Visit http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com for more rss feeds. http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/CoreCode/rss/rssdisplay.aspx en-gb Copyright http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com, 2020 Thu, 10 Sep 2020 22:48:05 GMT http://backend.userland.com/rss RSS.NET: http://www.rssdotnet.com/ 15 Despite a few disappointing policy announcements, especially for the electrification aficionados amongst us, 2017 was, like Darren Caplan writes on page 20, a year generally marked by positive news for the rail industry. We polished off the iconic Ordsall Chord (p32), hit some solid milestones on Thameslink (p40), progressed on ambitious rolling stock orders (p16), and finally started moving forward on HS2 (p14) ? paving the way for a New Year with brand-new infrastructrure to... http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/Editors-Comment/out-with-the-old 390 http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com:80/Editors-Comment/out-with-the-old Tue, 23 Jan 2018 12:30:00 GMT There has never been a more exciting time to write about rail: technology is improving, ways of working are changing and pan-industry collaboration is at its peak, all in an effort to keep up with unprecedented levels of demand. I am therefore thrilled to present you my first-ever edition as editor of RTM, which I am confident is bursting at the seams with excellent contributions from leaders across the board. One of the special features in this edition is our Scottish Rail focus... http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/Editors-Comment/keep-up-were-moving-on 390 http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com:80/Editors-Comment/keep-up-were-moving-on Tue, 21 Nov 2017 16:45:00 GMT There are a couple of announcements I’d like to make in this editor’s comment, which I believe could be very beneficial to many of our readers.  Firstly, the deadline is fast approaching to enter the UK Rail Industry Awards (UKRIA), which will take place on 22 March 2018 at Battersea Evolution in London.  Now in its fifth year, UKRIA continues to bring together the leaders and decision-makers running the rail industry for the sector’s biggest and most... http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/Editors-Comment/a-series-of-incredible-events 390 http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com:80/Editors-Comment/a-series-of-incredible-events Mon, 04 Sep 2017 12:15:00 GMT As RTM went to press, the National Infrastructure Commission outlined a list of the ‘top 12’ immediate priorities on which ministers must make rapid progress in the next year. Unsurprisingly, major rail schemes, including HS2, Crossrail 2 and HS3, featured highly in the projects that needed speedy development.  Lord Adonis stated that all of these have been agreed in principle, “but require decisive action to get them moving in the new Parliament. They ought to... http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/Editors-Comment/rapid-progress-needed 390 http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com:80/Editors-Comment/rapid-progress-needed Mon, 03 Jul 2017 09:00:00 GMT As the rail industry prepares for the biggest UK rail show of the year, Railtex 2017, we have produced a specially expanded edition of RTM for you.  Our exclusive show guide, which starts on page 67, provides you with everything you need to know about the things to see, hear and do at the three-day show. A look through our preview pages will give you a good idea of which stands to visit, as well as meetings to set up.  The RTM team – as ever – will be at... http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/Editors-Comment/all-set-for-railtex 390 http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com:80/Editors-Comment/all-set-for-railtex Mon, 08 May 2017 09:00:00 GMT Welcome to this special UK Rail Industry Awards (UKRIA) review issue of RTM. The fourth edition of the prestigious awards took place on 9 February at London’s Battersea Evolution and, once again, was a huge success.  With over 1,100 rail decision-makers in attendance, the black-tie event was a great place for networking and celebrating the success of the rail industry in the last 12 months. To see who won at this year’s event, we have a special section that starts on... http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/Editors-Comment/a-celebration-of-rail-achievement- 390 http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com:80/Editors-Comment/a-celebration-of-rail-achievement- Wed, 08 Mar 2017 10:45:00 GMT The countdown is well and truly on for this year’s UK Rail Industry Awards (UKRIA), and the whole RTM team is looking forward to welcoming you to the fourth edition of this event on 9 February.  Held once again at Battersea Evolution, the prestigious awards ceremony promises to be an extraordinary evening, celebrating some of the major achievements of the industry in the last year. You can see the awards shortlist on pages 27-29, and read more details at ukria.com. If... http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/Editors-Comment/rising-to-the-digital-demand 390 http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com:80/Editors-Comment/rising-to-the-digital-demand Tue, 17 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT Firstly, I would like to warmly welcome you to this special edition of RTM. As you have seen on the front cover, we have reached a milestone for the magazine with this being our 100th issue.  I would also like to thank all those readers and contributors who have been with us for the journey so far, and all those who have joined us along the way. We have included a two-page round-up starting on page 24 that reflects on RTM’s development as Britain’s rail industry media... http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/Editors-Comment/an-incredible-journey- 390 http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com:80/Editors-Comment/an-incredible-journey- Fri, 04 Nov 2016 12:30:00 GMT Entries are now being taken for the fourth edition of the UK Rail Industry Awards (UKRIA), which will take place on 9 February 2017 at Battersea Evolution in London.  