Rail Analysis India May Digital Edition 2018 | Page 64

64 | Exclusive Interview
Exclusive Interview | 63
My research interests included the field of experimental
characterization and modeling of magnetic materials,
analysis and measurement of fast electromagnetic transients,
characterization and modeling of nonlinear shields, and high
current pulses sensor like Rogowski coil. In European Union these concepts have been set as
mandatory by the Directives and Regulations of the Railway
Sector and they have allowed the development of safe and
efficient HS networks in the whole continent in a relatively
short time.
I became Italcertifer’s CEO and General Manager on
September 16th 2016, before assuming this position, I’ve
been working since 2012 as Expert in Electrical Systems,
Electromagnetic Compatibility and Risks Analysis. I was
Italcertifer’s CSM and Testing Authority Manager, roles with
which I have actively contributed to various projects including
in particular the one relating to the HS vehicle certification
Frecciarossa ETR1000 up to speed of 350 km/h, with on Line
tests up to speed of 400 km/h. The most important results is given us by our customers and
the relevant Authorities, and it’s the recognition of the added
value of our contribution to the compliance of the system
with its specifications and its own safe put into service and
operation.
Can you please highlight some of the remarkable features
of the certification of Italian high speed rail compared
with the rest of the world?
The Italian High-Speed Rail System has actually some
peculiarities that have distinguished it from the comparable
systems in the rest of the world. We can list some of these
peculiarities, in addition to the above-mentioned opening to
the commercial competition of the HS lines to different railway
undertakings:
Image Credit: italcertifer
Image Credit: italcertifer
We believe that the Italian Railways is one of the finest
in the world, what are the main reasons for its success?
And what is the role of Italcertifer in this path?
Certainly, at this point, the Italian State Railways have been
among the “small world club” of the Railway Companies
that offer High Speed Services. At the end of the 80s
FerroviedelloStato (FS) activated 250 kmph speed services
with the first series of Pendolino trainsets (ETR450) and in
2005 it put in operation new 300 kmph speed railway lines. To
this day in Italy there are more than 1,400 km of HS rail lines
and about 400 km more are under construction or in project.
High-Speed rail must be considered a great achievement
for its high quality and safety , its punctuality, the frequency
of trains and the continuous increasing of the number of
passengers, and their satisfaction is a proof of this.
As the only country in the world, Italy also settled the conditions
for the creation of a High-Speed Rail Market and a private
Company is circulating with its own trains, in competition
with the State Railways company. Since the first concept
stages of the new 300 kmph lines, Italcertifer has dealt with
all the activities concerning verification and certification of the
design, compliance of the “as built” system with the design,
put in service tests, and the supervision on safety activities.
These activities have been accomplished and certified for all
the sub-systems of the network and for the trainsets as well.
The experience of Italcertifer in this sector has meant that all of
its competences have been used in other projects concerning
HS Rail systems around the world, for example in Turkey,
Saudi Arabia and the USA, this last in cooperation with the
International Union of Railways (UIC – Union Internationale
des Chemins de fer).
As you have been working for so long with different
world class companies from the Railways, what are the
biggest challenges you faced and what are your greatest
achievements ?
At the beginning the most important challenges are about
making suppliers and customers to realize that certification
is not a formal and optional aspect that can be carried out at
the end of the planning or at the completion of the system but,
on the contrary, it acts as a warranty of conformity and safety
assessment provided by an independent and competent actor
and it must be started at the beginning of the system planning
to avoid errors, inefficiencies, and risks.
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Interconnectivity: since its origins, HS Rail network has
been designed to be constructed and put in service into
operational sections, each of them connected to the
conventional railway system, so allowing its use from the
first stages of activation not only to the High-Speed Trains
but also to other kinds of trains.
Image Credit: wikipedia
Safety is of Prime concern to the Indian government. In
the role of CEO ITALCERTIFER what are the possible
Use of Level 2 ERTMS signaling system without back-up
opportunities that you can see in India as the government
devices and without physical lateral signaling along the
of India is very bullish on the railway modernization?
line. It was the first real full-scale application in the world.
We, as Italcertifer, feel perfectly the concern of the Indian
Creation of the crossing of highly mountainous areas with
Government about the role of safety in railway. The railway
a dedicated HS line. In fact the Florence-Bologna HS
market in India is growing in an impressive way and it
railway line is almost 80 km long and 93% of it is under
represents, for us, a fertile ground in which we can sow the
tunnels.
sprout of Safety. Italcertifer is definitively interested in all the
railway and metro projects in which we can demonstrate the
This perspective has created an uncommon competence
large experience of our engineers.
for this kind of High-Speed lines in tunnels, both for the
design and construction phases both for the management
It is estimated that by the year 2030, India would be the
of the safe circulation
third largest economy in the world, What do you think
about our Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi’s Vision
The “consensus management of the territory”: in Italy
about modernization of Railways in India?
HS railroads have been built seeking the maximum
agreement from the populations and local administrations
We agree on that vision and considering the speed of growth
living and working in the crossed territories, also pointing
we felt in the railway market, I strongly think that the target
out different forms of reimbursement or compensation
indicated by Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi will be perfectly
for their own benefit in case of possible negative effects
reached on time by the Country.
caused by the new infrastructures.
We believe that we have made great efforts on this
perspective and that we have obtained important benefits
for the whole community.
Image Credit: wikipedia
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