DTP gets green light for Denver’s Eagle P3 commuter rail project

Stewart Thorpe
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Fluor Corporation announced today that Denver Transit Partners (DTP), a Fluor-led team, reached financial close and received an official notice to proceed from the Regional Transportation District (RTD) in Denver, Colorado. DTP will design, build, operate, maintain and finance the Eagle P3 commuter rail project (Eagle Project) in the Denver metropolitan area. Fluor will book the project into backlog in the third quarter of 2010.

The notice to proceed was given concurrently with reaching financial close in New York. DTP arranged for $452 million in private financing, including $397.8 million in Private Activity Bonds. DTP’s concession contract includes the six-year design-build phase of the Eagle Project followed by 30-year period of privatized operations and maintenance.

“Fluor is proud to have worked with the RTD and our Denver Transit Partners team members to bring this prestigious project to financial close,” said Patrick Flaherty, head of Fluor’s Infrastructure business. “We now look forward to working closely with the RTD, local businesses, and other stakeholders to complete the construction of the project safely and on time. We will establish a benchmark for rail transit service in the U.S. market.”

The Eagle Project is part of RTD’s FasTracks Plan, a 12-year multi-billion dollar transit expansion program to build and operate new commuter and light rail services and expand transportation offerings throughout the eight-county area. The Eagle Project is a public-private partnership that includes:

  • East Corridor: a new 22.8 mile commuter rail line from Union Station to Denver International Airport;
  • Gold Line: a new 11.2 mile commuter rail line from Union Station to Wheat Ridge;
  • A two mile initial segment of the Northwest Rail Corridor; and
  • A new commuter rail maintenance facility.

Fluor’s roles on the project include a 50 percent share of the engineering, procurement, and construction contract; a 33 percent share in the operations & maintenance contract as well as a 10 percent equity share in the concession’s special purpose vehicle that raised the financing to fund the project.

At the financial closing in New York, DTP partner Macquarie Capital conveyed its 90-percent interest to subsidiaries of two international infrastructure investment groups, John Laing plc and Uberior Investments, a unit of Lloyds Banking Group. Led by Fluor, John Laing plc, and Uberior Investments, the DTP team includes a world-class group of transit industry experts including Balfour Beatty Rail, Ames Construction, Hyundai-Rotem USA (Hyundai), Alternative Concepts, Inc. (ACI), Fluor/HDR Global Design Consultants, PBS&J, Parsons Brinckerhoff, Interfleet Technology, Systra, Wabtec and many others.

Passenger and freight numbers set to double

Jonathan Webb
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Twice as many passengers and a doubling of freight by 2035 is predicted in a new document published today, looking at long term planning for the rail industry, ‘Planning Ahead’.

With our roads getting more congested and the need to move to a ‘carbon-friendly’ economy, the demand for rail – for moving people and goods – will continue to grow. 

Paul Plummer, Network Rail’s director of planning and development, said: “Despite the tough economic times, we must continue to plan for the future and look to how we affordably expand the railway to meet big increases in passengers and freight. The railway is presently too expensive and must reduce its costs to ensure that the money it does invest delivers best value for Britain.”

Over the next 25 years the London commuter market, already very well served by rail, is likely to see growth  of up to 35%.  In contrast, regional urban commuting, to cities such as Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds Glasgow, is expected to see growth of over 100%, with growth on some route predicted to be in excess of 115%.  Rail freight is similarly predicted to double demand to 45 billion tonnes kilometres of goods moved by 2030.

Alec McTavish, director of policy and operations at the Association of Train Operating Companies said: “Rail makes a vital contribution to the UK economy, supporting jobs, businesses and helping millions of people to get round the country quickly and easily every day. 

“Value for money for the taxpayer and the passenger needs to be at the heart of everything that we do.  Train operators and Network Rail are working increasingly closely together to help plan the railway and identify ways to improve cost effectiveness, whilst fully recognising the distinctive role that each plays in this.  As our proposals on franchise reform have shown, allowing Network Rail and operators greater freedom to determine the most efficient way of delivering for passengers and making Britain’s railway more financially self-sufficient would be to the benefit of the nation as a whole.”

