Well, it had to happen, After all, Norwegians are sensible people.

Calls for high-speed trains to reduce air traffic

Politicians and economists are calling for faster, more and cheaper trains across Norway and into Sweden.

High-speed trains like this one in France are being urged for Norway as well. PHOTO: SCANPIX

Related stories:

Oslo-Stockholm train popular – 27.03.2007

Train service resumes between Oslo and Stockholm – 09.01.2007

Oslo-Stockholm train ready to roll – 27.06.2006

High-speed inter-city trains departing every hour. Train travel times halved. Cheaper tickets. These are some of alleged benefits of a new railway network all over southern Norway, proposed by a retired economist this week.

Reducing carbon emission by reducing air traffic in the area by 80 per cent is the main goal of the proposal, economist Didrik Seip told newspaper Aftenposten. He’s delivered a proposal about high-speed train travel to the state agency in charge of Norway’s railroad infrastructure, Jernbaneverket.

And conservatives are generally in favor of it, as they should be. Good transportation is good for business and the economy.

Here is a perspective on the high speed rail boom across the pond from a Canadian publication. It deals with the German rail company, Deutsche Bahn (DB), which is about to go through a partial privatization. Fear not. It’s no fiendish plot to destroy ground transport at the behest of all-powerful airline and highway interests. It is the natural outcome of good management, and adequate capitalization.

The rail scene is even hotter in Europe, where Deutsche Bahn (DB), the German national rail company, is on the verge of partial privatization. The German government wants to sell about 25 per cent of DB some time next year by way of initial public offering or direct placement to investors. The government says the 25 per cent stake is worth at about ?3-billion, the equivalent of $4.3-billion (Canadian).
DB is a huge transport company. In 2006, it had revenue of ?30-billion and an operating profit of ?2.5-billion. It owns and operates 34,000 kilometres of track and almost 4,200 rail stations. It has 80 subsidiaries and sea, trucking and air freight operations around the world. Freight accounts for half of its sales. It has 229,000 employees and last year carried 1.85-billion passengers.
Why does DB want to join the stock market? Partly, it appears, because it can. For years, DB was a chronic money loser. Under CEO Hartmut Mehdorn, it has become profitable and is turning into a powerful international business. Another reason is rail liberalization. In 2010, the European rail market will be opened to competition. DB needs access to capital to fight this war. It wants to spread its high-speed trains, known as ICE, all over Europe before SNCF, the French national railway company, gets a chance to do the same. Both DB and SNCF know they are vulnerable to cheap competitors. Rail versions of discount airlines like Ryanair and EasyJet could emerge.

It is a burning commentary on how far behind modern technology North American has fallen.

EUX TV, the Europe channel, brings the story about a local dispute over some serious urban renewal. At issue is a decision to rebuild the local train station to accomadate even faster times for the French LGV. There is an interesting logictical situation in colorful old Stuttgart, which is somewhat more typical in the United States.

Stuttgart, one of Germany’s most prosperous cities and a main stop on the rail line between Paris and Vienna, has always been an oddity because it has a dead-end station.

The locomotives enter the station, stop at the buffers and are uncoupled. Another engine must be hitched at the other end to haul a passenger train on the next leg of the journey, or special two-headed trains must be used.

Unkink this line, planners say, and it will be possible to cross Germany east-west, from Munich to the French city of Strasbourg, in 2 hours and 53 minutes, a reduction by 54 minutes compared to present- day express trains.

France’s high-speed TGV train, which began services to Stuttgart in May, will be able to sweep through and keep going as far as Hungary.

Another interesting aspect of the Stuttgart situation is that the old rail right of way was laid out in 1850 and at some point, trains reportedly come to a near crawl at around 5 mph.This will require boring through mountains and building new bridges. It’s expensive and the question is whether it siphons off funding for other high speed rail projects. It looks like, even in Europe, there are fiscal limitations.

South Africa has entered the modern age with a high speed line that will run about 50 miles and end up costing about $3.5 billion in American currency. This seems high, but includes all new right-or-way, stations, equipment, and design. Engineering News has several reports. Get your conversion charts and maps out.

