Dear Readers
The 2nd Annual Transit-Oriented Developments forum will be online this year and provides a global platform for all key stakeholders and leading players in Transit-Oriented Developments to address the key issues faced by them and excellent networking opportunities for the people that matter and whose opinions count.
For more details and to register to attend, please visit http://transitorienteddevelopmentslse.marcusevans.com/
Also, AusRAIL PLUS will now take place at the International Convention Centre in Sydney from 28 February to 2 March 2022.
Current Queensland border restrictions, and the ongoing uncertainty about when they will be lifted, has resulted in the need to seek new arrangements for this year’s event. With NSW’s roadmap out of lockdown confirming the state will be open for business in the new year, the organisers are looking forward to welcoming the industry to AusRAIL PLUS in Sydney for what is sure to be a fantastic three days.
For more details and to register to attend, please visit https://www.ausrail.com/
This week's Jobs of the Week are in India and Singapore. In Singapore, we are looking for a Track Maintenance Engineer and in India, we're looking for a Chief Quality Expert for a total 5 man months.
And if you have any photos relevant to the rail industry or projects or achievements that you would like to highlight in our newsletter, please send these details to renee@railpersonnel.com.
Regards
Rail Personnel
This Week's Headlines:
1 October 2021. Australia. Procurement begins for METRONET’S signalling project
METRONET’s High Capacity Signalling (HCS) project has started its procurement process, with Expressions of Interest (EOI) open now.
Source: Infrastructure Magazine
30 September 2021. UK. Network Rail announces £25m investment to secure future of critical Wales and Borders transport link
Details revealed of a multi-million-pound plan to rescue a railway line increasingly ravaged by climate change and extreme weather.
Source: Rail UK
29 September 2021. China. Guangzhou opens first express metro line
Guangzhou’s first express metro line was opened on September 28, with trains operating at up to 160 km/h.
Source: Metro Report International
Jobs of the Week
Chief Quality Expert, New Delhi, India
Job ID#: 13196
Discipline: Quality
Position Type: Contract
Language: English
Job Description:
Our client is looking for a Chief Quality Expert to join their team in India on the Western Dedicated Freight Rail Project.
The railway has a total length of 1,500 kilometers and the corridor is expected to be fully operational in 2023. The Western DFC will connect Delhi, the capital of the nation, with Mumbai, the second largest city. The project is part of the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor Initiative jointly promoted by Japan and India. It has been approved as the Official Development Assistance (ODA) loan project and is being carried out under the Special Terms for Economic Partnership (STEP) scheme in which the use of technologies owned by Japanese companies is highly promoted. When fully opened, WDFC will be able to cut down the transportation time from three days to one day. Our client along with five other engineering firms are in charge of procurement of equipment such as power systems and trains, and construction supervision in the first phase of the project.
Total 5 man months Immediately required.
Job Requirements
- Academic Qualification: Bachelor Degree in Civil Engineer
- General Work Experience: more than 17 years
- Experience in Same/Similar: more than 11 years
- Overseas Project Experience: more than 8 years
- Work Experience/developing country: more than 3 years
- English Language: Yes
Contact: Varun Pershad (varun@railpersonnel.com)
Track Maintenance Engineer, Singapore
Job ID#: 13328
Discipline: Permanent Way
Language: English
Job Description:
Our client is a public transport operator in Singapore operating bus, rail and taxi services.
They are looking for experienced permanent way maintenance engineers. Night work involved. Responsibilities are:
* Plan and execute maintenance of permanent way (i.e., rails, sleepers, all track components, guide ways, viaducts & tunnels) and related maintenance equipments and engineering vehicles
* Ensure compliance to and in accordance with pre-established safety standards and LTA regulations when maintenance work is carried out
* Monitor and review progress of preventive maintenance, repair works and reliability of engineering trains in a timely manner
* Carry out track inspection regime, conduct defects trend analysis, incident investigations, on-site audits to understand persistent issues affecting maintenance work
* Manage, lead, guide, train and supervise in-house Technical Officers, Technicians and external contractors in maintenance work relevant to permanent way
* Develop and implement failure management and emergency response procedures / processes when deemed necessary
* Manage Route Protection Team and ensure adequate support rendered to LTA"s Development and Building Control (DBC) System
* Upkeep department maintenance documents as well as review and validate maintenance contract specifications and contractors" billing accordingly to approved budget allocated
* Execute any other tasks / duties as assigned by superior(s)
Good salary and conditions.
