Dear Readers,
If you're looking to for a holiday by rail that's a bit different you might have a look at India's Buddhist Circuit special train service, also known as the Mahaparinirvan Express.
Operated by the Ministry of Railways, the service has been reintroduced following its success last year. The journey, associated with the life of the historical Buddha in India and Nepal, is over eight days beginning and terminating at Safdarjung railway station in South Delhi.
According to The Indian Rail Catering and Tourism Corp (IRCTC), the service, covers key pilgrimage destinations that include: Lumbini in Nepal, the birthplace of Shakyamuni Buddha; Bodh Gaya, the site where the Buddha attained enlightenment; and Sarnath, the location of the Buddha's first sermon. It also takes in other Buddhist destinations, such as Nalanda, Rajgir, and Shravasti. A stop at Agra is also included, allowing passengers to visit the iconic Taj Mahal.
The itinerary includes road transport by deluxe coach for the Nepal leg of the tour, accommodation during visits, and meals, the services of tour managers and guides, entrance fees, and travel insurance.
For further information and availability go to https://www.irctcbuddhisttrain.com/.
Jobs of the Week are located in Australia and Abu Dhabi.
Our client is looking for a highly capable Safety Assurance Manager to support our rapidly growing business. The client is a premium provider of engineering services, with the expertise and technical capabilities to devise innovative solutions to our clients' transport project challenges. This role is located in Sydney.
In Abu Dhabi, our client is seeking a Building/Facilities Engineering Expert to be responsible for the design management of Freight and Operation and Maintenance Facilities for Stage Two and Three.
For further information and other opportunities worldwide, visit our website at www.railpersonnel.com.
Regards
Ceri Taylor
Editor
ceri@railpersonnel.com
This Week's Headlines:
27 Oct 2019. UK. Extra rail investment for North East and Highland passengers
Network Rail Scotland is investing an extra GBP4.5m in plans to boost performance in the North East and Highlands.
Source: Network Rail
25 Oct 2019. India. Bids invited for undersea bullet train project
The National High-Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL has issued its second-high value tender for the design and construction of the undersea tunnel for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor.
Source: Urban Transport News
24 Oct 2019. South Africa. Transnet breaks record with 375-wagon train
Transnet SOC Ltd, South Africa's ports and rail company has launched a train with a world-record number of wagons in a bid to move heavy trucks carrying metal ore off the nation’s roads, where they are causing damage and congestion.
Source: Bloomberg
24 Oct 2019. Thailand. Deal signed for high-speed rail to link airports
The government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a consortium led by conglomerate Charoen Pokphand (CP) Group and including China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) to commence construction of 220km long high-speed rail network.
Source: Bangkok Post
23 Oct 2019. Ghana. Rail development MoU signed with RITES
The Ministry of Railway Development Joe Ghartey and RITES Managing Director Rajeev Mehrotr have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Indian railway consultancy RITES during the International Rail Conference 2019 in Delhi.
Source: ANI
Job of the Week:
Job Title: Safety Assurance Manager ( #12720 )
Discipline: Safety; Systems Assurance
Role: Management
Position Type: Contract
Country: Sydney, Australia
Languages: English
Job Description:
Our client is looking for a highly capable Safety Assurance Manager to support our rapidly growing business. The client is a premium provider of engineering services, with the expertise and technical capabilities to devise innovative solutions to our clients' transport project challenges.
Responsibilities:
- Provide specialist Safety Assurance advice for major transport projects
- Work collaboratively within a diverse and high performing engineering team
- Join a dynamic and agile organisation focussed on engineering solutions to today's transport challenges
- Lead the Systems Safety activity for major rail projects including as the client representative and for the supplier
- Develop strategies and plans to implement the Safety Assurance activities for a project through all or some project life cycle stages
- Provide input into the development of tender responses in conjunction with other team members.
