National Union of Rail, Maritime & Transport Workers (RMT)

IFW: 29-09-2009
By Will Waters

DB Schenker and TransContainer, the freight subsidiary of Russian Railways RZD, are planning a joint container hub at the DB Schenker Logistics Park in the Latvian capital of Riga.

The facility aims to capture traffic between the major economies in the Baltic and Scandinavia area, and Russia, central Europe and the central Asian states.

Both partners hope to offer their customers multimodal international transportservices via Riga and gradually shift more containers to rail.

DB Schenker director Karl Nutzinger said: "It is the first cooperation between DB Schenker Logistics and TransContainer in eastern Europe.

“It will allow us to offer our customers more attractive combined services."

International freight will be consolidated at the Riga Terminal of the DB Schenker, where containers will be transferred between rail and road onto wagons able to use Russia’s broad gauge railway.

Co-operation with TransContainer includes the use of their containers beyond the borders of Latvia.

Customs formalities will also be dealt with directly on site.

DB Schenker said this would reduce the waiting times at borders compared with transport by truck, with freight trains able to clear the border between Latvia and Russia within hours, while trucks can take several days of waiting in traffic jams to enter Russia.

The two companies have also agreed to intensify their cooperation in the chemicals transport segment.

The parties have signed a Letter of Intent stating their intention to increase the containerized transport of chemicals to, from and inside Russia, a strategy which is ultimately aimed at securing the market leadership in this segment for both parties.

Posted on 4:19 PM | Permalink

Robert Wright, Financial Times Transport Correspondent reports in an article published on September 27 2009 "growing concerns about the future of Europe’s rail freight liberalisation after a wave of takeovers of recently started private operators by the dominant state-owned companies."

The European Commission, freight customers and other observers are concerned the transactions will strengthen the competitive position of state operators, whose positions liberalisation was meant to challenge.

The state-owned companies insist the deals will provide economies of scale that will make rail freight more competitive.

France’s SNCF is in negotiations to take over the non-French business of France’s Veolia Cargo, one of the largest private operators.

Germany’s Deutsche Bahn announced on Thursday it was buying 95 per cent of Poland’s PTK Holding, another private operator. SNCF and DB are also the only contenders to form a partnership with the strategically vital Swiss Federal Railways, which could further enhance their competitive power.

Nicolette van der Jagt, secretary-general of the European Shippers’ Council, which represents freight operators’ customers, said her members were concerned.

“It is raising questions whether this [outcome] was the purpose of liberalisation,” she said. “Is the open market to have some choice?”

A European Commission official said: “We are certainly concerned about the current development.”

SNCF’s planned takeover of Veolia Cargo outside France – the French operations are likely to be sold to Groupe Eurotunnel – has provoked irritation. SNCF’s loss-making freight division has been the subject of six rescue plans – the latest announced last week – and billions of euros have been poured into it.

Lord Berkeley, a member of the board of the European Rail Freight Association, said many private operators were angry.

“It is extraordinary that the state sector can find enough money to buy up the competition and then complain it’s short of money,” he said.

The resurgence of state operators contrasts sharply with the European Commission’s expectations when it started liberalising Europe’s rail freight market nearly 10 years ago. Rules allowing private operators to compete first on international routes then in domestic rail freight encouraged a series of entrepreneurs to create private operators whose operating practices marked a decisive break with the past.

However, almost from the start, Deutsche Bahn started buying up stakes in private operators, as well as the state railways’ freight operations in Denmark and the Netherlands. It controls or has stakes in operators in the UK, France, Spain and Italy.

SNCF has become much more aggressive in its expansion over the past 18 months, taking a large stake in Ferrovie Nord Cargo, one of Italy’s biggest competitors to the state-owned incumbent, as well as buying Geodis, a logistics company.

Its takeover of Veolia Cargo will be significant because Veolia last February bought Rail4Chem, one of the best-regarded private operators, which was set up by chemical companies seeking an alternative to the state-owned operators.

Nevertheless, Guillaume Pepy, president of SNCF, insisted the issue was rail’s failure to win over sufficient traffic from road transport. The takeovers would help it to compete better.

DB Schenker, Deutsche Bahn’s freight and logistics arm, said that it was vital it offered its heavily export-oriented German customers a Europe-wide network.

There are also few obvious alternatives to takeover by the state-owned operators for private operators struggling with a slump in freight volumes.

Posted on 10:54 AM | Permalink

International Freight Weekly: 25-09-2009
By James Falkner

Deutsche Bahn has bought a majority stake in Polish rail operator PTK Holding.

The parent company of DB Schenker now holds a 95% stake in the firm after taking a holding through its acquisition of PCC Logistics, an intermodal rail firm.

