zones and spaces forwheelchairs to eight in order tocater to the increasing usage ofpublic transport by passengerswith disabilities.

While much has been done toenable wheelchair users to boardtrains, and space has been madeon trains to accommodate them,more attention is now being paidto a wheelchair user’s safety in the

event of a crash or secondarycollision (colliding with objectsinternally), looking at such factorsas wheelchair designcharacteristics, human factors andwheelchair space designstructures in order to increase thesafety of wheelchair users in theevent of a crash.

However, despite advances inrolling stock meaning thatwheelchair users can get on thetrain, many cannot get to itbecause of a lack of step-freeaccess at stations. Only a quarterof London Underground stationshave step-free access, and somestep-free stations still have a gapbetween the platform and train.On the Paris Metro, of 303stations, only 50 have step-freeaccess, and even then only up tothe train doors, with only one linefeaturing roll-on roll-off access ontrains for wheelchairs. In Berlin, amore encouraging 92 of the 173metro stations are accessible forwheelchair users.

Barcelona, which has beenupgrading its Metro since 1992,has adapted an astonishing 140stations out of a total of 156 to bewheelchair accessible. It also hasvoice-guided ticket vending

Mind the Gap

©George Redgrave (http://ow.ly/10iP7G)Creative Commons License:https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/)

36

of networks and operatingcompanies.

IntellectualImpairments andMental IllnessA key issue identified by specialinterest groups is that staff shouldbe trained in assisting passengerswith disabilities and impairments,and this is especially important for

Passenger information is anotherkey issue. Companies such asInfotec, who are supplying LEDinformation boards to the UK’sCrossrail project among otherthings, and who have designed theboards so that they are accessibleto passengers with sightimpairments, use the most easilyread colours and fonts. Inaddition, next-train informationboards are positioned above theplatform edge doors (which

screen the platform from the train)in order to make them easier toread.

For passengers with hearingimpairments, travel informationboards are crucial, especially onboard trains where they are not asstandard, or in the case ofplatform changes and emergencyannouncements. Text messagessent to the passenger are astandard by an increasing number

Disabled Toilet©‘Médiathèque SNCF’

37

transport networks that werepreviously out of reach. In thecase of seat-only trains, such asthe Eurostar and TGV, the spaceswhich would not be used arefilled, making it profitable foroperating companies.

In addition, providing access topublic transport for people withdisabilities means that they aremore likely to work, more activeand therefore many conditions areless likely or slower to deteriorate,and depression, long associatedwith physical disability, can beavoided altogether by enablingindividuals to live full andparticipative lives. This, in turn,reduces the cost of disability onthe state, which can only be goodfor everyone.

passengers with intellectualimpairments and mental illness,for whom travelling on publictransport can be a confusing andfrightening experience.

Invisible illnesses, such as anxietydisorders, social disorders,dementia and depression, as wellas autism and Asperger’s, are thelargest source of disabilities inEurope, but largely unrecognisedin disability figures. These illnessescan cause passengers to behavestrangely in stressful situations,and a crowded station or train canbe a stressful situation.

It is here that public awareness isimportant. At the first summit ofits kind in the UK, the MentalHealth and Transport Summit held

on 25 February 2016, attended byTOCs, network operators andstakeholder groups, the needs ofpassengers with these invisibleillnesses were discussed, and an“accessibility plan” will be drawnup and published later this year. Itis likely that such initiatives willbecome standard across thecontinent as mental health issuesbecome increasingly prominent inthe public consciousness.

Concessionary fares forpassengers with all disabilities arealso crucial. In the UK, the costsassociated with disability are anaverage of €600 a month, makingtransport unaffordable for many.With concessionary fares,passengers with disabilities aremore likely to make use of

Disabled Seating on an e300 Eurostar©Mark Smith - www.seat61.com

England, and Ettlingen, Germany,strengthening ALFAGOMMAGroup’s presence in German andUK markets.

