Dear Readers
Entries are now open for the 23rd annual Rail Business Awards, taking place at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London on 24 February 2021.
The Rail Business Awards will bring together more than 650 rail industry leaders and policy makers to celebrate success and excellence across the UK rail sector.
All 15 categories are now open and you can find all the information on how to enter the awards here.
This week's Jobs of the Week are in Vietnam, Singapore and India. In Vietnam, we are looking for a Deputy Installation and Construction Manager Trackwork and in Singapore, we're looking for a SHEQ Manager. For the SHEQ Manager position, our client will only consider Singaporean or those with Singapore PR.
Regards
Ceri Taylor
Editor
ceri@railpersonnel.com
This Week’s Headlines
5 Jul 2020. India. Bombardier bags UP contract for UP metro projects
The Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation (UPMRC) has awarded Bombardier Transport.
Source: PTI
3 Jul 2020. Hungary. Stadler to deliver additional hybrid tram-train vehicles to MÁV
Passenger service operator MÁV-START Zrt. has exercised its right and called an option from Stadler for four additional bi-mode tram-trains of the CITYLINK family.
Source: Stadler Rail
2 Jul 2020. Japan. Environmental concerns hit Maglev plans
The plan to launch a magnetic levitation train service that will more than halve the travel time between Tokyo and Nagoya by 2027 is being derailed by fierce resistance over environmental concerns.
Source: Straits Times
1 Jul 2020. USA. Southern California-Las Vegas high-speed rail gets another nod
Caltrans on authority from the California State Transportation Agency has entered into a lease agreement allowing XpressWest to use existing state right-of-way along I-15 for high-speed passenger rail service between the town of Apple Valley and Las Vegas.
Source: RT&S
1 Jul 2020. Belgium. Coronavirus costs SNCB almost €400m
The coronavirus crisis will have an impact of €398m on the figures of Belgian railway company SNCB, according to Federal Minister of Mobility François Bellot.
Source: The Brussels Times
Jobs of the Week:
Deputy Installation and Construction Manager Trackwork Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Job ID#: 13037
Discipline: Permanent Way
Position Type: Contract
Language: English
Job Description
Our client is seeking a Deputy Installation and Construction Manager Trackwork (Deputy C&I Manager Trackwork) to assist with activities on the New MRT Construction Project, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Project Scope: Design & Construction Project for all E&M System (Rolling Stock, Signalling, 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.
The Deputy Construction and Installation Manager Trackwork will report to the Construction & Installation Manager and will be responsible for assisting in the management of the construction and installation activities for the E&M Systems comprising Trackwork, for all areas of the HCMC Line 1 Project. The post holder will also work closely with the subsystem managers to implement and coordinate the overall installation strategy, safety provisions and coordinated programming
Job Requirements
1) Years of Experience
a) Total Year of Experience in construction management of slab track systems as well as depot track installation; 15 years
b) Experience in similar position ; 10 years of experience as C&I manager/ Deputy C&I Manager for contractors of Rails projects (similar project)
c) Similar experience on metro rail projects with similar tunnel configurations, slab track systems, ballasted track as well as special depot track installation
2) Bachelor or Master degree in Engineering (or related field)
3) Certificate of English (such as TOIEC) if mother language is not English.
Contact: Jackie Hendry (jackie@railpersonnel.com)
Job ID#: 13032
Discipline: Quality
Position Type: Contract
Language: English
Job Description
Our client is seeking a SHEQ Manager to be based in Singapore.
Our client will only consider Singapore Nationals or those with Singapore PR for this role.
The Safety Health, Environment and Quality (SHEQ) Manager is in charge to manage the development and implementation of the Safety Health, Environment and Quality System at the regional Head Quarter level as well as at the project level. At the Head Quarter level, he is in charge to review and update the SHEQ Management system in place, to ensure compliance with standard ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001, to renew corresponding ISO certificates and to prepare a full set of document ready for implementation on any project. He shall also promote the digitalization of the SHEQ processes. At the project level, he is in charge to manage directly the Safety, Health, Environment, Quality assurance and quality control processes on the project, ensuring activities are compliant with plans and procedures. He is also responsible to manage the SHEQ team to enhance and enforce the SHEQ aspect in the project team.
