Video Robert Wright on challenges in the Gulf RAIL & TRANSPORT www.ft.com/ FINANCIAL TIMES SPECIAL REPORT | Monday April 11 2011 dubaimetro www.ft.com/rail­transport­2011 | twitter.com/ftreports

Inside this issue A shady spot The Cities look to reduce use of cars city of Masdar in Abu Dhabi aims to In this special report, lead the Robert Wright looks region in energy saving and at the infrastructure sustainability Page 2 issues that face both emerging and Rolling along the desert sands The UAE and GCC developed economies states are rushing to emulate China’s dash to he stream of traffic that build rail links, but freight pours noisily down might take priority Page 2 Sheikh Zayed road on a weekday evening is Neighbourhood watch Ta powerful reminder of the chal- Adjacent states are keeping lenge facing public transport. a weather eye on the In Dubai, as in many emerg- success of Dubai’s metro ing economies, road remains the scheme Page 2 means of transport of choice for much of the population. Eastern approaches Despite the forbidding traffic Suppliers jams that are a feature of many from of the world’s fastest-growing Japan cities, most residents have a and China strong preference for travelling are making in the comfortable, air- inroads conditioned motor cars that are in the among their proudest posses- European sions. market, but are their EU But a look to one side of the rivals operating on a level road should give hope to the playing field? Page 3 delegates gathering in Dubai this week for the congress of UITP, the international public Computer in charge transport association. Just off Automatic train operation is the road, by the garish Ibn seen as the way forward on Battuta shopping mall at the London’s suburban lines city’s southern end, passengers Page 3 bustle between buses and a station on Dubai’s smart new All aboard the S train metro system. The UK’s capital is set They are undertaking, by On the right track: the Dubai metro speeds by the Sheikh Zayed road. The metro has outperformed its pre­opening traffic forecasts, despite the regional popularity of the car AFP for a high­tech boost when metro and bus, journeys that, new stock takes to the rails until little more than 18 months prices and strong demand, Mezghani says: “We must offer tion that is bringing populations It is not only the most eye- services for UITP, argues that Page 4 ago, they would have had little rapidly develop their cities and services that are competitive from rural areas into densely catching developments – the bus rapid transit systems offer option but to make by car or seek to make them more pleas- with the comfort they have in packed cities. gleaming new metro and light- such clear benefits that they Steep curve for tram taxi. ant. their cars, with the travel times Buses, trains and metros are rail systems – that are reviving may edge trams out of some makers After years of The city’s metro, like many “Dubai took less than four they can have with their cars.” often the only realistic means of interest in public transport. emerging economies’ transport lucrative business, suppliers urban transport systems in years to build its first metro The surge of public transport transporting the huge numbers In many developing-world mix. now face more awkward developing economies, has out- line,” says Mohamed Mezghani, interest in the Gulf reflects a of people seeking to move about cities – such as Johannesburg in “I think that in the big emerg- orders Page 4 performed its pre-opening traffic head of UITP’s Middle East worldwide trend, according to the most heavily populated South Africa and Bogotá in ing cities of Asia and Latin forecasts. It is gradually becom- office, contrasting this with the Alain Flausch, president of metropolises. Colombia – the humble bus is America, we will have metro or Double­deck success ing the backbone of the city’s far slower pace in most of west- UITP and chief executive of “When you look around at likely to remain the mainstay of bus,” Mr Dauby says. London is leading the public transport system, shut- ern Europe. “Building 50km in Brussels’ public transport com- people talking about the future, public transport for the foresee- “I’m afraid that maybe tram way in fuel­efficient tling passengers between inter- less than four years – it’s a very pany. they all say about their cities, able future. will not have its place in the bus technology changes that let them undertake big achievement.” Many governments in western ‘Our city will not survive if we Buses’ efficiency in such cities mobility portfolio. This is Page 4 the complex journeys inhabit- But Dubai, as well as Abu Europe, Asia and the Americas do not develop public trans- has been transformed by their because, when buses are ants of any modern city want to Dhabi, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and are either developing new pub- port’,” Mr Flausch says. use of special, dedicated lanes designed as a system, with their make. other new areas considering lic transport systems or trying “Being practical, the amount and stops that look more like own right of way, you can It is the kind of scene likely to building substantial public to wring extra capacity from of space we have in any city is metro stations than traditional achieve a lot that you achieve be increasingly replicated across transport systems for the first existing networks. limited. If we want our cities to roadside halts. with a tram.” the Middle East, as the region’s time, need to be conscious of Most are responding to pres- remain pleasant places to live, Laurent Dauby, director of economies, buoyed by high oil their biggest competitor, Mr sure from the wave of urbanisa- there’s a limit to piling up cars.” knowledge and membership Continued on Page 2 2 ★ FINANCIAL TIMES MONDAY APRIL 11 2011 Rail & Transport | Middle East Focus Gulf states: planned rail links Planners Desert city Al Haditha IRAQ JORDAN IRAN look to aims to help KUWAIT GCC reduce North-South line railway (partly open) (projected) Potential direct car use put others The passenger line Jubail Gulf Az Zabira BAHRAIN OMAN Continued from Page 1 Junction But many public transport in the shade QATAR markets – particularly in the Mecca-Medina Dubai Etihad Rail developed world and the richer high-speed line Doha Abu elsewhere in the Gulf are joined (under construction) (projected) emerging economies – still Environmental issues by air-conditioned bridges, Ruwais Dhabi demand the improvements in Masdar has been designed, Mr Medina Riyadh Muscat comfort, efficiency and environ- A development on Haberbosch says, so that inhab- Existing mental performance that are itants have to come down to the lines only possible