Dear Readers
The Australasian Railway Association (ARA) has released the Conference Program for AusRAIL PLUS which will take place from Tuesday 25 to Friday 28 November at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre.
With three days of thought leadership, technical insights and industry connection, all focused on the future of rail, this year’s program brings together sessions on innovation, sustainability, workforce transformation, policy and more, showcasing the ideas and partnerships driving progress across the rail sector.
To view and download the AusRAIL Plus program, visit: https://ausrail.com/program/
Don’t miss your chance to be part of the largest event in the Asia Pacific region for rail professionals. Organised by the industry, for the industry, AusRAIL PLUS 2025 promises unparalleled networking opportunities and invaluable insights.
Visit https://ausrail.com/registration/ to register and secure your spot today.
Our Job of the Week this week is in the Philippines where we are looking for a Design Manager to support activities on the North South Commuter Railway (NSCR) Project.
Best Regards
Rail Personnel
Rail News
29 July 2025. Australia. Metro TBMs breaks through to Parramatta
Two tunnel boring machines (TBM) have broken through at the Parramatta station box, officially connecting the suburb to the Sydney CBD after 17 months of work. This marks 90 per cent completion of all tunnelling on the Sydney Metro West project and comes after a double breakthrough at Pyrmont, at the eastern end of the line.Sydney Metro West will transform the Parramatta city centre into a vibrant precinct, with the station anchoring a mixed-use development over the equivalent of two city blocks.
Source: Infrastructure Magazine
29 July 2025. Germany. Cologne places €700m order with Stadler for high-floor light rail vehicles
The contract aims to modernise Cologne's light rail fleet and enhance passenger capacity and comfort. Kölner Verkehrs-Betriebe (KVB) has awarded a €700m ($816.4m) contract to Stadler to supply 132 high-floor light rail vehicles, with the first deliveries expected in 2029. The contract aims to modernise Cologne’s light rail fleet and enhance passenger capacity and comfort.
The new trains, designed specifically for Cologne’s network, can be coupled through a quick-release coupling to form longer trains, offering space for up to 470 passengers.
Source: Railway Technology
On Saturday, 26th July, the team working on the HS2 project lifted the TBM’s 9.11-metre diameter cutterhead, front and middle shields, weighing 880 tonnes, using a large gantry crane. The tunnelling machine concluded its 3.4-mile journey from Victoria Road in Ealing in June, arriving in an underground reception chamber. TBM Emily excavated 775,000 tonnes of London Clay and installed 17,514 concrete tunnel segments. In keeping with tradition, the machine was given a female name after Emily Sophia Taylor.
Source: Rail UK
28 July 2025. United Kingdom. SYSTRA to Assist in UK Transition to FRMCS
SYSTRA UK and Ireland has announced it will assist the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) in the UK’s switch to the Future Railway Mobile Communication System (FRMCS). The new system is set to replace the country’s existing GSM-R system, with SYSTRA now set to provide both a strategy and an overall roadmap for the sector’s transition. The data provided will be reviewed and continued by the RSSB, as well as several relevant stakeholders.
Source: Railway News
28 July 2025. India. Indian Railways tests nation’s first hydrogen-powered locomotive
The hydrogen locomotive is a key part of Indian Railways' “Hydrogen for Heritage” initiative. Indian Railways has successfully tested a hydrogen-powered locomotive, the nation’s first such initiative, at the Integral Coach Factory (ICF) in Chennai, according to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
Vaishnaw announced the milestone on social media, stating: “First hydrogen-powered coach (Driving Power Car) successfully tested at ICF, Chennai. India is developing a 1,200HP hydrogen train. This will place India among the leaders in hydrogen-powered train technology.”
Source: Railway Technology
27 July 2025. Iran. Chinese company to electrify Iranian railway to boost freight capacity
A Chinese company is to electrify 1,000 km of the east-west corridor connecting Serakhs on the border with Turkmenistan to Razi on the border with Turkey. Speaking after a meeting with China Railway during the 106th General Assembly of the International Union of Railways in Beijing, the head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways Jabbar Ali Zakeri said the project would include the construction of a second track on parts of the corridor to triple freight capacity to 15 million tonnes/year.