"We will now be able to further strategically expand and effectively structure our network in Poland, and improve the range of services we provide for our customers," said Christoph Wolff, head of region east at DB Schenker Rail.

"In the next few months we will be merging our affiliated companies in Poland to create a single market presence," he added.

PTK has 2,000 staff and focuses on moving coal to Poland’s power plants.

It also operates container terminals for sea and inland waterway transport, repair depots for rolling stock and a infrastructure network and is co-owner of the Swinoujscie port terminal on Poland’s Baltic Sea coast.

Posted on 12:50 PM | Permalink

EUObserver: 24.09.2009
LEIGH PHILLIPS

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - EU transport commissioner Antonio Tajani has been accused of a conflict of interest for spending six hours aboard a Ryanair flight alongside the company's chief executive while on a whistle-stop tour of Ireland campaigning for the Lisbon Treaty.

Ryanair chief O'Leary is a Celtic warrior, believes Roman soldier Tajani (Photo: Wikipedia)

Mr Tajani, a vice-president of the commission, on Tuesday flew from Dublin to Knock airport in the west and Kerry airport in the south and back to the Irish capital in a Ryanair 737 affixed with a gigantic 'Yes to Europe' slogan, a trip that lobbying transparency campaigners say should never have taken place.

At each stop, Michael O'Leary, the CEO of the airline perennially in battle with the commission over merger attempts or complaints of government subsidies to competing firms, held a press conference together with the commissioner, encouraging voters to support the Lisbon Treaty.

During the trip, Mr O'Leary, known for his pugilistic style, did not shy away from making mention of his bugbears with the commission, according to reports in the Irish press, notably his attempts to purchase Aer Lingus, Ireland's flag carrier.

In June 2007, the European Commission blocked a bid by Ryanair to purchase the rival airline, citing concerns that the merger would create a near monopoly in the Irish market. In August last year, the commission also launched an investigation of the company for cancelling the tickets purchased from third-party websites.

"Ryanair's offer to Aer Lingus is the only airline merger that's been turned down by Brussels on competition grounds in 30 years," he said at one stopover, reports the Irish Times.

However, Mr O'Leary appeared to be aware that the jaunt and indeed his support for the Yes campaign might be perceived as a gift to the commission made in exchange for it considering the company's expansion plans more favourably in the future, but dismissed the idea as Aer Lingus will end up part of Ryanair at some point in any case, he said.

Last October, the Ryanair CEO had attacked the idea of forcing Ireland to vote on the Lisbon Treaty a second time.

''It seems that only in the European Union, Ireland and Zimbabwe are you forced to vote twice," O'Leary said. ''The vote should be respected. It is the only democratic thing to do," he told the Sunday Business Post at the time.

The commissioner however seemed to quickly have forgotten the EU executive's past battles with Mr O'Leary and his earlier opposition to the referendum, and cheered his decision to join the Yes campaign.

"I am a Roman soldier," he said, according to the Irish Independent, "and Michael is a Celtic warrior."

Chicken Bellanaise

Although normally passengers aboard the Irish budget airline pay seven euros and change for a shrink-wrapped sandwich and a juice, on this flight, the commissioner and the EU executive's head of representation in Ireland, Martin Territt, were treated to chicken Bellanaise with wild rice and peaches, followed by petits fours and coffee.

But while nibbling on the not-so-budget dishes, at no point did Messrs O'Leary and Tajani discuss the longstanding hostilities between the airline and the commission, according to a commission spokesperson.

"There was absolutely no lobbying involved. The commissioner was invited simply to give information on his portfolio," transport spokesman Fabio Pirotta told this website.

"There was no discussion at all about commission decisions. He was not trying to lobby the commissioner. There were no discussions between them on any issue related to any policy matter," he continued.

"The mention of Aer Lingus was only made at press conferences in full public view," he said, adding that Mr Tajani often meets with the CEOs of airlines and that on Wednesday, he met with the head of Iberian airlines.

But lobbying transparency campaigners are shocked at the trip.

"It's as clear an example of corporate influence as I can think of," said Erik Wesselius, of Corporate Europe Observatory, the Brussels-based lobbying watchdog.

"There appears to be a considerable conflict of interest here - commissioner Tajani letting himself be hosted by an airline that has had and continues to have several disputes with the European Commission."

"Tajani is dealing with some of the decisions Ryanair is most interested in. This is a good lobbying opportunity for O'Leary."

He added that even if there was no direct talk about the airline's concerns, Mr O'Leary will likely still expect a quid pro quo at some point.

"It makes no difference whether there was any substantive discussion about Ryanair issues. O'Leary might come back later to Tajani with some request and then he can remind Tajani of that day in September when O'Leary took him on tour through Ireland to support the Yes campaign."