Lindsay Durham, chair of the Rail Freight Operators’ Association, said: “Rail freight contributes to the success of the UK economy by reliably and sustainably moving goods for consumers and industry within the UK and as a conduit for imports and exports. Freight trains are part of the logistics chain that stocks our shops, keeps the lights on and moves materials to build our infrastructure. We are pleased to work with our rail industry partners to plan a more efficient network that will enable growth and help to remove more lorries from Great Britain’s roads”

Busy scene at Watford Junction. Picture: www.upmain.com

Patriot Rail selected by North Carolina as the rail operator for the P&N RailRoad

Stewart Thorpe
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Patriot Rail, a privately-held short line and regional freight railroad holding company, today announced that it has executed a letter agreement with the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) to provide rail service on the Piedmont & Northern (P&N) rail corridor in Gaston County, North Carolina.  The letter agreement outlines the terms and conditions under which Patriot will provide rail service on the P&N.  The transaction, subject to regulatory approval and execution of the final agreement, is expected to close within the next 45-60 days.

The P&N rail corridor, located approximately 20 miles west of Charlotte, North Carolina, is a 13-mile rail line that extends from Mount Holly to Gastonia, with a spur line towards Belmont.  It has strategic interchanges with Class I railroads Norfolk Southern Railway at Gastonia and CSX Transportation at Mount Holly.  The P&N was originally built in 1911 as an electrified interurban freight and commuter railroad by James B. Duke, founder of Duke Energy Company.

In May 2010, Patriot was unanimously selected by NCDOT from among five potential operators.  A selection committee composed of state and local officials from NCDOT and Gaston County reviewed the proposals and recommended Patriot as having the best proposal.

Under the letter agreement, Patriot will be responsible for operating, maintaining and marketing freight rail service on the P&N.  In 2009, NCDOT completed an upgrade of the westernmost four miles of the rail line from Gastonia to Ranlo, and anticipates upgrading the remainder of the line by the spring of 2011.

“Patriot Rail is pleased to have been selected by NCDOT as the rail operator for the P&N,” said Gary O. Marino, Chairman, President and CEO of Patriot Rail.  “Now that we have reached this agreement with NCDOT, we look forward to bringing in new rail customers, building the business and commencing operations.”

Severn Valley Railway appeals for more volunteers

Jonathan Webb
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With around half of its 75 guards due to retire over the next 10-15 years the Severn Valley Railway is launching a recruitment drive to attract up to 100 volunteers to replace them and avoid a staffing crisis.

Although 75 guards may seem like a lot of staff , in reality it’s barely enough to cover the rostered turns. This is mainly because many volunteers have other commitments, such as their family, and can only volunteer on the SVR for one or two weekends a year.

A typical weekend in August can require up to 10 guards to work the trains and some guards are being asked to do 30 or 40 turns a year.

1501 near Bewdley. Picture: www.upmain.com

Audi Is DB Schenker Rail’s First CO2-free Rail Freight Customer

Stewart Thorpe
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Audi now transports finished vehicles between Ingolstadt and Emden CO2-free. As of August, the German automobile manufacturer uses DB Schenker Rail’s Eco Plus product, which guarantees CO2-free transportation. Thanks to Eco Plus, one-fourth of the finished vehicles Audi transports by rail avoid CO2 emissions altogether.

Deutsche Bahn obtains the electricity required for transportation from renewable energy sources in Germany at an additional cost to the customer, in this case Audi.Transports can be shifted to Eco Plus on all national routes. The CO2-free transport option and energy procurement have been certified by the TÜV SÜD certification institute. Ten percent of DB’s revenues from Eco Plus are put toward financing the construction of new renewable energy power plants.

Dr. Karl-Friedrich Rausch, Member of the Management Board of DB Mobility Logistics AG, responsible for Transportation and Logistics, announced: “We are delighted that Audi, one of our most important customers, is the first to make the switch to CO2-free rail transportation. Audi is sending a clear message!”

“Choosing Eco Plus is a further important milestone in our environmental strategy,” explained Dr. Ernst-Hermann Krog, Head of Brand Logistics at AUDI AG. “Through this program, we can avoid emissions right from the start.”

DB Schenker Rail operates 625 trains along the Ingolstadt–Emden route on behalf of Audi, transporting approximately 150,000 vehicles CO2-free. By switching transports to Eco Plus, Audi can cut its annual CO2 emissions by around 5,250 metric tons of CO2 compared to regular rail transportation.

DB Schenker’s environmental advantage is based on intelligently linking individual modes of transportation in its vast international network. Eco Plus from DB Schenker Rail is part of DB’s Climate Protection Program 2020, which aims to reduce the DB Group’s specific CO2 emissions worldwide by an additional 20 percent between 2006 and 2020.

Customers can accurately calculate their ecological footprint online for routes throughout the world using the EcoTransIT World tool (www.dbschenker.com/ecotransit). EcoTransIT World provides a reliable method for calculating CO2 and pollutant emissions for modes of transportation such as train, truck, airplane, inland vessel, ocean-going vessel and intermodal transport and is based on scientifically tested methods and data.

