January Cover_Layout 1 23/12/2020 19:37 Page 1

Featuring: Katie Farmer BNSF Josef Doppelbauer ERA Mohamed Mezghani UITP Dyan Crowther HS1 Monica Lingegård SJ Tony Coscia Amtrak François Davenne UIC Kumar Keshav Uttar Pradesh Metro Caroline Wilkie ARA Jürgen Wilder Knorr Bremse Enoch Kavindele North West Rail Sigrid Nikutta DB

January 2021 | Volume 61 Issue 1 www.railjournal.com | @railjournal

IRJInternational Railway Journal The Railway in 2021

Rail leaders plot the industry’s Covid-19 recovery IRJJANXX (Siemens)_Layout 1 14/12/2020 11:17 Page 1

Moving beyond Transport solutions driven by a passion for mobility

The future of mobility in our globally networked world calls for seamless, sustainable, reliable, and secure mobility solutions. We’re leveraging the benefits of digitalization, engineering excellence, and our entrepreneurial spirit to master this challenge. Trusted by our partners, we’re pioneering transportation, moving people sustainably and seamlessly from the first mile to the last. And we always go the extra mile to help transport services all over the globe move beyond the expected.

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Jan Contents_Layout 1 23/12/2020 19:21 Page 3

Contents

International Railway Journal The Railway in January 2021 Volume 61 issue 1 2021 The Railway in 2021 Asia 4 Rail must prioritise bringing passengers back 32 Restructuring brings difficulties for Indian Railways Global trends Covid-19 is adding another layer of complexity to the railway’s plans 33 Lucknow lessons feed into Uttar Pradesh MRT strategy 6 21 rail projects for 2021 Kumar Keshav, managing director, Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation The big projects expected to make the headlines 35 China focuses on connecting city clusters 10 Public transport gears up for recovery The country is planning 10,000km of new lines over the next five years Mohamed Mezghani, secretary general, UITP 13 Breaking down barriers to Mobility as a Service France looks to use regional transport authorities to offer MaaS South America 14 Preparing rail’s vision for the ‘New Normal’ 36 Mixed bag for freight and passenger operators François Davenne, director general, International Union of Railways (UIC) Freight gears up for investment as passenger numbers drop

Europe Australia 16 2021: Europe’s Year of Rail 38 Pandemic highlights the importance of railways EU event to put spotlight on rail’s biggest challenges Caroline Wilkie, CEO of the Australasian Railway Association 18 Connected and efficient rail system within reach Josef Doppelbauer, executive director, EU Agency for Railways Africa 19 New fleets and funding aids German Covid-19 recovery 40 Northwest Rail due to begin construction What is in store for Germany post-Covid Enoch Kavindele, founder, North West Rail 20 Eurostar’s troubles leave HS1 in uncertain position 41 Standard gauge development stalls in East Africa Dyan Crowther, CEO, HS1 Focus moves to metre-gauge railways as funding dries up 22 SJ bullish on riding out Covid storm Monica Lingegård, CEO, SJ News 24 No silver bullet to increase rail’s freight market share to 30% Technology to play an important role, but who pays to install it? 42 News headlines

North America Also in this issue 26 New CEO looks to create lasting legacy at BNSF Katie Farmer, president and CEO, BNSF 45 Full contact list 28 Developing a scalable, digital PSR 45 Advertisers index Making the case for the next generation of Precision Scheduled Railroading 45 Fresh faces 30 Rethinking infrastructure investment 46 The last word Norman Anderson, CEO, CG/LA Infrastructure 31 Defining Amtrak’s true mission: connecting America Tony Coscia, chairman, Amtrak board of directors

Contact us Editorial Offices Advertising Sales Offices Post 46 Killigrew Street, Falmouth Post 88 Pine Street, 23rd Floor Cornwall TR11 3PP, UK New York, NY 10005 Tel +44 1326 313945 United States Web www.railjournal.com Tel +1 212 620 7200 Business development manager: Editor-in-Chief Kevin Smith [email protected] Jerome Marullo Consulting Editor/Associate Publisher Tel: +1 732 8875562 = [email protected] David Briginshaw [email protected] News and Features Writer David Burroughs [email protected] Subcriptions hotline News and Features Writer Oliver Cuenca [email protected] Tel: +1 800 553 8878 (US only) Production Manager Sue Morant [email protected] + 1 319 364 6167 (Canada and International)

International Railway Journal (Print ISSN 2161-7376, Digital ISSN 2161-7368), is published monthly by Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corp, 88 Pine Street, 23rd floor, New York, NY 10005, USA. Printed in Great Britain by Buxton Press and distributed in the USA by Mail Right International, 1637 Stelton Road B4, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA. Periodicals postage paid at Piscataway, NJ and additional mailing offices. COPYRIGHT © Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation 2021. All rights reserved. Contents may not be reproduced without permission. For reprint information please contact Editor-in-Chief. For subscriptions & address changes, please call +1 319 364 6167, Fax +1 319 364 4278, Email: [email protected] or write to: International Railway Journal, Simmons- Boardman Publishing Corp, PO Box 1407, Cedar Rapids, IA, 52406-1407. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to International Railway Journal, PO Box 1407, Cedar Rapids, IA, 52406-1407.

IRJ The Railway in 2021 3 Jan TM_Layout 1 05/01/2021 14:24 Page 4

The Railway in 2021 | Kevin Smith

Safety and Standards Board customer-friendly strategy. The (RSSB) study reported in British government’s policy to Rail must prioritise August that the risk of increase rail fares by 2.6% contracting Covid-19 onboard from March is the wrong a train was 1 in 11,000 journeys. approach. bringing passengers back This was based on an hour- Any PR strategy encouraging long journey with no social passengers to return should T’s the million-dollar prospects look difficult, many distancing and where masks also emphasise rail’s green question,” was the operators retain ambitious were not worn. Wearing masks credentials. Lingegård says a “Iresponse of SJ CEO, Ms plans to relaunch or provide is similarly proven to reduce growing desire to use the train Monica Lingegård, when I new services in 2021; Sweden’s the risk of infection. Operators due to environmental concerns asked whether she believes Snälltåget has begun selling should be shouting such is encouraging for SJ and it is passengers will return to trains tickets for Stockholm - Malmö messages from the rooftops as this trend that the European in the same numbers as before - Copenhagen - Hamburg - they urge their passengers to Union is banking on to deliver the Covid-19 pandemic once Berlin cross-border overnight come back. modal shift to rail, a key the vaccine is widely deployed. trains, which it will launch in New ticketing platforms could component of its Green Deal The pandemic situation took March. RegioJet, another open- also help to reinforce this programme. another downward turn at the access operator, is also planning message. For example, Mr The EU’s Year of Rail end of 2020 as restrictions an expansion of its overnight Laurent Mezzini of Systra says initiative (p16) is an exciting tightened following a surge in services while Leo Express is Mobility as a Service (MaaS) prospect for the sector. It has cases. A new strain of the virus eyeing entry into the German could inform prospective the potential to offer a roadmap added to the sense of alarm. market. passengers of how busy a for the future development of However, the start of vaccine However, the future prospect specific service is, which could rail, which combined with the rollout programmes in the objectives of the European final weeks of December hints Commission’s Sustainable and at the beginning of the end of Smart Mobility Strategy (p42), the pandemic and brighter Operators must be prepared to be could help the sector finally days ahead. overcome the issues of poor For rail operators this cannot flexible. They must also embrace a connectivity that have held it come soon enough. Scenes of customer-friendly strategy. back for decades. empty stations and sparsely “ However, such unprecedented loaded trains became all too goodwill will only remain if common in 2020 as people rail is still relevant and worthy were encouraged to stay at of investment. The declines of home. While Lingegård says SJ of these operators and those encourage them to use it 2020 must only be a blip, not is riding out the storm due to which have benefitted from instead of taking the car (p12). the start of new trends. For the operator’s strong financial government support depend The relative success of this to happen, passengers position (p22), the situation for on the return of passengers. working from home is likely to must return. other operators is not so good. This should be priority number prove one of the legacies of the As Ms Dyan Crowther, CEO one for the railway in 2021. pandemic. As Crowther notes, of HS1 reveals (p20), Eurostar, The first step must be to studies she has seen indicate the international high-speed convince the public that using that the need to travel to the operator, has fallen between public transport is safe. Despite office every day is unlikely to the cracks. The operator is great efforts to improve cleaning return. Other studies project a [email protected] exempt from the Emergency and to introduce social return to previous passenger Recovery Measures distancing, misconceptions numbers by 2025. Agreements (ERMAs) which persist. However, as those of us who are propping up Britain’s Ms Katy Taylor, chief have worked or attended a franchise operators. Eurostar strategy and customer officer conference remotely in the was reporting loadings of 5% at GoAhead, told the IT Trans past nine months can attest, and only operating four services conference on December 3, there is no substitute for face- per day as IRJ went to press. that a survey conducted by the to-face contact. People are This is simply not sustainable. company revealed that 84% of likely to still use trains to Mr Mohamed Mezghani, respondents who have used a travel to the office after the secretary general of the public transport service said pandemic but only on two or International Association of they felt safe while travelling. three days a week. As a result, Public Transport (UITP), says However, just 34% of those rail company business models (p10) the association’s who have not used a train or need to adjust to reflect this projection of a É40bn hit for bus since the start of the change. Crowther says the European public transport pandemic said they were current season ticket model operators in 2020 made in June happy to do so. is “dead” and asked looks a conservative estimate Clearly, getting people to whether it could be at the end of the year. The take that first journey is crucial adjusted to encourage final figure is likely to be to getting them to return again travel at weekends. much higher and Mezghani and again. Whatever the says the financial implications Several studies also provide approach, operators means some operators may evidence that trains are no more must be prepared to not survive. dangerous an environment be flexible. They While the short-term than anywhere else. A Railway must also embrace a 4 IRJJANXX (ADB)_Layout 1 07/12/2020 16:31 Page 1

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Global trends | projects 21 rail projects Photo: Photo: Shutterstock/olrat to watch in

Oliver Cuenca profiles 21 rail projects to watch out for in the next 12 months. The first section of Milan’s 15km20 Line government21 and Auckland Council, will Ho Chi Minh Line 1 M4 ‘Blue Line’, between Forlanini and run from Britomart station, via the Central Country: Vietnam Linate Airport, is due to open in 2021. Business District, to the existing western Type: Metro The full line will run west-east along line at Mount Eden station. The CRL will Construction Start: 2012 Lorenteggio Avenue, passing south of extend the existing commuter rail line Completion: 2021 the city centre connecting San Cristoforo, underground to interchange with the Length: 19.7km Sant’Ambrogio (Line M2), Sforza/ western line at Mount Eden Station. The Cost: $US 2.5bn Policlinico, San Baila (Line M1), Dateo, project is due for completion in early 2024. Forlanini and Linate Airport. Ho Chi Minh Line 1 will be the first The line will be completely metro line in the Vietnamese capital automated, with no drivers on the 50m- Zhengzhou - Xiangyang - when it opens in 2021. The 14-station long trains. The stations, which will Wanzhou High-Speed Line China line will run southwest from Suoi Tien have platform screen doors, will also be Country: High-Speed Park to Ben Thanh in the city centre, 50m long, compared with 110m on lines Type: : 2016 where it will interchange with Line 2, M1, M2 and M3. Full automation will Construction Start 2021 which is currently scheduled to open in permit a train frequency of up to 90 Completion: 818km 2026. The line will offer maximum seconds, which would enable the line to Length: $US 13.5bn speeds of 80km/h, with a minimum transport 24,000 to 28,000 passengers Cost: headway of two minutes. per hour per direction. The project was originally slated to The 818km line will have a design open in 2018 but has been delayed by speed of 350km/h and will connect three years. Costs have also nearly Auckland City Rail Link Zhengzhou East station to Wanzhou doubled from an initial estimate of $US Country: New Zealand North, with 18 stations. The 350.8km- 1.4bn to $US 2.5bn. Type: Commuter Rail long Henan section between Construction Start: 2018 Zhengzhou and Dengzhou was Completion: 2024 commissioned on August 5 2019, with Milan Blue Line Length: 3.4km the full line scheduled to open in 2021. Country: Italy Cost: $US 3.1bn China announced plans in August to Type: Metro almost double the size of its high-speed Construction Start: 2012 Tunnel boring for Auckland’s $NZ network to 70,000km by 2035. The Completion: 2023 4.42bn 3.4km City Rail Link (CRL) network, already the world’s biggest, Length: 15km underground line begins in 2021. The currently has a total length of around Cost: $US 2.2bn line, jointly funded by the New Zealand 36,000km. 6 IRJ The Railway in 2021 Jan projects_Layout 1 23/12/2020 18:22 Page 7

underground. The line will become the (FRA) in September 2020. The two Montpellier - Perpignan backbone of the Tel Aviv’s transport federal decisions established federal TGV network and is intended to alleviate the safety standards for operation and give Country: France city’s most congested areas. environmental clearance for the selected Type: High-Speed alignment. Construction Start: N/A Rennes Metro Line B Work will be carried out by WeBuild, Completion: N/A Country: France Italy, and its US subsidiary, Lane Length: 150km Type: Metro Construction, under a design-build Cost: $US 6.7bn Construction Start: 2014 contract awarded in September 2019. Completion: 2021 The line will have an operational speed France is set to launch a public inquiry Length: 14km of 320km/h, 25kV ac electrification, and in autumn 2021 into the construction of Cost: $US 1.3bn an elevated alignment on around 60% the 150km high-speed line between of its total length. Montpellier and Perpignan, after Rennes’ northeast-southwest Line B is construction of the line was confirmed scheduled to open to passengers in Salvador Orange Line as a priority. The missing link in the 2021. The line will run from Cesson- Country: Brazil Paris-Spain high-speed corridor was Viasilva to Saint-Jaques-Gaîte, serving Type: Monorail shelved after president, Mr Emmanuel 15 stations, including two interchanges Construction Start: 2020 Macron, came to power. France opened with Line A at Sainte-Anne and Gares, Completion: 2022 the LGV Méditerranée line from as well as with the city’s main line Length: 19.2km Manduel, east of Nîmes, to Lattes, west station. Cost: $US 429.4m of Montpellier, in 2017. The project includes the construction The line will be mixed use and will of 8.6km of bored tunnel, 2.4km of cut- Salvador’s 19.2km Orange Line remove around 50 freight trains a day and-cover tunnel, and 2.4km of viaduct. monorail is scheduled to open its first from the conventional route, allowing The line will be operated using a fleet of section in 2021. The line, which will increases in local passenger services. 19 Cityval trains supplied by Siemens eventually connect the Commerce under a contract awarded in 2013 and is District with São João island, is expected to serve around 113,000 expected to carry 172,000 passengers Tel Aviv Red Line passengers per day. Country: Israel per day. Work on the line began in Type: Light Rail March 2020 and is being carried out by Construction Start: 2011 Texas Central High-Speed the BYD-led Skyrail Bahia consortium. Completion: 2021 The line is one of two monorails Line planned for the city, alongside the Length: 24km Country: United States 4.1km São Joaquim - Acesso Norte Cost: $US 3.1bn Type: High-Speed Green Line. Both lines are currently Construction Start: 2021 scheduled to open in 2022. Tel Aviv’s 24km light rail Red Line is Completion: 2026 scheduled to begin commissioning in Length: 390km 2021. The line will link Petah Tikva Cost: $US 20bn Mayan Train mainline station with Bnei Brak, Jaffa, Country: Mexico and Bat Yam. A further extension to Construction of the $US 20bn Dallas - Type: Main Line Moshe Dayan interchange in Rishon Brazos Valley - Houston Texas Central Construction Start: 2020 Lezion is also being considered. high-speed railway will go ahead in the Completion: 2023 onwards The line includes an 11km underground half of 2021, following the release of the Length: 1452km section between Manshiyya/Neve final Rule of Particular Applicability Cost: $US 1.6bn Tzedek and Geha Interchange and (RPA) and Record of Decision (ROD) by serves 34 stations - 24 at grade and 10 the Federal Railroad Administration The Mayan Train project was launched

The 176km six-line Riyadh Metro project Riyadh Metro is scheduled to open its first lines in 2021, Saudi Arabia Country: with timetable testing now underway on Metro Type: lines 4 and 6. Line 5 is currently 2014 Construction Start: undergoing carousel trials but has not 2021 Completion: yet reached the stage of replicating the 176km Length: full service. Work on the $US 24.4bn $US 24.4bn Cost: metro project began in April 2014. The network is intended to address extreme congestion in the city, in which around 10 million motorised journeys are undertaken every day. 80% of all journeys are taken by car, and only 2% use public transport. The metro is being developed alongside an integrated city-wide 1900km bus network, as part of an intermodal transport system.

IRJ The Railway in 2021 7 Jan projects_Layout 1 23/12/2020 18:22 Page 8

Global trends | projects

in June 2020, with contracts awarded for four of the projects seven sections comprising rehabilitation of existing infrastructure and new construction. The first trains are expected to run on the line from 2023. A $US 1.97bn contract for the supply of rolling stock, ETCS, automatic train control equipment, and depots for the first five sections will be awarded on May 26. A BlackRock-led consortium emerged as the sole bidder for section 5, but the bid was voided due to concerns about its São Paulo Line 17-Gold Brazil financial solvency. Progress on this Country: Monorail section is expected in 2021. Type: 2012 The 17-station line will run from Construction Start: 2021 Izamal via Chichén Itza and Valladolid, Completion: 7.7km Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Bacalar, Length: $US 1.3bn to Escárcega. The project was originally Cost: slated to cost $US 3.4bn, but this has The long-awaited Line 17-Gold is finally slated to open this year. The 7.7km-long, now risen to $US 6-8bn. eight station monorail project will connect Congonhas airport, via an interchange with Line 5-Lilac at Campo Belo, to Morumbi on Line 9-Emerald. Cairo - 10th of Ramadan The original contract for the project was awarded to Monorail Railroad City Interurban LRT Consortium (CMI), but this agreement was unilaterally terminated by São Paulo Country: Egypt Metro following continuous delays. São Paulo Metro signed a Reais 494.8m ($US Type: Interurban Light Rail 96.4m) contract with Constran on January 13 2020 for the resumption of civil Construction Start: 2017 works. BYD, China, was awarded a contract worth around Reais 1bn to supply Completion: 2021 the systems and 14 trains. Length: 66km Cost: $1.2bn The line is being constructed by local firm Arab Constructors and is expected Laos-China Railway Country: Laos The 11-station El Salam - 10th of to carry around 340,000 passengers per Type: Main Line Ramadan City light rail line will open day, reducing traffic on the Cairo – Construction Start: 2016 to the public in October, following trial Ismailia highway by around 30%. Completion: 2021 operation on the line starting from CRRC Sifang will supply a fleet of 22 Length: 414.3km August. The line will run via El Obour six-car EMUs with a design speed of Cost: $US 5.28bn City, El Shorouk City, Badr City, and 120km/h for the line and will provide maintenance of the fleet for 12 years. 10th of Ramadan City. The 414km standard-gauge single-track electrified line runs south from the China-Laos border at Boten to Luang Johor Bahru - Singapore Mass Rapid Transit System Prabang, Vang Vieng and Vientiane. The line will connect China’s Yuxi - Mohan line with the metre-gauge line from Tha Na Laeng near Vientiane to Nong Khai in Thailand. Civil works were completed at the end of 2019, with civil engineering works including bridges and tunnels now in their final stages. China Railway says it will begin operating international Singapore/Malaysia Country: services by the end of 2021. Type: Light Metro Construction Start: 2021 Completion: 2026 San Francisco Central Length: 4km Subway Cost: $US 875.7m Country: United States Type: Light Rail Construction of the 4km Johor Bahru - Singapore cross-border light metro will Construction Start: 2012 begin in earnest this month, following a groundbreaking ceremony on November Completion: 2022 27. First announced in 2010, the line will cross the Straits of Johor, connecting Length: 2.7km Bukit Chagar in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, with Woodlands North Station on Cost: $US 1.6bn Singapore’s Thomson East Coast Line. The work will be overseen by RTS Operations, a joint venture of Singapore The 2.7km Central Subway project is an public transport operator SMRT and Kuala Lumpur operator Prasarana, which underground extension of San Francisco’s will operate the line. When it opens in late 2026, it is expected to serve around Municipal Railway (Muni) T Third light 10,000 passengers per direction per hour. rail line. The project broke ground in 8 IRJ The Railway in 2021 Jan projects_Layout 1 23/12/2020 18:22 Page 9

February 2010, with construction now scheduled to be completed in March Melbourne Airport Rail Link 2021, when testing is due to commence. The line was originally set to open in late 2018, but has been delayed to spring 2022. The Central Subway will run from downtown San Francisco to Chinatown and includes both at grade and underground sections. Lagos - Ibadan Railway Country: Nigeria Type: Main Line Construction Start: 2017 Completion: 2021 Length: 156km Country: Australia Cost: $US 1.6bn Type: Commuter Rail Construction start: 2022 The 156km Lagos - Ibadan railway is Completion: 2029 scheduled to open for full passenger Length: 27km services this month, following trial Cost: $US 5.4bn operation which began on December 7. The Melbourne Airport Rail Link (Marl) become a major interchange, with a The double-track 1435mm-gauge line will connect the city centre with dedicated track running from Sunshine connects Lagos, Nigeria’s economic hub Melbourne Airport, which is expected to the airport. When completed, trains and most populous city, to Ibadan, to serve 67 million per year by 2038. will run every 10 minutes with an end- regional capital of Oyo state. The $US The Australian federal government to-end journey time of less than 30 1.6bn project was constructed by China and state government of Victoria minutes. The federal and state Civil Engineering Construction finalised the route for the line in governments have agreed to provide Corporation (CCEC) and will offer an November, using the existing suburban $5bn each for the project, which is end-to-end journey time of two hours. tracks to Sunshine station, which will expected to cost $A 8-10bn. The Lagos - Ibadan line is the first part of a planned 2733km Lagos - Kano end-to-end journey time of 35 minutes. Work on the $C 5.5bn 20km Phase 1 of standard-gauge route, with an Trains will operate automatically Calgary’s Green Line project is scheduled estimated total cost of $US 11.12bn. (GoA4) at five-minute headways at a to begin in 2021, following the city maximum speed of 120km/h. administration’s approval of the Istanbul Metro M11 The line, which is being built by the project’s alignment and construction Airport Line Kolin-Senbay joint venture, is envisaged strategy in June 2020. Construction was Country: Turkey as Phase 1 of a Gayrettepe - Halkali originally scheduled to begin in spring Type: Metro metro line, which will offer main line 2020, with a completion date for Phase 1 Construction Start: 2016 connections with the Marmaray line. of 2026. Completion: 2021 However, the project was delayed, in Length: 37.5km Calgary Green Line (Phase 1) part due to the outbreak of the Cost: $US 1.1bn Country: Canada coronavirus pandemic. The line, which Type: Light Rail will be 46km-long when complete, will The M11 Airport Line will connect Construction Start: 2021 link Inglewood/Ramsay in the southeast Gayrettepe on the existing Line 2, with Completion: 2026 with Crescent Heights/Mount Pleasant Istanbul’s new main airport, which Length: 20km in the north, via the city centre. Phase 1 opened in 2019. The line will offer an Cost: $US 4bn will be constructed in three segments. IRJ Edmonton Valley Line West Country: Canada Type: Light Rail Construction Start: 2021 Completion: 2027 Length: 14km Cost: $US 1.98bn

Valley Line West is the 14km second phase of the 27km Marigold Infrastructure Partners (MIP), a consortium of Valley Line light rail line. It runs from Mill Woods, via the Colas Infrastructure Canada, Parsons, Standard General, city centre, to 102 Street, with 14 stations, and construction is Francl Architecture, Fast + EPP, and Stantec, under a public- due to begin in 2021. private partnership (PPP). Construction is expected to be The project will be designed, built, and partially funded by completed in 2027.

