July 2017 I Volume 57 Issue 7 www.railjournal.com | @railjournal IRJInternational Railway Journal From TGV to inOui SNCF looks to the future as new high-speed lines open Race to the north Binding the Baltic Britain poised to begin Trilateral consensus builds construction on HS2 behind Rail Baltica Contents Contact us July 2017 Volume 57 issue 7 Editorial offices News Post 46 Killigrew Street 4 This month Falmouth Cornwall, TR11 3PP 6 News headlines UK 12 Transit Tel +44 1326 313945 14 Financial Fax +44 1326 211576 Web www.railjournal.com 16 Technology news: UITP summit 18 Technology news: IAF track show Editor-in-Chief 20 Analysis David Briginshaw 18 [email protected] Associate Editor France Keith Barrow [email protected] 22 Will France say “oui” to inOui? Features Editor SNCF relaunches TGV as inOui in bold move to revitalise Kevin Smith an iconic brand [email protected] 28 Reconnecting Paris Features & News Reporter Dan Templeton France’s ambitious Grand Paris metro project starts to [email protected] take shape Market Researcher 32 Developing the new TGV, brick by brick Jonny Dearden 28 Alstom begins development of its next-generation [email protected] Sales Executive high-speed train Chloe Pickering [email protected] High-speed Production Manager 36 HS2 poised for start of construction Sue Morant [email protected] Preliminary works are underway on Britain’s second high-speed rail project Advertising sales offices 40 Rail Baltica gathers momentum Post 19 John De Mierre House Bridge Road Creating a standard-gauge high-speed connection Haywards Heath between the Baltic states and the rest of Europe 32 West Sussex, RH16 1UA UK Research Tel +44 1444 849123 International area sales manager 44 No professional left behind Louise Cooper [email protected] Unlocking the mid-career talent pool to deliver the Tel +44 1444 849123 innovation railways are looking for Subscriptions hotline Tel +1 800 895 4389 and +1 402 346 4740 Online edition: extra feature International Railway Journal (Print ISSN 2161-7376, Digital ISSN 2161-7368), is published monthly by New bogie to reduce derailment risk Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corp, 55 Broad RTRI develops steering-assist bogie to reduce the Street, 26th Fl, New York, NY 10004-2580, USA. 40 Printed in Great Britain by Buxton Press and distributed in the USA by Mail Right International, probability of wheel-flange climbing 1637 Stelton Road B4, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA. Periodicals postage paid at Piscataway, NJ and July 2017 I Volume 57 Issue 7 additional mailing offices. COPYRIGHT © Simmons- Also in this issue www.railjournal.com | @railjournal Boardman Publishing Corporation 2016. All rights Front cover IRJIIRInternationalR RailwayJ Journal reserved. Contents may not be reproduced without 48 Rendezvous Linsinger has over 20 years permission. For reprint information please contact From TGV tto InOui experience as a specialist in SNCF looks to the future as new high-speed lines open Editor-in-Chief. For subscriptions & address changes, 49 Full contact list preventive and corrective Race to the north Binding the Baltic Britain poised to begin Trilateral consensus builds please call +1 402 346-4740, Fax +1 402 346-3670, construction on HS2 behind Rail Baltica Email: [email protected] or 49 Advertisers index rail milling, and has made it write to: International Railway Journal, Simmons- possible to reach cutting Boardman Publishing Corp, 50 The last word depths of 0.1mm - 3 (5)mm 555 Huehl Rd, Northbrook, IL in a single pass without 60062 USA. POSTMASTER: Send address mutating the metalurgical changes to International Rail- state of the rail. way Journal, PO Box 3135, www.linsinger.com Northbrook, IL 60062-3135 USA. IRJ July 2017 3 This month | David Briginshaw While all three projects are on entered the market. SNCF’s High-speed rail projects time and within budget, SNCF initial response was to set up is not so happy because of the its own long-distance bus increased access charges it operation and introduce a no- gain momentum faces to use the new lines. frills low-cost TGV service Indeed, SNCF has been called Ouigo. cautious about how many Ouigo has been extremely trains it will operate on the successful as it has despite challenges lines for fear of racking up demonstrated that there is a excessive charges. This in turn market for a low-fare high- HIS month we report on a a standard-gauge high-speed could mean that the PPP speed product, and that it is Tflurry of activity in the high- railway linking Singapore with concessionaires will not earn possible to operate high-speed speed rail sector where three Kuala Lumpur will bring. as much revenue as they trains more cheaply by projects are coming to fruition in Malaysia’s MyHSR Corporation predicted when the funding streamlining maintenance and France, and French National and Singapore’s Land Transport was