Geotechnical expertise saves time and money between Dublin and Kildare

Stewart Thorpe
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Geotechnical expertise provided by specialist engineers Byrne Looby Partners (BLP) has helped deliver significant savings in both time and costs on a key section of retaining walls being carried out as part of a major upgrade to the rail corridor linking Dublin with Kildare in Ireland.

Instead of the reinforced concrete and piled walls included in Irish Rail’s initial tender documents, BLP were able to design faster and more efficient solutions that combined a number of different ground engineering techniques, each the most appropriate for that particular section.

The overall Kildare Route Project consists of a €340m upgrade to the 50 km rail link between Heuston Station in Dublin and Kildare Station.

SIAC Construction was awarded Contract 1 of the project, a €27m widening of the rail corridor – from two to four tracks – between Le Fanu Road and the Fonthill Road. The contract was awarded on a traditional basis. Amongst other items, the contract included 1.2 km of reinforced concrete and piled walls to retain existing private properties in the Cherry Orchard area, and it was for this aspect of the project that SIAC called upon BLP’s geotechnical engineering expertise.

“We were employed at the tender stage,” explains Andy Wilkins, Associate Engineer at BLP, “and this gave us the opportunity to engineer value into the project. Instead of looking at how to apply one particular technology along the entire section irrespective of ground conditions and constraints, we looked at those issues and set about developing alternative designs that would make use of whichever individual techniques were most appropriate.”

The solutions proposed ranged from soil nailing and gabions to king wall posts. These alternatives, accepted by the design team, provided significant cost and programme savings.

Railteam prevails in race vs. low-cost airline

Stewart Thorpe
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When a student at the Saarland University Of Applied Sciences stated that the plane was the best way to go to London, her geography lecturer Werner Ried, unconvinced, proposed to compare both journeys – by train and by plane – for real… The actual race took place on June 15: two teams, one going by train, the other via a low-cost airline. The journey started at St. Ingbert (Saarland, Germany), and the destination: London Piccadilly Circus.

The purpose was not just to find out which transport mode went faster. The competing students had chosen five comparison points:

  1. time
  2. price
  3. comfort
  4. booking possibilities
  5. environmental impact

These criteria show a willingness to take into account the overall impact of travel and to carry out a global and objective comparison.

The results clearly favour train travel. Once the teams tallied their results, rail bested air clearly on travel time (6h 25min vs. 6h 45min by plane), price (€101,58 per person vs. €105,96 by plane), and environmental impact (only 22kg/person of CO2 rejection by train against 144kg/person by plane1). However, on this specific route, air prevailed regarding comfort and above all booking service; however, even the comfort difference between both modes was not that obvious: students agreed to qualify the services aboard the train as “convincing”, and confessed the advantage of plane regarding loudness or stress factor was very thin.

London Mayor’s Cycle Hire scheme hits 100,000 journeys

Stewart Thorpe
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The Mayor’s newest addition to London’s transport network, Barclays Cycle Hire, has now been used for more than 100,000 journeys since its launch on 30 July, as Londoners take to the scheme enthusiastically.

As of the 12th August, some 44,000 people have signed up with Transport for London (TfL) to be pioneer members, and between them they are now carrying out nearly 14,000 journeys on the busiest days.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: ‘Despite the soggy weather, tens of thousands of Londoners have been choosing Cycle Hire to get about – giving an emphatic thumbs up to the scheme.

‘The Capital’s streets are now chiming to the sound of bicycle bells, and twinkling with the LED lights of our fantastic bikes.

‘These are the early days of the scheme, and we are still learning and improving the system. I appreciate Londoners’ patience and would ask everyone to bear with us.

‘However it is now clear that, with 100,000 journeys already made, there is an indefatigable enthusiasm for cycling that is making Barclays Cycle Hire one of the city’s success stories.’

Since launch, engineers have been continuing the work on installing more docking stations across central London. The scheme launched with 315 docking stations, and the total number is now up to 331 – making it even easier for Londoners to access the bikes and return them at the end of their journeys.

The creation of an easy to use cycle hire system was a key pledge of the Mayor’s manifesto. Just over two years since his election, Barclays Cycle Hire is now transforming the way that people make short trips around central London.

Available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the Capital’s newest form of public transport stretches across central London. When complete the scheme will have 6,000 cycles and 400 docking points.