GAUTRAIN

R6-billion already spent on R25-billion Gautrain project

 

Picture by: GAUTRAIN PROJECT OFFICE

PARK STATION Excavation of the tunnel portal to the floor level is almost complete. When the floor of this excavation is reached, tunnelling work to Rosebank station will start. The final vertical depth of the excavation will be nearly 25 m below the existing ground surface. It is currently at around 20 m

 

Related articles

Almost R6bn spent on Gautrain so far

Construction on the R25-billion Gautrain rapid rail link has, to date, cost just under R6-billion.

Rapid-rail project largely on schedule, says project leader

The R25-billion Gautrain project is within budget and largely on schedule, says Gauteng government Gautrain project leader Jack van der Merwe

.

A behind-the-scenes peak at Gautrain project progress
Gauteng’s rapid-rail project may get three more stations
Gautrain road diversions delayed

By: Irma Venter

Published: 27 Jul 07 – 0:00

Six-billion rands of the Gautrain rapid-rail link’s R25-billion budget has been spent, says Gautrain man- agement agency CEO Jack van der Merwe.

This figure may seem high, especially as the system will only be fully operational in 2011, but this can be attributed to the initial procurement of machinery and materials, he notes.

By the end of April, spending on procurement from, and subcontracting to, empowerment firms had reached R246-million, with procurement from new empowerment firms totalling R48-million.

About R75-million had been spent on procurement from, and subcontracting to, small, medium-sized, and microenterprises, while the project had acquired South African materials, plant and equipment to the value of R79-million.

Construction started in September 2006.

A press release on the latest from Europe. Of interest is the cooperation between rail and airline companies, and the fast expansion of transportation options between major cities.

STOCK EXCHANGE RELEASE             27.7.2007

Amadeus Finland Oy

Amadeus Rail Forum 2007 identifies need for strategic partnerships and
effective standardised distribution 

Madrid, Spain, 27 July, 2007: Over 60 rail, air and travel agency
industry experts from around Europe recently met for the first ever
Amadeus Rail Forum in Nice, France to discuss the rail industry and its
future needs. Strategic partnerships and effective standardised
distribution were identified through the discussions as being central
issues in the future of the rail industry. 

A discussion panel deliberated the impending deregulation and
liberalisation of the European Rail market. During the panel, Eric
Stokhuyzen, Director of Alliances, KLM, demonstrated the importance of
strategic partnerships with rail providers in order to take advantage of
the ever expanding network of high speed rail lines in Europe,
especially in large populated areas: it is predicted that 10,000 kms of
high-speed rail lines will open in Europe by 2020, (UIC, 2004). KLM have
invested in a partnership with HSA – the company that, together with the
Belgian railways,  will run the high-speed trains between Belgium and
the Netherlands – to offer seamless inter-modal transport (using a
combination of air and rail in one journey) to travellers. They will
provide a staggered schedule where both flight and train travel will
complement each other in terms of travel times, ability to book the two
modes of transport through one transaction and travel with one ticket as
well as integration with airline departure control. 

Steve Fosh, Head of Distribution, ATOC ltd, who represents 21 Train
Operating Companies in the UK outlined the importance of effective
distribution to capture the growing European rail market which is
expanding at an average rate of 3-5 % annually (Global Industry
Analysts, 2006). According to Fosh, UK Travel Management Companies
(TMCs) generate over GBP 400 million per annum in revenues through train
bookings. With the predicted continued high growth the UK rail market
over the next 10 years, distributors will need to increase and improve
their retailing capacity through the Internet, electronic payment
methods and automation to take advantage of this growth. 

Supporting the need for effective rail distribution was Gillian Gibson,
VP, Multinational Customer Group, Amadeus, who highlighted that
currently most TMCs have to use several rail booking platforms or
websites, usually one per rail provider, to satisfy customer demands.
Gibson stated that booking more than one railway is not productive for
TMCs because it is complicated in front, mid and back offices and since
the demand for rail is increasing, TMCs will need a single booking tool
to make efficient and accurate reservations. 

