Dear Readers
We are delighted to announce the launch of our new website.
Designed for ease of navigation for employers and candidates alike, key features include:
- Single click application to view jobs in six regions;
- Maps showing the location of all RailPersonnel offices;
- Worldwide rail conference listings; and
- Previous editions of RailNews, which you can filter by date or topic.
Check it out for yourself at www.railpersonnel.com
This week's Jobs of the Week are located in New Zealand, Vietnam and Thailand. In New Zealand, we are looking for Warranty and Maintenance Technicians to work in Auckland. In Vietnam, our client is looking for a Quality Assurance Manager and in Thailand, we are looking for a Business Development Manager, Railway Sector (note for this role, this is not an expat position. Our client is seeking candidates already based in Thailand).
Regards
Ceri Taylor
Editor
This Week’s Headlines
6 Dec 2019. UK. Hitachi to supply inter-city trains for Avanti West Coast services
First Trenitalia has awarded Hitachi Rail a £350m contract to supply and maintain 23 inter-city trains for use on Avanti West Coast services.
Source: Railway Gazette
6 Dec 2019. Australia. Ditch fast-rail dream for 'fast-ish' service, says expert
The time has come for Australia to let go of its fast-train dream and instead aspire to rail services that are merely 'fast-ish', a rail expert says.
Source: ABC
5 Dec 2019. UK. Commuter protest against 'unreliable' rail firm
Commuters have held a rush-hour protest at a city centre railway station against the service provided by Northern.
Source: BBC
5 Dec 2019. UK. Railway workers killed on line had no lookout
Two railway track workers, Gareth Delbridge and Michael “Spike” Lewis were killed on a high-speed line after a failure to appoint a lookout to warn of the danger of oncoming trains, investigators said.
Source: BBC
5 Dec 2019. Italy. Alstom’s Avelia AGV reaches 100 million kilometres milestone
Alstom’s fleet of 25 Avelia AGV very-high-speed trains operating in Italy has travelled a total of more than 100 million kilometres since entering service in April 2012.
Jobs of the Week
Warranty and Maintenance Technician Auckland, New Zealand
Job ID: 12526
Discipline: Rolling Stock
Position Type: Permanent
Job Description
Our client has a contract for the maintenance of electric trains for the city of Auckland, in New Zealand. These units are fitted with state of the art systems such as displays, cameras or Wi-Fi and systems required to achieve the strictest market safety levels: ERTMS, DVS, train-ground radio and events recorder. They are looking for Warranty and Maintenance Technicians to carry out maintenance of the rolling stock in line with the client's policies and procedures, reporting to Shift Manager. Ensure all maintenance is carried out in a safe manner in line with Health and Safety guidelines.
Job Requirements
Education: Certificate or equivalent years' experience in Mechanical/Electrical Engineering
Experience:
- Previous experience with maintenance of heavy machinery
- Strong computer skills
- Excellent communication
Roster - the client works on 24/7 operations and they do a 4 on and 4 off roster. 4 days on 6am to 6pm, then 4 days off, then 4 nights 6pm to 6am, then 4 days off.
Contact: Saras Jay (sarasj@railpersonnel.com)
Quality Assurance Manager Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Job ID: 12766
Discipline: Quality
Position Type: Contract
Job Description
Our client is seeking a Quality Assurance Manager to assist with activities as part of the Design and Construction Project for all E&M System (Rolling Stock, Signaling, Telecommunication, Power Supply, OCS, Track work, PSD, AFC, Depot & Workshop Equipment, F-SCADA, Signage & Graphics) for New MRT Line-1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Job Details;
a) Interact and negotiation with the Employer, Consultant and any third parties
b) Accountable for the definition and planning of all need activities in our Contract Agreement and ISO9001 (and/or other applicable international and local Standards) for Quality Management
Job Requirements
- Years of Experience
a) Total Year of Experience ; 15 years
b) Experience as Quality Assurance Staff for Railway Project ; 12 years
c) Experience as Quality Assurance Manager for Railway Project ; 5 years
- Certificate of Graduation (bachelor's degree or more over)
- Certificate of English (such as TOIEC) more than 800 points if mother language is not English.
