Netherlands: Alternative Energy Railways: Dutch electric trains become 100% powered by wind energy

Dutch Trains -Alternative Energy - Wind Power

All Dutch electric trains are now powered by wind energy, the national railway company NS has said .

“Since 1 January, 100% of our trains are running on wind energy,” said NS spokesman, Ton Boon.

“So we in fact reached our goal a year earlier than planned,” said Boon, adding that an increase in the number of wind farms across the country and off the coast of the Netherlands had helped NS achieve its aim.

Eneco and NS said on a joint website that around 600,000 passengers daily are “the first in the world” to travel thanks to wind energy. NS operates about 5,500 train trips a day.

One windmill running for an hour can power a train for 120 miles, the companies said. They hope to reduce the energy used per passenger by a further 35% by 2020 compared with 2005.

Read more: Dutch electric trains become 100% powered by wind energy | World news | The Guardian

US Inrastructure - U.S. mayors desperate to fix crumbling infrastructure but states, feds hold them back

 The drinking water crisis in Flint, Michigan illustrates two urgent and related challenges that are stressing many American cities. First, critical infrastructure systems such as roads, bridges and water networks are aging and underfunded. Second, cities are not getting the support they need from higher levels of government to fix these problems.

We are the authors of the 2015 Menino Survey of Mayors, conducted by the Boston University Initiative on Cities. In this survey we asked a nationally representative sample of mayors an open-ended question: which challenge, that they believe should be a primarily “state and/or federal issue,” most affects their cities. Almost half of the mayors homed in on crumbling infrastructure. Many said that higher levels of government were not providing their cities with enough money for infrastructure projects they believe their cities need.

These projects range from relatively mundane needs like repairing roads to more ambitious projects, such as building new mass transit, wastewater and stormwater systems. Addressing the 2015 U.S. Conference of Mayors last June, President Obama observed, “There’s not a mayor here who can’t reel off 10 infrastructure projects right now that you’d love to get funding for, and that would put people to work right away and improve your competitiveness, and help businesses move their products and help people get to their jobs.” Indeed, the American Society of Civil Engineers estimates that America will need US$3.6 trillion in infrastructure investments by 2020.

These concerns spotlight what mayors see as a bigger problem. In their view, federalism – the division (and sharing) of powers between different levels of government – is not working. In the survey, mayors consistently identified ways in which general government dysfunction, burdensome regulations and laws that preempt local autonomy cause problems for cities. As political scientist Jessica Trounstine has pointed out, Flint is an extreme example of some of these issues. State governments can hamper city governments in a variety of ways, most frequently by cutting funding and/or introducing legislation that reduces local autonomy.

Read more: U.S. mayors desperate to fix crumbling infrastructure but states, feds hold them back

France: Russian Railways to Help France Build Night Train

The national rail companies of Russia and France have agreed to work together to develop a night train for travel within France, Russian Railways head Vladimir Yakunin said in an interview published Tuesday.

Yakunin did not specify how much would be invested in the project or when it would be completed, but said that Russian Railways had recently reached an agreement on the project with Guillaume Pepy, the president of state-owned French railway company SNCF.

“We will provide modern night trains on the lines chosen by SNCF. This should begin by the end of this year,” Yakunin told French newspaper Les Echos.

Night trains are for the most part vanishing in Europe even as they remain a major source of transportation across Russia's vast distances, Yakunin added.

Russian Railways to Help France Build Night Train | Business | The Moscow Times

The Netherlands: Dutch Railways NS new ticketing system considered complicated and unfriendly by NS customers

A random poll by EU-Digest throughout the Netherlands shows that 68% of NS customers are unhappy with the new obligatory electronic OV Chipcard ticketing system. The new system went into effect two months ago throughout the Netherlands.

The new system did away with a paper ticketing system and replaced it with an electronic "refill" Chipcard called OV Chipcard tied into the customers bank account or credit card. The OV Chipcard can also be used on all other Public Transport in the Netherlands

Travelers find the new system complicated, riddled with technical problems and especially unfriendly to many older customers who are not tech savvy

Tourists visiting the Netherlands also complained that the ticketing system does not accept many International credit cards.

Almere-Digest

France - Railway Accident: Deadly passenger train derailment outside Paris

A train carrying hundreds of passengers derailed and crashed into a station outside Paris on Friday on the eve of a major holiday weekend. At least six people were killed and dozens were injured, including nine who are in critical condition, the Interior Ministry said.

The crash was the deadliest in France in several years. French President Francois Hollande rushed to the scene at the Bretigny-sur-Orge station, 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of Paris. The Interior Ministry said some 192 people were either injured or being treated for shock — of which nine were in a critical condition.