This is a good opportunity to join an exciting and vibrant company
Job Requirements
* Degree in Civil Engineering
* Min 5 years' maintenance experience in Mechanical, Civil engineering or Permanent Way in a railway environment would be advantageous
* Possess positive attitude and enthusiastic about acquiring new knowledge and skills
* Result-oriented team player with good interpersonal and communication skills
* Self-motivated and resourceful individual
* Able to work under pressure and independently
* Receptive towards work arrangements beyond office hours
* Ability to identify colours
Contact: David Hyland (davidh@railpersonnel.com)
Rail News
1 October 2021. Australia. Procurement begins for METRONET’S signalling project
METRONET’s High Capacity Signalling (HCS) project has started its procurement process, with Expressions of Interest (EOI) open now. Funded by both the Commonwealth and State, the HCS project will replace the rail network’s aging signalling and control systems, which are nearing the end of their asset lives – with a more modern integrated Communications-Based Train Control system. The communications-based system will continuously send real-time train data to the Public Transport Authority control centre, which will use the data to monitor the speed and location of every train. This will allow for a more efficient use of the existing rail network and is a vital component in future-proofing the network, allowing trains to safely run more frequently.
Source: Infrastructure Magazine
1 October 2021. UK. HS2 asks pupils with disabilities for ideas on improving stations and trains
Pupils from three Birmingham schools and colleges dedicated to providing support for students with Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND), have presented their ideas for how the design of HS2’s stations and trains can meet the needs of passengers with a disability. Pupils from Braidwood school for the Deaf in Hodge Hill, Heart of Birmingham College in Washwood Heath and Queensbury School in Erdington were invited to take part in a virtual work experience programme with HS2. The partnership forms part of HS2’s commitment to provide inclusive career development opportunities for SEND pupils and support them to achieve positive career outcomes.
Source: Rail UK
30 September. Amsterdam-Berlin connection could be less than 5 hours
Dutch and German officials called to add the Zwolle-Enschede-Münster connection to the priority TEN-T network during a meeting with members of parliament in The Hague. By measures such as doubling a section of track in the Netherlands, the train journey between the west and east of the Netherlands can be shortened by at least half an hour. This benefits the international connection to Berlin, which could be less than 5 hours in total. The connection between the two major capitals of Amsterdam and Berlin, the current journey time of more than 6 hours has been seen as a shortcoming for a long time. At the same time, the Dutch eastern province of Overijssel has long been advocating a better connection between the region and the economical cluster of cities in the west of the country known as the Randstad, including Amsterdam.
Source: RailTech.com
30 September 2021. UK. Network Rail announces £25m investment to secure future of critical Wales and Borders transport link
Details revealed of a multi-million-pound plan to rescue a railway line increasingly ravaged by climate change and extreme weather. The Newport-Gloucester line connects South Wales with the West Country, Midlands and north of England, providing a vital link for passengers. Running alongside the Severn Estuary – exposed to rain, wind and sea – more frequent extreme weather has seen the line devastated by five major landslips in the last two years alone. This has led to extended closures of the railway and temporary speed restrictions, delaying more than 200,000 trains.
Source: Rail UK
29 September 2021. China. Guangzhou opens first express metro line
Guangzhou’s first express metro line was opened on September 28, with trains operating at up to 160 km/h. The 58·3 km Line 18 runs from a southern terminus at Wanqingsha in the rapidly developing Nansha port district to Xiancun on the east side of the city centre. There are just eight stations, with the 26 km between adjacent stops at Panyu Square and Hengli permitting sustained fast running. The line is worked by fleet of 25 eight-car Type D trainsets supplied by CRRC Zhuzhou. These have been designed for operation at 160 km/h, but have been tested at up to 176 km/h.
