More than 100 years ago, at the end of October 1914, the former Volkshaus opened its doors at Zeughausgasse 9 in Bern. About 30 years ago, the Volkshaus was completely gutted and equipped with 99 rooms, two restaurants and an 800 m2 seminar floor to the standard of a 4-star hotel and given the name Hotel Bern.
Despite ongoing maintenance and repair work, Volkshaus AG has decided to modernise the Hotel Bern. In particular, the hotel is to be given a clear face and identification with a clear architectural signature. An unmistakable architectural red line is to be created, which takes up the history and location of the hotel, and makes the visitor aware of this in an intelligent, sympathetic and modern way.
As the client's representative, Emch+Berger is taking the lead from the architects, planners, contractors and suppliers and is working very closely with those responsible for the hotel (management, operations and facility management). By taking on the client's interests during the planning and execution phase, Emch+Berger ensures that the project is realised in accordance with the specified objectives and constraints, and on time and within budget.

The implementation of ETCS level 2 on the entire network of Denmark takes place in parallel with a substantial increase of traffic during the ten year’s migration period. The Design Basis Traffic project alignes the total renewal of signalling equipment and the future track slot demand towards effective allocation of network capacity and capability. The elaborated concept timetable for 2020 provides the basis for a step by step service offer enhancement in the next years.

Many service improvement concepts are planned for the future on the Danish rail network. The Concept Timetable 2020 integrates the proposed train runs to a system focused on high connectivity throughout the entire network. The high service availability allows the customer even spontaneous trips, the most sensitive type of use. The Signalling Programme can fulfil a great part of additional capacity requirements by targeted allocation of signalling equipment for short headways.

Banedanmark has undertaken the unprecedented move of replacing all signalling assets of the entire network at once, introducing advanced traffic management processes at the same time. This has resulted in the largest signalling project ever. The project execution is characterised by a high complexity with a large number of participants and stakeholders and the challenges caused by implementing the new signalling system in the changing railway environment within a time frame of 10 years. The consultancy provided by Emch+Berger (E+B) in the frame of a larger joint venture has allowed the customer to identify in an early stage all whereabouts of and all risks associated with such an undertaking, as well as the right ways of addressing them. Based on E+B’s experience in tendering large railway projects, it has been possible to produce tender documents encompassing more than 1000 pages within a year, and to run through the tendering process within two years. During the design phases, E+B staff brought to fruition its long-standing experience in running complex projects involving a large number of participants and disciplines over several years. E+B provided top-class expertise in several disciplines like railway business in general, considering management, operation, construction and maintenance, advanced traffic management and timetabling techniques, ETCS level 2, setting up a testing progamme.