SNCF Réseau launches center for reuse of railway materials
The Paris – Lille high-speed line will be renewed with recycled ballast, starting in 2022. A new center for the reuse of railway materials has been set up by infrastructure manager SNCF Réseau and six...Read moreProRail bans ballast stones from three quarries due to harmful quartz dust
ProRail temporarily prohibits the use of stones for track ballast from three certified European quarries. Rocks from these quarries contained too much quartz dust, which is harmful when inhaled. This has emerged from a study...Read more
New PORR’s factory in Somerset to produce slab tracks for HS2
Austrian construction company PORR won a major deal in the United Kingdom. It will produce and deliver slab tracks for the planned HS2 line between London and Crewe. To this end, the supplier will establish...Read more
Innovative track surveying in South West England
Railway tracks in South West England will be surveyed with the RILA system. This innovative solution was developed by Dutch technology company Fugro. It allows Network Rail to obtain a holistic and accurate view of...Read more
Colas Rail gets three contracts from Network Rail
Colar Rail UK, a subsidiary of Colas Group, has obtained three major contracts from infrastructure manager Network Rail. The British rail freight and maintenance company will supply signalling, telecoms, other equipment and provide rail haulage...Read more
Construction extra line Felixstowe branch to commence
Network Rail engineers have installed 2,300 sleepers along with ballast, the stones that form the track bed, in preparation of the construction of an additional line on the Felixstowe branch, the vital railway line connecting...Read more
TU Graz is using acoustic waves to detect track failures
Graz University of Technology wants to use acoustic waves to detect track failures and worn components. In many countries, distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) is already being used to identify the location of trains. Ivan Vidovic is Research...Read more
RailTech Europe 2017 – Day Three review
The third and final day of RailTech Europe 2017 was based on Predictive Maintenance of Rail Infrastructure, and its increasing importance in delivering efficient working practices, cost savings and enhanced safety. Launching proceedings was Marc Antoni,...Read more
RailTech Europe 2017 – Day Two review
Digitalisation in Railways was the captivating theme for Day Two of RailTech Europe 2017, which has attracted several thousand rail professionals from across the world. Joan Blaas of conference organisers ProMedia reflected on the opening...Read more
Maintenance vs total renewal – a methodology for assessing track ballast condition
Take any train journey and it is guaranteed there is one thing that everyone will notice. Stones. Without those stones – or the ballast – you are not going anywhere. By supporting the rails and...Read more
Intelligent Rail Summit 2016 – Day Two
Innovations in how railway data is collected, stored and used were the focus of Day Two of the Intelligent Rail Summit, attended by over 150 rail tech experts from across the world.Read more
Intelligent Rail Summit 2016 – Day One
A resounding success – that’s the view of delegates after an engrossing first day of the Intelligent Rail Summit 2016. The Bay of Naples provided a stunning backdrop as more than 150 delegates from across...Read more
‘More railway for the money’
Implementing ‘smarter maintenance’ of rail networks can help shape long-term track renewal projects, according to a leading track system specialist. Peter Juel Jensen, who is leading innovative work being carried out by the national Danish...Read more