Industry News
Bilfinger Berger awarded Berlin U-Bahn and S-Bahn tunnelling contracts
GERMANY: Two contracts totalling €230m have been awarded to civil engineering group Bilfinger Berger for construction of new urban rail links to serve Berlin Hauptbahnhof, the company announced on February 10.
The bigger contract awarded by the local transport authority covers the missing section of U-Bahn line U5 between Alexanderplatz and Brandenburger Tor, where it will connect with the isolated route to the main station where BVG has operated a shuttle service as Line U55 since completion in 2009. As well as boring the 1·6 km running tunnels using a TBM and shield excavation, Bilfinger Berger will excavate the underground station at Museuminsel and build a cut-and-cover station at Unter den Linden.
The second contract awarded by DB to a joint venture including Bilfinger Berger covers the construction of tunnels for Line S21 between the Hauptbahnhof and a triangular junction with the northern side of the city’s S-Bahn ring. Including a mix of open cut and tunnelling, this will require pressurised excavation of the section below the main station.
Rail Vision 2030 recommends investment in Irish inter-city routes
IRELAND: The 2030 Rail Network Strategy Review of the medium-term needs and long term vision for investment in the national rail network was published on February 22.
It recommends that improvements to speed and capacity on inter-city lines should be prioritised, with electrification of the two main routes considered in the longer term.
National railway Iarnród Éireann commissioned the Strategic Rail Investments Needs Review from AECOM and Goodbody in the light of the government’s new National Development plan. This will set out public investment priorities for 2012-19 in the context of Ireland’s revised economic circumstances since the financial crisis. The review focuses on long-distance and regional routes, with the Greater Dublin area to be considered separately by the National Transport Authority.
The final report recommends that investment should be concentrated on links between the major cities, based on a value for money approach.
A three-phase strategy is proposed, with an estimated annual spend of €215m on infrastructure and €116m on rolling stock maintenance and renewals to 2030.
The first phase to 2015 would focus on ‘quick wins’ generating large returns in passenger benefits and fare revenue. These include ‘modest’ infrastructure improvements to reduce journey times on the routes from Dublin to Cork and Galway, and development of a Dublin (M50) Parkway station on the line into Heuston station where passengers would change for a bus link to the airport. If additional money could be found, further journey time improvements would enhance the benefits.
Phase 2 in 2015-20 would include Portalington – Athlone double tracking to increase capacity, a DART suburban link between Clongriffin and Dublin Airport, and various upgrades which rely on growth in demand to make a satisfactory return.
Phase 3 in 2020-25 includes electrification of the Cork and Galway routes, which could generate ‘significant returns’ but only if aligned with rolling stock life cycles; premature replacement of existing inter-city DMUs would reduce the economic case.
Predicted demand on the Dublin – Belfast cross-border route is found to be to low to justify electrification, even if aligned with fleet renewal, but this ‘should be kept under review’.
The report highlights the need to ensure that maintenance and renewal is safeguarded, to avoid assets being run down over time. A strategic decision is need to retain viable freight capacity, and public funding models devised for freight services which might not be profitable but would generate wider economic benefits.
A revision of the fares structure is suggested, with a clearer split between advance and walk-on tickets, and the elimination of anomalies such as return tickets being cheaper than singles.
Options for the lightly used Waterford – Limerick Junction and Limerick – Ballybrophy lines ‘range from closure to more targeted services over sections of the routes.’ Of possible new lines or reopenings, only Athenry – Tuam is proposed for further consideration.
IÉ Chief Executive Dick Fearn said the economic crisis should not prevent planning for the future. ‘It would be easy in today’s environment to focus solely on short-term measures needed to ensure financial viability and the protection of existing services’, he said. ‘However, public transport in general and rail development in particular must always be considered in the medium and long-term strategic context.’
Northeastern link proposed
THAILAND: The Thai Office of Transport & Traffic Policy & Planning submitted proposals for a 336 km railway from Ban Phai to Nakhon Phanom to the cabinet at a meeting in Udon Thani on February 21.
The branch from the existing Nakhon Ratchasima – Nong Khai metre-gauge line would run northeast via Mueang Roi Et to the border with Laos, from where it could ultimately be extended eastwards to meet the planned Vietnamese railhead at Mu Gia.
With a projected construction cost of 41bn baht, the line is scheduled to open in 2017. Traffic is estimated at 6·3 million tonnes of freight and 7·4 million passenger-journeys annually by 2037. OTTPP calculates that the line could deliver wider economic and social benefits worth 2·8bn baht per year.
The project is part of a wider infrastructure package aimed at stimulating economic growth in northern Thailand, which has been badly affected by floods in recent months. As well as developing potential links within the framework of the long-term Trans-Asian Railway plan, OTTPP is also prioritising rail connections to the country’s main import terminal at Laem Chabang on the Gulf of Thailand.
Cincinnati streetcar groundbreaking
USA: Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Mayor Mark Mallory attended a groundbreaking ceremony on February 17 to mark the start of work on a tram line serving the centre of Cincinnati.The 5∙8 km route with 17 stops will run from Findlay Market in the district of Over-the-Rhine, to the Banks redevelopment project in the Riverfront area. The streetcar will run on a pair of single tracks in adjacent streets, following Elm and Race between Over-the-Rhine and Central Parkway, and Walnut and Main from there to the Riverfront. The depot will be located near Findlay Market. Advanced works include a four month project to move water mains on Elm Street at 12th Street. Due to open in 2013, the Cincinnati Streetcar project is costed at $110m. The city received $25m from the federal Department of Transportation’s Urban Circulator Grant Programme in 2010, towards the cost of construction work. Another grant from the TIGER III programme is funding a short extension from Fifth Street to Second Street.The project has been controversial, but attempts to cancel the scheme were rejected by voters in 2009 and 2011. Mayor Mallory said ‘today’s groundbreaking belongs to the thousands of Cincinnatians who have enthusiastically worked to make the Streetcar a reality. The Streetcar is another part of our efforts to build a better Cincinnati.’
Dimboola to Rainbow rail line reopens
The reopening of the Dimboola to Rainbow line with the first grain train meant that up to 100,000 extra tonnes of Victorian grain would move annually by rail, Parliamentary Secretary for Transport Edward O’Donohue has said. Mr O’Donohue sai…
Construction begins on Orlando’s SunRail project
Construction of Orlando’s SunRail commuter rail project has officially begun after a ground breaking ceremony. Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Ananth Prasad, Congressman John Mica, Congresswoman Corinne Brown and Federal Transit Ad…
Network Rail to sell plant subsidiary
Network Rail Infrastructure Limited has announced it intends to sell its subsidiary, Network Rail (NDS-Plant) Limited, only four months after setting it up. The NDS-Plant division was set up in November after Network Rail ‘rescued’ equipmen…
Linlithgow Station’s 167 year old photo
A new information panel has been installed at Linlithgow Station to record its claim to be the first station in the world to have been photographed. The photograph was taken in 1845 by David Octavius Hill. The panel also celebrates more recent addition…
