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HIGH_SPEEED_RAIL_FOR_THE_NORTH

Passenger_Focus_has_responded_to_the_Government’s _policy_on_high_speed_rail:_

Train_Companies_Respond_to_the_Governments_High _Speed_Rail_Announcement_

The_Government_today_published_its_Command_ Paper_response_to_the_HS2_report

First_Fishing_Trawler_Sets_Sail_Once_More

Russian_Railways,_Alstom_and_Transmashholding sign_cooperation_protocol.

New_single_wagon_load_alliance_will_improve_European_rail_freight_

Europe’s_railways_call_for_action_on_the_future_of_transport

European_railways_urge_complete_turnaround_of_EU_transport_policy_

HIGH SPEEED RAIL FOR THE NORTH

Warmly welcoming Lord Adonis’s Command Paper on High Speed Rail, David Begg, Chairman of the Northern Way Transport Group said:

“High Speed Rail is not just a transport issue it is a must do for the North’s future economic growth and for the country as a whole. It is also fundamental in moving to a low carbon economy.”

“The Northern Way has provided clear evidence that there needs to be a high speed network that serves our great northern cities on both sides of the Pennines. We are pleased that the Government has clearly listened to us on this point and welcome the commitment that a next phase of route planning extending new lines further north to both Manchester and Leeds will now begin in earnest.”

“The leadership that Lord Adonis has provided has been important in putting high speed rail centre stage. This commitment will need to continue over successive governments.”
Chairman of the Northern Way Hugh Morgan Williams said:
“Experience across the world highlights the importance of high speed rail to a vibrant modern economy. We applaud this commitment from the Government, and from all the main parties, that we need now to make strides in catching up with France, Spain, Japan, China, the USA and other countries across the world.”

“The links between the North’s city regions and with London, Heathrow and the Channel Tunnel are fundamental to the North’s economic future and what we have today is a very welcome start on long term plans that will revolutionise travel and help rebalance the UK’s economy between north and south.”
High Speed Two (HS2) Ltd

11 March 2010 14:10

The Government today published its Command Paper response to the HS2 report, and in so doing set out the next stages of work for HS2 Ltd.

As part of that next stage, Government has asked that the company now take forward further development of its recommendations for High Speed Two – a new line between London and the West Midlands – so that a full public consultation can be held in the autumn.

Welcoming the publication of the Command Paper, the company’s Chairman Sir Brian
Briscoe said:

High speed rail has enormous potential to benefit the UK, but the project will never get going without public support – which is why it is so important that we now prepare thoroughly for a full public consultation that gives everybody the chance to state their views and make their voice heard, particularly those who may be directly affected by the line. That process of open engagement and dialogue will ultimately be as crucial to the success of High Speed Two as world-class engineering and construction.

HS2 Ltd has also been asked to begin detailed work on options for equivalent lines from the West Midlands to Manchester, and to Leeds via the East Midlands and South Yorkshire. This work – on a similar basis to that just completed for London-West Midlands – will develop specific route options as well as identifying full costs and benefits.

Commenting on this extension of HS2 Ltd’s remit, the company’s Chief Executive Alison Munro said:

The work we have presented on the high speed line between London and Birmingham is the most comprehensive to date in the UK. We now look forward to developing detailed proposals for extensions to Manchester and Leeds. Though it will be a demanding task, our work during 2009 means we are in a good position to make progress quickly.

Our work on London-Birmingham was only possible with the help of our delivery partners and many others, and the further development of relationships with such partners in the North West, Yorkshire and the East Midlands will be a key early priority.

Department for Transport (DfT) UK For map of preferred HS2 route http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/rail/pi/highspeedrail/lontobhm/pdf/leaflet.pdf

Passengers on high speed rail plans
11.03.2010

Passenger Focus has responded to the Government’s policy on high speed rail:


Anthony Smith, Passenger Focus chief executive, said: “Passengers will welcome this bold plan. In the long term more and more people are going to want to use the railway. So, a step change in the ability of the network to handle more trains, longer trains and more reliable trains, all key passenger priorities for improvement, is needed now. This plan represents an important first step in unlocking this potential, that should also free up more space on the rest of network to handle more regional and local trains. More trains arriving on time are now helping to attract more passengers. Add higher speeds to that and a whole new group of passengers could be tempted to use rail.

