December Cover_Layout 1 22/11/2018 12:08 Page 1 December 2018 | Volume 58 Issue 12 www.railjournal.com | @railjournal IRJInternational Railway Journal Renew and expand Incoming Brazilian president sets the agenda for rail freight development Houston, we have an answer Trailblazing Texas high-speed project taps into booming inter-city travel market Unlocking the Yucatan Can Mexico’s Maya Train take tourist dollars inland? IRJDECXX (UITP)_Layout 1 19/11/2018 12:08 Page 1 Register Now and Save 25%* *Applies to registrations before 27 January 2019 January 27 before registrations to *Applies THE DEFINING EVENT What Can You Expect? IN PUBLIC TRANSPORT 2,500 total delegates IS BACK ! from 80 countries international 13,000 visitors www.uitpsummit.org exhibitors 330 from 35 countries Local host December Contents_Layout 1 22/11/2018 12:49 Page 3 Contact us ContentsDecember 2018 Volume 58 issue 12 Editorial offices News 46 Killigrew Street Post 4 This month Falmouth Cornwall, TR11 3PP, UK 6 News headlines Tel +44 1326 313945 14 Transit Web www.railjournal.com 16 Financial Editor-in-Chief David Briginshaw [email protected] South and Central America Senior Editor 18 New government set to prioritise rail freight Keith Barrow 18 [email protected] Brazil’s president-elect to continue network development Managing Editor 22 São Paulo targets rail expansion Kevin Smith State pushes investment in urban rail [email protected] 28 Yucatan railway finally gets green light News & Features Writer Construction of the line is expected to start this month David Burroughs [email protected] Production Manager Sue Morant [email protected] High speed 30 Texas Central taps into booming travel market IRJ Pro Account Manager 22 Chloe Pickering Blazing a trail for privately-funded high-speed rail [email protected] 34 JR East pushes the boundries of high-speed IRJ Pro Market Analyst A 400km/h test-train set to evaluate new technology Oscar Sinclair [email protected] Advertising sales offices IRJ Post 12 Beech Hill, Insights Haywards Heath Recruiting the next generation RH16 3RX, UK 38 Industry in race to replace skilled staff Tel +44 1444 454171 38 Innovative recruitment techniques from across the sector International area sales manager Louise Cooper [email protected] Tel +44 1444 454171 Subscriptions hotline Tel (US) only) +1 800 553 8878 Project management (Canada/International) +1 319 42 Automating Switzerland’s Waldenburg Railway 364 6167 Fax +1 402 346 4740 Building the foundations for light rail automation International Railway Journal (Print ISSN 2161-7376, Digital ISSN 2161-7368), is published monthly by Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corp, 55 Broad Street, 26th Fl, New York, NY 10004-2580, USA. Printed in Great Britain by Buxton Press and distributed in the USA by Mail Right International, 42 1637 Stelton Road B4, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA. D Periodicals postage paid at Piscataway, NJ and December 2018 | Volume 58 Issue 12 additional mailing offices. COPYRIGHT © Simmons- www.railjournal.com | @railjournal Boardman Publishing Corporation 2018. All rights Also in this issue Front cover IRJInternational Railway Journal reserved. Contents may not be reproduced without 44 Rendezvous With a resolution finally permission. For reprint information please contact Editor-in-Chief. For subscriptions & address changes, set to end the uncertainty Renew and expand 45 Full contact list Incoming Brazilian president sets the please call subscriptions hotline above. surrounding the future of agenda for rail freight development Houston, we have an answer Trailblazing Texas high-speed project taps Email: [email protected] or 45 Advertisers index the rail freight concessions into booming inter-city travel market Unlocking the Yucatan write to: International Railway Journal, Simmons- Can Mexico’s Maya Train take market, the new Brazilian tourist dollars inland? Boardman Publishing Corp, 46 The last word 615 Fifth Street SE, Cedar government is backing Rapids, IA 52401–2158. USA. major investment in long- POSTMASTER: Send address awaited projects across the changes to International Rail- way Journal, PO Box 1407 country. Cedar Rapids, IA 52406-1407 USA. IRJ December 2018 3 December TM_Layout 1 22/11/2018 10:05 Page 4 This month | David Briginshaw Even more audacious is railways were privatised in the Texas Central Railway’s plan 1990s, so this will be a major The tide is turning to build a 390km high-speed change of direction if the line from Dallas to Houston projects come to fruition. entirely with private finance Implementation of the Maya (p30). The lack of any major Train project was a core for private operators physical obstacles along the campaign promise by Mexico’s route should reduce the risk of president-elect, Mr Andres construction delays, while the Manuel Lopez Obrador, who LOWLY but surely the sometimes results in marriage of Japanese takes office on December 1. He private sector’s involvement passengers