“We feel that the first Amadeus Rail Forum has been a great success,”
said Albert Pozo, Managing Director of Travel Services & Leisure.
“Holding an event such as this facilitates open discussions about the
future of the industry and the challenges that are faced. This enables
us to better understand our customers and the rail industry in
particular, so that we can provide the solutions that enable the success
in the growing European rail market.” 

Notes to the editors 

Amadeus is the chosen technology partner for providers, sellers, and
buyers of travel. The company provides distribution, IT and point-of-
sale solutions to help its customers adapt, grow and succeed in the fast
changing travel industry. Customer groups include travel providers
(airlines, hotels, car rental companies, railway companies, ferry lines,
cruise lines, insurance companies and tour operators), travel sellers
(travel agencies) and travel buyers (corporations and travellers).
Solutions are grouped in four solution categories – Distribution &
Content, Sales & e-Commerce, Business Management and Services &
Consulting. 

Amadeus has central sites in Madrid (corporate headquarters &
marketing), Nice (development) and Erding (Operations – data processing
centre) and regional offices in Miami, Buenos Aires and Bangkok. At
market level, Amadeus maintains customer operations in 76 countries
covering more than 215 markets. 

The company is majority owned by WAM Acquisition, whose shareholders are
BC Partners, Cinven, Air France, Iberia and Lufthansa. Amadeus employs
over 7,600 employees worldwide, representing 95 nationalities. Amadeus’
revenue for the twelve months ended 31 December 2006 was EUR2.683m. 

More information about Amadeus is available at: www.amadeus.com 

Contact details 

Amadeus Media Relations
Corporate & Marketing Communication
tel : +34 91 582 7809
fax : +34 91 582 0188
e-mail : mediarelations@amadeus.com 

Amadeus Finland Oy

The policy here is to find some sort of high speed rail news from somewhere on earth every day. It’s not hard. Today’s entry comes from the International Herald Tribune. It’s an informative read, so let me whet your appetite.

High-speed trains are often the fastest way to travel between city centers in Europe, beating short-haul flights for journeys of up to 550 kilometers. At speeds of up to 320 kilometers an hour, the train certainly takes the strain; compared to airports, high-speed train stations are stress-free citadels of peace.

Trains also score well on that shifting equation of comfort, convenience and cost. (On short-haul flights, flying time can be as little as 20 percent of total journey time.) What counts most with rail travel is the quality of uninterrupted time from the moment you board to the time you arrive: a train station’s 10-minute average check-in time for business travelers includes going through security. Take the laptop and do a pile of work in peace.

More good news. Any day now, the-cons who so fervently support the concept of high speed rail will start proposing funding for them.

But seriously, folks, transportation is becoming a serious quality of life issue. It is way too important to leave in the hands of a few airline and trucking interests.

The past few days have been a little busy, but I did not want to let this story escape my notice. Not everybody in the United Kingdom is pleased with the $20 billion commitment to improve the national rail system, but it is far more intelligent than the behavior of congressional Republicans in the U. S. House of Representatives.

Noteworthy in the British story is a continued lack of high speed service to Scotland. Well, what do those uppity Scots expect anyway? I wonder what The Proclaimers have to say (or sing) about this development?

The British experience is in no way comparable to the abominable deterioration of American passenger rail. Nonetheless, they have a long range plan. Isn’t that a concept?

Check out the Reuters report.

UPDATE 2-UK plans $20 bln for rail, high-speed line on hold

Tue Jul 24, 2007 6:53 PM BST

 

(Adds quotes, detail)

By Pete Harrison

LONDON, July 24 (Reuters) – Britain has unveiled plans to spend more than 10 billion pounds ($20 billion) to expand rail capacity in the next seven years, providing 1,300 extra train carriages and an upgrade to London’s Thameslink line.

But an expansion of Britain’s high-speed rail network was put on hold by Tuesday’s 30-year rail plan.

More than 1 billion passengers a year use Britain’s railways, and the minister for transport, Ruth Kelly, told parliament the investment was needed to cope with an expected 20 percent increase in demand by 2014.

