25Japan Railway & Transport Review 27 • June 2001

Feature

Evolution of Railway Technology

Copyright © 2001 EJRCF. All rights reserved.

50 Years of Progress in Railway TechnologyFrançois Lacôte

Artist’s impression of high speed in Europe (Alstom Transport)

Introduction

In the 1960s, before he became Presidentof SNCF (and subsequently President ofUIC), Louis Armand said, ‘The railway willbe the mode of transport for the 21stcentury if it survives the 20th.’ We havenow turned the corner into the 21stcentury and rail transport in Europe isperhaps more alive than ever.The railway’s history over the last 50 yearshas been punc tua ted by ma jo rtechnological changes and this articlereviews the highlights and shows how thechanges were serious gambles inpreparing for the 21st century.The leap in the popularity of high-speedtrains (250–300 km/h) played a key rolein this evolution, which is both irreversibleand fundamental to passenger transportin Europe. Much of this article is abouthigh speed and there are two informationboxes on the evolution of high speed inGermany, and on the development ofItaly’s famous Pendolino technology thathas now conquered most of Europe.Due to its major role in Europe’s progressin rail transport, I will discuss changes inelectrical power techniques, traction andsignalling. Part of this article examinesthe design and construction of carriagebodies and some pages cover the impact

(which are still largely to come) ofelectronics and digital techniques onrailway engineering. Finally, I will touchon rail freight, which has not yet takenadvantage of the technological changesin Europe.

High Speed—from Diversity toa European Standard

Constant quest for higher speedSince the early 1950s, it has been clear inEurope that increased train speed,particularly on passenger trains, is crucialto rail transport’s competitiveness. Therailways were forced to react as theautomobile advanced in tandem with thegrowth of the motorway network to offersignificant gains in time and comfort. In1955, SNCF signalled its determination todevelop faster trains when it set a speedrecord of 331 km/h with an Alsthom-builtlocomotive. However, at this time, thereseemed to be two possible waysforward—using the current infrastructureor building new infrastructure.

Choosing between old and newlines or slow maturation of tiltingtrainsThe first idea that enters a railwayengineer’s head when wanting to increasetrain speed is to introduce tilting or

pendulum techniques to permit fasterspeeds on curves.SNCF was the first European rail operatorto research this field when it ran a seriesof tests in the early 1960s on carriagesusing natural tilting (swing around centreof gravity) and controlled tilting. It cameto the conclusion that the potential gainin speed on conventional lines wassignificant with controlled tilting but that1960s technology could not providesufficiently accurate and reliable controlto deliver the required ride quality. As aresult, SNCF decided to opt for high speedon new l ines , r equ i r ing h igherinfrastructure investment but deliveringmuch greater timesavings.Italy was the second European country toattempt the ti l t ing technique andproduced a prototype that was well aheadof its time but was to remain restricted totwo experimental trains in Italy and Spain.Paradoxically, the opening of the newRome–Florence line in 1988 (almost 15years after the prototype) saw Europe’s firsttrue tilting train based on Fiat’s design,while Fiat in the meantime had becomeAlstom Ferroviaria.However, we should no t fo rge tdevelopments in England during the sameperiod. In the late 1970s, British Railproduced the prototype AdvancedPassenger Train (APT) with tilting action.Like the Italian Pendolino, it was designedto travel at speeds of up to 250 km/h onthe East Coast main line. Unlike thePendolino, the APT was articulated andrequired extremely bold technologicalsolutions (like hollow axles to allowhydrokinetic braking by injecting ultra-pure oil into the axles).The APT engineers were perhaps too farahead of their t ime and the newtechnologies encountered manyproblems, so the APT never went beyondthe prototype stage. The UK had to waituntil the late 1990s for the delivery ofAlstom and Fiat Ferroviaria tilting trainsfor Virgin West Coast Trains Ltd., operating

26 Japan Railway & Transport Review 27 • June 2001

Evolution of Railway Technology

Copyright © 2001 EJRCF. All rights reserved.

out of London Euston on the West Coastmain line.Finally, the Spanish company Talgo-Transtech has perfected the Talgo XXIpendulum train featuring a natural tiltingaction, which although it does not allowas great a speed increase as controlledtilting, does offer simplicity.

