Dear Readers
Model railway enthusiasts from across the UK and beyond will be heading to north London’s Alexandra Palace on 21-22 March.
The London Festival of Railway Modelling brings together a wonderful collection of scale train models and railway layouts.
Over 120 exhibitors will fill the Great Hall at ‘Alexander Palace, including some of the best-known names in the industry: Hornby, Bachmann Europe, Mad About Trains and Digitrains.
Tickets for The London Festival of Railway Modelling are from £12 (adults), £6.50 (children), available at the event or on-line at https://www.theticketfactory.com/tickets/events/the-london-festival-of-railway-modelling/
This week's Jobs of the Week are in Vietnam and Singapore. In Vietnam, we are urgently seeking a Requirement and Configuration Manager for a six-month contract in Hanoi and in Singapore, we are looking for a Project Manager for a 2-3 year contract to manage the construction of a temporary Operations Control Centre. Also, in Singapore, we are looking for a Business Analyst with strong asset management experience.
Regards
Ceri Taylor
Editor
This Week's Headlines:
28 Feb 2020. France. SNCF posts €800m loss for 2019
Rail operator SNCF has posted an €800 million loss for 2019 - largely due to the strike that paralysed much of the network during December and into January.
Source: The Local (Fr)
28 Feb 2020. UAE. Etihad Rail to expand locomotive fleet
Etihad Rail has awarded a contract to Chicago-based Progress Rail Locomotive to supply locomotives for the country’s nationwide rail network.
Source: TradeArabia News Service
27 Feb 2020. UK. Train firms pay £1.3bn to shareholders in five years
Train companies have paid shareholders £1.3bn in the past five years despite anger at delays and cancellations.
Source: The Times
26 Feb 2020. UK. Funding boost for station accessibility improvements
Disabled passengers are set to benefit from accessibility improvements at 124 stations thanks to a £20m government fund announced by the Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps.
Source: Department for Transport
26 Feb 2020. UK. Hull Trains are the only operator with an entirely new fleet
The UK’s smallest rail operator, Hull Trains, is the only company which can promise every journey will be on a brand new, world-class train.
Source: RTM
Jobs of the Week:
Requirement and Configuration Manager, Hanoi, Vietnam
Job ID#: 12940
Discipline: E&M
Position Type: Contract
Job Description
Our client is urgently seeking a Requirement and Configuration Manager for a six-month contract in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Reporting to: Project Manager
Project: Hanoi metro line 3 project, Hanoi, Vietnam
Key Responsibilities:
Includes but not limited to the following:
* Prepare Requirements Management Plan and Procedure & Requirement Management System for compliance
* Implement the Requirements Management System throughout the work under the whole contract
* Monitor Configuration Management process and standards
* Implement Compliance matrix
* Communicate with all levels and disciplines
* Detailed internal Audit
* Accurate performance statistics with Process Oversight
* Accurate design of the bill of material
* Other tasks assigned by the Project Manager
Job Requirements
* Qualified with Bachelor Degree
* Familiarization of Configuration process in E&M projects
* Strong command of the English language written and spoken
* Strong command of Microsoft Office and Computer skills
Contact: Renee Wade (renee@railpersonnel.com)
Project Manager Singapore,
Job ID#: 12943
Discipline: Civil
Job Description
Our client is looking for an experienced Project Manager for a 2-3 year contract to manage the construction of a temporary Operations Control Centre then manage the refurbishment of the existing OCC at the BPLRT depot.
The person needs to be experienced and be self sufficient, driven, etc. and will be responsible for preparing the proposal and getting acceptance with the customer to the timeline, budget and scope as well as acceptance of the migration plan for the OCC upgrade, site surveys and BOM generation.
During the project phase he or she will be responsible to
- Project manage the scope of works, including timeline, budget and scope
- Identify risks & opportunities
- Interface with the customer and get approvals where required.
- Prepare requirements analysis & management
- Define of scope of works, including TRD, for appointment of subcontractors
- Prepare Design submissions with customer and architect.
- Prepare Authority submissions
- Execute migration plan for OCC
- Interface with main project team to de-conflict base scope delivery e.g. timeline, design, installation, testing scope.
Job Requirements
Experienced Project Manager
Contact: David Hyland (davidh@railpersonnel.com)
Business Analyst Singapore,
Job ID#: 12941
Discipline: Asset Management
Position Type: Permanent
Job Description
Our client has been a leader in transport solutions for more than 160 years and is constantly innovating its portfolio in its core areas of rolling stock, rail automation and electrification, turnkey systems, intelligent traffic systems as well as related services.
