Dear Readers
Train travel has received a more important role in Europe in recent years with policy makers and consumers oriented toward train travel as a means of reducing carbon emissions
Inspired by its sister index, the European Consumer Airport Index, the Consumer Choice Center looked at Europe’s 50 largest railway stations and ranked them in terms of passengers experience, ranked according to a mix of factors ranging from how crowded platforms are and accessibility to the number of destinations and cleanliness. It also includes availability of ride-hailing services, competition of train companies, on-site restaurants and shopping, number of international destinations, quality of signage, average strike days, and existence of first class lounges.
The European Railway Station Index features mainly northern European railway stations in the Top 10. Roma Termini and Milan Centrale are the only two southern European railway stations among the ten-best ranked stations and Moscow Kazansky as the only eastern European railway station to make the Top 10.
European Railway Station Index
RankRailway StationCityTotal score
1St. Pancras InternationalLondon116
2Zürich Central StationZurich111
3Leipzig Central StationLeipzig110
4Roma TerminiRome108
5München Central StationMunich103
6Hamburg Central StationHamburg99
6Berlin Central StationBerlin99
8Milano CentraleMilan96
9Moscow KazanskyMoscow94
9Frankfurt Central StationFrankfurt94
(Source: Consumer Choice Center)
And we are sad to hear that Robert (Bob) Lupton has passed away after a long battle with cancer. We extend our sincere condolences to Bob’s family. A Celebration of Life service is being held in Waiuku, Auckland, New Zealand on Friday 27th March. For details, please visit: https://notices.nzherald.co.nz/obituaries/nzherald-nz/obituary.aspx?n=robert-harry-lupton-bob&pid=195440866
This week's Jobs of the Week are in Vietnam and Thailand. In Vietnam, we are looking for a Project Engineer, Wayside to work in Ho Chi Minh City and in Thailand, we're looking for Contracts Administrators for 4-6 months contract.
Regards
Ceri Taylor
Editor
This Week's Headlines:
21 Feb 2020. India. CRRC subsidiary awarded Bangalore Metro contract
The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd has awarded an Rs8.55bn (US$119m) contract to CRRC Corporation’s subsidiary, CRRC Nanjing Puzhen, for 36 train sets.
Source: Railway Technology
21 Feb 2020. Australia. Train derailment kills two people north of Melbourne
Investigators have begun sifting through the wreckage of a Sydney-Melbourne XPT train that derailed near Wallan north of Melbourne, killing the driver, his co-pilot and injuring 11.
Source: ABC
20 Feb 2020. UK. Grand Central invests in new London route train fleet
Train operator Grand Central is investing more than £21m in its fleet of trains on its new North West to London route.
Source: BDaily News
20 Feb 2020. UK. First roundels installed at Northern Line Extension stations
TfL has begun installing roundels in the new tube stations on the Northern line extension - the first new Northern line roundels for more than 100 years.
Source: Londonist
20 Feb 2020. France. Brittany Ferries to launch rail motorway service
Brittany Ferries has announced plans to launch its first rail motorway service in 2021, a 980km land bridge carrying unaccompanied lorry trailers between the Channel port of Cherbourg and Mouguerre close to the Spanish border near Bayonne.
Source: Railway Gazette
Jobs of the Week:
Project Engineer Wayside Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Job ID#: 12894
Discipline: Electrical
Position Type: Contract
Job Description
Our client is seeking an experienced Project Engineer for Wayside design and installation works to form part of the Construction and Installation (C&I) team for the E&M systems in the successful execution of the Project.
The candidate will report to the Senior Project Engineer.
Project scope involves the Design & 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 Requirements
1) Years of Experience:
a) Total Year of Experience in railway projects ; 10 years
b) Experience as Project Engineer for E&M systems in Railway Projects ; 10 years
2) Certificate of Graduation (Engineering majors)
3) Fluent in English
4) Solid knowledge & experience in Engineering Design, Management and Project Life Cycle for overall E&M Systems of railways
5) Familiarity with site installation activities
6) Experienced in managing a site installation team in a railway environment
7) Proficiency in technical writing and engineering design
8) Rail engineering background and experience.