with the latest the edge of the sands GCC railway ground. Red Shah advanced technology. is providing a green That is intended to create a Sea (projected) Among the most widely Saudi example regionally bustle at street level that will SAUDI ARABIA applied of these is communica- encourage residents to walk. Landbridge UNITED ARAB tions-based train control and globally Conventional cars are also (projected) EMIRATES (CBTC), the now standard sig- banned. In due course, electric nalling system for modern met- taxis, a metro station and light Jeddah OMAN ros. This allows some systems It is obvious from the moment a rail should arrive, and the devel- Mecca to dispense with drivers alto- visitor arrives at Masdar City, opers are keen to encourage gether. on the edge of Abu Dhabi, that cycling. Such technology is spreading this is more than just another “In the UAE . . . the whole con- beyond the narrow world of development sprouting from the nective tissue of the city is pri- Arabian metros to both suburban rail- desert. The transport from the marily car-based,” Mr Haber- Sea ways, including London’s car park to the main square is bosch says. “The notion [in Mas- Thameslink and Crossrail an electric, four-seater pod dar] is to design a very compact routes, and tramways. guided by wires beneath the city, a high-density, low-rise EGYPT Dubai’s Al Sufouh tramway road. A staircase at the termi- urban environment, that’s self- will be equipped with CBTC, nus leads to a narrow street and shading: a streetscape that first one of the first to feature such a shaded squares. and foremost is very attractive system, to ensure the vehicles The atmosphere is reminis- for pedestrians.” stop precisely next to the doors cent of Tangiers or one of the There remain fundamental YEMEN of its air-conditioned stops. Arab world’s other more ancient problems. The pod system that Patrice Houdu, a senior execu- cities rather than a modern transports visitors from Mas- SUDAN tive in the rail control division development. But Masdar, being dar’s car park to the postgradu- of France’s Alstom Transport, designed by London-based Fos- ate Masdar Institute of Science 250 km says the system allows opera- ter and Partners, is meant to be and Technology is unsuitable tors to wring extra capacity out more than a pleasant retreat. for the citywide application orig- of overstretched networks Its promoters hope that, with inally intended. Later phases of safely. “In many cities, there’s its mix of high technology and the development will rely on an increasing need for operators time-honoured methods of cop- other transport modes. to increase the traffic and mini- ing with the Gulf heat, it will There are also question marks mise the distance between vehi- set an example by consuming over how quickly the planned Sea of sand is set to be cles,” he says. less energy than other newly light-rail system and Abu Dhabi Yet, a little up Dubai’s metro built cities in the region. metro, a station of which should line from Ibn Battuta, there is a The question is how far any form a focal point for Masdar, reminder of a key problem that lessons learnt can be applied to will reach the development. will weigh on the minds of the sprawling metropolises “It’s a laboratory of new tech- many at the UITP congress. blooming elsewhere. nologies and it’s a small-scale transformed by network Near Dubai Marina metro sta- Pedro Haberbosch, one of the project compared with a city tion, work on the Al Sufouh Foster and Partners architects such as Dubai or Abu Dhabi,” tramway has only just restarted Mr Mezghani says. “It could be Saudi Arabia, where demand Richard Bowker, Etihad Rail’s the first cargo in 2013. The after stopping when funding Mohamed a model, maybe; it’s too early to Long­distance lines patterns are different because of chief executive, says the deci- entire 1,200km network planned dried up during Dubai’s finan- Mezghani, head say whether Masdar will be a the annual arrival of millions sion to focus primarily on for the UAE, handling both cial crisis in late 2009. Similar of UITP, Middle good practice case or not.” The UAE and GCC for the Hajj pilgrimage, is work- freight reflects the UAE’s eco- freight and passenger services, shortages of public-sector funds East: Masdar But there are undoubtedly states are rushing to ing on a line to carry 320kph nomic priorities. should be complete by 2018. – less acute but probably longer- is ‘a laboratory aspects of Masdar’s design that trains between the holy cities of “There’s a growing need for This extraordinarily tight lasting – threaten many urban of new other places want to emulate. emulate China’s dash Mecca and Medina. But the ini- logistics capability in the coun- timeline, Mr Bowker says, has transport schemes worldwide. technologies’ Worldwide, many cities origi- to build rail links tial passenger services between try, because the pace of growth helped focus Etihad Rail on a The shortage is sparking nally built around cars are now Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and has been phenomenal,” he says. mixed freight and passenger interest in private sector-led leading the project, says the scrambling to create areas of across other parts of the region, “Keeping pace with that network designed mainly funding mechanisms. It may main aim is simply to make denser housing, shopping and he scrub-speckled desert look set to run at a maximum requires infrastructure and around freight needs. also offer a foothold to cheaper, Masdar as green and sustaina- recreation inspired by ideas sim- that covers much of the 200kph. logistics capability, which the The company examined the Asia-based suppliers of metro ble as possible. ilar to Masdar’s closely packed United Arab Emirates is The debate over how to fit road network is really strug- potential for a direct passenger- and other rail vehicles, includ- He describes the city as “a buildings. reminiscent of parts of passengers into the Gulf’s rail gling to cope with.” oriented, and potentially high- ing the Chinese manufacturers showcase of what components Public transport requires high Tthe American midwest – arid, plans raises broader issues There can be no doubting the speed, route along the coast currently working hard to break need to be considered in sustain- population densities, while flat and carpeted by the wiry about the extent to which determination of Gulf countries between Dubai and Abu Dhabi. into the UK market. able urban design”. tightly packed developments plants that can survive in such regions with spread-out, low- to build railways fast. Eran Early analysis suggested there But capacity to invest in pub- The Masdar approach con- also naturally crowd around