Arcadis’ Post

High-speed rail (HSR) is gaining momentum in the U.S. with two dedicated lines under construction and several more in planning, aiming to match the technology prevalent in Europe, Japan, and China. Ezra Silk from the U.S. High Speed Rail Coalition and Bernard Cohen from Alternate Concepts emphasize that the successful launch of these projects could catalyse a nationwide HSR network crucial for tackling climate change and transforming transportation. The coalition has released a guide detailing a five-stage life cycle for HSR projects, which includes project initiation, community engagement, and technical planning, advocating for diverse and strategic support to navigate the complexities of such large-scale infrastructure. With over 3 billion annual global HSR passengers compared to just 12 million on the U.S.’s limited lines, proponents urge ground-up campaigns across major regions to realise a broader HSR system.

🚆 Driving innovation and investment in the rail industry 🚆   This week, I had the honour of speaking at the New Civil Engineer Rail and Transit conference, where, alongside Robert Cook and Chris Porter, I shared my thoughts on driving innovation and investment in the rail industry. Here are just three of my main takeaways:   👉 The government wants economic growth and rail can help deliver it – for every £1 spent on rail, £2.50 is generated for the wider economy according to the Railway Industry Association.   👉 Early political signs are positive but we need more clarity including a fully funded strategic pipeline for the next 5-10 years to turn ambition into delivery and realise positive societal outcomes for a growing population. Schemes such as the Bakerloo Line extension, DLR Extension, West London Orbital and Crossrail 2 will improve connectivity, unlock housing and create sustainable development to drive growth.   👉 Clients and industry need to further collaborate to deliver quality infrastructure on time and to budget. This includes building the workforce of the future to close the skills gap and establishing collaborative funding and delivery models to encourage innovation across the supply chain to transition to a sustainable world.

Feature Presentation at Infraday East - Dec. 12 - NYC - www.infraday.com/east - "Working With Railroads to Successfully Bring About Capital Projects Along the Northeast Corridor" - There is much political and ridership interest in expanding rail service throughout the Northeast Rail Corridor. Organizations ranging from the federal down to the local township level, along with private industry, are making a variety of plans ranging from adding passenger train service, to decreasing trip times, to diverting more freight traffic from highways, to building Transit Oriented Development. However, the railroads operating along this route are responsible first and foremost for maintaining the currently scheduled service – along a route that is at capacity in certain areas, and close to capacity along the rest. When negotiating their plans with railroads, outside organizations often are blindsided by the railroads’ demands and costs. Understanding railroad operations and the complexities of working on, and around, very active rail lines will give outside organizations a better understanding of the reasons behind the railroads’ requirements and better prepare planners for working with the railroads to bring their projects to fruition. This will be presented by Jan Kozlowski, Director Maintenance of Way Capital Construction, Metro-North Railroad #railroads #NEC #infrastructure

Don’t understand why this takes so long. Any other country would’ve had it done in five years if it was, China would be done in 18 months and within budget. The US it’s over budget before it even starts. if this is the company, we would’ve fired the leaders. The political system is broken in so many ways. I would think that we need to have sunset set clause in our laws, age restrictions for politicians if you at retirement age, then you need to retire you can still be an advisor to people and companies, but not it’s leaders. Don’t think this will fix it all but it’s should be a step in the right direction.