9) Chartered Engineer preferred
10) Familiarity with International Engineering Standards including IEC and En - familiarity with Japanese standards desirable.
Contact: Saras Jay (sarasj@railpersonnel.com)
Contracts Administrators Bangkok, Thailand
Job ID#: 12928
Discipline: Contracts
Position Type: Contract
Duration: 4-6 months
Job Description
This international company is seeking to work as a Quantity Surveyor/Contracts Administrator for this contract role (4-6 month duration only). The client is looking for someone already based in Thailand ideally to work on the Bangkok Red Line Project.
Candidates will:
- Be confident to review and argue the contract terms with the local installation and construction contractor.
- Have proven experience in developing and reviewing claims/ counter claim letters and requests.
- Confident to advise on all contractual issues relating to the contract terms.
Job Requirements
- Candidates should have proven experience both on the client and contractor side.
- Happy to work at site location
Contact: Jackie Hendry (jackie@railpersonnel.com)
Rail News:
21 Feb 2020. India. CRRC subsidiary awarded Bangalore Metro contract
The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) has awarded an Rs8.55bn (US$119m) contract to China’s CRRC Corporation’s subsidiary, CRRC Nanjing Puzhen, for 36 train sets consisting of 216 coaches. CRRC will also establish a facility in Sri City in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. It has committed to manufacturing 34 of the train sets, or 204 coaches, in India. The delivery of the coaches will begin in the third quarter of 2021. Out of the 216 coaches, 126 coaches or 21 six-car trains will operate on the purple and green lines. The rest of the 90 coaches or 15 six-car trains will operate on the yellow line. The 90 coaches for the yellow line will feature a communications-based train control (CBTC) system. BMRCL expects the yellow line’s automation systems to adhere to Grade of Automation level four (GOA4) standards. This will allow trains to operate without drivers at frequency.
Source: Railway Technology
21 Feb 2020. Australia. Train derailment kills two people north of Melbourne
Investigators have begun sifting through the wreckage of a Sydney-to-Melbourne XPT train that derailed near Wallan north of Melbourne. Police said the male driver 54, and his female co-pilot, 49, died in the crash and 12 were injured. Concerns have been raised about the condition of the track at the time of the accident. Five carriages as well as the locomotive had come off the tracks, officials said. Passengers told the media they were thrown around the carriage for a minute as the train derailed. Earlier in the journey, the driver had also announced to passengers that he would try to make up time for earlier delays, passengers reported. The train is the main long-distance service between Sydney and Melbourne, and runs along tracks operated by the federal government.
Source: ABC
20 Feb 2020. UK. Grand Central invests in new London route train fleet
Train operator Grand Central is investing more than £21m in its fleet of trains on its new North West to London route. Four sets of MK4 coaches in six-car formation have been leased from Eversholt Rail until December 2026. The coaches are currently undergoing a £1.5m refurbishment at Alstom in Widnes, which will include Grand Central livery and a full interior refresh. Grand Central has also hired a pool of five locomotives from DB Cargo UK. The trains will run daily direct services between Blackpool North and London Euston starting later this year. The new route is the first chance to travel to London from Blackpool without having to change at Preston. It will also give more opportunities for commuters travelling from Nuneaton and Milton Keynes to travel to London.
Source: BDaily News
20 Feb 2020. UK. First roundels installed at Northern Line Extension stations
TfL has begun installing roundels in the new tube stations on the Northern line extension - the first new Northern line roundels for more than 100 years. Battersea Power Station was the recipient of the first new roundels. In total, more than 100 of the iconic signs will be manufactured for that station and its new neighbour, Nine Elms Station. AJ Wells & Sons Ltd on the Isle of Wight, which has produced TfL's sign for many years, is making them. The new signs have the same Johnston typeface that the network is known for. The last new roundels on the Northern line were created for the line's extension to Morden in 1926. The Northern line extension will extend from Kennington station to the two new stations, and will have the widest tunnels on the tube network. Construction work on the extension is currently at the stage of the installing escalators and power supply to the new station, and extending the signalling into the extension.
