PASSENGER services have begun using the new ￡47m Hitchin flyover, which will carry London – Cambridge services across the busy East Coast Main Line (ECML) and eliminate conflicting movements through the flat junction, which had become a major bottleneck.

 

Infrastructure manager Network Rail says First Capital Connect will operate up to three services per day over the new 2km single-track link in preparation for the start of full commercial services in December, when the flyover will be used by almost 600 trains per week.

 

The connection is expected to have a significant impact on punctuality, reducing delays by nearly 30,000 minutes per year. It will also provide capacity for additional services when new timetables are developed.

 

 

 

 

 

SAUDI Railways Organisation (SRO) and Indra, Spain, have chosen Kapsch CarrierCom to install GSM-R on the 450km Haramain high-speed line under construction between Mecca, Jeddah, and Medina.

 

Once installed, Kapsch will support Indra and the Al-Shoula Spanish-Saudi consortium which has a 12-year operating and maintenance contract.

 

GSM-R will form part of the ERTMS Level 2 system being installed on the 320km/h line. Network coverage will be fourfold so that if three base stations in an area fail, a fourth can still serve the entire area. The core of the system, based on the latest R4 technology, will be operated at two locations and will be designed to provide full redundancy.

 

Siemens, formerly Invensys Rail Dimetronic, will supply ETCS equipment for the project, including CTC, electronic interlocking, train detection, and onboard ETCS.

 

 

 

 

 

 

TAIWAN High Speed Rail Corporation (THSRC) has awarded a consortium of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) and Toshiba the contract for trackwork and electrical & mechanical (E&M) works on the 9.2km extension of the Kaohsiung – Taipei high-speed line from Taipei Railway Station to Nangang.

 

The contract, which was secured with the cooperation of Mitsui, is worth around Yen 20bn ($US 204m) and covers the installation of track and electrification, together with the design and supply of signalling, telecommunications, power supplies, and operation management systems on the 5km section of new line.

 

MHI will be responsible for overall project management, trackwork, signalling, overhead catenary equipment, and data transmission systems, while Toshiba's share of the contract covers train control, the maintenance management system, power supplies, train radio, and passenger information systems.

 

Last December Lloyds Register Rail was appointed independent safety assessor for the extension, which is due to open in March 2016.

 

 

  

 

On a cold morning in March 2012, I was brusquely woken up by a stewardess on a Chinese train returning to Beijing from Shenyang, in north east China. I jumped from my berth, gathered the luggage and hastily stepped down onto the bank. As I did so, I heard the loudspeakers’ metallic voice informing passengers that “the train directed to North Korea is leaving from platform…” Had I slept more, I would have found myself on the way to Pyongyang – where, of course, I would not have been able to set foot.

 

This story is a sign of how common it is becoming to sit on Chinese trains directed abroad. According to a 2009 World Bank study, “in 1949, China had only 22,000 km of poorly maintained and war-damaged railway line, less than 1,000 km of which was double-tracked with none being electrified.” Since then, however, “the government has transformed the railway sector into a vital element of China’s national transport system and a key contributor to China’s extraordinary record of economic growth. Today, China Rail is the second biggest carrier of rail freight and the biggest carrier of passenger transport in the world. It has the largest combined rail traffic task of any national railway system in the world, carrying about a quarter of the world’s railway traffic on about seven percent of the global route-km of public railway.” And, together with a large domestic build up, Chinese authorities are now reinforcing their bridges to foreign countries.

 

A quick look to a travel website allows users to choose from various possibilities. If you are not enthralled by North Korea, you can go South, to Hanoi in Vietnam, or west, toward Alma Ata and Astana in Kazakhstan. You may pick Ulan Bator in Mongolia or opt for the great classic route: Harbin to Vladivostok, and then to Moscow through the trans-Siberian. And the future looks even more “interconnected.”

 

The so-called Eurasian Land Bridge – of which the trans-Siberian line is part – and the New Eurasian Land Bridge are railway networks which aim at connecting China to Europe through Central Asia. A plan to unite the two continents remained a dream for a long time due to the Cold War, which sealed the borders between Central Asia and Europe. With the end of geopolitical deadlock – and with skyrocketing trade which is putting existing infrastructure under stress – the idea has been revived.