High speed on new linesWhile not forgetting JNR and the openingof the Tokaido Shinkansen in 1964, SNCFwas the originator of the modern high-speed rail system in Europe. AlthoughSNCF had put tilting techniques on hold,unlike Germany and Japan who were bothlooking at development of magneticlevitation systems, SNCF still believed thatthe speed potential of adhesion-basedwheel and rail systems above 300 km/hwas largely unexploited. In the mid-1960s, it started the C03 researchprogramme to establish the basicparameters of a new high-speed railwaysystem with highly optimized catenary,signalling, operations, rolling stock, etc.,as outlined below:• Specialist high gradient line (35‰)• On-board signalling with attendant

disappearance of trackside signalling• Articulated multiple units with

adhesion focused on motor units at thefront and back and lightweight, highlystable bogies

This was in sharp contrast to othercountries like Germany and Italy, whichwere introducing new lines based on moretraditional concepts, particularly low-gradient mixed-traffic lines.

French TGVThe French TGV has enjoyed exceptionalgrowth in France over the last 20 yearsand its engineering success is largely dueto an exceptional partnership betweenSNCF and rolling stock manufacturers,especially Alstom.Since the whole story extends far beyond

the scope of this article, I will just mentionthe main milestones:• 1972—TGV001 prototype exceeds

300 km/h in first year of testing• February 1981—First-generation full-

production trainset sets world railspeed record of 380 km/h

• September 1981—First-generationTGV SudEst enters commercial serviceat 260 km/h rising to 270 km/h in1982

• 1989—Second-generation TGVAtlantique enters commercial serviceat 300 km/h with three-phase tractionusing synchronous motors, pneumaticsuspension, high-power disk brakes,and on-board computer t ra incommand and control systems

• 1990—TGV Atlantique sets world railspeed record of 515.3 km/h on 18May 1990

• 1994—Eurostar links London, Brusselsand Thalys links Paris, Brussels,Cologne and Amsterdam

• 1997—Third-generation TGV Duplexwith high seating capacity entersservice as culmination of speed,comfort and economy

Although advances in the technologies oftraction, computer systems, structuralalloys, etc., have brought constant

improvements in speed, comfort, capacityand economy, the basic design of the threeTGV gene ra t i on s ( a r t i cu l a t i on ,concentrated traction, lightweight andstable bogies, on-body traction motors)has remained remarkably unchanged.

Future of high speed in EuropeHigh-speed rail transport is now reachingmaturity in Europe and it is the technologythat has been chosen for Europe’s high-speed transport network—no practicalapplication has been found for magneticlevitation. Far from competing, thetechnologies of high speed on newdedicated lines and til t trains onconventional lines have been combinedto produce high-speed tilting trains likethe tilting TGV tested in France in 1999and 2000 and now in use on the Paris–Toulouse and Paris–Brittany services.(Italian Railways (FS) has similar projects.)Although the concept of high-speeddedicated lines has gained currency inEurope wherever passenger traffic justifiesits use, the mixed passenger/freight lineconcept still finds applications on theLyons–Turin transalpine line and thePerpignan–Barcelona line across thePyrenees.Europe’s entire high-speed rail system isnow being standardized following a

Third-generation TGV Duplex (Alstom Transport)

27Japan Railway & Transport Review 27 • June 2001Copyright © 2001 EJRCF. All rights reserved.

decision by the European Community andthe technica l spec i f ica t ions fo rinteroperability (TSI) cover all systemcomponents, including infrastructure,signalling, rolling stock, operations, etc.Clearly, a lot of ground has been coveredin 30 years!

Changes in Power SupplyTechnologies

Europe’s railways inherited electrificationsystems designed at the beginning of thelast century when two major trendsdominated the choice of technology:• Simplicity and economy while

permitting use of commutator motorThe choice was for high voltage (15kV) with alternating current (for easystepping down through a transformer)but at a very low frequency (16 2/3Hz) so as not to overburden the motorcommutator. Germany, Switzerland,Austria and Sweden chose this route.

• Simple power conversion on-boardthe locomotiveThe choice was for low voltage (1.5or 3 kV) direct current, which had thedisadvantage of complex and heavy

line equipment. Most other countriesin Europe chose this route.

