List view / Grid view
9 October 2007 | By Moritz Leuenberger Director, Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications
Switzerland is shifting freight traffic across the Alps from road to rail and has anchored this in its constitution. The goal is to reduce transalpine freight traffic to 650,000 trucks a year. To achieve this, it has drawn up a package of measures grouped around a central element; the New…
9 August 2007 | By Peter Fry, Head of CCTV Users Group
It is only weeks since the attempted bombings in London and Glasgow, and I cannot forget my group’s frantic activity as they were involved in supplying CCTV footage. Images of the events following the attacks in July 2005 – and being able to track and identify the suicide bombers –…
9 August 2007 | By Dr. Manfred Ritschel, Chairman, Kontiki Group
The Kontiki Working Group is a product and system independent platform comprising of 76 members from public transport associations, transportation companies, and industry, banking and credit services. As well as these, there are also consulting companies for the implementation of contact-less smart card systems for electronic ticketing in public transport…
9 August 2007 | By Laurent Dauby, Senior Manager, UITP
With hectometric transport, automated people movers (APM), driverless metro and automated guide-way transit (AGT), there seems to be no limit to the creation of words and acronyms. As a consequence, there is a lot of confusion about rail systems featuring some level of automation. However, in recent years, there have…
9 August 2007 | By Sandro Francesconi, Seconded National Expert, European Commission, Road Safety Unit.
Transport plays a crucial role in supporting European integration and ensuring a high level of wellbeing amongst Europe’s citizens. Efficient infrastructure for transport is vital for EU competitiveness for reducing costs and providing a good service. Moreover, European integration requires sufficient access to EU transport networks for all regions. Therefore,…
9 August 2007 | By Bernhard Kohl MSc, Head of ILF branch office, ILF Consulting Engineers
Since 1999, road tunnel safety has become a subject of growing interest in the public as well as among tunnel specialists. This is largely because of different incidents that have led to an increased risk awareness. The recent catastrophes in the Mont Blanc tunnel, the Tauern tunnel, and Gotthard tunnel…
9 August 2007 | By David George, Fastrack Project Manager, Kent Thameside Delivery Board
The first stage of the Fastrack new bus rapid transit system, launched in March 2006, has already had a huge impact on the travel patterns of local residents already living in north Kent. Now a new route has been launched, this time with the focus on influencing the travel behaviour…
9 August 2007 | By Dimosthenis Giannisopoulos, Chief Security Officer, Athens Metro
Preparing the Athens Metro for the Olympic Games 2004 in Athens was a multi-faceted project. As the Chief Security Officer, I was called upon to not only produce a security plan, but also to evaluate the situation in regards to what was necessary in terms of training and equipment required.…
9 August 2007 | By Diego Diaz, Director Marketing & Business Development Light Rail Vehicles, Bombardier Transportation
The introduction of a new transportation system into the urban environment provides the opportunity to re-define the role of public transport beyond that of pure function. Public transport can contribute to an enhanced lifestyle and commuting experience, improved local economy, more efficient use of resources and an optimisation of urban…
9 August 2007 | By Jeff Done, GMPTE’s Metrolink Team Leader
Greater Manchester’s Metrolink network has become one of the most successful light rail schemes in the UK since it began operating in 1992. Passengers now make around 55,000 journeys on the service every day; that’s nearly 20 million each year. There are three Metrolink lines which run from Manchester to…
9 August 2007 | By Stefan Gemperli, International Sales Manager, Siemens VDO Automotive AG (Schweiz)
To make local and regional public transport more attractive, passenger information is one of the critical success factors. Unlike dynamic real-time passenger information at stops, inter-modal in-vehicle dynamic passenger information that includes information on available transfers at next stops is still an exception. Based on the VDV-453 real-time interface, Siemens…