 

In June, Reuters reported that Kazakh authorities have added a link to the project, launching a new transit line between Zhetygen and Korgas. The last stretch of railway was completed last year. In an interview with the news agency, Yerkin Meirbekov, deputy railway department chief at Kazakhstan’s Transport Ministry, said the annual volume of freight turnover along the new route could reach 2 million metric tons this year and would rise to 15 million metric tons.

 

Meanwhile, another project proceeds swiftly on the other side of China. According to the Wall Street Journal, Chinese workers are building a 223-mile high-speed rail link to the North Korean border as part of three planned high-speed railways that will connect China and North Korea. China reacted with some anger to Pyongyang’s nuclear experiments last winter, but Beijing does not appear willing to structurally alter its foreign policy: building ties with its unpredictable neighbor remains a priority.

 

The mighty peaks of the Himalayas are not cut off from development either. According to Xinhua News Agency, the construction of a 253-km line from Tibet’s capital Lhasa to Xigaze should soon be completed, either at the end of this year or at the beginning of the next. And there are talks of a possible rail link with Nepal, where Chinese companies are already building various infrastructures, including a new airport at Pokhara.

 

More controversial is the plan to build a new line between Vientiane and Kunming, in southern China, which would serve as a trade route between the two countries and as a link in a planned connection between China and Singapore. According to Laos’ Energy and Mining Minister Soulivong Dalavong, by 2020 the railway could supply about 5 million tons a year of mineral resources to China, but Vientiane needs a US$ 7 billion loan from China’s Export-Import Bank in order to kick-start the construction. Considering that Laos’ total GDP last year was US$ 8.2 billion, one can understand how massive and controversial an enterprise this can be. Some say it is a white elephant which will not be really useful and could saddle Laos with a heavy debt. Others fret about the countries’ dependence from China. Jonah Blank, a senior political scientist at Rand Corp, told Time that “in political terms, no country that owes 86 per cent of its GDP to another can be said to have a truly unfettered foreign policy.” In any case, news this spring had it that the construction is about to begin.

 

 

 

 

The Libya Rail Implementation Authority and the China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) met last Wednesday to discuss ways in which to reactivate stalled rail projects, LANA reports.

 

The Chinese company has contracts to build various lengths of the railway from Tripoli to the Tunisian border of Ras Jdair and Tripoli to Khoms, Sirte and Al-Hisha-Sebha.

 

No details have been released on the outcome of the meeting. However, it was revealed that an attempt is being made to reach a framework agreement that would enable the reactivation of these projects.

 

Sources at the Rail Implementation Authority told LANA that the meeting was as a result of the decision by the Libyan government to press ahead with the rail projects.

 

That decision was revealed on 26 February this year by Transport Minister Abdel-Qader Ahmed . He disclosed that he had already had talks with the Russians abt restarting their contracts.

 

Libya’s US$12 billion railway scheme was split between Russian Railways (RZhD), tasked with building the line between Sirte and Benghazi, and the China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC).

 

The Chinese were awarded a contract in 2008 to build the line from Sirte to Khoms and then on to the Tunisian border at Ras Jedir. The Chinese also won the contract to build the 800-kilometre line between Misrata and Wadi Shatti near Sebha.

 

The railways project, which was thought to have been mothballed after the revolution, is now also being actively supported by Congress. In February, GNC spokesman, Omar Hemidan, said that it had tasked its Communications and Transportation Committee to choose a president and vice-president for the railways implementation project.

 

Despite wanting to revive it, the transport minister warned the Russians and Chinese in February not to increase their original contract prices by claiming for compensation for the two-year delay, during which costs of construction materials significantly increased.

 

He said that Libya would pay the companies 50 percent of what they were owed if they restarted work again under the original terms, with the rest of the fees being paid in two further 25-percent tranches.

 

The same offer has been made to Chinese, Turkish and other companies involved in building housing and other projects, providing they drop compensation claims. However, most have refused.