Source: Metro Report International
28 September 2021. Ticket sale starts for new night train Vienna-Munich-Paris
The European night train network is further expanding with the launch of two new connections from December. Passengers can now book the sleeper train Vienna–Munich–Paris. Together, Deutsche Bahn, ÖBB and SNCF will run this connection under the Nightjet name. The connection from Vienna to Paris is one of the two first expansions of the Nightjet network announced last December by the German, Austrian, Swiss and French railways. The other connection will also run from December, connecting Zurich to Amsterdam via Cologne. In 2022, the connection Zurich – Rome will follow, in 2023 Vienna / Berlin – Brussels / Paris and in 2024 Zurich – Barcelona.
Source: RailTech.com
27 September 2021. United States. Amtrak train was under speed limit when it derailed in Montana, killing 3: officials
An Amtrak train that derailed in rural Montana over the weekend was going just under the speed limit at about 75 mph (121 kph) when it went off the track along a gradual curve, killing three people and possibly ejecting passengers, U.S. investigators said Monday. Investigators do not know the cause of the accident, but they are studying video from the train and another locomotive that went over the same track a little over an hour earlier, National Transportation Safety Board Vice Chairman Bruce Landsberg said. The derailed train also had a black box that records everything happening in the train, he said.
Source: Globalnews.ca
23 September 2021. Turkey. Istanbul’s historic European terminus to be reopened
The Ministry for Transport is to call tenders for the reopening of the 8 km section of railway into Istanbul’s historic European terminus at Sirkeci. The double-track main line was cut back in 2013 to allow construction of the cross-Bosporus Marmaray commuter link, which diverges from the traditional alignment in the suburbs at Kazilçeşme and runs underground to deep-level platforms below Sirkeci before continuing to the Asian side of the city. Inter-city trains now terminate at the Marmaray interchange at Halkalı to the west of the city.
Source: Metro Report International
22 September 2021. France. Macron puts high speed projects back on track in ‘decade of the TGV’
In a speech at Paris Gare de Lyon during an event held on September 17 to mark 40 years since the launch of TGV services, President Emmanuel Macron announced the revival of plans to expand the high speed network, describing the 2020s as ‘the decade of the TGV’. Expansion has effectively been off the agenda since July 2017 when the president called for a ‘pause’ in construction of grands projets in the rail sector — this at the inauguration of LGV Sud-Europe Atlantique and LGV Bretagne-Pays de la Loire. Efforts would be focused instead on investment in the existing network, the president said at the time.
Source: Railway Gazette International
22 September 2021. Philippines. DOTr, Pasay City sign deal for monorail, flyover extension
Residents and those working in Pasay City will soon enjoy easier public transportation after the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the city government signed a deal for the construction of a monorail and extension of the Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue (Edsa)-Tramo flyover. In a live broadcast on Facebook on Wednesday, DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade and Pasay City Mayor Emi Calixto-Rubiano signed the memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the proposed Integrated Pasay Monorail and Edsa-Tramo flyover extension project. Tugade said the project will be interoperable with the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1), Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3), the Edsa Busway, and the Edsa Greenways.
Source: Philippine News Agency
21 September 2021. India. First Kanpur metro train unveiled
The first trainset for the metro under construction in Kanpur was handed over to state project promoter Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corp in a virtual ceremony on September 18. In July 2020 UPMRC awarded Bombardier Transportation — since acquired by Alstom — a €245m contract to supply 67 three-car Movia trainsets as well as Cityflo 650 communications-based train control for the Kanpur and Agra metro projects, combing the orders with the aim of replicating the rapid timescale achieved on the Lucknow metro Phase 1A project. Delivery of the first set for Kanpur was scheduled within 65 weeks of the order. There is an option for a further 51 cars.
