May Cover_Layout 1 23/04/2020 09:31 Page 1 May 2020 | Volume 60 Issue 5 www.railjournal.com | @railjournal IRJInternational Railway Journal Reconnecting Britain HS2 = Northern Powerhouse Rail = Midlands Engine Rail Rail’s response to Covid-19 = Austin’s plans revealed IRJMARXX (Goldschmidt)_Layout 1 12/02/2020 10:47 Page 1 SSIA T-ATS RUSSIA ORGO- IA GT -THEM STRIA MIT AUS FRICA USA CE A OUTH AFRICA THERMI A VIC EX SO IT AU GO ER ITRE USTR OL SE MIT RAL DS IL ER EAT BRITAIN THE LIA SC RA TH G GRE ERMI A H T R T DING IT IT PO M IT IL ELD TAL OR ID M ZI W POLAND GO IAN RT T R A IT LSKA P GOLDS NA A T E R M POLS SCH A I CO H H B R IT P HM ITA O E T IL E MI ID AL U ER T SI H ERM T T LY S R T S T HE TH A M ID A TH E G I I R N T R GO IT M B AN ID M O G R M A I IT L GO R H O P M T D O A C D JA H IB S L I S D J C B C D IL S T T SC E C D S D IT IT S R H S S LD D I M C E L M M L IC M C R O M M A H R O R R O A ID V G E G S D M V G E E G S T I H H P I IC H H T ID T T A T E A T - E I H T A T- C IN G T C N E T G N N T E I ID N R H E N I A H R H A M R H E M P E C M R M C D R I R D H F R IT R T H T M A T E Ü M A II C E E F B N S C F I N M W IC E IT M I T E T Y S D Y R S D N R V E N R L R E S C E E S R C E A O R A O H L F H R E H L F H R G I G U IL T E S N U L O T E S N O S L X S D L I X R D I I R I K E K E M N D A N M N D A N R Y R Y L L A R E N - A R E V N - N I V N I L N T T L N T A T I A T A T I C A I H H C H Ö L I K H Ö L K J E J E E M E E O E M M E E S O M S R S R R R S P R R R & P R & S W M S E W L M E E L E R R A R G W R A G I W H I I H I S T T S Ü N T A T Ü N T T A T T I Z I C H Z D R C H D R T E T Z E M Z G E S M G E S D R E D R I E R I R G L C G L C E E M E A H M E A H H R H N H R N H R T R T C M C D M - D - E E S S A O P A O P D D N R U N R L U L T Y B T Y O B O K L K G L G E I E I C C L L E E WE ARE GOLDSCHMIDT Goldschmidt is your global network of experts for rail infrastructure: around the world you have access to the entire portfolio and know-how of the internationally successful Goldschmidt Group - at your location, with your regional contact person and their local knowledge. Together we lead your rail infrastructure into the future - with smart solutions, services and products. www.goldschmidt.com May contents_Layout 1 24/04/2020 11:48 Page 3 Contact us ContentsMay 2020 Volume 60 issue 5 Editorial offices News 46 Killigrew Street Post 4 This month Falmouth Cornwall, TR11 3PP, UK 5 News - Covid-19 pandemic Tel +44 1326 313945 8 News headlines Web www.railjournal.com 12 Transit 14 Financial Editor-in-Chief Kevin Smith [email protected] Consulting Editor/ Associate Publisher Britain 5 David Briginshaw 16 Government restores impetus to HS2 [email protected] Response to Oakervee Review ends months of uncertainty News & Features Writer 21 Levelling up the North David Burroughs Northern Powerhouse Rail to help close economic gap [email protected] Production Manager 25 Fuelling the Midlands Rail Engine Sue Morant Improving regional connectivity and capacity [email protected] IRJ Pro Account Manager Chloe Pickering [email protected] 16 IRJ Pro Market Analyst Oscar Sinclair Urban rail [email protected] 28 Rail to ease congestion in Texan capital Project Connect includes new light rail and commuter lines Advertising sales office 29a Online extra: Dublin updates metro plan Post 88 Pine Street, 23rd Floor Scheme aims to combat chronic congestion in Irish capital New York, NY 10005 United States 30 Very Light Rail Vehicles prepare for testing Tel +1 732 887 5563 Project develops lightweight and low-cost rolling stock Business development manager Jerome Marullo [email protected] 28 Tel +1 732 887 5562 Subscriptions hotline Tel (US only) +1 800 553 8878 Track (Canada/International) +1 319 33 Improving rail performance in tough conditions 364 6167 Fax +1 402 346 4740 New alloy proves its worth during tests 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 30 B4, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA. Periodicals postage paid at Piscataway, NJ and additional mailing offices. M 23/04/2020 09:31 Page 1 May 2020 | Volume 60 Issue 5 COPYRIGHT © Simmons-Boardman Publishing Cor- Also in this issue www.railjournal.com | @railjournal poration 2020. All rights reserved. Contents may Front cover IRJInternational Railway Journal not be reproduced without permission. For reprint 36 Rendezvous The British government is information please contact Editor-in-Chief. For sub- backing three major rail Reconnecting Britain scriptions & address changes, please call +1 319 364 37 Full contact list HS2 = Northern Powerhouse Rail = Midlands Engine Rail 6167, Fax +1 319 364 4278, Email: internationalrail- infrastructure projects - [email protected] or write to: International 37 Advertisers index HS2, Northern Powerhouse Railway Journal, Simmons-Boardman Publishing Rail and Midlands Rail Corp, PO Box 1407, Cedar 37 Fresh faces Rapids, IA, 52406-1407. Engine - to improve POSTMASTER: Send address 38 The last word connectivity and capacity changes to International Rail- on England’s rail network. way Journal, PO Box 1407, Photo: Transpennie Express Cedar Rapids, IA, 52406-1407. Rail’s response to Covid-19 = Austin’s plans revealed IRJ May 2020 3 May TM_Layout 1 24/04/2020 13:45 Page 4 This month | Kevin Smith staggering the time employees environmental, governance spend at the office. Some and social trends as well as Business continues, but employers have instructed their efficiency and convenience staff to avoid public transport will help rail development, altogether. For those who do, particularly high-speed, not as we once knew frequent temperature testing is achieve unprecedented levels the norm. Travellers must also of growth post-pandemic SIA-Pacific region to expect were facing bankruptcy by the prove they have a clean bill of (p10). UBS says recent falls in its lowest growth since the end of April. health before boarding and pollution will emphasise the 1960s;A China’s economy shrinks The Austrian government’s when onboard a train by importance of using and 6.8%, ending four decades of intervention to provide Westbahn scanning a government- investing in rail to both the growth; US now has 22 million and Austrian Federal Railways sanctioned smartphone app. public and the state. unemployed, wiping out a (ÖBB) with PSO contracts to Anyone found to be infected is I like many of you have decade of job gains; Economic operate Vienna - Salzburg forced to self-quarantine. For been working from the activity crashes across Europe. services until July 7 (p7) is those wanting to travel further sanctuary of my own home These were some of the grim welcome. While a thorn in the afield, some Chinese cities are these past few weeks. Video headlines from the end of last side of some state-run railways, requiring people to take calls between colleagues are month as the world began to private operators provide a nucleic-acid tests to confirm now the norm. Travel is of face up to the medium and service valued by millions of that they are Covid-19-free. course off limits, restricting long-term economic impact of passengers each year.