They are looking for someone to take on the role of Business Analyst based in Singapore. Ideally someone from the railway industry with full life cycle asset management experience in a data-driven environment.
The Business Analyst will be tasked with the following:
- Analyze customers’ business in relevant asset management processes
- Derive data services use cases in respect to value propositions on customers’ business
processes and needs
Job Requirements
- At least 8 years of working experience in the described field
- Bachelor or Master in Civil or Data Engineering
- Familiar with Agile and Business Analysis frameworks (SCRUM, BABOK)
- CBA certification is an asset (but not mandatory as priority is given to real experience in
similar position/industry)
- Comfortable with requirement and project management tools (DOORS, MS Project, Primavera)
- 3 to 5 years of business domain knowledge
- More than 2 years of experience in asset management processes in an asset intensive industries
Contact: Jackie Hendry (jackie@railpersonnel.com)
Rail News
28 Feb 2020. France. SNCF posts €800m loss for 2019
The state-owned rail company SNCF has posted a net loss of €801m for the year 2019, despite a strong growth in passenger numbers throughout the year. Unsurprisingly, the main cause of black hole in the company accounts is the strike action that took place in December and January. When the strike started on 5 December, SNCF was able to run just 10 per cent of its normal services and trains remained very limited for several weeks. The strike - 27 days in total - cost SNCF €690m in lost revenues and €614mi in operating profit, their accounts show. In 2018 the operator had made a profit of €141m, and bosses said that had it not been for the strike they would have been in profit again in 2019 Revenues from SNCF Travel (notably the high-speed TGV routes and Intercité travel) rose by 4.2 per cent, with traffic up 4.1 per cent.
Source: The Local
28 Feb 2020. UAE. Etihad Rail to expand locomotive fleet
Etihad Rail has awarded a contract to Chicago-based Progress Rail Locomotive to supply locomotives for the country’s nationwide rail network. This strategic supply will help Etihad Rail expand its fleet to 45 locomotives, over six times of its current fleet strength of seven locomotives. The signing of the contract follows the awarding of all civil works contracts for Stage Two of the national railway network, the launch of construction works of Package A of Stage Two, and the award of a contract to build a series of freight facilities for the rail network. Etihad Rail said as per the deal, Progress Rail will design, manufacture, test, and ship 38 EMD locomotives especially designed to withstand the high temperatures and humidity of the Gulf region. Additionally, the locomotives fleet will be equipped with a state-of-the-art air filtration system that filters sand from the air intake and pulse cleaning systems, ensuring effective and efficient operations while passing through desert areas.
Source: TradeArabia News Service
27 Feb 2020. UK. Train firms pay £1.3bn to shareholders in five years
Train companies have paid shareholders £1.3bn in the past five years despite anger at delays and cancellations. Figures from the Office of Rail and Road show that operators paid out £218m in 2018-19, as train punctuality fell to its lowest level in 13 years. The highest dividend was paid by Great Western (£50m), the defunct Virgin West Coast (£41m) and Southeastern (£30m). The taxpayer paid £400m to subsidise private train firms last year - the first time in five years that the government gave out more than it received back in payments from the train operators, the regulator said.
Source: The Times
26 Feb 2020. UK. Funding boost for station accessibility improvements
Disabled passengers are set to benefit from accessibility improvements at 124 stations thanks to a £20m government fund announced by the Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps. The enhancements will include new lifts, accessible toilets and customer information screens. These improvements form part of the wider Inclusive Transport Strategy and supports the government’s ambition of achieving equal access for all on public transport. Alongside this, the department has also launched its Inclusive Transport Leaders Scheme, an accreditation scheme which will encourage, celebrate and promote best practice in inclusive transport. Operators, are encouraged to sign up to the scheme, where they will work towards one of three accreditation levels by demonstrating the steps they have taken to improve the travelling experiences of disabled passengers, older people, and those with reduced mobility.