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Trends | urban transport Public transport gears up for recovery and authorities were seemingly on the additional support is needed.” brink as IRJ went to press. Many were Thankfully in most cases traffic threatening to withdraw a great during the second wave has not proportion of their services unless they returned to the lows experienced in receive further financial support. March, April and May, staying at Europe falls between the two, according around 50% in most cities. to Mezghani. He says cities such as “That is because people now have the Vienna, Berlin, Oslo and Stockholm evidence that public transport is Covid performed relatively well, recovering to safe with the risk of infection negligible 80% of passengers in the summer despite because trains are disinfected and well limitations on social activities and ventilated, and travellers wear masks people continuing to work from home. and don’t talk to each other much,” London’s peak time ridership returned Mezghani says. “This is restoring trust to around 60% of pre-pandemic levels in public transport.” during the summer months. However, While largely prepared for crisis it has since dropped off again and situations caused by terrorist incidents, Mezghani says network performance public transport was not as well reflects the evolution of the pandemic in equipped for a health crisis as it might each country and measures introduced have been. Operators and authorities Mohamed Mezghani, secretary to curb the spread of the virus: capacity had to adapt quickly to new cleaning general, International Association on Italy’s metros is restricted to 50% of regimes and social distancing of normal whereas such limitations do not passengers and staff. UITP has helped of Public Transport (UITP), talks to exist in France, while in Spain, social to coordinate an industry-wide response Kevin Smith. distancing applies to standing but not to the crisis throughout the last nine seated passengers. In Belgium, people months. The association set up various are legally mandated to work at home, task forces and working groups with 020 was a year unlike any other. impacting ridership, but this is not the members on issues ranging from The onset of the coronavirus case in other countries. flattening the peak, restoring trust among pandemic in March left normally passengers and occupancy monitoring. bustling2 urban rail networks deserted UITP also facilitated the calls by as people heeded government advice to Financial support coalitions of operators for increased avoid all non-essential travel and to stay There are also variations in the level government support in June, and linked at home. of financial support provided by up with the International Union of Ridership plummeted to around 10- government to support public transport Railways (UIC) and European Rail 15% of normal levels on networks across operators suffering from dramatic falls Industry Association (Unife) to urge the world until lockdown measures in revenue and the increased costs of European decision makers to place eased in July and August. But with sanitising trains and stations. public transport at the centre of a post- operators maintaining an almost full The good examples according to Covid-19 world. Similarly, the association service to provide essential transport Mezghani are in the countries where maintained its work to push public for key workers, their losses mounted. governments anticipated the cost of the transport in upcoming research and In June the International Association crisis. In Norway, for example, the development programmes. of Public Transport (UITP) projected a government acted in the first few weeks In addition, UITP launched its É40bn hit for European public to provide appropriate support, which Hvbsejbot!pg!Npcjmjuz campaign to transport operators by the end of 2020. has continued. However, in France, highlight the key role that public transport And as the end of the year approached, Mezghani says operators threatened to workers were playing to keep public Mr Mohamed Mezghani, secretary stop running services before the transport services safe and operational general of UITP, says unfortunately the government stepped in. It was a similar during the first wave of the pandemic. prediction has not changed. Indeed, he situation on London Underground this Among the participants were Taipei says the actual losses are expected to be autumn, while in Spain the support has Metro, New Jersey Transit, Moscow much higher. been woefully short of what is required. Metro and Wiener Linien in Vienna. Inevitably there were variations in the “A few million euros for a country like “Our members know how vital those impact of the crisis around the world. Spain is ridiculous,” Mezghani says. who work in the sector are to facilitating In Asia, ridership has returned to “Generally, the support is not enough our mobility,” Mezghani says. “The something resembling normal, a because we haven’t been prepared for levels of engagement in this campaign symptom of the efficient handling of the the second wave of infection,” Mezghani were brilliant. We had support from crisis by governments. In contrast in the continues. “When the situation was operators, authorities, mayors and United States, where the response has discussed with governments in June, it government ministers in many countries been heavily criticised, public transport was with the plan that we could restart around the world. These workers, our ridership remains extremely low. a normal service in September and guardians of mobility, have worked Despite an initial outlay of $US 25bn October after the summer holidays. But tirelessly to make passengers feel safe through the federal government’s Cares this is not the case and now we have a and have taken risks themselves to keep Act, some US public transport operators situation that is worse and that is why modes of transport clean.” 10 IRJ The Railway in 2021 January UITP_Layout 1 23/12/2020 12:42 Page 11

Looking ahead to 2021, Mezghani says for the operators and the passengers,” difficulties. A study carried out in Victoria, it will be a year of recovery for public Mezghani says. “It’s also about Australia, found that coronavirus will transport, a year to restore confidence communicating scientific evidence and result in public transport use falling by and to welcome back passengers. using this evidence to show that public 20% in the centre of Melbourne and 8% Uif!Gvuvsf!pg!Npcjmjuz!qptu!Dpwje.2: transport is not a risky place and to in the periphery as people continue to study published by UITP and Arthur D reassure passengers that it is safe to use work from home, only travelling to Little in July called on policy makers these services.” work one or two days a week. The study and public transport authorities to seize The emotional response emphasises projects that it will take seven years for upon the opportunities presented by the provoking a positive feeling among ridership to return to previous levels. pandemic (IRJ August 2020 p4). Indeed, users of public transport, such as Mezghani says operators will have to the study says that with the exception Wiener Linien’s decision to renew staff adapt their services to this trend and of passenger growth, 11 other trends in uniforms during the middle of the crisis admits that many may struggle to three areas - global, behavioural, and in order to convey a different image of survive. More people may also use their technology/market - are likely to be public transport. “They also organised a cars adding to congestion and pollution accelerated by the crisis. contest inviting travellers to take selfies and he says governments and decision The study says this will open up when travelling which were then makers need to be ready to respond to opportunities to drive positive change. displayed on screens across the the change in circumstances. “Sustainable However, it says that 50% of operators network,” Mezghani says. transport is the only way to make cities are “stuck in the middle,” recognising “It is also important to show what more liveable in the future and ensure the need to make necessary changes but public transport is doing for healthcare that our economies come out of this struggling to make this happen. personnel and other key workers. In crisis stronger,” Mezghani says. Milan they produced the video clip However, he does not yet see any from the public transport operator, impact on planned public transport First priority which is conveying messages built with infrastructure projects, reflecting a Mezghani says the first priority for testimonies they received from their general awareness among politicians to these operators must be to restore trust travellers during the crisis. This is a offer alternatives to the car. “The cities in public transport, focusing on two very emotional compilation and it and governments that have embarked responses: rational and emotional. conveys a positive message by on new infrastructure projects are “The rational level is about sanitation, highlighting a sense of satisfaction of continuing these projects,” he says. disinfection, ventilation and managing using public transport.” Another encouraging trend that the the crowd, but also about wearing Of course, with passenger ridership crisis also looks likely to accelerate is masks and refraining from talking in remaining low, public transport operators the take up of digitalisation. Mezghani public transport - the core responsibilities are set to face continuing financial says this will help to make operation

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Trends | urban transport

“To realise this ambition, we will mobilise our actors and members during 2021 into the Unesco Race to Zero initiative for COP26 by encouraging them to urgently pledge and pursue these ambitions to curb climate change,” Mezghani says. “UITP is the first global transport organisation to support this race to zero, an initiative which mobilises a coalition of leading net-zero initiatives representing 452 cities, 22 regions, more than 1100 businesses, 45 of the biggest investors and 549 universities. Collectively, all these actors now cover nearly 25% of

global CO2 emissions and over 55% of GDP. It’s huge. And we are really proud to be a part of it and will deploy a number of activities during the year to start implementing this.” 2020 has no doubt been a difficult year. However, for Mezghani, even in the depths of the crisis, public transport showed itself as an essential social service. As the sector emerges from the Photo: Photo: Shutterstock.com crisis in 2021, Mezghani plans to The wearing of masks has proven successful at restoring confidence in public transport. leverage its silver linings to make UITP more efficient by enabling the adoption in importance in the years ahead. more vocal and advocate more for the of predictive maintenance practices and Among the messages UITP is pushing sector. He also plans to oversee a increases in network capacity. It will is its Build Back Better campaign, which diversifying of its offer to adapt to the also improve the relationship between emphasises what a future would look new needs presented by the crisis. operators and their customers. For like with or without public transport. “My priority is to make sure that we example, by enhancing management of The association is also beginning to better serve the people that are crowded spaces and vehicles, and look ahead to the delayed COP26 event, involved in the association, we better facilitating contactless ticketing and which is now scheduled for December serve the people that work in the ultimately Mobility as a Service (MaaS). 2021 in Glasgow. UITP has participated association, and we better serve the Mezghani says UITP will also in each of the recent COPs and people with whom we interact to continue to remind politicians and announced during the recent Road to advocate public transport,” Mezghani decision makers of the value of public COP26 event that if it secures the says. “These ambitions are feasible, transport to curb climate change, a necessary support, the global public because we have very committed socio-economic trend that was transport sector can achieve net zero members, we have very committed increasingly defining the agenda before greenhouse emissions in a cost-efficient stakeholders and very committed staff the pandemic and which will accelerate manner by 2050. working in UITP.” IRJ Breaking down the barriers to Mobility as a Service France has introduced a new mobility law aimed at improving access to climate friendly transport options. Laurent Mezzini, director of the Systems business unit at Systra, explains to David Burroughs how MaaS is facilitating this change. new mobility framework law areas to improve regional connections. organise the mobility providers.” introduced in France on In order to provide a level playing Data generated by operators can December 24 2020 aims to move field for all public transport operators, include everything from timetables and towardsA a more inclusive, sustainable the regional authorities are looking to loadings, to fares and travel habits. and climate friendly transport. develop Mobility as a Service (MaaS) However, one of the biggest debates As a result, the mandate of regional platforms to facilitate this new shift. around MaaS is who gets to store and transport authorities has broadened “To make it happen in the best way, use the data and information generated from overseeing publicly-owned one of the things they need to do is by passengers and operators. operators to providing equal levels of collect transport data from all mobility Operators can be reluctant to freely access for both public and private service providers, both private and share their data out of concern that they operators, says Mr Laurent Mezzini, public,” Mezzini says. “And that’s why will provide access to commercially director of the systems business unit at it’s accelerating MaaS, because we have valuable information. They also worry Systra. Their scope has also widened to to come up with these mobility about losing the relationship with their cover both cities and the surrounding platforms and by law they need to customers if they begin purchasing

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Trends | MaaS

tickets through third-party apps. The “What’s important for (the operator) have been concerned about the safety new law aims to address this. is to make sure they have an open of travelling on public transport. In the model under exploration, the ecosystem where everybody has access “It has been proven that a reasonable public transport authority becomes the to the data,” Mezzini says. “They also density of people using a mask is quite neutral and trusted third party to don’t want to be stuck with a closed IT safe, but there’s still a challenge to gather the required data from all system. It will need to evolve because change people’s mindsets today and operators and make it available to any technology is evolving quite fast so it’s restore confidence in public transport,” developers creating a MaaS application. quite difficult to say what it will look Mezzini says. “Following the lockdown This creates competition within the like five years from now. So we want to in Paris, we have had huge traffic jams MaaS application sector, Mezzini says, have very agile systems that can evolve while public transport was available as other players looking to enter the and transfer data from one system to but quite empty. What can MaaS do for market, such as SAP, have access to the another.” that? Equip people with information on complete range of data. This in turn the availability, regularity and the provides more choice for passengers cleanliness of public transport.” deciding which MaaS application is Lack of alternatives For example, a passenger trying to best suited to their travel needs. MaaS is often seen as a solution to decide whether to drive or take a train “Once these backend systems are in fixing inner city congestion, but Mezzini to work may wonder how many people place, there is this framework for local points out that larger cities such as Paris, are on the train, whether they will get a competition through MaaS,” he says. which already have a large range of seat or will have to stand for the “I think it changes a lot of the ecosystem transport options, already have low rates journey, and how long the journey will because we can see a lot of new players of car ownership within the city. Instead, take. This could then be compared with coming in to accommodate the the congestion is often caused by people live information to warn of any traffic relationship between the user and the driving in from medium or low density jams that could slow their journey if transport provider, whether they are areas outside the city centre due to a they travel by car. public or private, and offer a mobility lack of alternative modes of transport. “The challenge is to provide service.” “MaaS can of course offer better contextual data about the congestion on Systra, a company in which Paris connections for a city centre,” Mezzini both the public transport modes and Transport Authority (RATP) and French says. “But the important work to reduce the road,” Mezzini says. National Railways (SNCF) each hold congestion is also to provide options A number of questions remain about 42% stakes, includes a consulting for people moving from low density how exactly these systems will division that plays an important role in city zones to high density zones. That is function: how will the access to the end advising cities developing a public where the difficulty remains and where user and the payment be governed? transport network. MaaS can provide better alternatives.” Will there be multiple MaaS apps vying This involves creating simulations Providing these alternative transport for a passenger’s attention? And will and passenger forecasts to advise on options doesn’t necessarily mean they these apps allow passengers to travel the best modes of transport to meet will be used instantly, but MaaS can from one city to another? Mezzini says passenger needs, such as metro, light provide the necessary information to the answer to these will become clearer rail and bus services alongside newer allow people to select the right as implementation gets underway. But modes as well as bikes or scooters. transport option for their journey. one thing is certain: “I think MaaS is Following the introduction of the This has been highlighted during the going to bring a revolution in mobility,” new mobility framework, Systra has Covid-19 pandemic, when passengers he says. IRJ also begun to advise on how the law should be implemented to suit passenger needs and cities’ wider transport policy objectives. This includes helping to develop the specifications for MaaS systems. “Our approach to MaaS is to be involved as early as possible,” Mezzini Photo: Shutterstock.com says. “That’s really where we want to help (the authorities) and where we’re very key to make the link between their policy objectives and what we specify in the MaaS platform so that we end up with something that is going to achieve these objectives.” Once the transport system has been developed to meet the requirements of the transport policy, the technical system then needs to be implemented, Mezzini says. This should specify what kinds of data should be exchanged and what type of API will be used. Cybersecurity is also a major consideration A new mobility law is set to facilitate greater from the start of development. adoption of Mobility as a Service in France.

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Global trends | UIC Preparing rail’s vision for the ‘New Normal’ with the introduction of an operations One such project where significant strategy for the UIC as part of the progress will take place in 2021 is the organisation’s “technical marketing” new Open Sales and Distribution Model effort. The document is, in effect, a (OSDM) to replace the existing Price comprehensive catalogue of the UIC’s and Fare Information Storage (PRIFIS) most used solutions and offers a clearer international tariffs distribution tool for picture of what the association is doing Europe. and its value to the sector. The new service will become an Davenne says that while the UIC acts important foundation for pan-European as a standard-setting organisation from passenger travel by distributing a legal perspective, its real added value international travel tariffs and prices is in operation, something he admits has among operators’ distribution systems not always been clear. For example, and making them available to third- while 5G standards have been drawn up party vendors. In practice OSDM is by international standards body 3GPP distributing the fares of 38 companies (IRJ December 2020, p4), the UIC led the covering regional and long-distance operational adaptation of those services across northern Europe. The standards to the world of railways, a system optimises possible travel options François Davenne, director general, process described by Davenne as “in- presented to the customer while depth technical work.” eliminating the discrimination often International Union of Railways It was a similar story in the present in current channels by not (UIC), talks to Kevin Smith. development of GSM-R in the early favouring one carrier over another. It 2000s. UIC invented the Eirene system also improves opportunities for which is able to facilitate seamless cross- multimodality and the provision of HE importance of coming together border operation for GSM-R equipped Mobility as a Service (MaaS) (p13). to share ideas and best practice has trains and locomotives, and Davenne “To deliver the shift to rail and public never been so apparent as during says its success is reflected in the transport we have to guarantee that it is theT early days and weeks of the assumption that it works effectively. easy to use,” Davenne says. “One of our coronavirus pandemic. As the virus “That’s what we do at UIC, to be sure strategic issues for 2021 is to increase spread around the world in March and from an operational point of view that our collaboration with UITP so we can April, the International Union of everything is designed correctly since interface this system with local public Railways’ (UIC) newly created Covid-19 inception,” Davenne says. “My wish transport systems that are not already taskforce sought to connect railways so with the document is that railways and within the rail ecosystem.” they could help each other to respond. others understand that with the UIC, With Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) Experience from Asia proved they have a very powerful tool to set to use the OSDM as it introduces a particularly useful for European and improve operation and to implement new distribution system for Nightjet, North American railways as they common operational solutions.” and German Rail (DB) set to harness it introduced the revised cleaning regimes Such an approach is critical for for a new vendor ticketing system, and social distancing measures necessary Davenne if the rail sector is to evolve Davenne says growing enthusiasm for to keep their staff and passengers safe. from a patchwork of individual platforms such as OSDM reflects a wider The taskforce met bi-weekly during networks with different operational shift in the industry to improve the first wave of the pandemic, and for rules to a single unified network. collective efficiency of the overall system Mr François Davenne, UIC director Traffic management is the clearest to encourage more people to use rail. general, the work emphasised perfectly example of where rail has the potential He points to the example of Italy, a core value of the UIC: solidarity. to improve, according to Davenne. where private operator NTV-Italo is “There are a lot of differences between Optimising peak time traffic competing with Italian State Railways our networks, but at the end of the day, management through the network-wide (FS) on high-speed services, which has we are all railway people and we were deployment of ETCS across Europe resulted in huge growth of the overall all confronting the same problems,” could increase network capacity by 25- market. SJ also recognises how the entry Davenne says. “This is what the UIC is 30% without investment in track of MTR as a direct competitor has about, spreading practical solutions.” infrastructure. “That is exactly the kind expanded the market in Sweden (p22). Davenne, who succeeded Mr Jean- of practical innovation that we should “There are satisfied customers and Pierre Loubinoux in June 2019, made it be working on,” Davenne says. there are more people for each company his mission to reinforce the UIC’s status “What we need is to have a system to serve,” Davenne says. as the railway’s “back office” (IRJ vision for all of Europe and I think this While the pandemic has been the January 2020, p18). The Covid-19 starts from having common notions definitive issue of 2020, Davenne says taskforce produced six documents to about operation. The added value of climate change remains the number one facilitate a suitable response, ranging UIC is that we can act as a forum, as a challenge facing society today. Rail is from practical advice of how to wear a place where we can provide part of the heralded as a clean transport mode. mask correctly to restoring passenger solution and where our members can And modal shift from more polluting confidence in public transport. think together on how to produce those forms of transport to rail is currently Davenne also reports progress in 2020 solutions.” considered an optimal solution to reduce 14 IRJ The Railway in 2021 January UIC_Layout 1 23/12/2020 14:17 Page 15

transport’s substantial contribution to UIC.” It will also help the programme to With this in mind, UIC is working global greenhouse gas emissions. think globally. For example, the possible alongside Roland Berger on its New As a result, rail currently enjoys convergence of digital rail freight Normal project, which Davenne says he almost unprecedented political platforms used in Asia and Europe. hopes can be the cornerstone of assertive goodwill, emphasised by the European “That means we will work in close messaging for the sector for the next five Union designating 2021 as its Year of cooperation with other technical bodies to 10 years. “We will try to demonstrate Rail (p16), an event Davenne says the and initiatives, and manufacturers,” some kind of roadmap which will show UIC supports and wants to help make a Davenne says. how rail is innovative, resilient and success. National governments are Shift2Rail executive director, Mr Carlo prepared for the new normal,” he says. similarly adopting rail-friendly policies; Borghini, told IRJ at the time of the The sector’s ability to combat climate France’s new master plan for rail freight announcement of the next phase of the change will form the heart of this and the German government’s Climate project in September, that he hoped it message and strategy and the findings Package to promote modal shift (p19) would build on the success of the will be a central element of the UIC’s are notable examples. existing programme and “go to the next contribution to next December’s COP26 The pandemic also showed what life level of a system-integrated approach.” event in Glasgow. Davenne also expects could be like with less traffic in cities There will be a focus on new methods of the UIC to host an event alongside a and reduced pollution, aiding rail’s operation based on digitalisation, a member partner in the second half of cause. “People realised what a burden stronger emphasis on freight, opportunities 2021 to present the study’s findings and congestion is and that there is a way to for high-speed to compete with regional to provide a forum for the rail sector to gain more access to public space for flights, and better urban connections. discuss how it can deliver improvements. walking, cycling and more public Individual members are expected to One of the benefits of the crisis for transport,” Davenne says. contribute É30m to the programme, Davenne was the willingness and ability Likewise, rail freight did not suffer which will also have access to funding of people from different parts of the anything close to the same drop in from the Connecting Europe Facility world to come together in online forums demand as passenger services during (CEF), Digital Europe Plan, European to discuss challenges and best practice. the pandemic, emphasising its Regional Development Fund (ERDF) People who were reluctant to take time importance to keep goods moving and and the Cohesion Fund. More details of away from their day job to travel to reinforcing calls in Europe to shift more how precisely it will work will be conferences and forums in the past were freight from road to rail. The recovery revealed in 2021. But with the all of a sudden more willing to participate, has been similarly robust in Asia where programme anticipated to require É1- helping the UIC to improve work on rail freight traffic fell by only around 1.5bn of investment, Davenne says technical projects with members from 5% compared with pre-pandemic levels. effective lobbying is still required to Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Davenne says the pandemic also ensure the sector secures what it needs. Davenne hopes in 2021 this new- demonstrated that strong political found capability will enable the UIC to intervention can quickly change current facilitate more ambitious projects at a trajectories. For example, governments New Normal global level. Yet he is certain that the acted swiftly to prop up ailing economies What the future railway will look like value of face-to-face meetings has not and support workers who were unable is very much dependent on the new been diminished. The return of industry to work. normal that emerges beyond the events in 2021, the UIC’s centenary year, With governments keen to “build pandemic. The largely successful is hotly anticipated and for many back better” through guiding policies adaptation to home working in the last cannot come soon enough. such as the EU’s Green Deal, Davenne nine months has left many people “We are an international association hopes rail can now receive the support questioning the future of existing and our remit is to get people together,” it requires. “I hope in the coming business models and how rail might adapt. Davenne says. IRJ months we will have much more determined public policies to tackle those questions and I do think rail should benefit from that,” he says. “I think the whole sector shares the belief that we can offer real value for money

when tackling the climate issue if we Photo: Shutterstock.com have sufficient financing.” One of the key areas requiring support is the next phase of Europe’s Shift2Rail programme, the new European Partnership on Rail Research and Innovation. Davenne says this should act as the system pillar for European rail innovation and the forum in which railways and associated parties should work together to secure consistency. He says the UIC’s role will be to provide the common operational rules for the whole railway community as the system pillar within NTV-Italo has helped to grow the overall high-speed rail passenger market in Italy, reflecting a the new Shift2Rail is “far larger than the growing recognition in the industry to improve rail’s overall standing with other modes. IRJ The Railway in 2021 15 January Year of Rail_Layout 1 22/12/2020 18:23 Page 16

Europe | policy 2021: Europe’s Year of Rail The European Parliament has formally adopted 2021 as the European Year of Rail. Kevin Smith considers what the Year of Rail will entail and the wider challenges proponents should address.