 

According to the minister, there is a Plan B if the Russians and Chinese refuse the railway offer. There is an alternative project with the Italians still on the table, he said, using Italian funds agreed as part of the 2006 US$5 billion compensation deal for the Italian colonialisation of Libya, agreed between Qaddafi and former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

 

 

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China's high-speed rail will start a summer discount for business cabins, state cabins and first-class seats on certain railway lines, the country's national railway operator announced Friday.

 

It is the first time for the high-speed rail discount to cover first-class tickets, but second-class ones, the hard-to-get tickets for some popular lines, are still excluded from this round of special offer.

 

According to China Railway Corporation, the discount, starting July 10 through August 31 and with variable rates of up to 20 percent, is implemented to "adapt to market demand."

 

The discounted tickets will be available for certain sections of the Beijing-Guangzhou and Beijing-Shanghai high-speed rails, some of which are discounted for the first time.

 

A faster way of travel, China's high-speed train services often receive complaints about its stubbornly high prices and transport capability unmatched with market demand.

 

Tickets around busy travel season, specially those of the economy class, often sold out soon after available, whereas some costly trains suffered low attendance.

 

"It is a good start, but I hope high-speed rails can be like the subway, running more in busy season and fewer in off season and not wasting on resources while claiming a deficit," said netizen "phils" on Sina Weibo, China's twitter-like microblogging service.

 

While some netizens complained that it provides little benefits to the price sensitive group targeting only second-class tickets, Wang Ming, deputy head of the Institute of Comprehensive Transportation of National Development and Reform Commission, said the discount is designed to adjust between demands of different market segments.

 

"Some passenger flows are stable. Some can be attracted by lower prices. The railway department has enough data to back up its decision and expects the price to balance the demand." Wang said in an interview with a local newspaper.

 

According to Guangzhou Railway Group, the national network's local operator in the southern transportation hub Guangzhou, this round of discount can provide a price reduction as much as 500 yuan (81 U.S. dollars) for business class.

 

Under the discount, prices for some short-distance first-class tickets will be marked down to almost the same as the second-class, the railway operator added.

 

 

 

DHL Global Forwarding has developed a new door-to-door delivery service between China and Europe – using a transcontinental train link.

 

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The air, sea and road freight vision of Deutsche Post DHL has developed its new service win partnership with rail operator YHF Logistics.

 

The service uses the new Chengdu to Poland express train operated by YHF Logistics, launched this spring. The 9,826km train journey takes 14 days, but cuts transit time by 40 days compared to ocean freight.

 

The new route also comes at a sixth the shipping cost of an air freight service.

 

DHL said its once-a-week service runs through to its intermodal hub in Malaszewicze, Poland, and the company then trucks shipments to Moscow to offer a 20-day transit time between Chengdu and Moscow.

 

Kelvin Leung, the Asia Pacific CEO for DHL Global Forwarding, conceded that it might seem counter-intuitive to ship freight through Russia to Poland before trucking it back to Moscow.

 

But he said the route avoids potential problems with the rail network going into Moscow.

 

“Our innovative multi-modal team has found that mixing the two different modes of rail and truck and taking this route in fact cuts transit time and transport costs significantly by pre-empting and overcoming potential delays that can be encountered when entering Moscow by rail,” he explained.

 

Trade DHL sees the Chengdu to Poland trade lane as important with China being one of Russia’s top trading partners.

 

Bilateral trade between the two countries grew 11.2% year-on-year in 2012, to $88.16bn.

 

DHL has already carried out several trials along its new multimodal route to Moscow for various customers. Its new service is open to businesses in any sector.

 

Chengdu-based YHF Logistics inaugurated its China to Poland train link at the end of December, with the link running through Western China, Kazakhstan, Russia and Belarus before arriving in Poland.

 

Regular weekly train services began at the end of April.

 

Sofiane Rachedi, the YHF Logistics president, said: “We are happy to be DHL’s chosen partner in an ever-changing, challenging and competitive market. As an established leader in freight services in the region, DHL is a reliable partner with business ideals and ideas that we are happy to support and be a part of. We look forward to more innovative ideas on how we can further enable trade between not just the two countries, but the two continents.”

 

GUATEMALA's National Alliance Agency for the Development of Economic Infrastructure (Anadie) intends to issue a tender worth $US 120m in 2014 for technical, legal and financial studies required to establish a concession to operate Line 1 of Guatemala City's commuter rail service.

