Research and Markets: European Rail Electrification Market Picks up Steam as Countries Realize the Need to Reduce Carbon Footpri

Spiralling fuel prices, increasingly congested roads and the constraints
of land transport are turning the spotlight on electrification of rails
as a sustainable, non-fossil fuel-based means of transport. The rail
electrification market will alleviate some of the concerns of energy
security, meet the demand for green transportation and foster the
growing popularity of high-speed rails. Most European countries' desire
to reduce their carbon footprints and earn green tags has even driven
them to open up mainline networks for electrification. Western European
countries have rolled out programs to further electrify their rail
networks to cope with mounting rail traffic. The high energy efficiency
of electric rail addresses energy security issues and offers additional
benefits of non pollution, faster acceleration and effective land usage.
"Given the least polluting nature of railways, government bodies have
already approved to fund about euro36 billion for modern freight
corridor development," says the analyst of this research. "This
investment commitment shall, in turn, fuel the demand for
electrification projects along the international freight corridor
networks across Europe."

Despite these evident advantages, governments are deterred by the
prohibitive capital costs of setting up an electrified network,
especially because the ongoing economic downturn has shrunk the state
funds available for transport infrastructure. Market participants will
have to come up with innovative design and construction techniques that
will reduce the life cycle costs of the electrification system. The main
solution is to reduce the number of components required per track
kilometre. Already, rail electrification drives down the operational
costs of the nation's railway in the long term. "Electric multiple units
(EMU) are lighter than their diesel counterparts and require lesser
maintenance as the power source is external, unlike the big powertrains
used to generate electricity to power the train from within," notes the
analyst. "Moreover, EMUs impart lesser stress on rails, thereby reducing
the maintenance cost of track networks."

Market participants can also bring in funding options for network
managers and help them identify routes that possess the best cost to
benefit ratio for electrification. This will help funding bodies justify
fund allocation to proposed projects. Additionally, public funding will
help local authorities to finance projects and deal with urban
rail-borne public transport. "Rail freight operations have already been
liberalised for private operators in 2007 and by 2010, the international
passenger services are to be liberalised across Europe," observes the
analyst. "These moves will segregate infrastructure division from
operations and networks routes are likely to be leased to operators for
train operation." Competition in rail operation is expected to boost
revenues of network owners and make funds available for further network
and electrification development.

Market Sectors

Expert Frost & Sullivan analysts thoroughly examine the following market
sectors in this research:

Mainlines


High-speed


Light rails


Underground rails


Technologies

The following technologies are covered in this research:

Overhead lines


Third rails


Rigid catenary systems


Advanced conductor rails


Contact-free electrification systems

This Frost & Sullivan research service titled Strategic
Analysis of the European Rail Electrification Market provides
insights into the demand for railway electrification in mainlines,
high-speed, light, and underground rails. In this research, Frost &
Sullivan's expert analysts thoroughly examine the following
technologies: overhead lines, third rails, rigid catenary systems,
contact-free electrification systems, and advanced conductor rail.

Key Topics Covered:

Executive Summary


Overview of Electrification in Europe


Market Dynamics


Electrification Technologies


Voltage Trends in Europe


Infrastructure Requirements and Cost of Systems


Competitive Environment


Mainline Electrification Market


High-speed Rail Electrification Market


Light Rails Electrification Market


Underground Rail Electrification Market


Competitor Profiling


Recommendations & Conclusions


Appendix


About Frost & Sullivan

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/335f94/strategic_analysis

SOURCE: Research and Markets

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