Worker fatigue at centre of proposed rail safety regulations in the USA

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) submitted a rail safety bill to the US Congress, seeking authority to replace the old Hours of Service Act in the rail industry, the Railway Age reported. Having commissioned a study with Johns Hopkins University to quantify the implications of fatigue, the FRA intends to address railroad worker fatigue and improve safety.

Jim Brunkenhoefer from the United Transportation Union said that “fatigue represents one of the railroad industry's worst safety problems” but also called for retaining the statutory protections for railway workers.

FRA Administrator John Boardman was quoted by Railway Age as saying that the FRA's Railroad Safety Advisory Committee, which consists of representatives from railroad management, trade unions, and suppliers as well as other interested parties, “will review the issue and develop recommendations on new hours of service limits based on current, sound science before any changes are made.”

(Source: Railway Age)

Third Railway Package in the European Parliament

Following the opening up of the EU rail freight market from January 2007, competition will be introduced in Europe for international passenger rail services from 2010, but not for domestic railways. The European Parliament voted on 18 January 2007 the Third Railway Package - three separate reports on opening up rail networks to competition, minimum rights for all rail passengers and a European licence for train drivers.

Information for passengers, liability in the event of death or injury, assistance to persons with reduced mobility, and a system of compensation for delays are all included in the proposal voted by the Parliament to cover passengers' rights in international and domestic rail traffic.

Parliament approved a report asking all crew members performing safety-related tasks to be in possession of a certificate attesting that they meet minimum requirements relating to medical fitness, basic education and general professional skills, a position in conflict with the Council who wishes only train drivers to be covered by the directive regarding the European licence.

(Source: European Parliament)

New acquisition for CN

Canadian National Railway Company (CN) announced the purchase of Savage Alberta Railway, Inc. (SAR), a 552 km short-line railway, from Savage Companies of Salt Lake City, Utah, for C$25 million. It is expected that CN will upgrade the line's infrastructure and improve operations as part of its strategy for transporting coal, grain and forest products. In November 2006, the company honoured four of its short-line railways for superior performance.

CN offered employment to SAR's approximately 75 employees and promised to honour the existing collective labour agreement at SAR.

(Source: Canadian National Railway Company)

Railway extensions in Ghana

Professor Christopher Ameyaw Akumfi, minister for ports and railways in Ghana was quoted by the Ghanaian Chronicle as announcing new railway extensions in the west and east of the country. The Eastern railway including several extensions and rebuilding of existing lines might be commissioned to a consortium on a build, operate and transfer basis. The Western Line, to be built by another group, is planned to have 500 km and go towards neighbouring Burkina Faso.

The same newspaper reported that the Acting Managing Director of Ghana Railway Corporation (GRC), Mr. Rufus Quaye could make public plans to cut down the number of 2,400 staff as a measure to keep the company running.

(Source: The Ghanaian Chronicle)

New orders for Bombardier

Bombardier Transportation signed four new contracts to provide rail vehicles to Germany, China, Switzerland and Romania.

Deutsche Bahn AG (DB) will be supplied from 2009 with 321 new TALENT 2 trains to be used on its regional network throughout Germany. Bombardier Transportation will manufacture the entire fleet at its sites in Germany for the estimated cost of 1.2 billion euros (US$1.6 billion).

Bombardier Transportation signed a contract valued at 1.1 billion euros (US$1.4 billion) with China's Dalian Locomotives and Rolling Stock Co., Ltd. to supply 500 freight electric locomotives to the Chinese Ministry of Railways (MOR). Production will be shared by Bombardier's joint venture company in China, Bombardier CPC Propulsion Systems Co. Ltd., and Dalian Locomotives and Rolling Stock Co., Ltd, after the first series of equipment will be manufactured at Bombardier sites in Europe.

Bombardier Transportation will deliver 140 low-floor passenger coaches to Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) for about 138 million euros (US$178 million US). Plants from Dunakeszi (Hungary), Siegen (Germany) and Bombardier's sites in Zurich and Villeneuve (Switzerland) will co-operate to produce the modern passenger vehicles.

Metrorex SA, the operator of the Bucharest Metro, ordered a further six MOVIA metro trains in a contract valued at 33 million euros (US$43 million US dollars), partly funded by the EIB (European Investment Bank). The Electroputere plant in Craiova will assemble the trains based on systems and parts delivered from the Bombardier Transportation's plants in Sweden (Västerås) and Germany (Görlitz and Siegen).