Source: Railway Gazette International
25 July 2025. United States. Jacobs to provide West Seattle Link Extension design services
Sound Transit has appointed Jacobs to provide design and design validation services for the West Seattle Link Extension project. The 6·6 km light rail extension from a junction south of the existing SODO stop will include a high 520 m long cable-stayed bridge spanning the Duwamish River and a 900 m tunnel. There will be stops at SODO, Delridge, Avalon and Alaska Junction. The start of major construction is planned for 2027, with opening envisaged for 2032.
Source: Metro Report International
Job of the Week
Technical / Design Manager – Station Systems and Architecture, Manila, Philippines
Job ID#: 15146
Discipline: Station Design
Language: English
Job Description:
Our client was awarded two civil works packages for the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) project in the Philippines. These packages involve the construction of railway sections, including viaducts, elevated and at-grade stations, and associated mechanical, electrical, and facade works.
They are looking for an experienced engineer to be the Technical / Design Manager - Station Systems and Architecture to be based in Manila to lead, coordinate, and manage all aspects of the design process for a key station on the NSCR project, covering station architecture, passenger flow, tunnel & station ventilation systems, MEP, and associated civil works. The Design Manager will act as the Contractor's lead interface with the appointed Design Consultant and relevant internal and external stakeholders, ensuring that the design is robust, compliant, constructible, value-driven, and delivered in accordance with contract timelines.
Key Responsibilities:
1. Design Leadership & Coordination:
- Lead the end-to-end management of the station's design development, ensuring alignment with project requirements, programme, and budget.
- Coordinate with multi-disciplinary consultants and subcontractors (architectural, structural, MEP, TVS, fire safety, etc.).
- Monitor, review, and challenge consultant outputs to ensure compliance with technical standards, constructability, operability, and maintainability.
- Work closely with the Commercial and Contracts team to ensure client-driven design changes are correctly addressed and variations/claims are fully supported and documented.
2. Technical Oversight:
- Ensure all designs meet applicable local and international codes (e.g., NFPA 130 for fire, EN/BS for ventilation and MEP, PNS, Philippine Building Code).
- Ensure integration of passenger flow analysis, crowd management design principles, universal access, and safety in design.
- Supervise and technically vet designs for station ventilation, smoke extraction, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, architectural finishes, and fire/life safety systems.
3. Change Management:
- Evaluate and manage design changes, variation requests, and ensure proper documentation and approval routes.
- Identify and assess design risks and interface issues, ensuring early mitigation actions.
- Maintain a design decision register and track impacts to cost and schedule.
4. Deliverables and Quality Assurance:
- Define expected deliverables and ensure timely submissions per project stage gates (preliminary, detailed design, IFC, shop drawings).
- Review and approve design submittals, ensuring clarity, completeness, coordination, and traceability.
- Monitor design consultant performance against agreed KPIs and milestones.
5. Constructability and Site Integration:
- Coordinate with construction teams to ensure constructability and sequencing are considered in design.
- Participate in constructability reviews, method statement validations, and resolve site queries related to design.
- Attend site coordination meetings to align design deliverables with construction progress.
6. Stakeholder & Interface Management:
- Coordinate with the Employer, Independent Checking Engineers, railway systems contractors, and authorities.
- Interface with rail system design teams for proper coordination of station MEP/TVS with track, traction power, signaling, and communications
Key Deliverables:
- Design Management Plan
- Design Submittal Schedule & Tracking Register
- Design Review Comment Logs
- Interface Control Documents (ICDs)
- Constructability Review Reports
- Change Management Log
Job Requirements:
- Degree in Civil, Mechanical, Electrical Engineering, or Architecture; Master's degree preferred.
- Professional license (PRC or equivalent) required.
Experience:
- Minimum 15 years of experience in infrastructure or transport design, with at least 5 years in a Design Manager role on the contractor side of a major railway, metro, or station project.
- Strong knowledge of international standards and best practices (NFPA, BS/EN, ASHRAE, IEC, PNS, etc.).
- Demonstrable experience managing consultants and design interfaces for station ventilation, MEP, architecture, and fire/life safety.
Skills:
- Excellent leadership, communication, and negotiation skills.
- Strong technical judgment and ability to challenge consultant assumptions.
- Familiarity with BIM, AutoCAD, Revit, and document control systems.
- Effective report writing and presentation capability.
Contact: David Hyland (davidh@railpersonnel.com)