- This acquisition proves ourwillingness to grow coherentlywithin our business model: a solidproduction base with cutting-edge plants and the local service

Vimercate, 15 January 2016 – OnJanuary 8, 2016 ALFAGOMMAGroup, leader in the productionand distribution of industrialhoses, hydraulic hoses andmanipulated tube assemblies,acquired Hiflex Europe Group, agroup founded in the UK with along history of supplying hose andmanipulated tube assemblies to

global OEMs (Original EquipmentManufacturers).

Hiflex Europe Group contributes40 million euro turnover toALFAGOMMA Group working withprestigious and important clients.Hiflex Europe Group has over 320staff and three production plantsin Sunderland and Salisbury,

Argus Fluidhandling Limited andArgus Fluidtechnik GmbH becamepart of the Italian Group

ALFAGOMMA Group acquiresthe entire share capital of theHiflex Europe Group

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ALFAGOMMA Group will integrate

the Hiflex Europe Group in a

managed way over a period of

time. The Hiflex Europe Group

companies will continue to

operate as Argus Fluidtechnik

GmbH and Argus Fluidhandling

Limited. The current management

teams will continue to run the

businesses with the exception of

Mr David Oldham, former

Chairman of Hiflex Europe Group,

who retires at the end of January

2016.

Hiflex Europe Group will benefit

from the extensive technical and

financial resources of the

ALFAGOMMA Group, which

celebrates its 60th anniversary this

very year.

that can meet the expectations ofworld class OEM groups,demanding irreproachable qualitycombined with the flexibility andresponsiveness that only aworldwide presence canguarantee - say the brothersEnrico and Guido Gennasio,shareholders and Group ChiefExecutives of ALFAGOMMA Group- We are proud to consolidate thepresence of our Italian companyon the world markets. We expectthis acquisition will furthercontribute to our objectives ofalways maintaining the maximumlevel of customer satisfaction andof becoming the best strategic

supplier for our customers.Furthermore, with this acquisition,our goal of reaching 400 millioneuro turnover in 2016 appearsmuch more achievable; however,the ambitions should not stophere. -.

Being one of the leaders on theworld market for hoses andfittings since the 1970s andpossessing the universallyrecognized brands, synonymouswith high quality (Dunlop Hiflex,Argus), Hiflex Europe togetherwith Dunlop Hiflex, acquired byALFAGOMMA Group in 2005, isnow returning to the internationalscene.

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The Rail IndustrySustainableDevelopmentPrinciples: These Principles represent the corevalues of the rail industry and arefundamental in delivering asustainable railway at the centre ofthe transport system that meets thetravel needs of society, withoutcompromising future quality of life.

The principles’ purpose is to informand become an integral part of theindustry’s culture and decision-making processes, taking accountof whole system and whole lifecycle approaches. It is recognisedthat the principles will need to bebalanced to achieve a sustainabletransport system that contributes toprosperity, the wellbeing of peopleand the health of the planet.

In relation to energy and carbonthe Rail Sustainability Principlesnecessitate:

• encouraging a shift of passengers and freight from

The railway industry is a significantenergy user in the UK. Reducingenergy consumption and thereforecarbon emissions is fundamentallyimportant for long-term globaleconomic, social andenvironmental sustainability.As the UK population continues togrow and with an increase inpassengers using the railways the

demand for new strategicinfrastructure rises, as does theneed to maintain, modernise andrenew existing assets. In addition tothis challenge, extreme weatherevents over the last few years haveshown us that the rail industry mustdevelop a ‘predict and prevent’ethos to tackle climate changeimpacts on our rail infrastructure.

RSSB’s Sustainable Development SpecialistMichelle Papayannakos, talks to us aboutwhat the industry is doing to make railgreener and gives us an insight into RSSB’sSustainable Development programme.

Making the railwaymore sustainable

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strengths to deliver the mostsustainable journey – is key toachieving this modal shift.