HE European Union’s Green Deal on December 9 that he expects Portugal strategy outlines 82 specific initiatives is set to inform European Union to host a meeting of member state and lays the foundation for how the transport policy for a generation. transport ministers and relevant European transport system will become AndT as the most sustainable transport stakeholders in March entirely dedicated more digitalised and environmentally mode, rail is set to benefit from several to rail, followed by an informal meeting friendly, and more resilient to future policies designed to stimulate modal of the EU Council. This will be followed crises. It will also guide efforts to shift from road and aviation for both by a council meeting in June, where he reduce emissions by 55% by 2030 passenger and freight transport. expects a conclusion on how to advance compared with 1990 as outlined in the The declaration of 2021 as Europe’s the discussions will take place. Green Deal as Europe strives to become Year of Rail is intended to support delivery “We would very much like to have a carbon neutral by 2050. of the EU’s Green Deal objectives for wider and more deep discussion during For the rail sector specifically, the transport and is an encouraging the next semester on the challenges and strategy is targeting the doubling of development for the sector. The opportunities of rail transport,” Cateano high-speed traffic by 2030 and rail European Parliament formally adopted the says. “The commission isn’t planning freight traffic by 2050. However, while resolution on December 15 and European any legislative initiative in the first Caetano feels introducing targets to rail associations have embraced the plan semester so that will provide us more develop high-speed rail connections since it was announced in March. time and space to focus on the political between European capitals are The Community of European Railways discussion.” applicable in central Europe, it is less and Infrastructure Companies (CER) Caetano says the EU’s plans to back relevant in the periphery. “The nearest welcomed the decision to put the rail mirror Portugal’s domestic plans to capital to Lisbon is Madrid, which is spotlight on a transport mode with a develop a long-term National Rail plan, 600km away, and the second nearest is strong track record in climate neutrality, the first such policy for the country. He Paris, which is 1800km away,” he says. energy efficiency, resilience and says the country’s road plan from the “Even if we have a high-speed train innovation. Equally, the European Rail 1990s has dictated investment in road connecting Lisbon with other capitals in Freight Association (Erfa) said the infrastructure, which has been Europe, it will never be competitive European Year of Rail will be a unique prioritised over the past 30 years. with air transport.” occasion to finally deliver a legal “In the Portuguese plan for rail, we Instead he feels there should be greater framework that meets the needs of rail will look carefully at what the necessary emphasis on urban and commuter rail freight. investments are in order to promote this transport. The declaration also comes at a critical modal shift, which will allow for a “In European forums, we are usually time for the sector, and the continent. cultural change where private ownership more likely to discuss pan-European While the initial decision to designate of cars is no longer a necessity and networks,” Caetano says. “I think next 2021 as the year of rail was taken before people can use other means of transport year we will have to discuss the relevance the start of the coronavirus pandemic, to decarbonise,” Caetano says. “We of urban and suburban regional rail the impact on passenger rail transport think that this discussion in Portugal, transport. If you want decarbonisation in particular over the past nine months that will happen during the first to happen, it will be quicker if we have is set to lead to significant soul searching semester, will benefit from the modal shift at the local level. We need throughout 2021 as the sector and discussion on the European stage.” massive investments in the pan- governments identify the best route to European network, but we also need recovery. massive investment in local rail “Setting up a coherent and functional Policies networks so the tens of millions of network across all Europe is an exercise Among the policies the EC’s Directorate people who commute every day can use in political cohesion,” says EC transport General for Transport (DG-Move) is rail transport more than ever before.” commissioner, Ms Adina Valean, in a expected to work on during the Year of Mr Mohamed Mezghani, secretary statement announcing the Year of Rail. Rail are encouraging more people to use general of the International Association “The European Year of Rail is not a rail, the key challenge for the sector as it of Public Transport (UITP) (p10), made random event. It comes at an enters 2021 (p4); new proposals to boost a similar observation in his response to appropriate time, when the EU needs rail freight connections to ports and the release of the strategy. this kind of collective undertaking.” terminals; better use of capacity; greening “Sustainable mobility and public Portugal took over the presidency of freight more generally; supporting a transport are mentioned two times in the European Council on January 1, political and public desire to introduce the whole document,” Mezghani told including the transport council, and will expanded night train services; and IRJ. “It feels like they are not taking into dictate the agenda for how the first half improvements in ticketing provision. consideration the benefits of public of the Year of Rail will play out. The commission’s Smart and transport and we wonder why these Mr João de Jesus Caetano, counsellor Sustainable Mobility Strategy, advantages are not mentioned. We and permanent representative of announced on December 9, will also really consider this as a missed Portugal to the European Union, told a guide commission work in the transport opportunity.” webinar hosted by Rail Forum Europe sector over the next four years. The Mezghani adds that while the 16 IRJ The Railway in 2021 January Year of Rail_Layout 1 22/12/2020 18:23 Page 17

strategy recognises that technology Thaler says state-owned regional endanger the success of the upcoming measures are not a panacea, he feels monopolies and the extraordinary share fights like TEN-T and the rail freight there is an overemphasis on technology- of PSO contracts incentivises the sector corridors,” Thaler says. orientated targets, for example for 100 to focus governments on keeping the Finally, she urged the sector to improve EU cities to be climate neutral by 2030. subsidies flowing and the closed its collection and sharing of data, “If we combine these targets with the systems stable. She says this makes especially to improve the provision of technology measures, it will be mean achieving environmental targets and tickets among all vendors, which should that by 2030 EU cities will be climate modal shift towards rail more difficult. attract more people to use rail. neutral but heavily congested with “I believe that this focus might not When asked what they hope the electric cars,” Mezghani says. “Is that create the best environment,” she says. European Year of Rail has achieved by what we want? We need targets in terms “It is definitely not helpful for the December 2021, Thaler said she believes of modal shift, in terms of accessibility, competitiveness of rail towards other it will be a “huge success” if member affordability, and social inclusion.” modes of transport.” states fully comply with the Fourth Instead Thaler favours solutions that Railway Package. A “tremendous make competition easier and which success” would be the establishment of Red Tape install a level playing field for private some pilot projects or a starting point Implementation of the Fourth companies, which can realistically for infrastructure managers to more Railway Package - the foundation of compete with the taxpayer. effectively oversee the TEN-T network. recent efforts by the EU to adopt a “The European Year of Rail mentions Likewise, Caetano said he is hopeful Single European Rail Area - is set to competition as one of the key enablers that a new framework to address the ramp up in 2021. The establishment of to help the sector to meet the expectations challenges facing rail transport will the European Union Agency for we have,” Thaler says. “But as I witnessed emerge. “I think when the commission Railways (ERA) as a “one stop shop” during all the talks around the [Year of decided that 2021 was to be dedicated for vehicle authorisation in Europe and Rail] file, everyone acknowledges the to rail, we were far from imagining the the transposition of the technical pillar importance of competition, as everyone circumstances we are in now,” he says. by all member states in October, is set to acknowledges the importance of wind “We have an opportunity to discuss rail reduce the red tape in this area, helping power, but preferably not in my backyard. in a way that probably was not done to get new trains on tracks much faster “When push comes to shove, nobody before.” (p18). moves but expects everyone else to While it is certainly a great PR However, European rail policy move. Here the tight web between the exercise for the sector as it attempts to bureaucracy remains, particularly sectors and the governments creates bounce back after the travails of 2020, regarding the Fourth Railway Package’s unintentionally the best condition for the European Year of Rail must deliver market pillar and opening markets to aviation and roads. Since both modes more than simply an improved public competition. can operate without borders and can image. As Cateano intimates, it should Ms Barbara Thaler, an Austrian MEP, draw the full advantage out of the be the springboard from which Europe’s member of the transport and tourism internal markets, while rail is busy railways can finally deliver on the (Tran) committee, and shadow safeguarding its own 25 backyards.” promises of modal shift. These are rapporteur of European Year of Rail, These 25 backyards continue to be perhaps bold expectations, especially in told the RFE webinar that in preparing ring-fenced by national rules and a political arena notorious for its the file for the European Year of Rail, it directives. Thaler says getting rid of all bureaucracy and glacial pace of was agreed that it should address or the unnecessary national rules should progress. But if European leaders are highlight a “bucket load of issues.” be the “first task for everyone in Europe serious about making rail a key part of However, for her, three major challenges who wants to boost the sector.” It is their Green Deal, the time to act is now. stood out: hoped the upcoming revision to the “The Green Deal-inspired legislation = untangling the web between politics TEN-T directive, which is expected in aims to boost the rail sector and it is and the sector 2021, will reinforce the importance of truly a once in a lifetime opportunity to = getting rid of borders, and these corridors for facilitating cross- fix the sector’s problems,” Thaler says. = improving data collection and border rail travel in Europe. “If we get it wrong, then we will get it sharing. “If we don’t cut the red tape, we wrong for the entire sector.” IRJ January Year of Rail_Layout 1 22/12/2020 18:23 Page 18

Europe | policy

Connected and efficient rail system within reach companies will be able to operate with combined journeys under 500km standardised products on a coherent should be carbon-neutral, high-speed network with a single set of technical rail traffic will double by 2030, and rail rules. We can expect European standards freight traffic will double by 2050. to become the principal reference for To provide a tangible, concrete the global railway community, too. contribution towards the climate goals When the final group of EU member set by the EU Green Deal, ERA has states transposed the Fourth Railway published a report stipulating that rail, Package into national law on October 31 as the greenest mode of mass transport, 2020, the foundation for a much-needed with low impact on air quality, low reform was laid. In the coming decade, external cost, and a long life expectancy railway customers will reap the fruit of of assets, can make a considerable what was sown - with more competitive, contribution. Measures proposed include interconnected, innovative rail products connecting all urban centres in Europe, available in a common market. and all major airports by a high quality In its new role as European authority, rail service. The network of night trains 2020 was a crucial year for ERA, as we should be further developed, and Josef Doppelbauer, executive phased in the operation for issuing bottlenecks removed. vehicle authorisation, safety certification, If we foster an industrial railway policy director of the EU Agency for and ERTMS trackside approval for the today and introduce new technologies Railways (ERA). European market. Just to give an to the European rail system at large, an indication, by the end of 2020 ERA will efficient, competitive, and customer- OOD things come to those who have treated about 1300 vehicle friendly rail service throughout Europe wait. After 2020, an exceptional authorisation cases, authorising about will be the result. Efficient data year in many ways, the railway 15,000 vehicles for the European market. management will improve traffic sectorG sees 2021 as a year in which management and control, asset many of the things we were hoping for management, and optimise the use of may finally come to fruition. Fragmentation energy. Use of big data will enhance The key words for the future of transport Rail is the only transport mode without rolling stock and infrastructure are sustainable, smart, connected - and global rules. Fragmentation of the sector, maintenance and coordinate the use of a new aspect has been introduced due technically and politically, has put rail the European network across borders. to the Covid-19 crisis: resilience. Rail on the periphery of political action. Automation will be introduced to train proved during the pandemic that it can Stagnating over decades, with low market operation and maintenance to reduce be counted on. With the so-called shares, rail was not considered sexy, nor costs and improve safety. The list goes “Green Lanes,” rail was used to keep essential. This is changing now, and on and proves how tangible, and well the economy going. At ERA, we what we are witnessing is nothing less within our reach, the renaissance of a coordinated a collective response for than a historic change. modern, interconnected, seamless rail throughout the pandemic, resulting It is therefore most appropriate that the European rail network really is. in the publication of the Covid-19 Rail European Commission (EC) has declared ERA will continue to lay the groundwork Protocol in collaboration with the 2021 the European Year of Rail, because for the railways of the future. From our European Centre for Disease Prevention not only have we laid a foundation for data and digitalisation strategy, through and Control (ECDC). change with the Fourth Railway which we take a look at our own data In September 2020, we issued an Package, but also, politically, railways collection in the various databases that information bulletin on ventilation in have come out of their niche: a new we run, most of which have a major railway vehicles, and we continued to generation of environmentally- impact on rail operation in Europe. We collaborate with the rail sector and conscious citizens have helped to bring will make sure our data is both safe and National Safety Agencies (NSAs) to come rail back to the forefront of the political dynamic, so it can operate in an up with a European response to this agenda, as railways are the most interconnected environment, and not in global problem. Covid-19 certainly has environmentally-friendly mode of mass a silo. Secondly, we will lay the regulatory wreaked havoc in 2020, with many transport. foundation for rail’s digitalised age, in companies struggling to make ends meet Responding to this mega-trend, the which operations are connected across as passengers shy away. And yet, the EC issued what can only be called one borders and with other modes of sector has proven that railways are of the most ambitious political agendas transport, while remaining safe. resilient - another pro-rail argument as we for transport ever conceived: the We have completed the revolutionary look past Covid-19 and turn our attention Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy. Fourth Railway Package. Now, with the back to another urgent priority of EU On its release in December 2020, European Year of Rail in 2021 in view, and politics, the greening of our economy. Commission vice-president Mr Frans with the support of a new climate-conscious The Fourth Railway Package has been Timmermans said the strategy will generation and favourable political the single most important piece of initiate a change in the way we move conditions, we will take the next step railway legislation, as it is the blueprint goods and people in the EU, combining towards the truly connected, efficient for a single European market with one different modes of transport in a single rail system that we all have been set of rules. It will reduce costs as journey. There are ambitious targets: all waiting for. IRJ

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Europe | Germany New fleets and funding aids Covid-19 recovery new lines are now being planned with announced plans to operate up to seven Keith Fender, regional editor construction likely to be spread over the inter-city routes in Germany and may next two decades. As an initial step introduce new routes in 2021. S Germany and the rest of Europe towards the planned half-hourly-interval Electrification of the Munich - Lindau hopefully turn a corner with mass services on key routes, DB introduced a line, completed in December 2020, vaccination sparking a recovery 30-minute frequency between Berlin and enabled Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) to fromA the coronavirus pandemic, the rail Hamburg last month for the first time. introduce Pendolino tilting EMUs to industry should also begin to recover In October, the long-awaited new replace locomotive-hauled trains between this year. The German passenger rail Berlin Brandenburg International Airport Munich and Zürich. In December 2021, sector saw passenger numbers drop by and its 15km of new mainline railway GoAhead will replace DB Regio operating 60-70% during the spring and autumn connections opened along with an regional services on the route using a fleet lockdowns, but never to the low levels extension of the Berlin S-Bahn to the of Stadler Flirt EMUs. From December seen in some neighbouring countries. airport. In early December, after a decade 2021 the line from Lindau to Ulm, via The substantial drop in revenue for of construction, an extension of Line U5 Friedrichshafen, will also be electrified. DB Long Distance was one reason the under the historic centre of Berlin to the DB Regio introduced the last of its German government announced É6bn of city’s main station also opened. Pesa class 633 DMUs in late 2020, taking additional coronavirus funding for German Construction of several new lines is over services in Bavaria from Netinera. Rail (DB), adding to É20bn over a progressing and they should open from Also in Bavaria, the small fleet of Skoda decade promised as part of the country’s 2022 onwards. Testing in 2021-22 will double-deck 189km/h push-pull trains Climate Package to promote modal shift allow the first of these, the 250km/h for Nuremberg - Munich regional express to rail. Political debate about how and Wendlingen - Ulm line, to open in late services finally entered service in late whether this money should be provided 2022. Work to complete the tunnels 2020, four years later than planned. was still continuing in late 2020. under Rastatt on the Karlsruhe - Basle Freight traffic was also impacted by Open-access operators led by Flixtrain main line, delayed by a tunnel collapse the pandemic with some flows seriously received no government funds. Flixtrain in 2017, will get underway fully. affected causing big losses, especially for resumed some services in July 2020 but DB Cargo. Despite a European Union suspended operation again in November. agreement to reduce or waive track access Passenger traffic rebounded in summer New fleets fees for freight traffic as an economic 2020 to around 70% of 2019 numbers DB Long Distance ordered 30 Velaro stimulus measure, DB Networks intends during a short lull between waves of multi-system 320km/h ICE3 EMUs to increase charges in 2021. the virus - with both DB Long Distance from Siemens as part of its plans to Container traffic to and from China and Flixtrain running full trains at peak expand its fleet for the more intensive was substantial in the second part of times, suggesting that passengers will regular-interval timetable. DB’s older 2020 after the temporary suspension of return - and in substantial numbers. ICE1 trains are now being refurbished trains following the original coronavirus Most regional operators, which are for the second time. Also in 2021, DB outbreak in China at the beginning of paid per kilometre rather than relying will introduce its first 13-coach version 2020. Whether New Silk Road rail on farebox revenue, continued to of ICE4, 50 of which are on order, while volumes in Germany will remain as high operate, albeit with reduced timetables operation of the first of 37 seven-coach in 2021 is unclear as Chinese subsidies and additional cleaning costs. The cost ICE4s began in November. for some types of traffic have been phased of financing such contracts was largely Flixtrain took delivery of the first of 135 out and alternative routes including borne by local authorities which were modernised locomotive-hauled coaches Baltic short sea shipping from Russian granted some financial assistance by in mid-2020 but by late 2020 had scaled or Baltic state ports are becoming more central government to cover lost fare back introduction following a second popular, in part to avoid transhipment revenue. Light rail and metro (U-Bahn) suspension of its services. Flixtrain has delays at the Belarus-Polish border. IRJ passenger numbers also fell, although less steeply than for mainline rail services. As almost all urban rail services are run by local-government-owned companies, this had a negative impact on state and regional government finances. Thanks to decisions taken before the pandemic, the future for both long- distance and regional passenger rail looks bright. Substantial new capital funding of up to É86bn for the 2020- 2029 period for the national network, in part to support the introduction of the Deutschland Takt regular-interval timetable, and a 10-year, É10bn funding arrangement to re-open closed lines is likely to see infrastructure investment grow substantially by the mid-2020s. At least 10 new high speed or other Operation of the first of 37 seven-car ICE4s began in November. Photo: Keith Fender IRJ The Railway in 2021 19 January HS1_Layout 1 23/12/2020 16:52 Page 20

Europe | Britain Eurostar’s troubles leave HS1 in uncertain position track access charges where operators protect the green gateway to Europe.” pre-book and pay for slots. Crowther “There have been lots of discussions,” says this means HS1’s finances have Crowther says. “But no real clear solution largely been stable throughout the first on how we can protect international rail six to 12 months of the pandemic. travel and to make sure that when However, the situation has changed. passenger demand does come back, “From December, Eurostar advised us Eurostar is in the strongest possible that they will be putting in a zero- position to be able to capitalise on that.” timetable bid because they just cannot predict what services they will run and what demand is going to be,” Crowther Brexit says. “If you have a company that has The transition period for Britain’s exit lost its revenue and has got quite a high from the European Union was set to fixed cost base, it’s going to focus on end on December 31, with negotiations costs. It will use any lever available to it seemingly set to go down to the wire on to reduce that cost exposure.” how the future relationship will work. The natural response for HS1 is to Crowther says she is hopeful that a Dyan Crowther, CEO of HS1, drive up passenger numbers. But faced deal could be struck before the end of with the “perfect storm” of the pandemic, the transition period to avoid any major talks to Kevin Smith quarantine on arrival, and Brexit, the disruption. She says HS1 has engaged situation with Eurostar is of grave concern in a significant amount of work with 020 was all set to be a momentous and becoming increasingly perilous. the parties involved with Brexit to make year for High Speed 1 Ltd (HS1). Unlike LSER, which is benefitting from sure that some of the unique selling The holder of a 30-year concession the government’s Emergency Recovery points of trans-continental high-speed to2 operate the 109km London St Pancras Management Agreements (ERMA), rail remain in place. Among these is the - Channel Tunnel high-speed line, enabling the franchise operator to capability for passengers to arrive 30 Britain’s only high-speed railway, continue to provide an almost full minutes before their train departs at St commenced its latest five-year funding service, as an open-access operator Pancras. period, Control Period 3 (CP3), at the Eurostar is falling between the cracks. “We very much welcome the nine- start of the financial year in April. With Eurostar 45% owned by private month extension on the validity of train As well as regular maintenance and equity, 45% by French National Railways licences issued from the UK to continue renewals, CP3 includes exciting plans to (SNCF), and 10% by Belgian National operating in the Channel Tunnel,” transform HS1 into Britain’s first carbon Railways (SNCB), Crowther says the Crowther says. “However, we are still neutral railway (see panel). However, British government’s attitude has been waiting for confirmation from the with the onset of the coronavirus that it is a problem for “the French to French side that UK passport-holders pandemic in March, Ms Dyan Crowther, sort out.” “This is despite the fact it is a will be able to use e-gates at St Pancras CEO of HS1, says the railway had to UK-based company and brings International. Once passenger demand adjust to the new situation. significant benefits to the UK and picks up next year, there is still the Indeed, Crowther says HS1 is now in France,” she says. potential for disruption to passenger a state of continuous uncertainty. With no clear solutions in sight, Eurostar journeys because of the requirement for Uncertainty at when passengers will and HS1 made their grievances public UK passports to receive a ‘wet stamp’ return to London and South Eastern in November. Crowther and Mr Jacques from French immigration officials.” Railway’s (LSER) domestic Javelin Damas, who took over as Eurostar CEO Despite the challenges and uncertainty, services; and uncertainty over the future on October 1, published an article in Crowther believes the case for high- of international operator Eurostar, Uif!Joefqfoefou newspaper in which speed rail has never been stronger. HS1 which as IRJ went to press is operating they warned that without government tasked consultant Steer Davis Gleave to just four trains per day after a 95% drop support, the service could fail. Eurostar come up with a study of the benefits in passenger traffic. also released a statement on November offered by HS1 in order to support the “Like many businesses, we’re having 25 calling for its inclusion in a financial case for HS2, the under-construction to look at what our future state is going support scheme for airports, which line between London, Birmingham and to be,” Crowther says. “That has could provide up to £8m to support Lichfield. Crowther reports being changed throughout the pandemic. Like fixed costs, as well as general transport pleasantly surprised by some of the most people, we were thinking in the support schemes. results. early stages that this would be over by “Eurostar has been left fighting for its According to the study published in Christmas and how do we get through survival against a 95% drop in demand March, HS1 delivers £427m of benefits to then. This is not the case. What has whilst aviation has received over £1.8bn to Britain and continental Europe each become clear is that there are other in support through loans, tax deferrals year. The railway has helped to reduce macro trends, which will impact rail and financing,” Eurostar said. “We CO2 emissions equivalent to 60,000 demand moving forward. LSER has would ask that this scheme be extended short-haul flights per year, or 750,000 about 30% of passengers compared with to international rail services and more tonnes of carbon. Domestically it has pre-pandemic. Eurostar is operating at generally for the government to incorporate helped to take 6000 cars off the road about 5%. This all has a knock-on effect.” high-speed rail in its support for the each year while 164,000 households in Around 88% of HS1’s revenue is from travel sector, and in doing so help Kent are now within a 30-minute rail 20 IRJ The Railway in 2021 January HS1_Layout 1 23/12/2020 16:52 Page 21