“Passenger Focus welcomes the commitment that the new line will be an addition to the current network – not a bolt on, rich man’s railway. The ability to turn up and travel remains a key attraction of Britain’s railway – this new line, with fast frequent services could, with attractive fares, start to revolutionise intercity rail travel. The other commitment, that funding will not be diverted from the existing network, is also welcome.”
Passenger Focus - Putting Passengers First

Train Companies Respond to the Government's High Speed Rail Announcement
11/03/2010


Responding to the Government’s announcement on high speed rail, Michael Roberts, Chief Executive of the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC), said:

“The Government’s announcement confirms rail as integral to the future success of the British economy, linking the nation’s major cities in a way which will transform how people get around the country.

“But this is just the start. Now the hard work must begin. We need to look through the detail of the plans and work out the best possible deal for passengers and taxpayers.

“At a time of constrained public finances and when investment in the existing network must continue, high speed rail must be affordable.

“Making the most of the role of the private sector will keep costs down for the taxpayer and draw on the considerable knowledge and experience of train companies in making sure high speed rail meets the needs of passengers and businesses.”
 

08 March 2010,

First Fishing Trawler Sets Sail Once More

Parlevliet & Van der Plas B.V. and SkySails begin practical tests of SkySails towing-kite propulsion for fishing trawlers

Hamburg / Wismar / Sassnitz, Germany / Katwijk, Netherlands, 08 March 2010.

The SkySails-System was successfully placed into operation aboard Germany’s largest fishing vessel – the ROS-171 “Maartje Theadora” – on the North Sea near Ijmuiden, Netherlands on March 8^th, 2010. This innovative wind-propulsion system from the Hamburg-based manufacturer SkySails will henceforth help save large amounts of fuel and emissions. The maiden voyage of the ROS-171 “Maartje Theadora” with SkySails propulsion, which will take the ship across the Atlantic to South America and then into the South Pacific, heralds the use of regenerative energy sources in deep-sea fishing.  

“As one of Europe’s biggest fishing companies, we consider it an important duty to not only promote sustainable fishing, but to take a leading role in making it a reality. For us, sustainable in this context means acting in a manner that makes both good economic and ecological sense. And so, by combining our MSC-certified pelagic shoal fishery with the innovative SkySails propulsion system, we intend to realize major savings in fuel and costs, while at the same time significantly reducing the adverse effects on the environment caused by harmful emissions – first by employing the system during those long transfer runs and then, looking to the future, during direct fishing operations,” says Dr. Uwe Richter, the Managing Director of Westbank Hochseefischerei GmbH, which belongs to the Parlevliet & Van der Plas B.V. Group, has its headquarters in Sassnitz, Germany and is responsible for the technical and commercial operation of the ROS-171 “Maartje Theadora.”  

“Because operating conditions on a fishing vessel differ greatly from those of a commercial cargo ship, especially during trawling operations, our key focus during this phase of trials will be on technically adapting the system to the circumstances specific to fishing operations,” explains Stephan Brabeck, the Technical Managing Director of SkySails. “Working hand in hand with our customer Parlevliet & Van der Plas, we will be further enhancing and developing the technology in practice, and in turn devising a wind propulsion system that is optimized for use on fishing vessels.”

The practical testing of the SkySails-System on the ROS-171 “Maartje Theadora” is being funded as part of a pilot project by the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and the European Union (with resources from the European Fisheries Fund). The state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is supporting this pilot project as an investment in the future, now that it has assumed the challenge and responsibility of developing and fostering visionary technologies in the fishery and aquaculture sector. 