conditions. The resemblance density cities will ever be able Gartner, president of the sys- was “quite a strong” case for lic transport looks bound to be trasts sharply with that taken public transport stops. will grow still closer after 2013, to transfer large numbers of tems division of Bombardier building such a line in addition weaker in many important mar- until recently in Dubai, the Adnan al Hammadi, chief when the same kind of heavy, longer-distance passenger jour- Transportation, the world’s big- to the mixed-traffic route, which kets in coming years. The most United Arab Emirates’ largest executive of the rail agency at diesel-powered freight trains neys from road and air to rail. will detour some distance indebted Eurozone countries – city. On the Palm Jumeirah – Dubai’s roads and transport that roll across many a US In February, the US state of inland. Greece, Spain, Portugal and Ire- the vast artificial archipelago authority (RTA), says wilderness will become part of Florida abandoned plans to ‘There’s a need for However, a direct, coastal pas- land – had all invested heavily that is one of the city’s most developers are already prioritis- some UAE desertscapes. build a high-speed rail network logistics capability in senger route would require sub- in light-rail systems. They have notable recent developments – ing building developments The plans – not only for a new partly because passenger stantial, complex co-ordination little prospect of making signifi- developers were allowed to meet close to Dubai’s relatively new railway system to span the UAE number projections seemed the country because between transport authorities in cant investments again soon. demands to supply public trans- metro line. but also for a wider network over-optimistic. the pace of growth Dubai and Abu Dhabi. That will only increase the port by building a monorail “Many developers have seen linking all six Gulf Cooperation Mohamed Mezghani, head of “There’s only so much you importance for rail and bus sup- with only two stations, one at the benefit of coming close to a Council (GCC) member states – the Middle East office of UITP, has been phenomenal’ can do at once,” Mr Bowker pliers of less traditional mar- the palm’s outer edge and the transportation system and how are making the Middle East the the public transport organisa- says. There remain questions kets, such as the Gulf states. other at its roots. that can add value to their prop- latest region to emulate China’s tion, says he is sure there is over how attractive the passen- An increasing proportion of The monorail glides past rows erty,” Mr al Hammadi says. “We rush to build long-distance rail- potential to offer rail commuter gest trainmaker, says the posi- ger services on the mixed-traffic the available work is also likely of apartment blocks on the are being approached by many way lines. Both Etihad Rail, for- services at least between Abu tion of Gulf countries is lines will be. Mr Bowker to involve the difficult task of palm’s trunk. This could make developers.” merly Union Railway, building Dhabi and Dubai. similar to that of China, the declines to be drawn on the modernising ageing light rail, an excellent public transport While only a traditional, the UAE’s system, and GCC Rail There is also potential for only place in the world where journey time for the initial Abu metro and suburban rail sys- market, according to Mohamed large-scale metro was ever make ambitious claims for the long-distance rail services to projects routinely finish ahead Dhabi to Dubai passenger serv- tems. Mezghani, head of the Middle likely to have addressed Dubai’s amount of traffic they should be encourage use of the region’s of schedule. ices. Without a high-speed capa- But there remain unmistaka- East office of UITP, the interna- transport needs, Ramadan able to transfer from cars and developing metro and light rail “The kingdom and the various bility, journeys on other parts of ble signs of hope. Even glitzy tional public transport associa- Abdulla Mohamed, director of trucks to rail. networks. Passengers who emirates, once they have the GCC network look set to be Dubai has showed signs of turn- tion. the RTA’s rail operations However, while high-speed arrive in a city centre by rail selected their partner, are eager intimidatingly lengthy. ing its back on the car and tak- “It’s like we missed an oppor- department, believes Masdar- rail tracks are rapidly snaking are far more likely to continue to see the fruits of their ideas However, Mr Bowker points to ing to the metro and bus. tunity there to offer a public style ideas might spread to their way between China’s main to their final destination by quickly,” he says. Dubai’s often crowded new Public transport may finally transport service to those people smaller cities. cities, and other developing metro, where it exists, than Etihad Rail announced on metro as evidence that Gulf res- be looking like the cool, sophis- living on the trunk,” Mr “Looking at Dubai . . . having economies are working on simi- those arriving by car or air. March 23 that, although it had idents can shift to other forms ticated choice that the car Mezghani says. a metro service was the best lar plans, passenger rail looks “There would be no problem only just issued tenders for the of transport. “I think that’s a seemed to be for much of the The most striking aspect of solution for us,” he says. “If you set to take lower priority in the finding space to build this con- first phase of a 264km line to very useful test and evidence 20th century. Masdar’s transport infrastruc- have a smaller area or some- Gulf. The passenger trains that nection,” Mr Mezghani says of carry sulphur between Shah, in that, if we plan this right, we To retain that allure, accord- ture is what is lacking. thing else different, you can do operate are also likely to run the Abu Dhabi-Dubai line. “I’m inland Abu Dhabi, and the port will be able to persuade people ing to Richard Bowker, chief While linked buildings choose another solution” at lower speeds. surprised it’s not yet done.” of Ruwais, it intended to move to use it,” he says. executive of Etihad Rail, the company building the United Arab Emirates’ first mainline rail system, it needs to maintain the high standards that the best networks are achieving. “The Dubai Metro has already Neighbours keep close eye on success of Dubai scheme shown that if you plan it right, execute it very well, and the service quality is superb, people has grown up around wide Paul Abbosh, regional concluded it was a positive class” section and another don’t have a lot of these Emirates Towers to the will get out of their cars and use Metro system roads and large