journey of central London. Eurostar also high-speed service from London to railway with a view to removing them. supports a £2bn annual injection from Bordeaux, how much rolling stock you One of these is the cost of using HS1, tourists into the British economy. would need, and how much that market with the relatively low use by freight With the benefits apparent, work could sustain.” indicative of its high access charges, continues to attract new operators to use As well as Bordeaux, Crowther says particularly when compared with the railway. It is more than 10 years since Frankfurt is on the group’s radar with conventional British lines. German Rail (DB) operated a demonstration discussions ongoing with infrastructure However, HS1 is in a quandary over ICE service to St Pancras with a view to managers and possible operators. offering an attractive proposition to introducing regular trains. That service “There’s an opportunity to work with operators and securing enough revenue never materialised. And on taking the those infrastructure managers to help to fund asset maintenance and renewals job in 2016, Crowther says she asked them grow their markets and also help following a shortfall in CP2. how hard could it be to get more train operators so that rail can actually Britain’s regulator, the Office of Rail services on the departure board at St compete with air because it is a and Road (ORR), confirmed an increase Pancras? complicated process,” Crowther says. in the access charge and a shift to a per- “It’s quite tough actually,” she says. Work is also taking place to boost km model, rather than per minute of “We’ve worked really closely with a domestic traffic. The railway has use for passenger operators in January. number of our adjacent infrastructure capacity to deliver a further £101m in HS1 now charges £2086.72 for each managers: Eurotunnel, being quite key; economic benefits and reduce carbon Eurostar passenger service, £1550.25 for SNCF Network; and Lisea, which is a emissions by another 500,000 tonnes per LSER services from St Pancras to concession like ourselves and operates year. Crowther says HS1’s board and Ashford, and £809.80 for LSER trains the Tours - Bordeaux high-speed line. shareholders are keen to exploit this from St Pancras to Ebbsfleet. The figures There was a lot of work on what a capacity and to understand the potential have increased 19% from CP2. Freight is service proposition could look like for a restrictions on users accessing the charged £8.48 per train-km, a 12% jump. However, this is significantly less than Becoming Britain’s first carbon neutral railway the 43% hike for international and 25% for domestic passenger traffic, and 74% S1’s environmental strategy landfill for non-hazardous waste by for freight requested by HS1. published in October outlines 2022 and recycle 90% of all waste by The charges translate into £25.9m for plans for the railway to reach net 2023. The railway is also targeting a annual renewals, £12.3m less than zero carbon emissions by 2030. Biodiversity Net Gain by 2030, in H envisaged by HS1. ORR says the HS1 Ltd says that it will employ a which 136 sites covering 106km of track reduction was necessary to ensure combination of wind and solar power will be in a visibly better condition operators, and in turn passengers and for all energy used to power trains, compared with the 2020 baseline, freight users, get a good deal now, but buildings and other infrastructure. It which will be determined following the not at the expense of future generations. will also use Renewable Electricity completion of a full survey in 2021. Offering new services is of course Guarantee of Origin (Rego) certificates The strategy also outlines plans to dependent on securing demand from acquired from its energy supplier, increase HS1’s overall social impact. users. The railway that emerges after Npower Business Solutions, to report Staff will contribute at least 700 hours the pandemic is likely to be quite the level of renewable energy used to per year to local communities and different from before. Indeed, Crowther power trains and stations, and measure charity activities by the end of 2022. says the pandemic has all but ended the progress in achieving its targets. The company says it plans to report season ticket model. She says operators The railway is aiming to reduce measurable social impacts delivered must be prepared to adjust to changing overall energy usage by 10% over the from these projects by the end of 2025. passenger behaviour associated with next decade. In addition, HS1 Ltd says HS1 adds that it will establish a new new working practices. that it will work with Eurostar and reporting scheme and framework to “Does it mean there will be more LSER to reduce the carbon footprint of guarantee that all targets are met, and discretionary travel at weekends?” every passenger by 25%. to maintain compliance with all Crowther says. “If you’re not going into HS1 says it will eliminate the use of environmental regulations and initiatives. London five days a week, are you going to be more likely to go in at the weekend? As a sector we have to be ready to respond to that. “Some of the analysis that Kent has done suggests that passenger demand Photo: Photo: David Gubler will recover to pre-Covid levels by 2025. I think we’re starting to see that as a consistent message: that traffic will recover but it is not going to be quick.” With Eurostar continuing to struggle, the operator needs answers to this dilemma, and fast. The start of Covid-19 vaccination programmes at the end of 2020 is an encouraging development. However, the first few months of this year will be critical to both the international operator and HS1’s prospects. IRJ IRJ The Railway in 2021 21 January SJ_Layout 1 23/12/2020 18:16 Page 22

Europe | Sweden SJ bullish on riding out Covid storm The operator’s second quarter results stating that with the company’s strong were equally poor: SJ reported an financial position, it is a “situation we operating loss of SKr 656m following a can live with.” 77% decline in passenger demand “If we look historically, we have had during the first wave of the pandemic. many good years in terms of financials,” Restrictions in Sweden were quite she says. “That is helping us now. We different from other countries in Europe. have a strong balance sheet and have No formal lockdown was introduced accumulated a lot of profit over the with people encouraged rather than years and some of that has obviously required legally to follow guidelines. been used in 2020. We still have strong And while Lingegård, who began cash reserves and a strong financial working for SJ on August 17, says the situation, which is extremely important situation almost returned to normal for us as we want to continue investing during the summer months with many in new trains and new resources. We people taking a domestic holiday, the will stick to our plan.” onset of the cold, dark Swedish winter This plan includes a SKr 16bn has seen people retreat into their homes investment in new rolling stock over and largely stay away from SJ’s trains. the next three to five years. The Delta Monica Lingegård, CEO of SJ, “We are now back at 20% of sales project to update SJ’s X2000 inter-city compared with a regular month,” and overnight fleets is underway. talks to Kevin Smith Lingegård says. “This is hurting us However, the procurement of a fleet of financially and it also puts a lot of stress up to 40 250km/h EMUs as part of this HE situation facing Sweden’s and strain on the organisation. But we programme is yet to be finalised. state-owned passenger operator SJ are the largest company in Sweden in The procedure, which was initiated in is quite different at the end of 2020 terms of rail, we cover the whole country, 2017, was held up by a European Union thanT when Ms Monica Lingegård and for us it has been important to still Court of Justice ruling which stated that signed up to become CEO in February. offer travel throughout Sweden. It is SJ was obliged to publish a notice under Like all European rail operators, SJ has also something that our owner politicians the Swedish Act on Procurement for the suffered from a dramatic decline in want to secure. Utilities Sectors. SJ subsequently passengers as the coronavirus pandemic “We haven’t been pushing to reduce announced a new negotiated procedure halted all but essential journeys. the number of trains or lower our costs without prior notice and confirmed in SJ reported a 53% decline in passengers in the same way as we potentially could June its intention to award the contract year-on-year in the third quarter. Net have. But we’ve done fantastic work to Bombardier. However, with three sales amounted to SKr 1.359bn ($US ensuring that our trains are safe and suppliers questioning the procurement 160m), down from SKr 2.048bn in the secure for both our passengers and procedure and requesting legal review, third quarter of 2019. This resulted in employees.” SJ is prevented from signing any an operating loss of SKr 289m and an SJ has accessed general coronavirus contract until the Stockholm overall loss of SKr 220m, which compares support measures available to all Administrative Court decides the cases. with a profit of SKr 176m during the companies. However, Lingegård says SJ Similarly, the procurement process for same period in 2019. has not requested any direct support, the Zeta project to replace SJ’s regional fleet remains ongoing, with SJ stating that it has received a good response from the market. The operator is yet to decide the final number of trains that it will order and Lingegård would not comment on either contract award. However, progress is expected in 2021. The operator is also continuing to expand its digital capabilities. SJ was ranked second in the Digital Leaders in Sweden 2019 study conducted by management consultancy Bearing Point, coming ahead of Swedish digital pioneers such as Spotify and Ikea, and was commended for improving customer service availability and increasing personalisation and involvement. The company slipped to seventh in the 2020 study, although it retained the same score. SJ’s digital strategy was spearheaded SJ is planning to update its X2000 inter-city fleet as part of the Delta project. Photo: David Gubler by Lingegård’s predecessor, Mr Crister 22 IRJ The Railway in 2021 January SJ_Layout 1 23/12/2020 18:17 Page 23

Fritzson (IRJ April 2019, p38), and the continent, but plans for growth are services is reflected in private operator Lingegård is keen to continue this work. restricted by regulations. Snälltåget plans. The operator has started She says investments in projects to “We would be happy to grow but the ticket sales for its Stockholm - Malmö - improve efficiencies in train opportunities are limited, and it is not Copenhagen - Hamburg - Berlin service, maintenance are very important. The something we control,” she says. which will launch in March on an open- value of improving communication Indeed, Sweden is one of the few access basis. The operator has offered a channels with passengers, something SJ European markets that is open to Malmö - Berlin service since 2012 has embraced through its various apps competition, and Lingegård believes SJ although this was suspended in June and channels, also became evident at has benefitted. She says competing until 2021 due to the pandemic. the height of the pandemic. head-to-head with MTR on the Lingegård says the desire of people to “The situation where we have almost Stockholm - Gothenburg inter-city route take long distance overnight trains in all passengers connected, where we can in particular has attracted additional Sweden and to continental Europe communicate directly with all of our travellers to use the train, helping to because of concerns about the climate, is consumers and all of our travellers has grow the overall market. “Everyone encouraging for SJ, although she admits been very positive,” Lingegård says. who works in competition understands expanding the company’s offer is not an “For example, we have been able to that you need to be on your toes, you easy process due to the many regulations recommend passengers not to take a need to ensure that your customers in place. specific train because it is too full and choose you and not your competitor,” “I have to respect the fact that you offered an alternative. We have also Lingegård says. “We have been at the can’t just do these things even though I been able to push through a new forefront of developing our consumer want to have a can-do attitude,” Lingegård says. “I’ve learned that this is more complicated than you would think. But we are definitely interested in securing We still have strong cash reserves and a strong financial services so we can offer train tickets to Berlin, or to Geneva, but it has to be situation, which is extremely important for us as we want financially stable.” Of course, this financial stability is “ to continue investing in new trains and new resources. dependent on encouraging passengers to return to trains once the pandemic Monica Lingegård subsides. For Lingegård this is currently the “million-dollar question.” She foresees an uptick in demand from reservation system where you can offer, especially when it comes to the leisure travellers as rail takes market ensure the adjacent seat is free.” digital channels we offer.” share from airlines, but expects rail Downloads of SJ’s app have been The dynamism of the Swedish market travel for working purposes to decline. strong among users of its new service in was reflected in two contract awards in “I do think we will see people working Norway where 10,000 passengers have December. While SJ won the competition from home, not all the time, but a couple signed up to SJ Prio, the operator’s to operate the 10-line Krösatågen regional of days a week in the long-term,” she group-wide loyalty programme. SJ won network for 12 years from December says. “I don’t think you will travel eight the Traffic Package North contract to 2021, it lost a SKr 4bn eight-year hours anymore just to have one meeting operate Oslo - Bodø services as well as contract to operate the Mälardalstrafik in the south of Sweden. But I think five lines in northern Norway in June network in the Stockholm-Mälardalen overall that we will return to a normal 2019. The contract commenced a year valley to MTR Jota. where we have a larger market share later, and in October SJ reported that in SJ also lost the concession to operate when it comes to overall travel in Sweden the first three months it had met all of overnight services from Stockholm to and the Nordic countries because people the customer’s requirements, netting a Östersund, Kiruna and Narvik in will rather take the train than the plane.” NKr 40m ($US 3.8m) bonus. February with Norwegian incumbent Lingegård’s remedy for the changing SJ Norway has benefitted from a Vy securing this contract. SJ did though situation emphasises flexibility to adjust Norwegian government support retain operation of Umeå - Gothenburg to the needs of different customer programme for operators to make up and Umeå - Stockholm overnight segments. Suppressed demand looks set for expected lost revenue during the services, and launched a revised to continue for at least a few months coronavirus pandemic and exceeded its timetable on December 13, which is yet. But Lingegård is confident that she ridership expectations during the offering shorter journey times. It also has SJ on the right course to ride out the summer months. kept the overnight service between storm. Norway’s Railway Directorate, which Stockholm and Duved in Jämtland and “I’m an experienced CEO and you just is overseeing bidding for Traffic extended operation of this service on a take on whatever you have to take on,” Package 4, the next package comprising commercial basis to Gothenburg. Lingegård says. “SJ is in a difficult situation, services around Oslo, confirmed in June Lingegård confirmed that expanding at least in the short-term, and we are that this award would be delayed by a SJ’s overnight offer further is very much dealing with other issues today with the year. Tendering is now set to get on her radar. The Swedish government pandemic situation and the need to manage underway in January. Lingegård would approved plans to operate trains on the financials by reducing costs as much as not comment on whether SJ is planning Malmö - Brussels and Stockholm - we can. But when it comes to our long- to participate. However, she says the Hamburg routes in July and term strategy, it hasn’t really changed. I company is constantly looking at Trafikverket is set to procure these think that we have a very strong and market developments in Denmark, services by August 1 2022. healthy future once we overcome the Finland and Norway, and throughout Growing demand for overnight constraints of the pandemic.” IRJ IRJ The Railway in 2021 23 Jan freight_Layout 1 23/12/2020 12:48 Page 24

Europe | freight

No silver bullet to increase rail’s market share to 30%

Developing Digital Automatic Couplings would remove a manual process that is performed thousands of times a day across Europe, massively increasing efficiency. Photo: Shutterstock/Geza Kurka Photos Players across the European rail freight sector, including operators and the European Commission, agree that rail freight must increase its market share to 30% over the coming decade. While the consensus is that digitalisation has a major role to play in this modal shift, the question of who pays for this new technology remains, as David Burroughs explains. HERE is little debate around the clients - the steel industry, the chemical work associated with manual coupling. importance of increasing rail’s industry, and so on - are already using During the first stage of the project, freight market share across the rail,” the secretary general of the European 12 freight and tank wagons from DB EuropeanT Union (EU). Rail currently Shippers’ Council, Mr Godfried Smit, Cargo and GATX have been equipped accounts for 16.5% of all freight told the webinar. “The market share with coupling prototypes from four transported across the continent, while that we have to seduce to use rail at the different manufacturers: CAF, Dellner, consuming only 2% of the energy used moment is more difficult.” Wabtec and Voith. Technical tests are by transport. Moving freight from road Five enablers have been put forward now set to take place to select the to rail is a key strategy for contributing to increase digitalisation in rail freight: preferred coupling type. to the European Green Deal’s goal of = Digital Automatic Couplings (DAC) In the second stage, a demonstrator

decreasing freight’s CO2 emissions. = Digital Platforms train consisting of 24 freight wagons Rail Freight Forward (RFF), a coalition = Digital Capacity Management will be equipped with the selected of European rail freight companies = ERTMS, and coupling before operating in Germany, committed to drastically reducing the = Automatic Train Operation (ATO). Switzerland, Austria and other negative impact of freight transport DACs especially came to the fore European countries, which will include through innovation and a more intelligent towards the second half of 2020. daily use in marshalling yards. The transport mix, has set a goal to increase Shift2Rail (S2R) and a consortium led results from the project will then be the sector’s market share to 30% by 2030. by DB launched two connected projects integrated into the European DAC During the Unlocking the full potential in July to develop and test DAC on Programme, which was approved by of rail freight in Europe online webinar freight wagons, with the goal of S2R’s governing board on July 23. on November 23, regulation revision selecting a single solution for use across “We have been dreaming about this and digitalisation were put forward as Europe. RFF members and seven for decades,” DB Cargo CEO, Mrs the major advances needed to allow rail industry associations signed a Sigrid Nikutta, told the webinar. to unlock its full potential and achieve Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) The introduction of DAC will this goal. The webinar was hosted by in September, expressing their support eliminate the manual coupling process, the Community of European Railways for the implementation of DAC on all which is currently performed 54,000 and Infrastructure Companies (CER) European freight trains by 2030. times a day by DB Cargo staff. The and German Rail (DB), in cooperation With DAC, freight wagons and their system will also allow the digitisation with the German Presidency of the power, data and compressed air lines and automation of train formation, Council of the EU. are coupled together automatically, eliminating the need for staff to walk “You have to realise that your obvious removing the need for heavy physical the length of the train to check 24 IRJ The Railway in 2021 Jan freight_Layout 1 23/12/2020 12:48 Page 25

couplings. Each year, DB Cargo staff DACs, the role of the EU is to facilitate trailers are not equipped to be lifted by walk a total of 700,000km during train the rollout of technologies such as DAC crane, limiting the number that can be formation, the equivalent of circling the instead of simply paying for them. moved on and off rail. globe 17 times. “Of course it might have “I see the role of the EC here as a “We are advocating for EU-wide health benefits, but from a business standard setter… so that if a DAC system specifications and financial incentives to point of view in comparison with road works in Germany it also works in France make all semi-trailers cranable, which is it is a catastrophe,” Nikutta says. and any other railway system in Europe,” not really expensive,” she says. “We can As well as making current processes he says. “Don’t reduce the EU to only a have this done in eight years.” much more efficient, DACs would also financing institution. We are a regulator Improved labelling detailing how fruit support the growth of single wagonload and we bring in the European added and other consumer goods are transported services, which is seen as another key to value here, and we are ready and willing has also been put forward as a method attracting the yet-untapped share of the to do this in the coming years.” of informing consumer choice and, market. Research funding to support the ultimately, encouraging shippers to use development of technologies such as more environmentally friendly modes DACs was provided through facilities such as rail. Funding such as the Horizon Europe fund. Goetz “We need consumers to realise that Rolling out the selected DAC system said there was also the possibility that choosing organic cereals at their local will not be a simple task, and Nikutta countries could request funding to install store is not enough,” Nikutta says. “We says it will cost an estimated É6-8bn to DACs through the É672.5bn National need them - the consumers - to realise equip all 500,000 wagons across Europe. Recovery and Resilience fund, which that there are more things to consider However, the general manager of the was released in response to the Covid- for a sustainable lifestyle. What if this Association of German Transport 19 pandemic. food has been transported by diesel Companies (VDV), Mr Oliver Wolff, “The EU is not normally the first body trucks all over Europe? One day I want warned that not introducing DACs across the continent risked creating isolated “islands” that would be cut off from the rest of the network. Don’t reduce the EU to only a financing institution. We are “If you introduce it in France, for example, and not the rest of Europe, a regulator and we bring in the European added value then France would become an island and the system would not deliver what “ here. Walter Goetz it needs to deliver,” he said. Wolff added that he is concerned that the available budget from the European to finance rolling stock,” he said. “We to be able to walk into my local store, Commission (EC) is limited, and urged usually do not finance rolling stock in reach for my groceries and see a label the commission to take the lead on the Connecting Europe Facility. The big that says ‘transported sustainably by ensuring the system was installed money is now in the Recovery and rail’ on each packet of cereal and every across Europe. Resilience fund, but it’s too early to say package in the store. We can really make “We really need to have it in every how it will finance things. I would put rail freight a part of people’s everyday country because freight especially travels this DAC into the digital chapter and lives.” all over Europe, and we need a not in the rolling stock chapter, because This was echoed by Smit and Ms homogenous system,” he says. “I would then the financing is easier to justify at a Anna Deparnay-Grunenberg, a member be happy if we used the lessons we have European level.” of the European parliament’s transport learned with the ETCS system here with While the EU could provide some and tourism committee. this coupling system with a strong money, Goetz said public funding would “We would love to support this idea approach and homogenous system never be able to cover the required because you can see the efforts that implementation, in a timeframe that is investment, which is where the private shippers take to move to rail or inland ambitious and short so that freight can sector needs to step in. shipping or a form of green transport,” deliver even earlier what it needs to “We need investment for it, we need Smit says. “It’s good that when you buy deliver.” competition in the market and we need your bananas you can make the This was echoed by Nikutta, who called to provide better services,” he said. distinction between the bananas that are for further support from the EC. “We need Work is also continuing with the produced in a sustainable way but not wagons which are able to be coupled European Union Agency for Railways transported sustainably.” throughout Europe and that’s why we (ERA) to consider whether the technical DACs, cranable semi-trailers or green need this European funding, because if specifications for signalling need to be stickers alone will not be able to create one or two or three countries say ‘we updated in anticipation of the the momentum required to achieve don’t have the money for this type of introduction of DACs, which would something as large as a 14% increase in digitalisation,’ then the whole project support rollout once adopted. the market share within a decade. Instead, will not be successful,” she says. “At the There is no silver bullet to fix the low it will be a combination of these moment, we have this historic window share of freight on rail, and a number of technologies and improved collaboration of opportunity to achieve a harmonised other ideas were also put forward across the sector, as Goetz acknowledged. DAC system throughout Europe.” during the webinar. “The whole tool box needs to come However, Mr Walter Goetz, the head Nikutta says that while DB Cargo together to get this 30% by 2030,” he of cabinet for European transport currently operates 12,000 single wagonload says. “That’s not an easy task if you commissioner, Ms Adina Valean, said services a week, this is hampered by the look at what happened in the last 10 that while they are very supportive of fact that more than 90% of road semi- years.” IRJ IRJ The Railway in 2021 25 Jan BNSF -1_Layout 1 23/12/2020 13:57 Page 26