Deadly passenger train derailment outside Paris - CBS News

European Rail industry on track for gains in market share - by Robert Wright

Rail tends to make rapid gains in market share as soon as new, dedicated high-speed rail lines are opened, Johannes Ludewig, executive director of the Community of European Railways and Infrastructure Companies, says.

He predicts significant gains for rail’s market share in Italy after the opening of two new high-speed sections in the last two years completed the Rome to Milan high-speed line, cutting journey times by an hour to two hours 45 minutes.

Rail’s main competitive advantage is that, while trains never match aircraft for speed, shorter check-in times and railway stations’ central locations give rail time and convenience advantages for short-haul journeys. In Europe, air’s market share in long-distance travel has been falling almost continually since the continent’s first dedicated high-speed rail line linked Paris to Lyons in 1981.

For more: FT.com / Reports - Business class: Rail industry on track for gains in market share

BBC NEWS: The rail thread that links Europe

For the complete report from the BBC NEWS click on this link

In the week the Lisbon Treaty was finally ratified, the BBC's Johnny Dymond traveled the continent's railways to glean a sense of its past and future. He wrote a fascinating report on the railways of the eastern flank of the European Union.

The Economist: Railroads - European companies hope to prosper from railway mania in the Middle East

For the complete report from the Economist click on this link

Railroads-European companies hope to prosper from railway mania in the Middle East

Railways have not made much news in the Middle East since Lawrence of Arabia blew up the Hijaz line in 1918. But bosses in the $165 billion global rail industry have been flocking to the Gulf lately, lured by the prospect of an investment boom. Every country in the region has drawn up plans for ambitious rail projects. Qatar and Kuwait are spending around $10 billion each, and the United Arab Emirates is shelling out twice that. On their shopping lists are monorails, bullet-trains and local metros, the first of which (pictured) will open in Dubai in September. Not to be outdone, Saudi Arabia plans to spend $15 billion to increase the size of its rail network nearly five-fold. Pilgrims could be riding the rails to Mecca and Medina at 360kph (225mph) as early as next year, rather than plodding along the kingdom’s notoriously crash-prone roads. And this is just the beginning. All these planned national lines will eventually be connected into a regional network, at a further cost of at least $14 billion.

WSJ: Spain's Bullet Train Changes Nation -- and Fast - by Thomas Catan

Alta Velocidad Española

For the complete report from the WSJ.com click on this link

Spain's Bullet Train Changes Nation -- and Fast - by Thomas Catan

To sell his vision of a high-speed train network to the American public, President Barack Obama this week cited Spain, a country most people don't associate with futuristic bullet trains. Yet the country is on track to bypass France and Japan to have the world's biggest network of ultrafast trains by the end of next year, figures from the International Union of Railways and the Spanish government show. The growth of the Alta Velocidad Española, or AVE, high-speed rail network is having a profound effect on life in Spain. Many Spaniards are fiercely attached to their home regions and studies show they are unusually reluctant to live or even travel elsewhere.

But those centuries-old habits are starting to change as Spain stitches its disparate regions together with a €100 billion ($130 billion) system of bullet trains designed to traverse the countryside at up to 218 miles an hour. By 2020 nine out of ten Spaniards are expected to live within 31 miles of a high speed rail station.

Note EU-Digest: The trains itself are also a marvel of engineering and design: Its 200-metre aluminium chassis carries 404 passengers, whose reclining chairs - which can swivel to face the direction of travel - are fitted with video and music players.

Alternet: Railroads: Let's Get Get Those Freight Trucks Off the Road and Put America Back on Tracks - by Philip Longman

For the complete report from AlterNet click on this link

Railroads - Let's Get Get Those Freight Trucks Off the Road and Put America Back on Tracks - by Philip Longman

The railroad has long been reluctant to accept government investment in its infrastructure out of fear of public meddling, such as being compelled to run money-losing passenger trains. But now, like most of the industry, it has changed its mind, and it happily accepted Virginia’s offer last year to fund a small portion -- $40 million -- of the investment needed to get more freight traffic off I-81 and onto the Crescent Corridor. The railroad estimates that with an additional $2 billion in infrastructure investment, it could divert a million trucks off the road, which is currently carrying just under five million. State officials are thinking even bigger: a study sponsored by the Virginia DOT finds that a cumulative investment over ten to twelve years of less than $8 billion would divert 30 percent of the growing truck traffic on I-81 to rail. That would be far more bang for the state’s buck than the $11 billion it would take to add more lanes to the highway

Forbes: Google backs Europe case against Microsoft browser

For the complete report from Forbes.com/AP click on this link

Google backs Europe case against Microsoft browser

Google Inc. wants to help European regulators prove Microsoft Corp. has stifled competition and innovation by bundling its popular Web browser with the Windows operating system. The decision to back the European Commission, announced Tuesday, isn't a surprise because Google wants to lessen the dominance of Microsoft's Internet Explorer with a competing Web browser called Chrome.

