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Rail News

28th July 2022. Volume 7, Issue 2

over 1 year ago by Rail Personnel

Dear Readers

We have 3x exciting Jobs of the Week this week.

In Saudi Arabia, we're looking for a Track Maintenance Expert to work on the North-South Railway and in the United States, we're looking for a Senior Program Manager and a Senior Project Planner to work in Boston.

Best Regards

Rail Personnel

Rail News

26 July 2022. United Kingdom. HS2 celebrates historic first tunnelling breakthrough

HS2 Ltd is today [Tuesday 26 July] celebrating the very first tunnelling breakthrough on Europe’s largest infrastructure project. A 2,000-tonne TBM named ‘Dorothy’ – after Dorothy Hodgkin, who in 1964 became the first British woman to win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry – has completed its one-mile dig under Long Itchington Wood in Warwickshire. The giant 125m long TBM, which started its journey at the tunnel’s North Portal in December 2021, broke through the wall of the reception box at the South Portal site on Friday 22 July. Nearly 400 people working for HS2’s main works civils contractor Balfour Beatty VINCI (BBV JV) have delivered this important milestone on the HS2 project.

Source: Rail UK

25 July 2022. Saudi Arabia. Makkah metro communications upgraded for Hajj operations

Hytera has replaced the communication systems on the Al Mashaaer Al Mugaddassah metro line in Makkah which only operates during the annual Hajj pilgrimage. Hytera said the existing communication system, which had been running since the 18 km line opened in November 2010, had become inconvenient and costly to maintain. ‘As this year Saudi Arabia expected to welcome over 1 million people for the biggest Hajj pilgrimage since the outbreak of the pandemic, the challenge for the transport system was huge’, said Stanley Song, Deputy General Manager of the company’s overseas sales department. ‘To ensure a safe Hajj season for pilgrims taking the Makkah metro, we decided to customise most of the equipment even under a tight schedule.’

Source: Metro Report International

25 July 2022. Australia. Hitachi Rail to Work on World-First Application of ATO over ETCS

Hitachi Rail has been chosen to install automatic train operation (ATO) over ETCS Level 2 technology across Queensland’s New Generation Rollingstock (NGR) fleet of 75 six-carriage trains. This application of ATO over ETCS will be a world first. The contract, valued at 107 million AUD (72.49m EUR | 74.3m USD), will be delivered over a four-year period. In addition to this work, Hitachi Rail has also been awarded a 65m AUD (44.04m EUR | 45.13m USD) contract for the maintenance of the fleet through to 2046.

Source: Railway-News

24 July 2022. India. Hinjewadi-Shivajinagar route: First segment for Pune Metro Line 3 installed

The first ever segment for Pune Metro Line 3 between Hinjewadi and Shivajinagar was installed on Friday at Hinjewadi where Suhas Diwase, commissioner, Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) was present along with other officials. The segment weighing 46 tonnes was lifted and erected at 11 metres height between proposed stations number 1 and 2 which will give a further boost to the ongoing work of 23km elevated Hinjewadi-Shivajinagar Pune Metro Line 3.

Source: The Hindustan Times

22 July 2022. India. NHSRCL invites bids for constructing BKC station

The National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) has invited new bids to fund the designing and construction of an underground railway station at Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high speed train corridor. The invitation for new bids has been issued after the new government cleared all land hurdles in Maharashtra last week. Bidding will open on October 21, and after completing a technical-financial assessment, a contractor will be appointed next year.

Source: The Hindustan Times

21 July 2022. Australia. RISSB welcomes new CEO

The Rail Industry Safety and Standards Board (RISSB) has appointed a new Chief Executive Officer (CEO), who will take the helm on August 15. Deborah Spring has announced that she will step down as CEO on 29 August and will resume her former role as RISSB’s Independent Chair. Ms Spring will be succeeded by industry leader Damien White, whose previous positions include CEO of TasRail; Executive General Manager, Inland Rail Integration for the Australian Rail Track Corporation; and most recently, Group Executive, Safety, Engineering and Technology for the Australian Rail Track Corporation.

Source: Infrastructure Magazine

21 July 2022. Japan. Tracklaying completed on Sotetsu – Tokyu Link

The completion of tracklaying on the link line connecting the Sotetsu and Tokyu railways was marked with a ceremony at Shin-Yokohama on July 8, attended by representatives from the two railways and the Japan Railway Construction, Transport & Technology Agency. Being built by JRTT under an innovative public financing agreement, the 10 km underground line runs northeast from the Sotetsu network at Hazawa Yokohama-kokudai via Shin-Yokohama and Shin-Tsunashima to join the Tokyu Toyoko Line at Hiyoshi, 13·6 km from Tokyo’s Shibuya hub. It will enable the two private railways to operate through services from Kanagawa prefecture and western Yokohama to central Tokyo from March 2023.