 

The organisation's director, Mr Julio Estrada, says this process will take six months to complete and will be followed by the issue of the full concession in the second half of next year.

 

The 30km line will cross the city from north to south and make use of an existing line that has been out of operation for the last 10 years. The cost of rehabilitating infrastructure and procuring rolling stock is estimated at $US 80-120m.

 

The initiative will be funded entirely by the private sector, with the private contractor reliant on recouping its investment from fares. A pre-feasibility study involving subsidiaries of Spanish passenger operator Renfe has already been completed and shows that the line must attract around 70,000 passengers per day to be profitable. As a result Estrada says the government will have to guarantee minimum traffic levels.

 

At present 270,000 people use buses along the same North-South route to reach the city centre on a journey that takes 2h 30min. With the rail link in place, this could fall to just 25 minutes.

 

Anadie is also considering introducing a second 20km East-West line. However, with no existing alignment in place, the cost has been estimated at $US 400m. As a result passengers would likely have to pay commercial ticket prices, which would mean structuring the concession to reflect this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Along with the trial of high-speed rail route between Hangzhou and Nanjing last month, three main cities are now fully connected, making Yangtze River Delta a “onehour economic circle”. However, in the eyes of travel professionals, it could be rephrased as “one-hour tourism circle”.

 

There are rich tourism sources around the delta region such as Yangtze River, Qiantang River, the Great Canal, Tianmu Lake, Tai Lake, the West Lake, etc. The launch of new high-speed rail lines now offer twofold benefits: enable tourists to travel around this area much more conveniently and shorten time on the way to save more for visiting sites. It is therefore not just an improvement of infrastructure, but a great and new opportunity for tourism industry.

 

With the central government’s emphasis on developing the area and based on this thorough transport network, the Yangtze River Delta region is now on its way to become a modern first-rate international tourism destination.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Geodis Wilson, one of the world's leading freight management companies, today announced the expansion of its Asia-Pacific operations to include domestic rail freight services in China, with intercontinental services between China and Europe also planned.

 

Freight transport by rail is growing in China. It is considered a viable alternative to road transport because of its safe, efficient and environmentally friendly nature. Rail transport experiences a strong political and social support in China, which makes it certain to develop considerably in the near future. "In Geodis Wilson we follow closely the development of this segment, particularly when it involves intercontinental connections between China and Europe", says Kim Pedersen, Executive Vice President of Geodis Wilson. "We are targeting customers who are looking for an alternative to airfreight with a longer lead time." Rail Transportation offers the advantage of lower costs versus air freight over medium to long distance routes. It is also the only transport mode offering an integrated transport network connecting seaports, hinterlands and economic zones over vast distances, and across political and geographical borders.

 

As part of a mixed rail, sea, air and road transportation solution, Geodis Wilson's new Chinese rail freight service will offer customized, flexible, and reliable door-to-door services. Shipment of goods on container block trains as well as all pre- and post-rail transportation services will be offered. These value-adds will include, pick-up, pre-carriage and on-carriage, reloading, control of trans-shipments, railway wagon planning, freight documentation and real-time tracking and tracing.

 

"Each customizable solution matches our priorities of safety, timely delivery and sustainability," explains Farhad Kayyum, Rail Freight Manager, China for Geodis Wilson in Shanghai.

 

Geodis Wilson will also be launching services for 20 and 40 foot FCL (full container load) and break bulk from China to Central Asia, Mongolia, Russia and Europe. This builds on its already existing services to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Mongolia for a number of key customers including Dunlop Taikoo (Jinjiang) Aircraft Tyres Co., Ltd, Mindray Medical International Limited, TLD Asia Limited, Sino Energy (Beijing) Co., Ltd, Kashgar Tiandeli Industry Co., Ltd.

 

 

 

 

 

In the foothills of the majestic Pir Panjal range, the Banihal railway station is being decorated with flowers, as officials of the Northern Railway, police and district administration give final touches to the arrangements that will welcome Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here on June 25. The PM is scheduled to inaugurate the 17.5-km rail track between Qazigund in Kashmir to Banihal in Jammu region.