Source: Department for Transport
26 Feb 2020. UK. Hull Trains are the only operator with an entirely new fleet
The UK’s smallest rail operator, Hull Trains, is the only company which can promise every journey will be on a brand new, world-class train. Hull Trains’ fleet is less than six months old and has rolled out each new train as soon as their final safety tests were completed by Hitachi. This guarantee has come into place as all 92 journeys a week to London will now be on the state-of-the-art Paragon trains, creating space for an extra 5,000 passengers. Louise Cheeseman, Managing Director for Hull Trains said: “At Hull Trains we are incredibly proud to be the only UK operator boasting an entirely modern fleet of trains.” She added: “Our bi-mode trains have the ability to switch between diesel and electric operation. This was invaluable during the disruptions from the recent storms as all train operators on the East Coast Main Line needed to operate in diesel mode at a reduced speed for safety.”
Source: RTM
26 Feb 2020. Switzerland. SBB to modernise tilting trains
Swiss Federal Railways (SBB), has announced its plans to modernise its 44 Intercity (ICN) tilting trains. The ICN tilting trains have an average lifespan of approximately six million kilometres and have now reached the middle of their lifecycle. As a result, SBB will renew and modernise the trainsets after every six million kilometres travelled in order to make them fit for an additional 20 years’ service. Originally purchased between 1999 and 2005, SBB’s ICN tilting trains are mainly used on the Genève-Aéroport – Biel / Bienne – Basel / St. Gallen routes and on the north-south axis. The modernisation works will be undertaken at the SBB Yverdon-les-Bains plant and is expected to span eight years, commencing in 2021.
Source: Global Railway Review
26 Feb 2020. Australia. Cross River Rail board to be sacked as Minister takes over
The 10-member board overseeing the Cross River Rail project will be sacked within two months as Cross River Rail Minister Kate Jones takes control to give herself more oversight ahead of the construction phase. Ms Jones said she wanted to ensure head contractor CPB Group and the Pulse consortium deliver, after CPB Group had been involved in disputes on interstate projects. She added that the compliance unit would not cost taxpayers any extra money. Cross River Rail is the largest infrastructure project in Queensland’s history and will cost an estimated A$5.4bn to build a 10.2-km stretch of rail track, with 5.9 kms of tunnels, and will incorporate four underground stations. It is expected the project will create more than 7700 jobs.
Source: Brisbane News
26 Feb 2020. Australia. Faster Sydney to Canberra rail line an urgent priority
The independent infrastructure adviser has warned the rail link between Sydney and Canberra must be improved in the next five years, strengthening longstanding calls from the ACT and NSW governments for serious investment in the corridor. Infrastructure Australia has also renewed a call for the corridor to be preserved for high speed rail, as part of a line down the east coast of Australia. Infrastructure Australia said the travel time could be made quicker by straightening and duplicating the track, electrifying and upgrading signals and investing in new rolling stock.
Source: The Canberra Times
25 Feb 2020. Japan. ATO tested on Osaka Loop Line
West Japan Railway (JR West) has successfully tested automated train operation on a section of the Osaka Loop Line, as a precursor to introducing ATO on its busiest routes in the region. Using an eight-car Series 323 EMU from a class built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Kinki Sharyo since 2006, JR West ran two sets of ATO trials at night, when no commercial services were operating. Running clockwise on the outer track of the circular route, the train ran for 4.2km between Osaka and Kyobashi, passing through the intermediate stations at Temma and Sakuranomiya. A driver was present in the cab during the test runs, but did not intervene in the driving procedure. During the trial runs, the EMU’s acceleration and braking performance under automatic control was monitored, along with the speeds reached and the ride comfort. The precision of stopping at stations was also assessed, ensuring that the
Source: Railway Gazette
25 Feb 2020. Australia. Adelaide rail privatisation plan on track
Three consortia shortlisted to bid for the South Australian Government’s privatisation of Adelaide’s rail services have been invited to tender. The sell-off plan remains on track, with an Invitation to Supply issued t three consortia – Adelaide Next, a consortium between Deutsche Bahn and John Holland with Bombardier as a sub-contractor; Keolis Downer, a consortium between Keolis and Downer EDI; and TrainCo, a consortium between Transdev and CAF. The winning bidder will operate metro rail services on the government network across the Belair, Gawler, Outer Harbor and Seaford lines with spur lines on Grange and Tonsley. Under the proposed sell-off, the State Government will retain ownership of rail assets, including trains, trams, tracks and stations, entering into “a performance-based franchise contract that keeps the operator focussed firmly on the efficiency and quality of service delivery to customers”.