The rail industry envisages workingwith operators of other modes andwith transport and local authoritiesto improve the quality of the ‘wholejourney’ in response to customerneeds. This requires both acontinuing focus on customerexperience, and also a greaterunderstanding of sustainable andacceptable ways of completing thenon-rail legs of the journey.

Being an employer of choiceRespect, encourage and develop adiverse workforce and support itswellbeing; actively consider andaddress the challenges of the futureglobal labour market.

The rail industry recognises that itcan only succeed with a skilled andmotivated workforce and musttherefore be a place wherecompetent, skilled people chooseto work.

Recruiting and retaining the rightpeople is a challenge and torespond to it, the industry needs tobe seen as a place in which people

more carbon-intense modes to rail and accommodating increased demand for rail

• reducing traction carbon intensity through new trains, further electrification and innovative technology

• reducing non-traction carbon usage through energy efficient technologies, including on lighting, heating and insulation. There are also significant opportunities for renewable energy generation on the railway estate, including solar photovoltaic systems, micro combined heat and power and heat pumps

• focusing on increasing understanding of whole life carbon, and identifying opportunities to reduce the emissions associated with the creation of an asset

Sustainable Development is aprogramme included in rail safetybody RSSB’s innovation directorateand aims to embed the RailIndustry Sustainable DevelopmentPrinciples within the rail industry.This covers the environmental andsocio-economic impacts on boththe positive and negative aspects ofthe rail industry.

The activities of the sustainabledevelopment team narrate to the4Cs (Capacity, Cost, Customer andCarbon).

The Rail Industry SustainableDevelopment Principles explained: Putting rail in reach of peoplePosition rail as an inclusive,affordable and accessible transportsystem through the provision ofinformation and accessiblefacilities.

The railway forms a means ofaccessing employment, healthservices and leisure activities for

many people and should beaccessible to all. This refers to theaccessibility of the network foreveryone and in particular in termsof: - Physical accessibility for the

less able, elderly and those with children and/or luggage

- The availability of information on services and connections before and during travel

- The affordability of travel by rail

Addressing these issues will help toremove the barriers to travel by rail,encouraging all sections of thetravelling public and freighttransporters to see rail as apotential part of their journey. Providing an end-to-end journeyWork together with all transportmodes to provide an integrated,accessible transport system.

Rail can provide the core part ofmany journeys. However, peopletravel door-to-door and freighttravels from producer to customer,and by its nature rail can deliveronly part of these journeys. Thecreation of an integrated transportsystem – linking modes andenabling each one to use its

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electrification, more efficient dieselengines and technology to capturebraking energy. In the much longerterm the industry anticipates that acombination of zero carbonelectricity generation and areplacement for diesel traction thathas no carbon emissions willenable us to become a zero-carbon railway.

Having a positive social impactFocus on local social impactthrough better understanding andengagement, engaging in localplans, industry procurement andasset use.

Connecting people andcommunities is at the heart of therailway’s purpose, but beyond theactual journey rail, with a networkthat is at the same time nationaland local, is in a unique position tohave a wider social impact. To dothis, we need to start by having anin-depth understanding of theissues and needs in a local area.Better information can helptailoring support to meet needs –whether this is around betteraccess, youth unemployment orcultural diversity.

Rail-led regeneration can have asignificant impact, but where majorschemes aren’t planned, theimportance of integrating with localcommunities is just as critical. Wewill ensure pro-activecommunication and engagementwith communities over their needsand our plans, and act on theresults, ensuring rail is a goodneighbour through our behaviours,working practices and relationships.

Supporting the economyBoost the productivity andcompetitiveness of the UK, at anational and regional level, throughthe provision of efficient passengerand freight services and byfacilitating agglomeration and

can thrive. Driven, talented andimaginative people are needed toimplement the sustainability visionand principles and meet thechallenges the industry faces inbecoming truly sustainable andsuccessful. However, in commonwith many industries in GreatBritain, the rail industry can see fallsin head count in the short term ifthere are adverse economicconditions, and it is important thatthis is handled appropriately andsupport is given to impacted staff.