Requirements
- Tertiary qualification in Engineering
- At least 5 years' professional experience as a Safety Assurance Engineer
- Demonstrated experience undertaking quantitative and qualitative analyses including as Fault Tree Analysis, Goal Structuring Notation (GSN), Event Tree Analysis and ALARP/SFAIRP demonstration
- Demonstrated experience facilitating or providing safety input to hazard identification / risk workshops.
Contact: renee@railpersonnel.com
Job Title: Building/Facilities Engineering Expert ( #12811 )
Discipline: Buildings; Management
Role: Building Services; Expert
Position Type: Contract
Country: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Languages: English
Job Description:
Our client is seeking a Building/Facilities Engineering Expert to be responsible for the design management of the client's Freight and Operation and Maintenance Facilities for Stage Two and three.
Candidates should have strong Rail Facilities Design background and will be supervising and monitoring the Design of the works, in accordance with the requirements and standards specified in the Contract documents.
Roles and responsibilities include design management of -railway facility layouts, buildings, architecture, MEP, interface, specialist equipment, testing and commissioning and NOCs.
Requirements
- Bachelors degree in Civil / Structural Engineering
- Post graduate degree (preferable)
- Professional railway certifications and affiliations are preferred Project management certification is preferred
- A minimum of 15 years of experience in design and or design management of design Management and coordination of all railway facility or stations layouts, buildings, architecture, MEP, interface, specialist equipment, testing and commissioning and NOCs
- Experience within the GCC would be preferable.
Contact: jackie@railpersonnel.com
More Rail News:
27 Oct 2019. UK. Extra rail investment for North East and Highland passengers
Network Rail Scotland is investing an extra GBP4.5m in plans to boost performance in the North East and Highlands. The investment is being made in addition to regular maintenance budgets and will further improve the reliability of Scotland's Railway. The money will target specific projects which will help to prevent infrastructure faults or reduce the time it takes to fix faults when they do occur. The plan will see extra money spent across the North East and Highlands this financial year, including on the Highland main line, East Coast main line, Aberdeen-Inverness line and the Far North line. It will also see additional staff recruited across Network Rail's depots in Perth and Inverness and new machinery and equipment deployed to these locations.
Source: Network Rail
25 Oct 2019. India. Bids invited for undersea bullet train project
The National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) which is implementing India's first Bullet Train project has issued its second high value tender for the design and construction of the undersea tunnel for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail corridor. The Government of India has received an ODA loan from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) towards the cost of the project for the construction of the corridor. the Government, through the NHSRC) is inviting the international competitive bids (ICB) from the eligible contractors/tenderers on lump sum price basis. The ICB will be conducted as per the JICA's single stage bidding procedure.
Source: Urban Transport News
24 Oct 2019. South Africa. Transnet breaks record with 375-wagon train
Transnet SOC Ltd, South Africa's ports and rail company has launched a train with a world-record number of wagons in a bid to move heavy trucks carrying metal ore off the nation's roads, where they are causing damage and congestion. The train, which had 375 wagons and was more than 4kms (2.5miles) long, carried 23,625 metric tons of manganese ore. The route it travelled is 86kms from Sishen in South Africa's Northern Cape province to the west coast port of Saldanha Bay. The company said that the train will break Transnet Freight Rail's (TFR's) previous record of 342-wagons. Running such a train means that rolling stock, as well as some infrastructure, needed to be upgraded to 30 tons per axle on the section between Hotazel and Sishen.
Source: Bloomberg
24 Oct 2019. Thailand. Deal signed for high-speed rail to link airports
The government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a consortium led by conglomerate Charoen Pokphand (CP) Group and including China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) to commence construction of 220km long high-speed rail network. The proposed high-speed rail corridor will connect Suvarnabhumi Airport with Don Mueang International Airport and U-Tapao International Airport. The total value of the contract is THB224.5 bn (US$7.4 bn). The HSR route will consist of 181km of elevated track, 8km underground track, and 2km of surface track (at grade). The construction will begin in 12 to 24 months and the project is scheduled to commission in 2023. The trains will operate at maximum speeds of 250kmph.The CP-CRCC consortium will have the right to operate, maintain and manage the high-speed rail line for 50 years after which the project assets will be handed over to the Thailand government.
