Technology

Within the rail industry and among its customers, there is broad recognition of the need to innovate in order to improve efficiency and reduce cost. This brings an important opportunity for the UK to promote growth in its supply chain. Engineering consultancy, Frazer- Nash will be working with the Enabling Innovation Team (EIT) to stimulate [...]

Where will rail be in 10, 20 or even 30 years time? For the US and the UK, the future of national rail travel is high-speed (HSR), but there are concepts in various stages of development that could revolutionise not...

Rail technology specialists Vossloh has reported an increase in sales in 2012, with the group's fastening systems division experiencing growth of 10.9 per cent. Total revenue rose to 1.2 billion euros last year and at December 31, 2012 the group's...

Alstom has signed an agreement with Spanish infrastructure manager Adif to develop a new third rail signalling system to aid the expansion of trans-European rail services. The project is part of a framework agreement signed on November 2012 to carry...

The SkyTrain light rapid transit system in Vancouver, Canada, comprises 68.7km (42.7 miles) of track and 47 stations over three lines. The first of these, the Expo line, was opened in 1985 for Expo 86 and was built as a fully-automated system, mostly on elevated structures – hence the name “SkyTrain”. Automation is achieved using [...]

Railways, and signalling in particular, are generally not well regarded for being innovative. Talented job applicants with a high-tech background, such as software engineering, are predictably surprised when told that mechanical computers (i.e. interlockings) are still widespread in the railway system. Even if not a mainstream technology, relay-based interlockings are still regarded by some as [...]

Rail industry representatives from Spain are heading to the USA to explore rail freight opportunities across North America. The Spanish Railway Association (MAFEX) will visit the US in March to attend the 18th Annual Research Review of the Association of...

As you will be aware, 2012 was the second wettest year on record for the UK as a whole and, in England alone, it was the wettest year ever recorded. So it’s been a good year for the ducks, but for many people, including railway engineers, it has been a nightmare – especially in the [...]

Testing has begun for the first phase of  Singapore's driverless  Downtown Line. Invensys Rail Dimetronic has been trialling its unmanned signalling technology at a test track in the city of Changchun since September 2011. With functional tests now complete, dynamic testing...

Testing has begun for the first phase of  Singapore's driverless  Downtown Line. Invensys Rail Dimetronic has been trialling its unmanned signalling technology at a test track in the city of Changchun since September 2011. With functional tests now complete, dynamic testing...