ACCORDING to a global study of railway infrastructure suppliers by SCI Verkehr, while Siemens and Voestalpine are still the market leaders, Chinese manufacturers are catching up, which SCI says is due to advancing digitalisation in signalling and train control and profound changes in the international steel market.

AMERICAN engineering, procurement and construction company KBR announced on May 15 that it has been awarded a contract to remove two level crossings in Victoria, Australia, by the Victorian government, in an alliance with John Holland, Metro Trains, and the Level Crossing Removal Authority (LCRA).

NEW YORK’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) unveiled a comprehensive plan on May 15 to improve reliability on the New York subway and restructure its management team.

Fitting monitoring equipment to commercially-operating trains to provide an in-depth analysis of track conditions is becoming increasingly common. The team from the Track Technology Research Laboratory at Japan’s Railway Technical Research Institute (RTRI)* reflect on their work to process data retrieved from this process and show how it can inform a preventative track maintenance strategy.

This year’s International Exhibition for Track Technology (IAF) in Münster will showcase the latest technologies and innovations from the track infrastructure industry’s leading suppliers. Dan Templeton previews the event.

Innovations in traction technology are set to make the next generation of Plasser & Theurer track machines quieter, more efficient, and more environmentally friendly.

Network Rail is currently transitioning to a predictive and preventative infrastructure maintenance strategy. Kevin Smith charts the progress made so far and picks up on some of the challenges the infrastructure manager is facing.

SWEDEN’s infrastructure manager Trafikverket has awarded a 20-year framework contract for concrete sleepers, fastenings and sleeper pads to Strangbetong Rail, Abetong, and Pandrol.

BRITISH Steel says it has become the first manufacturer to produce and deliver ultra-long corrosion protected rail with the completion of a renewal project in Scotland.

POLISH infrastructure manager PKP PLK has awarded two contracts worth a total of Zlotys 646m ($US 161m) for the modernisation of a 63km section of the Warsaw - Radom line.