- Strong skill for speaking & writing in English in interpretation and translation work.
- Excellent knowledge and capabilities of quality assurance and control
- Several experiences to complete project as QA manager
Contact: Saras Jay (sarasj@railpersonnel.com)
Business Development Manager Railway Sector Bangkok, Thailand
Job ID: 12482
Discipline: Business Development
Position Type: Permanent
Job Description
Our client has partnership with various multinational engineering and equipment companies, undertakes EPC scope for E&M designing and construction in mass transit field like railway and metro. Looking for a Business Development Manager, which is basic in Bangkok, Thailand to identify and develop commercial opportunities in Thailand.
- Building and maintaining relationships with clients and key personnel within customer companies.
- Research and evaluation of business development opportunities covering existing markets that the business operates in and new geographies and markets.
- Tender development, performance and maintenance .
Job Requirements
- Degree in electrical, mechanical, civil , business marketing or equivalent background.
- 3+ years relevant experiences in a business development role, with proven mass transit industry.
- Familiarity with local employers and potential clients
- Strong ability to analyze market potential and existing resources to develop a plan in the mass transit industry.
This position requires someone who has a sound knowledge of working in Asian countries. The role is based in Bangkok paying a local Thai salary (this is not an expatriate position). Candidates should already be based in THAILAND.
Contact: Jackie Hendry (jackie@railpersonnel.com)
Rail News
6 Dec 2019. UK. Hitachi to supply inter-city trains for Avanti West Coast services
First Trenitalia has awarded Hitachi Rail a £350m contract to supply and maintain 23 inter-city trains for use on Avanti West Coast services. Due to enter service from 2022, the 200 km/h trains to be assembled at Hitachi’s Newton Aycliffe factory would come in two versions. Hitachi is to supply 10 seven-car electric trainsets with 453 seats to be used on services to the West Midlands and Liverpool, and 13 five-car bi-mode trains with 301 seats for services to North Wales. The trains would feature ‘a brand-new catering offer’, wi-fi, at-seat wireless inductive chargers, plug sockets, USB slots and a real-time passenger information system that provides details of connecting services. The fleet is to be maintained by a joint team from Hitachi and Alstom at the Oxley depot in Wolverhampton. The purchase is being financed through the Rock Rail West Coast JV of Rock Rail and Aberdeen Standard Investments. Rock Rail West Coast will own the trains and lease them to First Trenitalia.
Source: Railway Gazette
6 Dec 2019. Australia. Ditch fast-rail dream for 'fast-ish' service, says expert
The time has come for Australia to let go of its fast-train dream and instead aspire to rail services that are merely 'fast-ish', a rail expert says. Associate Professor Phillip Laird from the University of Wollongong said Australia did not have the population density to justify the enormous cost of a true fast train, which can reach 250kph.However, he said medium-speed trains, which could travel around 150kph, were comparatively easy to build. He said such transport had the capacity to have a positive impact on more than just commuters, as has been the case in regional Victoria and Western Australia.
Source: ABC
5 Dec 2019. UK. Commuter protest against 'unreliable' rail firm
Commuters have held a rush-hour protest at a city centre railway station against the service provided by Northern. The protestors, holding signs and banners, gathered outside Manchester Victoria on Thursday evening calling for Northern to be stripped of its franchise. The protest was arranged by campaign group Northern Resist. The group has called for a "reliable, safe and punctual rail service", "rolling stock that is fit for purpose" and a reduction of fares until Northern hits a punctuality target of 70% of all trains on time. Northern, which is run by Arriva Rail North, reported a sharp rise in cancellations in November. The rail operator has faced a number of issues in recent years, including major disruption in May 2018 following the introduction of new timetables. In October, the then-Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said he had taken steps which could lead to services being brought under government control.