Wired.com: Railroads - Time Flies and Drinks Flow on German High-Speed Rail - by Dave Demerjian

For the complete report from Wired.com click on this link

Railroads - Time Flies and Drinks Flow on German High-Speed Rail - by Dave Demerjian

Germany's high-speed rail system whisks passengers around the country at more than 186 mph, providing a convenient and cost-effective alternative to driving and flying. It's fast, it's efficient and many rail advocates say it's an excellent model for high-speed rail in America. At the heart of the system are nine north-south lines and three main east-west lines with tributaries serving destinations that include Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris, Zurich and Innsbruck. Shuttlelike "sprinter" services connects major business routes like Frankfurt-Berlin and Koln-Munchen, making it easy to go almost anywhere by rail. The system is widely considered on par with the Shinkasen in Japan and TGV in France. A recent trip to Europe provided an opportunity to see what train travel on the Continent is like and whether it lives up to the hype. the high-speed Intercity Express (aka ICE), is Nordstrom. I booked the cheapest ticket I could find ($160) but found myself in 1 Klasse, or first class. It puts the airlines to shame, what with the plush leather seats, oak tables, high ceilings and sparkling glass doors. A little voice inside my head thought it was a bit extreme, but it was quickly drowned out by a uniformed Deutsche Bahn attendant politely asking if I'd care for a drink and offering a selection of complimentary newspapers. Later, I was served a meal on real china with proper flatware. The experience underscored how miserable air travel can be. I had plenty of space for my bulky bag, and the legroom — imagine that! legroom! — was like nothing I've experienced on a commercial flight. The experience was calming and relaxing, with passengers whiling away the time reading, tapping away at laptops, or sleeping in comfortable reclining seats. A glowing sign at the front of the car informed us of our speed and arrival time. For the next five hours I glided through Germany and into Austria on the smoothest, quietest train I’ve ever experienced, sipping German beer in frosty glasses most of the way.

SFGate: Europe's rail system moving full steam ahead - by Ed Perkins

For the complete report from SFGate click on this link

Europe's rail system moving full steam ahead - by Ed Perkins

High-speed rail is moving ahead at high speed in Europe. Railroads there keep adding new high-speed lines and increasing service, while here in the United States, we keep fretting about the need for better transportation but do little about it. If you're heading for Europe next year, you can try out several new lines, and additional lines will open by summer.Europe's latest opening is in Italy: a new dedicated high-speed line from Milan to Bologna. According to the Italian Railways' press release, nonstop trains can now make the Milan-Rome trip in 3 1/2 hours, although current schedules show only trains that stop in Bologna and Florence, taking three hours, 55 minutes. Still, that's pretty good time, and I assume some non stops will run by summer. The new segment leaves only a small gap between Bologna and Florence that, once filled, will provide high-speed tracks from Milan to Naples, about 530 miles. That final gap will close either next year or in 2010.

Rail travel is much greener than air or automobile travel - especially electrically driven rail travel, which is the norm for heavily traveled routes in most of Western Europe. In addition to investing heavily in rail, several European countries have imposed or are considering taxes or duties designed to discourage air travel.

BostonHerald: Vandalism disrupts French high-speed train service

For the complete report from the BostonHerald.com click on this link

Vandalism disrupts French high-speed train service

Vandals jammed iron bars into two electrical lines on a high-speed rail track in northern France, disrupting service Saturday on more than 30 trains to London, Brussels and other routes, the national rail authority said. No injuries were immediately reported, but hundreds of people were stranded for hours on the tracks and others crowded into train stations awaiting delayed departures. The chief of the SNCF national rail network said it was the fourth act of "malice, even sabotage," on high-speed French rail lines in the past three weeks.

Note EU-Digest: "This not a question of vandalism anymore. The culprits when caught must be treated as serious criminals.