Left-wing Irish MEP Joe Higgins, an opponent of the Lisbon Treaty, has called on European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso to dismiss Mr Tajani for agreeing to the trip.

"This tour seriously compromises Tanjani's position as European commissioner for transport," he said in a statement. "Ryanair is one of the biggest airlines in Europe. It has already and may come into further conflict with the European Commission."

A Ryanair spokesman later explicitly denied suggestions that the flight or the support for the Yes campaign was an attempt to influence the commission.

"Every campaign has a certain amount of money spent on it. We are no different to the No campaign in that respect," he said.

"We have had a fractious relationship with the commission in the past. That will continue because it is the nature of business."

Posted on 12:42 PM | Permalink

Washington Post: September 23, 2009
By Lena H. Sun and James Hohmann

US Federal investigators issued urgent safety recommendations nationwide Tuesday about the train control system at the center of the fatal Metro crash in June.

The investigators, while not pinpointing a cause for the crash, say a possible design anomaly in an automated control system could have allowed it, raising serious concerns about the safety of Metro and all other transit systems with the same technology. Investigators also raised concerns about how routine maintenance could have affected the performance of the system.

Metro and other transit agencies should examine their train control systems, in cooperation with the manufacturer, to guard against further malfunctions, the agency said.

The National Transportation Safety Board sent advisory letters with the recommendations to Metro, the Federal Railroad Administration, the Federal Transit Administration and Alstom Signaling, the company that makes the train protection equipment.

"After only three months, this complex investigation is far from complete, so we are not ready to determine the probable cause of the accident," said Chairman Deborah A. P. Hersman. "However, our findings so far indicate a pressing need to issue these recommendations to immediately address safety glitches we have found that could lead to another tragic accident on [Metro] or another transit or rail system."

Investigators said errant signals emitted from equipment in a train control room near the site of the Fort Totten crash gave a false signal to the automated crash-avoidance system, erroneously telling it the track was clear when in fact it was occupied by an idling train. As a result, the track circuit system that is supposed to prevent crashes failed to detect the train and did not send signals to slow or stop the approaching train. Nine people were killed and 80 injured in the June 22 accident.

A spokesman for the Federal Railroad Administration, which oversees about 700 railroads, said it was not immediately clear how many or which rail systems use the same type of track circuits. Industry officials said relatively few railroads are affected.

Among transit agencies, Boston, Atlanta, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Baltimore are the major cities with similar track circuitry controls. Spokespeople for several transit agencies said they needed time to review the recommendations.

In the letters, safety board officials said the accident investigation "has raised concerns about the susceptibility of this audio frequency track circuit design to errant signals."

The Metro system relies on track circuits to maintain a safe distance between trains. The circuit system detects the presence of trains using audio frequencies transmitted between the train and the steel rails and automatically transmits signals to the next train down the line. If the following train gets too close, the system sends signals that force it to slow or stop.

The safety board also called on Metro to develop a program to periodically determine that the electronic components in the train control systems are performing properly.

The board urged Alstom to help Metro and other transit agencies examine the train control systems for vulnerability to the false signals. An Alstom spokeswoman did not return a telephone call.

The safety board did not say why the errant signals were occurring.

Federal safety officials said the testing and investigation "have raised concerns about how routine track circuit adjustments and/or changes in the operating characteristics of electronic components" in the train control systems "may affect system performance."

Five days before the accident, a Metro crew replaced a key piece of equipment, known as an impedance bond, in the track circuit at the accident site. The replacement of the bond required the track circuit signal strength to be adjusted to accommodate the new equipment, investigators said. It is possible that adjustments made could have inadvertently affected components elsewhere. The track circuit began malfunctioning, or "fluttering," after the equipment was replaced, Metro maintenance records show.

Much of Metro's track components are original equipment manufactured and installed when the Red Line was built in the 1970s. The agency is in the process of upgrading that equipment.

Metro officials said they were taking all measures to make the rail system as safe as possible.

"The NTSB has identified a symptom of the problem with the track circuit, but not a root cause or a solution," said Metro General Manager John B. Catoe Jr. Catoe said Metro will "implement immediately" the board's recommendations to look for errant signals elsewhere and to make sure all electronic components are performing properly.

He said Metro is already working with equipment manufacturers to address concerns raised earlier by the safety board.

Since the crash, Metro has been conducting more rigorous testing of its track circuits.

In July, the safety board said the track circuit electrical system designed to prevent crashes is inadequate and urged the transit agency to add a real-time, continuous backup that would alert train operators to potential problems and stop trains when necessary.

The agency has been in talks with an Annapolis-based company that has a $15 million contract with Metro to provide electronics for the agency's backup operations control center in suburban Maryland and upgrade equipment at the main downtown control center.