 

The railway track passes through the 10.96 km-long Pir Panjal tunnel. It is believed to be India's longest and Asia's second longest tunnel. The trial run of the train has already been completed. A team of high-level officials from New Delhi monitored the CRS inspection on the stretch and gave clearance for running the train on this stretch. "We have completed all formalities required to open this vital stretch. It is ready for inauguration,'' said Deputy Chief Engineer, Railways, Vinod Kumar.

 

The Banihal railway station is located close to the Jammu-Srinagar national highway and has been closed for civilians; only Railways and security officials are allowed inside the station. Inside the station, men are busy cleaning the marble floors and rooms are being decorated. The train to be flagged off by the PM stands near the station. On Wednesday, senior Railways officials inspected the final trial.

 

A small helipad has been prepared close to the station where the PM's chopper will be landing. Officials say that the PM will inaugurate the rail link either at Qazigund or Banihal, and both the places have been sanitised and prepared for the inauguration ceremony.

 

Deputy General Manager of IRCON Ravi Kumar said that the track has been handed over to the Railways. "For us it is a great day as the train will chug for the first time outside the Valley and it will get connected with the Jammu region after passing through the Pir Panjal tunnel. Not only will it save time but also run throughout the year, irrespective of harsh weather conditions,'' he said, adding that on behalf of the IRCON, the tunnel was constructed by Hindustan Construction Corporation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JAKARTA - Under the endorsement of Indonesia's Ministry of Transportation (MOT) and the Indonesia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN Indonesia), Sphere Conferences today organised the inaugural transportation conference Future Transport Asia 2013, held in the Grand Hyatt Jakarta from 25 to 27 June 2013.

 

Sphere Conferences is the conference arm of Singapore Press Holdings, the country's leading multimedia group which publishes newspapers such as The Straits Times, its flagship English-language newspaper and one of the region's oldest and most established newspaper.

 

Future Transport Asia 2013 is the only integrated event in Asia to bring together government, regulators, rail & airport operators, airlines, financiers and world-class solution providers. With three co-located conferences, "Smart Passenger Rail Asia", "Smart Terminal Asia" and "Smart Traffic Asia", this event saw close to 400 leaders from the transportation sector across 15 countries congregated to discuss, strategise and unveil new, intelligent solutions and innovations to address Indonesia's transportation needs and challenges.

 

This three-days conference will cover key areas of infrastructure and transportation, ranging from market access strategies, passenger rail operations, to aviation and urban transport planning and development.

 

Some of the region's key transportation industry players in attendance included SMRT, PT. Kereta Api, KLIA Express, State Railway of Thailand, Changi Airport Group, Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad, and Land Transport Authority (LTA), as they shared their experience and expert insights interview of finding solutions to resolve Indonesia's growing transportation challenges.

 

Dr Bambang Susantono, Vice Minister at the MOT, said: "Infrastructure development is fundamentally the greatest area of concern if the nation's economy wants to continue moving forward. That is where our role as the Ministry of Transportation comes in, to be a leader in implanting inter-island and international connectivity. The Indonesian Government has pledged to multiply infrastructure spending to USD$250 billion until 2025, in order to boost annual economic growth to 6.8 per cent by 2014."

 

One of the key highlights of the Future Transport Asia 2013 conference was a ministerial forum featuring key Indonesian ministers, mayors and provincial representatives where they interacted with key industry players to discuss on project showcases, market access and public-private partnerships (PPP).

 

Mr Chua Wee Phong, Chairman of Sphere Conferences, said: "In the first six months of 2013, the government has tendered 17 PPP projects valued at USD$10.63 billion, with many entering the construction phase. This is a timely development and we are proud to feature key industry players in the transport sector to speak at Future Transport Asia 2013. With engaging topics surrounding Asia's infrastructure and transportation, the attendees will gain valuable insights as they seek to leverage on business opportunities and establish long term partnerships with key Indonesian stakeholders."

 

He added: "With a burgeoning economy and the government's commitment to improve existing infrastructure, it is timely for Sphere Conferences, in partnership with the Ministry of Transport Indonesia and PT. Angkasa Pura, to engage and support the Indonesian government in this key pillar of economic growth."