On time, under budget: Where did it go right for the Crossrail of the North? Great article about a really important programme of work being undertaken to improve #rail capacity and connectivity in the North, as well as: • creating jobs • reducing #carbon emissions • facilitating more #freight capacity • reducing journey times • stimulating #economic growth • contributing to UK #netzero goals Worth noting that this article is published in the same week that an electric train travelled for the first time between Manchester Victoria and Stalybridge as part of the £multi-billion-pound upgrade to the line between Manchester and York, via Huddersfield and Leeds. Other improvements to be carried out under The Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) include doubling the number of tracks between Huddersfield and Dewsbury to allow for greater capacity, and station improvements along the wider route. To quote Sir John Armitt (Chair of National Infrastructure Commission) "the cheapest way to build is as quickly as possible", so it’s great that people can see that TRU is very much in the delivery phase! As industry professionals we know that asking the right questions at the start of any #majorproject is crucial; not just what should be built and how, but more importantly why a project is being undertaken in the first place and TRU is clearly focused & committed to transforming rail for the people of the North! Hats off to Neil H., Hannah Lomas & co. https://lnkd.in/eh3zxMrE #rail #majorprojects #infrastructure

Building high-speed rail is “not for the faint-hearted” A new document from the US High Speed Rail Association outlines the steps advocates should follow in the early stages of planning a high-speed rail line. https://lnkd.in/gm-5tkme

Today we celebrate another win for Amtrak and Southern Rail Commission as they have just received $500,000 in additional funding from the DOT to continue expanding long-distance passenger rail service in the south 👏 🎉 🚆 "We applaud the FRA for awarding CIDP grants to the SRC to advance two key corridors in the deep south. The growing support from local mayors and county executives has been crucial in moving these initiatives forward,” said John Robert Smith, Chair of Transportation for America. “While one award is an important benefit as we move the Gulf Coast project to completion, the second marks the initial steps for the first expansion of long-distance passenger rail in decades, connecting the thriving economies of Atlanta and Dallas-Fort Worth, and bringing substantial benefits for communities in Louisiana and Mississippi along the way.” Read the press release ➡ https://lnkd.in/gXUuct7u Learn more about the journey to bringing connectivity to these communities via long-distance passenger rail ⤵ How it started ➡ https://lnkd.in/g5iavVXY Some of the champions leading the efforts ➡ https://lnkd.in/gDcWnmFe A recent Gulf Coast rail project update ➡ https://lnkd.in/gbHtUpEj

The UK has been fast-tracking improvements to its rail transit. 🚆 Watch Amtrak's Andy Byford discuss innovative UK rail solutions and how they can help US transit achieve its 21st century ambitions, including low-carbon rail. And Department for Business and Trade is supporting efforts to open up even more opportunities for UK-US collaboration, like negotiations for mutual recognition of qualifications in engineering by the UK’s Engineering Council and the US’s NATIONAL COUNCIL OF EXAMINERS FOR ENGINEERING AND SURVEYING. Watch this space to learn more about this initiative and how it can help your engineering business. Rebecca. Lewis | Tracey Grindal | Harjit Gill

Rethinking Rail Infrastructure is a wrap! On Wednesday we launched the Centre for the New Midlands Infrastructure Workstream with an event focussed on Midlands Rail Hub. Thanks to our Midlands Rail Alliance partners, special guests and friends for joining us in Birmingham to discuss how we can maximise the social, environmental and economic benefits of this crucial regional transport infrastructure project. Some key takeaways from a rich discussion: 👩👩👦👦 Communities are key: As a project designed to benefit communities, their early and ongoing engagement and involvement is essential. 🌳 More than just carbon: The environment must be considered at every stage. We must think about more than just the infrastructure itself – there’s a bigger picture at play. 🔗 Joined-up infrastructure: To realise the project’s enormous benefits, the interconnectedness of discreet infrastructure is crucial. If you have ideas you think the Infrastructure Leadership Board at Centre for the New Midlands should be discussing, let us know. We are: Andrew Jinks, Craig Flindall, Harbinder Singh Birdi, Raynee De Zoysa, Sandeep Shingadia, Paul Woods, Deb Bunce, Tolu Osekita, Chris Smith #NewMidlands #MidlandsRailHub #MidlandsRailAlliance Mott MacDonald Balfour Beatty plc Skanska

The long-promised rail link through Peterborough could mean 200-kph (or faster) trains, according to this Gazette piece: https://lnkd.in/dpsr52SN