The firm, ARINC, is a transportation communications and engineering systems firm. The two sides have been in active talks about estimates for the work, according to Metro spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein.

Metro spokeswoman Angela Gates said crews are still working on replacing the track circuit at the accident site at Fort Totten. She said they're "doing additional testing," but didn't know when the work might be completed.

See also:

U.S. recommends urgent checks of rail safety system

Reuters: Sep 22, 2009

WASHINGTON - U.S. transportation officials, citing failure of a track safety system in their investigation of a deadly Washington subway collision, recommended on Tuesday that other transit agencies and railroads using the same technology conduct urgent inspections to ensure it is working properly.

The National Transportation Safety Board investigation continues into the June 22 Metro crash that killed nine people and injured dozens more, but the NTSB said its post-crash examination of the Red Line track in Maryland turned up circuit problems with the anti-collision system.

The safety board made no finding on whether the electrical problem caused the crash. A final report on the accident is not expected for several months.

"Our findings so far indicate a pressing need to issue these recommendations to immediately address safety glitches we have found that could lead to another tragic accident on (Washington's) or another transit or rail system," NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman said in a statement.

The safety board recommendation to U.S. regulators also extends to Alstom Signaling Inc, a unit of Alstom SA maker of electrical parts examined by investigators.

A spokesman for Alstom said it had not yet reviewed the NTSB report in detail and had no immediate comment.

Posted on 3:56 PM | Permalink

The Socialist: 22 September 2009
Nick Chaffey, Southampton

Vestas wind turbine workers and their supporters rallied and took to the streets of Newport, Isle of Wight, on their day of action on 17 September.

They were buoyed up by their visit, as members of the RMT union, to the TUC Congress. "We were given a standing ovation by the TUC during Ed Miliband's speech...

"Later we discussed our concerns with Miliband and explained that Vestas had still not paid redundancy to the eleven of us sacked and he agreed to contact Vestas to sort this out. The support at TUC has kept up the pressure on the government and they have agreed to a meeting with us," reported Vestas worker Ian Terry.

At the TUC an RMT resolution, seconded by Unite, was passed applauding 'the Vestas workforce and their families who courageously fought to save their jobs, including occupying the factory' and calling for 'publicly owned wind turbine manufacturing capacity, including at the Vestas site'.

Locally the blockade of the factory continues. The Isle of Wight council, feeling the pressure of the campaign, have approached the Vestas workers to discuss the future of the company but also served an eviction notice on those camped outside the factory. On the night of Monday 21 September police forced out protesters but they reassembled the following day.

Then, on Tuesday, 120 police enabled the remaining turbine blades to be removed from the factory.

Nevertheless, Vestas workers remain determined to continue with their campaign. RMT Vestas members are meeting this week to discuss the way forward and what they will be doing next. Mark Smith said: "We are still receiving support from across the country and are attending meetings to build support for the campaign, including a visit to Belfast."

See also:

Successful solidarity meeting

Tim Cutter

Led by Wessex region RMT activists, Vestas workers and supporters marched from a protest outside the closed South-ampton Vestas factory to a rally at Southampton dockers' club where over 50 people turned up to hear about the campaign.

The meeting, organised by Wessex RMT, was chaired by Mick Tosh, RMT, with speakers Martine from Vestas, Pete Gale, RMT regional organiser, Ian Woodland, Unite officer and Nick Chaffey, Socialist Party.

"We are tired but determined to carry on", was the message from Martine, who thanked everyone for the magnificent support the campaign has received. The speakers and discussion focussed on the lessons of the fight of Vestas workers, the example they have set and how continued support needs to be built for the campaign.

Wider issues such as the need for a political voice to represent the struggles of Vestas workers and others was highlighted by Pete Gale: "Anyone who thinks New Labour will offer that support is mistaken, workers need a new party that will unite these struggles and give people a real alternative in the general election."

This meeting showed how the solidarity for disputes such as Vestas will bring together trade unionists, socialists and environmentalists and create the basis for such a new party.

The meeting agreed to continue with support for Vestas and organise further meetings to discuss the way forward.

Posted on 11:42 AM | Permalink

ePolitix: 22nd Sep 2009
Tony Grew

The Liberal Democrats have rejected a series of conference pleas to take the railways back into public ownership.

At their conference in Bournemouth, the party approved a motion calling for an end to the "failing" rail franchise system and replacing it with one "that prioritises the passenger over higher premium payments".

Moving the motion, Sandy Walkington, prospective parliamentary candidate (PPC) for St Albans, said there are "so many negatives" about the way the rail system was privatised.

"This motion is about the future because it focuses on passengers," he said.

Walkington bemoaned the fact that "we are all customers now".

"Being called a customer implies there is a choice, but for most rail passengers there is no choice."

He pointed out the taxpayer now contributes more than when the rail system was nationalised.

Prateek Buch from Epping Forest said: "You cannot run a reasonable service on a commercial basis. We have got to take it back into public ownership."

Jill Hope, PPC for Milton Keynes North, expressed the frustration of the thousands of passengers forced to use the commuter services from the town.

But there were dissenting voices.

"Do we seriously believe there will be more investment from a state-run industry?" asked Mark Hunter, MP for Cheadle.

He said the present situation "is no panacea and that is why we are advocating longer franchises to encourage investment".

Hunter called the nationalisation amendment "wishful thinking" and "damaging to the party's credibility".

Lembit Opik was cheered by the party faithful as he asked: "Mark, I have always regarded you as a socialist – what went wrong?"

Opik said most of the problems are caused by the "Conservative dogma of privatising the railways".

"Where is it written that we have to abandon good ideas simply because Labour and the Tories have abandoned them too?" he asked.

The MP argued that given the level of public subsidy handed to the rail industry, "it's virtually nationalised anyway, we just pretend it is not".

He added: "If you take the profit motive out there is more money for investment, not less. Mark in his heart knows we are right."

Opik told conference it was time to stop "pretending" that all the European countries that have a state-run network are wrong.

"Germany has a superb rail network, particularly because it is state-run," he insisted.

But Norman Baker, the Lib Dem transport spokesman, said the railways had "settled down" since privatisaion

Punctuality has improved overall and passenger numbers are at record levels he said, but fares are a "major problem".

The amendment for nationalisation is "where the heart takes you but not the head."

"The railways are being sorted out, do we really want to throw everything up in the air?" he asked.

"Is our priority to concentrate on navel-gazing, on process?"

He proposed 30-year franchises, being "much harder" on the rail companies. He said he would "force" them to reopen lines and stations.

"I want to use their money to grow the network," he added.

The policy motion that was passed calls on the government to retain control of the East Coast franchise to act as a public sector comparator to drive up standards and drive down costs across the rest of the network.

It also calls for an end to the "failing" franchise system.

The motion said it should be replaced with one that "prioritises the passenger over higher premium payments; new franchise conditions must lead on quality of service and of passenger experience, including, where possible, fare reductions, with rolling reviews to ensure standards are being met".

The government should guarantee that any surpluses from franchise payments will continue to be invested in rail improvements, more rolling stock and, where economically viable, the reopening of stations and lines.

Overall annual increases in rail fares should be at no more than inflation "as soon as possible", as part of the wider agenda of promoting green forms of travel.

See also:

Opik calls for rail renationalisation

Public Service News: September 22, 2009

Railways should be renationalised because it would be a more logical system that would protect passengers from steep fare increases, Lembit Opik has said, writes Matthew George from the Liberal Democrat conference in Bournemouth.

The high-profile Montgomeryshire MP told a fringe meeting that renationalisation was the policy of the Welsh party. It should not happen for romantic reasons, and would be horrendously expensive if done the wrong way. But it would be affordable if the current rail franchises were returned to public ownership when they ended.

Opik said fare increases under British Rail tended to be modest, but they rocketed by 7.6 per cent in 2008-09. Under BR there were seven different kinds of tickets, but there were 70 separate fares under the current fragmented system, and 776 qualifications and conditions. And the railways do not pay for themselves – the government has to subsidise them by £5.6bn a year, about half the operating costs.

"We are putting more money into the system than when it was under national control, and we are getting an inferior service to much of Europe," Opik said.

Cheadle MP Mark Hunter, a Lib Dem transport spokesman, said supporting renationalisation was a "heart over head issue" and he did not think it would ever happen. "The railways should remain in the private sector but under conditions which need to be dramatically revised," he said.

The current franchises – which tend to be around seven years – are far too short and do not encourage train companies to make long-term investment, he argued. "We would advocate them being up to 30 years but with reviews every five years – as long as the train operating companies meet specific targets every five years they would be allowed to continue with the franchise."

The targets could include upgrading track, improving stations, increasing the number of carriages and limiting fare increases.

"That is the only way we are going to maintain high levels of innovation and efficiency in our railways," he said. "The privatised rail network is here to stay but the way it is being run has to change drastically."

Posted on 5:32 PM | Permalink

Railnews: 14th September 2009

AS this week's annual Trades Union Congress in Liverpool prepares for a debate on the future of Britain's railways, the RMT union has published results of an opinion poll showing 70 per cent of people support the return of Britain's railways to public ownership.

Only 23 per cent of the 1,017 people questioned supported continued privatisation in the industry, according to the RMT.