Source: Bangkok Post
23 Oct 2019. Ghana. Rail development MoU signed with RITES
The Ministry of Railway Development Joe Ghartey and RITES Managing Director Rajeev Mehrotr have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Indian railway consultancy RITES during the International Rail Conference 2019 in Delhi. The agreement aims towards long-term co-operation in transport and infrastructure projects in Ghana. 'Economic growth in Republic of Ghana has been on fast pace and this MoU is a step towards building a long term business relationship between RITES and the Ministry of Railway Development', said Mehrotra. He added the at the agreement 'will help RITES to enhance its presence in Ghana, while Ghana will be benefited by technical knowledge, experience, training and resources of Indian Railways and RITES'.
Source: ANI
22 Oct 2019. Vietnam. Indonesian consortium plans Vietnam-Laos railway link
The Indonesia Railway Development Consortium is planning to build a 400 km Vietnam-Laos rail route for an estimated US$1.9bn. A cooperation agreement on the rail route has been signed by the consortium, Vietnam's HT Construction company, and Laos's Petroleum Trading Lao Public Company (PetroTrade). The project is scheduled to begin construction by the end of 2021 and be completed in 2024. PT INKA, an Indonesian rolling stock manufacturer, plans to invest 9,000 billion rupiah (US$639m) in the project.
Source: VN Express
22 Oct 2019. UK. Northern Ireland's new transport hub for north west is opened
New enhanced passenger facilities and platforms have opened at the new North-West Transport Hub in Derry. The facility is an EU-backed GBP27m investment. Additional funding has been provided by the Department for Infrastructure and the Department for Transport, Tourism and Sport in the Republic, as well as Derry City and Strabane District Council. The hub is located at the former Waterside Train Station. The contractors were Babcock and a joint venture of Farrans and Rhomberg Sersa, supported by companies including heritage survey consultants FarrimondMacManus and architects Paul Hogarth Co. The next phase of works, including a park and ride site, will be carried out during the summer of 2020.
Source: Belfast Telegraph
22 Oct 2019. France. Alstom to supply 39 extra Coradia trains to the Grand Est region
Alstom will supply 39 additional Coradia Polyvalent trains to the Grand Est region. The contract is worth approximately E360m. The region had already ordered 40 Coradia Polyvalent trains, of which 36 have already been delivered. Deliveries of these new trains will be staggered between 2022 and 2024. This new order covers 30 trains intended for cross-border circulation in Germany. These 4-car trains, which are dual mode - dual voltage 25 kV / 15 kV and comply with German safety requirements, will run at 160 km/h, serving the German states of Saarland, Rhineland-Palatinate and Baden-Wurttemberg. The first cross-border trains will be delivered at the end of 2023. Nine additional Coradia Polyvalent trains, consisting of five 4-car and four 6-car trains, have been added to the existing fleet for domestic connections. These new trains will benefit from the same special features as those already in operation in the Grand Est region.
Source: Alstom
22 Oct 2019. Switzerland. BLS Cargo awards Siemens multi-system loco contract
BLS Csrgo AG is acquiring 25 new Siemens Vectron multi-system locomotives for use on the north-south freight corridor between Belgium / the Netherlands and Italy. This purchase will give BLS access to Belgium for the first time. The 25 new Siemens Vectron multi-system locomotives will allow BLS Cargo to operate in Belgium, the Netherlands and Italy. BLS Cargo ran an intensive tendering process as well as running tests with suitable candidates. BLS Cargo already has 15 of these locomotives in its fleet. Siemens will deliver the 25 multi-system locomotives between the end of 2020 and 2025. The Vectron locomotives will come with all the traction and train control systems necessary for operation in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, the Netherlands and Belgium. Thanks to the extensive set of country-specific systems, BLS Cargo will be able to consolidate its cross-border operating concepts.
Source: BLS Cargo
22 Oct 2019. Uruguay. Loan raised to finance Central Railway project
The Sacyr-led Grupo Via Central consortium (GVC) has raised a senior loan of US$855m to finance the Uruguay Central Railroad project. The project comprises the rehabilitation and construction of a 273km railway line, which connects Uruguayan capital Montevideo and the city of Paso de los Toros. The project will need an investment of US$1.07bn. Funding will be provided by SMBC, Intesa San Paolo, IDB, CAF and CAFAM. The consortium partners will contribute $155m while the authorities in Uruguay will invest $60m.Sacyr holds a 40% stake in the consortium, while Uruguayan companies Saceem and Berkes respectively own a 27% and 6% stake. French company NGE holds the remaining 27% stake in the consortium. According to the contract, GVC will finance, design and construct the project for 36 months. The consortium is also responsible for maintenance services for 18 years. The overall project works include modernising the signalling systems, upgrading the railway level-crossings and overhauling 25 stations and passenger stops along the route.
Source: Railway Technology
21 Oct 2019. Nigeria. New trains to arrive in six weeks
The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, says 20 new trains would be arriving Nigeria for the Abuja-Kaduna and the Lagos-Ibadan rail lines in about six weeks. Mr Amechi visited CRRC Qishuyan in China last week to see the first NDJ3N diesel trainsets and DF11GN passenger locomotives. Out of the 20 trains, the minister said 10 will be for the Abuja-Kaduna rail lines and the remaining 10 for the Lagos-Ibadan rail line. He also said rail engineers from Nigeria are being trained in China to take over the.
Source: All Africa
21 Oct 2019. Chile. Santiago metro seriously damaged in fares hike protest
Santiago's 140km seven-line metro network has suffered serious during protests against a 4% increase in fares. The dispute began during the week starting 14 October with rising civil disobedience by passengers disgruntled by the rise in fares refusing to purchase tickets and crawling under or climbing over turnstiles. The disobedience turned into a rebellion on 20 October, resulting in many station ticket gates being destroyed, nine stations being completely burnt down, 13 partially destroyed by fire, 41 stations suffering serious damage and 17 suffering less-serious damage. In all, 80 of the metro's 136 stations will require repair. During the weekend of October 19-20, the entire metro network was shut down for the first time. Line 1, the busiest on the network, partially reopened on 21 October.
Source: International Railway Journal
21 Oct 2019. India. Railways to implement project to run trains at 160 kmph
Railway Board Chairman V K Yadav has announced that the Indian Railways will implement a Rs 18000-crore project to operate trains at a speed of 160 kmph on the busy Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Kolkata routes by upgrading infrastructure. Once the project begins, it will take at least four years to complete, he said. Currently, the average maximum speed of trains on various routes is 99 kmph and the recently introduced Delhi-Varanasi Vande Bharat Express touches an average speed of 104 kmph on the Delhi-Kanpur section. The upgrade of infrastructure to operate trains at 160 kmph includes fencing, upgrade of track and signalling, and elimination of unmanned level-crossings. About 100 units of Vande Bharat Express (semi high speed inter-city electric multiple unit) will be manufactured in the next five years.
Source: Business Standard
21 Oct 2019. South Africa. Alstom JV inaugurates rail factory
Alstom Ubunye, a joint venture of Alstom, has inaugurated a modernised rail factory in Ekurhuleni near Johannesburg in South Africa. In 2016, Alstom completed the acquisition of a 51% share in South African rail company Commuter Transport & Locomotive Engineering (CTLE), of which CTE and IDC Corp hold minority shares. After its acquisition, Alstom has refurbished the plant with advanced robots and other equipment and commenced staff training. It also received two welding certifications, EN 15085 CL1 and ISO 3834-2.The newly launched rail factory can produce 62 bogies, 62 end under frames, 20 traction cases and ten static inverters each month in full nominal mode. The facility will also manufacture looming, cubicles and Passenger Public Address, Closed Circuit Television and Information Systems (PACIS). Alstom intends to use the factory to meet the growing demand in Sub-Saharan countries.
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