“I am very proud and pleased that my state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania is supporting and accompanying this pioneering effort. The implementation of this project was made possible by an exceptionally generous grant as part of the 2007-2013 European Fisheries Fund. The €583,000 in funding from the EU and €194,000 from the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania have been approved and will be used for this project. I firmly believe that this is money well spent, and an important investment in the future. The European Union and the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania view this project as a catalyst with a tremendous potential as a multiplier for improving resource efficiency over the long term and for abating the fishing industry’s adverse effects on the environment,” emphasizes Dr. Till Backhaus, Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Consumer Protection.

Sailing under the flag of Germany, the ROS-171 “Maartje Theadora” is 141 meters long and its main propulsion consists of two MaK engines that produce a total of 8,640 kW of power. The crew comprises over 40 members during fishing trips. A 160m² SkySails towing-kite propulsion system works to relieve the ship’s main engine.

SkySails propulsion is already in use aboard the cargo ships “Beluga SkySails” owned by Beluga Shipping, as well as on the “Michael A.” and “Theseus” of the Wessels Shipping Company. The system is currently being installed on two other cargo new builds, and the Hamburg-based manufacturer SkySails has a number of additional orders on its books. The concept of towing-kite wind propulsion has proven itself fully capable on board ship, and the tractive forces that were measured make the SkySails-System the most powerful and effective wind-propulsion system in the world. Thanks to its unique physical properties, the system produces between 5 and 25 times more power per square meter than conventional sail propulsion. A 160m² SkySails generates a tractive force of 8 metric tons, which is comparable to the thrust of an Airbus A318 engine.

 About Parlevliet & Van der Plas B.V.

 Parlevliet & Van der Plas B.V. was originally established as a trading company in Katwijk/Netherlands in 1949 by Dirk Parlevliet and the brothers Dirk and Jan van der Plas. Today, 60 years after its founding, Parlevliet & Van der Plas has expanded to become one of Europe’s largest companies in the international commercial fishing and processing industry. In addition to its Dutch offices and facilities in Valkenburg, Ijmuiden and Katwijk, the group also operates subsidiaries in Germany, Lithuania and the United Kingdom.

 The establishment in 1986 of the wholly owned subsidiary Doggerbank Seefischerei GmbH in Bremerhaven marked the launch of the Dutch group’s unprecedented business growth and involvement in the fishing industry in Germany. Today the cities of Bremerhaven and Sassnitz are the headquarters of 12 subsidiaries that include a fleet of 6 deep-sea trawlers, Europe’s most modern fish processing center, the company Euro Baltic Fischverarbeitungs GmbH that processes an annual volume of 50,000 tons of herring, a trading company to handle the global marketing of products from the processing center and the group’s own catches, two cold storage facilities and a brokerage office.

Parlevliet & Van der Plas covers the entire range of commercial fishing products and services – from catch to delivery.

 One of its major corporate strategy objectives is the development and imple-mentation of measures to ensure a set of sustainable fishing policies in Europe and, for several years already, in the Pacific region. It was with this in mind that Parlevliet & Van der Plas joined with other European fishing companies to establish the Pelagic Freezer-trawler Association. The association has published a policy paper that addresses such key issues as overfishing, discards, the environment, fishing laws and rights, product quality and employment policies.

 About SkySails GmbH & Co. KG

 SkySails develops, manufactures and markets an internationally patented wind propulsion system for ships based on large towing kites. Depending on wind conditions, a ship’s annual average fuel costs can be reduced by 10% to 35% using the SkySails-System. Under optimal wind conditions, fuel consumption can be reduced at times by up to 50%. The SkySails-System can be installed as an auxiliary wind propulsion system on virtually all existing ships and new builds. Even fishing trawlers and superyachts of over 30 meters in length can be fitted with SkySails propulsion.

 SkySails was founded in 2001 and currently has about 80 employees. Lead investors are the renowned ship financing company Jan Luiken Oltmann Gruppe GmbH & Co. KG based in Leer and the highly respected marine engine supplier Zeppelin Power Systems GmbH & Co. KG. Furthermore and besides private investors, the group of SkySails investors also includes numerous notable shipping companies such as Triton Seatrade, Reederei Wessels, Reederei Jüngerhans, Briese Schiffahrt, and Reederei Opielok.

