Urban Rail: P

THE GLOBAL RAIL E-BOOK CONTENTS Chapter 01

p. 5 California The High Speed p. 6 Australia Challenge: p. 7 China p. 8 UK HS2 5 Project Updates p. 9 Kuala Lumpur to Singapore

Chapter 02

p. 11 Hydrogen trains, UK and Germany Rail and the p. 14 The Green India Mission [GIM] Environment: p. 15 Door to door commuting, Japan p. 16 Solar powered trains, UK 4 Global Initiatives

Chapter 03

p. 19 Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transit, Malaysia Urban Rail: p. 20 Shatin - Central link, China 5 Metro Project p. 21 Delhi Metro Phase 4, India p. 22 Sydney Metro, Australia Updates p. 23 Jakarta MRT, Indonesia 01

The High Speed Challenge: 5 Project Updates THE HIGH SPEED CHALLENGE

Why High Speed Rail?

1. Housing Costs 2. Commuter Congestion 3. Green Cities

High speed rail provides easy All major metropolitan areas are Many cities are working towards access to a wider housing market, faced with the problem of congestion decarbonisation and reduced air making it possible to live further during peak hours. Providing more pollution to improve public health away and commute to major cities. public transport services between and lessen the dangerous effects of This balances out house prices at a more locations reduces the need to climate change. High speed rail not regional scale and creates jobs in commute by car. Increased passenger only reduces the amount of single- local areas. capacity, commuter locations and occupant cars, many high speed speed of travel all work to fix this trains are powered by electricity. issue. THE HIGH SPEED CHALLENGE

Project 1: California

The California High Speed Rail project [CHSR] began in 2015 with plans to connect 8 of the largest cities in the state, from San Diego to San Francisco. It was scheduled for completion in 2029 and promised 100% electric trains along the route. The project recently celebrated creating more than 3,000 jobs along the 119 mile Central Valley line, but the project has been plagued by issues. Originally estimated at a cost of US$33 billion, it has now risen to US$77 billion with projections as high as US$98 billion. After calls for cancellation from the public and politicians alike the project has been scaled back and broken down into smaller parts. Development will now focus on completing the Central Valley line alone, between Merced and Bakersfield, by 2028. Whether the rest of the project will still be funded is unknown. A state audit in November 2018 identified poor decision making and contract management as the cause for delays and cost overruns. The CHSR authority has vowed to be transparent moving forward and to hold contractors accountable to explain how money has been spent.

Construction of the Cedar Viaduct, part of the high speed railway connection, in Fresno, July 2017. Credit: California High-Speed Rail Authority. THE HIGH SPEED CHALLENGE

Project 2: Australia

High speed rail has yet to get off the ground in Australia but it has been debated as far back as the 1960s. Academics have calculated that over AUS$125 million have been spent on research. The idea of an Australian high speed line crops up before every election but so far no promises have been fulfilled. Now, there is a renewed push to make this pipe dream a reality. Plans for a high speed line between Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane are being revisited to address the extortionate cost of living and congestion in the major cities. In Sydney in particular, a suburban house close to a rail station could set you back almost AUS$3 million. A line offering faster routes into the city could rebalance the surrounding areas and uplift their value, whilst reducing car traffic. For now though, Australia has promised to upgrade existing lines and build isolated sections of track to high speed standards, to reduce journey times and incorporate fast train travel into existing networks.

View of Sydney, Australia. Credit: Jamie Davies. THE HIGH SPEED CHALLENGE

Project 3: China

China is expanding its high speed rail network by 3,200km starting this year and has just approved a new line between Chongqing and Kunming. This particular line has a budget of US$19.8 billion and a schedule spanning 6 years. The expansion is China’s biggest ever rail investment, totalling US$125 billion, and will establish the largest high speed network in the world. This brings the country close to its target of delivering a 30,000km high speed network covering 80% of its major cities by 2020. However, there are concerns over the level of debt accumulated in order to reach these ambitious goals. Current high speed services are operating at a loss and the next expansion risks a potential debt crisis. It is believed that China’s long term strategy is to continue expanding and grow out of debt - a high stakes bet on high speed rail.

A CRH400AF high-speed train at Guangzhou South station. Credit: N509FZ. THE HIGH SPEED CHALLENGE

Project 4: UK HS2

The UK scheme to build a high speed line between London, Birmingham and Manchester has been surrounded by controversy. The project is split into two parts: the London - Birmingham section scheduled for 2026 and the Birmingham - Manchester expansion due in 2033. With the latest estimates suggesting a cost overrun of more than £22 billion and a delay of 7 years, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has launched an independent review of the project that could result in cancellation. Despite being a critic of the scheme in the past, Johnson has claimed that will not cancel the project even if the cost estimates break £100bn. He has voiced his commitment to improving infrastructure, claiming that the review is intended to identify waste and areas for improvement.

Manchester, United Kingdom. Credit: Fraser Cottrell. THE HIGH SPEED CHALLENGE

Project 5: Kuala Lumpur to Singapore

The Kuala Lumpur to Singapore line was formally approved in 2013 with a scheduled completion date of 2026. The line was to become the fastest mode of public transport between the two points, reducing travel time to just 90 minutes. The project was originally estimated at a cost of US$11 billion, but this has quickly ballooned to over US$17 billion. Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad previously spoke out about cancelling the scheme but negotiations have ended in a different result. Construction has been delayed until May 31, 2020, while a review is carried out to identify cost reduction options including design modifications and updated economic forecasts.

Jewel Changi Airport, Singapore. Credit: Samuel Toh. 02

Rail and the Environment: 4 Global Initiatives RAIL AND THE ENVIRONMENT / PROJECT 01

Hydrogen trains, UK and Germany

The UK is currently working towards a target to decarbonise the economy by 2050, including the removal of all diesel-only trains from the network in 2040. Scotland, even further, is aiming to deliver a decarbonised rail network by 2030. These targets are crucial to improving air quality, public health and emissions, in particular the levels of Nitrogen Dioxide [NO2] around London stations. London Paddington, for example, is currently in breach of the NO2 European limit. Electrification can go some way toward reaching these goals but it is not a full solution. Not all suburban areas are equipped for overhead lines and electricity still ultimately results in unfriendly emissions. Alstom has been working on a solution: Self-powered hydrogen trains.

The Coradia iLint. Credit: Linus Follert. RAIL AND THE ENVIRONMENT / PROJECT 01

What do we mean by hydrogen trains?

In this context we are referring to a hybrid train. Hydrogen as the sole power source is not sustainable for two reasons: • Hydrogen requires storage 8 times the volume of diesel.

• Hydrogen traction needs 3kW of electricity to deliver 1kW of power to the wheel.

Alstom’s hybrid trains combined hydrogen with Li-Ion batteries to alleviate these issues and the result was the Coradia iLint hybrid train.

How does it work? • Diesel traction is replaced with an electric traction system. • Hydrogen fuel cells on top of the train act as the primary energy supply. • Intermediate energy storage from Li-Ion batteries is used for boosting during acceleration and recovering kinetic energy when braking.

The Coradia iLint was announced in 2014 and is now in its second year of operation in Germany, running amongst a fleet of traditional trains. A full fleet should be in service by 2023. The Coradia iLint. Credit: Linus Follert. RAIL AND THE ENVIRONMENT / PROJECT 01

Hydrogen trains in the UK

The UK is now working to convert Class 321 electric trains into hydrogen hybrids. The impact of this could be huge. 1,200 hydrogen trains on the UK network could save:

• 533,000 equivalent tonnes of CO2 a year • The equivalent of taking 383,000 cars off the road • £100 million a year in healthcare costs • 110 premature deaths

The ongoing challenge

The zero-emissions challenge should not just apply to trains themselves. Producing hydrogen still uses fossil fuels and a proper, sustainable supply and demand system needs to be established as the trend towards hydrogen trains increases. Additionally, the refuelling of hydrogen trains currently has to operate on a return to base model which is a change, but a necessary sacrifice. The next goal for Alstom is a train that does not need this model.

Inside the iLint. Credit: Linus Follert. RAIL AND THE ENVIRONMENT / PROJECT 02

The Green India Mission [GIM]

The GIM is one of 8 missions launched under the National Action Plan on Climate Change in India. Officially launched in 2015, the 10 year plan is dedicated to ‘protecting, restoring and enhancing India’s diminishing forest cover and responding to climate change’. Specifically, it lays out plans to increase green cover to the extent of 5 million hectares [mha] and improve ecosystem services. The railway is playing a key role in this. The Union Ministry of Railways has partnered with various companies to plant trees along railway land boundaries. Most notable is a Western Railway zone colony that is to become home to 25,000 plants of over 20 different species1. The space includes ‘green towers’, 5 layers of plants that will be introduced to maximise sustainable growth. Polluted water from the railway will be filtered and then the plants watered through a drip irrigation system. The nationwide initiative will not only contribute to afforestation but also help stop the illegal encroachment of railway land.

1 www.financialexpress.com Kerala, India. Credit: Haseesh Rahithya. RAIL AND THE ENVIRONMENT / PROJECT 03

Door to door commuting, Japan

Maximising space in overcrowded cities is a key challenge in construction projects today. Japanese company Giken has combined a solution to this problem with Japan’s commitment to promoting ‘door to door commuting’ as an alternative to driving. The solution encourages a combined cycling to rail commute whilst freeing up space in crowded streets and stations. The ‘Eco Cycle’ storage solutions are popping up outside Tokyo train stations. The small kiosks automatically lock and transport bikes to a subterranean garage, complete with a tracking device for retrieval in less than ten seconds. The garages can each hold 144 bikes nearly 40 feet underground. The ‘Eco Parks’ are earthquake resistant and take just 50 days to build from start to finish. To date there are over 50 Eco Cycle stations in Japan with plans for global expansion2.