Source: Londonist
20 Feb 2020. France. Brittany Ferries to launch rail motorway service
Brittany Ferries has announced plans to launch its first rail motorway service in 2021, a 980km land bridge carrying unaccompanied lorry trailers between the Channel port of Cherbourg and Mouguerre close to the Spanish border near Bayonne. The rail service is intended to complement its existing shipping routes linking the UK and Ireland with Spain. It would also be available for French domestic traffic. Cherbourg has been selected as the only suitable port in the western Channel with an existing rail link close to the ro-ro ferry linkspan. Ports de Normandie will undertake the required infrastructure works, installing facilities for loading and unloading trailers. The southern terminal at the Centre Européen de Fret site will be able to handle 750 m trains without interfering with the other operations. In the longer term, Brittany Ferries plans to create another terminal at Sète on the Mediterranean coast which would also be served by trains to and from Cherbourg.
Source: Railway Gazette
20 Feb 2020. Germany. Passenger services return to Hamburg line
Passenger services have returned to the short 3km Tornesch – Uetersen line north of Hamburg for the first time in more than 50 years. Locals are being encouraged to use the experimental service, which will operate until 25 February to build the case for permanent reinstatement of the passenger service, reflecting substantial population growth in the area in the more than half a century since passenger services ended. The service is being operated by Luxembourg Railways’ (CFL) German freight and regional passenger subsidiary NEG, which already operates freight services on the local-authority-owned line. The line, which opened in 1873, lost its passenger services in May 1965 but remained open for freight traffic to and from a paper mill in Uetersen.
Source: International Railway journal
20 Feb 2020. Spain. Madrid Line 4 modernisation reaches halfway point
Metro de Madrid’s €47m modernisation of Line 4 is more than 50% complete and the small-profile line is expected to reopen by the middle of next month. The upgrading work will see legacy signalling renewed in the tunnels and the installation of rigid catenary, allowing more trains to run per hour and reducing maintenance costs. Four stations are also being refurbished to comply with current regulations, including the removal of asbestos, waterproofing of the structure and the replacement of furniture and electric conduits on platforms and access ways. The 16 km line was suspended for a full engineering blockade on 13 January, since when works have been underway around the clock with a team of 400 people and 20 auxiliary vehicles. Once the line reopens in mid-March, the upgrading work will continue at night for up to five month.
Source: Metro Report International
20 Feb 2020. Canada. Injunction served to protesters blocking CN rail
Authorities served protesters an injunction on Thursday evening, ordering a group of protestors to stop blocking a commuter train line on Montreal's South Shore. Earlier in the day, Canadian National Railway (CN) announced it had obtained an injunction to dismantle a rail blockade on the Mont-Saint-Hilaire commuter train line near Saint-Lambert station. Lawyers for CN used an English model for the injunction, which must first be translated into French and brought to a judge before it can be served on the demonstrators. In a statement, the company said it hoped for a swift resolution so passenger rail service can resume.
Source: CBC
19 Feb 2020. USA. Amtrak to commence high-speed testing of new Acela trains
The first of a fleet of 28 new high-speed, high-tech trains, which will serve the Northeast Corridor in 2021, have arrived at the Transportation Technology Center near Pueblo, Colorado where they will begin nine months of high-speed testing. The testing will involve the “pantograph, railway dynamics, tilting, traction, slip/slide and wayside protection, brakes, and train control management systems,” Amtrak officials said. After the testing phase, the train set will return back to where they were built at Alstom in Hornell, New York, for the installation of their interiors. The second Acela train set has been built and will travel to Amtrak’s Penn Coach Yard in Pennsylvania next month for testing. Construction of the third train set began in November and will tentatively head to Philadelphia in September for its testing phase.
Source: Boston.com
19 Feb 2020. UK. HS2 reveals Old Oak Common station design
HS2 has unveiled its new designs for its planned passenger super-hub at Old Oak Common in west London, which will serve 250,000 passengers per day. The plans for the new hub, which were submitted for planning approval today, are part of a wider regeneration project for Old Oak and Park Royal, which will see the former industrial site transformed into a new neighbourhood. Six 450m HS2 platforms will be built in an 850m long underground box, with twin tunnels taking high speed trains east to the southern terminus at Euston and west to the outskirts of London. The planning application will now be considered by Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation and a decision is expected this summer.