The state of the railways, including the future of the East Coast Main Line inter-city passenger franchise, will be debated by the TUC in Liverpool on Thursday - when the RMT will be calling for support for the full re-nationalisation of the railways, as well as London Underground.

General secretary Bob Crow said: "This poll... shows that the Government are miles out of step with the voters when it comes to the crucial issue of who owns and runs our transport services.

"We are calling on the Government to use the return to public ownership of the East Coast Main Line in a few weeks' time as the starting point for a re-nationalisation of the railways and not as a short term crisis measure."

He added: "If Labour are serious about re-engaging with their core supporters, they can prove it by making a bold statement on public ownership of the railways."

See also:

70% 'back rail renationalisation'

BBC News: 14 September 2009

The RMT union has consistently called for public ownership of the rail network

Most people are in favour of returning the railways to public ownership, with just 23% supporting privatisation, according to a poll.

A survey of more than 1,000 people for the Rail Maritime and Transport union (RMT), found seven out of 10 of those questioned backed renationalisation.

The state of the railways will be debated by the TUC conference in Liverpool later this week.

The RMT will be calling for support for full rail renationalisation.

RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said the poll showed the government is "out of step with the voters" on who owns and runs the rail network.

He said: "If Labour are serious about re-engaging with their core supporters, they can prove it by making a bold statement on public ownership of the railways."

Posted on 4:25 PM | Permalink

Bloomberg: Sept. 7
By Laurence Frost

Groupe Eurotunnel SA, operator of the Channel Tunnel rail link between England and France, said a Goldman Sachs Group Inc. fund will become its biggest shareholder by swapping deferred equity securities for stock.

Eurotunnel rose the most in a month in Paris trading after the company, which is based in the French capital, said that the U.S. bank’s infrastructure fund will exercise all of its certificates to take a 21.2 percent stake.

Goldman’s move is a “powerful sign of renewed confidence in the group,” Eurotunnel Chief Executive Officer Jacques Gounon said in a statement. “It will be a real asset in the pursuit of our upcoming strategic developments.”

Eurotunnel, which runs vehicle-carrying shuttles through the tunnel and sells access to Eurostar Group passenger trains and freight operators, recorded its first profit in 2007 after a reorganization slashed debt by 3 billion pounds ($5 billion). The company plans to expand by acquiring other European rail concessions, starting with the High Speed 1 link from London to the tunnel, earmarked for sale by the U.K. government.

Eurotunnel jumped 33 cents, or 7.8 percent, to 4.56 euros, the biggest gain since Aug. 7, extending the stock’s gain this year to 18 percent.

Quicker Travel

Journey times from London to Paris and Brussels were cut by 20 minutes after the final section of High Speed 1 opened in 2007. The line’s U.K. terminus also moved north to St. Pancras station from Waterloo, making connections easier. The improvements helped Eurotunnel increase profit in the first half of 2008, before the recession and a tunnel fire dragged it back to an 8 million-euro ($11.5 million) loss a year later.

The Goldman fund’s future status as the main Eurotunnel shareholder became clear after it bought 82 percent of a placement of 800,000 subordinated deferred equity securities that it underwrote last year. Its stake is set to be diluted to 15.2 percent with the conversion of outstanding Eurotunnel securities and certificates to stock, the company said.

Goldman spokeswoman Joanna Carss declined to comment on the company’s strategy as a Eurotunnel investor.

The New York-based bank raised financing for the $6.5 billion infrastructure fund in 2006 to pursue large-scale investment opportunities in industries spanning toll roads, airports, ports and utilities. Goldman put up $750 million of the fund’s capital, with the rest coming mainly from pension funds, insurers and other banks.

Posted on 9:20 AM | Permalink

BBC News: 1 September 2009

Network Rail has released a draft 10-year strategy for developing railways across the Great Western network.
The strategy will work on plans to electrify more railway lines

The rail infrastructure company said demand was set to grow 31% by 2019, dealing with 100m passengers a year.

It said more investment in faster trains, more services and infrastructure were necessary to ease over-crowding and improve performance.

Schemes in the strategy include electrifying some lines. A consultation process has started into the plans.

GREAT WESTERN STRATEGY
*Longer trains between Reading and Gatwick Airport
*Longer trains going in and out of Bristol Temple Meads on the Cardiff to Portsmouth, Cardiff to Taunton and Gloucester to Weymouth routes
*Additional cross-Bristol services throughout the day to provide hourly services to Yate and Bath
*Additional services between Westbury and Chippenham or Swindon
*More services on the Paignton to Exmouth and Barnstaple to St James Park routes
*Reduced journey times on the Cardiff to Portsmouth and on Bristol Temple Meads to Bridgwater routes
*An additional platform at Westbury station

The Great Western strategy routes builds on the electrification plans already announced by the government, Network Rail (NR) said.

