The role of a train management system onboard modern rolling stock is to provide data communication and enhanced co-operation between the systems, as well as centralised control and diagnostics of the connected subsystems.qqqJyrki Keurulainen reports. The Type 12 off-the-shelf sub-rack family from Elma has passed the demanding BN411002 and BN411003 mechanical and environmental tests of the Federal German Railway. The main-line diesel-electric locomotive TERA1 is is designed for freight services on the railways in the member countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States. Specifically developed for the transport industry, Polyflor Voyager is suitable for all carriage areas, including seating, vestibule, bathroom, galley and dining sections. Direct current (dc) input variable-speed compressors are used in a variety of mobile applications, including climate control, which offers significant savings. Trenitalia, the Italian national railways' passenger-transport company, has ordered a further 100 CORADIA 'Minuetto' trains (49 electric trains and 51 diesel trains) from Alstom for a total amount of about E315 million. It should not come as any great surprise to learn that the UK Rail Industry is currently experiencing a significant skills shortage, a shortage that is threatening the very renaissance currently underway. This is leading to an inflationary pressure on salaries, as everyone tries to poach staff from each other to fill their needs. One solution to this problem is to 'locate' more of the highly skilled professionals that the industry needs, which would enable growth without the inflationary wage pressures - easier said than done! While the use of traditional door trainlines allows non-safety critical door controller software, some applications do require the enhanced flexibility of selectively commanding the remote opening and closing of access doors. There is no doubt that the travelling public wants to travel faster and railway companies are convinced that shaving just a few minutes off a given trip will produce a profitable increase in passenger numbers. Eric Russell looks at the latest developments in high speed trains.