 SkySails and the venerable Zeppelin Group established a joint venture called    “Zeppelin SkySails Sales & Service” at the beginning of 2009, which began operations in March and handles the worldwide sales and service of SkySails propulsion. All SkySails-Systems can be maintained and rapidly supplied with replacement parts across the globe using the existing service network of Zeppelin Power Systems.

Mar 02, 2010 Russian Railways, Alstom and Transmashholding sign cooperation protocol.

During Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s state visit to France, Russian Railways, Alstom and Transmashholding signed a protocol on technological and production cooperation, as a continuation of a protocol signed in Paris on Alstom’s entry into the ownership structure of Transmashholding.

Commenting on the signing, Russian Railways President Vladimir Yakunin said: "The signing of this agreement is an unprecedented event for us, and reflects the foundation that has been laid by our political leaders in the new relations between Russia and France. For us, this is first and foremost an indicator that the real stage of integration has begun – at any rate, in our sector."

The Russian Railways president noted that the company has already been working with Alstom, and mentioned the agreement previously signed between the companies on the acquisition of Pendolino tilting trains to run between Helsinki and St Petersburg. "The first train of this series is already complete, and we hope that by the end of the year it will pass technical and certification tests, and we will be able to present it to the Russian public. We also want to jointly create a prototype of a new EP20 electric locomotive by the end of this year, and I expect that this will also serve as a dynamic continuation of all the documents signed here," Mr Yakunin said.




 

Brussels, 18 February 2010
New single wagon load alliance will improve European rail freight

Seven European rail freight companies have established a new alliance in Zurich (Switzerland) on
18 February to strengthen their international single wagon load business.

 Founding members of
the Xrail alliance are CD Cargo (Czech Republic), CFL Cargo (Luxemburg), DB Schenker Rail
(Germany), Green Cargo (Sweden), Rail Cargo Austria (Austria), SBB Cargo (Switzerland), and SNCB
Logistics (Belgium).
“Single wagon load is vital for European rail freight,“ comments Johannes Ludewig, Executive Director
of the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER). “We welcome Xrail as an
important own-initiative of our members and trust that the new alliance will contribute to making the
international rail freight business more reliable, more customer-orientated, and last but not least
more competitive compared to road transport,“ Johannes Ludewig adds.
With an annual freight volume of around 100 billion tonne kilometres, about 50 percent of European
cross-border rail freight is currently run as single wagon load traffic. Members of the new alliance
agreed to introduce internationally consistent information and production standards to improve
processes for rail freight customers. In addition to better planning and higher punctuality, clients will
profit from automatically provided electronic information on their transports. First test runs on the
Xrail network have been completed successfully. In 2010, more than 200 strategically important lines
will be offered to customers in Scandinavia, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Belgium.
The agreement on establishing the Xrail alliance was signed by Geert Pauwels, CEO of SNCB Logistics,
Rodan Senekl, Member of the Board of CD Cargo, Fernand Rippinger, CEO of CFL Cargo, Alexander
Hedderich, CEO of DB Schenker Rail, Olle Wennerstein, Deputy CEO of Green Cargo, Ferdinand
Schmidt, Member of the Board of Rail Cargo Austria, and Nicolas Perrin, CEO of SBB Cargo.
Note to editors:
Single wagon load is a very flexible, albeit cost-intensive, system which basically allows the client to choose how many wagons
he wants to dispatch instead of running a block train. The quantity of dispatched wagons can vary and as routes are fixed in
advance, customers can add wagons to a train as soon as they need to. Single wagon load transports are a crucial supply chain
element for Europe’s predominantly mid-sized and geographically dispersed industry and agriculture. For more information,
please visit www.xrail.eu .

Europe’s railways call for action on the future of transport

Thursday, 11 February 2010

The European rail sector has welcomed the appointment of Siim Kallas as EU Vice‐President of the European Commission responsible for Transport. In a joint letter sent on 10 February, the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER), the association of European Rail Infrastructure Managers (EIM), and the European Rail Industry (UNIFE) congratulated Mr Kallas, while calling on him to take action to enhance the competitiveness of rail – the most environmentally friendly mode of transport.


