Although a number of new train fleets have been introduced onto the British rail network in recent years, with more still to come, they haven’t all met with universal passenger approval. Some have described the seats as “ironing boards”, a...
The UK rail network is under continuous improvement by the operators, which creates certain demands on the type of DC-DC power converters required. Especially critical is the requirement for suitably isolated units. The extensive range of...
Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education’s (BCRRE) research into the application of fuel cells and hydrogen in railway traction system design stretches back over the last decade and beyond. Hydrogen, in combination with a fuel cell, was identified by...
The first of TransPennine Express’s (TPE) new fleet of Nova 3 trains, which will initially come into service in the coming months between Liverpool Lime Street and Scarborough, has now completed testing and been accepted from manufacturer Construcciones y Auxiliar...
Bombardier’s new Class 710/2 ‘Aventra’ train, destined for London Overground’s Gospel Oak to Barking and Watford lines, has received its first limited approval from railway regulator the Office of Rail and Road (ORR). Originally...
Stadler’s new SMILE electric multiple unit, which Swiss national operator SBB calls Giruno (Buzzard), has been issued an operating licence by the Swiss Federal Office of Transport (FOT) to run at 200km/h (125mph) in single-train formations on the Swiss network....
The tragic accident on the Croydon tram network in November 2016, in which seven people were killed and many more injured, has raised many questions about tram safety. As reported in issue 171 (Jan/Feb 2019), several recommendations were made in the...
An earlier article in Rail Engineer described HS2’s £2.75 billion procurement of at least 54 classic-compatible high-speed trains to run from London to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow. This month’s issue considers the very-high-speed (over 200km/hr) pedigree...
New state-of-the-art train simulators are being used to train 768 Greater Anglia drivers that will be driving the new trains due to replace all of the company’s existing fleet from later this year, when it starts to receive 38 bi-mode...
Humaware, the Southampton-based company that develops and markets a range of data-driven predictive analytics tools to enhance the predict and prevent capability of the railway network, has been acquired by EKE-Electronics of Espoo, Finland. A division of...
Crossrail opening goes back to 2021
The estimated completion date of Crossrail, the new railway running under London from West to East, has now been put back to...