Reducing ourenvironmentalimpactOperate and improve the businessin a way that minimises thenegative impacts and maximisesthe benefits of the railway to theenvironment.

Whilst the railway can claim to bethe most sustainable form ofmotorised transport in Great Britainfor many journeys, the industryrecognises that there are still manyways in which it can reduce itsimpact. Environmental impactshave been reviewed and priorityareas identified for action at anindustry level and by individualcompanies including:

• Climate change (including energy use)

• Noise and vibration

• Waste and pollution

• Sustainable consumption and production

• Air pollutant emissions

• Biodiversity and the natural environment

• Land take

Environmental protection andenhancement is particularlysignificant when the railway

undertakes renewal andenhancement projects. Many of thesignificant infrastructureprogrammes being delivered todayand planned in the near future(such as High Speed 2) have setchallenging and ambitiousenvironmental targets. This is toensure that as well as delivering aninfrastructure improvement theywill do it with the least cost to theenvironment. In some areas theambitious targets and measuring ofthese, such as ‘no net biodiversityloss’, are not just UK industryleading but globally as well.

Carbon smartPursue initiatives to achieve long-term reductions in carbonemissions through improvedenergy efficiency, new technologyand lower carbon power sourcesand facilitate modal shift, helpingothers make more carbon-efficientjourneys

The rail industry is committed tothe pursuit of a lower carbonrailway and we believe we canmove towards being zero carbon inthe longer term. The industry alsobelieves it can make a significantcontribution to reducing thecarbon footprint of travel andlogistics in Great Britain byencouraging a shift of passengersand freight from more carbon-intense modes to rail andaccommodating increased demandfor rail.

The industry has huge challengesover the coming years, especially asroad and aviation are promisingsignificant reductions in their owncarbon intensity. The first step is toidentify the areas where theindustry can improve efficiency. Inthe medium to long term there areopportunities to achieve stepchanges in carbon intensity. Thesewill arise through new trains andalternative power sources, further

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catalysing economic regeneration.

Rail is a key economic enabler andis determined to further improve itssupport for the economy. TheEddington Study identified threekey transport markets that arecrucial to the productivity andcompetitiveness of the economy:

• Urban areas and their catchments

• Inter-urban corridors showing signs of congestion and unreliability

• International links via ports and airports showing signs of congestion and unreliability

Rail has a role in each of thesemarkets. It can provide reliable,high levels of accessibility along themain transport corridors in thecountry and to the locations thatdrive economic growth. Railsupports the economies of Londonand the wider South East region,other towns and cities of Britain,our industries and their markets,our tourist and leisure destinations,and our ports and airports.

Rail freight makes a significantcontribution to the economy bysupporting key industrial sectorsand penetrating other marketswhere it can serve the trunk-haulfunction for distribution of otherproducts.

Optimising the railwayMaximise the rail system’s capabilityand build on its strengths to delivera transport system that is efficientand offers good value for money.

Rail demand has been forecast togrow whilst at the same time publicscrutiny over the allocation ofpublic funds intensifies. In adverseeconomic conditions, this growthmay be slower than anticipated andthere will be additional pressure onGovernment spending and

potentially reduced availability ofprivate investment. The industrymust therefore maximise thecapacity and capability of theexisting rail network to ensure asmany services as possible can berun with existing assets. In addition,where greater capacity is needed,the aim is to deliver high value oninvestments.

It is also recognised that theindustry needs to provide a value-for-money rail service, offering theoptimal balance between customerrequirements and investment. Thiswill form a key part of ensuring railremains affordable to GB plc interms of Government funding, andto rail customers in terms of price,and that it can cope with forecastincreases in demand.

Being transparentPromote a culture of open andaccountable decision-making andmeasure, monitor and reportpublicly on our progress towardsustainability.

The rail industry recognises theneed to involve stakeholders in thedevelopment of a future strategy. Itaims to improve this by embeddinga culture where dialogue withGovernment, customers and thosewho have an involvement in rail,puts their needs at the centre ofdecision-making and follows thisup by being open about decisions,performance and progress.

Many rail companies report publiclyon their corporate responsibilityand environmental performance.The industry’s Sustainable RailProgramme (SRP) involves railcompanies, Government andregulators facilitated by RSSB.Wider involvement is achievedthrough stakeholder participation inresearch and developmentactivities sponsored by industry aspart of the SRP, and all findings and

final positions are published on theRSSB website.

As you can see, industry is doing alot of work in this area. 2016 willalso mark the full roll-out of theRail Carbon Tool to enable staff tomeasure, monitor and ultimatelyreduce the industry carbonfootprint. The long-term vision isthat the tool will reduce carbon andin effect, cost and influence theshaping of new railway standardsand embed sustainabledevelopment incentives into newrail franchises.

Once the use of the embodiedcarbon tool is more prevalent, RSSBwill be working to support thedevelopment of a database whichcan provide industry benchmarksto enable organisations to verifytheir results and indicativelymeasure the performance of aproject. Learn more about what we aredoing via www.rssb.co.uk and byfollowing us on Twitter via@RSSB_rail

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY: Michelle Papayannakos is the RailSustainability Specialist at RSSB. Sheplays a key role in the delivery ofthe Sustainable Rail Programme(SRP) with a focus on stakeholderengagement and socio-economicissues. Based around the industry’sten sustainable developmentprinciples, the SRP is embeddingsustainable development into railindustry policy, strategy andoperations.

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May – June 2016

UpcomingRailway Events

11–13 MayRail Solutions Asia 2016Kuala Lumpur, AsiaWith an exhibition space of more than 2400 square

metres, 1900 participants, 160 conference

delegates and 10 Asian railway operators, talks will

cover a wide range of topics on projects and

planning, signalling and communications,

permanent way and infrastructure, rolling stock,

improving and expanding rail systems and

operation and maintenance.

More info: http://www.tdhrail.co.uk/rsa/

16–18 May CORE2016Melbourne, Australia This is the RTSA’s biennial Conference on Railway

Excellence, which will cover a broad spectrum of

rail engineering, operation, planning and

management topics. The keynote speakers are

Martha Lawrence, a senior railway specialist at the

World Bank, Lara Poloni from AECOM, Adrian

Shooter CBE, chairman of Vivarail, SLC Rail and

Global Travel Ventures, and Keith Suter, a futurist.

More info: http://www.core2016.org

24 MayScandinavian RailDevelopmentStockholm, SwedenAll major rail passenger and freight companies willattend this conference along with infrastructuremanufacturers. Scandinavia is investing hugely intoits rail sector, making it a leading force in Europe.Topics will include ERTMS, Sweden’s first high-speed railway, the safety of Scandinavian railways,Sweden’s East Link and many more. More info: www.scandinavianraildevelopment.com

26–27 MayAsia Rail Summit 2016Bangkok, ThailandThe sessions of this event are ‘maximising Asia’s railpotential’, ‘penetrating into Asia rail projects’,‘connecting Asia rail operators and suppliers’,‘modern rail technology showcase’ and ‘smart railinnovation and operation’. Representatives from therailway authorities as well as rail operators willattend and there will also be roundtables and Q&As. More info:www.ourpolaris.com/2016/ars/

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28–30 JuneRSSI C&S ExpoGrapevine, TX, USAThe 57th Annual Railway Systems Suppliers C&SExhibition 2016. A trade show, fair and exhibitionthat is a place to find out about the latestdevelopments in rail transport and logistics.More info: eventegg.com/rssi-cs-expo/