North America | BNSF

New CEO looks to create lasting legacy at BNSF States economy, and I liked that aspect. Farmer says this growth hasn’t been Through the pandemic, we have seen replicated in other sectors such as the that with great clarity. BNSF has industrial products business, which has delivered critical PPE [personal seen slower, more gradual increases. protective equipment] to the front lines; Freight linked with energy we’ve helped restock the shelves. We production, including sand for fracking, make a difference, and that’s because of was struggling to recover following the our employees - the hard-working men pandemic, while freight related to the and women at BNSF.” construction industry was increasing The US has been hit hard by the more steadily. The agricultural Covid-19 pandemic. Farmer says that in commodities sector was least hit by the the depths of the first wave of the pandemic. pandemic, BNSF was loading around BNSF had witnessed a structural 150,000 units a week, down from pre- decline in coal volumes prior to the pandemic levels of more than 200,000 pandemic, Farmer says, with a mild units a week. This had recovered to winter resulting in reduced demand for around the 200,000 units mark in early electricity and low natural gas prices. October. “Those volumes have stabilised now BNSF’s consumer products business, coming out of the pandemic, but they including domestic and international were certainly impacted by the intermodal and automotive sectors, shutdown,” she says. Katie Farmer, BNSF president and were key in driving the recovery. CEO, talks to Marybeth Luczak. “We have seen volume increase quickly,” Farmer says. “Over-the-road Operating philosophy 8 years after joining BNSF’s [long-distance] capacity has tightened. While other Class I railways have predecessor Burlington Northern’s There is a restocking going on in the streamlined operations under Precision management training programme supply chain, so we are helping to refill Scheduled Railroading (PSR), BNSF has in2 1992, Ms Katie Farmer took on the the distribution centres. bucked the trend. As a subsidiary of role of BNSF president and CEO on “Something that we were seeing in Berkshire Hathaway, BNSF is in a January 1, becoming the first woman to lead a United States Class 1 railway. Farmer has held leadership positions in every major function of BNSF, starting as a management trainee at predecessor Burlington Northern in 1992. She takes over from Mr Carl Ice, When you have a competitive cost structure and a focus who is retiring, and will lead the board “ of directors while overseeing the 52,300 on growth, you have a great opportunity to have a return route-km network that spans 28 states Katie Farmer and three Canadian provinces for that justifies investment in capacity. parent company Berkshire Hathaway. Farmer’s priorities include driving productivity and delivering a high level of customer service; improving communication across the railway and this country before the pandemic was unique position compared with the ensuring that connections continue to the move from bricks-and-mortar to other North American Class 1s which be made with all parties it affects; and online retailing; we have seen that have to respond to the whims of supporting employees to reach their full accelerate as we’ve moved through the shareholders. potential by taking advantage of similar pandemic. We’re excited about that. We “We are tied very closely to the professional development opportunities think that is a great fit for our railroad. industrial and consumer economies, she was afforded. We have the largest intermodal network and if you look back over time, there Farmer joined Burlington Northern in the world - the fastest, most have been peaks and valleys in on an internship between her junior and consistent network - and that’s a great volumes,” Farmer says. “What we senior year of college at Texas Christian match for what our customers need. believe at BNSF is we have to have a University. “Working closely with the large bias for growth. That means we “What attracted me to the rail retailers, the steamship companies, the position ourselves to be flexible enough industry back then and what’s true trucking companies, we believe that’s that when we have opportunities for today is the importance of what the rail going to be a great mutual opportunity. growth, we capture them. To do that, industry does and the relevancy,” Parcel shipments, truckload shipments, you have to have a competitive cost Farmer told IRJ’s sister publication anything in our consumer products structure. So we have a relentless focus Sbjmxbz!Bhf on October 8. “The railroad business will continue to be strong on efficiency, productivity, and having is really the backbone of the United through the balance of the year.” that competitive cost structure. 26 IRJ The Railway in 2021 Jan BNSF -1_Layout 1 23/12/2020 13:57 Page 27

“When you have a competitive cost structure and a focus on growth, you have a great opportunity to have a return that justifies investment in capacity. And when you invest in capacity, it positions you to be able to say ‘yes’ to customers. That’s our business model.” Farmer says BNSF is looking to invest in places that enable the railway to continue to respond to customer needs and improve efficiency and productivity. “That’s our long-term perspective,” she says. “In the short-term, we have to work to match our resources with demand - our locomotives, our track, our terminal capacity, our workforce. Farmer says BNSF has consistently committed to investing in the integrity of its infrastructure, including when volumes were lower. This continued in 2020, when about $US 2.4bn of BNSF’s $US 3bn capital plan was spent on infrastructure. “The challenge for us is when we look at projects, we can’t look at capital on a one-year timeline; we have to look at it with more of a five to 10-year lens,” Farmer says. “Even in a period like this BNSF’s loading fell from pre-pandemic levels of 200,000 units a week to 150,000 units a week year where volumes are lower, we’re at the height of the first wave. Photo: Shutterstock/Hane Street involved in multi-year expansion Kansas City to Wellington, Kansas, is manned 24/7. Mechanical employees projects. We think it’s the right thing to taking the entire corridor to 99% then diagnose the issue and decide do - again, to position ourselves to be double-track. whether to stop the train immediately able to say ‘yes’ in the future for “This project will not only give us or let it carry on to its destination. customers.” extra capacity, but it will give us “We are going to continue to look at Farmer points to the opening of a additional recoverability in our where we can roll that out across our fourth mainline in Winslow, Arizona, network, so when we have service system for additional equipment along the Southern Transcon corridor interruptions, this gives us more components,” Farmer says. “But as between Southern California and capabilities to run around interruptions great as the data and artificial Chicago, Illinois, last year as an and deliver the kind of service that our intelligence is, it takes really good example of how BNSF is using customers require,” Farmer says. people to understand what to do with infrastructure to improve services for However, BNSF is not looking to it. And I think that’s important because customers by increasing the consistency increase its locomotive fleet, with you get a lot of data, and what we need and efficiency of operation. Farmer saying it was appropriately is our talented people who know how “The value is that Winslow is a crew- sized to meet growing customer to railroad and know what to do with change point on our Southern demand. the information to really make an Transcon,” Farmer says. “It allows us to impact and make it actionable.” be able to handle different profiles of While the recovery from the Covid-19 freight, meaning we can handle grain Technology pandemic will be an immediate trains and high-speed intermodal trains, Improved infrastructure performance challenge for Farmer in 2021, she all through the terminal, and make is aided by the deployment of new acknowledges there will be ups and crew-changes and do inspections technologies. For example, BNSF is downs in future as she aims to shape without impacting the velocity for any using machine vision systems (MVS) the legacy of BNSF for the next 25 of our customers. Why we’re with its network of wayside detectors to years. particularly excited is we now have that reduce rail equipment incidents and “I look forward to continuing to lead kind of capability at every one of our service interruptions. The technology us through the various business cycles crew-change locations across the uses artificial intelligence (AI) in to continue to drive productivity and Southern Transcon.” combination with MVS to analyse efficiency and a good cost structure, and BNSF is also anticipating growth in equipment images and identify small most importantly, to deliver the kind of the parcel, truckload and international defects before they lead to larger service that our customers have come to businesses, and will continue to invest problems. expect from BNSF,” she says. IRJ in preparation for this upturn. This The system collects 750,000 images a includes a multi-year project to add an day. If the AI detects an issue, it sends This feature is based on a Rail Group on Air additional 80km of second track to the an alarm to a mechanical desk in podcast, available at railjournal.com, Apple Southern Transcon corridor from BNSF’s network operations centre that podcasts, Google Play and Soundcloud. IRJ The Railway in 2021 27 Jan PSR_Layout 1 23/12/2020 18:19 Page 28

North America | freight Developing a scalable, digitial PSR Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR), pioneered by the late Hunter Harrison, has improved the performance of several North American Class 1 railways. Sonia Bot, chief executive of The Bot Consulting Group, and John Orr, a railway operations expert and former chief transport officer with CN, make the case for the next generation of PSR. HE current version of Precision as profitability and future proofing in management view of a transport Scheduled Railroading (PSR), the face of rapid change. ecosystem in which railways commit to which we refer to as 1.0, has PSR 1.0 is an origin-to-destination reliable service, cost control and asset producedT measurable financial, method of managing a railway. It optimisation. PSR 2.0 should be anchored operational and service improvements challenges traditional asset utilisation by an operating methodology and for railways. Yet, some internal growing and service quality practices and is structure based on leveraging optimal pains continue, accompanied by geared toward optimising existing revenue generation and growth strategies. shockwaves absorbed by shippers, non- assets. It is based on operating fixed The five pillars of PSR 1.0 are PSR railways, partners, advocates and train schedules that optimise train load foundational, timeless and meaningful policymakers. and yield and improve service to everyone, regardless of role. They PSR 1.0 is widely accepted as the accountability down to the wagonload provide a decision-making framework benchmark of financially sound level. for implementing PSR 2.0. Here are five railways and is starting to materially The key tenets of PSR 1.0 are: guiding principles to take PSR to the change the investment landscape. North = provide service: doing what you say next level: American infrastructure funds are you are going to do = reward entrepreneurial culture: getting involved in the railway = control costs: eliminate unnecessary everyone is innovative, resourceful and renaissance. In July 2019, US financial costs creates value services company Morningstar reported = optimise assets: use assets more = exercise business rigour and that PSR is “the surest path to the best efficiently and productively relevancy: precisely match services operating ratio (OR), a key industry = operate safely: safety is the top (supply) with markets (demand) and measure of profitability.” priority, and business objectives or obligations To date, PSR has been applied to = develop people: cultivate the best = forge productive partnerships: some North American Class 1 railways team. strengthen performance and viability but has yet to be applied widely to PSR 1.0 has driven improvements in = safeguard end-to-end flow: Class 2, Class 3, short line, tenant and line and yard capacity, productivity, accounting for downstream impacts passenger railways. This gap in PSR asset fluidity and costs. With the across systems, and deployment represents about 40% of impressive improvements in operating = foster a learning organisation: North American route-km, but there is ratios, PSR is currently widely accepted continual mastery and improvement. both excitement and apprehension in in investment and finance circles as the These guiding principles serve as expanding PSR into these new areas. benchmark of financially sound enhancers to increase value; Escalating trade disruptions, rail railways. accelerators, where progress occurs strikes, blockades, weather events and But PSR 1.0 has its limits. Costs can faster and more effectively; and the Covid-19 pandemic have highlighted only be cut so far before the cost base sustainers to maintain gains. the urgency to make supply chains needs to be transformed. PSR 1.0 is PSR 2.0 transcends PSR 1.0 by more resilient. Transport supply chains focused on individual railways and embracing entrepreneurship and are under increasing pressure to meet their internal operations, optimising partnerships across railway and related demand while keeping inventory levels assets and reducing costs while trying transport systems. It expands PSR 1.0 to low. The weaknesses in the international to support new business ventures that include revenue generation and growth supply chains have also been exposed, may not be mature. For other transport strategies. Productive partnerships that and the escalating domestic transport players, this creates downstream go beyond individual railways to turmoil demonstrates the need for end- impacts, with partners such as Class 2 extend across the rail industry and to-end approaches, standards, solutions, and 3 railways having to step up as embrace other transport players are key. and greater service level accountability “shock absorbers.” Service quality for PSR 2.0 requires an entrepreneurial and safety. customers has ranged from painful culture, creating a system of shared It is time for the next generation of marked degradations to unprecedented values, beliefs and norms. It includes PSR to provide the means for improvements. embracing ingenuity, valuing creative implementing and scaling PSR for people and cross-pollinating functional mainstream adoption - not just within disciplines and industry sectors. PSR 2.0 individual railways, but across railways PSR 2.0 also depends on believing that and the entire transport ecosystem, It is time for PSR to evolve and scale innovation and seizing market globally, including a supply chain that across the rail network and its partners, opportunities are critical to survival and is becoming more integrated, nimble driving greater business value and prosperity, and to dealing with and transparent. At its core, it is about efficiency gains. To achieve this, we environmental uncertainty, competitors providing customer service reliably, believe that PSR 2.0 should be a and threats. predictably, effectively and safely; constantly evolving purpose and data- In this new mode of operation, it is thereby producing other benefits, such driven origin-to-destination no longer acceptable to overlook 28 IRJ The Railway in 2021 Jan PSR_Layout 1 23/12/2020 18:19 Page 29

downstream impacts. To date, Class 1 policymakers, the mandate of which is demand. As a result, all parties would PSR 1.0 adoption has been inward to protect the transport system, often share improved performance and asset facing: closing yards, rationalising leaving them to guess what is going on. efficiency benefits. assets, and rightsizing service, leaving They heard many concerns, possibly Currently, supply chain visibility is Class 2 and 3 railways to deal with the biased, as changes were being made, generally segmented and does not impacts and bear the burden of being but had little, if any, basis to properly transcend entities well. Typically, a shock absorbers. Mitigation results in evaluate and respond, let alone catch up product coming off the production line disproportional costs and changes to after the fact. With PSR 2.0, public in Asia is transported to a port, shipped across the Pacific to a North American port, transported by rail to an inland distribution centre and delivered by road to retail locations. Consequently, PSR 2.0 transcends PSR 1.0 by embracing there are gaps in the downstream work scope, impairing the ability to make entrepreneurship and partnerships across railway and precise decisions. All of this results in “ lost productivity and opportunities to related transport systems. adapt and respond to operational realities and fluctuations. With PSR 2.0, various roles within the span of delivering agreed first-mile and last- advocacy/partners would be engaged influence and control among entities in mile service. With PSR 2.0, the changes upfront in any change process, properly the supply chain are articulated, agreed, would be proactively planned and informed and prepared as the changes measured, monitored and enforced. executed with a view of first-mile/last- begin to roll out. PSR 2.0 would allow The immediate sweet spot for PSR mile cause-and-effect to ensure smooth them to provide early guidance on 2.0’s launch and evolution would be the flow throughout the system. regulatory and industry impacts. entry of a Class 2 PSR implementation, A unified PSR platform is central to When Class 1, 2 and 3 railways while working together with current PSR 2.0 and its governing processes, construct a commercial Train Service Class 1 PSR-based railways that are policies and technologies. This platform Agreement (TSA) that defines service ready to mature to this next level of is a mechanism to protect the rail frequency, interchange locations and capability. An optimal cost:benefit industry’s relevance and future. Well- dispute resolution mechanisms, it does balance will begin manifesting across defined hand-offs among parties and not always consider the views of all the end-to-end ecosystem. This domino legal entities are vital. All parties earn a parties involved equally, with Class 2 effect will draw in numerous railways, seat at the table. They must see the and 3 railways carrying less weight shippers, and public and enterprise cause-and-effect impacts across the end- than a Class 1. TSAs tend to be used to advocacy/policy partners. to-end system, as opposed to existing in discuss service failures, thereby invoking We believe that waiting for the rising silos. dispute resolution mechanisms. tide of the economy is short-sighted as The platform allows for better PSR 2.0 would add rigour and it could be a long wait, and supply responsiveness and market relevance. commitment to the planning and chains could shorten as North America Furthermore, a unified PSR platform balanced execution of TSAs, rather than contemplates onshoring and building with aligned partnerships is an focusing on conflict resolution. It would national capacity in critical areas. alternative to an exclusive “acquire- encourage dialogue between those PSR 2.0 provides a unique and-comply” growth strategy. PSR 2.0 constructing the TSA, demand opportunity to transform the rail can also facilitate integration following repeatable service commitments and industry and the entire transport mergers and acquisitions. accountabilities based on facts and data, ecosystem, globally. It has the power to The interacting players are Class 1, 2 and uphold agreed ways to measure achieve sustainable operational and and 3 railways; passenger operators; air and monitor performance to allow a organisational effectiveness, and transport, seaports, road hauliers and response to temporary changes in profitable growth. IRJ pipeline operators; and regulators, legislators, unions, and industry groups. First implementers and early Class 1 railway adopters will create the momentum for others, with the unified PSR platform growing and maturing as more adopters engage. Initial implementations will have PSR 1.0 players adopting basic PSR 2.0. Another transition would include new adopters starting with PSR 2.0 implementation. Over time, as capability matures, the unified platform would be fully established on PSR 2.0. Any laggards, such as those stopping at PSR 1.0, would receive only partial benefits from a PSR 2.0 platform. PSR 1.0 has been implemented with little consultation with regulators and PSR, pioneered at CN, is geared toward optimising existing assets. Photo: Shutterstock/Drew Halverson IRJ The Railway in 2021 29 Jan US CG and Amtrak_Layout 1 23/12/2020 13:04 Page 30

North America | infrastructure Rethinking infrastructure investment value, and people’s brains get to work, as he believes this allows various Norman Anderson, CEO of CG/LA and they start to get creative.” bidders to optimise each section of the Infrastructure, talks to David There appears to be scope for more of project. these projects to pop up across the country. Anderson also believes that projects Burroughs. Brightline has identified 11 corridors should be designed “technology heavy, that are “too short to fly, but too long to rather than technology light.” IVEN the United States’ geography, drive” - what it considers as the sweet “You’re actually producing an enormous with large city pairs separated by spot for high-speed rail including Las amount of value because you’re open spaces and approximately Vegas - Los Angeles. The US High Speed recognising the value of the network, 320-480kmG apart, the country initially Rail Association has also proposed a rather than seeing it is something to be appears to be well-suited to the network of high-speed lines. built on the cheap,” he says. “What’s development of a high-speed passenger However, Anderson is of the happening with technology is it’s going network. However, while there have countercultural view that there are a to have software that can be upgraded been ambitious plans over the years to lack of city pairs in the US that could be every year. So every year, you’re going build new lines, this has so far failed to well connected with high-speed rail. “We to get new performance enhancements.” materialise. struggle to find city pairs… because it’s The third change is the development Mr Norman Anderson, CEO of just such a big place,” he says. “They’ve of skills within the public sector to international advisor CG/LA Infrastructure, suggested Chicago to Springfield, but optimise and oversee project performance. says the key to unlocking these projects that’s not a pair - it’s only half a pair. “I think we’ve got to revitalise the could be in the way they can create And they want to go on to St Louis, but public sector, we need to train these wider value. St Louis is a dying city. It doesn’t make guys and give them a sense of the Anderson points to California and any sense.” importance of private investment, but Texas as examples of two high-speed Anderson still foresees growth for also the tools to manage the private projects in the US with differing inter-city rail through increased investment so that what’s agreed to in approaches to value creation. investment in Amtrak under president- the contract can be efficiently adhered The 320km/h Dallas - Houston Texas elect Mr Joe Biden. “Biden’s a lover of to.” Central high-speed line is due to begin Amtrak, he is a train lover, and as a result Anderson says a new funding model construction in the first half of the year we tend to believe that they’re going to needs to be developed for transit that after receiving the final Rule of Particular get funding to not just improve Amtrak doesn’t simply rely on state or federal Applicability (RPA) and Record of but also address some of the fundamental funds in order to operate, and Anderson Decision (ROD) from the Federal Railroad infrastructure issues like the tunnels in says there are also lessons from the Administration (FRA) in September Baltimore and the Gateway project,” he freight sector that could be transferred 2020. When completed, passengers will says. to transit. be able to travel between Dallas and “I would argue that there are features Houston - with an intermediate station of the freight rail model that you have in the Brazos Valley near Texas A&M Transit to adopt for transit, and value capture is University - in less than 1h 30min. The lessons on value capture from the a piece of it,” he says. “Modernising the The under-construction California Texas Central project might help to breathe networks, ensuring services are reliable high-speed project (IRJ Novembner 2020, life into transit networks across the country. and balancing the timetable to meet p31) has had a more difficult time. The “It’s the same sort of weird dynamic demand could also play a part in project, launched in 2012, was originally where you’re building on the cheap, reviving the sector. Leasing rolling stock designed to connect San Francisco and rather than optimising value,” he says. “A instead of owning it could also play a Sacramento with Los Angeles and San modern rail project is value optimised - part in ensuring the fleet is regularly Diego. However, in February 2019 the you’ve got to figure out how to do that. renewed, and using space within governor of California, Mr Gavin We’re just starting to come to grips with stations could not only generate Newsom, announced that the project the fact that we’re resource constrained, additional revenue, but also breathe would be scaled back due to spiralling whereas the rest of the world has been economic life into the areas costs and poor oversight, and only the resource constrained for about 50 years surrounding them.” section currently under construction in so are much more creative in terms of As the United States prepares for the the Central Valley will be completed. coming up with all sorts of different change in executive leadership from While he describes Texas Central as alternatives to finance projects.” Trump to Biden, a major question is “a wonderful project” that “might be In order to solve this, Anderson how the latter’s plans for infrastructure something that Biden will find attractive” proposes three changes in the way that will vary from the former’s, and what to invest in, Anderson says the California urban projects are procured and built. the new president will prioritise. project is “possibly the dumbest project The first is to do away with the model During the election campaign last year, in the history of dumb projects.” of creating a single contract for the project, Biden promised to spark the “second “I don’t understand why in the US, such as a design, build, operate, maintain great railroad revolution,” which would everything has to be publicly funded,” contract, which is then awarded to a ensure “America has the cleanest, he says. “You get really ugly, cheap stations single company or consortium. Instead, safest, and fastest rail system in the without a store anywhere near them. Anderson suggests cities “carve it into world - for both passengers and But if it’s a private project, all of a sudden pieces and figure out how to get the freight.” Meeting this promise requires you’ve got to figure out how to capture private sector as involved as possible,” a huge amount of work. IRJ 30 IRJ The Railway in 2021 Jan US CG and Amtrak_Layout 1 23/12/2020 13:04 Page 31

North America | Amtrak

Defining Amtrak’s True Mission: connecting America In this context, I would like to provide woefully limited funding further, so we some perspective on the board’s view can keep our trains running safely and regarding the future of Amtrak, and address urgent investment needs. address suggestions that Amtrak’s focus Additionally, when we demonstrate is on “profitability” and concerns about good efficiency and the ability to be the future of long-distance service. effective financial stewards, we create a Let me start with the notion of making stronger company that more easily Amtrak “profitable.” Profitability is not attracts public investment. It is too easy Amtrak’s mission. Our mission, as defined for detractors to point to examples of by Congress, is “to provide efficient and inefficiency as a reason to not invest in effective inter-city passenger rail mobility the future of Amtrak and we need to consisting of high-quality service that is take away that argument every day. By trip-time competitive with other inter- virtually eliminating operating losses city travel options.” As our governing prior to the pandemic, we have been statute has recognised since the 1970s, able to use federal dollars for record Amtrak will never generate enough amounts of capital investments in new revenue to be profitable from an rolling stock and critical improvements accounting perspective. instead of operating losses, as we had Tony Coscia, chairman, Amtrak Mobility is not a money-maker if you to in the past. board of directors. have to pay for 100% of the cost of Amtrak’s goal isn’t to declare dividends, getting from point A to point B. No mode but to expand services to the millions of T has been an honour to serve on the of passenger transport fully pays for Americans who are underserved today Amtrak board for the past decade. I itself. Airline tickets, the cost of driving, across our nation. Our plan to expand am extremely proud of the hardworking and commuter train and bus fares would the system is not a substitute for long- employeesI at Amtrak who keep America all be prohibitively expensive if users distance service, but a desire for our moving. Our current circumstances had to fund all costs associated with national network to become more viable remind us of just how fortunate we are to them. Even our roads and interstates, and more meaningful to the whole nation. have their commitment and dedication. which road advocates used to love We recognise the critical role that It is because of their efforts that Amtrak saying were “user funded,” require long-distance routes already play in began 2020 in the strongest position billions in subsidies each year, with the communities across America. These since we were created nearly 50 years federal government providing more trains provide essential transport and ago. Ridership, revenue and financial than $US 157bn in general revenue contribute to both economic opportunity performance were at record levels. With subsidies for the insolvent Highway and quality of life in places that have the support of our state partners, Amtrak Trust Fund since 2008. And, of course, long ago been abandoned by the airlines was on track to generate revenues airlines don’t build airports, and and bus carriers. By creating corridors exceeding operating expenses for the first government at various levels provides around the nation that are inter- time ever. The company began preparing substantial subsidies to transit systems. connected by current long-distance for next-generation Acela trains, and The costs of inter-city passenger rail routes, we can enhance the viability of had a bold vision of expanding train just happen to mostly run through long-distance service and make the service in new and existing corridors Amtrak, and as a result the full expense national network more essential, not less. across the country. of our mode is easier to see. Given this, It is important that we all work together When the Covid-19 pandemic hit the Amtrak funding has always been a to make sure this happens. We can’t let nation in March, Amtrak quickly reacted target by critics and competitors that protectors of rural services provided by to protect the health and safety of our like to forget the subsidisation that our long-distance network be indifferent customers and employees and maintain occurs across all modes. to the many cities we fail to serve today. services for essential travellers and trips. Facing such an environment, Amtrak And, our Northeast Corridor can only We, like all transport providers, were hit has had to try to make the best possible achieve the stable investment levels it especially hard by the pandemic, with use of its limited resources in order to needs if leaders from that region find a ridership plummeting by 97% in only a advance vital capital projects and make way to replicate its success in other matter of weeks. Emergency funding a case for greater investment. growing corridors in the nation. from Congress helped us survive this Amtrak has never been provided We need all stakeholders to both initial shock, but the continued 80% with the necessary public investments protect our existing routes and provide reduction in our ridership and the lack we’ve needed to truly serve our nation the capital for expansion. We need of any additional federal support so far and thrive. We’ve always been forced to additional federal funding to cover the has required us to make very painful prioritise keeping the railway running massive revenue losses that Amtrak and decisions to temporarily reduce our over making improvements, expanding our state partners are experiencing due workforce and long-distance train the network and modernising our to Covid-19. We need investment in frequencies. services. When you hear us talk about stations, infrastructure and a modern These furloughs and service improving the economics of our services fleet to replace equipment that Amtrak reductions represent the single-most and our company, it is not because we received when I was in high school. difficult decision we have made as a are trying to “turn a profit,” but rather These are Amtrak’s priorities in the company in the past decade. because we must try to stretch our years to come. IRJ