Work is due to start on electrifying the London to Bristol and Swansea and London to Oxford and Newbury routes from 2014.

The plan also considers the draft Regional Spatial Strategy for economic and population growth, NR added.

The spatial strategy identifies Gloucester, Swindon, Bristol, Taunton, Exeter and Plymouth as main growth centres.

NR route director Chris Rayner said: "It is essential that we have a robust strategy in place to build a bigger and better railway and the support we receive as part of the consultation process will play an important part in shaping the future of rail services on the Great Western."

Consultation on the plans will end on 27 November and railway customer watchdogs have urged passengers to give their views to the rail operator.

Mike Greedy, manager of Passenger Focus, said: "This is a very important process which gives passengers the opportunity to highlight any realistic aspirations for the future services in their area and we encourage passengers to take part in Network Rail's consultation."

The final document is due to be published in early 2010 and given to the Department for Transport to help shape its future high-level strategy for the industry's funding from 2014 to 2019.

See also:

Faster trains on major rail routes

Press Association: 12 hours ago

Plans for longer, more frequent and faster trains on key rail routes have been outlined by Network Rail (NR).

The 10-year strategy on Great Western routes builds on the electrification plans already announced by the Government.

The plans take into account predictions that nearly 100 million passengers a year will travel on Great Western by 2019, with Bristol experiencing the biggest growth of 41% in peak rail demand.

See also:

Network Rail sets out investment plan for Devon and Cornwall

New Civiil Engineer: 1 September, 2009

Network Rail today outlined a ten-year strategy based on forecast rail demands and local and economic population growth for the Great Western Route.

The transformation of the railway in Devon and Cornwall will be advanced with further investments in improving rail connectivity, said the proposal which is part of the Great Western Route Utilisation Strategy. It pledges to increase trains and more frequent services to build on the benefits from the capacity-boosting Intercity Express Programme (IEP).

To sustain the growth, it said there needs to be better connectivity into Exeter and Plymouth and consistent service pattern during summer peak period.

Based on forecast analysis, the Great Western is set to grow by 31% with nearly 100M passengers by 2019, with Bristol to experience the biggest jump in number.

Rail travel into Plymouth and Exeter has boomed in the last decade with rail journeys increased by 50% and 30% respectively at the two key interchanges. Today, both cities are receiving approximately 2M passengers.

Network Rail route director Chris Rayner said: “The Great Western is seeing record-breaking rail performance and sustained investments that is radically changing passengers’ experience. This emerging strategy sets the building block for more improvements in Devon and Cornwall for the next decade and beyond, when opportunities arise for an overhaul of the signalling system, electrification of the line and even more longer trains.”

Passenger Focus manager Mike Greedy added: “This is a very important process which gives passengers the opportunity to highlight any realistic aspirations for the future services in their area and we encourage passengers to take part in Network Rail’s consultation.”

The emerging strategy focuses on connectivity issues and if funding is available, some of these options could be delivered from as early as 2014 onwards.

Key recommendations that will require government or third party funding include:

*Improving service pattern between Paignton to Exmouth to half-hourly and Barnstaple to St James Park to hourly

*Reduce journey time on services between Bristol Temple Meads -Exeter by raising the linespeed between Bristol Temple Meads to Bridgwater to 125mph (200kmph)

See also:

How rail bosses plan to cut journey times and cope with a passenger boom

Western Mail: Sep 2 2009
by Tomos Livingstone,

PLANS to cut journey times plus new commuter trains to cope with a boom in passenger numbers, were announced yesterday by Network Rail.

A 10-year strategy for the Great Western route identifies services between Cardiff and Portsmouth and Cardiff and Taunton as needing urgent improvements.

Network Rail says the Cardiff-to-Bristol corridor is one of its key priorities, with many of its peak-time trains already seriously overcrowded. Demand is likely to increase by another 35% on the 40-mile stretch of track over the next decade, it says.

It proposes lengthening nine trains a day on routes to Taunton and Portsmouth from Cardiff, and suggests new trains should be bought.

The Cardiff-to-Portsmouth journey time should also be cut by nine minutes by changing the stopping pattern along the route, says NR’s plan.

Improvements on the Cardiff- Portsmouth route, which travels through Bristol, provided “high value for money” and require relatively modest investment, NR’s consultation document said.

However, it said the case for extending the existing service from Cardiff to Taunton on to Exeter or Plymouth was “poor”, and has ruled out the idea.

Yesterday NR also revealed it had identified the lack of early-morning services between Cardiff and Birmingham as a potential gap in provision, but had decided against further action.