28–29 JuneAfrica Rail 2016Johannesburg, South AfricaThe first day will open with a talk by Deutsche BahnAG’s Head of Strategy Passenger Transport, SimonDaum, who will discuss the future of transport andindustry game changers. Talks then are streamedinto ‘investment and funding’, ‘communication andsignalling’, ‘country spotlights – East Africa’, ‘dataand analytics’, ‘asset management’ and ‘countryspotlights – southern Africa’. On the second daythe talks will be streamed into ‘infrastructure’,‘intermodality’, ‘country spotlights – West andcentral Africa’, ‘passenger rail’, ‘safety’ and ‘countryspotlights – North Africa’. There will also beroundtable sessions and exhibitions.More info:www.terrapinn.com/exhibition/africa-rail/index.stm

26–27 MayWorld Metrorail Congress2016London, UKThe 12th time this event is held, it will once againbring together experts from the urban rail sector. Itis co-located with LightRail, RailPower and RailTelso that attendees can put together a programmebest suited to their needs. Scheduled speakers arelisted as coming from, among others, Crossrail, theLondon Underground, Transport for London, theMoscow Metro, Wiener Linien and voestalpineSchienen GmbH.More info:www.terrapinn.com/conference/metrorail/index.stm

7 June Iberian Rail Development Madrid, SpainA chance to speak with key figures in the Spanishand Portuguese rail industries. Focus points of the6th annual conference include increasing railperformance through ERTMS, growing cross-border traffic, developing and maintaining a high-speed rail network and investment in rolling stock. More info: www.iberianraildevelopment.com

©Bombardier

must comprehend and make a keypart of their strategies.

I’d really like to see more transportoperators putting the end user first

Britain gave birth to the railway,yet us Brits have a love-hate affairfor the nation’s rail network.Millions of us squeeze on tocramped, overcrowded trainsevery day. We usually don’t moantoo much, we just get on with it asa means of getting from A to B asquickly as possible; that is until weexperience the train world’s mosthated word… ‘delay’ (which ofcourse is marginally better than‘cancelled’).

News from a recent Which? poll of7,000 commuters shows that westill feel we are getting a poor dealdespite paying some of thehighest fares in Europe. Whilst wecan’t change the weather or thatthere are leaves on the line, as adesigner I feel there’s so muchmore that could be done to helpkeep passengers happy.

Evolve has been lucky enough to

work with some of the country’sbiggest rail operators to developvisual communications for themtrying to inform frustratedcommuters of changes. For alltransport networks, bus, rail andeven boat and air, one of thebiggest challenges is keepingpassengers happy. Through clevercommunication they can keeppassengers informed, and aninformed passenger is a happiercustomer.

In all sectors, the consumer hastaken centre stage and they nowwield ever-growing power thanksto social media amplifying everycomplaint (on the flipside, whengood news is shared, it’s great forthe company involved). In allsectors, the consumer is alsoseeking power – and they want tobe informed. Understanding thisessential human need is stillsomething some rail operators

Britain gave birth to the railway,yet us Brits have a love-hate affairfor the nation’s rail network.

Designing a visual communications strategy iskey to calming disgruntledrail passengers”

By Jake Mason, CEO, Evolve

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and similarly, I’d love to see moredevelopers in the property sectordoing this. The use of informativehoardings around newdevelopments for example, eithertelling a story of the build, thelocation, its history, or even someart to make an alternative‘installation’. It’s a really simple yetsmart way of communicating withpeople around a newdevelopment, whilst also coveringup the ugly early stages of buildingwork.