Source: Railway Gazette International

20 July 2022. Mexico. Mexico City Line 1 train unveiled

The first of 29 trainsets which CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive is supplying as part of the modernisation of Mexico City metro Line 1 was rolled out on July 18. The event was marked by a hybrid ceremony in both Mexico and China, attended by the city’s Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum, STC Director General Guillermo Calderón Aguilera, and Chinese Ambassador Zhu Qingqiao. Designed to operate at a maximum speed of 80 km/h, the nine-car rubber-tyred trainsets are 150 m long with a crush capacity for 2 200 passengers including 300 seated and 1 900 standing at 10/m2.

Source: Metro Report International

19 July 2022. Turkey. Turkey marks completion of tunnelling for new high-speed line

Turkish Transport minister Adil Karaismailoğlu celebrated the completion of tunnelling activities for the new high-speed line to Bursa over the weekend. It connects the important centre of commerce and industry in the Marmara region to high-speed rail. The new line will effectively link Bursa to both Istanbul and the Turkish capitol, Ankara. It will branch off from the existing Istanbul-Ankara high-speed line at Osmaneli and continue all the way to Bandırma. Another branch will head south, towards Balıkesir. According to Karaismailoğlu, travel time between Bursa and Istanbul and between Bursa and Ankara will be reduced to 2 hours and 15 minutes.

Source: Railtech.com

19 July 2022. United Kingdom. Transport Secretary boosts investment for rail in the North to over £9 billion

Passengers in the North are set to benefit after the Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps more than trebled the investment for TransPennine route upgrades (TRU). The increased spending should cut journey times and reduce carbon emissions by up to 87,000 tonnes per year. The funding, which has been expanded from £2.9 billion to more than £9 billion, is set to strengthen TRU and Northern Powerhouse Rail. The full route will be fitted with the latest technology, from complete electrification and full digital signalling, to increased capacity along the route for passenger and freight services between Huddersfield and Westtown in Dewsbury, doubling tracks from 2 to 4.

Source: Rail UK

18 July 2022. Morocco. Morocco moves forward with Maghreb high-speed rail line

Morocco is planning to launch a high-speed rail project linking the capital Rabat with the city of Fez, about 200km to the east, Morocco World News reports. The country’s National Railways Office (ONCF) has concluded a feasibility study for the first phase of the scheme, a 150km stretch between Rabat, on the Atlantic coast, and Meknes. It will now carry out an environmental and social impact assessment, and a financial evaluation. The Maghreb line is part of a plan to construct a 1,300km high-speed network between Morocco’s major cities. The first link, the €2.1bn Al-Boraq line running from Tangier in the north to Rabat and Casablanca in the south, was inaugurated in November 2018.

Source: Global Construction Review

16 July 2022. United States. California Bullet Train Gets $4.2 Billion Green Light For First Phase While Bigger Challenges Loom

In a breakthrough for the country’s most expensive public infrastructure project, California’s bullet train finally appears to have the money and the legal approval to complete its first leg. What remains a challenge is how to link that initial 171-mile route through the state’s Central Valley agricultural heartland to population centers in Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Jose—and how its designers will overcome California’s mountainous terrain and seismic risks. State legislators agreed last month to release $4.2 billion earmarked for the train’s first phase, between midsize cities Bakersfield, Fresno and Merced. The project may also benefit from more than $2 billion of federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds set aside for passenger rail.

Source: Forbes

Jobs of the Week

Track Maintenance Expert, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Job ID#: 13544

Discipline: Permanent Way

Position Type: Contract

Language: English

Job Description:

Our client is seeking a Track Maintenance Expert to work on the North-South Railway and be based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The successful candidate will work closely with the track section manager to produce comprehensive work plans and undertake inspections to ensure compliance with the client"s standards and rules. The purpose of the role is to assist the track section manager with the maintenance and repair of track and off-track assets. You will be involved in all maintenance activities including planned preventative maintenance, fault-finding, and repair within mandated timescales. Maintenance of auditable systems as required. In addition, the successful candidate will be required to develop engineering solutions to maintenance problems, carry out technician assessments and support principal investigations.

Key Accountabilities:

* Establish and maintain appropriate safety arrangements on behalf of the section manager

* Carry out work safely and in accordance with the safe systems of work procedures, method statements or other relevant instructions.