Job Requirements
Bachelor's Degree or Professional Certification in general engineering, with 10 years of experience as SHEQ Engineer and 5 years as SHEQ Manager
Desired Knowledge / Experience
- Proficient in Excel, PPT & Word
- Quality Assurance and Quality Control process, ISO 9001
- Environment and OSH process ISO 14001 and 45001
- Auditing Process and ISO 19011
Availability: As soon as possible
Duration: 3 years
Contact: Renee Wade (renee@railpersonnel.com)
Rail News
5 Jul 2020. India. Bombardier bags UP contract for UP metro projects
The Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation (UPMRC) has awarded Bombardier Transport India Pvt. Ltd the contract for supply, testing and commissioning of 201 cars for 67 trains of 3 cars each along with the train control and signalling system for the Kanpur and Agra metro projects. The work on the Kanpur Metro has already started. Four international firms had submitted bids for the contract in February this year. After technical evaluation of the bids by UPMRC, the Chinese bidder, CRRC Nanjing Puzhen, was disqualified from the process. The modern stainless steel trains will be manufactured by Bombardier Transport India in its plant in Gujarat. The UPMRC has set an extremely tight deadline of 65 weeks from now for the delivery of the first train-set from Bombardier.
Source: PTI
3 Jul 2020. Hungary. Stadler to deliver additional hybrid tram-train vehicles to MÁV
Passenger service operator MÁV-START Zrt. has exercised its right and called an option from Stadler for four additional bi-mode tram-trains of the CITYLINK family. The base contract for the supply of eight vehicles was signed between the companies in 2017 to serve the first tram-train system in Hungary between the cities of Szeged and Hódmezővásárhely. The first eight units are expected to enter commercial service by the autumn of 2021, while the optional 4 units by the summer of 2022. The new tram-trains are able to operate in electric mode under 600 V DC overhead on the tram networks in Szeged and Hódmezővásárhely, and in diesel mode on the mainline connecting both cities. They feature two low-emissions diesel power packs rated at 390 kW. They are also able to negotiate narrow curves of 22m radius providing the benefit of being used in existing curved streets of city centres.
Source: Stadler Rail
2 Jul 2020. Japan. Environmental concerns hit Maglev plans
The plan to launch a magnetic levitation train service that will more than halve the travel time between Tokyo and Nagoya by 2027 is being derailed by fierce resistance over environmental concerns. The maglev train can reach a top speed of about 500kmh - around twice that of a shinkansen bullet train - slashing travel time between the two cities to 40 minutes from the current 90 minutes. The plan is for the service, officially called the Linear Chuo Shinkansen, to be further extended to Osaka by 2037. But the fate of the ¥9tn project now hangs on plans to excavate a 9km tunnel through a mountain region known as the Southern Alps in Shizuoka prefecture, which is best known as the home of Mount Fuji. Shizuoka Governor Heita Kawakatsu refused to give the green light for construction at a meeting with operator Central Japan Railway (JR Central), citing concerns by environmentalists and local farmers that the plan will adversely affect the Oi River's quality and volume of water, potentially disrupting livelihoods in key parts of the agriculture industry, like in the tea and orange sectors.
Source: Straits Times
1 Jul 2020. USA. Southern California-Las Vegas high-speed rail gets another nod
The California Department of Transport (Caltrans) on authority from the California State Transportation Agency has entered into a lease agreement allowing XpressWest, a Brightline company, to use existing state right-of-way along I-15 for high-speed passenger rail service between the town of Apple Valley (near Victorville) and Las Vegas. The proposed XpressWest project will construct a 170-mile-long, electric high-speed passenger rail system that will run along I-15’s median protected by barriers. Approximately 135 miles of the system will be in California. The project will be privately financed. An environmental study estimates the completed project will reduce carbon emissions by 300,000 metric tons a year—the equivalent of removing nearly 65,000 vehicles off the road. Additionally, XpressWest expects to create more than 10,000 jobs during the project’s construction with another 500 new jobs post-construction. As the owner/operator of the state highway system, Caltrans will be serving in an oversight/quality control capacity to ensure that XpressWest adheres to state standards for the design and the construction phases of the project.
Source: RT&S
1 Jul 2020. Belgium. Coronavirus costs SNCB almost €400m
The coronavirus crisis will have an impact of €398m on the figures of Belgian railway company SNCB, according to Federal Minister of Mobility François Bellot. Instead of an operating profit of €108m, as had been predicted before the crisis broke out, an operating loss of an expected €290m will be booked this year, Bellot said in the Parliamentary Committee on Mobility. In the first weeks of the crisis, the number of passengers fell to 90,000 per day, one tenth of the normal number. Since the relaxations, the number of passengers has gradually increased, and a week ago, SNCB reported about 347,000 passengers per day. Over the year as a whole, the rail company expects more than a quarter less revenue from domestic traffic, Bellot said.