Source: BBC
5 Dec 2019. UK. Railway workers killed on line had no lookout
Two railway track workers, Gareth Delbridge and Michael “Spike” Lewis were killed on a high-speed line after a failure to appoint a lookout to warn of the danger of oncoming trains, investigators said. No one had been formally assigned to keep watch when the men were hit by a 50mph train while carrying out maintenance on a set of points in Margam, Port Talbot, an interim report published yesterday said. The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) also said that the Network Rail workforce appeared to have misunderstood instructions to delay the work until the line had been closed. The RAIB report said a third worker came "very close" to being hit. The train driver made an "emergency application of the train's brakes" about nine seconds before the accident, the report said. The RAIB said its investigation was continuing, but the factors outlined "created conditions that made an accident much more likely".
Source: BBC
5 Dec 2019. Italy. Alstom’s Avelia AGV reaches 100 million kilometres milestone
Alstom’s fleet of 25 Avelia AGV very-high-speed trains operating in Italy has travelled a total of more than 100 million kilometres since entering service in April 2012, owned and operated under the service name Italo by Italo-Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori, the first private high-speed operator in Europe. Italo, with its fleet composed of Avelia AGVs and Avelia Pendolinos, covers the entire national area served by high speed line, connecting a total of 25 Italian cities and 30 railway stations with 116 daily services. The Avelia AGV trains run at speeds of 300km/h with the highest level of safety and comfort, thanks to an articulated architecture designed for very high speeds. The eleven-car configuration results in trains that are over 200 metres in length. The train also boasts long-term operational and financial benefits for the operator. This includes 15 to 30% less energy consumption compared with conventional non-articulated very-high-speed trains thanks to its lightweight, aerodynamic design and braking energy recovery. Maintenance costs are also up to 10% lower than non-articulated trains. The Avelia AGV has flexible configurations from 7 to 14 cars, and the trains are designed like a hollow tube that can be effortlessly fitted and ref
Source: Alstom
5 Dec 2019. Egypt. Wabtec locomotives delivered to ENR
Wabtec Corp has delivered the first 10 ES30ACi Light Evolution Series locomotives to Egyptian National Railways (ENR) and the Ministry of Transportation (MoT). The delivery marks the first stage in fulfilling Wabtec’s 2017 order and services agreements, originally forged with ENR by GE Transportation. The ES30ACi Light Passenger Evolution Series locomotives are equipped with a fuel-efficient 12-cylinder, 3,200-hp EVO prime-mover. The locomotive features air-conditioned dual cabs, full-width car body, AC propulsion system, single-axle control and dynamic brakes, “providing the ability to transport passengers and freight with enhanced reliability. Wabtec also will deliver “a comprehensive end-to-end service for the railway’s fleet. The company is the only locomotive supplier with a team of engineers collocated at ENR shops.” In addition, Wabtec will supply spare parts and technical support. It also will modernise some existing locomotives in ENR’s fleet.
Source: Railway Age
5 Dec 2019. Indonesia. Jakarta preps US$40bn for a metro expansion
Indonesia is intending to spend about US$40bn (S$54.5bn) to extend Jakarta's metro network, a bigger-than-expected outlay that's poised to boost the country's construction companies and reignite a rivalry between China and Japan over building the project. The spending plan, detailed in an interview with the head of the operator of the capital's subway, is part of President Joko Widodo’s ambitious plan create a US$7tn economy by 2045. PT MRT Jakarta is currently selecting financiers to help fund the expansion. It's seeking to add an additional six lines to the one that partially opened earlier this year.
Source: Bloomberg
4 Dec 2019. Germany. DB to go-ahead with Arriva sale in 2020
Deutsche Bahn (DB) aims for an initial public offering (IPO) of its international transport unit Arriva next year, according to the CEO Richard Lutz. The company is planning to offer a minority stake in Arriva starting in May, with the remainder of the shares to be sold over three years. A source said in November Deutsche Bahn was in exclusive talks with U.S. buyout group Carlyle over the sale of Arriva but was also preparing for a potential flotation. Talks with prospective buyers failed however, after bids did not meet Deutsche Bahn’s price expectations. Earlier this year, the sale was expected to be valued at €3-4bn (US$3.3-$4.4bn). Lutz, who has been CEO since 2017, faces pressure to turn around the operational and financial performance of the deeply indebted company. He also said Deutsche Bahn would offer a bond next year, aiming to raise up to €3bn.