2 https://www.wired.com/2009/02/crazy-bike-stor Eco-cycle station, Tokyo, Japan. Credit: Guilhem Vellut. RAIL AND THE ENVIRONMENT / PROJECT 04

Solar powered trains, UK

The world’s first ever railway line powered by solar energy was launched in the UK in August 2019. The Aldershot scheme is powered by 100 solar panels that run the signalling, lights and the track itself. The pilot has been launched by climate change charity 10:10 in partnership with Community Energy South and Network Rail. 10:10’s initial study found that solar panels could meet a significant share of the railway’s energy needs and also be cheaper than the grid-supplied electricity used today. This resulted in pilot funding being awarded from Innovate UK and the Department of Transport. Network Rail hopes to use the scheme to solar-charge its rail lines across the country. The scheme also aims to build the world’s first ‘solar traction farm’ by 2020, which will be community- and commuter-owned. India has similar plans to develop trackside solar farms. The country already boasts 250 solar-powered trains, but the weight of hosting panels on the trains themselves means that they use more energy than usual.

Aerial photography of grass field with blue solar panels. Credit: Andreas Gücklhorn. 03

Urban Rail: 5 Metro Project Updates URBAN RAIL

Why Urban Rail?

1. Reduce congestion in highly populated areas Metro rail provides a high-capacity, fast alternative to driving that reduces congestion in peak times.

2. High speed commuting Metro lines have an exclusive right of way and are often built underground or elevated. This bypasses any other traffic congestion and provides a faster way to enter the city.

3. Cost effective construction Metro can have a high fixed cost to build and maintain but it is more effective than acquiring land above ground, or building extensive road transport systems.

Sloane Square Station, London, United Kingdom. Credit: Tomas Anton Escobar. URBAN RAIL / PROJECT 01

Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transit, Malaysia

The KVMRT project in Malaysia began in 2011. The plan consists of a 3-line system: two Northwest - Southeast radial lines and a circle line around Kuala Lumpur. It will integrate with the existing rail network and alleviate severe traffic congestion in Greater Kuala Lumpur. To date the first phase, the Sungai Buloh Kajang (SBK) line has been completed with seven underground stations and green technology facilitating fast travel throughout the region. The second line, the 52km Sungai Buloh Serdang Putrajaya (SSP) line, was 59% complete as of August 2019. This puts it on track for completion by 2022. The problems begin with MRT3, the proposed circle line looping around Kuala Lumpur itself. In 2018 there were rumours of cancellation but, transport minister Anthony Loke has since assured the public that the third phase is simply postponed while the government reviews ways to bring down costs from the estimated figure of over RM50 billion. There is no set date for the project to resume.

MRT SBK Semantan Platform 1. Credit: Sirap Bandung. URBAN RAIL / PROJECT 02

Shatin - Central Link, China

The Shatin to Central link is an expansion of Hong Kong’s existing metro network. Work started in 2012 and was scheduled to end in 2019 at a cost of US$12.4 billion. It is Hong Kong’s costliest rail project and has been mired by scandals. Allegations of unsafe work, missing documents and other mispractice have lead to considerable delays. In June 2019 MTR Corporation resumed testing following a train crash during an overnight trial in March. It is believed that a partial opening may take place in 2020 to cover 3 new stations and open the line to the public as soon as possible.

Construction of Diamond Hill station, Shatin to Central link. Credit: ProsperityHorizons. URBAN RAIL / PROJECT 03

Delhi Metro Phase 4, India

The complete Delhi network was planned to be built across a 20 year period. Phases 1 and 2 were completed in 2006 and 2011 respectively, whilst phase 3 finished 3 years behind schedule in 2019. Phase 4 was expected to begin construction in 2019, but approval from the government has only recently been obtained following a feasibility study by the finance department. Three of the six corridors have now been approved with a target completion date of 2021. The full six lines should expand the network by 110km and add an expected 1-5million daily passengers from outlying regions. The current cost estimate is US$8.3 billion.

Pedestrian Overpass, New Delhi, India. Credit: Pankaj Kumar. URBAN RAIL / PROJECT 04

Sydney Metro, Australia

Sydney metro is Australia’s biggest public transport project and first city rapid transit system. Decades of proposals and planning will culminate in a state of the art, 66km network costing AUS$12 billion. The Northwest line opened in 2019, allowing 40,000 people per hour to commute between residential and commercial areas. It boasts continuous phone coverage and 4km of sky train. The City and Southwest line covering the Central Business District is scheduled for completion by 2024, including tunnels underneath Sydney Harbour.

Sydney, Australia. Credit: Pankaj Kumar. URBAN RAIL / PROJECT 05

Jakarta MRT, Indonesia

Jakarta is one of the most overpopulated and difficult to get around cities in the world. Its 10 million inhabitants travel on anything from motorbikes to minibuses, causing record amounts of congestion. The Jakarta MRT project is the city’s first subway system. Phase 1 of the project opened in March 2019, with phase 2 scheduled for completion in 2024 and phase 3 for 2027. The network is expected to carry a massive 193,000 passengers per day along 21 stations. It is estimated to cost IDR$22.6 trillion (£1.8billion). The most unique aspect of this project is the construction method used to combat earthquakes. The tunnels are floated in clay to reduce stress and safely stabilise the network.

Jakarta MRT train. Credit: Irfan Muhammad. Book your free product demonstration today

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