It said the 05.42 service from Birmingham New Street should instead be re-timed and run more quickly, allowing travellers to arrive in Cardiff earlier.

Fewer inter-city trains between South Wales and London Paddington should call at Didcot Parkway in future, NR also suggested, a move that could cut up to 10 minutes off the Swansea-London journey time on some services.

The proposals come after the announcement of a £1bn investment to electrify the main Great Western line, which includes the route between London Paddington and Swansea.

That scheme was unveiled by Prime Minister Gordon Brown on a visit to Cardiff in July. Construction work will begin in 2014, with the whole route electrified by 2018.

A new generation of trains to replace long-distance high-speed trains on the line will also be in place by 2016.

The NR proposals are out to consultation until late November, and will be published in their final form in the New Year.

More than 40% of train journeys in the UK are made in the Great Western area, and NR estimates 100 million people will travel on the routes by 2019.

Bristol is expected to see an even larger rise in passengers than Cardiff, at 41%.

NR route director Chris Rayner said: “Great Western is seeing record-breaking rail performance and sustained investments that is radically changing passengers’ experience.

“Demand for rail travel has grown significantly over the last decade and, while this success is welcomed, it brings with it the challenges of meeting this demand as we continue to improve today’s railway.

“It is essential that we have a robust strategy in place to build a bigger and better railway and the support we receive as part of the consultation process will play an important part in shaping the future of rail services on the Great Western.”

Passenger groups urged travellers to take part in the consultation process.

“This is a very important process which gives passengers the opportunity to highlight any realistic aspirations for the future services in their area,” said Mike Greedy, manager of rail customer watchdog Passenger Focus.

Jenny Willott, the Liberal Democrat MP for Cardiff Central, said: “Any improvements are welcome, but this isn’t anywhere near enough. The people of South Wales want and deserve to see more carriages and quicker travel on all routes.”

To make your views on the future of rail travel with Great Western known, email greatwesternrus@networkrail.co.uk

See also:

Operator reveals 'wish list' for Bristol railways

Bristol Evening Post: September 01, 2009

Network Rail is calling for millions of pounds of investment in Bristol railways to cope with a huge predicted increase in passengers in the next 10 years.

With 7.4 million passengers, Bristol Temple Meads is the third most used station on the Great Western network, and is expected to experience the largest growth in the next decade.

Nearly 100 million passengers are expected to be travelling within the Great Western by 2019, a network that covers London Paddington, Bristol Temple Meads, Reading, Slough and Oxford.

Bristol alone is predicted to see a 41 per cent increase in demand during the rush hour.

Network Rail has today published the draft Great Western Route Utilisation Strategy, a wish list setting out the improvements it thinks are necessary to deal with passenger growth.

Funding would come from central government and "third parties", which could include local authorities or private developers.

Network Rail has stressed that as capital projects these changes would not be funded by rail fare increases, which are a matter for local operators like First Great Western.

Network Rail is calling for:
● Longer trains with an extra nine vehicles going into and out of Temple Meads on the Cardiff-Portsmouth, Cardiff-Taunton and Gloucester-Weymouth routes. This would be on top of the 12 extra trains that have already been proposed to the Government.
● Additional cross-Bristol services throughout the day to include hourly services from Temple Meads to Bath and Swindon, and an hourly service from Westbury to Chippenham or Swindon.
● An additional platform at Westbury station.
● An extended passenger line from Bristol Temple Meads to Parson Street to remove the bottleneck.
● An additional service between Westbury and Temple Meads to cater for the intermediate stations.
● Increasing line speed between Temple Meads and Bridgwater to 125mph.

The rail growth strategy has gone out to consultation and will be submitted to the Department for Transport early next year.

Consultation ends on November 29. The document can be seen at www.networkrail.co.uk.

Comment:

If this is a 'wish list' then it's pretty tame. The only proposal that involves expanding the actual rail infrastructure and hence the capacity to shift people around is the extra line from Temple Meads to Parson Street. Well, that probably already existed prior to Dr B so is no real achievement. The other proposals similarly fail to excite.

Rail may be Victorian but they did the hard work for us so we may as well now derive some benefit from their system. Here are some ideas: re-open Portishead line; stations at those park'n'rides that are next to lines to reduce reliance on buses; sort out Severn Beach service so that it is a viable route rather than a tourist attraction for masochists with too much time on their hands; use the Henbury freight line for passenger traffic and get a loop going; build some suburban stations on existing lines; trains to have decent-sized guard's van for bikes, prams etc; monorail/tram from Temple Meads into the Centre with intermediate station at Cabot Circus. I've barely started. A lot of this could be done for less than the cost of the proposed 'rapid-transit' bus.

Mark,
Stoke Bishop

Posted on 6:49 PM | Permalink