having to buy a technology with Spanish plans to hold a symbolic inS passenger rail is expanding new ticket when they miss a operating know-how should ground-breaking ceremony on on both sides of the Atlantic. connection through no fault of boost investor confidence. December 16, which could In Europe, the initial spur was their own. Nevertheless, Texas Central herald the start of rebuilding the railway privatisation in A similar pattern of private faces the daunting task of an existing line, although Britain and the letting of development is emerging in raising up to $US 16bn to studies are still underway for concessions in countries such the United States, where the build the railway and convince the new-line sections. as Germany, the Netherlands, operation of commuter rail investors that it can produce a Nevertheless, at least one Denmark and Sweden. This networks by private return. Texas Central also must Mexican tourism company has was followed by the largely companies is already entice enough Texans out of expressed interest in the project. successful launch of private commonplace. Brightline’s their cars and onto its trains. Railway development is also open-access operators in one of the priorities of the Britain, Sweden, the Czech newly-elected governor of São Republic, Austria, Italy and Paulo state, Mr João Doria. Germany, with several more Texas Central is quite bullish about its The inter-city scheme will be private operators keen to take implemented as a PPP, the plunge provided the prospects and says the world has although the government has conditions are right. changed since the failure of the Texas struggled in the past to raise This success has been achieved “ its share of funding for PPPs. despite the unwillingness of TGV project in 1994. European private open- some national governments access operators have already and the European Union to overturned the once widely- create a level playing field. In Miami - West Palm Beach However, Texas Central is held belief that passenger rail Sweden MTR has so far failed inter-city service, which quite bullish about its cannot make money. Let’s in its attempt to get its trains launched earlier this year, is prospects and says the world hope that the trailblazers in onto incumbent SJ’s booking the first privately-funded has changed since the failure the United States, and portal, which is the go-to site passenger rail service in the of the Texas TGV project in eventually Mexico and Brazil, for most Swedes buying train US for many decades. 1994. It also recognises the prove their doubters wrong. tickets. In June, start-up Saga Brightline was already importance of providing good Rail withdrew the service it committed to extending the last-mile connections for launched in February for the service to Orlando and has passengers to make the overall same reason. now agreed to construct an trip as seamless as possible. Neighbouring Norway, on extension to Tampa. It is also Further south, recent [email protected] the other hand, realises the taking over the Xpress West elections in Mexico and Brazil importance of creating a level high-speed project to link Las have given impetus to two playing field as it starts to let Vegas with Victorville north of passenger rail projects: the its first concessions, even Los Angeles. Maya Train PPP scheme to though open access is unlikely Brightline’s rapid and develop a 1500km railway in the small Norwegian ambitious expansion plans to serve the booming market. Government-owned have already attracted the tourist industry on Entur manages internet ticket interest of Sir Richard Branson Mexico’s Yucatan sales and in October took over and his Virgin Group, which Peninsula (p28), and the the sale of tickets at stations has been looking for passenger introduction of the first from incumbent operator rail investment opportunities modern inter-city services Norwegian State Railways (p10). in the US for several years. in the populous and EU legislation governing rail Brightline will now be wealthy Brazilian state of São passenger rights was amended rebranded Virgin Trains USA Paulo (p22). Both countries last month by the European and Virgin will take a small shut down virtually all Parliament (p7) increasing stake in the company (p7). their long-distance compensation when trains are The deal also brings passenger operations delayed even when a trip together two successful when the involves several trains. entrepreneurs - Branson and However, the EU continues to Mr Wes Edens, co-founder and ignore calls for mandatory co-chief executive of Fortress missed connection protection Investment Group, parent of involving services run by Brightline - which should give different operators, which a real impetus to the ventures. 4 IRJNOV51 (Bombardier)_Layout 1 24/10/2018 12:19 Page 1 are trademarks of Bombardier Inc. or its subsidiaries. Together we move and Bombardier Together we move We never stop moving to keep people in motion in and between cities.