distances development manager for experience.” area solely for women and integrated authorities.” Rotana Hotel, which is it,” he says. that suit cars. the Gulf at Atkins, the Among the challenges children. Vincent Prou, project pretty much exactly oppo- Project faced with Planners knew from the engineering consultancy, the metro has had to over- Ramadan Abdulla director for France’s site on the other side of the problems including start they would face a says such cities watched come – and which may be Mohammed, head of rail Alstom for the Al Sufouh road,” Mr Abbosh says. struggle persuading the Dubai’s experience before still more severe elsewhere operations in the rail sec- tramway, says the RTA “The stations have bridged Contributors social conservatism city’s population to aban- deciding whether to build in the region – is the Arab tion of Dubai’s Roads and demanded careful “urban that gap.” don comfortable motor metros themselves. world’s instinctive social Transport Authority insertion reports” on how There remain journeys in Robert Wright vehicles when the physical “You’re now looking at a conservatism. (RTA), argues that locals’ each of the 13 stations Dubai that are time- Transport Correspondent A passenger heading to barrier of the roads, the lot of activity in terms of Cars are popular not only take-up of the metro is rea- would link to its surround- consuming, expensive or Dubai Marina from the lack of pavements in many metros across the Gulf,” because of their conven- sonable, given that many ings. inconvenient by public Gill Plimmer Companies Reporter metro station of the same places and the sheer heat Mr Abbosh says. “So they ience but because they live in villas in the more “It’s not simply a matter transport. name had better be in the that lasts for much of the must have afford privacy for women distant suburbs. Locals of a tram line drawn in the The metro’s introduction Adam Jezard mood for walking. year were working in and children. account for 7 per cent of city,” he says. “It also has boosted public trans- Commissioning Editor After an initial upward the car’s favour. Local Arabs – who make journeys. requires careful thinking port’s share of passenger ride on an escalator, the That the Gulf up some 20 per cent of “Seven per cent is not a about what is happening journeys in Dubai only Steven Bird route heads briefly parallel region’s first metro, Dubai’s population – can bad number,” Mr Moham- around and how to inte- from 6 per cent in 2006 to 8 Designer to the Sheikh Zayed road, opened in September also be reluctant to mix med says. “Locals are more grate those stations with per cent last year. which runs for the length 2009, is already some- with the Indians, Pakistanis car-oriented because their pedestrian access, bus sta- The many daily commut- Andy Mears Picture Editor of the elongated, sprawling times uncomfortably and Filipinos who make homes are far from the tions and car parks.” ers from the neighbouring city. full has encouraged a up Dubai’s working metro.” Even if station exits such emirate of Sharjah remain For advertising details, contact: Then an air-conditioned spurt of interest in class, according to Planning of the public as that at Dubai Marina particularly poorly served, Liam Sweeney on: bridge stretches 200 metres the potential for Mohamed Mezghani, transport networks has are long, they are playing because Dubai’s public +44 (0)20 7873 4148; over Sheikh Zayed, some other cities in the head of the Middle been surprisingly thorough an important role in knit- transport all stops at or e­mail: [email protected] other roads and the con- region to launch simi- East office of UITP, for a city that often ting Dubai together, before the border. or contact your usual struction site for the new lar systems. the international pub- appears to be mushroom- according to Mr Abbosh. But, in a city better representative Al Sufouh tram line. The question is lic transport associa- ing uncontrolled out of the Before the first metro known for leading the Mid- Finally, a second set of what elements of the tion. desert. line’s opening, there were dle East in brashness and All FT Reports are available on escalators deposits the pas- planning have made “Public transport is Mr Mezghani attributes only two pedestrian cross- conspicuous consumption, FT.com. senger at a stop for buses Dubai’s metro a suc- seen as a mode used that partly to the RTA’s ing points anywhere in the there remains, according Go to: www.ft.com/reports heading to the marina cess and what lessons by those who have position as an integrated city over Sheikh Zayed to Mr Mezghani, an excel- itself. it can teach other cities no choice,” he says. transport authority over- Road. lent chance that it may be Follow us on twitter at The scene illustrates the in the region that are Each train is seeing multiple transport There is cautious opti- helping to roll back the www.twitter.com/ft.reports challenge the United Arab considering similar equipped with a modes. mism that development whole region’s dependence Emirates’ largest city faces schemes. higher priced “gold “In Europe, sometimes will cluster close to metro on the car. All editorial content in this in trying to introduce pub- They include Abu Dhabi, we try to fight for having stations, improving public “The potential is very supplement is produced by lic transport in a place the United Arab Emirates’ The metro has separate authorities deal- transport’s attractiveness. high when you see a city the FT. that, like many in the fast- capital, and Doha, capital transformed the ing with taxis and buses “You used to have to such as Riyadh,” Mr developing Middle East, of Qatar. commuting scene and cars,” he says. “We take a taxi to get from the Mezghani says. FINANCIAL TIMES MONDAY APRIL 11 2011 ★ † 3 Rail & Transport Asians push for a bigger slice of wheel action

On target: Hitachi’s 140mph Foreign competition Class 395 Javelin train can travel Suppliers from Japan from Ashford, Kent, to London St Pancras in 37 minutes Bloomberg and China are making But he questions whether Chi- inroads into Europe nese suppliers, while providing trains with lower capital costs, are able to offer the same low nternational passengers running costs as the latest, arriving at London’s St highly reliable, fuel-efficient Pancras station on Euros- European models. tar trains can already see David Shipley, chief executive Ione sign of Asian suppliers’ of Chinese-Sourced Railway push into the European passen- Equipment, a British company ger train market, the biggest in that markets Chinese trains in the world. The Class 395 high- Europe, says such claims con- speed domestic trains that use tradict other complaints Euro- the platforms next to Eurostar’s pean suppliers sometimes make. were supplied by Japan’s Some, most notably Alstom of Hitachi. France, Europe’s second-biggest There could be more evidence trainmaker, have insinuated shortly. As they enter St Pan- that China’s export drive is cras, Eurostar passengers could drawing on technology Euro- soon pass over Hitachi-built pean suppliers transferred to Super Express trains operating China under train-building joint services from London’s King’s venture agreements. Such tech- Cross station next door, after nology is not meant to be the UK government reaffirmed exported outside China. Hitachi as preferred bidder to “They want to accuse the Chi- supply the trains. Within a few nese of stealing their own years the same passengers may designs and technology and see Chinese-built trains running building them into their own to north-west England from trains – then they say the Chi- London Euston. nese technology isn’t as The questions about this pro- advanced,” Mr Shipley says. “It liferation of Asian-built trains cannot be both.” are how widely it will spread, But the scene at St Pancras whether it is fair to allow such also illustrates the limits of the manufacturers into open Euro- likely Asian advance. The cur- pean markets when their home rent trains used by Eurostar, markets are less open, and controlled by France’s state- whether standards will suffer. owned SNCF, were all built in “We don’t complain about France, mostly by Alstom, the Hitachi,” says Michael Claus- country’s national engineering ecker, director-general of Unife, champion. the European railway industry When, last October, Eurostar body. “Hitachi, like every com- announced plans to become the pany in the world, uses the first SNCF affiliate to go to opportunities the market sup- Germany’s Siemens rather than plies to it.” Alstom to buy high-speed trains, Japanese policy towards out- ways, to compete in European insists the issue is that no Euro- Japanese train operators’ erratic power supplies from the decision sparked bitter con- side manufacturers in rail and tenders. But there are questions pean supplier has invested the refusal to allow European sup- iced-over third rails have with- troversy in France, which builds some other industries has long about whether Chinese trains same time and effort in under- pliers even to participate in bid- stood recent harsh winters bet- nearly all its trains at home. been discriminatory, however. are yet able to match the relia- standing Japan’s technical ding competitions. ter than rival equipment. The French government has “It takes them decades to open bility and low operating costs of standards as Hitachi has in Unife would like European But Mr Clausecker adds: held up changes to Channel tun- up and change their attitude to European designs. understanding the UK, the con- governments to use their right “There are certainly a large nel safety rules necessary to foreign companies,” says Mr With Japanese suppliers, tinent’s most open market. under trade treaties with Japan number of other technical ques- allow the German-built trains to Clausecker. meanwhile, the argument is Germany’s Knorr-Bremse, the to exclude Japanese companies tions where you find brilliant run. The issues vary according to over the treatment of European brake supplier, which has from tenders on the ground that European solutions, and the Mr Clausecker insists the which Asian suppliers are under suppliers. Japan’s government devoted significant effort to it has not opened its own mar- Japanese could use these.” Eurostar controversy illustrates discussion. has consistently excluded Euro- understanding Japan, has suc- ket reciprocally. ‘It takes the Japanese As for Chinese suppliers, Mr how much more open and com- Unife accepts the right of Chi- pean companies from domestic ceeded in supplying brakes for “We’ve never even seen an decades to open up Clausecker accepts the coun- petitive Europe’s train markets nese suppliers, which have yet tenders under rules that allow it the country’s Shinkansen high- invitation to tender from one of try’s technology has advanced are becoming. However, the to supply any trains to Euro- to bar suppliers that fail to meet speed trains, Mr Dormer adds. the Japanese railways,” Mr and change their significantly in recent years, Asian advance looks set to be pean Union markets, and com- the country’s strict earthquake Mr Clausecker says Knorr- Clausecker says. But he accepts attitude to foreign and he points out that, since confined to countries on the panies from Korea, whose safety standards. Bremse is supplying technology that Hitachi has brought in use- these normally source certain edge of the EU’s core railway Hyundai Rotem has supplied the Alistair Dormer, managing that no Japanese supplier can ful technology. The Class 395’s companies’ key components from Japan, system, such as the UK, Swe- Athens metro and Irish rail- director of Hitachi Rail Europe, and that the real issue is arrangements for handling quality is likely to be high. den, Turkey and Ireland. Computers taking over the driving seat signal change

association, says the tech- Drivers will need to con- to Andrew Love, principal Track management nology can help infrastruc- centrate on checking that engineer at Atkins, the UK- ture owners avoid the passengers are moving based engineering consul- Automatic train expense and trouble of lay- swiftly on and off the train tancy. operation is seen ing down extra track. and closing the doors The core section of the “Space is a crucial promptly. Thameslink route, mean- as the way forward resource within cities,” Mr Services running on ATO while, could be purpose- for suburban lines Clausecker says. “So, every- will also use the new tech- built to challenge the sig- thing you can do to nology’s ability to monitor nalling system’s capabili- increase the density on the trains’ position and speed ties. The present route was existing network is useful.” more accurately to acceler- knitted together in the Northbound trains The challenge for develop- ate faster and run closer 1980s from a hotch-potch of approaching London Bridge ers of such schemes – together. “The ATO will be operating and abandoned station in the UK capital including Network Rail, the driving like an aggressive rail lines, including some of are rolling over history. The UK rail infrastructure com- driver,” Mr Binns says. London’s oldest under- brick arches that support pany upgrading the Yet the route towards ground tunnels, dating back the track were constructed Thameslink route – is to successful delivery of a to 1868. during building of the Lon- adapt technology designed The ATO system is don and