In the late 1950s, the limitations of DCelectrification prompted SNCF to explorea completely new but considerabletechnological gamble—high voltages(25 kV) at the same frequency (50 Hz) asthe national electricity grid. Engineers likeArmand and Fernand Nouvion realizedthat such as system would have the greatadvantage of needing fewer substationsand produce savings in catenaryequipment. But this was offset by theincreased complexity of the locomotivesrequiring on-board power transformation.Various schemes were tested includingpower-conversion generators poweringeither commutator motors or inductionmotors, and mercury-arc rectifiers forcommutator motors.The new AC electrification techniqueowes its success to the very rapid arrivalof power rectifiers (diodes and thenthyristors) enabling use of increasinglysimple electrical on-board systems.The 25 kV, 50 Hz AC system soon spreadrapidly throughout Europe to become thestandard for modern electrical traction.

The appearance of the first French TGVNord l ine caused an interes t ingdevelopment known as 2 x 25 kV. Thisdevelopment uses a dual power supplyvia a positive-phase 25 kV overheadcatenary and a negative-phase 25 kVfeeder with auto-transformers at regularintervals along the line to earth the railpotential. This saves on substations andreduces Joule losses. It also cutselectromagnetic interference in theenvironment because the opposite-phasecatenary and feeder largely cancel outeach other.Thanks to the development of powerelectronics, this system won the day inEurope and has become the standard forEurope’s high-speed railway network. Theoriginal 15 kV 16 2/3 Hz system now onlyremains on old conventional lines thatwould be too expensive to convert.

The Electronic Revolution

With few exceptions, electric tractionbegan in most countries by using thecommutator motor. In Europe, this motorwas powered either by variable DCvoltage using an electromechanicaldevice, or in Germany with variable (15kV, 16 2/3 Hz) AC voltage.In al l conf igurat ions, the powerconversion system (electromechanicalconverter and commutator motor) waslimited by the motor commutationcapacity (especially at 16 2/3 Hz) and bythe complexity and vulnerability of thepower converters.This led railway engineers to improve thetraction systems by two methods:• Replac ing e lec t romechanica l

converters with solid-state converters• Replacing commutator motor with

three-phase motor

The first method bore fruit in the early1970s with the appearance of diodes andpower thyristors. Locomotives and EMUsAstride asynchronous drive electric locomotive (Alstom Transport)

28 Japan Railway & Transport Review 27 • June 2001

Evolution of Railway Technology

Copyright © 2001 EJRCF. All rights reserved.

were soon running with mixed (diode/thyristor) rectifier bridges for AC voltage,and DC-voltage thyristor current choppersfor DC voltage. These techniques alsosimplified design of multi-voltagelocomotives to run on different Europeannetworks with different power supplysystems. This first electronic revolutionenabled production of traction equipmentthat was more powerful, more reliable andabove all cheaper to maintain thanprevious generations. Typical examplesof these locomotives are the Alstom-builtBB15000, BB7200 and BB22200, whichare more powerful (4400 instead of3200 kW), twice as reliable and less costlyto maintain than their predecessors, andthe first-generation TGV SudEst.The second method of replacing thecommutator motor with a three-phasemotor was the second electronicrevolution based on the arrival of gateturn-off (GTO) thyristors and today’sinsulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs).These developments were undertaken inthe early 1980s with two competingtechnical solutions:• In France, the commutator motor was

replaced by the simple self-excitingsynchronous three-phase motor,retaining the simple thyristor currentinverter. The ‘universal’ BB26000locomotives were built on thesedesign principles (high power forpassenger trains, and high start-uptorque for freight trains). Mostimportantly, the second-generationdual-voltage TGVs used this principleto provide 4400 kW in a mass of only68 tonnes. (The four-voltage Thalysuses the same design too.)

• Other European countries chose theasynchronous motor powered by avoltage inverter with conventionalthyristors. Notable examples areGermany’s Class E120 locomotivesand the early ICE 1. Although theasynchronous motor is very simple,the converter used natural turn-off

thyristors and was complex, large,expensive and not very reliable.Happily—perhaps miraculously—theappearance of GTO thyris torssimplified the converter and Germanychanged the design of its ICE 1 motorunits to this voltage inverter. SNCFadopted the new technology in itsBB36000 Astride locomotives.

In conclusion, we must not forget thearrival of the IGBT, which is more reliableand has a simpler chopping function thanthe GTO thyristor. It has brought compact,simple and reliable power converters.The advent of voltage-inverter-basedasynchronous traction has reduced theequipment mass to such an extent that wecan now build trains—particularlyE M U s — t h a t w e r e c o m p l e t e l yunimaginable just a few years ago.The last component in electrical tractionthat still constrains railway engineers isthe bulky and heavy 15 kV, 16 2/3 Hztransformer. It is a good bet that the thirdrevolution in electrical traction willinvolve this component.

