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Thales awarded CBTC signalling contract for new Salvador metro

Thales has been selected by metro operator CCR Metrô Bahia to provide a signalling solution to lines 1 and 2 of the new metro in Salvador, Brazil’s third largest city. Thales will deliver its SelTrac® Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC) signalling solution, providing fully automatic driverless operation. Lines 1 and 2 cover a combined distance of 31 kilometres and serve of 19 stations.

The project’s conclusion is expected in the first half of 2017. Thales’s system will optimise capacity and journey times, benefitting passengers in Salvador, Lauro de Freitas and the whole metropolitan area.The new metro will be part of an integrated transportation system. Notably, it will serve Luiz Eduardo Magalhães International Airport, connecting it to the other transport systems.

Further growth for African rail as Bombardier signs huge contract to deliver 240 locomotives for South African project; one of the largest ever infrastructure projects in the country.

In the latest signal of the African railway boom, Bombardier Transportation South Africa (Pty) Ltd has signed a contract with Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) for the delivery of 240 TRAXX Africa electric locomotives. These locomotives are are set to be part of a complete fleet renewal programme involving four different suppliers and the contract is expected to be effective by end of March 2014, following certain administrative approvals.

TFR will use the dual-voltage electric locomotives for its general freight business in South Africa. The locomotives will be designed for speeds of up to 100 km/h. The TRAXX Africa design benefits from the vast experience of the TRAXX dual voltage locomotives being in operation with many of the leading European rail freight and passenger operators.

$19 billion in dedicated funding for rail as President Obama lays out vision for 21st century transportation infrastructure.

President Barack Obama shakes hands with a worker as he and Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx tour the Metro Transit Light Rail Operations and Maintenance Facility in St. Paul, Minn., Feb. 26, 2014. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

February 26^th  saw US President Barack Obama speak at the historic Union Depot train station in Saint Paul, Minnesota and launch a competition for $600 million in competitive transportation funding and outline his vision for investing in America’s infrastructure with a $302 billion, four year surface transportation re-authorization proposal. Railways are a major part of the the programme along with other aspects of public transport and will also work with Congress to act to ensure critical transportation programs continue to be funded and do not expire later this year.

The proposal increases average transit spending by nearly 70 percent annually, for a total program of $72 billion over four years, which will enable the expansion of new projects (e.g., light rail, street cars, bus rapid transit, etc.) in suburbs, fast-growing cities, small towns, and aging rural communities, while still maintaining existing transit systems.Whilst $19 billion in dedicated funding for rail programs including nearly $5 of billion annually for high performance and passenger rail programs with a focus on improving the connections between key regional city pairs and high traffic corridors throughout the country.

10 speaker insights from Day One of SmartRail Europe

Over 1000 industry professionals have gathered in Amsterdam this week to attend the SmartRail Europe Congress & Expo. Delegates have journeyed from Europe, Asia, Australasia, Asia, North America and the Middle East to engage with the most innovative trends, developments and innovations. Two and a half days of fantastic speaker led sessions will be rounded off with an exclusive site visit to Rotterdam Station offering a valuable insight into the working of one of Europe’s key developments.

SmartRail World, reporting from Amsterdam, picks out ten of the speaker highlights from Day One:

“The railway of the future will need to provide efficient and competitive solutions to both societal and individual mobility needs.”

Libor Lochman, Executive Director, CER

“It’s more and more important to be able to justify the governmental spending of Euros within the rail industry.”

Monika Heiming, Executive Director, EIM Rail

With 99.67 per cent of its trains running on time – Docklands Light Railway (DLR) performance hits record levels.

All rights reserved by Transport For London Press Images

The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) has achieved its highest scores for punctuality and performance in its 26-year history. The driverless network has continued to improve services and even overcame the threat of a strike in late January to announce record results. The DLR continues to deliver to its passengers one of the most reliable and punctual rail services in Britain. The railway which is operated on behalf of Transport for London (TfL) by Serco Docklands, ran 99.67 per cent of its trains on time during the period 5 January to 1 February this year and also operated 99.77 per cent of its scheduled services.

After industrial action, Automatic Train Operation (ATO) is again on the agenda in London.

A TfL Information board at Bank Station illustrated the extent of the closures

After a period where the London Underground has been hit by industrial action, crippling vast swathes of the transport network and forcing commuters onto buses, bikes, pavements and even boats, there are renewed calls for the further deployment of driverless trains on the network. The strike this week is in protest to Transport for London (TfL) plans to cut about 950 jobs and close manned ticket offices as part of a restructuring plan which it insists could save 50 million pounds ($80 million) a year. Bob Crow, general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport workers (RMT) union, one of Britain’s most militant, said the action was as much about service as jobs, warning that TfL’s plans to reduce station staff would have a “seriously adverse impact on women, older and disabled people”.

In response to the strike, the issue of driverless trains has again become a topic for debate in the media. Paula-Marie Brown, the London-based Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) Head of Transport stated that “Over recent years, travelling on the London Underground has been transformed by noticeable changes in technology, for example with the introduction of the Oyster card and WiFi on station platforms as well as the introduction of new rolling stock.”

How a multi-service network is improving security and safety for the Nanjing Metro.

In 2013 the Nanjing Metro in China, one of the fastest growing in the country and serving a population of over seven million sought to improve its safety and security and develop a dedicated transmission network. In seeking this solution the Nanjing Metro Corporation selected OTN Systems, a leading developer of high-­end multi-service networks for metros, light rail systems, people movers and railways worldwide. The delivery of the metro public security communication system will provide the transmission system connecting all public security communication applications such as Voice, Police Trunked Radio System, CCTV and other subsystems. The system is delivered by OTN Systems, through its local partner.

Flood of cement closes London Underground’s Victoria Line.

Images leaked online by the UsVsTh3m website show shelves of signalling equipment submerged in concrete Photo: USVSTH3M

In perhaps one of the more unusual reasons for delays on a major metro line, thousands of rush hour commuters in London faced chaos on their way home yesterday after a major London Underground control room was flooded by a sea of cement. A large section of the Victoria Line which covers Central and South London was closed following the incident early on Thursday afternoon, and remained shut throughout the evening.

Changes ahead for how crude oil is transported by rail in the US.

Oil transporting train (Source: http://globalnews.ca)

U.S. transportation officials have confirmed plans to press companies to come up with safer ways to transport oil by rail following a series of explosive accidents. Following a series of fiery accidents of the past year in North Dakota, Quebec, Alabama and New Brunswick pressure was mounting on the government to act. And with the transport of crude oil by rail growing across North America, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx held a closed door-meeting with oil and railroad executives yesterday resulting in the industry agreeing to make voluntary changes to improve safety within the next 30 days. Measures developed could be altering some routes to avoid highly-populated areas and slowing down trains in high risk areas.