Greenwich Rail- for lighter, less heavily required, according to Mr way. That line, opened in loaded metro trains to ‘Everything that Binns, partly because Net- 1836, was the first built to heavy, suburban rail vehi- you can do to work Rail realised that driv- serve traffic within a city cles carrying twice as many ers were unlikely to run and to cater predominantly people. increase the trains fast enough down the for passengers. “They’re very different density on the route’s steepest slope to The same area is now set challenges,” says Chris allow the necessary 24 to pioneer another new Binns, Network Rail’s sen- existing network trains an hour. technology. ior programme engineering Thameslink and other From 2018, drivers of manager for Thameslink, is useful’ potential ATO-operated trains leaving the last of comparing the its route mainline railways will also the arches on the Thames- with that of a typical metro new, high-capacity Thames- have to grapple with link cross-London route will line. link service is unlikely to changes in trains’ behav- see the their electronic “It takes longer to get be straightforward. The iour in different weather control panel change. The people on and off the train first metro ATO systems, conditions that computer panel will first start telling and it takes longer to clear including the original one, systems might find hard to them precisely how fast to the platform because the London Underground’s Vic- understand. drive. Then the computers train is twice the length.” toria Line, were designed “The slipperiness of the will take over the driving The technology is indis- for railways operating in rails will vary,” Mr Love until the train leaves the pensable, according to Mr tunnels on new track. says. “That’s the sort of Thameslink route’s busy Binns, if the Thameslink The layout of the lines thing that a human driver core section, north of King’s route is to limit station was designed around the can judge and, without Cross. stops to 45 seconds, the limited capacity of the sig- even thinking about it, will The route is among a maximum stay that will nalling system to handle adjust to. ATO systems handful of places worldwide allow trains to run at two- unusual patterns of braking need to have that level of seeking to introduce auto- and-a-half minute intervals. and acceleration, according complexity built into matic train operation (ATO) them.” – the system of computer- Mr Binns accepts that controlled driving increas- there are risks attached to ingly used in metros world- being one of a pioneering wide – on heavy-rail, main- group of cities working on line suburban rail services. similar projects. The technology should Others currently working allow much-improved use of on similar plans include scarce track capacity in Copenhagen, which wants such heavily used areas. to turn over two busy sub- Without ATO, even on urban rail lines through the railways equipped with the city to ATO. “Whoever is best mainline signalling, first will have lessons to the differences between learn,” Mr Binns says. individual drivers’ driving The ATO system will, styles mean that trains however, be based on two make less-than-optimum well-understood technolo- use of the route’s capacity. gies: the European Train While computers will do Control System, now stand- most of the driving under ard for new mainline rail- the new system, drivers will ways, and the widely used be retained to supervise the Communications-based computer and control the Train Control system for doors. metros. Michael Clausecker, the That should ensure the director-general of Unife, risks are kept under con- the European rail industry Trip computer: inside the cab of a suburban ATO train trol, Mr Binns insists. 4 ★ FINANCIAL TIMES MONDAY APRIL 11 2011 Rail & Transport Tram makers hit curve as markets adjust

tailored to meet the eccentrici- Manufacturers ties of systems that have grown up over 130 years. Because most Industry faces test as systems were built in isolation, clients move away nearly every parameter – from the tightness of curves and the from standardisation placing of the pantograph to the track gauge and maximum vehi- cle weight – may vary from The segregated track that car- order to order. ries smart Citadis trams along- Yet the change in emphasis is side the Aegean in Voula on the forcing tram operators to outskirts of Athens could change – and their suppliers too. scarcely form a more marked Bernard von Wullerstorff, contrast with the tram line that head of railway systems for snakes down the narrow, cob- Unife, the European railway bled streets of the St Gilles dis- industry association, says sup- trict in Brussels. pliers recognise it makes no The Athens tram was purpose- sense to try to rebuild a historic built ahead of the 2004 Olympics city such as Zagreb, the according to the needs of the Croatian capital. It uses trams latest tram designs, which have with a non-standard track gauge low floors to make boarding eas- of a metre, so that vehicles can ier but struggle to cope with negotiate the many tight bends sharp bends. and narrow streets. The tracks through St Gilles But there are circumstances are a legacy of the 19th century, where operators, rather than when tram lines were often the manufacturers, recognise built through areas that would the need for adjustments. be regarded as entirely unsuita- “Sometimes, it does make ble for them now. sense to to change the radius of Yet, after years when tram a curve on an existing system, makers’ most lucrative business rather than adapting 50 to 100 was supplying southern Euro- trams,” Mr von Wullerstorff pean cities with versions of says. their standard trams for new, Alain Flausch, chief executive urban light-rail lines, the indus- of STIB, the Brussels public try suddenly faces a far less transport company, who is also appealing prospect. president of UITP, the interna- For the foreseeable future, tional public transport organisa- many of the orders likely to tion, illustrates how operator come in will be for the types of attitudes are changing. rugged, idiosyncratic vehicles “We told them we wanted needed in places such as St something that would meet our Gilles, rather than the standard needs,” Mr Flausch says of his designs suitable for Athens. The question is whether the tram industry, which has spent ‘We have to cope Taking stock: the new trains are capable of driving themselves nearly independently and have air conditioning as well as computers that tell depots when parts need replacing years developing standard plat- with a global market forms for vehicles to cut costs and complexity, can fit the new, that has very more awkward orders into its diverse requirements’ strict templates while maintain- ing profitability. Departing A Stock gives way “We have to cope with a glo- initial conversation with suppli- bal market that has very diverse ers over the replacement of requirements,” says Pierre much of his company’s tram Gosset, platform director for the fleet. “They said, ‘If you want it Citadis, Alstom Transport’s that way, it will cost more’.” standard light rail vehicle. The chief engineer insisted to higher­performing arrival “That requires the industry to the specification must not have some very reliable prod- change. But he left and was ucts and some agility to deal replaced by others who realised ously eating away at the Significant efforts have also consumes more energy, because “They might ask for the same with those different perform- the nature of the trade-offs Modernisation efficiency gains made. gone into reducing the train’s its power draw is greater,” Mr energy efficiency, but they ance and technical require- involved. “You have an energy budget weight – and hence the energy Waboso says. “The way you might not ask for the same pas- ments.” “The new ones say: ‘If we More energy­efficient you cannot exceed,” says needed to move it – says Paul compensate for that is regenera- senger information systems or The reason for the shift lies in want to pay only €2.5m [$3.5m] metro cars will soon David Waboso, London Under- Brown, project manager for the tive braking.” the latest doors,” he says. the drying up of the stream of for a big tram, we’re willing to ground’s director for upgrades, upgrade of the subsurface lines A further improvement of the Meanwhile, even for metros public funding that enabled standardise’,” Mr Flausch says. grace London’s explaining how the trackside for Bombardier Transportation, S Stock – its ability to accelerate that choose to give passengers many municipalities in Europe STIB is now the largest single Metropolitan Line power supply imposes the the train’s builder. and brake faster than existing the latest in comfort, there to invest in light-rail systems in operator of Bombardier’s Flexity ultimate limit on consumption. The body shell was built from trains, cutting journey times – remains further scope for the past decade. family of trams, with 250 vehi- “Ideally, you want to bring it aluminium extrusions – light will come into its own only later improvement, Mr von Wullers- The large tram makers were cles. he new train standing down.” material but still strong enough this decade, when LU installs torff says. able to supply cities such as “I don’t hear a lot of com- by a dingy platform at Power constraints are part of to meet the strict rules on more sophisticated signalling Mr Waboso predicts the next Valenciennes and Nimes in plaints about it from the operat- London Underground’s the reason London Underground trains’ ability to withstand systems that will run the trains big step will be the elimination France, Barcelona and Malaga ing side,” Mr Flausch says. Baker Street station has still not found a way of crashes that add further to the with minimal driver interven- of some bogies – the frames that in Spain, Dublin in Ireland and The process under way is far Tlooks as if it is a visitor from the putting air-conditioning on complications of producing a tion. hold trains’ wheels. Porto in Portugal with trams more complicated than a move future when compared with the trains in its constrained, deep- lightweight modern train. Bernard von Wullerstorff, Each carriage might rest on designed to the latest technical away from the standardisation Metropolitan Line’s battered 50- level tube tunnels. head of railway systems for only one set of wheels, as hap- standards and based around of one-size-fits-all new tram sys- year-old carriages. Air-conditioning is possible on Unife, the European railway pens with some suburban train standard designs – or platforms tems back to the near-chaos of Brightly lit, air-conditioned the S Stock trains because they ‘“What can I do to industry association, expects designs. Bogies are a big con- – that barely needed to be technical non-standardisation, and boasting sophisticated pas- run on the shallower, subsur- bring myself more metros to adopt such tributor to a train’s overall changed from system to system. according to Mr von Wuller- senger information systems, the face lines. technology over the next 15 weight and, hence, its energy According to Germar Wacker, storff. S Stock offers a level of comfort “What can I do to bring within that energy years, with an increasing consumption. president for light rail at Can- Different systems will con- and performance that would myself within that energy budget?” You need number moving to entirely LU has said it is considering ada’s Bombardier Transporta- tinue to have unique require- have been beyond passengers’ budget?” Mr Waboso says. “You driverless operation. such a design for replacement tion, the budget crisis in many ments. Many of the new tram most lurid imaginings in 1960, need to attack it like that.” to attack it like that’ “It started 25 years ago with trains on its Bakerloo Line, eurozone countries – allied with systems likely to be ordered when the outgoing A Stock Yet, whatever the challenges, the odd system or branch,” Mr which will have the network’s the most financially troubled may be in regions such as the trains first came into service. there is no doubting recent von Wullerstorff says. “Now, it’s oldest fleet once the S Stock countries’ disproportionate Gulf, where vehicles will have But the S Stock trains, and years’ improvements in metro “Weight saving and weight something that I think will trains are fully introduced. enthusiasm for ordering light- to cope with temperatures of other similar new metro cars trains’ capabilities. targets were a key design char- happen everywhere. Driverless Passengers on the Metropoli- rail systems – means that con- more than 400C. worldwide, represent a chal- The S Stock, like many other acteristic,” Mr Brown says. systems on metros can be much tan Line, however, are unlikely tracts for new systems will be in Some of the replacement lenge for transport operators modern metro trains, is a single, However, Mr Waboso says, it better performing than a human to complain about the S Stock. short supply in the immediate orders are likely to come from and their suppliers alike. continuous tube, with flexible is only because of a sophisti- being.” The outgoing A Stock took future. parts of the former Soviet Union The latest traction technology gangways at the joints between cated power-management com- However, Mr von Wullerstorff over on the outer parts of the “There’s a higher proportion where tracks are in poor