Source: CityAM
19 Feb 2020. France. Alstom to purchase Bombardier Transportation
Alstom has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the takeover of Canadian engineer Bombardier’s rail division. The deal is expected to cost between €5.8bn and €6.2bn, with pension fund investor, Caisse de Dépôt et Placement du Québec (CDPQ) holding 32.5% of Bombardier Transportation and 18% of Alstom. French contractor Bouygues will continue to hold 10% of Alstom’s shares. CDPQ will invest €2bn in Alstom following the deal, with €700m to follow. The merger is due to go into effect in 2021, if allowed to proceed by regulators such as the European Commission, which ruled out a merger between Bombardier and Siemens in 2017.
Source: Global Construction Review
18 Feb 2020. France. Akiem acquires Macquarie Europe Rail’s train leasing business
Akiem Group, the leading European locomotive lessor, has announced the signing of a definitive agreement under which the company will acquire Macquarie Europe Rail’s rolling stock leasing business. The transaction includes 137 locomotives serving 21 freight and passenger operators across Continental Europe and the United Kingdom, 30 electric multiple units trains leased to the Greater Anglia franchise in the UK, 16 diesel multiple-unit trains that are operated under a Dutch franchise and 110 wagons. The transaction will be fully executed subject to regulatory approvals. Since 2016, Akiem has invested in more than 200 locomotives, the delivery of which is in progress, with the final locomotive expected in 2021
Source: Premier Construction Magazine
18 Feb 2020. Australia. Canberra's light rail extension to be wireless despite cost
Converting light rail vehicles to wire-free technology for the next stage of Canberra's network could cost up to 20 per cent more per vehicle and is a sign the ACT Government is bowing to pressure from the Commonwealth, an expert has warned. The National Capital Authority (NCA) has long called for the section of track from Commonwealth Avenue Bridge through the Parliamentary Triangle to operate wirelessly, in a bid to preserve heritage views on Commonwealth land. Chief Minister Andrew Barr has previously said he wanted to limit wire-free technology to only those essential sections because of concerns it could blow-out the cost. But the announcement by Transport Minister Chris Steel appeared to go against that original position, with an additional 1.7kms of track from the city to Commonwealth Avenue Bridge set to be made wire-free. The ACT Government has consistently encouraged the Federal Government to chip in financially when discussing the need for wire-free technology on Commonwealth land.
Source: ABC
17 Feb 2020. Germany. DB Regio orders 18 Mireo trainsets from Siemens
DB Regio has placed an order from Siemens Mobility for 18 three-part Mireo train sets that will be used for service on the Lausitz regional network in the states of Brandenburg and Saxony. T he order is a result of Verkehrsverbund Berlin-Brandenburg (VBB) awarding DB Regio with the contract for the Lausitz network in December 2019. The first train sets are due to be delivered to DB Regio by autumn 2022. Commissioning of the trains will take place between October 2021 and November 2022, and passenger service is scheduled to begin in late 2022. The Mireo train sets ordered by DB Regio benefit from 180 seats, enhanced passenger comfort and full barrier-free access. Additionally, the order includes features such as: WLAN, charging stations for e-bikes, energy-saving lighting, power sockets with integrated USB charging ports, inductive charging at the tables with vis-à-vis seating, and premium-quality first class sections.
Source: Global Railway Review
17 Feb 2020. Finland. Hitachi Rail to deploy on-board ERTMS on VR fleet
Hitachi Rail STS has signed a contract to equip VR Finland’s newly ordered fleet of diesel locomotives with European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) technology. The company secured the order from Stadler Rail Valencia, which is delivering 60 locomotives to the Finnish railway firm. Compatible with ERTMS Baseline 3.6 and the Finnish JKV-STM train control system, the on-board ERTMS system will help in improving interoperability and availability of the trains. The contract also includes the option of further deliveries up to 2030. With this new order, Hitachi Rail aims to improve its position as an on-board ERTMS system supplier to Nordic train operators.
Source: Railway Technology