Source: InDaily
24 Feb 2020. UK. South Western passengers face more strikes
Hundreds of thousands of rail commuters are facing more travel misery after union leaders announced a further strike over the role of guards on trains. Passengers using Southern Western Railway one of the country’s busiest networks, will be hit by two 24-hour strikes next month. The walkout by the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) will be the first since members staged an unprecedented month-long strike throughout December over the same issue. It suggests that there is no sign of an end to the dispute, which has targeted South Western for almost two and a half years, despite further talks planned between the company and union.
Source: The Times
24 Feb 2020. Indonesia. Coronavirus delays Jakarta high-speed rail project
Workers and materials stuck in China amid the coronavirus outbreak will delay work on Indonesia’s $6bn high-speed railway from Jakarta to Bandung, according to a project official. Around 300 Chinese staff went home for the Lunar New Year and could not return after Indonesia banned flights to and from China. “The problem is many of those who returned to China are at senior levels and this has affected decision making,” said Chandra Dwiputra, managing director of the Chinese-Indonesian JV building the railway, PT Kereta Api Cepat Indonesia China Two thousand of the project’s 14,000 workforce are Chinese nationals. More trouble is caused by the fact that nearly of materials, including pipes, waterproofing and signalling equipment are made in China. Their supply has been interrupted by the shutdown of manufacturing in China as authorities sought to contain the virus.
Source: Global Construction Review
23 Feb 2020. Australia. Driver wrote of faults on line before fatal derailment
The driver of the Sydney-to-Melbourne express passenger train who was killed when the train derailed emailed a friend less than a month before the tragedy outlining faults with the track. In an email dated 3 February, Kennedy wrote to his friend, Australian National University professor Clive Williams, that numerous trips along the same rail line had been precarious. Investigators continue to sift through the wreck as questions have been raised about the maintenance of the train and railway line, signalling, and the speed of the train at the time. The Rail, Tram and Bus Union secretary Luba Grigorovitch said it was a disgrace that the signalling box had been out of operation for about three weeks. That fire left the signals inoperable along a section of the rail line. The line continued operating at full speed, with the pilot having to manually navigate the XPT through the affected section. It is not yet known at what speed the XPT was travelling immediately prior to the incident.
Source: AAP
22 Feb 2020. India. NCRTC invites bids for Delhi-Meerut RRTS rolling stock
The National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) has invited bids for the rolling stock of the Delhi-Meerut regional rapid transit system (RRTS) corridor. The last date for the submission of the bids is 11 March 2020. As part of the bidding process for the 210 coaches required, foreign firms will also be allowed to participate. The 82-km long Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS project will be the country’s regional rapid corridor to have world-class train sets procured under Make in India’ guidelines. The Delhi-Meerut RRTS project will be implemented in phases between the two cities. It will have 22 RRTS stations, out of which 16 will be regional stations, while six stations will be in Meerut. The priority phase of Delhi-Meerut RRTS, which is the 17 km long Sahubabd-Duhai section, has been targeted for operations by the year 2023. Once the entire project is completed it will reduce the travelling time between Delhi and Meerut to just 55 minutes
Source: Financial Express
21 Feb 2020. Spain. Renfe signs Dallas-Houston high-speed railway deal
National rail operator Renfe has signed a deal with US rail developer Texas Central to design, build and run the United States' first-ever high-speed rail line. In a statement, Spain's transport ministry said the €5.5bn agreement would see Renfe working alongside its US partner to develop and operate a line between Houston and Dallas which would begin operating in 2042. Italian construction and engineering firm Salini Impregilo will be in charge of building the 386-kilometre (240-mile) line, which should be finished by 2026. For Renfe, the design and construction phase of the contract, which will run to 2026, is worth some US$311m, while the operation and maintenance of the line between 2026 and 2042 will bring in some US$5.6bn. Texas Central Partners is a private company set up for the rail project, which Renfe has described as the first-ever high-speed line in the United States.
Source: Renfe
21 Feb 2020. Israel. Tel Aviv-Jerusalem high speed rail extension approved
Israel’s Transportation Ministry has announced that it is moving forward with plans to extend the new Tel Aviv-Jerusalem high-speed rail line in order to connect Ben-Gurion International Airport directly to the Western Wall in Jerusalem. The new route for the railway extension has been approved by the National Planning and Construction Commission. It will feature a 1.8-mile underground tunnel with two new stations, including one adjacent to the Khan Theatre Complex in downtown Jerusalem and the other inside the Old City. Tourists arriving in Israel will be able to hop on a train straight to the Western Wall as their first destination while visiting the country.
Source: JNS.org