There are 23 award categories, all free to enter, covering all aspects of rail excellence and innovation.  The 2017 edition of UKRIA is going to be even bigger and better than the previous awards, and RTM is proud to confirm that Sir Peter Hendy will be the event’s keynote speaker.  Known... http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/Editors-Comment/a-season-of-sensational-events 390 http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com:80/Editors-Comment/a-season-of-sensational-events Tue, 30 Aug 2016 14:15:00 GMT As RTM went to press, the result of the EU referendum had just been announced, with 52% voting to leave against 48% voting to remain, on a 72.16% turnout.  Although the full consequences of a Brexit still remain unknown, with Article 50 unlikely to be triggered before a new prime minister is elected, there could, potentially, be a knock-on effect to the UK’s rail supply chain.  Shortly after the EU referendum result was announced, we asked members of the supply... http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/Editors-Comment/leading-the-agenda-in-the-uncertain-times-ahead 390 http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com:80/Editors-Comment/leading-the-agenda-in-the-uncertain-times-ahead Wed, 01 Jun 2016 14:45:00 GMT A key theme running throughout this edition of RTM is the skills challenge and the need to deliver a step change in the speed and quality of training the rail industry offers. The skills challenge is nothing new to us as sector, but as the HS2 Bill progresses through Parliament and the start date draws nearer, and other major projects like Crossrail 2 and HS3 have been given the green light, it is becoming ever more apparent that we still aren’t in the position where we need to... http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/Editors-Comment/time-for-change 390 http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com:80/Editors-Comment/time-for-change Fri, 01 Apr 2016 13:00:00 GMT The much-anticipated Shaw Report had not been published when RTM went to press, but the potential direction of travel for Network Rail’s future had been widely reported, with the infrastructure owner looking at options to sell off stations and electrical power assets.  Since Network Rail’s reclassification as a public sector body in 2014, it hasn’t been plain sailing for the organisation, especially with major works being pushed from CP5 into CP6 following the... http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/Editors-Comment/a-new-direction-of-travel 390 http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com:80/Editors-Comment/a-new-direction-of-travel Mon, 01 Feb 2016 14:30:00 GMT The RTM team is looking forward to welcoming you to the third edition of the UK Rail Industry Awards, coming up on 11 February.  Some truly excellent projects, people and technology have been shortlisted, many of which have been covered in the pages of RTM over the past year or so. You can see the full shortlist and read more details at www.ukria.com If you still do not have your ticket booked to attend on the night, then act fast – give us a call on 0161 833 6320 or get in... http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/Editors-Comment/getting-on-with-the-job 390 http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com:80/Editors-Comment/getting-on-with-the-job Tue, 01 Dec 2015 14:30:00 GMT The Hendy report had not been published as RTM went to press, though its doubtlessly radical contents were being foreshadowed everywhere. The grilling given to Mark Carne, Philip Rutnam and Richard Price by the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC) exposed some frankly frightening escalations in project costs. These were backed up by the Office of Rail and Road’s recent financial and efficiency report for 2014-15, which includes this revealing sentence: “We have... http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/Editors-Comment/what-to-do-when-to-do-it 390 http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com:80/Editors-Comment/what-to-do-when-to-do-it Sun, 01 Nov 2015 11:00:00 GMT Welcome to another edition of RTM, packed with project updates, interviews, analysis and comment. Our last issue went to press just after the ‘pause’ of electrification projects and the shake-up at the top of Network Rail, so that has had some time to bed in now. We still await the series of reviews promised by the government then. But there are plenty of projects well underway or nearing completion unaffected by those reviews, many of which we cover within these pages... http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/Editors-Comment/getting-the-job-done 390 http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com:80/Editors-Comment/getting-the-job-done Sat, 01 Aug 2015 09:30:00 GMT Is Sir Peter Hendy the right man to get Network Rail’s control period back where it needs to be? It was an open secret that the Department for Transport wanted new blood at the top of Network Rail, and it is hardly a surprise to see a pause in Midland Main Line electrification either – there is only so much money, only so many engineers and only so much plant to get this ‘rolling programme’ of electrification done, and the delays on the Great Western made the... http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/Editors-Comment/new-priorities 390 http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com:80/Editors-Comment/new-priorities Wed, 01 Jul 2015 14:45:00 GMT We have a specially expanded edition of RTM for you, as the industry gears up for the biggest UK rail show of the year – Railtex 2015.  Our giant show guide, which starts on page 97, tells you all you need to know about the things to see, hear, do and experience at the show, which has got a fantastic line-up of exhibitors, speakers and events.  