Source: Reuters
4 Dec 2019. Russia. Delo Group purchase majority stake in Trancontainer
Russian Railways (RZD) has sold its 50% plus two shares stake in Transcontainer to Delo Group for Roubles 60.3bn ($US 643m) following a closed auction on the Moscow Stock Exchange. Delo Group paid a premium of 4% on Transcontainer’s share price and expects to complete the deal by the end the year. Delo Group will fund the deal through a Sberbank credit line and from its own resources. Delo Group is one of Russia’s largest private transport and logistics companies with ports in the Azov-Black Sea, Baltic and Far Eastern basins, and is already a rail and multimodal container freight operator.
Source: International Railway Journal
4 Dec 2019. Mongolia. RZD International to help build coal rail line
RZD International – a special purpose engineering company established within the Russian Railways Holding, in partnership with Russian design institutes, will provide technical consulting services on the implementation of the Tavantolgoi–Dzunbayan railway construction project, as well as recommendations on the organisation of construction and the organisation of train movement along the 414km-long line. The new railway line to Tavantolgoi – a coal deposit in the south of Mongolia, in the Gobi Desert and one of the largest reserves in the world, will be connected to the central line of UBZD JSC, which will provide new opportunities for the transportation of coking coal. The term for the implementation of the service contract is 12 months.
Source: Global Railway Review
4 Dec 2019. China. No-ticket intercity train line in Guangzhou opens
Travellers on China’s busiest intercity railway are now able to catch a bullet train without having to buy a ticket. Passengers on the 147km line between Guangzhou and Shenzhen just have to scan a QR barcode, and their face, to get on the train. When they arrive at their destination, their face and barcode are scanned again, after which money is deducted from their digital wallet – about US$12 at present prices. The rail operator, China State Railway Guangzhou Group (CR Guangzhou), wants to speed up the operation of China’s busiest intercity line. About 100,000 people use the line every day, and the removal of tickets mean that it requires only three seconds to deal with administrative details, rather than the 15 minutes needed previously to buy and collect a ticket, present it and check the passenger’s identity. The ticketless system is delivered using the WeChat app, China’s equivalent of Facebook. To set up the service, users tick boxes on a consent form and set up facial recognition, after which they are able to use their phones to make the verify their identities at the station.
Source: The Asia Times
4 Dec 2014. Australia. Sydney light rail open to public on December 14
After months of delays and a A$1.3bn budget blowout, Sydney's light rail will finally be open to the public on December 14. The light rail will carry passengers between Circular Quay and Randwick, in Sydney's eastern suburbs, and will be free for the opening weekend, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced. She said the network could move up to 13,500 commuters an hour in both directions during peak times and would replace "the conga line of buses which used to sit in traffic on George Street". The second leg of the project - a spur line to Kingsford - will be completed in March.
Source: ABC
4 Dec 2019. New Zealand. Earthquake could knock out Wellington rail for three years
New Zealand's economy could take a NZ$16.7bn hit following a large earthquake on the Wellington Fault, new research shows. A Wellington Lifelines report estimated it would take two years and nine months for the region's passenger network to be fully restored should a 7.5-magnitude earthquake occur on the Wellington Fault. And that's after a proposed $100m upgrade of structures and slopes along the North Island Main Trunk (NIMT), Hutt Valley and Wairarapa lines to improve the network's resilience. KiwiRail chief operating officer for capital projects and asset development David Gordon said the timeframes used in the Lifelines Group report were high-level estimates, and averaged out across the region.