Source: The Brussels Times
1 Jul 2020. China. Shanghai – Nantong railway opens
Shanghai – Suzhou – Nantong (Tonghu) railway has launched daily services six years after construction began. The 143km railway will initially operate a maximum of 44.5 pairs of passenger trains per day, along with six pairs of freight trains daily, at speeds of up to 200km/h. The railway will reduce travel times between the cities of Shanghai and Nantong from 3h30m to 1h6m. The railway has nine stations at Zhaodian, Nantong West, Zhangjiagang North, Zhangjiagang, Changshu, Taicang Port, Taicang, Taicang South and Anting West. The railway also incorporates the 11km Shanghai-Sutong road/rail suspension bridge, which caries a four-track line and a six-lane road, as its primary crossing over the Yangtze river. The railway is intended to improve transport links across the economically important Yangtze delta region.
Source: International railway Journal
30 Jun 2020. France. Alstom offers AI to ensure passenger distancing and safety
Alstom has launched a new version of Mastria, the world’s first multimodal supervision and mobility orchestration solution, that uses artificial intelligence (AI) I to provide operators and transport authorities with enhanced passenger flow management tools. The solution allows operators to adapt, easily and in real time, their offer to the various social distancing and public gathering requirements that have arisen due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The new implementation of Mastria aggregates information on passenger demand from train weight sensors, ticketing machines, traffic signalling, management systems, surveillance cameras and mobile networks in order to offer a real-time picture of passenger flows. From this point, Mastria processes the information and provides operators with the information and recommendations necessary to ensure and anticipate specified levels of occupation, as a percentage of maximum capacity, at all times.
Source: Alstom
30 Jun 2020. Australia. Rail Manufacturing CRC closes
The Rail Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) is closing after six years of industry-leading research and the delivery of 65 projects. The Centre was established in July 2014, supported the studies of 51 Australian-based PhD students, and worked with 35 rail organisations and universities. The Rail Manufacturing CRC developed six new technologies that are likely to yield commercial returns. This has included a new passenger information system being used at Sydney’s Wynyard Station and the development of prototypes for supercapacitor control systems and composite brake discs. Following the Centre’s closure, the Rail Manufacturing CRC has launched a legacy website at www.rmcrc.com.au, containing project achievements, publications, with a number of video profiles included on key projects. The Australasian Railway Association (ARA) is also calling for new rail research funding to fill the void the CRC will leave in the industry.
Source: Infrastructure Magazine
29 Jun 2020. UK. Government to invest £15m in North East rail infrastructure
Passengers in the North East of England are set to benefit from more frequent, reliable rail services and better connections, thanks to £15m of government investment, the Transport Secretary has announced. Horden Station in Durham will open to passengers for the first time today. This restores a vital link for up to 70,000 passengers in an area that hasn’t had a station in a 20 km stretch after the previous station was closed in 1964. The Transport Secretary has also announced £8.7m of investment to develop proposals for a package of enhancements to modernise Darlington station. These include 2 new platforms for local services, one new platform for southbound long-distance services and a raft of improvements to make the station more accessible .A further £2.45m has also been agreed to develop proposals at Middlesborough station that would see platform 2 extended to accommodate longer trains with more seats.
Source: Gov.UK
29 JUN 2020. The Netherlands. Stadler sign deal to refit trains with ETCS GUARDIA
Arriva Nederland and Stadler signed a contract to refit 36 trains with the European Train Control System (ETCS) GUARDIA. The project will include the homologation of GUARDIA for the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. The fleet of 36 trains includes 8 trains that have already been used on the international train line RE18 in Limburg. The regional carrier Arriva is the first in the Netherlands to order the system to make its trains suitable for the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS). The first trains with the built-in system will be ready for use in 2022. The installation of GUARDIA into the trains will be carried out at Stadler’s service centre in the Netherlands. The assignment will be executed between 2020 and 2024.
Source: Stadler Rail
28 Jun 2020. Eire. Dublin to Paris high speed rail network plan revealed
A proposal to build a high speed rail network connecting Dublin to Paris has been published. The Ultra-Rapid-Train network plan consists of four routes which connect European cities through the use of public transport. The plan published by the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies suggested that the plan could cost up to €2tn over the course of 10 years. The total fund would be used on a number of COVID-19 recovery payments in areas including public health and decarbonisation. From the €2tn total, €550bn would be used on the first leg of the transport project linking the Irish and French capitals. According to the institute the line would consist of Dublin-Paris via a ferry-based sea link between Cork and Brest. The other three links include Lisbon to Helsinki, Brussels to Valletta and Berlin to Nicosia.
