Issue 5 2009

Taking Austria to the next level

Issue 5 2009 / 28 October 2009 / Doris Bures, Federal Minister of Transport, Innovation and Technology, Austria

There are only a few countries in the European Union having a comparably high standard of public transport. 5.5 million rail or bus trips are recorded daily in Austria. Each Austrian travels 2,800km by public transport per year – this is an achievement that is worth sharing, but which we want to increase further.

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Tagged with: BMVIT- Austrian Ministry for Transport Innovation and Technology, Doris Bures

Big network changes for Bern

Issue 5 2009 / 28 October 2009 / René Schmied, CEO of BERNMOBIL

BERNMOBIL operates public transport services by tram, bus and trolleybus in the city of Bern, the capital of Switzerland, and the surrounding suburban villages of Ostermundigen, Köniz and Bremgarten. Bern has approximately 130,000 inhabitants and including the surrounding villages BERNMOBIL serves approximately 190,000 people. Since 1999, BERNMOBIL is an independent company owned 100% by the city of Bern. Formerly called Städtische Verkehrsbetriebe Bern (SVB), BERNMOBIL was part of the urban administration of Bern. The outsourcing was mainly due to the introduction of public tenders and the need for BERNMOBIL to improve its competitiveness.

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Tagged with: BERNMOBIL, Country Profile, René Schmied

TPG give their trams a facelift – the quest for new technology

Issue 5 2009 / 28 October 2009 / Roland Bonzon, Director General, Geneva Public Transport (TPG)

Geneva and the tramway – this is an old story of being in-love and out-of-love. Following an impressive expansion between 1903 and 1924, (at its peak, the Geneva tram system was one of the most extensive in Europe), there was a period of long recess during the 1920s. Then came a re-burst of passion: at the beginning of the 1990s, after 30 years of dismantling, the tram became popular again. While certain sections of rails from that period have remained in place and are still being used today, we have come a far way from the steam powered tram and Geneva’s first electrical trams. Technology has evolved immensely and the Geneva Public Transport (TPG) has followed in its movement.

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Tagged with: Country Profile, Geneva Public Transport (TPG), Roland Bonzon

New pleasures of driving

Issue 5 2009 / 28 October 2009 / Martin Baltes, Managing Director, IVB

At the end of the year, the last of 32 tram vehicles will be arriving in Innsbruck. Four years have passed since the contract was awarded – and it has been a period of intense work for the Innsbruck transport services (IVB). But the hard work has paid off: Tyrol’s state capital and the Stubaital valley are now home to a modern, tailor-made and customer-friendly tram.

Innsbruck’s new tram offers many advantages but one is particularly close to the heart of the IVB: the new tram is accessible to all IVB customers. The 100% low-floor design and step-less interior throughout makes it much easier for older people or parents with pushchairs to use the tram and wheelchair users can now enter the tram without assistance for the first time. The IVB involved representatives of the disabled from the outset in order to adapt the design of the new trams to suit the requirements of those with a physical disability or hearing or sight impaired passengers.

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Tagged with: Country Profile, IVB, Martin Baltes

IRID technology: the London focus

Issue 5 2009 / 28 October 2009 / Jeremy Evans, Head of Technology Delivery Group, Directorate of Traffic Operations, Transport for London (TfL)

Transport for London’s Jeremy Evans, Head of Technology Delivery Group in the Directorate of Traffic Operations, reveals the new technology that is helping smooth the flow of traffic in one of Europe’s busiest cities.

As one of a range of measures that are helping to keep traffic flowing in the Capital, Transport for London (TfL) has developed new camera technology that can automatically detect a build-up of vehicles and alert traffic operators to implement congestion-busting solutions. In partnership with Ipsotek Ltd, a London-based developer of video analytics systems, TfL has developed image recognition technology to work alongside traffic monitoring CCTV cameras placed at known traffic hotspots to help keep traffic on London’s roads flowing smoothly.

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Tagged with: Jeremy Evans, Technology, Transport for London (TfL)

Investing in the future of Blackpool’s tram network

Issue 5 2009 / 28 October 2009 / Craig Waters, Commissioning Editor of Eurotransport

The Blackpool tramway has been in existence for over 120 years, and so a scheme to upgrade the system, approved by the Government in June 2009, is a project that will ensure the tram network has a great future ahead. Craig Waters, Commissioning Editor of Eurotransport met with Paul Grocott, Programme Manager of the Tramway Upgrade from Blackpool Council, who explained the project details and what aspects of the scheme will help improve journey times and the accessibility of the tramway for all passengers.

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Tagged with: Light Rail

Emerging trends in tunnel fire suppression

Issue 5 2009 / 28 October 2009 / Dr. Fathi Tarada, Director of Fire Safety Engineering, Halcrow Group Ltd, Co-Chairman of the PIARC Working Group on Air Quality, Fire and Ventilation, and member of the Technical Advisory Committee for the International Symposium on Aerodynamics and Ventilation of Vehicle Tunnels

Fire suppression is emerging as a key risk reduction measure for consideration in tunnels under construction or undergoing refurbishment. However, understanding the possible benefits, limitations and costs of fire suppression, and reflecting that understanding in the project decision-making process, is still a nascent science. This article describes some of the latest technical guidance available, and how it was applied to two tunnels in order to reduce societal costs related to fires, and to minimise construction costs and programmes.

Until relatively recently, the issue of tunnel fire suppression was considered very differently in various parts of the world. In Japan, fixed fire suppression systems are installed in tunnels with a length of 3,000m or longer, and which have a traffic volume of 4,000 vehicles per day or greater. The Australasian Fire Authorities Council’s fire safety guidelines for road tunnels require installation of fire suppression systems in long road tunnels in Australia. However, European tunnel designs generally followed World Road Association (PIARC) guidelines, which did not support the principle of tunnel fire suppression prior to 2008. The same reticence with respect to tunnel fire suppression was evident prior to 2008 in the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)’s standard 502, which is widely used in North America and elsewhere.

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Tagged with: Fathi Tarada, Halcrow Group Ltd, Tunnel Safety

TETRA – a global standard

Issue 5 2009 / 28 October 2009 / Bernt Mattsson, TETRA Technical Officer, European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI)

Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA) is the most successful digital trunking standard for professional users. Users of Private Mobile Radio (PMR) and Public Access Mobile Radio (PAMR) technology include police, ambulance and fire services, security services, utilities, military, public access, transport services, airports, factory site services, mining and the like. These user groups have special needs for mission or business critical communication solutions.

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Tagged with: Bernt Mattsson, European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA)