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Rail News

21 October 2019. Volume 10 Issue 3

over 4 years ago by Rail Personnel

Dear Readers,

Recently reading an article about the Tran-Siberian Railway, I discovered that the Russian ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev wad born on the train near Irkutsk, Siberia.

This piqued my interest and I started researching just who else had been born on a train. Unfortunately, I was not very successful in my findings - although I did learn that American television presenter Jerry Springer was born in the London Underground's Highgate station while the station was in use as a shelter from German bombing during World War II.

I would like to hear from you should you be able to shed further light on the subject.

Jobs of the Week are based in France and the United Arab Emirates.

Our client is a market leader providing technology products and associated services to the rail industry. They offer support tools that can be used for advanced planning of railways and for real time and near real time decision making for operating railroads. This company currently has a position available for a bi-lingual System Support Engineer to work in in Paris.

We are seeking a bi-lingual Head of Quality and Excellence to develop and manage a world class quality assurance system to ensure set quality standards and objectives are met at all times within administration systems, operations and during the execution of projects as per established protocols. This role is located in Abu Dhabi.

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:

18 Oct 2019. UK. Stations partner for direct service to Bordeaux

Channel Tunnel's HS1 Ltd have announced a twinning agreement between its London St Pancras International station and SNCF's Bordeaux Saint-Jean station.

Source: Railway Gazette

18 Oct 2019. Australia. Adani opens a business centre and announces rail contract

Indian energy giant Adani Group has awarded a A$100mn rail contract for it's $2bn Carmichael mine to part-Malaysian-owned company Martinus Rail. Malaysian civil engineering company Gamuda Berhad.

Source: Australian Financial Review

17 Oct 2019. Taiwan. Toshiba wins electric locomotive deal

Japanese electronics giant Toshiba Corp.'s infrastructure subsidiary has received an order to supply 68 units of electric locomotives to the Taiwan Railways Administration.

Source: The Mainichi

16 Oct 2019. UK. Northern rail could be nationalised

The government is considering whether the management of the North of England's largest rail commuter service should be taken into public hands.

Source: BBC

16 Oct 2019. Kenya. Second phase railway project launched

Two years after the completion of the first phase of the Standard Gauge Railway project (SGR), Kenya's largest infrastructure project since independence, President Uhuru Kenyatta has launched its second phase.

Source: CNN

Jobs of the Week:

Job Title: System Support Engineer ( #12810 )

Discipline: Information Technology; Systems Engineering

Role: Systems Engineer

Position Type: Permanent

Country: Paris, France

Languages: French; English

Job Description:

Our client is a market leader providing technology products and associated services to the rail industry. They offer support tools that can be used for advanced planning of railways and for real time and near real time decision making for operating railroads. This company currently has a position available for a System Support Engineer in Paris, France to work with one of our clients.

Responsibilities:

- Provide customer support relative to the contract SLA using the client's JIRA support software

- Tests management and system acceptance

- System performance analysis

- Commercial development and technical collaboration with customer

- Provide technical customer support and act as the interface with the product team.

Candidates must be fluent in French and English in order to be considered for this role.

Requirements

- Needs a minimum of Bachelor or Master's degree in science, software engineering or an Engineering discipline

- Competencies: Software Engineering, Experience with software-based systems, Object Oriented Systems Analysis, Strong analytical/problem solving skills, Ability to work as part of an international team, Requirements elicitation, Human Machine Interface design.

Contact: jackie@railpersonnel.com

Job Title: Head of Quality and Excellence ( #12707 )

Discipline: Quality; Safety

Role: Management

Position Type: Permanent

Country: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Languages: Arabic; English

Job Description:

Our client is seeking a Head of Quality and Excellence to develop and manage a world class quality assurance system to ensure set quality standards and objectives are met at all times within administration systems, operations and during the execution of projects as per established protocols.

Accountability Areas:

- Establish business performance management systems to ensure achievement of business strategy and corporate performance indicators, which are aligned with company vision, mission, values and business plans

- Hold regular meetings with the Board nominated committees to review progress against plans and discuss important issues requiring top management and/or Board

- Advise the Board on any significant risks including unpredictable/unforeseen events/issues as necessary in order to address unresolved matters

- Ensure the effective utilization of resources to deliver the output of the strategic plan.

Requirements

- Bachelors' degree in relevant field

- Post graduate degree (preferable)

- Certified Lead Auditor ISO 9001PMP certification

- A minimum of eight years of relevant experience

- Must be fluent in Arabic and English.

Contact: jackie@railpersonnel.com

More Rail News

18 Oct 2019. UK. Stations partner for direct service to Bordeaux

Channel Tunnel rail link concessionaire HS1 Ltd have announced a twinning agreement between its London St Pancras International station and SNCF's Bordeaux Saint-Jean station, saying this would help to progress the development of proposals for a through passenger service between the cities. The stations share similarities in design, history and national architectural significance, HS1 Ltd said. Under the partnership, there would be a regular exchange of expertise on facilities management, electronic monitoring and site security, and the preservation of historical and cultural heritage. Last year infrastructure managers HS1 Ltd, Eurotunnel, SNCF Reseau and LISEA agreed to work together to develop a package of train paths and other measures which would enable a train operator to launched a direct London - Bordeaux service within two years. HS1 Ltd predicts that up to 200 000 passengers/year would use such a service.

Source: Railway Gazette

18 Oct 2019. Australia. Adani opens a business centre and announces rail contract

Indian energy giant Adani Group has awarded a A$100min rail contract for it's $2bn Carmichael mine to part-Malaysian-owned company Martinus Rail. Malaysian civil engineering company Gamuda Berhad - which only bought a 50 per cent stake in the privately owned Australian company Martinus Rail a few weeks ago - will now help build the 200-kilometre link to the existing Aurizon rail network, which will then ship coal to Adani's Abbot Point coal terminal, near Bowen. It is believed Martinus Rail, which has worked with Adani in the past, will operate from Adan's new business centre, which has been established in Rockhampton.

Source: Australian Financial Review

17 Oct 2019. Taiwan. Toshiba wins electric locomotive deal

Japanese electronics giant Toshiba Corp.'s infrastructure subsidiary has received an order to supply 68 units of electric locomotives for around Y40bn (US$368m) to the Taiwan Railways Administration. The deal marks the first complete Japanese electric locomotives to be procured by the government-owned railway. Toshiba Infrastructure will manufacture the locomotives in line with Taiwan specifications, including measures against salt damage. It aims to deliver the products between April 2022 and March 2026. The locomotives will mainly be used for express passenger trains connecting major cities in Taiwan, with a top speed of 130 kph per hour designed to haul both passenger and freight trains. The introduction of a new locomotive will be the first since 1992 for Taiwan Railways. Stadler Rail, also won a deal to supply 34 electric locomotives to the railway (see separate story).

Source: The Mainichi

16 Oct 2019. UK. Northern rail could be nationalised

The government is considering whether the management of the North of England's largest rail commuter service should be taken into public hands. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said Northern's poor performance, with trains regularly arriving late or not at all, "cannot continue". Mr Shapps said he had issued a "request for proposals" from the firm and the Operator of Last Resort (OLR). This could lead to services being brought into direct government control. The Department for Transport confirmed it was developing contingency plans for the replacement of the current franchise "with either a new short-term management contract with Northern or the OLR. David Brown, managing director at Northern, said the firm had faced several challenges in the past couple of years, outside the direct control of Northern. The most significant of these is the continuing late delivery of major infrastructure upgrades, including the North West electrification, which is more than two years late.

Source: BBC

16 Oct 2019. Kenya. Second phase railway project launched

Two years after the completion of the first phase of the Standard Gauge Railway project (SGR), Kenya's largest infrastructure project since independence, President Uhuru Kenyatta has launched its second phase. Connecting the capital city of Nairobi to Naivasha, in Nakuru county, the railway line has four terminals and its trains will operate three times a day. The railway was built by Chinese construction company, China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) and cost US$1.5bn. In 2017 the first stage of the project -- which connected the port city of Mombasa to Nairobi was launched, also financed by China Exim Bank. The development of Kenya's rail service has been part of China’s One Belt, One Road initiative. In the coming years, it is supposed to connect six other East African countries, opening the region to international trade.