ERTMS in Europe

Right from the first days of railways,Europe’s signalling systems developedcompletely independently. The result isa real kaleidoscope of systems, makingcross-border operations very difficult.Some major trends are emerging from thisgreat diversity of systems:• More complex systems to transmit

data on location and speed to movingtrains

• Shift from ground to on-boardprocessing of information on locationand speed

• Disappearance of analog systems, suchas first-generation German LZB andFrench TVM on high-speed lines, infavour of less-costly but more complexdigital techniques providing more

information with less risk of interferenceTo integrate Europe’s diverse signallingsystems, the EC is financing developmento f the European Ra i l Transpor tManagement System (ERTMS), a unifiedcommand and control system for railtraffic. The fully digital secure systemtransfers data from the ground to on-boardby using GSM radio. The train calculatesits location and safe headway and sendsthis information back to the ground.Three trials are in progress in Germany,Italy and France to test the compatibilityof products developed by the nationalmanufacturers and rail operators.

Carriage Structures

Although early locomotives were built ofsteel, the rolling stock was largely a metalchassis with wooden superstructure. Anumber of serious fatal accidents in theearly 20th century convinced everyone ofthe need to use metal for all rolling stock.High-grade special steels are nowwidespread in Europe and progress incoatings means that today’s locomotivesand carriages are much more resistant tofatigue cracking and corrosion, etc., than30 years ago. We have now moved froma general overhaul at every 6 to 8 yearsto overhauling at every 15 to 18 years, orhalfway through the design life.However, unlike North America andJapan, stainless-steel construction is stillnot widespread in European passengercarriages. Where it is used, improvementsin welding techniques such as seamwelding instead of spot welding havegreatly improved mechanical strength.Introduction of welding robots haspromoted more use of aluminium alloysin carriages, especially carriages of high-speed trains (ICE, TGV Duplex), wherelight weight and good corrosion resistanceare particularly important.However, aluminium alloys have vastlyinferior plastic-deformation and energy-

29Japan Railway & Transport Review 27 • June 2001Copyright © 2001 EJRCF. All rights reserved.

High Speed in GermanyStarting in 1972, the wheel-on-rail researchprogramme of the German Federal Ministryof Research and Technology was devotedinitially to an in-depth study of thefundamentals of railway engineering andadopted a unique, systematic approach. Allareas of railway technology were investigatedin an attempt to understand the developmentpotential for a high-speed rail (HSR) systemand to determine its technical and economiclimits. Rolling stock was a focal point of thisprogramme. In addition to creation of designtools, research centred on development ofcarriage components and systems. Finally, inthe early 1980s, preparatory steps were takentowards putting a high-speed test anddemonstration train on the tracks–the ICE/V–that integrated the best development results.This first ICE/V was operational by late 1985a n d c o m p l e t e d a p r o g r a m m e o fcomprehensive tests and demonstrations in thefollowing 3 years. Then, in May 1988, anunmodified ICE/V set a railway speed recordof 406.9 km/h. Subsequently, the ICE/Vprovided the basis for the 1988 decision tobuild a production series of ICEs for operationon Deutsche Bahn’s (DB AG) new high-speedlines.High-speed ICE 1 trains entered revenueservice on 2 June 1991 and immediately tookthe lead from other transport modes. ICE trainsare not only DB AG’s fastest trains, they arealso the most popular because of their speed,punctuality and comfort. The commissioning

of the first high-speed lines and 60 ICE 1 trainsetsmarked the completion of the first stage ofGermany’s high-speed rail system.The 60 first-generation ICE 1s were based onthe following design concepts:• Maximum design speed of 280 km/h• Block train formation with up to14 trailer

carriages• More comfortable than IC system• Approved for operation on Austrian (ÖBB)

and Swiss (CFF/SBB/FFS) lines• Platform heights of 76 cm and 55 cm

Since German reunification, the high-speed linelinking Hannover and Berlin (264 km) is beingrebuilt over some 170 km to permit operationof 250 km/h ICEs. A further 60 km is beingupgraded for 200 km/h. Regular service startedin May 1998 with 44 ICE 2s on the routesbetween Berlin and Cologne and Berlin andFrankfurt. Traffic studies in the expanded high-speed railway network showed that shorttrainsets improve loading factors on some routeswhile reducing the required number of vehicles.As a consequence, the ICE 2 developmentspecifications were as follows:• Half-train configuration with coupling of 1

power car + 6 trailer cars + 1 driving trailer,and extended train configuration withcoupling of 1 power car + up to 14 trailercars + 1 power car.

