Danish Track Problems Cause Political Storm

A major political storm has blown up in Denmark over the worsening condition of the railway network, culminating in the resignation of the CEO of the track authority and calls for the transport and energy minister to resign. (Danmark har ikke lært af Hatfield)

David Briginshaw Editor-in-Chief IRJ oktober 2005

SEVERAL years of inadequate funding of the railway infrastructure in Denmark came to a head this summer when the track authority, Banedanmark, imposed numerous severe speed restrictions on the network causing major delays to trains and forcing Danish State Railways (DSB) to cut train frequency on the Copenhagen S-Train network.

Mr Jesper Rasmussen stepped down as CEO of Banedanmark on September 1 stating that he no longer had the support to continue his work. The government had criticised the quality of a report that Banedanmark submit-ted regarding the infrastructure problems and its request for extra funding. However, the transport and energy minister, Mr Flemming Hansen, has also been criticised by a parliamentary committee for failing to scrutinise Banedanmark sufficiently and control it properly. Some members of parliament have called for the minister to step down as well.

Rasmussen has been replaced temporarily by a former CEO of DSB, Mr Henrik Hassenkam, who has come out of retirement. The minister has instructed Hassenkam to produce a new report within eight weeks on what is needed to address Banedanmark’s problems. The new report must focus on four areas:

• improvements to the daily operation of train services
• more detailed information about exactly what the extra money is needed for
• how to improve confidence in Banedanmark and its credibility, and
• improving cooperation with DSB.

Banedanmark can trace the current deficiencies with the infrastructure to 1997 when train operations were separated from the infrastructure. There was a period of two to three years when the government didn’t provide any funding for infrastructure renewals. “We have a large backlog in track renewals,” Mr Eigil Sabroe, Banedanmark’s chief technical officer, told IRJ in Copenhagen in August. “The average age of our tracks is 30 years, whereas we would like it to come down to 20 years. The average age of the signalling is also 30 years, and we still have equipment dating from the 1950s. Signalling problems cause about two-thirds of the delays for which Banedanmark is responsible. If you look at the state budget in Denmark, the government is only interested in things which will produce a quick success.

“We had a short line south of Copenhagen where the rails on a 10 km section of track were in such bad condition that we had to close it in order to relay it. We have also had problems with duo-block sleepers dating from the 1960s and 1970s. Our inspection train found a number of sleepers where the metal bar linking the concrete blocks had rusted away. For three weeks this summer when the rail temperature went up to 50°C we had to reduce the speed from 160 to 40 km/h on a section where the bars had rusted away as the track had the poten-tial to buckle. We are now replacing the bars. The track is so old we should really be renewing the ballast, sleepers and rails, but we can’t afford to.”

A 2m section of rail disintegrated last year at Tommerup.

The first major manifestation of how badly the track had deteriorated occurred in February last year when a train travelling at relatively high speed derailed at Tommerup. The rear part of the train jumped onto the adjacent track, but fortunately there was nothing coming in the opposite direction. “A 2m section of the rail head fell off,” Sabroe explained. “Luckily for us nobody was killed.

“As a result of the accident, we have set new stricter standards. We have a lot more incidents where we reduce the speed or close a section for renewal. We have never had so many speed restrictions in our history in Denmark.” There is an agreement between Banedanmark and DSB regarding train punctuality. Last year, Banedanmark paid DSB DKr 9 million ($US 1.5 million) in compensation for delays to trains caused by infrastructure prob-lems, and it expects to have to pay DSB the same amount this year. “This year, we have only reached the punctuality target on one line,” Sabroe said.

Last year, a 10-year spending agreement was reached between the government and Banedanmark. It is a roll-ing plan, with the expenditure for renewals and maintenance for the first three years fixed at DKr 2.3 billion a year. The new plan represents an increase in spending of DKr 500 million, but it is not enough as Sabroe explained. “The amount of money we have for the next 10 years will not reduce the average age of the track, so we are in a very tough situation. When you don’t renew, you have to spend more on maintenance. We will spend DKr 250 million on maintenance that wouldn’t be necessary if we renewed the track.”

Sabroe believes that if Banedanmark had another DKr 500 million each year for the next five or six years, it would be able to bring the average age of the track down to 20 years.

The full article can be read in the October issue of IRJ