It’s only a daydream if it can’t be done, or nobody’s ever done it before.

How about a transportation policy that included the entire nation, even the “fly over” states? How about some environmentally and economically friendly choices? How about services that recognize the importance of rural areas?

Why should every aviation and highway project be an automatic “yes?”

The world’s largest democracy has begun taking the first halting steps toward a transportation possibility, and that about as much progress as has been made in the USA. Be warned this story is pretty thick. I don’t get the geography or the currancy, but it can be reasonably inferred that high-speed trains are a good idea, and expensive.

The newspaper is The Hindu.

CHENNAI: The Railways is looking for public-private partnership to in introduce ing high-speed trains in select corridors.

As such high-speed trains can be operated only on dedicated elevated corridors, costing at least Rs. 70 crore a per kmilometre, private participation has become imperative, according to Southern Railway General Manager Thomas Varghese. There are demands for bullet trains from Chennai to Ernakulam, Bangalore, Coimbatore and Madurai and from Trivandrum to Mangalore.

Good grief. I thought we won the cold war. Here’s he corporate press release.

Production of Russian high-speed train starts
21 July 2007

Siemens Transportation Systems will commence production of the body shells for the first high speed trains, the Velaro RUS, for the Russian Railways (RZD).

During his visit to the Siemens plant in Krefeld-Uerdingen on 20 July, RZD president Vladimir Yakunin gave the formal go-ahead for the body shell production of the first Russian high speed train, Velaro RUS. Starting at the end of 2009, these trains would be capable of running at speeds of up to 250km per hour on a high-speed line between Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Yakunin called the start of Velaro’s production a “significant milestone in the development of the cooperation between RZD and Siemens”. And he stated that the Velaro RUS, “whose design and technology reflected the highest standard in modern railway engineering, will soon enable RZD to catch up with other railway companies in the high speed rail sector and allow Russia to join the world’s elite club of high speed nations.”

During the visit by the Russian delegation, Hans M. Schabert, president, Siemens transportation systems, emphasised Siemens strong cooperation with the RZD on the Velaro project, calling it an “outstanding basis for a long-term partnership between Siemens and the RZD in all areas of railway technology.” He affirmed his belief that modern high-speed trains were the ideal means of satisfying Russia’s growing need for mobility.

Congratulating Yakunin on his decision to opt for the Velaro, the minister of transport of the German state of North-Rhine Westphalia, Oliver Wittke, stressed that “the Velaro contract from Russia demonstrates impressively how well the railway industry is able to tap its innovative strength and utilise its international contacts in Germany’s most densely populated state.”

Back in May 2006, Siemens Transportation Systems had already received the contract to build a total of eight high-speed trains, all of which would be manufactured in its Krefeld-Uerdingen plant and delivered by 2010.

Siemens will also be responsible for service and maintenance of these trains for 30 years. In all, that contract is worth about €600 million euros. Yakunin and Schabert officially approved the start of production of the body shells when they placed their signatures on a document certifying that the first step in the milestone agreement had been achieved.

In Schabert’s words, the Velaro RUS will give the Russian Railways the “world’s most modern high speed train set.” It is similar to the ICE 3 used by German Rail and the Velaro E used by Spanish National Railways (Renfe). The ten cars of the multiple-unit formation offer enough space for over 600 passengers and are specially modified to meet both the particular technical and climatic conditions encountered in Russia. The trains are designed for the Russian broad-gauge tracks and are around 33 cm wider than the ICE 3.

So far Siemens has built over 160 EMU high speed trains that include the Russian Velaro RUS, the Chinese Velaro CN, the Spanish Velaro E and the German ICE 3

With its billions in investments each year, Russia is considered to be one of the largest market for trains in the coming decades.

In addition to the high-speed line between Moscow and St. Petersburg, other rail connections are being planned, including one between Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod.

In Russia, a modern railway infrastructure featuring high-speed rail travel is considered a good response to the challenges of global warming. For instance, the amount of carbon dioxide, a contributor to global warming, emitted per passenger on high-speed trains is about one-third the amount caused by airliners.