• Automatic coupler at each end of train forcoupling two half trains

• Uniform carbody shell with identicalwindow spacing and defined fastening

First-generation ICE train (U. Bitterberg)

points for interior fittings, air-spring bogiesto improve ride quality and decouplestructure-born noise

• Updated maintenance concept• Weight reduction of at least 5 tonnes per

trailer car compared to ICE 1

The new high-speed line between Cologne andRhine/Main is the most important project inthe DB AG network at this time, shorteningthe distance between Cologne and Frankfurtfrom 222 km through the Rhine Valley to 177km. About 130 km of the route will be coveredat speeds of 300 km/h, reducing the present 2hour and 15 minute journey to less than 1 hour.The line is scheduled to enter revenue servicein 2002. International high-speed trains onthe route will be joined by ICE 3 multiple-unittrains, representing another new development.Ongoing development of ICE trains is basedon design requirements stemming fromexpansion of German high-speed routes andthe European high-speed network. Thedemands with the greatest impact on ICEdesign are greater tractive power for amaximum running speed of 330 km/h, amaximum grade of 40‰, and a maximumstatic axle load of 17 tonnes. These demandsand continued progress in lightweight carriageconstruction focused attention on the EMUconcept with the result that the new ICE 3 is atrue EMU configuration. The first scheduledICE 3 service started with EXPO 2000 inHannover and will total over 200 units whenin full service.

30 Japan Railway & Transport Review 27 • June 2001

Evolution of Railway Technology

Copyright © 2001 EJRCF. All rights reserved.

Tilting Trains in ItalyThe tilting principle enables the carriagebody to lean in on curves, achieving thesame effect as traditional canting. With atilting train, it is possible to travel in completesafety with a non-compensated lateralacceleration at bogie level of 2 m/s2.Combined with the track cant angle, thebody can be inclined up to 8° reducing thenon-compensated lateral acceleration atpassenger level to just 0.65 m/s2, well withinthe comfort zone of 0.8 to 1.2 m/s2. Thisallows a 35% increase in speed on curvescompared to conventional trains in full safety

and comfort with no need to change the trackgeometry and layout.The initial tests on tilting-body technologywere carried out by Fiat Ferroviaria (nowAlstom Ferroviaria) in the late 1960s incollaboration with FS. The results using atilting seat installed on an ALn 668 railcar wereso encouraging that it was decided to buildthe first YO16 tilting railcar, which soonbecame nicknamed the Pendolino.In 1974, after extensive testing, FS ordered thefirst prototype tilting EMU consisting of fourcarriages. The resultant ETR 401 enteredservice in 1976. A similar prototype was

Italian Railway’s ETR460, basis for tilting trains in Europe (Alstom Transport)

delivered to Spanish National Railways(RENFE). Thanks to the positive experiencegained from these trains, in 1985, FS orderedfifteen ETR 450 tilting trains consisting of 9carriages each, with electric traction and ahydraulic tilting system. The ETR 450entered commercial revenue service in 1988on the Milan–Rome line immediatelyrevealing its advantages in terms of comfortand a huge drop of some 22% in travel times.The distributed power configuration keepsthe axle load low (about 13 tonnes) thusreducing the force of the wheel on the raildespite the speed increase.Thanks to its success in Italy, the Pendolinosoon came to the attention of several otherEuropean railways and in 1990, DB AGstarting operating a fleet of 20 tilting VT 610railcars to handle fast regional traffic on non-electrified lines in the Nuremberg area.These trains consisted of two carriages withthe Pendolino tilting technology and had amaximum speed of 160 km/h. They covereda total of 30 million km up to November2000. The t ime reduct ion on theNuremberg–Hof line amounted to 23%.Italian Railways’ ETR 460 was the first third-generation Pendolino with all the tiltingequipment mounted under the carriage floor.The electrical traction features 9 MW ofdistributed power in 9 carriages and includes aGTO-chopper-inverter unit and asynchronousmotors. Ten trainsets started revenue service inMay 1995 and have covered more than 11 millionkm by November 2000.Several tilting trains designs have evolvedfrom the ETR 460 and 65% of the activetilting trainsets in operation or underconstruction in Europe today have tiltingdevices designed and manufactured byAlstom Ferroviaria.