The RTM team – as always – will be there at the NEC, talking to readers, advertisers and friends. You can find... http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/Editors-Comment/see-you-in-birmingham 390 http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com:80/Editors-Comment/see-you-in-birmingham Fri, 01 May 2015 17:00:00 GMT Welcome to this edition of Rail Technology Magazine, which you will have seen by now has a brand new look, feel and overall design.  Over the past 15 years, RTM has been the independent trade journal for the rail industry, focusing not just on technology but also on people, policy, construction, IT, rail recruitment and much else besides.  We decided it was time to overhaul the way the magazine looks, to signpost readers to our articles more easily and to make our... http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/Editors-Comment/an-interior-and-exterior-refresh 390 http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com:80/Editors-Comment/an-interior-and-exterior-refresh Sun, 01 Mar 2015 09:30:00 GMT Nine months into Control Period 5, and there is a lot more bad news around than we have been used to in recent years. There have always been and will always be engineering over-runs, but their timing and scale after Christmas, and the poorly-handled back-up arrangements, have made this particular bout of disruption more high-profile than most. Still, the problems were solved relatively quickly – this was not a fiasco on the level of Christmas 2007-08, for example. Much more... http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/Editors-Comment/a-black-christmas 390 http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com:80/Editors-Comment/a-black-christmas Thu, 01 Jan 2015 10:15:00 GMT It’s been a busy week for Rail Technology Magazine, not just because of Sir David Higgins’ major new announcements on HS2 (and HS3, come to that), but also because of some of our own major events coming up soon. First is High Speed 2 The Northern Hub on 6 November, a black tie dinner with some fantastic speakers and what promises to be a great panel discussion. There are full details on pages 92 to 100, but suffice to say that it’s proved popular – there is not... http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/Editors-Comment/two-big-events 390 http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com:80/Editors-Comment/two-big-events Sat, 01 Nov 2014 14:45:00 GMT Entries are open for the second UK Rail Industry Awards, which will take place on 19 February 2015 at the Battersea Evolution venue in central London. There are 23 categories covering all aspects of rail innovation and technology, and some special awards recognising the achievements of individuals. The 2014 event was an amazing success, and having interviewed all the winners myself, I know how valued the awards were for those who took part and attended on the night. The event... http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/Editors-Comment/events-on-the-horizon 390 http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com:80/Editors-Comment/events-on-the-horizon Mon, 01 Sep 2014 10:00:00 GMT The RTM team has been very busy since the last edition went to press, at events big and small. We were there at Infrarail and Rail Live, of course, two great and inspiring shows – as well as the more research-focused Next Generation Rail. Then there was Gen Y Rail, the series of competitions put on by RTM’s own UK Rail Industry Training Trust. That fantastic series of events reached its conclusion in June with a national final held at Network Rail’s Westwood training... http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/Editors-Comment/too-many-to-mention 390 http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com:80/Editors-Comment/too-many-to-mention Tue, 01 Jul 2014 10:00:00 GMT Welcome to one of RTM’s biggest-ever editions, packed with interviews, features, news and analysis. CP5 is upon us, after so many long months of planning; Crossrail has hit the halfway stage; HS2 has passed another legislative hurdle; and Transport for London is buying new fleets and upgrading more stations. As RTM was going to press, bank holiday engineering works at Watford were over-running, proving that even in this brave new world, some old problems remain. Hopefully... http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/Editors-Comment/collaboration-and-co-operation 390 http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com:80/Editors-Comment/collaboration-and-co-operation Thu, 01 May 2014 11:15:00 GMT We’ve been giving a lot of space to the UK Rail Industry Awards in Rail Technology Magazine recently, and with good reason – the Awards were a fantastic success. You’ll find all the coverage in this edition, with photos, interviews with the winners, sponsors and organisers, and what to expect next year (think even bigger, even better). It was great to see so many RTM readers at the event on 20 February at The Brewery, and we hope even more of you can join us next... http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/Editors-Comment/celebrating-the-best-of-the-best 390 http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com:80/Editors-Comment/celebrating-the-best-of-the-best Fri, 14 Mar 2014 09:00:00 GMT We have a big focus in this edition on a subject that should get the rail industry supply chain very interested: the huge amount of work in the pipeline across the country. Many contracts and frameworks for Network Rail control period 5 have already been signed, with billions more to be spent before 2019 on maintenance, renewals, enhancements, delivery, IT, network operations, signalling, safety and everything else that goes along with managing our railway infrastructure. But the... http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/Editors-Comment/money-for-something 390 http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com:80/Editors-Comment/money-for-something Thu, 16 Jan 2014 09:00:00 GMT As RTM went to press, the DfT and Siemens finally completed negotiations for the Thameslink rolling stock order, two years after the German firm was originally named the preferred bidder. The 10-day standstill period passed without incident, meaning the deal is concluded after many months of delays. Nobody intended it to drag on this long, and