Source: Metro Report International
21 September 2021. Spain. Madrid-Barcelona high-speed trains exceed pre-pandemic passenger numbers
For the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic began, more passengers travelled on the Madrid-Barcelona high-speed line than before the health crisis. The growing trend is expected to continue with the introduction of third operator Ilsa, and begin to show the benefits of the rail market opening in Spain. This milestone not only shows the progressive recovery of mobility in general and the use of rail in particular compared to other modes of transport, but also the effect of the liberalisation of passenger rail traffic. This took place in December 2020. The upcoming introduction of a third railway company, Ilsa, as well as the start of Ouigo’s operations in the Madrid-Levante and Madrid-Andalusia corridors, are expected to continue this trend.
Source: RailTech.com
20 September 2021. Australia. Rail Freight Action Plan to boost investment and reforms
The Australasian Railway Association (ARA) has launched its Rail Freight Action Plan, outlining a program of work to promote investment in rail and increase rail freight’s modal share. ARA CEO, Caroline Wilkie, said, “Rail will meet almost three quarters of the growth in demand for Australia’s freight task by 2030 and is a crucial part of ensuring sustainable and efficient supply chains. “The Rail Freight Action Plan confirms a strong agenda to support greater use of rail to meet our current and future freight needs.” Ms Wilkie said the ARA was working closely with rail freight industry stakeholders to deliver the actions outlined in the plan over the next 12 months.
Source: Infrastructure Magazine
17 September 2021. Australia. Rail Freight Action Plan to lead focus on reform, investment and modal shift
The Australasian Railway Association (ARA) has launched its Rail Freight Action Plan today, confirming its advocacy agenda to support greater use of rail freight. ARA Chief Executive Officer Caroline Wilkie said the plan outlined a significant program of work to improve the regulatory environment, promote investment in rail and increase rail freight’s modal share. “Rail will meet almost three quarters of the growth in demand for Australia’s freight task to 2030 and is a crucial part of ensuring sustainable and efficient supply chains,” Ms Wilkie said. “The Rail Freight Action Plan confirms a strong agenda to support greater use of rail to meet our current and future freight needs.” Ms Wilkie said the ARA was working closely with rail freight industry stakeholders to deliver the actions outlined in the plan over the next 12 months.
Source: ARA News
15 September 2021. Australia. $20 million contract awarded for NSW rail centre
A $20 million contract has been awarded to deliver major electrical works at Dubbo’s Mindyarra Maintenance Centre in New South Wales. Six locals will be recruited to carry out the works under the contract awarded to ARA Indigenous Services. Nationals Member for Dubbo, Dugald Saunders, said the awarding of this contract to a registered Aboriginal business is great news. “I encourage everyone to apply for the new roles needed to get this work done, including two electricians, two trades’ assistants and two project administrators,” Mr Saunders said. “This is another example of why we chose to build the new rail centre in Dubbo: to support the new fleet, stimulate our economy and help create sustainable job opportunities and skills.”
Source: Infrastructure Magazine
15 September 2021. United States. House T&I Committee Advances $10 Billion for HSR
On Tuesday, after a more than 15 hour markup, the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee advanced legislation that includes a record $10 billion in dedicated funding for high-speed rail. The funding was part of a broader overall package of $60 billion in proposed investments in making America’s infrastructure “more sustainable, resilient, and equitable, and to reduce carbon pollution from the transportation sector.” The funding for HSR is split into two pots: $9 billion for capital projects and $1 billion for planning costs. It will be awarded through a competitive grant process over the next 5 years. Projects like California HSR should be able to move quickly to secure funding for capital projects and work towards getting 220 mph trains in operation by the end of the decade.
Source: High Speed Rail Alliance
14 September 2021. Japan. JR Central targets Shinkansen business travellers with work-oriented offering
Central Japan Railway Company is to revamp its offering for business travellers using Tokaido Shinkansen services, in response to changing travel patterns and working practices driven by the coronavirus pandemic. On August 26 JR Central announced the launch of a suite of onboard and station services intended to help business travellers between Tokyo Station, Nagoya and Shin-Osaka to use their time more productively. One of these is the launch of the ‘S work car’. The ’S’ refers both to ‘Seamless’ and ‘Shinkansen’; the objective is to provide passengers with a suitable working environment from the moment they enter a train through to the end of their rail journey.