arranged prior to starting working the assets much Railways (SNCF) is starting to Authority (LTA) will jointly hold work on the project. harder. SNCF will now expand rebrand its iconic TGV. Across an industry briefing in France and Spain took control the Ouigo network and plans to the Channel in Britain, Singapore on July 5 for the of the Perpignan - Barcelona cut operating costs by 30% on construction is about to start on Assets Company, which is high-speed rail link between its conventional TGV network. Britain’s second high-speed line, responsible for designing, both countries in December More than this, SNCF has while in the Baltic states the taken the bold, and some three countries are putting aside might say risky, step of re- their differences to push ahead Even experienced high-speed operators branding TGV as inOui as part with the Rail Baltica high-speed of an initiative to improve the project. In Asia, the Kuala can get their fingers burnt if they fail to quality of its high-speed Lumpur - Singapore high-speed react to changes in the market. services. While the leaked project is gaining momentum. story caused consternation High-speed rail has the that such an iconic and well- ability to transform travel building, financing, operating 2016 after the PPP contract with known French brand was between cities by shrinking and maintaining both the rolling concessionaire TP Ferro was being changed, SNCF is journey times dramatically, but stock and the infrastructure, to terminated following the quietly pleased at the huge it is increasingly difficult to explain the tender parameters company’s liquidation in amount of free publicity it implement, particularly in and technical specifications to September. TP Ferro, which was received. Only time will tell if densely-populated or potential bidders. owned by construction firms SNCF has made the right prosperous countries where Indifference in the three Baltic ACS and Eiffage, entered into decision or made a horrible land prices are escalating, states of Estonia, Latvia and receivership in late 2015 after mistake. In any event, SNCF environmental protection is Lithuania to the ambitious Rail declaring debts of É560m. appears committed to getting becoming more onerous and Baltica project to link the three Traffic on the line was one third TGV back on track. opposition to such projects is capitals with Poland appears to less than forecast when the 50- growing. Britain’s HS2 project be turning into enthusiastic year concession was awarded in has a very high price tag for support if the supportive 2003. This was a salutary lesson these very reasons and had to speeches and strong attendance for all concerned and a warning overcome very-well-organised at the first Rail Baltic forum in of the potential risk for private [email protected] and vociferous opposition from Riga are anything to go by. This companies considering people living along the route. project, which will form part of investing in high-speed projects. Strong and unwavering the North Sea-Baltic TEN-T Even experienced and political support is therefore corridor, will not only cut well-established high- vital for the successful journey times significantly, but speed operators can get realisation of high-speed will plug the three states more their fingers burnt if they projects. SNCF has always firmly into the European Union take their eye off the ball enjoyed this and HS2 has had by providing them with their and fail to react to changes cross-party support despite first standard-gauge connection. in the market, as SNCF has the challenges posed by the While some funds have already discovered. After years of economic crisis, constant pleas been secured, the project relies steady increases in traffic to spend the money on the heavily on EU funding which and revenue, SNCF’s TGV conventional network or may become less certain network took a knock in 2013- public services such as health following Brexit. Wisely, RB 14 when people started to take care and education. Rail’s CEO Ms Baiba Rubesa advantage of cheap car International projects face the says the three countries must be sharing schemes and added challenge of overcoming willing to consider alternative long-distance bus cross-border political differences sources of funding. operators and national rivalry. Singapore France has funded the three and Malaysia have rarely seen extensions to its high-speed eye-to-eye since Singapore broke network, two of which open away from Malaysia in 1965. But this month and the third at the now the two countries appear end of the year, through seized by the opportunities that public-private partnerships. 4 News | headlines Israel presents plans to double network by 2040 SRAEL Railways (IR) and 2040. Rail’s share of Ayalon, Lod - Beer Sheva, and countries, as was the situation Ipresented details of its journeys of more than 50km Ashkelon - Pleshet Junction.