IRJ The Railway in 2021 31 January India_Layout 1 22/12/2020 17:31 Page 32

Asia | India

Restructuring brings difficulties for Indian Railways understandable. Last year, IR’s chairman off by some years,” says former IR Srinand Jha, regional editor and CEO, Mr V K Yadav, held out the board member, Mr Rajesh Agarwal. promise of “capacity building and Such assumptions are not off the mark. NDIAN Railways’ (IR) operating efficiency enhancement” through a Highly publicised projects such as the ratio shot up alarmingly in the third structural reform plan. However, the Mumbai - Ahmedabad high-speed quarter of 2020 ending in September. results of the transformation plan have project, station redevelopment schemes, WithI IR rapidly running out of funds to yet to materialise. and the Dedicated Freight Corridors, meet expenses due to the effects of the IR’s current challenges are largely seen have remained on pause in recent Covid-19 pandemic, the Ministry of as the outcome of the failure by political months, while production of coaches Railways was forced to solicit additional leaders and rail managers to plan or and locomotives has been slashed, as funds from finance minister, Ms Nirmala execute ideas to their logical conclusion. passenger services have remained Sitharaman, to help to pay this year’s The streamlining of IR’s board and suspended since June 2020, with just a pension bills. management was aimed at breaking down handful of premium-fare trains allowed IR has 1.27 million employees to run silos and unencumbering unwieldy rail to run during the Covid-19 pandemic. 22,678 passenger and freight trains on bureaucracy. Issues relating to future The private train initiative has been its 67,415km network, making it the recruitment and the chain of command embroiled in disagreements between country’s biggest employer. In 2018-19, remain unclear. the IR board and private train operators IR’s payroll was a whopping Rs 1,343.6bn Niti Aayog, the Indian government’s on the proposed terms of the contract. ($US 18.25bn) an increase of Rs 56.49bn think tank, has questioned the ministry’s And, after three rounds of tenders were over the previous year. Salaries and earlier decision to entrust the 17 zonal floated, it has also been one step pensions account for approximately half railway general managers with forward and two steps back regarding of operating costs, while fuel bills make administrative and financial powers on the plan for the import/indigenous up 40%. This means limited funds are a par with IR board members. Rather manufacture of 160km/h passenger trains. available for modernisation and than giving the decision a green signal development works. on a piece-meal basis, Niti Aayog, in a Freight revenue has continued to be recent letter to the IR board, has sought No clarity used to cross-subsidise the passenger clarity about the complete restructuring Four years since the electrification business. IR reportedly spent Rs 505.79bn plan. plan was conceived, there is still no to meet its social service obligations Meanwhile, several top positions, clarity on how to monetise the 4000 such as providing concessionary fares including those of board member, strong fleet of diesel locomotives that and running uneconomic branch lines rolling stock, and additional members, have been displaced before the end of and suburban services, as railways have remained vacant. “Officers are their working life. The value of the minister, Mr Piyush Goyal, informed highly demoralised and apprehensive redundant locomotives has been parliament in February. about future prospects because of the assessed at around Rs 200bn. The urgency of IR’s rail managers to arbitrariness with which the reform In addition, IR is bound by a take bold reform measures - such as the measures are being pushed through,” a contractual agreement to induct 100 decision in December 2019 to merge the senior ministry official said on condition of diesel locomotives annually over 10 eight existing cadres into a single IR anonymity. years from the GE/Wabtec plant set up management service and cut the IR board “In such a climate, it is only logical to in 2016 at Marhoura in Bihar. “We have from eight to four members, is assume that big-ticket plans will be put delivered 230 locomotives [comprising 209 3356kW and 21 4474kW] to Indian Railways and are confident of meeting targets in coming years as well,” says Mr Sandeep Singh from Wabtec India. He added that approximately 15% of IR’s network would remain diesel powered and that the Marhoura locomotives would be deployed for strategic reasons or to haul trains in difficult mountainous terrain such as India’s northeast. Nevertheless, IR has not deviated from its plan to electrify the entire network. IR has a similarly ambitious goal to increase its share of total freight traffic from around 22% today to 45% by 2030. To achieve this, the National Rail Plan 2030 talks about increasing capacity, for example by building high-speed lines to relieve congestion on lines with heavy passenger and freight demand. However, IR has been slow on delivery. Indian Railways has suspended most passenger services since June. Photo: Shutterstock/Dinesh Hukmani The highly publicised plan to redevelop 32 IRJ The Railway in 2021 January India_Layout 1 22/12/2020 17:31 Page 33

Asia | mass transit

400 stations has not taken off. Of the the Sarai Rohila-Kishanganj railway Mr R R Jaruhar. “Using the Covid-19 schemes included in the first phase, the colony in Delhi was cancelled mid-way. situation to continue the ban reveals a redevelopment of Gandhinagar station “IR talks about the need to open up, defeatist attitude and contains long has accumulated a huge cost overrun but rail bureaucracy remains unwilling term and adverse consequences.” and work is nowhere near complete. to give up the monopolistic mindset,” In the next three months, an entirely Redevelopment of Surat station has says former IR board member, Mr new railway board will be in place as also not yet begun. Subodh Jain. “This is the reason that the current members including Yadav Contracts were awarded for the projects are getting stuck.” are due to retire. The National High- redevelopment of Bijwasan, IR’s response to current challenges Speed Rail Corporation Ltd (NHSRCL) Chandigarh and Anand Vihar stations has been defensive, at best. Following will also have a new chairman, as Mr more than a year ago, but construction the Covid-19 outbreak, passenger Achal Khare will retire shortly. Railway has not started. The Delhi High Court services - which had been generating circles are therefore hopeful that with has slapped a penalty of Rs 12bn on IR losses anyway - were halted. “Not all the change of top managers, IR will regarding a claim filed by Parasvnath categories of passenger services are loss come to acquire a fresh direction and Builders after the contract to redevelop making,” says former IR board member, thrust. IRJ Lucknow lessons feed into Uttar Pradesh MRT strategy numbers, which reached 25 million by meet people’s expectations. UPMRC March 5 2020. The line now carries an also hosted educational and awareness average of 70,000 passengers a day. excursions at its stations to build its UPMRC managing director, Mr Kumar brand image. This was run alongside Keshav, says the Lucknow Metro project metro awareness sessions in schools has improved mobility by connecting and colleges and social campaigns and prominent residential areas, commercial rigorous activity on social media. centres and markets such as Hazratganj, Lucknow Metro also opened the Singar Nagar and Bhootnath Market. The stations to food outlets and other metro also improved inter-state mobility shops to increase footfall. Encouraging by connecting the Railway Junction, passengers to switch to using the Charbagh railway station, Alambagh metro has made a significant Bus Stand and Chaudhary Charan contribution towards reducing carbon Singh International Airport. emissions. UPMRC has submitted a detailed “Metro projects form the bedrock project report (DPR) for the East-West for ushering urbanisation, ensuring Corridor of Lucknow Metro Phase 1B to economic development and heralding the government, with work due to begin as the social transformation of the city,” soon as it is approved. The predominantly Keshav says. “Metro services connect Kumar Keshav, managing director, underground corridor will run from the major nodes of the city and reduce Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Charbagh to Vasant Kunj, connecting commuting time as well as boosting densely-populated areas in old Lucknow. connectivity. The metro also eases Corporation, talks to Charbagh Railway station will act as the congestion by reducing vehicular David Burroughs. interchange between the two lines. traffic on the roads and solves the Alstom was awarded a É150m problem of encroachment.” FTER opening the first 8.5km contract in October 2015 to supply a In order to make the metro more priority section of Lucknow’s fleet of 20 four-car Metropolis trains as attractive, UPMRC is looking to metro in September 2017, Uttar well as the CBTC signalling for the line. improve first and last-mile PradeshA Metro Rail Corporation Keshav says this process of combining connectivity. It has signed a (UPMRC) is building on the success of the rolling stock and signalling memorandum of understanding the line and the lessons learned during contracts prevented miscommunication (MoU) with transport consultants construction and operation to bring between suppliers, and also allowed the Urban Mass Transit Company (UMTC) metro services to other cities in the fleet to be delivered within 64 weeks of and Uber to provide feeder services region. the contract being awarded. from metro stations. UPMRC is also The priority section from Transport The trains operate at Grade of planning to hire e-rickshaws as a Nagar to Charbagh, which has eight Automation 2 (GoA2) using CBTC. The convenient and eco-friendly feeder elevated stations, served 130,000 Automatic Train Operation (ATO) is service. passengers during its opening governed under the Automatic Train UPMRC has submitted a Detailed weekend. This popularity continued, Control (ATC) system and Automatic Project Report (DPR) for the Lucknow with the line carrying one million Train Supervision (ATS) protocols which Metro East-West corridor, which is passengers within the first 70 days of continuously monitor and regulate train currently awaiting approval from the operation and reaching 11 million movement within the framework of government. The line will be passengers by June 26 2019. Automatic Train Protection (ATP). predominantly underground and The second 17.3km section from In order to convince people to use the connect adjoining areas between CCS Airport to Munshipulia was metro for their daily commute, UPMRC Charbagh and Vasant Kunj, including inaugurated on March 8 2019. This conducted several feedback surveys in densely populated zones in old provided a fresh boost for passenger order to improve its services to better Lucknow.

IRJ The Railway in 2021 33 January India_Layout 1 22/12/2020 17:31 Page 34

Asia | mass transit

UMPRC has also prepared a DPR for electronics and other departments. I am through the provision of medical aid the Gorakhpur Light Metro project, a proud to say that 40% of our operators and good accommodation. Keshav says two-corridor light rail project with a are women.” this proved to be decisive in building total length of 28km. trust among the workforce, which Keshav says the major challenge reached 1000 staff members 50 days with all metro projects is garnering the Kanpur and Agra after work recommenced. support of the general public. “However, UPMRC is responsible for implementing On July 14 2020, after hearing a petition we were able to develop a favourable all metro projects in Uttar Pradesh, filed by UPMRC, India’s Supreme public opinion through consistent including the Lucknow Metro Phase 1B Court granted permission for work to stakeholder engagement and community as well as new projects in Kanpur, Agra, begin on the Agra Metro project in interaction programmes,” he says. Gorakhpur and Varanasi. Kanpur and accordance with specific guidelines UPMRC also had to overcome a Agra are the largest and third largest under the recommendations of the number of engineering challenges in cities in Uttar Pradesh, respectively. Central Empowered Committee order to build the Lucknow metro. This The two-line Kanpur Metro will benefit environmental watchdog. included the construction of a balanced the four million residents in the city The Agra Metro will have two 255m cantilever span, with a 105m- once it begins operation by the end of corridors with a total length of 29km, long central span and two 75m-long end 2024. The Agra Metro will also benefit with seven underground stations in the spans, at Mawaiya railway crossing. around 2.8 million residents in the densely centre of the densely-populated city. The structure was built 21.5m above populated central region while connecting Commercial operation of Agra Metro is ground over a heavily-used road. prominent historical monuments like also expected to begin by the end of The construction of the depot also the Taj Mahal and Agra Fort. 2024. posed a challenge due to the large trees Work on the 9km elevated priority To maintain the overall ecological that were dotted across the former section of the Kanpur Metro from IIT to balance, 18,230 trees will be planted Pradeshik Armed Constabulary (PAC) Motijheel, including the construction of during construction. facility. “We didn’t cut down any trees piling, pile caps and piers, began on The metro projects are being funded and instead transplanted or relocated November 15 2019. Construction is likely through equal equity participation by them along the periphery of the depot to be completed by the end of 2021, and the government of India and the using heavy cranes,” Keshav says. UPMRC is aiming to commence operation government of Uttar Pradesh. Nearly Having a strong team was key in on the full 23.79km line from IIT Kanpur 50% of the project cost is being funded implementing the project, Keshav says, to Naubasta, which will have 22 stations, through a soft loan facility from and he saw the line as an opportunity by 2024. The 32km, two line network will international institutions, including to provide experience for new staff be partly elevated and partly É450m from the European Investment members. underground. Bank (EIB) for the Lucknow Metro “People have this misconception that Covid-19 has affected construction project. you always need an experienced team but this was mitigated through strategic On August 31 2020, the EIB signed a to ensure success,” he says. “My view planning and a dedicated approach to É650m funding agreement for the is that if everyone prefers experienced ensuring staff remained safe while on Kanpur Metro project. Local bodies professionals, how will the young fresh site. Concrete casting began at the closed have also contributed towards the staff ever be able to gain experience? Casting Yard & Polytechnic Depot with project in the form of grants, and the So I made it a point to recruit a young a limited workforce on April 29 2020. private sector has emerged as a viable team of fresh engineering graduates Civil work on the corridor resumed on additional funding source. and provided them with training to May 15 2020. UPMRC is exploring the outsourcing of operate the trains and run the Staff were attracted to the project rolling stock and signalling maintenance for the Kanpur and Agra metros and will adopt a public-private partnership (PPP) model for the automatic fare collection system to boost the revenue potential. The major procurement packages for the metro systems are being conducted through the International Competitive Bidding (ICB) process. Like the Lucknow project, UPMRC has awarded the rolling stock and signalling system contracts for Kanpur and Agra to a single supplier, this time Bombardier Transportation. Under the contract, Bombardier will manufacture 67 three-car metro trains equipped with CBTC at its Savli plant in Gujarat. UPMRC is currently progressing with the tenders for the 750V dc third- rail electrification system, track components, lifts, escalators and The Kanpur Metro project is due to be completed by the end of the year. Photo: UPMRC telecoms system. IRJ

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Asia | China

China focuses population.on connecting In addition to Beijing and Zhongshan, city Jiangmen, clusters Huizhou, and Gordon Feller, correspondent Tianjin, there are 11 cities in Hebei Zhaoqing. The Greater Bay Area has a province and the entire region covers total population of about 72 million and HINA’s powerful state planning more than 200,000km2. is the largest and richest economic organisation, the National The Yangtze River Delta is a triangle- region in southern China with a GDP of Development and Reform shaped megalopolis comprising $US 1.65 trillion, accounting for 12% of CommissionC (NDRC), announced plans Shanghai, southern Jiangsu province national GDP. in December to construct approximately and northern Zhejiang province, and The blueprint for developing the 10,000km of inter-city and urban rail lines includes the cities of Hefei, Nanjing, Greater Bay Area was released in in the next five years in three key city Suzhou, Hangzhou, Shaoxing, Ningbo, February 2018. Internally called the clusters: Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, the Yangtze and Zhoushan. In 2019, GDP in the “1+1+9” plan, its aim is to turn the area River Delta, and the Greater Bay Area Yangtze River Delta was about $US 2.2 into a sprawling economic region surrounding the Pearl River Delta. The trillion. It covers an area of 99,600km2 reminiscent of Tokyo or San Francisco. NDRC says nearly 6000km of the planned with a total population of more than It could also help to integrate Macau networks will be built over the next three 125 million, of which an estimated 95 and Hong Kong more intimately with years. million are urban dwellers. With about the nine other mainland cities. On May China’s rail expansion is part of the 10% of China’s total population and 14 2020, the People’s Bank of China and government’s efforts to coordinate regional contributing 20% of the country’s GDP, three other central authorities unveiled development under the 14th Five-Year the delta is one of the fastest growing new guidelines to support the financial Plan (2021-2025). China has already and richest regions in East Asia. reform and opening-up of the area. This invested heavily in expanding its rail network, and by July 2020 the network had grown to 141,400km with high-speed lines accounting for 36,000km. On August 13 2020, China National Railway unveiled The plans to upgrade and provide better integration plans to expand the network to reach among and between these three regions will increase the 200,000km by the end of 2035, of which “ about 70,000km will be high-speed, pace of urbanisation in China. effectively doubling the size of what is already the world’s largest high-speed rail network. Each of the three clusters form significant In September 2020, China’s president, involves 26 new measures aimed at elements of the government’s national Mr Xi Jinping, visited Hefei, the capital liberalising China’s controls on foreign economic strategy. of Anhui province, where he reiterated exchange and foreign currency The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, also his goal to advance the “integrated” remittance to boost cross-border capital known as the Jing-Jin-Ji Cluster or the and “high-quality” development of the flows in the Greater Bay Area. Capital Economic Zone, is the largest Yangtze River Delta. Xi’s speech put the The Greater Bay Area project is well urban region in northern China with a region under the spotlight of China’s underway and, if successful, will create population of about 120 million. It includes great economic development strategic inter-city rivalries aimed at generating the region surrounding Beijing and plan. This means the region has now greater investment appeal and a climate Tianjin, along the Bohai Sea Coast. The been assigned to lead China’s economic of innovation. The plan aims to region is steadily growing to become an revival in the face of an increasingly differentiate the roles of Guangzhou, economic rival to the Yangtze River and uncertain external environment. Shenzhen, and Hong Kong, the largest Pearl River deltas to the south. In 2019, The Yangtze River Delta will help to and most prosperous cities in the GDP in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei hit $US showcase China’s new “dual circulation region, to build on their strengths rather 1.2 trillion, about 8% of China’s total. strategy” (DCS), which is a two-pronged than directly competing with one While Beijing, as the capital, currently development strategy that seeks to spur another. Shenzhen is expected to focus overshadows the rest of the region, this is domestic demand in addition to catering on technology and development, set to change under the Beijing-Tianjin- to export markets to allow domestic Guangzhou on transport, and Hong Hebei Integration Plan, with the inclusion and foreign markets to boost each other. Kong on finance and foreign of Tianjin and Hebei province in a grand DCS will accompany China’s actions to investment. project that aims to create a world-class recoup loss of growth momentum due The plans to upgrade and provide city cluster centered on Beijing. to the coronavirus pandemic. better integration among and between As one of China’s economic these three regions will increase the powerhouses, Beijing’s GDP is more pace of urbanisation in China, while than Yuan 2.8 trillion ($US 428.7bn), Greater Bay Area sustaining and fueling regional and with a population exceeding 21 million. The Greater Bay Area covers an area national growth and development. However, this pales in comparison with of 56,000km2 surrounding the Pearl There will be opportunities for foreign the wider Jing-Jin-Ji region. Currently, River Delta and includes the special companies to participate, including the Jing-Jin-Ji’s combined GDP accounts for administrative regions of Hong Kong procurement of equipment and the approximately 10% of China’s total and Macau and nine major cities in provision of the goods and services GDP and is home to more than 100 Guangdong province: Guangzhou, required by those using the new million people - 8% of China’s Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Dongguan, Foshan, railways. IRJ IRJ The Railway in 2021 35 Jan Brazil_Layout 1 23/12/2020 14:30 Page 36

South America | Brazil

Mixed bag for freight and passenger operators

The renewal of freight concessions has seen billions allocated to Brazil’s freight network, but a severe drop in passenger numbers has resulted in the country’s transit operators entering 2021 in a very difficult situation. Photo: Shutterstock/Ariadne Barroso considerable increase in capacity as well concession includes investment in the operational improvements. “There are construction of the Central-West Renata Passos, regional editor plans to invest in the expansion of yards Integration Railway (Fico), a 383km line and facilities, remodelling of lines, the connecting the North-South Railway in FTER experiencing an economic acquisition of rolling stock and the Mara Rosa, Goiás, with Água Boa, Mato crisis in recent years, Brazil’s development and implementation of Grosso. The line will provide a direct economy was slowly beginning to new railway technologies and a route from one of the largest soya recoverA at the start of 2020 - that is, until significant number of works to eliminate producing regions in Brazil towards the the Covid-19 pandemic hit, causing urban conflicts,” he says. country’s major ports and is expected to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to drop This could lead to an increase in rail carry 13 million tonnes of freight by 2025. by around 4.5% in 2020. freight’s market share from 15-20% In order to fund this, the two While social distancing measures and today to more than 30%. concession renewals are worth Reais changes to travel patterns throughout The first of five concession renewals 17bn, along with Reais 1.75bn in grants. the year impacted urban passenger rail, was signed by Brazil’s National Land Renewal of the MRS Logístics with falling demand resulting in a steep Transport Agency (ANTT) and Rumo in concession is currently at an advanced drop in revenue, the outlook for rail May, extending Rumo’s concession for stage and includes investment of Reais freight is promising, with private the 1989km Paulista network from 2028 7.5bn to double capacity from 56 million to investment expected to lead to a until 2050, with an option to end the 107 million tonnes. The concession has significant increase in market share. contract early in 2028. Under the been approved by the Investment “According to the government, there agreement, Rumo will more than double Partnership Programme (PPI), although will be investment of more than Reais annual capacity on the main grain export it is still awaiting a defined logistics plan. 30bn ($US 5.8bn) in the sector in the corridor in Brazil from 35 million tonnes VLI Logística’s Central Atlantic next five years through an early renewal to 75 million tonnes, with investment of Railway (FCA) concession, which serves programme [of rail freight concessions],” Reais 5.78bn and grants of Reais 2.2bn. the southeast and midwest regions, is says Mr Fernando Paes, executive The renewal of Vale’s Carajás Railway also expected to result in billions of director of the National Association of (EFC) and Vitoria-Minas Railway Reais in investment but is still waiting Railway Carriers (ANTF). (EFVM) concessions were also signed in for a business plan. Paes says this funding will lead to a December. The renewal of the EFVM The renewal of Rumo’s Malha Sul 36 IRJ The Railway in 2021 Jan Brazil_Layout 1 23/12/2020 14:31 Page 37

concession is due to take place between railways have diversified the portfolio In addition, between 20 and 30% of 2021 and 2022, and should generate of products transported, with an professional activities are being carried investments worth an estimated Reais increasing emphasis on multi-modal out virtually now, without commuting. 10.3bn. consumer products.” For example, the Even those who need to travel prefer “In addition to the contract renewal transport of coffee for export resumed another means of transport. In 2021, programme, in 2019 we signed the during the pandemic many years after it therefore, things will return gradually. concession for the central section of the stopped. “So far, the sector has accumulated a North-South Railway (FNS) with Rumo, Another change that could increase loss of approximately Reais 7bn. There which allocated more than Reais 2bn in investment is Bill PLS 261, in the is help from the government, which, investments,” Paes says. “Of the expected Federal Senate. The bill would provide although important, will have a small demand of 12.9 million tonnes by 2025, an alternative to the concession system, value, since a large part will go to bus 6.3 million tonnes will be solid agricultural using a simpler model of public service companies.” bulk freight.” assignments predominantly to private Despite the pandemic, construction of The federal government has also companies. Abate says the model will the monorail in Salvador continued announced that, using a cross-investment eliminate the need to bid for concessions (p7), along with the restart of work on instrument, it will allocate part of the and could result in longer term contracts. the Line 17-Gold monorail and the grant resources to support other rail The improving performance of the rail extension of metro Line 4-Yellow to Vila projects, including greenfield schemes freight sector is expected to give a much- Sônia in São Paulo, while work on Line such as the Midwest Integration Railway needed boost for Brazil’s beleaguered 6-Orange of the São Paulo Metro should (Fico), or projects already underway, such railway equipment manufacturers. resume. as the purchase of rails for the West-East Integration Railway (Fiol), which is part of Vale’s concession renewal. “Cross-investment will allow significant Cross-investment will allow significant investments to be investments to be made in the railway made in the railway network even in the context of the network even in the context of the fiscal crisis of the last few years and now the fiscal crisis of the last few years and now the pandemic. pandemic,” Paes says. “ The Federal Court of Accounts (TCU) Fernando Paes has released the concession process for Fiol, which will link Ilhéus with Caetité in Bahia. This project will be run under “In 2019, when we manufactured 1006 Bids were invited in early December for a private sector contract and is expected wagons, it was rock bottom, as we went a 30-year concession with an estimated to generate Reais 3.3bn when it takes back to the same volumes as 10 years value of Reais 3bn to operate lines 8- place in the first quarter of 2021. ago,” says Abate. “Last year, we already Diamond and 9-Emerald of São Paulo TCU is also considering the Ferrogrão had a recovery, despite the volumes being Metropolitan Trains Company (CPTM). concession, a new line that will connect affected by the pandemic. We expected Bids will be opened on March 2 2021. Sinop, Mato Grosso, to Miritituba across to produce about 2000 wagons, but However, some projects, such as the the River Tapajós from Itaituba, Pará. approximately 1600 were manufactured. construction of the Line 4 branch to The president of the Brazilian Railway We expect 2021 to be a year of recovery.” Gávea and studies for the planned Line Industry Association (Abifer), Mr However, Abate does not foresee a 3 in Rio de Janeiro, have stopped due to Vicente Abate, says that another process recovery in the passenger rail equipment a lack of funding. “Before the Olympic under evaluation is the privatisation market until 2022. Games, Metrô Rio transported 900,000 and expansion of the Paraná West Mr Joubert Flores, president of Brazil’s people [per day],” Flores says. “With Ferroeste Railway, currently owned by National Association of Passenger Rail five new stations, it was estimated to the state of Paraná. “The expectation is Operators (ANPTrilhos), says 2020 was reach around 1.1 million people. that it will be extended to Maracaju a very difficult year for the passenger However, before the pandemic, it (MS), providing a new point of access sector. In the second quarter, the most continued to carry 900,000 passengers.” from the region to the port of critical in Brazil, demand fell by almost The difficult situation in the passenger Paranaguá, offering a less complicated 75%, with a peak drop of 84%. The sector is impacting the rail supply route than via Malha Sul under a problem is exacerbated in Brazil, because industry. According to Abate, passenger concession with Rumo,” he says. unlike other places in the world, loss- coach production averaged 344 cars per Paes says plans for the extension of making services are not always subsidised. year in the past decade. However, this the North Network have been filed with In Rio de Janeiro, there is practically no dropped to 99 cars in 2019. Last year, ANTT, with investment estimated at subsidy. “So, when you lose about 75% production reached 131 cars, a good Reais 6bn. Advanced engineering and of the passengers, you also lose 75% of part of which was for export, but so far environmental studies have been the revenue,” Flores points out. “How there are no orders for 2021. completed for the line, which will run can you maintain the operation like Abate says that the passenger sector is from Rondonopolis to Cuiabá and the this?” a concern. Although there are private north of Mato Grosso. Although the number of passengers operators, construction, in general, is “ANTF’s associates today have a has already increased, there is still carried out by the government. “We robust portfolio of projects that, concern. “Recovery will not be quick, as realise that when the private sector is together, will promote in the coming there are other issues besides Covid-19,” present, as with freight, things happen months the beginning of a significant Flores says. “Public transport in Brazil is quickly, but there is little [private sector expansion of their transport capacity,” largely for people who use it for work, but involvement] in the passenger he says. “It is worth noting that the today we have 14 million unemployed. segment,” Abate observes. IRJ IRJ The Railway in 2021 37 Jan ARA_Layout 1 23/12/2020 15:25 Page 38

Australia | Australasian Railway Association

Pandemic highlights the importance of railways “There are lots of similarities between build now and keep everyone busy moving from airports to rail. But due to while we get the economy moving.” the nature of the state-based She also defended the huge jurisdictions rail has its own level of expenditures on metro projects in complexity, a bit more than airports.” Sydney and Melbourne, saying that While the pandemic had a major impact, they were justified despite the current the railway industry has remained economic climate. The expenditure was positive. particularly relevant and justified in “While some passenger operators have Sydney. experienced a 90% drop in passenger “When you look at the regions it is numbers, the industry’s response has going to serve and what it is going to been positive and everyone has adapted mean for those communities, the reality well,” Wilkie says. “There is a higher is that the planning measures in Sydney level of uncertainty about the future in are about developing a three city line terms of any potential lockdowns or connecting the likes of Parramatta. It is issues to come but on the whole the not always about people coming into industry has adapted safely to keep the city - it is about people going out to operations going. The outlook now is a Campbelltown, Parramatta and Penrith. lot better than it was in March and April.” So you do need to build that network to Wilkie says she believes that the support that growth.” growth of the rail industry will continue She also believes that people will not Caroline Wilkie, CEO of the despite the setback of lockdowns and want to do a one-and-a-half to two hour Australasian Railway Association, other measures. “All the projections are commute anymore which means the talks to Tony Duboudin. that the industry will continue to importance of having the right public grow,” she says. transport in place to quickly move However, she admits that the pandemic people from the outer suburbs to these HE Covid-19 pandemic has will be an issue in the short term but hubs is “absolutely critical.” highlighted how essential the rail adds that “you must build for the future.” “I also think putting things off industry is in moving freight “Big rail projects need to be built, and ultimately makes them more expensive,” aroundT Australia, according to the CEO trains still need to be made,” she says. Wilkie says. “The planning is in place, of the Australasian Railway Association “It’s a good position to be in. the government is ready to go, and we (ARA). “Anecdotally, the projections at the need to start building.” “It has been front and centre,” says moment are that the growth will Ms Caroline Wilkie, who took over the continue. Some of the networks were role as CEO of the ARA, the Australian reaching capacity but in a lot of the Manufacturing railway industry’s major lobby group, areas where the growth was already Wilkie says that while there has been in February 2020. She is the first woman scheduled we are just getting ahead of a contraction in rail manufacturing to hold the position. the curve. globally, Australia is in a unique Wilkie, who was previously CEO of “Certainly patterns have changed in situation. ARA research on the rail the Australian Airports Association terms of working from home and that supply chain, which identified (AAA), says taking up the role as head could be an issue in the short term. But opportunities in Australia, showed of the ARA at the start of a global as much as some people say that this is there is a thriving industry that is pandemic was less than ideal. However, the new normal, I am not convinced supporting these major manufacturers. she says the industry had been that it will be in the long term. In the “Rail manufacturing supports other tremendously supportive and “I am long run people are going to miss the industries, probably more so than other loving it.” human interaction.” manufacturing; relatively, rail is more She says the most challenging part has Wilkie says the industry remains positive. been getting up to speed with the industry confident that the big projects in place “With the growth in the amount of and the inability to be able to get around and those in the pipeline will proceed. manufacturing and rolling stock coming and meet people and view projects at “A lot of these big projects are in down the pipeline I think we are in a first hand. areas where huge numbers of people really good position to grow the pie. We Her nine years as CEO of AAA have are bussing in at the moment who do need to focus on developing the provided her with the experience which not have proper access [to rail],” she manufacturing sector and to look at was just as relevant for the rail industry says. “I believe a lot of projects will what our export potential is. We have a as airports, she says. proceed as you have to build for future lot to offer but we need to get past some “I am very familiar with the issues growth. Even though there will be a of the state restrictions.” surrounding major infrastructure projects hiccup in the growth, the growth will Wilkie says the National Rail Action and dealing with state and national still come. This also plays in with the plan will help to break down some of government on those issues, particularly broader economic driver of the stimulus the state barriers to national standards around critical passenger moving, freight that the building of infrastructure can for rolling stock as well as address skills moving, and safety critical industries,” bring to communities and cities. It shortages in the industry. Wilkie co- Wilkie says. makes sense for the government to chairs the Skills and Labour Working 38 IRJ The Railway in 2021 Jan ARA_Layout 1 23/12/2020 15:25 Page 39

Group, one of three industry and rail line or an active plan to build one, need to ask if it was the right focus.” government working groups set up by but Wilkie says she hopes that Australia Wilkie says that maybe now is the the National Transport Commission will have high-speed rail by 2050. time to look at potential routes and (NTC) to deliver the plan, which was “High-speed rail needs to be part of purchase and bank land for a future agreed by the Transport and Infrastructure our long-term plan provided we have high-speed rail link. Council in 2019. Another group is the population growth to support it,” working on harmonising national she says. standards. Wilkie adds that she believes there Inland Rail “We need to have discussions about are many things that could be done to Wilkie says the Inland Rail project to why everyone has different trains and improve the link between metro systems accelerate freight trains between what that means and why some states and regional centres to make them Melbourne and Brisbane (IRJ October say they want ‘X’ amount built here in faster and more efficient. ARA will be 2020, p22) is a game changer and one this state even though that state does releasing a paper at the start of this year of, if not the most critical projects in not have the manufacturing capability,” highlighting the opportunities for faster terms of rail freight growth. Wilkie says. “Then operators from other rail as opposed to high-speed rail. Looking 12 months ahead, Wilkie states have to jump through hoops and “Personally as I live in Canberra, I says that she hopes that Australia will add extra experience to have a presence would love to see a high-speed rail link be moving out of the shadow of Covid- in a particular state. It is a challenging between Canberra and Sydney,” Wilkie 19. She is also hopeful that the major projects around the country will be on track with contracts out to tender. Wilkie is hopeful that the rail industry can find ways to support I believe a lot of projects will proceed as you have to people who have lost their jobs, by offering them placements. The sector is build for future growth. Even though there will be a more diverse and less “blokey” than the hiccup in the growth, the growth will still come. aviation industry, Wilkie says, especially in “ terms of senior roles for women. Caroline Wilkie However, a skills shortage is still an issue, and ARA will be looking at ways to promote the rail sector as a career option in 2021. situation and is one that is certainly a says. “There are plenty of opportunities “Our focus will be on talking about priority for the ARA.” to bring our national capital and our what a technologically advanced and She says she understands why two largest cities together. digital industry we are and how we politicians from particular states want “High-speed rail is incredibly have a vast array of technology that to support local manufacturing, but expensive, it is a significant investment people can engage with,” she says. “I adds that the country needs to look and at this stage population levels do think we need to talk more about our nationally and develop economies of not support it. For the future it is sustainability credentials because many scale if it wants to have a globally something to think about. In the current of the young people are looking at the competitive export industry. environment any government that says environmental footprint of the sector they Australasia is the only continent apart it is going to build a high-speed rail link are going to work in. It is important to from South America without a high-speed between Melbourne and Sydney would them.” IRJ

IRJ The Railway in 2021 39 Jan Zambia_Layout 1 22/12/2020 18:44 Page 40

Africa | Zambia

Northwest RailKalumbila, due while to Phase begin2 will take the constructionBilliton granted mining licenses alongside line to the Angola border, where it will a number of Chinese companies. eventually be connected with Angola’s In 2018, the African Development Benguela line at Luacano. Bank (ADB) provided a $US 1.8m grant The overall project will cost an to finance the Lobito Corridor Trade estimated $US 1.5bn, with Phase 1A Facilitation Project to map out a costing $US 500m. strategy for its development. The region The 166km Phase 1A will link the could also be developed for agriculture, existing north-south rail corridor at Kavindele says, with these industries all Chingola with the new Solwezi freight likely to use the new line. terminal. The line will also connect with “Zambia is landlocked, so we are the recently upgraded D-271 road to trying to make it land-linked,” he says. Kipushi on the Democratic Republic of “The existing rail lines go from Zambia the Congo border, creating a new export to Zimbabwe and South Africa, while corridor for Katanga mining production. the other one goes to Dar es Salaam. Ore will be carried from Solwezi to This is now the western section.” Chingola, where some processing could occur, before the mineral is exported overseas via either Durban, in South Africa, Construction Enoch Kavindele, North West Rail or Dar es Salaam, in Tanzania. In November 2019, NWR signed a founder, talks to David Burroughs. Following the completion of Phase 2, cooperation agreement with Uroven, the line will also create an important, Britain, and Transmashholding (TMH) more direct corridor to the west coast of subsidiary Smart Operations to build AMBIA’s Copperbelt region has long Africa, allowing freight to be exported Phase 1A. The partnership will develop been associated with the mining of via Angola’s Lobito port. a Bankability Feasibility Study (BFS) for the mineral that gives the region The line will run through the middle Phase 1A, which is scheduled to be itsZ name. But in recent years, it has been of what is known as the Lobito corridor, completed in the first quarter of 2021. the neighbouring area to the west that has seen major increases in the amount of copper produced. However, while the newer mines have been increasing capacity, much of the infrastructure required to process the Zambia is landlocked, so we are trying to make it land- copper ore such as smelters remains based linked. Enoch Kavindele around the older mines in the east. The “ ore is currently carried by road, but this is having a major impact with the government forced to spend $US 100m repairing the road network last year. an area that includes four provinces in The study will include a land survey In order to alleviate this pressure on Angola (Huambo, Benguela, Bei and and will also examine the required land the roads, former Zambian vice president, Moxico), four provinces in The Democratic acquisition process. Mr Enoch Kavindele, is spearheading Republic of Congo (Kantanga, Tanganyika, Following the completion of the the construction of the North West Rail Lomami and Lualaba) and the Copperbelt feasibility study, Smart Operations will (NWR) line. Phase 1A will run from and Northwestern provinces in Zambia. lead and execute Phase 1A of the project, Chingola, in the Copperbelt Province, to The land surrounding the corridor is together with selected partners. The Solwezi, in the North-Western Province. ripe for development, Kavindele says, company is set to deliver a holistic Phase 1B will see the line extended to with mining giants Rio Tinto and BHP solution which includes supplying advanced control and maintenance Angola-Zambia systems, constructing the line and 1067mm-gauge supplying locomotives and wagons. Existing lines DEMOCRATIC NWR is also in discussions with a REPUBLIC OF Proposed new line CONGO British manufacturer to supply sleepers Luanda for the project. Malanje Kavindele says some preliminary works are underway, but main construction Dondo Dilolo cannot begin immediately due to the

Pdfbo Kolwezi ! ANGOLA Luacano seasonal heavy rain in the region. Lubumbashi Kavindele admits that raising finance Luena Kipushi

Bumboujd! up!Ebs Lobito ft for projects in countries such as Zambia Benguela Kalumbila Solwezi Tbmbbn is not an easy task, but he says progress Ndola Huambo Chingola Kitwe has been made. The government has ZAMBIA supported the project by supplying the IRJ Kapiri Mposhi up!Mvtblb land, while the funding is being provided 40 IRJ The Railway in 2021 Jan Zambia_Layout 1 22/12/2020 18:44 Page 41

Africa | East Africa

through loans from the various “As far as I know it doesn’t have any project,” Kavindele says. “Unlike a development banks operating in Africa. effect at all on the project,” he says. mine, rail is going through many The line is expected to be operated by “This is a private sector driven project. counties so government support is a private company with the revenue The mines must still operate so the vital.” This support provided a conduit from the line used to repay the loans. copper must still go to the market, so thought which NRW could explain the Zambia made business headlines for therefore the impact is lessened.” benefits the line would bring to the all the wrong reasons towards the end The government support for the people living alongside the line. of last year. The government failed to project has also been important to see The project has also been able to pay an overdue $US 42.5m Eurobond the project progress in light of the escape the worst effects of the Covid-19 coupon before a 30-day grace period strong road lobby, which is concerned pandemic, thanks to the country’s expired on November 13, marking the the line will remove their business. strong response. The biggest challenge country as Africa’s first pandemic-era “We’ve overcome this because we’ve caused by the pandemic has been the sovereign default. got government licenses, government restrictions on bringing external But Kavindele says this won’t affect support through providing the land, expertise into Zambia, but work has the funding of the NWR line. and government participation in the been able to continue. IRJ Standard gauge development stalls in East Africa In Kenya, implementation of the repay Chinese loans used to construct Shem Oirere, correspondent three-phase Nairobi Commuter Rail the SGR, Kenya’s Ministry of Transport Service (NCRS) project intensified in made it mandatory in 2019 for all 2020 as part of Nairobi Metropolitan container freight to be transported by 020 was a year of mixed fortunes Transport Master Plan. rail from Mombasa to the 180,000-TEU for railways in East Africa as NCRS involves upgrading 100km of Embakasi inland container terminal in plans to construct new standard MGR track on four routes radiating Nairobi. gauge2 railway (SGR) lines in Kenya and from Nairobi, including resignalling, However, this ruling was overturned Uganda stalled, forcing railways to constructing stations, and acquiring in November 2020. divert more of their resources to rolling stock. NCRS will treble capacity In Uganda, where construction of the refurbishing sections of their metre- from the current five million to 15 273km Malaba - Kampala SGR line has gauge railways (MGR). million passengers annually with an been delayed due to a lack of funding, For Kenya Railways Corporation ultimate target of 60 million the government has focused on (KRC), which operates a 2778km MGR passengers. rehabilitating part of its MGR network. network, and Uganda Railways However, Kenya failed last year to URC, with $US 25m from the European Corporation (URC) which has 1250km, obtain funding for the remaining two Union, is rehabilitating the 378km investing in rehabilitation schemes in phases of the SGR network: the 262km Tororo - Gulu MGR line, which has 2020 was a stop-gap measure as both phase 2B between Naivasha and been out of service since 1993. Gulu the Kenyan and Ugandan governments Kisumu and the 107km phase 2C could then become a railhead for unsuccessfully sought additional linking Kisumu and Malaba on the freight moving from South Sudan and funding to complete the ambitious Kenya-Uganda border. the Democratic Republic of Congo to 1243km SGR project to link Mombasa Mombasa with Kampala. In June 2020, the Ugandan By contrast, Tanzania Railways Metre-gauge Railways government approved $US 376m to Corporation’s (TRC) project to Instead, KRC is rehabilitating refurbish the 215km Malaba - Kampala construct the 541km Dar es Salaam - sections of the MGR network in MGR line, although work has yet to Makutupora section of the 1219km Dar western Kenya. KCR plans to complete start, and a further $US 12m to es Salaam - Iseka - Mwanza SGR the work on the 78km Gilgil - Nyahururu, purchase locomotives. An additional gained momentum with the first Longonot - Malaba, Nakuru - Kisumu, $US 2.5m was approved for repairs to 300km linking Dar es Salaam and and Thika - Nanyuki lines in 2021. the MGR network. Morogoro expected to open in the first KRC intends to link the rehabilitated In Rwanda, progress is expected this quarter of 2021. In addition, a contract MGR lines with the SGR to achieve a year with a feasibility study for a new to build the 422km second phase linking seamless connection between western line from Kigali northwest to Rubavu Morogoro and Makutupora was Kenya and Mombasa. This includes and detailed design of the Rwandan awarded to Yepi Merkezi, Turkey. upgrading Longonot station to serve as section of the Isaka - Kigali - Keza - TRC is also implementing the World an interchange point between the two Musongati SGR line. Bank-financed Tanzania Intermodal and networks in preparation for the Finally, the South Sudan government Railway Development Project which completion of a 24.3km link between is expected to announce in 2021 the includes rehabilitation of the 970km Naivasha inland container depot on the next phase of a project to build an SGR MGR line between Dar es Salaam and SGR and Longonot. line from Juba south to Nimule on the Isaka. Work involves relaying 308km of Performance of the Kenyan SGR, Uganda border. rails and rehabilitating 144 weak bridges however, has been mired in policy The government is reported to have with an axleload of less than 15 tonnes. confusion and conflicting directives finalised preliminary engineering TRC is also rehabilitating the 86km from government, courts and the design and signed an engineering Moshi - Arusha MGR line with a view Kenyan Parliament. procurement and construction contract to completing the work this year. To generate adequate revenue to for the project. IRJ