Source: Stuff
3 Dec 2019. France. Alstom’s first Citadis tram for the Tram T9 line inaugurated
The first Citadis tram for the Tram T9 line, designed and manufactured at Alstom’s La Rochelle site, has been inaugurated in Orly. In November 2016, Île-de-France Mobilités chose Alstom to supply it with 22 Citadis X05 trams. The trams will enter into operation in December 2020, on the Tram T9 line, which connects Porte de Choisy to the town of Orly. Delivery of the trams by Alstom began in November 2019 and will be completed in October 2020 with entry into commercial service scheduled for December 2020. 45 metres long, the Citadis X05 tram for line T9 can carry up to 314 passengers. The tram is energy efficient thanks to improved energy consumption linked to the traction and auxiliaries (100% lighting and air conditioning offering respectively -25% and -15% of energy consumption). The overall cost of preventive maintenance has been reduced by 18%. The materials are 99% recoverable.
Source: Alstom
3 Dec 2019. Denmark. Battery-operated trains to be trialled next year
Battery trains are to be trialled on two rail lines in Denmark in 2020. Minister of Transport Benny Engelbrecht reached agreement with regional authorities in Copenhagen, Zealand and Central Jutland to trial battery-powered trains on two different railway lines. The battery trains are planned to run on the stretch between Helsingør and Hillerød in North Zealand and on the Lemvig line in northern West Jutland from the end of 2020 and at the start of 2021. Engelbrecht said he sees battery trains as beneficial for the climate and can help solve smaller railways in particular to convert from diesel to electric power. Battery trains are currently in use in test operations with passengers in Austria and are also being tested in Germany, where orders for the trains have been placed.
Source: The Local Denmark
3 Dec 2019. Italy. Trenitalia signs deal to operate trains in Campania
Trenitalia has received a €680m contract from the Government of Campania in southern Italy to operate its regional trains. The company will operate the trains for 15 years and be responsible for the renewal of the current fleet. The company will contribute €208.9m to the procurement of 37 new trains that will be made in Italy, while the Government of Campania will provide a further €180m. This contract is part of Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane’s (FS Italiane) 2019-2023 Industrial Plan. It has allocated €16bn for road and rail infrastructure, which includes €8.2bn for rail.
Source: FS Italiane
3 Dec 2019. China. Hubei Province opens scenic high-speed railway
Central China's Hubei Province has opened a new high-speed railway that connects many of the province's scenic spots and poverty-stricken areas. The railway linking Wuhan, capital of Hubei, with Shiyan, a city in the northwest of the province, has designed maximum speeds of 250 kph and 350 kph in its two sections. It will slash travel time between the two cities of to about two hours. The railway passes five cities, home to 46% of Hubei's population. It also snakes into the Qinling Mountains and reaches large expanses of impoverished areas there. Dubbed the "most beautiful railway" in Hubei, the rail line links four tourist attractions with the highest 5A-level ratings, including Mount Wudang, known for its many Taoist temples.
Source: Xinhua
2 Dec 2019. France. Alstom-Bombardier win contract to supply 44 metro trains
A consortium comprising Alstom and Bombardier has been awarded the contract to design and manufacture the new generation of metros for Île-de-France Mobilités and RATP The confirmed part of the contract covers the delivery of 44 trains for a sum of over €530m. This may be supplemented by the exercise of an option for a total of up to 410 trains. The respective share for Alstom and Bombardier amounts to approximately €265m. Initially, the new trains will be deployed on three Paris metro lines (3bis, 7bis and 10) and their entry into service will take place between 2024 and 2026. The options will then be used to equip 5 other lines (13, 12, 3, 8 and 7). The fleet will consist of 30 five-car trains for line 10 (76m long) and 14 four-car trains for lines 7bis and 3bis (60.86m long). These first 44 trains will have a driver’s cabin. Each train will be in “boa” configuration with modern passenger information systems, large bay windows and 100% LED lighting. The trains will also offer a heating and air conditioning system, USB sockets for charging mobile devices, and video protection cameras throughout the entire train. The environmentally friendly new metros will be eco-designed, making them 98% recoverable at the end of their lifespan.
Source: Urban Transport News