(Source: Bombardier, Inc)

High speed project for India

SNCF International, the consultancy arm of Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Français (SNCF) is working on a study to identify a corridor for high speed trains between Delhi and Hyderabad, the Times of India revealed. SNCF International took up the project for the development of New Delhi main station, and is looking now at proposals for new metro rail stations in Hyderabad.

"India requires high speed trains and we would like to assist the government in rail projects, and also participate in bidding whenever there is an opportunity," SNCF International chief executive officer (CEO) Jean-Pierre Loubinoux told the newspaper during a seminar on urban development and railways, jointly organised by the Indian and French governments.

(Source: The Times of India)

Record figures for Railion

Turnover of German Deutsche Bahn's freight transport subsidiary DB Logistics, which includes the Railion, Schenker and Intermodal units and brands, increased by about 15% to about EUR17.7 billion (US$22.95 billion) in 2006, according to the provisional results for financial year 2006 announced by Hartmut Mehdorn, Chairman of the Board of Management and CEO of Deutsche Bahn.

Having reported a 10.5% increase, with traffic performance rising to more than 97 billion tonne-kilometres, Railion Group  is expected to grow rapidly also in 2007 and post a profit of EUR250 million.

(Source: Deutsche Bahn Group)

EIB to finance high speed track in Turkey

The European Investment Bank (EIB) will finance the first high speed line in Turkey. Turkish State Railways (TCDD) will benefit from the EUR850 million loan to improve the rail connection along the corridor between Istanbul and Ankara. The total cost of the project amounts to approximately EUR2.5 billion.

(Source: European Investment Bank)

UTU and CN reach tentative pact

The United Transportation Union (UTU) and Canadian National Railways Co. (CN) reached a tentative settlement on 24 February 2007, ending a two-week strike that crippled operations on Canada's largest railway company, reports Reuters News Agency.

The Parliament was poised to pass emergency back-to-work legislation to end the walkout that forced shippers in the country's forestry, auto and chemical industries to curtail production. An estimated 600 managers had filled in for workers to keep freight operations running at half of CN full capacity.

About 2,800 CN railway workers went on strike on 10 February, after the sides failed to reach agreement on a new contract, with the dispute centered on wages, rest time and disciplinary policy. Despite contentious issues regarding its authorization, the strike had been ruled legal by Canadian labour regulators.

The striking freight train conductors and switchyard employees returned to their jobs on 28 February, but UTU said that the strike would not be officially over until workers approved the memorandum of settlement. The one-year pact includes a 3% wage increase and a C$1,000 bonus on ratification.

(Sources: Reuters; UTU)

Rail accidents in Hungary and The Czech Republic

On 6 February 2007, an international passenger train crashed into the back of a freight train near Szony (Hungary), about 80 km west of Budapest, according to The Associated Press. The train driver died in the accident and four passengers were injured.

Three days later, in The Czech Republic, a fast train jumped a red light at Karanice station, east of Prague, and crashed into a freight train. The passenger train's driver was taken to a hospital and three passengers suffered minor injuries, according to a Czech Rail official cited by Associated Press.

(Source: The Associated Press)

India train blasts

At least 68 people were killed and several others injured by a bomb attack aboard a train travelling from Delhi to Lahore (Pakistan), on 19 February 2007, reported BBC News. Passengers in the "Friendship Express" service said they heard two blasts as the train passed near Panipat, about 80km north of Delhi, then two carriages were engulfed by a ball of fire.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressed "anguish and grief" at the loss of life and told reporters that “the whole matter is under investigation.”

Pakistan's foreign minister Khurshid Kasuri, said the explosion was a "horrendous act of terrorism" and paid a hospital visit to survivors, while in Delhi for peace talks.

(Source: BBC News)

Virgin Train derailment

A defective track caused a Virgin Pendolino train derailment in northwest England, which killed an elderly woman and seriously injured eight other people, according to Richard Branson, the chairman of Virgin Group quoted by Reuters.

The tilting train, heading from London to Glasgow, derailed at 95 mph (150 kph) on 23 February 2007 in Cumbria, leaving some carriages stuck up in the air and others lying on their sides down a steep embankment.

The biggest British rail union RMT called for a public inquiry after the Rail Accident Investigation Branch interim report confirmed that faulty points were the cause of the derailment. The union questioned the fragmentation of engineering work that still afflicts Britain's railways and believes that the adequacy of Network Rail's management systems should be examined.

(Sources: Reuters; RMT)

 

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