IRJ The Railway in 2021 41 Jan News_Layout 1 23/12/2020 17:41 Page 42

News | headlines

European Commission presents new mobility strategy Sensors4Rail HE European Commission = boost the uptake of zero- modernisation of fleets across (EC) has presented its emission vehicles, vessels and all modes project to start SustainableT and Smart Mobility aeroplanes, renewable and = making mobility fair and Strategy together with an low-carbon fuels and related just for all, and testing next year action plan of 82 initiatives that infrastructure, and stepping up safety and = ERMANY’s Sensors4Rail will guide the commission’s create zero-emission airports security for all modes. = project has announced that work in the transport sector and ports. The EC says these initiatives itG will begin testing its sensor- over the next four years. Innovation and digitalisation will result by 2030 in the based train traffic technology The strategy lays the will shape how passengers and doubling of high-speed rail on the Hamburg S-Bahn from foundation for how the freight move around in the traffic and all journeys under early next year. European transport system future if the right conditions 500km being carbon neutral as Work is now underway to will become more digitalised are put in place. The strategy well as widespread equip a class 472 commuter and environmentally friendly, foresees: deployment of automated train with high-range and more resilient to future making connected and transport. A multimodal TEN-T = ibeoNEXT LiDAR sensors and crises. This will result in the automated multimodal network for sustainable and a real-time vehicle tracking 90% cut in emissions by 2050 mobility a reality, for example smart transport will be system. outlined in the European by enabling passengers to buy operational with high speed The technology employs Green Deal. tickets for multimodal journeys connectivity by 2050. sensors and ‘digital twin’ The strategy has identified to seamlessly switch between “As the backbone that connects technologies and is intended initiatives in 10 key areas: modes, and European citizens and business, to enable trains to digitally make inter-urban and urban boosting innovation and the transport matters to us all,” = = monitor their surroundings mobility healthy and sustainable, use of data and artificial says commissioner for and avoid potential for example by doubling high- intelligence (AI) for smarter transport, Ms Adina Valean disruptions within braking speed rail traffic and expanding mobility. “We have no time to lose in distance, as well as track their cycling infrastructure over the As transport has been one of getting it fit for the future. position in real-time relative to next 10 years the sectors hit hardest by the Digital technologies have the other vehicles to enable increase green freight Covid-19 pandemic, the EC has potential to revolutionise the = shorter intervals between transport, including doubling committed to: way we move, making our trains. The technology will rail freight traffic by 2050 reinforcing the Single Market, mobility smarter, more efficient, = function as a support for train price carbon and provide including completing the and also greener. We need to = drivers, with a driver better incentives for users, for Trans-European Transport provide businesses with a clear remaining aboard. instance by pursuing measures Network (TEN-T) by 2030 and pathway for the green The system will enable to deliver fair and efficient increasing investment, both investments they will need to precise tracking of trains pricing across all modes public and private, in the make over the coming decades.” within a margin of error of 1cm, and will employ objects ÖBB, DB, SBB, and SNCF announce Nightjet collaboration along the route, such as USTRIAN Federal Railways (ÖBB), German buildings, bridges or Rail (DB), Swiss Federal Railways (SBB), and platforms, as references to FrenchA National Railways (SNCF) have signed compare actual and target an agreement to cooperate more closely to develop statuses. The system is night train services across Europe, starting with intended to be reliable even in four new Nightjet connections. fog or at night. The new services will connect 13 European cities: The Sensors4Rail project is a = December 2021: Vienna - Munich - Paris and collaboration between: Zurich - Cologne - Amsterdam = German Rail (DB), which is = December 2023: Vienna/Berlin - responsible for project Brussels/Paris management, vehicle = December 2024: Zurich - Barcelona. engineering, approval and The Zurich - Amsterdam and Zurich - Barcelona safety services were announced by ÖBB and SBB in The services will form part of a new Trans Europe = Siemens, which is September, along with a Zürich - Rome service Express network. Photo: ÖBB supporting vehicle integration, which ÖBB says will also start in December 2024. (AllRail) said that while it believed that night and responsible for the system The new services are the first step to trains could make a comeback as a sustainable tests and the localisation of the recreating a Trans Europe Express (TEE) alternative to late night and early morning train front position using a network, an idea proposed by Germany’s flights, the model proposed by the national modern odometry unit with transport minister, Mr Andreas Scheuer, in operators has failed in the past, and private the integration of GNSS September as a successor to the original TEE operators should have been included. satellite positioning network established by French, German, Swiss, Czech private operator RegioJet, which runs = Bosch (radar, infrared long- Dutch, Luxembourg and Italian railways in night train services in the Czech Republic, range, mid-range and stereo 1954. Slovakia, Hungary and Croatia, said it was cameras) and Ibeo (LiDAR “With TEE 2.0 and attractive night train offers important that the cross-European night train sensors) are responsible for on the railways, we will be even more climate strategy includes more players to make it more realising the perception of the and environmentally friendly in Europe in the attractive for passengers across Europe. surroundings, and future,” Scheuer says. “This is a very concrete “We fully support such an initiative - if it is based = Here, which is supplying result of our Rail Summit and our EU Council on open access to the infrastructure, independent the HD 3D mapping Presidency.” sales channels and fair transparent financing for technology to enable the train The Alliance of Passenger Rail New Entrants all who want to join,” the operator says. to be located on the route. 42 IRJ The Railway in 2021 Jan News_Layout 1 23/12/2020 17:41 Page 43

SNCF successfully tests mainline autonomous train at GoA2 China HS line and Xinzheng Airport link open HINA opened the 432km high-speed line linking Taiyuan,C Henan and Zhengzhou on December 12 together with a rail link between Zhengzhou and the city’s Xinzheng Airport. The north-south Taiyuan - Zhengzhou line has a maximum design speed of 250km/h, enabling an end-to- end journey time of around 2 hours. The new line passes through the Taihang Mountains. The Prima BB 2700 locomotive operated The new line from between Longwy and Longuyon. Photo: SNCF Zhengzhou Xinzheng Airport consortium led by French project, which it launched with obstacle detection and to Zhengzhou South is 10.9km National Railways (SNCF) Alstom, Capgemini Group environment monitoring. 12 long. Zhengzhou South station hasA successfully operated a subsidiary Altran, Apsys, test sessions have been is the third major station to locomotive at Grade of Hitachi Rail, and Railenium in scheduled, which should open in the city and has 16 Automation (GoA) 2 under 2018. enable the gradual addition of platforms and 32 tracks, real mainline operating Under the next stage of the the functions required to although the 483,000m2 station conditions using ERTMS. project, SNCF plans to operate increase the level of autonomy. building is still under A Prima BB 27000 locomotive a train at GoA2 on a line The consortium plans to construction. ran on the 18km line between equipped with conventional operate a fully-autonomous Meanwhile, trial operation Longwy and Longuyon, in signalling by the end of 2021, prototype in 2023. began on the final Beijing - northeast France, with the without requiring any SNCF says autonomous Chengde section of the Beijing vehicle accelerating and modifications to the trains will provide benefits, - Shenyang - Harbin high- braking autonomously under infrastructure. including increased capacity speed line on December 11. supervision of a driver. Engineering work is also and frequency, and more When the line opens, the The trial, conducted on ongoing to develop the various environmentally friendly Beijing - Shenyang journey October 29, is a key step in functions required for fully transport options due to time will be reduced to 2h SNCF’s Autonomous Train autonomous operation, such as reduced energy consumption. 30min. Montreal REM East network launched DPQ Infra, together with passengers per day by 2044, the government of Québec with a total of 380 million andC the City of Montreal, have passenger-km a year. The announced a new $C 10bn trains will be equipped with ($US 7.8bn) automated free Wi-Fi while stations will Metropolitan Electric Network be equipped with platform (REM) light metro to better screen doors. connect locations in the east of The network will interchange the city. with the Mascouche Line, The two-line 32km network Green, Blue and Orange metro comprises 25km of elevated lines, and bus services, as well and 7km of underground track as the first stage of the REM and will have 23 stations. The network at Robert-Bourassa. network will comprise a single The announcement line in the city centre, running confirmed the launch of a north from Robert-Bourassa consultation process, which adjacent to the St Laurence includes a tour to discuss the Linsinger has unveiled a River to Viauville, where the Hydrogen milling machine unveiled: project with the general public hydrogen fuel cell powered rail milling machine, which the line will split. The western leg and project stakeholders. company says is a world first. The new MG11 H2 machine is will run largely underground CDPQ Infra will also arrange equipped with Linsinger’s electric drive and milling technology, to Cégep Marie-Victorin, while technical workshops with the which facilitated the shift to a hydrogen powered machine. The the northern leg will continue relevant authorities to enhance Austrian supplier says the MG11 H2 offers the same overground to Pointe-aux- and optimise the project. performance capability as a machine fitted with a traditional Trembles. The project will be combustion engine, with the single hydrogen tank able to work Services will operate at two submitted to the Bureau of a single shift. The MG 11H2 will be available by mid-2021, and to four-minute intervals during Public Hearings on the the fuel cell technology will be applicable to all milling machine peak periods, and the network Environment (BAPE) for types in the company’s portfolio. will carry an estimated 133,000 review this year. IRJ The Railway in 2021 43 Jan News brief_Layout 1 23/12/2020 18:21 Page 44

News | in brief

Belgium The trial, which is due to be Belgian National Railways completed in 2022, will take (SNCB) has exercised an place on the 180km Iksan - option for 204 additional Yeosu section of the Jeolla Line. double-deck M7 coaches worth É445m from a consortium of Myanmar Alstom and Bombardier under Myanmar Railways (MR) has a framework agreement signed two contracts with signed in December 2015. Mitsubishi, Japan, to deliver 11 six-car trains for the Yangon Germany Circular Railway (YCR) Project DB Networks has begun and 30 six-car trains for the consultation with local Yangon-Mandalay Railway authorities along the route of (YM) Project. The contracts are worth a combined Yen 69bn the planned high-speed line The mayor of London, Mr Sadiq Khan, Transport for between Hannover and ($US 662.8m). Mitsubishi has London: subcontracted CAF to design London (TfL), the Department for Transport (DfT) and the Bielefeld. The new line, which British Treasury have agreed a funding and financing package will begin at Seezle, west of and manufacture the trains using Japanese components for the final phase of the Crossrail project. The shortfall will Hannover city centre, will be initially be covered by the Greater London Authority (GLA) designed to reduce Hannover - and equipment for delivery between 2023 and 2025. borrowing up to £825m from the DfT. GLA will then give the Bielefeld journey times from funding to TfL as a grant, and will repay the TfL loan using 49 minutes to 31 minutes and Business Rate Supplement (BRS) and Mayoral Community is considered a key project in Netherlands Infrastructure Levy (MCIL) revenues. plans to introduce a regular- The Dutch Civil Court of The interval national timetable. Hague has referred a case Saint-Ouen northern extension Five route options have been challenging the legitimacy of a Berlin to metro Line 14 on December 14. identified and will go out to 15-year direct-award concession Berlin Transport Authority widespread public consultation to operate core network (BVG) has awarded Bombardier Transportation a Toulouse from this month. services from December 2024 Tisseo Communities, the to Netherlands Railways (NS) É571m framework contract for the supply of up to 117 project manager of the 27km to the European Court of Justice Toulouse Aerospace Express International (CJEU), saying the arguments Bombardier Flexity low-floor The first three sections of the LRVs, and has placed an initial metro project, has awarded 140km standard gauge Khaf - raised by private operators Alstom a 470m contract to order worth É115m for 20 É Herat cross-border line from against NS are “not implausible.” design, build and maintain the The operators argue that the vehicles. Delivery of 17 50m- Iran to Afghanistan opened to long nine-section LRVs and line. The contract covers freight services on December 10. new direct award concession construction using Alstom’s will not start until 2025, three five-section vehicles is scheduled to begin from late Appitrack system, as well as despite direct award contracts the supply and installation of Kenya being prohibited with the 2022. Kenya Railways Corporation electrification, CBTC, platform introduction of the Fourth (KRC) reintroduced screen doors, and a fleet of Railway Package in 2023. The commercial passenger services Melbourne Metropolis metro trains. The government says the The cost of Melbourne’s 9km on the 177.2km Nairobi - É2.67bn Aerospace Express concession is legal as it will Metro Tunnel project has Nanyuki metre-gauge line on northwest-southeast line will sign the concession before the increased by $A 2.7bn ($US December 11, more than two link Colomiers, near Toulouse- new rules come into effect in 2.04bn) following an decades after they were Blagnac Airport, and Labège, 2023. agreement reached by the state withdrawn. The Nairobi - of Victoria and the contractor serving 21 stations. It is due to Nanyuki service operates on to split the cost. The total cost open in 2025. Fridays, and the Nanyuki - Norway of the project, which will add Nairobi service runs on Infrastructure manager Bane five new stations in the central Vancouver Sundays. Each train has Nor has begun implementing business district and create a Translink has awarded a $C capacity for 1600 passengers. Eulynx ERTMS new cross-city line from 721m ($US 565m) contract to End-to-end journeys will take standardisation as part of its Sunbury to Bombardier for the supply of around six hours. rollout of ETCS on the Roa - Cranbourne/Pakenham, is 41 five-car trains for the Hønefoss line. Bane Nor is the now nearly $A 14bn. Skytrain metro network. The first infrastructure manager to new trains will replace Korea use the standard for interfaces Korail has awarded Hyundai Nanning existing rolling stock as well as Rotem a contract to verify the between the Traffic Management The Chinese city opened two expand the fleet ahead of the stability and compatibility of System (TMS) and track-side new metro lines - the 20.7km opening of the 5.7km the Korea Train Control signalling system. Line 4 and a 6.3km underground extension to the System 2 (KTCS-2) signalling southeastern extension to Line Millennium Line, construction system, which will be used to United States 2 - on November 23, of which will start in 2021, and standardise signalling across President-elect, Mr Joe Biden, expanding the city’s metro the proposed Skytrain the country. The system uses has nominated former network to 108km. extension to Surrey. The LTE-R, which allows presidential candidate and contract also includes options broadband networks to South Bend, Indiana, mayor Paris for up to 400 additional cars. expand from solely carrying Mr Pete Buttigieg as Paris Transport Authority For these stories and more, voice to include voice, video, transportation secretary, (RATP) inaugurated the 5.8km visit www.railjournal.com. IRJ text, images, and locations. succeeding Ms Elaine Chao. Gare Saint-Lazare - Mairie de 44 IRJ The Railway in 2021 January Ad Index_Ad Index 23/12/2020 16:38 Page 45

Contacts | editorial Fresh faces

Mr Eelco van Asch has been appointed a member of 46 Killigrew Street, Falmouth, Cornwall TR11 3PP, UK the board of directors of Netherlands Railways (NS), Tel +44 1326 313945 taking up the role of director of operations from Editor-in-Chief Kevin Smith MA [email protected] March 1. He will be responsible for all operational Consulting Editor/Associate Publisher transport and maintenance activities in the David Briginshaw CMILT [email protected] Netherlands, succeeding Ms Marjan Rintel, who was News & Features Writer David Burroughs [email protected] appointed CEO of NS on October 1 2020. News & Features Writer Oliver Cuenca [email protected] Production Manager Sue Morant [email protected] Mr Michael Carter has been appointed president of Amsted Rail. Carter has spent 30 years at Amsted Regional editors Rail’s parent company Amsted Industries, including Australia Tony Duboudin [email protected] roles in finance and information technology at Griffin Chile Ian Thomson Newman [email protected] Pipe Products and Griffin Wheel; as vice-president France David Haydock [email protected] finance at Burgess Norton; as CFO at Amsted Rail; Germany Keith Fender [email protected] and, most recently, as president of Amsted Seals. Italy Marco Chiandoni [email protected] Japan Yoshihiko Sato Tel +81 3 5721 6616 [email protected] New Zealand Richard Worrall [email protected] Ms Anne Pruvot has been appointed CEO of Spain Ferran Torga [email protected] e.Voyageurs, a digital subsidiary of SNCF Voyageurs, USA/Canada William C Vantuono Tel +1 212 620 7240 and will take up the new post in mid-January. Pruvot [email protected] will also be a member of the SNCF Voyageurs Correspondents executive committee, and will oversee e.Voyageurs as it creates a single application combining the OUI.sncf Austria Erwin Reidinger Israel Jeremaya Goldberg and the SNCF Assistant digital platforms. Brazil Renata Passos Korea Andy Tebay Denmark Denis Bowers Netherlands Quintus Vosman Ms Claire Mann has been appointed managing director of Eastern Europe Roma Nazarov Pakistan Rashid Ali Britain’s South Western Railway (SWR) and will take up Hungary Ferenc Joo Poland Mykola Zasiadko the new position early this year. Mann has held a India Srinand Jha Ukraine Alexander Kava number of senior leadership roles in the rail industry including director of Docklands Light Railway at Executive offices Transport for London (TfL) and general manager east at the former First Great Western (now GWR). Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corp 88 Pine Street, 23rd Floor, New York, NY 10005, USA Mr Ueli Dietiker has been elected president of BLS, Tel +1 212 620 7200 Fax +1 212 633 1165 succeeding Dr Rudolf Stämpfli, who left BLS at the beginning of November for health reasons. Ms President & Chairman A J McGinnis Publisher, Rail Group Jonathan Chalon Viviana Buchmann-Tosi has been elected vice- Circulation Director Maureen Cooney [email protected] president. Dietiker, a certified public accountant, has been a member of the BLS board of directors since 2014.

Contacts | advertising Amtrak senior executive-vice-president and chief operating and commercial officer, Mr Stephen For all areas except those listed below contact: Gardner, has been appointed president, effective December 1 2020. He succeeds Mr Bill Flynn, who will Jerome Marullo, Business Development Manager remain as CEO and continue to serve on the Tel +41 732 887 5562 [email protected] company’s board of directors. 88 Pine Street, 23rd Floor, New York, NY 10005, USA

Austria, Germany, German-speaking Switzerland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia. Czech Railways’ (CD) supervisory board has replaced Michael Boyle, Dorfstrasse 70, 6393 St Ulrich, Austria CEO, Mr Václav Nebeský, with chairman of the board Tel +43 676 708 9872 and +49 163 830 8088 [email protected] of directors of CD Cargo, Mr Ivan Bednárik, with ITALY & Italian-speaking Switzerland immediate effect, one of a number of top-level Dr Fabio Potestà, Elda Guidi managerial changes at the railway. Nebsky is stepping Mediapoint & Communications srl, Corte Lambruschini, down for private reasons and will remain a board Corso Buenos Aires 8, Vo Piano, Int 7, 16129 Genova, Italy member. Tel +39 010 570 4948 Fax +39 010 553 0088 [email protected]

JAPAN Correction: The email address listed in the book review for Mr Richard Katsuhiro Ishii, Ace Media Service Inc de Roos’ WIRAS - Innovative Switch and Crossing Design (IRJ November 12-6, 4-chome, Nishiiko Adachi-ku, Tokyo 121-0824, Japan Tel +81 3 5691 3335 Fax +81 3 5691 3336 [email protected] 2020, p41) was incorrect. The correct email address to purchase the book is [email protected] CHINA and AL, KY, TN Jon Chalon, 88 Pine Street, 23rd Floor, New York, NY 10005, USA Tel 212 620 7224 [email protected] AK, AR, AZ, CA, CO, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, LA, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, ND, NE, NM, Advertisers Index NV, OH, OK, OR, SD, TX, UT, WA, WI, WY, Canada (Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan) Heather Disabato (Chicago Office) Tel 312 683 5026 hdisabato@sbpub- Acoa 17 Chicago.com Asian Development Bank 5 CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, MA, MD, ME, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, SC, VA, VT, WV, Canada (Ontario, Quebec & Eastern Canada) Device Technologies 39 Jerome Marullo, 88 Pine Street, 23rd Floor, New York, NY 10005, USA Plasser & Theurer BC Tel 212 620 7260/732 887 5562 [email protected] Progress Rail IBC Classified Advertising Sales Jennifer Izzo (New York) Tel 212 779 7172 [email protected] Siemens Mobility IFC Voith 11 IRJ The Railway in 2021 45 Jan TLW_Layout 1 23/12/2020 14:47 Page 46

The last word | industry Rail set to return to upward trajectory Dr Jürgen Wilder, member of executive board, Knorr-Bremse, tells Kevin Smith that the manufacturer has performed better than expected in 2020 and is primed for further growth.

ITH activities in 29 recovery, where Knorr-Bremse’s countries covering braking performance was buoyed by systemsW as well as other key orders in China. He says India rail components and systems is a very different story, while such as intelligent doors, air- performance in North America conditioning, and vibration has been hit by a downturn in dampers, Knorr-Bremse is well the freight market. In Europe, Even in the time placed to assess the impact of the recovery has also taken the Covid-19 pandemic on the longer, and been compounded of crisis we saw global rail supply sector. by fresh restrictions which “ Dr Jürgen Wilder, member have hit railway operators an uptick in our of the firm’s executive board, during the winter months. says that with up to 68 rolling However, with restrictions service business. stock plants closed at the more selective, Wilder says the height of the pandemic, it was impact on Knorr-Bremse will Jürgen Wilder an unprecedented situation. be less than in the first stage of However, the outcome was not the crisis. He is also extremely as bad as the company thought optimistic that rail is in a good it might be in the early weeks place in the medium to long- “when no-one had a clue what term, expecting the business to might happen.” return to the original growth situation has progressed more and to improve the “We saw some delays in path. “At some point we will slowly than anyone expected. predictability of this process, projects and some delays in forget about this Covid-19 He cites the difficulty in which can vary from 600m order entry and tenders, but situation and what will remain securing certification for with a train operating at our service business suffered is CO2 reduction and climate Chinese products, particularly 120km/h in dry summer much less than expected,” change discussions,” Wilder says. in Europe, for the delay and conditions to 2km when rails Wilder says. “I think the “The pressure from the thinks that Chinese suppliers are slick in the autumn. He reason for that was that there young generation on all of us are likely to continue to focus says this information could be was a lot of support from to change the situation and to heavily on their domestic fed back into the signalling government. A lot of empty take climate change more market. “I think the discussion system, potentially leading to trains were running, which seriously will come back on trade wars and not an increase in the capacity of underlines how important rail drastically, I am totally globalisation, but the opposite, traffic without expensive infrastructure is to society. convinced about that. And rail isolation, will slow down this investments in new “On the other hand, operators is part of the solution because trend a little,” Wilder says. infrastructure. were afraid of running out of of the CO2 reduction.” “I’m not saying it will never Rail traditionally has a poor spare parts and that the happen, it probably will reputation for embracing supply chain would be happen, but I think it is going innovation and adopting new impacted by the virus, so even Significant need a little slower than anyone processes quickly. However, if in the time of crisis we saw an Wilder sees continuing expected.” the sector has any chance of uptick in our service business demand from Europe where For Wilder, Knorr-Bremse’s meeting its ambitious CO2 because everyone wanted to he says there is a significant unique selling point is its reduction targets, Wilder put some spare parts in stock need for updated infrastructure emphasis on delivering high- believes this situation must just in case. In the second half and new trains. It is a similar quality products, which offer change, and change soon. of the year, it has been a little situation in North America. its customers peace of mind. “If you think of brakes and less, so our second half has However, he is a little more The company also has a strong trains, you might ask what been a little weaker. cautious about prospects in focus on research and progress has been made in the “Overall, we are suffering China due to domestic development, investing up to last 50 years?” Wilder says. some losses in sales but we protectionist policies. 6% of sales each year. “There are tremendous were also able to implement “While there might be more Wilder says the company is opportunities for innovation in drastic counter measures to growth in the market, the currently exploring entry into order to make the business reduce our fixed costs, so we question is whether we can the couplers market, specifically cases of customers and society are ending up with a margin participate as much as we did digital automatic couplers, much better. And that is what that is better than I expected at in the past? We are a little work on which has stepped up we are looking for when we the beginning of this crisis, cautious about that,” he says. in recent months with trials make the business case for our which I am not too unhappy Whether the Chinese are underway in several European investment in these areas. about. This I believe is realistically able to compete countries as well as on a “We need to change transport symptomatic for the rest of the with Knorr-Bremse in other project led by Shift2Rail (p24). for the better and make it industry.” markets also remains to be seen. Wilder says additional work more climate friendly. It’s very, Wilder notes that the recovery Wilder says this has been an is taking place on reproducible very important and personally has varied by region. Asia has ongoing discussion for the braking distance to reduce the it is the reason we all come to experienced a much swifter past 10 to 15 years and the stopping distance for trains work every day.” IRJ 46 IRJ The Railway in 2021 IRJJANXX (Progress)_Layout 1 21/12/2020 10:04 Page 1

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