SUR : Spain - The future coastal railway opens the door for high-speed trains - by Cristina Gonzales

Spains High Speed Train System takes off

For the complete report from SUR click on this link

Spain - The future coastal railway opens the door for high-speed trains - by Cristina Gonzales

Now that the AVE trains run to and from Malaga, municipalities on the Costa del Sol are already looking ahead to 2013 when this high speed train service will be extended along the coast. The railway line for the future coastal train service will play a major part in bringing to fruition this long-awaited dream of local people and professionals in the tourism industry. The first steps are already being taken. The Ministry of Public Works will be responsible for creating the line for the coastal train between Malaga and Fuengirola, while the Junta de Andalucía will build the link between Fuengirola and Estepona. These two projects, which will cost more than one thousand million euros, will mean that one day in the future the AVE could have its own stop, for example, in the centre of Marbella, something the regional government's delegate for Public Works and Transport, Concepción Gutiérrez, has referred to on several occasions in the past. Sources at the Junta de Andalucía have told this newspaper that the first works to be carried out will be on the stretch between Fuengirola and San Pedro Alcántara, and will involve two separate projects. At the moment, they are in the phase of supervision before final approval, which is the step prior to the works being put to tender sometime in 2008. The Junta's budget for next year already includes the sum of 14.1 million euros to start off the coastal railway project, and during a visit to Marbella the president of the regional government, Manuel Chaves, announced that trains will be traveling as far as San Pedro within six years. The stretch of line between San Pedro and Estepona is currently the subject of an informative study.

Spain has ambitious plans for its high-speed network. In the future the target is for 7,200km (4,500 miles) of high-speed railway for 350km/h operation, and progress has being made on several fronts to extend the network. The Spanish government has also agreed to pursue a high-speed link between Madrid, Lisbon and Paris with the Portugese and French Governments.

San Jose Mercury News - Three new high-speed rail lines in Europe - by Ed Perkins

For the complete report from the San Jose Mercury News click on this link: Three new high-speed rail lines in Europe - by Ed Perkins

If you visit Europe next year, you can expect to travel on several new high-speed rail facilities. And you'll see still more in the next few years, as European railroads continue to build their high-speed rail systems. Meanwhile, here in the United States, we're not only failing to build and improve our systems but also we're not even keeping up with what we have.
Three other new and improved lines have opened recently or will open by the end of this year in Europe:
• An important addition to the high-speed link between Barcelona and Madrid (with full completion slated for 2008).
• The new Lotschberg low-level tunnel in Switzerland, substantially shortening travel times on trains that link south Germany, Bern and Basel with Italy.
• The new Zuid high-speed route linking Amsterdam with Brussels (although the line won't reach full speeds until the completion of improved signaling systems next year).

The Guardian: Europe's Railways: All change for Britain's grandest gateway to Europe - by Stephen Bates

For the complete report from the Guardian click on this linkEurope's Railways: All change for Britain's grandest gateway to Europe - by Stephen Bates

With a week to go before Eurostar services start operating from St Pancras station, the Queen last night opened the newly renovated Victorian station which has restored what was once the largest enclosed space in the world to its former glory.More than 1,000 guests attended the reopening of the station, once the Cinderella of the London rail terminals, too grandiose for its services to the east Midlands, but now at last coming into its own as the terminus for Europe. When the original station was built, the cellars underneath were used to store barrels of beer from the Midlands but now the space is being opened up to boutiques. Something else the Victorians never thought necessary is the 92ft-long champagne bar for thirsty businessmen.

The renovation of the terminus completes the EURO 8.30bn British rail link to the Channel tunnel which is expected to shave 20 minutes off the 68-mile journey to Folkestone, bringing journey times to Paris down to 2 hours 15 minutes, the same time as London to Manchester. Passengers can be in Lyon, on the way to the Alps, in as little time as it takes to get to Newquay, Cornwall.

VNUNET: EU RAIL SYSTEM - British Safety system delayed again - by Lisa Kelly

For the complete report from vnunet.com click on this link

EU RAIL SYSTEM - British Safety system delayed again - by Lisa Kelly

The proposed Europe-wide computerised safety system for high-speed trains will not be fully in place in the UK for another 30 years, said the plan submitted to the EU last week. The rollout of the Euro 5.5 bn European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) will take until 2038 to complete, with main lines only starting to get the technology from 2025, according to the British Department for Transport (DfT) schedule.

The Hindu News; Rail link with Southeast Asia, Turkey and Europe soon

For the complete report from The Hindu Newsclick on this link

Rail link with Southeast Asia, Turkey and Europe soon

Within the next few years, travellers from India will have the option of going to places like Singapore, Bangkok, Yangon, Tehran and even cities in Turkey by train, giving airlines a run for their money. Travel by train to these cities is set to become reality with the proposed revival of the Trans Asian Railway, for which an agreement was signed by Railway Board Chairman J P Batra in New York.The southern corridor of the proposed Asian rail network will link China's historic Kunming province, bordering Vietnam, with Kapikule in Bulgaria in the Euopean peninsula via a 11,460-km line. The cities to be linked include Bangkok in Thailand and idyllic towns of Myanmar, Bangladesh, India, Iran and Turkey, giving Indian families a wide variety of holiday locales to pick from.

The dream rail project, according to experts, will not take long to become operational as a good railway network already exists in major junctions like Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, India, Thailand and China.