condi- and lightweight materials offer carriages. Because passengers puter system and brakes that adds, not every metro world- line from steam haulage. of the market volume in Europe tion and temperatures can fall the potential for vehicles to are more visible to each other, feed energy back into the power wide may make the same calcu- That its successor should be a coming from the more old- as low as minus 400C. become significantly lighter and there is less risk of crime. rail that the train is not more lations as London about the train capable of driving itself established systems, for exam- However, there remains for energy consumption to fall The train’s computers track power-hungry than its predeces- balance of weight and energy nearly independently of a ple the German-speaking mar- considerable scope to standard- substantially. components for signs of prob- sor. consumption. driver, with air conditioning kets,” he says. ise at lease some parts of light However, passengers’ growing lems and can alert maintenance He estimates that the braking Some metros in South Amer- and computers that tell depots The shift means that tram rail systems. expectation of levels of staff about which are likely to system – known as regenerative ica, or other less wealthy when components need makers that want to win the “There are some opportunities comfort and information, on a break down, allowing them to braking – reduces the S Stock’s parts of the world, may choose replaced, may seem like remark- new orders on offer will have to for further standardisation,” Mr par with air-conditioned, GPS- ensure the relevant part is avail- energy use by 20 per cent. to use the energy savings to able enough progress to passen- be prepared to supply relatively von Wullerstorff says. “But it equipped cars, are simultane- able and ready to be fitted. “In broad numbers, this train cut energy bills. gers for the time being. small numbers of vehicles cannot be forced.” London and UK establish a lead in technology

which London is a leader in of total domestic emissions, bought from now on will be but water vapour. are looking at other means tion worth £4m to £5m a Buses bus technology worldwide. public-transport operators hybrid. This includes the There are five already of keeping the price of fuel year, there are hard cost “We lead the manufactur- are a focus of attention. new Routemaster, which travelling a route between down. savings to be made and, Green hybrid and ers by trialling the new The government has will have an open platform Covent Garden and Tower Stagecoach and First- with oil prices soaring, it’s hydrogen vehicles technology,” says Mike established a Green Bus for hopping on and off, Bridge in the capital – the Group, two of the big Brit- important to minimise fuel Weston, operations director fund, which will pay the three doors and two stair- only hydrogen bus fleet in ish bus operators, have use. But it’s also a great show the way, for buses at Transport for difference between a tradi- cases, while the platform the UK and the largest in introduced a high-tech eco- marketing boost for the says Gill Plimmer London, the capital’s trans- tional diesel bus and a can be closed at quieter Europe. But they could be nomic driving system that companies.” port authority. “If we can’t new more environmentally times. They will be much rolled out further should uses a traffic lights-style As with the spike in oil lead by example, who can?” friendly one. quieter than the old Route- the technology prove suc- dashboard to provide driv- costs in 2008, bus operators They look old but include Bus travel has taken off As a result, nearly all the master buses. cessful and the price of the ers with real-time feedback are hoping the current the latest technology – they in the past decade, with the big British bus operators But although the Route- buses begins to fall. on their driving style, petrol-price surge will drive are the shiny red Routemas- number of passengers in have been buying hybrid master will catch tourists’ They are currently signifi- including speed, braking, people to public transport. ter buses that will return to London, for example, vehicles – powered using a eyes, it is the new zero- cantly more expensive than acceleration, lane-handling With this in mind, Stage- London’s streets in time for increasing by 57 per cent combination of an ordinary polluting hydrogen hybrid vehicles, although and turning. coach has rolled out its lux- the Olympic Games next since 1999-2000. diesel engine and an elec- buses that will be the gap could The so-called GreenRoad ury Goldline coach, which year. But along with the surge tric motor. watched by manu- narrow should system helps to reduce fuel includes BMW-style interi- The buses – open backed, in passenger numbers has Hybrid buses emit less facturers and the price of consumption by about 4 per ors (hand-stitched leather double-decker and with new come a competitive race to carbon dioxide, nitrogen transport authori- fuel continue cent, cuts carbon emissions, seats and more leg room, fuel-efficient technology – introduce more environ- oxide and carbon monoxide ties throughout to rise. and improves passenger for example) designed to are a sign of just how mentally friendly, fuel- than diesel vehicles. They the world. With oil comfort, as well as cutting attract car users, after strongly people can feel efficient vehicles. are already running on the Powered by the b r e a c h i n g the risk of accidents. research showed that peo- about public transport. Much of this has been streets of London, Sheffield, latest hydrogen $120 a barrel, Giles Fearnley, managing ple often take their own car Abolished in 2005, their driven by government. The Manchester and Reading fuel cell technol- bus operators director of UK bus at First- because they believe it is return – by popular demand UK Climate Change Act has and are expected to domi- ogy, there will be Group, which announced more comfortable. – was a pre-election pledge set a target of an 80 per nate public transport eight of these Hybrids have the installation of the sys- Brian Souter, Stagecoach of Boris Johnson, London’s cent reduction in green- within years. buses on the much lower tem along with the £160m group chief executive, says: mayor. house gas emissions by Although most buses on streets by the emissions purchase of 955 hybrid “We are challenging people More than that, however, 2050, and with transport London streets are cur- end of this year, than diesel buses earlier this month, to rethink their expectation they show the extent to accounting for 21 per cent rently diesel, any vehicle emitting nothing buses says: “With fuel consump- of bus travel.”