The railway organisations welcomed Mr Kallas' statement to the European Parliament that he would seek to improve the environmental performance of transport through a combination of measures including the development or better use of infrastructure, the introduction of new technology, better use of existing sustainable technologies, and by creating a level playing field through the internalisation of external costs of all modes of transport.

The letter also calls on the new Commissioner to take action to overcome a number of shortcomings in the implementation of European railway legislation, and in particular the First Railway Package. “The European rail sector feels that a recast of the First Railway Package would be the best way to resolve these shortcomings, while enhancing the competitiveness of Europe’s railways,” the three associations wrote.

The associations close the letter by setting out their vision of the “ … transport of the future as a multimodal system with, at its core, an electrified rail network covering all of Europe which is able to respond to the needs of both passenger and freight customers.”

The letter was sent to Vice‐President Kallas on 10 February, and was signed by Johannes Ludewig, Executive Director of CER, Michael Robson, Secretary General of EIM, and Michael Clausecker, Director General of UNIFE. 

European railways urge complete turnaround of EU transport policy

Wednesday, 17 February 2010


Siim Kallas and Connie Hedegaard, European commissioners responsible for transport and climate action respectively, were presented with briefings on the future of European transport policy this week. Drafted by the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER) and approved by its 74 members, the papers urge a complete turnaround in European Union transport policy to make real progress in reducing transport emissions: “Current transport policy acts against the overarching EU objective of reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” it is stated. The briefings were sent to the two commissioners and other representatives from the EU institutions at the beginning of the week.


Under the headline “Is enough being done to create a sustainable and economic transport system?”, the 10-page CER memorandum sent to European Commission Vice-President Kallas offers a summary of major developments in recent EU transport and railway policy and outlines recommendations for the policy of the new European Commission.

Over the last ten years, rail’s share of freight in central and eastern Europe (CEE) has fallen by almost 10 percentage points to less than 30 percent, well below the target of 35 percent set for 2010 in the European Commission’s White Paper on transport in 2001.

This serious decline in rail’s share is largely due to a one-sided rail transport policy of the European Union. The 2001 Transport White Paper placed considerable emphasis on the interdependent issues of liberalisation of the rail market, fair competition between modes through internalisation of the external costs of transport and the adequate financing of infrastructure and public service obligations. However, in practice too much focus in last years’ EU transport policy has been put on regulatory questions and rail liberalisation while neglecting the sound financing of the railway system and the establishment of fair competition between modes.

The European railways organised in CER, including private and state-owned rail and passenger operators as well as most of European infrastructure managers, believe that “Rail liberalisation must be encouraged but, for further market opening to be effective, there is a need to ensure that existing EU law on railway financing is properly implemented and that the ‘polluter pays’ principle is progressively passed into legislation. […] Experience shows that, without other framework conditions being met, liberalisation alone can precipitate a decline in rail’s share,” the memorandum warns. CER and its members believe that introducing competition and market mechanisms in a context with other important conditions, in particular adequate financing of rail infrastructure and public service obligations, will generally contribute to increasing quality and productivity.

The memorandum also emphasises that a political reorientation is needed to decarbonise transport. “Reduction targets for absolute emissions should be established for the transport sector, with targets for specific emissions for each mode (the rail sector has already agreed a target to reduce specific emissions from rail traction by 30% over the period 1990-2020). These targets should be very challenging and the Commission needs to develop wide ranging, ambitious and radical plans to meet them,” the memorandum urges, referring to general emissions reduction statements made by both European commissioners in their hearings at the European Parliament.

“Prices must play a key role in reducing transport emissions,” the memorandum urges. Concretely, it suggests that the European Commission should use pricing mechanisms to “develop a more level playing field between modes based on a consistent infrastructure charging policy across all modes and the progressive internalisation of external costs of transport - starting with an urgent revision of the Eurovignette directive.”