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Tag Archives: Railways

PRV Engineering > Railways
7 Dec 2015

Flooding and the rail network

Less than a week after the good news that Carlisle station is to get a £14.7m upgrade the rail network in the north, and particularly Carlisle has suffered at the hands of Storm Desmond. Stations have no power and long stretches of track are under water causing travel chaos.

Whilst Network Rail are promising to get things back up and running as soon as humanly possible, the safety of rail passengers has to be at the forefront of everything being done. So whilst in an ideal world commuters would love to back to normal as soon as possible, there is much more to getting back to normal than just the water receding. Network Rail’s crews of maintenance people (known as the Orange Army) are clearing fallen trees and landslip debris where they can (read more here), but it’s not just what’s fallen onto the tracks that is the issue.

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27 May 2015

Research into rail switches at the IRR

Rail switches or ’points’ are used in the rail industry to guide trains to their correct route. They work by using a tapered set of rails (points) lying between the outer rails that can be moved to direct the train travelling across them.

They make up less than 1% of the entire length of railway routes in the UK, yet they account for 20% of the expenditure on track maintenance. With a working life of approximately 3 years, frequent maintenance and replacement of rail switches is needed to avoid disruptions in services.

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1 May 2015

New Train Carriage Design wins a Share of Funding

Being involved in the rail industry, we at PRV like to keep an eye on the latest developments and innovations coming over the horizon, whether it’s to do with passenger travel, the moving of freight or the development of the trains of the future. So the recent headline about a UK company winning funding to develop a solution for passenger travel and the movement of freight for the future caught our eye.

A St Ives based company has won a share of £2.2m through the Tomorrow’s Train Design Today (TTDT) programme.

Their train carriage design, where passenger carriages can be reconfigured to carry freight or passengers at different times, is one of 3 designs that won a share of the funds to develop the rolling stock of the future.

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3 Apr 2015

Siemens has recently landed a contract

Siemens has recently landed a contract to provide and maintain trains for the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan area. The Rhine-Ruhr Express (RRX) is being hailed as the project of the century for the region, whose rail connections and public transport systems have been heavily burdened for years.

The region is one of the largest metropolitan areas in Europe with a population of approximately 10 million, many of which commute along the Rhine and Ruhr rivers in Germany. It is hoped that the RRX project will steadily ease the conditions for commuters from 2018 when delivery of the new trains begins by eliminating thousands of car trips, shifting traffic from the roads and on to rail.

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16 Feb 2015

Battery powered trains are back

At a time when development within the rail industry is gathering pace, battery powered trains are poised to make a comeback. Battery powered trains have been used for around 100 years, but expanded use has been held back by battery technologies.

Now, the first passenger train of its kind in over 50 years has recently undergone a five-week trial in a bid to prove the viability of more eco-friendly alternatives to diesel-powered locomotives.

Back in 2013, The Independently Powered Electric Multiple Unit (IPEMU) came into force. It draws power from overhead lines and then lowers its pantograph to allow it to run on its batteries instead, so enabling it to run over non electrified lines. The challenge was in finding an effective energy storage system or battery.

2 years and much development later,  the IPEMU will now run a weekday service between Harwich International and Manningtree stations in Essex.

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26 Jan 2015

UK rail industry gets huge boost

The United Kingdom’s rail industry can afford to smile with the news that the first completed pre-series Class 800 train is on its way.

The train, built by Hitachi in Japan, is the first of a fleet of 122 trains set for the Great Western Main Line and the East Coast Main Line, as part of the Department for Transport’s Intercity Express programme.

Even better news for the rail industry in the UK is that the bulk of the fleet will be manufactured in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham. The factory is currently under construction and will employ over 700 staff.

Simon Jones, managing director of PRV Engineering www.prv-engineering.co.uk said; “It’s good news all round for the rail industry and manufacturing industry in the UK.”

The current pre-series Class 800 comprises many parts and components, manufactured here in the UK.

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28 Nov 2014

High speed rail developments

Having undertaken work for the rail industry for many years, we at PRV Engineering like to keep an eye on the future of high speed rail travel www.prv-engineering.co.uk

We also marvel at the developments in Japan that, as we speak, are about to take another significant turn in the right direction.

When it comes to building high speed rail systems, Japan continues to embarrass the rest of the world.

First, they introduced the Bullet train, capable of travelling at approximately 200 mph.

Now, the government has approved plans to bring in a new high speed rail system that will enable passengers to travel the 178 miles from Tokyo to Nagoya in just 40 minutes. That’s less than half the time it currently takes the celebrated Shinkansen bullet train to travel the route.

It’s said that trains on the Chūō Shinkansen line will reach speeds of 300 mph thanks to their maglev (magnetic levitation) technology.

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31 Oct 2014

Rail industry is on the right track

Whether we work inside or outside of the rail industry, we all yearn for a better rail network system and improved facilities.

Network Rail has been working hand in hand with the train operating companies to deliver better stations across England and Wales.

By the time Spring 2015 comes around, the rail industry will have seen major changes and significant development.

A war chest of £150m was set aside, at the outset, as part of the National Stations’ Improvement Programme. The overall plan was to improve over 150 medium-sized stations in areas such as passenger information and facilities.

As a provider to the rail industry, we at PRV Engineering are delighted to see the investment in stations, across England and Wales.

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10 Oct 2014

HS2 grants available

From the moment HS2 was born, the high speed rail project has rarely been out of the headlines. Plans, proposals and the overall effect it will have on the transport industry has dominated the business news. In many circles, the innovative idea to speed up rail links has been met with genuine approval.

There has been plenty of opposition too. Many a local community has voiced it’s concern over the effect it will have on them. I suppose it goes without saying that radical change will divide opinion!

However, if the high profile project was yearning an autumnal lift, it came this week in the shape of plans to make available, government grants to communities and businesses.

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16 Jul 2014

Tubular rail is the future?

Although forms of rail transport can be traced back to 600BC when the ‘rutway’ was built to assist with transportation, it is widely accepted that railways, as we know them, have been in existence for almost 200 years.

Born of the Industrial Revolution, trains powered by locomotives were the fulfilment of the dreams of their creators.

Today’s railway system differs greatly to the days when steam trains could be seen chugging around the industrial heartland of Britain, transporting coal, iron and wood.

Further changes and development have been in the pipeline for some time, with Britain’s railways poised to undergo a major programme of development.

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