absorption characteristics compared tosteel for dimensionally equivalentstructures. This weakness of light alloyshas led SNCF, in partnership with Alstom,to begin R&D into passive and controlleddeformation so that the decision to uselight alloys for the TGV Duplex does notresult in reduced passenger safety.Interestingly, these developments havespread beyond the TGV Duplex andapplication of modern structural designin major deformations (crashworthiness)has spread throughout Europe as the

subject of a European standard. Thisunexpected result is a positive effect ofthe decision to move to light alloys forthird generation TGVs!Against this panorama of widespread metalconstruction, what should we think about newmaterials like composites? These materialsare commonly used in other industries, butthey are still rare in air, sea or land vehiclesdespite their many interesting qualities. R&Dis continuing in Europe but application ina complete rail vehicle is only foreseeablein the medium term.

Digital Technologies andRailways

The digital revolution is having a profoundimpact on all areas of rail technology.Des ign has moved f rom main lyexperimental techniques to moremodelling and prediction throughsimulation. Paradoxically, simulationshows its limits in the capacity ofengineers to use good judgement both informulating the model and interpreting theresults—how many errors have almost

31Japan Railway & Transport Review 27 • June 2001Copyright © 2001 EJRCF. All rights reserved.

François Lacôte

Mr Lacôte is Director and Senior Consultant of ALSTOM Transport. He graduated in engineering

from Ecole Polytechnique and Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées and joined SNCF in 1974.

He held various senior posts in rolling stock at SNCF and was in charge of development of the French

TGV. He was Scientific and Technical Advisor to the SNCF Chairman before assuming his present

post. The French government has conferred the chevalier de la Légion d’honneur on him.

been committed through overhasty use ofa computer model?In Europe, this means that instead ofdispensing with experimental tests,modelling is used to improve testp repara t ion and unders tanding .Consequently, we are witnessing adovetailing of modelling and testing,which is indispensable but extremelycostly.Electronics and information technologywill play an increasing part in real-timetrain monitoring and operations control.The early imperfect on-board electronicsin the TGV Atlantique and ICE 1 havematured to form the ‘nervous system’ ofincreasingly ‘intelligent’ trains. As part ofthis development, extraordinary progresshas been made in using digital techniquesto manage adhesion (the Achilles heel ofrailways compared to other transportmethods) during braking, etc.

Rail Freight––The PoorRelation

No article on the progress of railtechnology in Europe would be completewithout mentioning the fact that althoughra i l f r e i gh t has bene f i t ed f romconsiderable progress in traction, it hasnot experienced the depth of change seenin high-speed and tilting trains.The great opportunity for automaticcoupling and traction that all Europeanrailways were committed to in the mid-1970s and which had been in preparationfor many years was missed because of aninadequate return on investment.The European rail network—which doesnot offer the same capabilities as the NorthAmerican freight networks in terms of axleload, clearance profile, and length ofsidings or turnouts—has barely changedat all despite the impact of fiercecompetition from road transport. This hasled the railways to cost cutting andinsufficient margins for freight investment.As a result, European railways have

suffered significant losses of freight marketshare over many years, but they are stillalive. However, new concerns over theenvironmental and health burdens ofheavy truck traffic are forcing Europeansto realize the importance of railways infreight traffic. At the same time, thetransfer of passenger traffic to dedicatedhigh-speed networks is freeing up capacityon conventional lines for freight.Developments are under way, bothdirectly at the European level and throughpartnerships between networks like SNCFand DB AG to produce a new on-boardbraking system for freight trains—UICbrake technology is 150 years old—thatwill greatly enhance the performance ofrail freight transport. The objective is toachieve a performance leap equivalent tothat already made for passengers andcreate a true European rail freight networkoffering much more productivity.

Conclusion

The last 50 years, and especially the last20 years, have seen railway technologiesmove much further than other transportmodes. The progress in high-speedtechnologies is such that the Europeanhigh-speed rail network is increasing itsimpact on Europe every year, but thenetwork is still hobbled by diverseelectrical power and signalling systems.Standardization and unification havebegun at last but the fruits will be sometime in coming.The rail freight sector faces relentlesscompetition from road transport and has

not progressed as much as the passengersector.Many European politicians and thegeneral public now realize that rail’sspeed, convenience and intrinsicenvironmental friendliness make it thepreferred transport mode for this newcentury. But to achieve their full potential,Europe’s railways need the backing ofdetermined politicians and creativededicated rai lway engineers andmanagers. �