A membership key costs £3 with membership costs at £1 for a 24-hour membership, £5 for seven days and £45 for an annual membership. The first 30 minutes of any journey will be free. Those wishing to us the scheme need to register as members by visiting: www.tfl.gov.uk/barclayscyclehire

Edinburgh to Glasgow improvements programme contracts awarded

Stewart Thorpe
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Network Rail has awarded £10m-worth of contracts as work on a new, £1bn programme to enhance rail services and infrastructure in Scotland’s central belt gets underway.

Carillion will begin work on the electrification of Edinburgh’s Haymarket north tunnel in September in what will be the first physical element of the Edinburgh-Glasgow Improvements Programme (EGIP) to be delivered.

Amey Infrastructure, Atkins and Delta Rail have also been awarded separate design and development contracts for other EGIP projects.

EGIP which is being funded by Transport Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Government, will make significant investment in the rail infrastructure linking Scotland’s two main cities, and the surrounding towns, enabling increased service levels and reduced journey times.

With the new infrastructure financed through Network Rail’s Regulatory Asset Base, EGIP is expected to deliver a range of benefits by 2016 including a fastest journey time of 37 minutes on the main Edinburgh Waverley-Glasgow Queen Street route and increased service levels on all routes between the two cities from the current five or six services per hour to 13 services per hour.

EGIP will also see the electrification of 350km of the existing rail network in the central belt, including the main Edinburgh Waverley-Glasgow Queen Street line, and provide opportunities to increase services and reduce journey times on routes between Alloa and Dunblane and Edinburgh and Glasgow.

In the short-term, the electrification of the north lines between Princes St Gardens and Haymarket, via the Haymarket north tunnel, will improve reliability and increase capacity into Edinburgh Waverley ahead of the introduction of the new, four trains an hour, Airdrie-Bathgate route in December 2010.

The £6m works at Haymarket north will involve track alignment and tunnel wall repairs to provide the correct clearances for the installation of overhead power lines through the tunnel. The project will commence in September and continue until December of this year.

Ron McAulay, Network Rail director Scotland, said: “The awarding of these contacts is a significant step forward in the delivery of this ambitious and far reaching programme of enhancements.

“The EGIP programme will deliver significant benefits for communities across central Scotland and will further improve the appeal of rail as a greener alternative to the car.”

Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson added: “The Edinburgh-Glasgow Improvements Programme will revolutionise the rail network in central Scotland bringing real and lasting benefits to rail passengers. The award of these substantial contracts will also help Scotland’s hard-pressed construction sector through these challenging times, supporting jobs and helping accelerate economic recovery.

“I’m delighted some of first tangible signs on the ground will soon be seen in the delivery of this exciting programme of rail improvements.”

Network Rail explores options to improve Staffordshire railways

Stewart Thorpe
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Network Rail is exploring options to improve the railway in and around Stafford to deliver a more reliable network for passengers. Ideas are being developed for the main line in the vicinity of Norton Bridge, with initial assessment work commencing this summer.

The existing layout of the railway around Stafford restricts both capacity and performance along the main line, which is the key artery linking London, the North West and Scotland. Improving key junctions in the area, combined with signalling and track improvements will provide greater reliability and allow for extra train services to run.

Options to upgrade the railway in the area will be considered over the coming months after an initial exercise has been completed to identify the various bodies that Network Rail is legally required to notify. This is due to be carried out ahead of public consultation later this year.

Jo Kaye, route director at Network Rail, said: “Britain relies on rail and with demand for rail travel increasing it is essential we invest in the railway to provide a better service for passengers, with more trains, additional seats and fewer delays. Over the past few years we have significantly improved the west coast main line and today it is one of the most popular routes in the country.

“This important route can be further improved if we address the existing constraints in the Stafford area. Early studies are being undertaken to explore how this can be achieved and we are keen to work closely with local communities and interested stakeholders to progress any future plans.”

Staffordshire County Council Leader, Philip Atkins, said: “We welcome any improvements for rail passengers in and around Stafford. Good rail links are important to the county’s infrastructure and economic viability. Consultation with passengers and organisations affected is an essential part of this process and we hope people will have an input into the proposals put forward.”

Cllr Doug Davis, Cabinet Member for Planning & Regeneration at Stafford Borough Council, said: “We are pleased that Network Rail is committed to extensive public consultation, and await details of the scheme with interest.”

Feedback gathered will be taken into consideration in any future scheme Network Rail takes forward. Detailed consultation with interested stakeholders and local communities will be undertaken before any future plans are progressed. It is anticipated public consultation will start later this year and continue throughout 2011 before a final scheme is prepared in 2012.

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