Source: Railway Gazette International
13 September 2021. UK. HS2 hits 20,000 jobs landmark
HS2 Ltd has announced that, according to its latest figures, over 20,000 people are now working on the project, one year on from the Prime Minister announcing the formal start of construction on Phase One from London to the West Midlands. Companies across the country are now forming part of HS2’s supply chain. Contracts have already been awarded to over 2,200 businesses, 97% of which are UK-based. A further £25 billion worth of opportunities are expected to flow out into the wider supply chain over the coming years.
Source: Rail UK
11 September 2021. UK. Fatigue and stress led to Hitachi train cracks, finds ORR
Both fatigue and stress corrosion led to the cracks that resulted in Hitachi-built Class 80x trainsets and Class 385 EMUs being withdrawn from service earlier this year, according to an interim review released by the Office of Rail & Road. Operators affected by the problems include Great Western Railway, LNER, Hull Trains, TransPennine Express and ScotRail. Noting that a root cause has not yet been established and the technical investigation continues, ORR concludes that the cracks found in the area of the bolster close to the yaw damper bracket and anti-roll bar fixing points were a result of fatigue. Such cracks occur when loads are above a threshold level but typically much lower than those required to cause an immediate structural failure. Fatigue cracks grow over time and reduce the strength of the component until the remaining material is not strong enough to take the loads being exerted.
Source: Rail Business UK
9 September 2021. UAE. Keolis starts operating Dubai metro and tram
In the United Arab Emirates, Keolis started operations on the Dubai fully automated metro and tramway networks on 8 September. Keolis began operating and maintaining the Dubai metro network and the city’s tramway network, as part of the contract awarded in January 2021 by the Dubai Transport Authority (RTA). The contract runs for at least 9 years, with three 2-year extension options.
Source: RailTech.com
7 September 2021. UK. ‘UK-Australia trade deal big opportunity for rail’
Rail industry sources have reacted positively to the abolition of export tariffs between the UK and Australia. The word from Westminster is that there is opportunity for a potential export boom for operators, suppliers and consultants. The UK government has signed a deal with their Australian counterparts, to remove a five per cent export tariff on rail products, potentially cutting costs and making British bids more competitive. It is being heralded as a major free trade Brexit benefit.
Source: RailTech.com
3 September 2021. Transpennine Express announces new North East services
Transpennine Express has announced it is to begin a new service between Newcastle and Edinburgh, calling at a number of key stations in Northumberland. The service, planned to start in December this year, is expected to operate five times each weekday in each direction, in most cases calling at Newcastle, Cramlington, Morpeth, Widdrington, Alnmouth and Berwick-Upon-Tweed. In Scotland it will serve a new station at Reston when it opens in the coming months, Dunbar, and Edinburgh Waverley. The service will operate until at least May 2023. It is the result of discussions between Transpennine Express, Transport Scotland, and the Rail North Partnership. Calls at Widdrington and Cramlington are subject to completion of industry procedures for operational and safety requirements, and may be introduced after the start of the December 2021 timetable.
Source: Rail UK
3 September 2021. Egypt. Siemens signs contract for Egypt’s first high-speed rail
Egypt’s first ever high-speed line is one step closer with the signing of the first contract with Siemens. It covers the initial 660 kilometres out of the 1800 kilometre rail network planned. Siemens Mobility will provide high-speed and regional trains, locomotives, rail infrastructure. The contract is the first to be signed after Siemens entered a Memorandum of Understanding for the high-speed line back in January. For the project, Siemens Mobility will deliver its Velaro high-speed trains, Desiro high-capacity regional train sets, and Vectron freight locomotives. According to Siemens, the connection will transport more than 30 million people per year and save up to 50 percent travel time.
Source: RailTech.com