Source: CNN

15 Oct 2019. UK. Hiitachi unveils plans for train stations of the future

Hitachi has unveiled how train stations of the future could transform passenger experiences by using robots and the latest digital technology. The vision includes the use of artificial intelligence to enable robots to guide passengers around the station. This new concept follows Hitachi's announcement that it has begun trials of smart sensor technology which could see ticket barriers made obsolete at stations. The concept station includes robots which can show passengers how to find their train and other station amenities. As well as being simpler to use, the station will be a cleaner environment to eat, shop and work in. Hitachi will introduce new battery powered trains, replacing existing diesel fleets. Hitachi has a battery-powered train running in Japan and believes this technology will make stations more inviting for a new wave of rail passengers.

Source: Hitachi

15 Oct 2019. Taiwan. Stadler secures TRA locomotive deal

Stadler has won a tender for the supply of 34 diesel-electric locomotives to Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA). The order to develop and build locomotives for TRA represents the second success story from Asia within a short time period: For Stadler this is the first major series of rail vehicles to be delivered to the Pacific region. The locomotives will be built at the Stadler plant in Valencia. The tender is part of a larger TRA fleet renewal programme. The contract is valued at approximately E165m. The locomotives are intended for passenger and freight traffic on the narrow-gauge network of 1,067 millimetres. The six-axle narrow-gauge locomotives are powered by a Cummins diesel motor with an output of 2,700 hp. The starting tractive effort is up to 430kN, and the maximum speed is 120kph. The locomotives are specially designed for the tropical and subtropical climate. High humidity of up to 100 per cent and extreme temperatures of up to 45 degrees Celsius are to be expected in the operating area. The new locomotive for TRA can also run in multiple traction.

Source: Stadler Rail

15 Oct 2019. Bangladesh. Two more metro rail projects in Dhaka approved

The government has approved two more projects to expand the metro rail network in Dhaka with an estimated cost of about BDTk938bin (US$10.8m) to ease traffic congestion. Under the projects, two mass rapid transit lines spanning from Kamalapur Railway Station to the airport area and Natun Bazar-Purbachal Depot under MRT Line-1, and from Hemayetpur to Vatara route via Mirpur and Gulshan under MRT Line-5, will be established. Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Company Limited, which is implementing the first metro rail from Uttara to Motijheel via Mirpur, will undertake the new projects, Planning Minister MA Mannan told the media. The government has targeted to complete the Kamalapur metro rail project by 2026 and the Hemayetpur-Vatara one by 2028. The two projects will be partially funded by thee Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)..

Source: bdnews24.com

14 Oct 2019. UK. Queen's speech announces rail reform

A White Paper will be published this autumn on reforming the UK's railways based on a review by the former British Airways boss Keith Williams. The Queen's Speech hinted of an end to rail franchising, first mooted by Mr Williams over the summer. The Government has said it will introduce a "new commercial model" that promotes "long-term incentives". Such a change would mark one of the biggest shifts in railway policy for a generation. The reforms will also focus on customer satisfaction and improved ticketing as well as reducing congestion on the railways. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has highlighted rail infrastructure as crucial to driving productivity and points to Crossrail in London as an example of how it can open up areas for investment.

Source: ITV

14 Oct 2019. UK. Bakerloo Line extension public consultation launched

Transport for London (TfL) has commenced a public consultation seeking views on the proposed extension of the Bakerloo line, planned to run from Elephant & Castle to Lewisham via Old Kent Road and New Cross Gate. TfL is holding 11 public exhibitions to support the public consultation, which will run until 22 December this year. TfL is looking for feedback on a number of issues, including tunnel route, the location of worksites, extending the line beyond Lewisham, as well as choosing the names for two new stations along Old Kent Road. TfL's tunnel route proposals, which include a shorter, quicker route between Lambeth North and Elephant & Castle, have been included in this consultation for the first time. TfL also said it is considering a second phase of the extension beyond Lewisham to Hayes and Beckenham Junction, involving a conversion of a National Rail line. If the central government approves plans for the extension and the funding needed is secured, construction could begin in 2023 with completion by 2030 at the earliest.