When a transport system facesupheaval, what does this mean tothe passengers who have to use itevery day? This was actually key toour strategy with Thameslinkwhen it had to radically overhaulFirst Capital Connect routes tomake travelling to and fromLondon a better experience. Whatwould the customers feel? We

researched their needs and lookedat the emotions they would facesuch as anger and frustration. Thisinformed our straight-talkingapproach that was underpinnedby empathy. We were able toempathise with commuters’frustrations over the 12-yearprogramme of upgrades, but alsohighlight the positive benefits itwould eventually bring. We madethe tone human, the images brightand striking, and ensured theystood out in a cluttered, urbanenvironment. Commuterawareness levels of theprogramme rose to 85% in threemonths, peaking at 98% after sixmonths.

So why does it work? A visuallyimpactful campaign serves tokeep commuters informed andfeel valued. Don’t we all feel betterwhen we’re valued? Obviously

there are other ways commuterscan feel valued. Tackling over-crowding is a massive challenge. Itwould be nice if we didn’t feel likewe were being herded into cattletrucks. But if I am standing, whynot make that a betterexperience? You could ask trainstaff to use empathy and a senseof humour, when they ask peopleto move down the aisles over theloudspeaker system. Surely thiswould bring a smile to the mosthardened commuter’s face? Ajoke can be a great way toalleviate stress. If we canunderstand how to makecommuters smile, surely that’spure rail gold?

If the railways could use a littlemore empathy and humour intheir visual communications, itwould help to oil the wheels ofcustomer relations.

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“Railway Bridges”1 http://www.forth-bridges.co.uk/forth-bridge/history.html2 ibid.3 https://www.networkrail.co.uk/VirtualArchive/forth-bridge/4 http://www.forth-bridges.co.uk/forth-bridge/history/construction-stats.html5 http://www.forth-bridges.co.uk/forth-bridge/history/building-the-bridge.html6 ibid.7 https://www.networkrail.co.uk/VirtualArchive/forth-bridge/8 http://www.forth-bridges.co.uk/forth-bridge/history/building-the-bridge.html9 https://www.networkrail.co.uk/VirtualArchive/forth-bridge/10 http://www.forth-bridges.co.uk/forth-bridge/history/growth-milestones.html11 http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/148512 http://www.skanska-sustainability-case-studies.com/index.php/latest-casestudies/item/83-oresund-bridge-sweden-and-denmark?tmpl=component&print=113 http://www.omegacentre.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/wpcontent/uploads/2014/12/SWEDEN_ORESUND_SUMMARY.pdf14 http://www.omegacentre.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/wpcontent/uploads/2014/12/SWEDEN_ORESUND_PROFILE.pdf15 http://www.engineering-timelines.com/scripts/engineeringItem.asp?id=144816 http://www.skanska-sustainability-case-studies.com/index.php/latest-casestudies/item/83-oresund-bridge-sweden-and-denmark?tmpl=component&print=117 ibid.18 http://www.engineering-timelines.com/scripts/engineeringItem.asp?id=144819 http://www.3kopru.com/eng/project/ABOUT-PROJECT/120 http://www.3kopru.com/eng/newsfromnmmp/3RD-BRIDGE’S-DESIGNER-DRMICHEL-VIRLOGEUX-“WE-ARE-BUILDING-A-UNIQUE-MASTERPIECE”/9821 http://www.roadtraffic-technology.com/projects/yavuz-sultan-selim-bridgeistanbul/

“The Single European Railway Area”1 http://ec.europa.eu/transport/rail/packages/2001_en.htm2 http://www.era.europa.eu/the-agency/about-era/Pages/Home.aspx3 To find out more about disabled access to the rail network in Europe, see thecorresponding article in this issue.4 http://orr.gov.uk/about-orr/what-we-do/the-law/eu-law5 http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/policies/4th-railway-package/6 ibid.7 ibid.

Creative Commons licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Footnotes

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We hope you have enjoyed our latest Railway-News magazine. Besure to look out for our next issue.We are now producing a magazine on a quarterly basis so pleasedo not hesitate to contact us at al@railway-news.com if youwould like to feature your latest technology in an upcomingissue. Please also take a look at www.railway-news.com for allthe latest rail news, events and technology.

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