Source: Extra ie
26 Jun 2020. Sweden. Bombardier delivers first MOVIA C30 metros for Stockholm
Bombardier Transportation has delivered its first MOVIA C30 metro trainsets to operator, Stockholm Public Transport (SL). The new metros are destined for the Red line on the Stockholm metro system, where they will enhance the passenger experience and reduce energy consumption. The MOVIA C30 metro trainsets will progressively replace existing older trains on the Red line, which connects the north-eastern and south-western suburbs directly with the city centre. Each four-car train has a driver’s cab at each end, seating for 140 passengers in the four-by-four seating configuration with additional seats along the vehicles’ sides, as well as standing areas and multi-purpose spaces. Three bi-parting sliding doors per side per car, speed up entry and exit at stations. The air-conditioned cars meet the highest environmental standards for energy consumption and are constructed from materials which are 98 per cent recyclable.
Source: Global Newswire
26 Jun 2020. Australia. ACCC to appeal rail terminal takeover
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is seeking special leave to appeal to the High Court after the Federal Court green light to Pacific National's acquisition of the Acacia Ridge terminal in Queensland from rail freight operator Aurizon. The ACCC had argued the Federal Court erred in approving the deal, after Pacific National offered an undertaking to prevent it discriminating against other rail operators accessing the rail terminal. The ACCC also plans to seek the High Court's ruling on the scope of a court's power to accept an undertaking as a remedy after finding that a proposed acquisition is anti-competitive.
Source: AAP
25 Jun 2020. Norway. Alstom receives latest ETCS certification
Alstom has received full certification of the latest interoperability standard for rail, European Train Control System (ETCS) Baseline 3 Release 2. Ahead of the large-scale rollout of the solution in Norway, Alston has also been certified by Belgorail to implement its world-first data fusion algorithms using both satellite navigation and inertial movement to accurately and safely measure the location and speed of trains. Initially created to enable a standardised European cross-border rail traffic, the use of ETCS is set to safely increase speed, reliability, and capacity. The latest standard includes higher radio capacity and other evolutions to better address railways needs. The new odometry system based on data fusion, which Alstom is currently implementing in Norway, is applicable to all types of trains and all environments, including the harshest weather conditions. By 2026, 450 trains will be equipped with the new standard and in commercial service across Norway. Tests for the first locomotive equipped with the new solution will begin in June this year.
Source: Alstom
25 Jun 2020. Russia. Knorr-Bremse to develop next-generation high-speed trains
Knorr-Bremse, Russian Railways RZD and the Russian Engineering Center (ECRT) have formed a strategic partnership for construction of a new very high-speed train generation In the initial phase, Knorr-Bremse will bring in its conceptual know-how and systems expertise to help determine the trains’ technical specifications The first trains with speeds greater than 300km/h are slated to enter service in 2026 The routes between the two business hubs of Moscow and St. Petersburg, as well as between Moscow and Russia’s fifth-largest city, Nizhny Novgorod, are currently served by 16 Sapsan high-speed trains. All of the Sapsan trains including the future additions are equipped with braking, entrance and HVAC systems as well as windscreen wipers and power electrics from Knorr-Bremse.
Source: Knorr Bremse
25 Jun 2020. India. All regular train services cancelled until mid- August
All regular mail, express and passenger services as well as suburban trains have been cancelled till 12 August, the Railway Board has announced. Source said that the decision was taken keeping in mind the increasing number of coronavirus cases in the country. However, all special trains -- 12 pairs running on the Rajdhani routes since 12 May and 100 pairs operating since 1 June -- will continue, they said. The limited special suburban services which began recently in Mumbai to ferry essential services personnel identified by the local authorities will also continue to run, officials said. Earlier, the Railways had cancelled all trains till 30 June.
Source: PTI
25 Jun 2020. Australia. Financing faster rail networks
The federal government is considering a value capture tax to recoup the costs of its ambitious program to build faster rail connections along the eastern seaboard. The 20-year plan for a faster rail network, aimed at boosting regional centres and taking pressure of the largest cities, is outlined in the Faster Rail Plan, which identifies several fast rail corridors. The plan includes A$2bn for faster rail between Melbourne and Geelong and eight regional to capital city business cases. The Standing Committee on Infrastructure, Transport and Cities on Tuesday explored options for financing the project, including value capture, which would reflect the uplift in the value of land near rail infrastructure. Other possible mechanisms of value capture can include capital gains tax, stamp duty, council rates, land tax and company tax.
Source: Government News
25 Jun 2020. New Zealand. Auckland airport rail link plans paused
The government has halted plans to build a light rail link between Auckland Airport and the city. The decision is a result of bickering between political parties, with only the Greens and Labour supporting the project. Winston Peters, who is Deputy Prime Minister but representing a separate party in coalition, rejected the idea. “Every program has got to stack up, be fiscally sound and it’s got to work,” Mr Peters said. “We’ve always been for heavy rail in this country. Light rail is a plan that the costs have blown out massively. It is not going to happen in the immediate term.” The move comes despite a large uptick in flights around the country as New Zealand recovers from the coronavirus pandemic.
Source: Australian Aviation