* Undertake work and associated duties for which you are trained and competent.

* Undertake and direct work activities in a safe and efficient manner and in accordance with all relevant standards.

* Control and check the quality of work undertaken and confirm assets are compliant to standards.

* Undertake checks to ensure the team has appropriate and valid competencies.

* Check that vehicles, plant, tools, equipment, and materials under your control are fit for use and are used/ stored and disposed of correctly.

* Accurately report all work completed/not completed and produce/maintain records as required.

* Contribute to your own development and that of others.

* Adhere to company policies and procedures.

Job Requirements

The Role will Entail:

* Track Inspection

* Track maintenance

* S&C inspection

* Structures inspection works

* Boundary maintenance & inspection works

* Sand mitigation works

* Drainage works

* Control of Welding/flash butting

* Control of Grinding

* Technical works

* Training/Mentorship

* Loading/unloading materials

* Planning

* On call

* Incident response

* Complicit to additional works required by Track Maintenance Manager

* Track quality

Contact: Jackie Hendry (jackie@railpersonnel.com)

Senior Program Manager, Boston, MA, United States

Job ID#: 13541

Discipline: Signalling

Language: English

Job Description:

Our client is a fully integrated, global provider of rail solutions across rolling stock, signalling, operation, service & maintenance, digital technology and turnkey solutions. They are seeking a Senior Program Manager to be based in Boston, Massachusetts.

Accountabilities:

* With reference to the assigned multiple projects:

* Propose the budget of the program

* For each project assigned (activities to be performed directly or through the assigned PMs):

* Ensure the accomplishment of the outcomes in accordance with the contractual scope of work, the schedule, the quality requirements and Company processes

* Monitor, report and achieve the targets of the assigned project in terms of Costs, Revenues, Margin and Cash in

* Monitor, report and achieve the project KPIs

* Manage the Client relationship

* Promote business opportunities and manage of the Change Orders

* Manage the Claims

* Execute the staffing process of the project team

* Evaluate the performances on project team members

Job Requirements:

Required Skills/Knowledge:

* 15+ years successfully managing large project's (>$100M)

* 15+ years successfully managing system integration projects with construction and technical subsystems.

* 15+ years experience in Mass Transit rail industry

* Engineering degree or equivalent experience required

* CBTC or Mass Transit PTC project experience preferred but not required

*

Desired Skills/Knowledge:

* Superior Communications Skills

* Superior Leadership skills

* Financial Awareness

* Management skills

* Negotiation

* Personal Organization

* Risk Management

Education: Bachelor's Degree

Languages: English-Proficient

Contact: Renee Wade (renee@railpersonnel.com)

Senior Project Planner, Boston, MA, United States

Job ID#: 13540

Discipline: Civil

Language: English

Job Description:

Our client is a fully integrated, global provider of rail solutions across rolling stock, signalling, operation, service & maintenance, digital technology and turnkey solutions. They are seeking a Senior Project Planner to be based in Boston, Massachusetts.

Accountabilities:

* Plan the construction and commissioning work on day-by-day basis

* Work with company leaders and third parties to produce detailed plans for the Project activities and all planned deliverables

* Assist Project Manager in producing project control reports including variation reports regarding time and budget as required by the Project Manager

* Assist Project Manager with the attendance of meetings with the customer and subcontractors regarding scheduling and project issues, ensuring that company interests are fully represented

* Monitor work in progress to ensure that work is executed in compliance with the requirements of the contract and schedule

* Participate in the Change Order Management process

* Execution of other duties as directed by the Project Manager

Job Requirements

Required Skills/Knowledge:

* 10+ years of relevant project management and project planning experience

* Ability to use Primavera P6

* Ability to use Microsoft Project

* Strong ability to understand and analyze dependency logic and project critical path

* Highly motivated and adaptable to a time-sensitive environment in order to respond quickly and effectively to unanticipated high workloads, events and emergencies

* Must be able to meet deadlines and effectively handle pressures associated with this role

* Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, employees, Project constituents, third parties and general public

* Bachelors Degree

Desired Skills/ Knowledge:

* 3-years of experience with rail construction projects

* 2-years of experience with large infrastructure construction projects

* Excellent understanding of project management techniques, in addition to effective planning and scheduling skills.

* Excellent communication and influencing skills in liaising with project stakeholders in the development of project schedules, while identifying milestones and critical paths

* 4 year degree in Business or Engineering

Education: Bachelor's Degree

Languages: English Proficiency

Contact: Renee Wade (renee@railpersonnel.com)