Source: Railway Technology

14 Oct 2019. Singapore. Siemens and Alstom to set up signalling simulation centres

Siemens and Alstom are to set up signalling simulation centres for the Downtown and Thomson-East Coast lines. The moves by the Siemens and Alstom come in the wake of French engineering group Thales setting up such a facility in the Bishan MRT depot, following a collision which happened during its resignalling project in Singapore two years ago. Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan said the Thales facility has been "invaluable" to the operation of the North-South and East-West lines. The new facilities are expected to start operating in phases from end of this year.

Source: Straits times

14 Oct 2019. Indonesia. New LRT Jabodebek trains arrive in Jakarta

Five LRT Jabodebek train sets, which were built by state-owned train manufacturing company PT INKA in Madiun, East Java, have arrived in Jakarta. The driverless trains were placed on LRT Jabodebek railway lines for tests set to be carried out for the next few months. Not to be confused with LRT Jakarta, LRT Jabodebek will connect Jakarta with satellite cities Bogor, Depok and Bekasi. Also unlike LRT Jakarta, which is a project funded by the Jakarta city administration, LRT Jabodebek was initiated and funded by the central government. Construction of the LRT Jabodebek project is 66 per cent complete. The target is for the system to be fully operational by November 2021. Plans and funding for phase two of the LRT Jabodebek project, which will connect the service to Depok and Bogor are still being discussed. However, the government has targeted its completion for 2022.

Source: Coconuts Jakarta

14 Oct 2019. Chile. Alstom awarded Santiago Metro Line 2 extension contract

Metro de Santiago has awarded Alstom two contracts, worth approximately E29m, for the development of the train interlocking system and the implementation of the automatic signalling and piloting system for the extension of Line 2 of the metropolitan train network. Alstom will be responsible for implementing and maintaining a modern electronic interlocking technology (SML400 + MooN) in the new Line 2 depots, located in Vespucio Norte, as well as for the 5.2 km extension of the same line, which will join La Cisterna and San Bernardo. This technology will allow Metro de Santiago to control traffic safely and to track and receive the new NS16 trains, assembled by Alstom in Chile. The second contract includes the provision and commissioning of the Sacem automatic signalling and piloting system for the same extension of Line 2. This technology will allow control of the train movements, ensuring passenger safety and optimizing traffic. It will also reduce the time interval between trains. Installation of the interlocking system in the new Metro depots is expected to begin in February 2020, while the Sacem system will be implemented in 2021.

Source: Alstom

14 Oct 2019. Australia. Federal government push for Melbourne airport trail tunnel

The Federal Government is ramping up pressure on Victoria's Premier Daniel Andrews to sign up to the A$15bn airport rail tunnel A private consortium, AirRail, is offering A$5bn to build airport rail, which would see dedicated tracks built from the CBD to the airport, via a new rail tunnel to Sunshine. As part of the offer, the consortium would own and operate the tunnel. Senior figures in the Andrews government are understood to be wary of committing to the tunnel option, with misgivings over the wisdom of having a key piece of Victoria's rail network controlled by private players who would have enormous leverage over future developments of the system. A cheaper above-ground alternative is being considered by the Andrews government. This option, understood to cost north of A$5bn, would build new tracks between Sunshine and the airport, but use the existing railway line from western suburban junction to the CBD.

Source: The Age

13 Oct 2019. Japan. Ten Hokuriku Shinkansen Line trains damaged in flood

East Japan Railway Co. (JR East), said that its Hokuriku Shinkansen bullet train yard in the city of Nagano was flooded due to heavy rain associated with powerful Typhoon Hagibis, which hit parts of eastern Japan over the weekend. Ten trains on the Hokuriku Shinkansen Line connecting Tokyo and Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, were affected, the company said, adding that it has no idea when operations on the line will be resumed partly because of flooding from the Chikuma River, which flows near the train yard. The 10 trains, worth Y32.8bn, made up of a total of 120 carriages, represent a third of the trains on the line. Eight are owned by JR East and the other two by West Japan Railway Co. (JR West). Since the rail yard is under water, the trains will have to be moved to a different facility to be repaired.

Source: Japan Times