the delays gave campaigners opposed to the deal plenty of ammunition to attack the way the tendering was handled and the fact that a German... http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/Editors-Comment/no-need-to-be-glum 390 http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com:80/Editors-Comment/no-need-to-be-glum Mon, 01 Jul 2013 10:00:00 GMT Welcome to this special Railtex 2013 edition of Rail Technology Magazine. The RTM team is looking forward to what is always a fantastic show, with so much to see, a huge number of people to meet and catch up with, and a great programme of talks, seminars, discussion sessions and demonstrations. So it is no coincidence that we have used this special 240-page issue of the magazine to launch our new branding, as you will see on the front cover. A fingerprint is unique, and so is... http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/Editors-Comment/media-leaders 390 http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com:80/Editors-Comment/media-leaders Mon, 01 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT What are the chances of the Brown review recommending radical reform to the franchising process, or scrapping it altogether? Low, is the conventional wisdom – probably rightly in this case. The mistakes made in the DfT had huge and costly consequences, and can in part be traced back to the extremely complex – some would say impossible – task of predicting revenue, economic conditions and passenger demand years into the future. Doing so is necessary to judge betwe... http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/Editors-Comment/incentives--initiatives 390 http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com:80/Editors-Comment/incentives--initiatives Tue, 01 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT As RTM went to press, Sam Laidlaw was still busy getting to the bottom of exactly what happened with the West Coast franchising fiasco – surely one of the biggest and most embarrassing civil service mistakes of recent years. The basic scope of the problems has mostly been reported or leaked already, for example on the way inflation was calculated and the size of the bond required, but transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin says this all remains just speculation until Laidlaw&rsqu... http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/Editors-Comment/franchise-demise 390 http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com:80/Editors-Comment/franchise-demise Thu, 01 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT With much public discussion of the franchising process so restricted, for corporate, legal and PR reasons, it can be refreshing once in a while to get a taste of what the people at the top really think – and FirstGroup’s defeat of Virgin gave both sides ample opportunity to let off some steam. Sir Richard Branson lashed out at the ‘insanity’ of the DfT and suggested FirstGroup would make heavy cuts and would likely ‘let everyone down’; while Tim O&rs... http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/Editors-Comment/first-things-first 390 http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com:80/Editors-Comment/first-things-first Sat, 01 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMT It’s summertime, which means terrible PR for the rail industry as we all go into paroxysms over the extent of fare rises. The Government has confirmed that last year’s rise of ‘only’ RPI + 1% was a one-off, meaning this year’s will go back to the original plan of RPI + 3%, meaning the likely fare rise on regulated tickets come the new year will be around 6%. Ministers say this is just a necessary step on a journey that will eventually see the end of i... http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/Editors-Comment/give-and-take 390 http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com:80/Editors-Comment/give-and-take Sun, 01 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT Bombardier’s decision to keep open its manufacturing facility at Derby, albeit with fewer workers following its decisions on jobs last year, means people’s worst fears about the future have been avoided. Paul Roberts’ statement was positive, focusing on its recent and potential contract successes – the Southern Electrostars and pantograph-equipped eVoyager units for CrossCountry – as well as the Government’s commitment to improving inf... http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/Editors-Comment/Job-Centres 390 http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com:80/Editors-Comment/Job-Centres Thu, 01 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT Despite some of the controversies in the rail industry at the moment on major projects and on cost-cutting – notably debates around customer-facing staff at stations – the wider picture over the next few years is going to be one of growth. With ever-rising passenger numbers – touch wood – and a succession of projects coming up which will require thousands of skilled workers, with Crossrail, GWML electrification and then HS2 to name just some, the forecasts are t... http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/Editors-Comment/The-jobs-forecast 390 http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com:80/Editors-Comment/The-jobs-forecast Thu, 01 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT 2012 will be another busy year for rail policy and technology, starting with a decision on HS2. The decision had not been made as RTM went to press, but it seemed a safe bet that Transport Secretary Justine Greening would not, as one of her first major decisions in the role, choose to scrap the new line after so much time and effort has already been invested, and so many strong arguments wheeled out in its favour. Clearly some compromises are possible – though each has the p... http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com/Editors-Comment/Someones-going-to-pay 390 http://www.railtechnologymagazine.com:80/Editors-Comment/Someones-going-to-pay Sun, 01 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT