RAIL EXPRESS MARCH 2022

I S S U E 2 | M A R C H 2022

W W W. R A I L E X P R E S S . C O M . A U

Rail: the economy's backbone Pacific National CEO Paul Scurrah outlines the company’s plans to increase containerised volumes in its intermodal business – PAGE 22

Green targets for mining companies

Time is right for high-speed rail

The best of both mobility worlds

PAGE 20

PAGE 26

PAGE 29

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Contents Issue 2 - March 2022

4 From the Editor

19

6 Industry news D E C A R B O N I S AT I O N I N M I N I N G

20 Going green in the red dust INTERMODAL SOLUTIONS

22 Pacific National supporting freight backbone 24 Tamworth rail hub back on track 25

35

WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS

25 Trapeze helps manage the unexpected RO L L I N G S TO C K A N D M A N U F ACT U R I N G

26 Alstom calls for high-speed rail priority 29 Systra, BECA combine mobility forces 30 HVAC specialists form Noske Rail 32 Siemens future-proofs communications 34 Downer Rail in touch with technology

39

S A F E TY A N D A S S U R A N C E

35 EMC puts technology to the test M A J O R P ROJ E CT S A N D I N F RA S T R U CT U R E

36 DB Engineering helps path to net zero O P E R AT I O N S A N D M A I N T E N A N C E

37 Thales maintains innovative priorities I S S U E 2 | M A R C H 2022

W W W. R A I L E X P R E S S . C O M . A U

Rail: the economy's backbone Pacific National CEO Paul Scurrah outlines the company’s plans to increase containerised volumes in its intermodal business – PAGE 22

Green targets for mining companies

Time is right for high-speed rail

The best of both mobility worlds

PAGE 20

PAGE 26

PAGE 29

SUPPORTED BY:

I N D U S T R Y A S S O C I AT I O N S

COVER STORY Pacific National CEO Paul Scurrah talks about the company’s plans to significantly increase containerised volumes in its intermodal business in the coming years.

39 RISSB: New dedicated light rail standard 40 ARA: Survey confirms skills resurgence CO N T RACT S, T E N D E R S, E O I S

42 The latest rail projects around Australia

See page 22

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From the Editor Issue 2 - March 2022

Published by:

Ray Chan Editor - Rail Express

11-15 Buckhurst St South Melbourne VIC 3205 T: 03 9690 8766 www.primecreativemedia.com.au

Publisher Christine Clancy E: christine.clancy@primecreative.com.au Chief Operating Officer Zelda Tupicoff E: zelda.tupicoff@primecreative.com.au Group Managing Editor (Southern) Sarah Baker E: sarah.baker@primecreative.com.au Editor Ray Chan E: ray.chan@primecreative.com.au Business Development Manager Alex Cowdery M: 0422 657 148 E: alex.cowdery@primecreative.com.au Client Success Manager Janine Clements E: janine.clements@primecreative.com.au Design Production Manager Michelle Weston E: michelle.weston@primecreative.com.au Art Director Blake Storey E: blake.storey@primecreative.com.au Design Kerry Pert, Aisling McComiskey Subscriptions subscriptions@primecreative.com.au

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4 | ISSUE 2 - M A RC H 2022 | RAIL EXPRESS

Welcome to the March issue of Rail Express

T

he logistics industries rely on the ability of the various forms of transport – whether air, land or sea – to work seamlessly and in partnership to meet customer expectations.

To facilitate this, it is vital to have in place efficient intermodal transport systems, which pivot around terminals where cargo is shifted from one form to another – for example between road and rail freight networks.

These intermodal hubs play an important role in easing the transport burden on ports and neighbouring areas. They are also essential if rail is to increase its role in the freight transport and distribution system, whether it’s interstate, regional or metropolitan.

It’s widely accepted that rail is a more sustainable form of transport and travel, causes less accidents and removes congestion from the roads. But road plays a major role in areas where rail is not possible, and intermodal sites enable the smooth transfer of goods between the two types of carriage.

With the number of rail projects in Australia at an unprecedented high, smooth-running intermodal terminals and port-rail connections will be needed to fully realise their benefits.

The development of regional sites and other complementary infrastructure is expected to be largely driven by market opportunities identified by private investors, who have established a huge number of intermodal terminals across Australia, with these stopping points along various routes and in rail corridors likely to expand over time.

In this issue, we look at how the country’s largest private rail freight carrier, Pacific National, has implemented an extensive national terminal strategy in response to surging customer demand for containerised interstate rail freight services. It points out that the pandemic accelerated the trend towards online shopping and led to disruptions and delays in road and shipping operations, creating greater demand for rail freight services.

The company is investing $20 million to secure land options in Little River in Melbourne and has commenced detailed planning and design works, with the aim for an 80-hectare intermodal terminal to be operational by 2026 and directly supporting more than 200 frontline rail freight jobs.

In Queensland, it has entered into an agreement to make Toowoomba a major intermodal centre. Once operational, the 23-hectare terminal will support up to 400 skilled jobs, including train drivers, terminal staff and associated warehousing staff.

Away from intermodal transport, we also cast an eye on the case for high-speed rail in Australia.

Bandied around every Federal Election, the concept may finally come to fruition this time round, with the Federal Opposition making a strong case for its implementation, and recent developments favourably supporting a favourable kickstart.

Find out more about why global mobility leader Alstom believes the opportunity has never been stronger for high-speed rail, a sentiment also echoed by the Australian Rail, Tram & Bus Industry Union.

Meanwhile, new partnerships seem to be in the news lately. As Australia and New Zealand continue to undergo an infrastructure boom, regional engineering consultancy Beca and global transport mobility consultancy SYSTRA have joined forces in a strategic alliance.

And HVAC specialists Noske-Kaeser Rail & Vehicle and Coachair’s rail division have come together as members of the 100% Australianowned KYR group to create Noske Rail.

As they reveal in fascinating articles, the combination of knowledge is expected to serve industry better in a consolidated power of one.

And there are plenty more informative stories, of course, along with the usual contributions from our industry partners.

We are sure you will find this issue an enjoyable read. ray.chan@primecreative.com.au

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News

New South Wales

TBMs on the list for Sydney Metro West The $1.96 billion tunnel construction for the Sydney Metro West project is on track to commence before the end of this year, with the first two tunnel boring machines (TBMs) currently ordered and under construction.

The Central Tunnelling Package for the project was awarded in July last year to the Acciona Ferrovial Joint Venture, which has contracted Herrenknecht to design, build and deliver the TBMs following a global tender process.

Sydney Metro West will double rail capacity between Greater Parramatta and the Sydney CBD by adding a new 24-kilometre metro line and nine underground stations confirmed at Westmead, Parramatta, Sydney Olympic Park, North Strathfield, Burwood North, Five Dock, The Bays, Pyrmont and the Sydney CBD. This new underground railway will connect Greater Parramatta and the Sydney CBD. The project is expected to create about 10,000 direct and 70,000 indirect jobs during construction.

Each TBM will tunnel an average of 200

Each TBM will tunnel an average of 200 metres per week as they dig tunnels from The Bays to Sydney Olympic Park.

metres per week as they dig the 11 kilometre twin tunnels from The Bays to Sydney Olympic Park.

These are the first of six TBMs being used to build the 24 kilometre tunnels from the Sydney CBD to Parramatta.

The TBMs will be specifically built for the conditions they will meet on the project, with design improvements taken on board from the experience of building more than 30 kilometres of tunnels for Sydney Metro Northwest and City & Southwest.

Axle bearing collapse cause of train fire A fire which led to the evacuation of a NSW TrainLink service at Yerrinbool in the NSW Southern Highlands was the result of a collapsed axle bearing.

The Office of Transport Safety Investigations (OTSI) has noted the incident was likely after locking plate tabs were not fitted correctly during a bogie overhaul.

In October 2020, the two-car Endeavour train, crewed by a driver and train guard, and with about 20 passengers onboard, was operating from Moss Vale to Campbelltown when a guard in the rear cab heard a loud noise and noticed smoke outside the window.

The guard then used the train’s bell system to ask the driver to stop.

The driver brought the train to a stand at Yerrinbool Station and the passengers were evacuated onto the platform.

After receiving permission from train control to access the track the driver attempted to extinguish the fire using an on-board extinguisher, but it continued to smoulder/burn before it was put out by Fire and Rescue NSW. There were no reported injuries.

Subsequent inspection determined that

Parts of the axle box were heat-affected and sustained significant damage to the speed sensor and rubber suspension components.

parts of the axle box were heat-affected and sustained significant damage to the speed sensor and rubber suspension components.

An investigation into the incident was undertaken by OTSI, which conducts rail safety investigations in NSW on behalf of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.

About an hour before the fire, a wayside sensor at Burradoo had detected an elevated temperature, but the detection was below

the threshold for an alarm to be sent to network control.

OTSI Chef Investigator Dr Natalie Pelham said the investigation determined the bearing failed when the axle end cap bolts loosened and one fractured, which caused the collapse of the bearing, resulting in frictional heat, and the fire.

“The axle bearing installation process was not sufficient to ensure the tabs on the locking plate were installed correctly during a refurbishment three months before the incident,” she said.

“It is likely that during this last overhaul, the locking plate tabs retaining the axle end cap bolts were not fitted correctly against the sides of the bolts.”

Following the occurrence, Sydney Trains – which provides maintenance for NSW TrainLink – initiated an inspection of similar axle bogies in the fleet, and undertook an audit of the practices of the contracted maintainer, United Group Limited Unipart (UGLU).

“Sydney Trains has advised improvements have been made to UGLU’s quality assurance processes to ensure bolts and locking tabs are correctly installed,” Pelham said.

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News

Queensland

Cattle rail transport contract to boost jobs Watco East West has been selected to operate cattle rail transport services in North West Queensland, adding to its South West and Central West Queensland lines.

Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said that the contracts with the Department of Transport and Main Roads, to run from 2022 to 2028, followed a competitive procurement process.

“Transporting cattle on rail reduces wear and tear on our roads and reduces traffic congestion, so a key aim of this contract is to increase the amount of cattle transported by rail services,” he said.

“This contract will employ train drivers, maintenance and operational staff based in local communities in regional Queensland, supporting our COVID economic recovery plan.

“As the only state in Australia that operates cattle trains, the State Government continues to play a key role in supporting our agricultural sector and managing freight transport demands.

“The new contract with Watco East West is another way our government is investing in jobs in our regions, while also making our roads safer and less congested.”

Watco East West Director Chris Hood said the contract would bring exciting new opportunities to the North West region,

The contract is expected to bring new opportunities to the North West region, with local recruitment underway.

with local recruitment underway.

“We’ve identified we will need 10 qualified drivers in 2022, and an additional 12 needed from 2023, in addition to maintenance and support staff,” he said.

“New depots and infrastructure to support loading and unloading on the rail corridor are also being investigated, including a loading and spelling facility near Townsville.

“We look forward to working with the beef industry to grow the number of cattle being transported by rail.”

Services in the North West will ramp up in 2022 as cattle herds rebuild and in line with Watco local recruitment.

Rail services transport herds of cattle from regional hubs across the state to processing facilities on Queensland’s eastern coast.

Tunnelling for Cross River Rail completed Queensland’s biggest ever infrastructure project reached a massive milestone when the final mega machine broke through at the Northern Portal near the Inner City Bypass, marking the end of tunnelling for the project.

This meant Cross River Rail’s Tunnel Boring Machine Merle finished its journey beneath the Brisbane River and CBD, achieving its breakthrough near Bowen Bridge Road.

The project’s other TBM – Else – completed tunnelling in late November.

TMB Else emerged at Cross River Rail’s Northern Portal after excavating 155,000 cubic metres of tunnel, the equivalent of 62 Olympic swimming pools. It tunnelled 3.8 kilometres from Woolloongabba, under the Brisbane River to Albert Street and then onto Roma Street.

The TBMs have excavated 310,000 cubic metres of spoil and installed about 27,000 concrete segments to line the tunnel’s walls,

each weighing about 4.2 tonnes.

Cross River Rail is a new 10.2-kilometre rail line from Dutton Park to Bowen Hills, which includes 5.9 kilometres of twin tunnels under the Brisbane River and the CBD. The two 5.9-kilometre twin tunnels below the Brisbane River and CBD will be home to four underground stations, Albert Street, Roma Street, Woolloongabba and Boggo Road.

It will aim to remove the pressure on the network, which is set to be accelerated by South East Queensland’s increasing population.

The Queensland Government says this will be achieved by delivering a second river crossing, allowing more trains to run more often and integrating with new roads and new bus services to enable a turn-up-and-go public transport system across the whole of South East Queensland.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the

project would provide stability to the state’s public transport network.

“Cross River Rail is pumping more than $4 million a day into our economy and driving our economic recovery with around 2600 people currently working on it and 7700 jobs supported over the life of the project,” she said.

“Cross River Rail will transform travel in South East Queensland meaning less cars on the road, faster journeys, more stations in more convenient locations and the capacity to increase train services on every line as our population grows.”

At the peak of tunnelling, more than 450 people were working on Cross River Rail’s twin tunnels, while 80 tunnel workers were able to complete an apprenticeship or traineeship over the past year.

The $5.4 billion project is being funded and delivered by the Queensland Government.

8 | ISSUE 2 - M A RC H 2022 | RAIL EXPRESS

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News

Western Australia

Rail line re-opens after major Perth disruption The Mandurah Line in Perth has re-opened following a successful 20-day shutdown to enable major works on the METRONET Thornlie-Cockburn Link.

In challenging heat, the team of almost 500 people worked around the clock to lay more than five kilometres of new track, re-lay 7500 concrete railway sleepers, and install new overhead line equipment, including 112 masts and six kilometres of wires.

As part of the works, the Mandurah line closed completely between Aubin Grove Station and Elizabeth Quay Station: a 75km stretch that encompasses four other stations, servicing 60,000 journeys a day.

The shutdown was the biggest disruption to transport services in WA. Now the Mandurah Line track has been shifted, work continues to build the new rail line for the Thornlie-Cockburn Link.

The Thornlie-Cockburn Link will be Perth’s first east-west cross line connection, making travel around the city by train more flexible and providing a higher level of public transport service to Perth’s southern suburbs.

The link is set to will support growth and accessibility across the southern suburbs by providing direct access to employment, sporting and recreation opportunities at Canning Vale, Cannington Strategic Metropolitan Centre, Burswood Peninsula and the eastern Central Business District.

Now the Mandurah Line track has been shifted, work continues to build the new rail line for the Thornlie-Cockburn Link.

The project is expected to support around 1680 jobs.

Recent works have seen the removal of three kilometres of rail tracks from the existing rail corridor between Cockburn Central Station and Glen Iris Tunnel to make way for the new Thornlie-Cockburn Link tracks to be laid.

In December 2019, the NEWest Alliance consisting of CPB Contractors, the Downer Group and the Public Transport Authority, was formed to deliver the Thornlie-Cockburn Link.

The Australian Government has committed $350 million towards the Thornlie-Cockburn Link.

Rare opportunity well-done for Aurizon Australia’s largest rail freight business, Aurizon, is supporting the exciting growth trajectory of Lynas Rare Earths in WA with the announcement of a new five-year transport and logistics services contract through to 2026.

Aurizon has been providing transport services to Lynas since 2015, moving rare earth concentrate from Mount Weld to Aurizon’s rail loading facility and container terminal at Leonora, and then railing it through to Fremantle Port.

The newly-inked agreement extends Aurizon’s contract to service the new Rare Earths Processing Facility project which is due to be operational by mid-2023.

Aurizon’s General Manager Iron Ore and Central West, Anna Dartnell, said the business

is able to provide whole of supply chain solutions for its customers, supported by locally-based facilities and a talented regional workforce.

“Aurizon’s scale also allows us to rapidly support the exciting growth plans of Lynas, one of the world’s leading suppliers of rare earths,“ she said.

She said Aurizon is continuing to expand its business to tap into the rapidly-growing demand for future-facing commodities such as rare earths, copper and lithium, together with traditional industries such as grain and agricultural inputs.

In October 2021, Aurizon commenced a 10-year haulage and maintenance contract for CBH in Western Australia.

Aurizon is adding extra train capacity

Aurizon is tapping into the demand for commodities such as rare earths and lithium.

and bringing its operational expertise to put more grain on rail in what promises to be one of the largest harvests on record in Western Australia.

WWW.RAILEXPRESS.COM.AU | 11

News

South Australia

Track washout shows need to improve rail tracks

Pacific National undertakes about 50 return services each week between Adelaide and Perth.

Such a service is equivalent to 140 interstate B-double truck trips (or 280 return trucks trips).

“For added context, a single container can hold up to 50,000 cans of food, 25,000 rolls of toilet paper, 1500 cases of beer, 900 boxes of bananas, or 100 fridges,” O’Donnell said.

“It’s now time for the Australian Government to commit funds to upgrade this vital piece of national infrastructure. More resilience needs

to be built into the existing rail line. I can’t imagine commuters or truckies accepting major regional highways being closed for up to or over a week.

“The Omicron outbreak has already highlighted the unique benefits of hauling large volumes of goods and commodities safely over large distances by rail. It has also shone a spot light on the finely tuned nature of Australia’s national supply chain.”

One step closer to Gawler line electrification Critical testing is underway on South Australia’s Gawler Rail Line as the vital and long-awaited electrification project enters its final stages.

The Gawler Rail Electrification Project (GREP) was hit with unavoidable setbacks in 2021 caused by the COVID pandemic, including an inability to bring the required number of highly specialised workers across the border from interstate, and manufacturing shutdowns during extended lockdowns in other states.

Following months of hard work by the project team to minimise the impacts, the project is now closer to completion with services expected to be commencing in April.

Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Corey Wingard said the commissioning

12 | ISSUE 2 - M A RCH 2022 | RAIL EXPRESS

activities of the signalling system required all lines to be closed in late February.

“The GREP has been hit time and time again with avoidable and unavoidable setbacks,” he said.

“We’re finally delivering a project that’s been on the cards for the people of the north for more than a decade.

“The pandemic has been the contributing factor to an additional cost pressure of $127 million taking the project cost to $842 million.

“We are not going to cut corners on safety so that we can start services a few days or weeks earlier.

“The rail infrastructure is nearing completion as we access the specialised skills

we need for the final stages of commissioning.

“We will then move into the final signalling and electrical testing phases, before undertaking driver training.

“This testing and training will include both diesel and electric trains operating along the new corridor, to familiarise drivers with the new line.

“We’ve also been refreshing a number of stations along the Gawler line as part of a $20 million program to provide a better commuter experience when services resume.

“We know people are eagerly awaiting the return of the trains, and we’re doing all that we can to see that happen as soon as possible.”

© Alstom / RailGallery

Australia’s largest private rail freight company, Pacific National, says a washout along the rail track north of Port Augusta, which suspended freight services from Adelaide to Perth and Darwin, is a sign that the Trans-Australian Railway is in urgent need of upgrades.

Part of the track between Coondambo, near Lake Gardiner, and Lyons, north-west of Port Augusta, became submerged in late January.

Rail maintenance crews took several days to assess the damage, causing the line to be out of service for the period, and leading to shortages of food and essential supplies in the states.

Pacific National Chief Operating Officer Pat O’Donnell said the Trans-Australian Railway was the umbilical cord connecting the continent’s eastern and western seaboards and was a vital link in Australia’s supply chain.

He said road and sea freight alone can’t provide all the volumes of goods needed in Western Australia.

“Pacific National alone undertakes about 50 return services each week between Adelaide and Perth. That’s equivalent to 90-kilometres of freight train length each week. Currently, these critical rail freight services are suspended due to the track closure,” he said.

A typical 1800-metre-long double-stacked interstate freight train travelling between Adelaide and Perth (a 2700-kilometre journey which takes between 42 to 46 hours) can haul up to 330 containers.

© Alstom / RailGallery

www.alstom.com

LEADING THE WAY TO GREENER AND SMARTER MOBILITY IN AUSTRALIA

News

Victoria

VLocity comfort for Albury line passengers Albury line passengers are welcoming the opportunity to travel on more comfortable, modern VLocity trains.

From the start of the year, six-carriage VLocity trains were scheduled on weekdays on the following Albury line services: • 12.05pm Southern Cross to Albury • 5.20pm Albury to Southern Cross To provide a consistent and reliable experience for passengers, the Albury timetable remains the same with locomotive hauled trains continuing to operate the remaining services.

Passengers are able to reserve a seat through the normal booking process, either by using the journey planner on the V/Line website, calling 1800 800 007 or visiting their nearest staffed V/Line or premium Metro station.

Seats in the front two carriages in services towards Albury and in the rear two

carriages in services towards Melbourne can be reserved. Remaining carriages will be unreserved.

Passengers can enjoy the best quality seating at an economy class fare, with no seats allocated to first class.

Passengers accompanying passengers with mobility aids will be able to reserve the flip down seats next to mobility aid spaces.

Café-bar services will be installed on Albury line VLocity trains in coming months.

Passengers are welcome to bring their own food and non-alcoholic drinks on board, but please be mindful of other customers by avoiding strong smelling food and ensuring drinks have a lid.

Water fountains are available on all trains for passengers’ convenience. Several stations have vending machines where food and drink can also be purchased prior to travel.

Checked luggage is not available on VLocity

trains. Passengers can use dedicated luggage spaces throughout the train making it easier to access luggage throughout the journey.

Passengers will be able to store their bike in the carriage with them, making boarding and disembarking easier. Up to nine bikes can be spread throughout each three-carriage train.

VLocity trains are built to different dimensions to other trains, and the gap between the train and platform will vary at different platforms and doors. Passengers are reminded to mind the gap and hold the handrails when boarding and disembarking services.

Like all other V/Line trains, access ramps will be available at all stations to assist passengers with mobility aids to board and disembark the train.

The Victorian Government is building a further four three-carriage VLocity trains for use on the Albury line.

Rail commuters are their own safety gear A new campaign from Metro Trains in Melbourne is reminding passengers to use their ‘safety gears’ and take extra precautions on their journey to keep themselves and others safe.

The number of preventable slips, trips and falls on the rail network is increasing as more people return to public transport.

Leading with the message ‘You’re the only safety gear’, Metro is calling on passengers to use their instincts and be aware of their surroundings while using escalators, stairs and platforms so they can stay safe while travelling.

Unlike a bike, a car or a rollercoaster,

Accidents include people failing to use handrails on escalators and losing their balance, or caused by distraction and people rushing for trains.

14 | ISSUE 2 - M A RCH 2022 | RAIL EXPRESS

passengers aren’t required to strap in or put on a helmet or padded gloves when riding the escalator. Passengers’ hands, stance and wits are the only things keeping them safe, so it’s important that passengers engage their ‘safety gears’ before boarding.

Recent figures show that there has been an average of more than 30 slips, trips and falls per month across Melbourne’s rail network since July 2021.

There were 22 incidents in October as lockdown restrictions eased across Melbourne.

That number jumped to 35 in November as

more people returned to train travel.

There have been 96 ambulance call-outs to stations for slips trips and falls so far this year.

Comparatively, there were 169 ambulance call outs to stations in 2019 to November (there were 182 call outs in total for the year).

The number of slips, trips and falls in the 2019 calendar year was 821.

These incidents are often the result of people failing to use handrails on escalators and losing their balance, while other incidents are caused by distraction and people rushing for trains.

The vast majority of incidents of this nature are entirely preventable and are reliant on passengers taking simple steps to keep themselves and others safe.

Busier platforms as a result of an increase in patronage and major events across Melbourne are leading to a bigger risk of safety incidents on platforms, making it even more important for passengers to gear up.

Metro Trains CEO Raymond O’Flaherty said that most of the slips, trips and falls seen on a daily basis are entirely preventable.

“We need our passengers to play their part to stay safe,” he said.

“When you ride the station escalator, use the stairs or hop on the train, you’re the only safety gear.”

More frequent services at Waurn Ponds Passengers will soon benefit from more frequent and reliable train services with the completion of major works on the Waurn Ponds Station upgrade in Victoria.

Commissioning and critical safety testing has also taken place to enable additional services to run on the Warrnambool Rail Line.

Victorian Minister for Transport Infrastructure Jacinta Allan said a new forecourt and drop off zone will also open to the public after safety inspections take place this year.

“We’re getting on with these works to make Waurn Ponds station safer, more user-friendly and easier to get to,” she said.

“The upgrade is part of our massive investment in better train services to Geelong and Victoria’s south west.”

The work also includes the construction of a second platform on the south side of the station – with an accessible pedestrian overpass connecting it to the existing platform. Final fitouts on the second platform will be completed in early 2022,

including line marking and seating installation.

The upgrade, the first part of the Waurn Ponds to South Geelong duplication project, will deliver more frequently and reliable train services to Waurn Ponds and Armstrong Creek growth corridor.

It includes a transformed main entrance to give better access to the station, more than 200 new car parking spaces, better security and improved passenger information for commuters and visitors.

Commissioning will include relocating a live signalling box from the rail corridor to allow the final 50-metre section of rail to be installed, and completing track duplication at the station. More than 2000 sleepers and 2.9 kilometres of new rail has already been laid.

Major earthworks have also continued at the site for the new train stabling and maintenance facility near Waurn Ponds, which will allow track installation works to take place this year.

Crews have since installed drainage and

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commenced work on the new track to link the main line to the stabling facility.

Meanwhile, a new design to remove the dangerous and congested level crossing at Webb Street has been announced with an elevated rail bridge to be built over the road in the Melbourne suburb of Narre Warren.

The elevated rail bridge design in this location will allow more trees and vegetation to be retained and minimise disruptions for road and rail users.

A new station will also be built at Narre Warren as part of the crossing removal, with modern facilities for the community to enjoy.

Site investigations are already underway, and construction will be completed by 2025.

The removal of this level crossing will help to create a crossing-free Pakenham Line which will change how locals live, work and travel.

With no level crossings on the train line, journeys on the Pakenham line will be more reliable and local roads safer.

Contact your local expert: Mark Keogh Executive Director Australia and New Zealand mark.keogh@deutschebahn.com +61 412 625 412 Tilo Franz Director Victoria tilo.ti.franz@deutschebahn.com +61 439 683 844 Dr. Jean-Luc Boulanger Director Consulting APAC jean-luc.boulanger@deutschebahn.com +61 414 438 193

www.db-eco.com

News

New Zealand

Passengers get different point of view Views through carriage windows were a little different for passengers on resumed Western Line services in Auckland, after an ambitious and successful program of work at City Rail Link’s Mt Eden Station site.

Their trains rode on 1.3 kilometres of new track through the busy site – a switch critical to connect the Western/North Auckland Line with CRL at a redeveloped Mt Eden Station.

According to Dale Burtenshaw, North Auckland Line Construction Manager for the Link Alliance – CRL’s main contractor – teams worked “flat stick, including double shifts, in some pretty sweaty summer temperatures over the holidays to complete a big step for the project”.

“Importantly, we’ve regained a lot of construction momentum lost to the COVID lockdowns and restrictions,” he said.

The country’s largest transport infrastructure project took advantage of KiwRail’s maintenance closure of the Western/North Auckland Line over Christmas/ New Year – known as a Block of Line – to make the switch.

Trains, passenger and freight, running in both directions continue to use a temporary single line through Mt Eden.

The previous line has been removed for necessary construction in that corridor with trains now using the new one on the northern side of the redeveloped Mt Eden Station.

It is anticipated that both lines will return

CRL workers regained a lot of construction momentum lost to the COVID lockdowns and restrictions.

to dual track operations in mid-2023. The tight construction timetable work required close collaboration between Link Alliance, KiwiRail, Auckland Transport and rail specialist contractors Martinus and Siemens.

Completing a successful switch involved around 200 working on the tracks, signalling, installing electrified overhead lines and bonding and earthing them, and associated civil works.

“Exceptional teamwork produced an exceptional outcome towards an improved rail network for Aucklanders,” Burtenshaw said.

The Link Alliance acknowledged the support

of its Mt Eden neighbours. “Their patience and understanding during some long hours of work certainly helped contribute to our success,” he said.

Other Mt Eden work included relocating safety hoardings, earthworks for new retaining walls and utilities, building a new haul road, and works to prepare for the second drive of CRL’s Tunnel Boring Machine, Dame Whina Cooper, later this year.

Further Block of Line closures at Mt Eden are planned for March and April to help deliver a CRL project that will allow Auckland to grow and prosper.

New era begins for Auckland Transport rail Auckland One Rail (AOR) has begun its partnership with Auckland Transport (AT) as the new passenger rail operator.

The contract, valued at around $130 million per annum and $1.2 billion over an eight- year period, was the result of an international tender for the city’s rail services.

While customers won’t notice significant changes in their day-to-day journeys, the new contract will enable better integration in all aspects of operations, including the $7 billion of rail investment for the City Rail Link, electrification of the rail line between Papakura and Pukekohe, and the purchase of additional electric trains over the next few years.

As a result, the new contract will see

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AOR having responsibility for not only train operations but also electric train maintenance, station operations and maintenance, safety, and security.

AT Chief Executive Shane Ellison said the agreement with AOR was far more comprehensive than previous passenger rail contracts, which were spread out across a range of organisations.

“With one organisation now responsible for the day-to-day operation of our passenger rail network we’ll see better accountability and responsiveness on the issues which matter most to passengers,” he said.

“It’s also exciting that AOR will open a new train maintenance facility for train overhauls in South Auckland, with a strong

focus on helping local Māori and Pasifika communities into trades and engineering apprenticeships.”

The contract award is part of AT’s ongoing focus to continue the rapid growth of Aucklanders using the region’s rail services, which has grown from just over two million passenger boardings per annum in 2000, to more than 22 million by 2020, a 10-fold increase.

“This new rail franchise contract represents a significant investment for Auckland and Aucklanders,” Ellison said.

“Despite the effects of the global pandemic on the international rail sector, the robust procurement process ensured AT was able to secure a competitive contract.”

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News

National

High-speed rail will kick off revolution: RTBU A high-speed rail link between Newcastle and Sydney will kick-start a rail revolution in Australia, and a better future for regional communities, according to the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU).

Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese has promised hundreds of millions of dollars for such a project if Labor wins the upcoming federal election.

RTBU National Secretary Mark Diamond said the link would be the vital first step towards an east-coast rail network linking Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra.

“High-speed rail would not only address Australia’s absolute reliance on airline industry, it would stimulate a new era of growth in regional centres along the east coast,” he said.

“The pandemic, and the associated increase in people in working from home, has increased the trend of Australians seeking to move away from the major cities.

“This should be opening up massive opportunities for regional areas to grow and prosper – but the regions are being held back by critical failures in our national infrastructure.”

An east-coast high-speed rail network would stimulate growth in the regions.

Diamond said transport issues would form part of a key battleground for the upcoming Federal election.

“Australian transport networks are slow, congested, expensive to use, and falling apart.

In fact, Australia is woefully behind other countries in the development of efficient intercity rail links, and no real work has

been done since the Liberals and Nationals disbanded the High-Speed Rail Advisory Group in 2013,” he said.

“Australia needs a comprehensive plan to deliver faster, safer, better transport – for both people and freight.” > Alstom says it’s high time for high-speed: page 26

Australia nabs four more SDA1 locomotives China-based CRRC Corporation shipped four additional second-generation SDA1 locomotives to Australia in January, as part of a supply order between CRRC subsidiary CRRC Ziyang and leading Australian freight service company SCT Logistics.

The upgraded 3150kW AC transmission diesel (SDA1) locomotives, fully developed

by CRRC Ziyang, feature low operation noise (less than 75 decibels inside), capable of hauling 8000 tonnes at a top speed of 120 km/h, and meet Australian requirements for environmentally-friendly transport.

Since 2021, CRRC Ziyang has supplied 12 second-generation SDA1 locomotives to SCT Logistics, which are used for bulk cargo and container transport. The current order is the third SDA1 contract signed between CRRC Ziyang and SCT since 2010, with the first batch comprising six first-generation SDA1s delivered to Australia in 2011.

The second-generation SDA1s come with an optimised ventilation systems and higher

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maintainability, delivering greater comfort to the driver while significantly improving the overall performance of the units.

The arrival of the four new locomotives will bring the total number of SDA1s operating in Australia to 30, with the first unit having achieved the milestone of a million kilometres of mileage so far.

Equipped with a suite of state-of-theart technologies including Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBT) propulsion systems, microcomputer control systems, FastBrake Electronic Air Brakes and more, the SDA1s mark one of the greatest technological innovations of CRRC, which allows considerable savings in energy consumption and lowers the operating costs without compromising horsepower and haulage capacity.

Fast, safe, and energy-efficient, it is designed and built in line with a range of international emission standards such as the European Union’s Stage III, AAR, and Australia’s UIC. The units house some of CRRC’s latest

CRRC has delivered four additional second-generation SDA1 locomotives to SCT Logistics in Australia.

innovations in locomotives, tailored to the characteristics of Australia’s railway system as well as local environments. With its expertise in locomotive technology, CRRC hopes to bring more high quality, high-performance products to Australian companies and users in the future.

Keeping the rail tracks and workforce safe Despite the ongoing challenges faced across the rail sector, there has never been a more unified effort to support the purpose and work of the TrackSAFE Foundation.

While the past two years have been unpredictable, the Australian rail industry continues to remain focussed on preventing fatalities and injuries on the network.

And a big contributor to that goal is the TrackSAFE Foundation, which this year marks its 10th anniversary.

Established in 2012 by the Australasian Railway Association and UGL, TrackSAFE is a registered national harm prevention charity focussed on reducing fatalities, injuries and near hits on the rail network including at level crossings caused by suicide, trespass, and human error.

TrackSAFE also works to build resilience and improve the wellbeing of the rail workforce.

Beyond human loss or injury, incidents on the rail corridor can cause trauma and work-related stress to the rail and recovery staff involved with such incidents.

Since 2001, there has been on average 109 fatalities on the Australian rail network each year, with 76 of these people taking their own lives.

As well, there are almost as many attempted suicides and around 2000 level crossing and trespass near hits.

No other industry is impacted as severely as the rail network by suicide.

• Practically, one incident alone affects multiple train services.

• Financially, incidents cause disruption and delays to hundreds of services each year, impacting customers and the economy.

• Emotionally, the impact is far more difficult to measure.

Every life lost is one too many and the ripple effect of suicide travels through families, communities and the rail industry.

To address these issues, the TrackSAFE Foundation undertakes activities to prevent suicide, reduce injuries and incidents on the rail network.

The TrackSAFE Foundation supports and commissions research, advocates to government, creates opportunities to share information and knowledge across the industry, and delivers community education campaigns on rail safety.

Throughout the last decade, partnerships have been fundamental, and this includes a long-term partnership with Lifeline Australia.

Lifeline works with TrackSAFE to further understand suicide in public places, including on and around rail.

Jointly, the organisations have delivered the ‘Pause. Call. Be Heard’ advertising campaign is promoted on the Australian rail network – reminding passengers to call Lifeline if they need someone to talk to and ’s crisis support services are available 24/7.

The trauma from incidents and near hits can be cumulative for rail workers over time.

To promote best practice and a uniform approach to trauma management for rail employees, TrackSAFE has partnered with Trauma Management leaders Phoenix Australia to develop several training resources for use by rail organisations.

While gender diversity has increased in the rail sector, men still make up the majority, about 73 per cent of the rail workforce.

They are traditionally less inclined to seek help and open up about their physical and mental health concerns.

TrackSAFE is focused on offering a range of training options and tools to support the wellbeing of the workforce, including Mental Health First Aid, Lifeline’s Accidental Counsellor and a free wellbeing App to help build resilience, RAILRES, available free from the App Store and Google Play.

Thousands of rail workers currently use the App as another tool in their self-care toolbelt.

Another initiative focussed on wellbeing is one of TrackSAFE’s best-known: Rail RUOK? Day. Over the years, this event has helped tens of thousands of people in all sectors of the rail industry to establish a deeper connection with their colleagues.

TrackSAFE Foundation Executive Director Heather Neilsaid the organisation had achieved plenty since inception.

“And I acknowledge the team of people who made this happen, including Bob Herbert AM and Naomi Frauenfelder. Into this new era, we remain focused on reducing fatalities and injuries on the rail network in Australia and improving the wellbeing of the rail workforce,” she said.

“TrackSAFE will continue to work closely with our partners, Lifeline Australia and RUOK? and all of our corporate supporters in the decade ahead.

“There’s no doubt the importance of wellbeing of the rail workforce has grown dramatically over the last few years.

“As an industry, rail has embraced opportunities to learn more about mental health and trauma and put in place programs and processes to reduce the stigma in talking about mental health and supporting employees.

“Rail’s collective focus on reducing fatalities and injuries on the rail network has delivered positive results from which we can continue to build.

“There’s lots on in the coming months, with our free wellness webinars commencing on 16 February, Rail RUOK? resources being finalised and developing a new suite of materials for Rail Safety Week 2022”.

TrackSAFE’s ongoing work is supported by the generosity of financial and in-kind contributions from organisations who work in all areas of the rail supply chain.

More information about the TrackSAFE Foundation, its supporters, its impact and resources, including training to support its work, is available at www.tracksafefoundation.com.au

Rail RUOK? Day has helped tens of thousands of people in all sectors of the rail industry to establish a deeper connection with their colleagues.

WWW.RAILEXPRESS.COM.AU | 19

Decarbonisation in Mining

Going green in the red dust Mining companies across Australia are stridently marching towards zero carbon targets, with the purchase of sustainable trains to replace diesel fleets.

The FLXdrive is the world’s first fully battery-powered locomotive.

When BHP announced its plans to add four battery-electric locomotives to its Western Australian rail network recently, it became the fourth major miner to improve rail decarbonisation efforts in the Pilbara’s iron ore heartland since December.

Of the four locomotives, two will be provided by BHP’s current manufacturer and Caterpillar company, Progress Rail, while American equipment provided Wabtec will also provide two of its own FLXdrive locomotives.

Each locomotive with be eight axle, 14.5-megawatt-hour units and BHP will investigate energy recapture technology on downhill slopes, taking advantage of the Pilbara’s topography.

All four units will be delivered by 2023 as BHP powers towards total electrification of its iron ore rail fleet between its Pilbara mines and the Port Hedland export facility which includes more than 180 locomotives.

BHP asset president for Western Australian Iron Ore (WAIO) Brandon Craig recognised the importance of decarbonising this part of BHP to ensure its continued operations.

“Rail is the fundamental link in our pit-to-port value chain, and the power required to deliver fully-laden iron ore wagons from the Pilbara to Port Hedland is significant,” he said.

“Trialling battery-electric locomotives in collaboration with Progress Rail and Wabtec has great potential to support our operational emissions reductions targets and goals.”

Once complete, this full transition to batteryelectric locomotives should reduce BHP’s WA iron ore diesel-related carbon emissions by about 30 per cent. And BHP group procurement officer James Agar said this was only the beginning of the company’s efforts to remove diesel from its rail fleet.

“By working with two global leaders in Progress Rail and Wabtec, we can broaden the scope of our trials and be better informed as we prepare for the

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planned replacement of our diesel-powered iron ore rail fleet,” he said.

The floodgates were first opened by mining company Roy Hill, which become the first purchaser of the FLXdrive battery-electric locomotive. The development of the locomotive had been part of a new venture between Wabtec and Carnegie Mellon University to develop zero-emissions technology to help move the 1.7 billion tonnes of goods that are shipped on American railroads each year.

Wabtec has also announced a collaboration with General Motors (GM) to develop and implement GM’s Ultium battery technology into Wabtec’s freight locomotives.

The FLXdrive battery-electric locomotive completed a successful trial run in California earlier last year. This pilot program was part of a $22.6 million grant from the California Air Resource Board (CARB), which was awarded to Wabtec, BNSF, and the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District.

The FLXdrive in the pilot contained 18,000 lithium-ion battery cells, giving the locomotive an energy capacity of 2.4MWh. The drive manages the overall train energy flow and distribution through its Trip Optimizer system, an intelligent cruise control system programmed through artificial intelligence so that the locomotive can respond to every turn of the track in the most energy-efficient way possible.

Wabtec already is producing a second-generation locomotive with a battery capacity of 7MWh. This level of energy can reduce a locomotive’s fuel consumption and carbon emissions by up to 30 per cent, even fully loaded in a mile-long train.

The FLXdrive is the world’s first 100 per cent, battery-powered locomotive, and part of Wabtec’s goal to develop the next generation of zeroemission locomotives.

Wabtec Senior Regional Vice President, South East Asia, Australia and New Zealand, Wendy McMillan, said today, more than 20 per cent of the

world’s freight is moved by a Wabtec locomotive and more than 30 per cent of all products transported through North American shipping ports alone were tracked by Wabtec software.

“Wabtec’s comprehensive portfolio includes locomotives, a broad selection of mission-critical components, advanced braking systems, Positive Train Control (PTC) systems, digital solutions to drive the future of autonomous operations and lifecycle service offerings to help customers realise the most value from their investment.”

Apart from the FLXdrives, Wabtec also produces the C44 Evolution locomotives.

Pacific National recently bought 50 C44 Evolution (Evo) locomotives, which are powered by Wabtec’s engines and technology.

The Evos, made locally by UGL, will be the most technologically advanced, fuel-efficient and environmentally compatible diesel electric locomotives in Australia, and will contribute to a cleaner and greener future for freight and rail infrastructure right across the country.

In Australia, Roy Hill will be getting the newest version of the FLXdrive battery-electric locomotive in 2023, with the 7MWh energy capacity.

Roy Hill CEO Gerhard Veldsman said the company was committed to transforming the next generation of transportation by adopting advanced technologies that improve energy efficiency, lower operating costs and improve its rail and mining network. “The locomotive will be the first for the region and the first for the mining industry and will improve our rail operations from the mine to Port Hedland,” he said.

The unit had the horsepower to operate in a heavy haul train-consist pulling loaded wagons with 35,000 tonnes of iron ore, while at the same time reducing the entire train’s fuel consumption. The FLXdrive also is designed to function in the extreme heat of the Pilbara region.

·

Next off the rank was Fortescue, which bought two eight-axle locomotives with an energy capacity of 14.5 megawatt hours, which will be manufactured at the Progress Rail facility in Sete Lagoas, Brazil.

Fortescue Chief Executive Officer Elizabeth Gaines said the purchase of the battery powered units marked an important milestone in the decarbonisation of Fortescue’s locomotive fleet.

“It demonstrates our commitment to achieving carbon neutrality for Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030, as we diversify from a pure play iron ore producer to a green renewables and resources company,” she said.

Fortescue is expected to take delivery of the locomotives in 2023.

The miner is also using a planned acquisition of the battery and technology arm of the Williams Formula One racing team to develop a batterydriven train.

Not to be outdone, Rio Tinto bought four FLXdrive battery-electric locomotives from Wabtec for its Pilbara rail network, to help the company achieve a 50-percent reduction in Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions by 2030.

Rio Tinto Iron Ore Managing Director of Port,

Rail and Core Services, Richard Cohen, said the partnership with Wabtec was an investment in innovation and an acknowledgment of the need to increase the pace of decarbonisation efforts.

Rio Tinto has also ordered the newest version of the 7MWh FLXdrive. Based on the route from the mine to the port at Dampier in WA and Rio Tinto’s mainline rail operations, the FLXdrive is anticipated to reduce the company’s fuel costs and emissions in percentage by double digits per train.

Rio Tinto plans on using the locomotives in multiple applications including as a shunter in the railyard and ultimately in mainline service. In mainline operations, Rio Tinto currently uses three diesel-electric locomotives in a consist to pull trains with 240 cars hauling about 28,000 tons of iron ore.

The FLXdrives will transition from the diesel locomotives in mainline service to form a hybrid consist, and recharge during the trip through regenerative braking and at charging stations.

AND IN QUEENSLAND …

Rail freight operator Aurizon has teamed up with global mining firm Anglo American to explore potential development of hydrogen-powered trains

·

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for bulk freight on two of Aurizon’s rail corridors in Queensland.

Aurizon and Anglo American have entered into an agreement to conduct the Feasibility Study that will explore the application of Anglo American’s proprietary hydrogen fuel cell and battery hybrid power units in heavy haul freight rail operations to replace diesel engines.

If the study is successful, the parties would deploy the technology on Aurizon’s Moura rail corridor which connects Anglo American’s Dawson metallurgical coal mine and the Gladstone Port, as well as Mount Isa rail corridor that operates between the North West Minerals Province to Townsville Port, via Aurizon’s Stuart Terminal.

Anglo American technical director Tony O’Neill said the agreement marked the first time the miner’s hydrogen power technology would be tested beyond its existing mine haul truck program.

“Displacing our use of diesel is critical to eliminating emissions at our sites and along our value chain. We believe that our innovative hydrogen-led technology provides a versatile solution, whether for trucks or trains or other forms of heavy duty transport,” he said.

Intermodal Solutions

Keeping freight the backbone of the economy Pacific National is investing heavily in an extensive national terminal strategy in response to surging customer demand for containerised interstate rail freight services.

Australia’s largest private rail freight company, Pacific National, is responding to growing customer demand by significantly increasing containerised volumes in its intermodal business in the coming years.

It recently unveiled plans to develop a new intermodal container terminal to connect Melbourne’s major freight zone in the west to the Inland Rail network.

Pacific National has secured an option over a large 540-hectare site to construct the terminal and develop a surrounding logistics precinct on the existing interstate rail corridor west of Melbourne’s CBD and port.

CEO Paul Scurrah said the new Little River site is in a prime position on the main interstate rail line and close to the Princes Freeway, delivering efficient freight transport connectivity to nearby logistics companies, distribution centres, warehouses, shippers, and manufacturers.

“Close to Melbourne’s freight centre of gravity, Pacific National’s plans for Little River will help to shift more freight from road to rail until delivery of the Western Interstate Freight Terminal (WIFT),” he said.

Pacific National is investing $20 million to secure land options in Little River and

commence detailed planning and design works, with the aim for an 80-hectare intermodal terminal to be operational by 2026 and directly supporting more than 200 frontline rail freight jobs.

“In the future, the broader logistics precinct – serviced by the rail terminal – will feature extensive warehousing, cold storage, and refuelling facilities, generating more than 4000 skilled jobs,” Scurrah said.

The site is located near Melbourne’s major freight catchment zone to the west of the CBD, where more than 70 per cent of containerised rail volumes are concentrated, and conveniently only 39 kilometres by rail to the Port of Melbourne.

Scurrah said a Little River terminal would better service the major east-west market – a critical corridor in the national supply chain – where approximately three million tonnes of containerised freight is hauled annually by rail from Melbourne, to Adelaide, and then across the Nullarbor to Perth.

“Pacific National is investing heavily in an extensive national terminal strategy in response to surging customer demand for containerised interstate rail freight services,” he said.

Each month, Pacific National frontline workers transport about 78,000 containers for almost 400 freight customers.

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“The coronavirus pandemic accelerated the trend towards online shopping and led to disruptions and delays in road and shipping operations, creating greater demand for rail freight services.”

Scurrah said Pacific National is securing key sites along the Inland Rail alignment to unlock benefits of the project and haul greater containerised volumes by rail, not only between Melbourne and Brisbane but also from Australia’s east coast to Western Australia.

In recent years, Pacific National has invested $35 million to deliver regional Australia’s largest intermodal terminal at Parkes in the Central West of New South Wales and secured Acacia Ridge Terminal in South East Queensland via a $205 million acquisition – both located on the alignment of the future Melbourne-Brisbane Inland Rail.

Scurrah said several government-sponsored studies had confirmed the best location for a major Victorian interstate rail terminal was west of Melbourne’s CBD and port, in Truganina, rather than to the north.

“Unfortunately delays and funding blocks in progressing the WIFT option, including the proposed enabling infrastructure called the Outer Metropolitan Ring transport corridor,

The coronavirus pandemic has led to disruptions and delays in road and shipping operations, creating greater demand for rail freight services.

mean a terminal cannot be delivered in time to meet industry needs and ahead of completion of the Inland Rail in 2027,” he said.

He said a proposed terminal at Beveridge 55-kilometres north of Melbourne’s CBD and port would derail government plans to shift more freight from trucks to trains.

“Containers picked up by trucks and hauled from the port or a warehouse in Melbourne’s western freight zone will simply travel up the Hume Freeway (M31),” he said.

“It will always be cheaper for those large trucks loaded with freight to keep going, drive past the gates of a terminal in Beveridge and deliver their goods by road across the state border into NSW.” An intermodal container terminal in Little River will complement a future WIFT in Truganina – both helping to service Melbourne’s growing western freight zone.

“The $15 billion Inland Rail project is forecast to accelerate growth of container freight volumes on the interstate rail network to more than one million TEUs by 2035, making it critical for the Australian and Victorian governments to work closely together to deliver a future WIFT,” he said.

Pacific National estimates if a terminal was located north of Melbourne in Beveridge, instead of west of the CBD and port, it would mean: • An additional 250,000 unnecessary truck trips on Melbourne’s road network a year by 2031, growing to more than 400,000 by 2050 • An extra 900,000 additional truck kilometres on the nation’s interstate road network each day by 2031, growing to more than 1.5 million by 2050 An additional 470,000 tonnes of C02 emissions by 2031, increasing to nearly 800,000 tonnes by 2050 due to extra trucks and loss of rail mode share.

Meanwhile, the company has also reached

an agreement with Wagner Corporation to develop a major rail freight terminal at Wellcamp Business Park in the Queensland city of Toowoomba.

Scurrah said both companies were uniquely placed to realise the benefits of the future Inland Rail route.

“Pacific National is the leading provider of containerised interstate rail haulage services in the country, while Wagner Corporation has a superb track record and proven expertise in delivering critical transport and freight infrastructure in Queensland,” he said.

Each month, Pacific National frontline workers are part of 24/7 operations transporting about 78,000 containers for almost 400 freight customers. These services utilise an extensive national network of terminals and 150 locomotives and 1500 wagons.

Scurrah said the Darling Downs region offered both an origin and destination for large quantities of goods and commodities.

Under the agreement, Wagner Corporation will construct the intermodal terminal while Pacific National will operate daily rail freight services under a long-term lease arrangement.

The estimated investment by Wagner Corporation to build the intermodal terminal for Pacific National, construct initial associated connective services and associated warehousing, is $110m with up to 245 jobs generated during construction.

Once operational, the intermodal terminal (which will occupy an area of 23 hectares) will support up to about 400 skilled jobs, including train drivers, terminal staff and associated warehousing staff – many recruited from the region.

Unique features of the multi-modal Wellcamp Logistics Hub include: • Potential to process up to 350,000 shipping containers by 2030 and 500,000 by 2040 • About 2.7 kilometres of frontage to the

Pacific National CEO Paul Scurrah (left) and Wagner Corporation Chairman John Wagner.

future Inland Rail, thereby potentially allowing 1800-metre-long freight trains to operate at the site • Daily international cargo flights via the collocated Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport through its fully licensed and bonded international air cargo terminal.

• Initial concept designs for the intermodal terminal within the logistics hub show the capacity to service 1800 metre-long trains.

Wagner Corporation chairman John Wagner said the future Inland Rail will facilitate operation of double-stacked 1800-metrelong interstate freight trains between major terminals across the country.

“These trains need to be broken down into smaller units to help efficiently tranship containers between trains and trucks,” he said.

Scurrah said intermodal freight hubs offered governments and communities the added safety and environmental benefits of shifting more freight volumes from trucks to trains.

“Integrated with Inland Rail, the Wellcamp Logistics Hub will help reduce road accidents and fatalities, traffic congestion, vehicle emissions, and road wear and tear,” he said.

“Picture this – at a minimum, an 1800-metre-long freight train hauling shipping containers is equivalent to removing 140 B-double return truck trips from our roads.”

WWW.RAILEXPRESS.COM.AU | 23

Intermodal Solutions

Tamworth rail hub back on track Work to reactivate five kilometres of non-operational rail line between West Tamworth and Westdale has crossed the finish line.

The rejuvenation of the lines will lead to the development of an intermodal rail facility to deliver more efficient freight journeys to NSW’s major port.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Paul Toole said the completion of the $35 million rail line project put the Tamworth intermodal rail hub on track for delivery this year to better connect local producers and businesses to the world.

“The Tamworth Intermodal Rail Line will help to provide a direct link between the new Tamworth regional freight terminal and Port Botany, allowing regional producers to get goods to port more efficiently,” he said.

“The NSW Government is investing in

projects like this across the State’s rail freight network to increase capacity, secure reliable freight movement, and meet future freight demand.

“Inland intermodals are an integral part of moving freight throughout NSW by providing a delivery point load breakdown services and an interface for road to rail integration.”

Member for Tamworth Kevin Anderson said work to complete the upgrade provided more than 100 regional jobs over the past 12 months.

“Work included upgrading three level crossings at Gunnedah Road, Evans Street and Dampier Street with boom gates, lights and bells, as well as rolling out sleepers, ballast and formation improvements, upgrading four bridges and replacing three drainage culverts

The hub will deliver more efficient freight journeys to NSW’s major port.

along the five-kilometre rail line,” he said.

“This is a big win for freight rail users in north west NSW, who can now look forward to their produce being moved more conveniently to port from the second half of next year.”

Tamworth Regional Council has selected Qube Logistics to build and operate the intermodal terminal, and work started in January this year.

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Workforce Solutions

Managing the unexpected While the COVID pandemic has affected workforce patterns, the use of technology can help manage work conditions and needs to ensure operations carry on smoothly.

Trapeze Group is renowned for its work with public transport authorities and their communities to develop and deliver smarter, more effective public transport technology solutions.

For more than 30 years, Trapeze has evolved with its customers around the world – including Australia – to help them move people from points A to B, and everywhere in between.

One striking example of the group’s impact can be found in Sweden, where Trapeze’s dynamic workforce management planning solution has resulted in immense efficiencies for one of the country’s biggest rail operators, Arriva Sweden.

Arriva employs about 2500 people and operates regional trains, commuter trains and trams in Sweden, as well as five major operational depots.

Like all rail operators, it needs to effectively manage its workforce needs which involve complex requirements and conditions. These conditions can change frequently and can be hard to manage using time-consuming manual systems and processes.

Since 2012, Arriva Sweden has used Trapeze’s rail commercial-off-the-shelf Workforce Management (WFM) software, which allows operators to model all rail activities, workforce management requirements, and associated costs quickly and efficiently. In 2019, the system was upgraded with a new daily planning algorithm to help deliver on a new tender.

The system provides information on the personnel and financial impacts of all potential schedule changes, and the software allows for effective disruption management. With the ability to view exactly who is where, and which people possess the right qualifications and capabilities, Arriva can quickly and effectively deal with changes.

This in turn allows for sharper and more agile decision-making, especially during disruptions, Trapeze Group delivers smarter, more effective public transport technology solutions.

and enables the company to be pro-active when managing staff movements.

The core system optimisation Arriva uses to plan the day of operations gives staff complete visibility, enabling them to optimise train schedules and staff movements. Overall, the system efficiencies save Arriva time and money and improves the working lives of their employees. Arriva saves around 700,000 Swedish Kronas (about US$ 85,000) every month in overtime costs on top of the increased efficiencies.

impact before it happens. Some of the team have taken to calling us ‘chaos pilots’ as a result.

“Guesswork is now reduced, and ideas are tested to give them credibility, and when it comes to tender work, we can use our knowledge from our existing businesses to put forward better, more effective bids.”

Additionally, when in negotiations with Arriva’s government owner and trade unions, the operator can produce robust understandings of cost impacts from potential work condition changes.

WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT Managing the needs of the workforce involves complex requirements with unique conditions, regulations, and other standards. This complexity, which can change frequently, is difficult to manage using time-consuming manual or paper-based systems and processes.

To further complicate matters, disruptions that affect rail workforces mean it can be difficult to adapt to new operating scenarios and manage compliance.

Handling these workforce requirements can also be an expensive undertaking without the right technology in place to automate tasks.

Arriva originally implemented the workforce management system to make processes automated and efficient to deal with such challenges.

TECHNOLOGY HELPED DURING COVID The system proved invaluable when helping the team manage the impacts of COVID and rethink personnel planning – and played a crucial role in managing staff absences. As the system was built to adapt to rapidly changing events, Arriva was able to quickly revise and reorganise their plans as the pandemic unfolded.

Through the pandemic, illness sadly affected many of Arriva’s staff. Zeighami and his team were left with a much smaller workforce, requiring services to be reviewed and duties reallocated quickly. With almost half of the workforce on sick leave at once, the team needed to act fast.

“We have had to redo our long-term master plans in the short term in order to be able to cope with the impact of changing scenarios,” he said.

“Far fewer people are travelling by train, but travel patterns can be completely different each day – as peak times essentially don’t exist anymore. We could no longer predict the demand, so our usual way of personnel planning was no longer appropriate.”

THE SOLUTION The Trapeze system enabled Arriva’s team to test multiple scenarios that have increased the speed and efficiency of personnel planning, and created a reduction in overtime.

This freed up staff for other tasks such as training, managing qualifications, licences and certificates.

The system also handles disruptions and scenario changes that occur, including severe weather, natural disasters, and of course, pandemics. This means longterm master plans can be created within a shorter timeframe when compared to manual systems.

Arriva Personnel Planning Manager Araz Zeighami said the company used the Trapeze system to alter its long-term plans quickly, even on the day.

“The system helps us manage our losses and estimate the costs, in terms of financial changes, as well as redo our forecast estimates,” he said.

“Having a system that enables you to test different scenarios means you have the flexibility to develop solutions and plans that are grounded purely in fact, rather than concepts or ideas. Our business cases are now so much easier to put together and manage.

“We have information to hand and know the

A PARTNERSHIP APPROACH Zeighami feels that his team has been well supported by both the Trapeze team, and the user-friendly workforce management software.

Communication between the workforce manager and Arriva staff has become easier, clearer, and more timely when compared to their previous legacy paper-based communication system.

“The team we work with at Trapeze are a gold mine of support,” he said.

“And when it comes to user-friendliness Trapeze systems are by far the best for staff training, as it is easy to understand and work with.

We would never change back to our previous system after working with Trapeze for so long, as they understand what we need and how to make it work for us.”

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Rolling Stock and Manufacturing

High time for high-speed Events of the past few years have strengthened the case for introducing high-speed rail in Australia.

It’s a constant recurring theme every election year in Australia: the incumbent government and opposing parties promise to investigate the feasibility of building high-speed rail with speeds above 200 km/h, but nothing ever seems to go beyond various reports or feasibility stages.

Currently, air travel dominates the intercapital travel market, and intra-rural travel is almost exclusively car-based. Although rail has a significant presence in some rural/city regions, there’s hardly any inter-capital rail due to low speeds and infrequent service.

And yet, studies have shown that travel times between the capitals by high-speed rail could be as fast as or faster than air travel.

The same reports however state that significant government assistance would be required to make the concept a reality.

Costs go beyond just track construction and straightening lines, to acquiring the corridors of land for the network.

But the prospect of high-speed rail keeps looking more and more attractive. Rail Express speaks to Alstom’s Communications and CSR Director for Australia and New Zealand, Sheldon Young, about why he thinks we’re on the cusp of a change of thinking.

“The events of the last two years really mean the possibility of high-speed rail can be

seen in a new light,” he said. “Firstly, there’s been a definite shift towards the desire for more localisation of our rail industry. A number of states across Australia are already building up their rail manufacturing bases and supply chains.

“Secondly, the remote working shift driven

by COVID.” Young said that Australia was lagging behind many countries when it came to high-speed rail.

“When we look at high-speed rail in general, there has not been a reduction of any highspeed rail networks in the world. In fact, it’s been expanding,” he said.

“In the past four years, there’s been a number of announcements across the world for the expansion of existing high-speed rail, networks particularly in Europe, and also new networks being opened up in the UK, the US and even Africa,” he said.

“High-speed rail is now operating on four continents. Australia seems to be the only one not moving towards high-speed rail.

“It seems as though the only people who oppose high-speed rail are those who haven’t traveled it. Anyone who has caught a highspeed train seems to be an advocate for it!”

Young said with the expansion of rail manufacturing on the localisation front, high-speed rail presents the opportunity to

create a long term sustainable pipeline of work throughout the country.

“Victoria is our more traditional home of railway manufacturing in Australia where we have locally manufactured trams, suburban and regional trains for the State,” he said.

“Perth has reinvigorated its local railway manufacturing industry with the METRONET project, where Alstom are currently manufacturing the C-Series suburban trains in Perth.

“And more recently, the Queensland Government made an announcement that it too intends to build its next fleet of trains in Queensland.

“A national approach to high-speed rail would provide a long-term pipeline of work for both existing and the newly established supply chains and those entering the rail industry for employment.”

In essence, it means supplying rolling stock and infrastructure for high-speed rail is no longer highly dependent on imports which could also have an impact on delivery.

“The development of a national high-speed rail network ensures each state can contribute to a national program and it can potentially address a number of issues facing our industry,” he said.

“And it’s not just work for the rolling stock manufacturers, there’s of course the

Alstom is building the next generation of highspeed trains in the USA, the Avelia Liberty.

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There are 19 countries that cross borders across Europe with high-speed rail.

huge potential for civil work across track tunnels and the ongoing maintenance of all the infrastructure, and the rolling stock and signalling technologies.

“It goes right from the supply chain to the individuals actually manufacturing or building the infrastructure.”

Young debunked the view that a complete network would take decades to set up and costs hundreds of billions of dollars before the first train can be run.

“The network would be built in stages, for example, the infamous Sydney to Canberra route. That could be developed in in a ‘relatively’ short period and you could have trains operating on that line, while developing the next leg down to Albury or otherwise, or say from Brisbane to the Sunshine Coast to Maryborough,” he said.

Young said there was also the stronger push and drive for sustainability of the transport sector.

“We know that the rail transport already is very sustainable, so that is a big benefit,” he said. “But there are some great opportunities for improving the long-term sustainability of rail and mobility in general – with one of those being the shift from diesel powered regional trains to electrified high speed lines.”

The COVID pandemic is also a factor that further supports the need for high-speed rail: it has altered workforce patterns, increasing the trend of Australians working from home and seeking to move away from the major cities.

While this can be regarded as opening up opportunities for regional areas to grow and prosper, they’re held back by the lack of an efficient high-speed rail system for transport between towns and cities.

“With COVID, people are wanting a sea/tree change. They’re still holding their jobs but with a

The first TGV M fourth-generation power car for French National Railways was unveiled at Alstom’s Belfort plant last year.

new shift in the way that the businesses operate, where people are working remotely, and they are relocating to the regions,” Young said.

“With high-speed rail, you have that ability to have short term travel to the regions where the towns can thrive and regional employment can grow, you have less pressure on the cities, and again reduce traffic and congestion, you’re providing a better work life balance for people.

“So the opportunities that high-speed rail bring go well beyond the economics of simply the cost per passenger per kilometre of track and train, the economic benefits are huge, not just for the railway sector but the broader community.”

When it comes to high-speed rail, Young said that Alstom was the global leader and had a

proven track record of delivering high speed and very high speed rail throughout the world.

“We’re heavily involved with high-speed rail in the EU of course – the TGV being the key example, but more recently Alstom was awarded a contract to build the next generation of high-speed trains in the USA, the Avelia Liberty. These trains will be built in America, for America, with 95% local content” he said.

“We could potentially do the same in Australia, where we could bring that innovation and technology and manufacture it locally here in Australia, where we now have the capabilities and skills base to do so.”

Young said one of the major issues facing a national rail industry as opposed to a statebased one was the lack of harmonisation.

“Coming together with a national approach to high-speed rail could be a catalyst for more harmonisation between the states of standards, processes and so forth,” he said.

“Just looking at Europe and beyond, there are 19 countries that that cross borders with high-speed rail, and there is harmonisation and integration in place to ensure it operates safely and efficiently.”

Young said the promise of high-speed rail was exciting and would attract more people to the rail industry.

“Graduates will look at the potential of contributing to high-speed rail for the next 20+ years and will be lured to join the industry, as opposed to another.

“Alstom is always a strong and vocal advocate for high-speed rail and although we are not holding our breath, we hope that one day, high-speed rail will become a reality in Australia … and we would be delighted to be part of it.”

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Rail Systems Engineering Downer’s Rail Systems Engineering expertise strengthens and complements our rail offering so we can provide customers across Australia with integrated end-to-end solutions for rail infrastructure assets.

Rail Systems Engineering combines our extensive rail sector experience, in-house capabilities and cross sector understanding to provide an integrated, customised and specialist service for rail projects.

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needs and mitigates over-engineering of solutions, providing certainty of delivery and value for money to customers

Safety assurance Eliminate or minimise safety risks through a rigorous and systematic process incorporating hazard identification, risk assessment and analysis and functional safety

Understand complex interactions between assets and systems, and new and legacy assets before they enter into operation

Type approval Rail Systems Engineering independently assesses equipment,

components, systems and subsystems for rail operators and product suppliers (OEMS) throughout Australia

Design Interface and integration management Installation and construction

Testing and commissioning Handover and completions Lifecycle asset support

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Track DNA uses complex analytics and machine learning to capture data from assets and performs assessments to predict the remaining life of its components.

For more information email us today systems@downergroup.com

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Rolling Stock and Manufacturing

The best of both mobility worlds As Australia and New Zealand continue to undergo an infrastructure boom, regional engineering consultancy Beca and global transport mobility consultancy SYSTRA have joined forces in a strategic partnership.

Defined by commitment to a common cause, globally informed innovation drawn from their vast networks and locally delivered solutions by on-the-ground experts, the partnership aims to take clients’ transport outcomes to the next level.

Rail Express speaks to Beca Group Director for Transport and Infrastructure Dr Kevin Doherty (KD), and SYSTRA CEO and Managing Director, Australia and New Zealand, Alana Newbrook (AN), about the benefits of the newly-minted partnership.

WHAT DO YOU THINK THE INDUSTRY NEEDS MOST TO DELIVER SUCCESSFULLY THROUGH FY23 AND BEYOND? KD: “We’re currently in a heated talent market and will be for a while. The availability of people to do the work, and their ability to work together in alignment with clients will be crucial for success. If I could sum this up in one word – it’s collaboration.

In some ways we also need to go back to go forward; revisiting more collaborative models from earlier decades, and investing in each other’s success. Digital literacy and building trusted, sustainable and mutually beneficial relationships is essential.”

AN: “An approach of leveraging complementary skill and expertise, bringing the industry’s resources together, and a culture that brings out the best of ourselves, partners and clients, is key to successful delivery. We need to move away from more tactical models of contractorclient relationships. Effective knowledge-sharing needs a mechanism in place whereby people are incentivised to share and uplift capability.”

WHAT TRENDS ARE YOU SEEING? AN: “Digital transformation is defining our operating environment. Take for example a tender currently on the market from a major Australian infrastructure client, looking for a partner to build their digital twin environment. The supply chain needs to be ready.

Another key trend is changing contract models to support interoperability of digital solutions and the seamless flow of information through a project’s full lifecycle, unhindered by traditional commercial boundaries. This will allow stakeholders to add value from concept through to operation.”

KD: “The ‘great resignation’ and attracting and retaining talent is a huge challenge right now – exacerbated over the past two years by COVID and closed borders. Fostering a culture of innovation and teamwork will be key to addressing this.

The rise of committed partnerships between industry players, such as Beca and SYSTRA, in contrast to more combative commercial environments, is another key trend. This will also assist with employee retention by fostering a more positive working environment.”

WHAT ROLE DO YOU SEE DIGITAL INNOVATION PLAYING? KD: “Digital innovation is about taking our clients and their infrastructure projects into the digital sphere, to enhance collaboration and operational management.

We’re two organisations with broad and complementary skillsets in end-to-end rail infrastructure, from initial design to the operation and maintenance of physical assets. And then, taking that and moving it into the digital ecosystem.”

AN: “Digital innovation is a key enabler for driving collaboration, alignment and connectedness.

Digital also supports a more optimised customer experience and the move away from the ‘simple’ delivery of a piece of infrastructure, to creating liveable, connected communities.

Take our dedicated BIM (Building Information Modelling) department, who work with clients using digital tools to track and model their carbon footprint. The engineering and construction industries have traditionally been slow when it comes to digital innovation, with the exception of BIM. So, bringing more efficient ways to deliver projects and to the highest standards is critical.”

WHAT ARE THE GREATEST CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN 2022?

AN: “Transport disruption will continue during 2022, whether through increased uptake of EVs and changes to people’s movements (for eg. working from home).

This will present significant challenges to existing delivery models, and opportunities to pivot our approach.

Customer experience will be key through all of this, as people have come to expect a higher

Dr Kevin Doherty from Beca.

Alana Newbrook from SYSTRA.

standard of service when leaving their house and moving around. They also want a seamless experience of digital integration, I.e. using their wi-fi on a train.

Likewise, we expect to see increased focus on ‘whole of journey’ mobility solutions - an area of great opportunity for the sector.”

KD: “The shift towards smart infrastructure and cities is not going away. Plus, changing consumer behaviour and moves towards energy efficient, multimodal forms of transport such as walking, cycling and scooters will be key drivers to stay across in the year ahead.

Rail and light rail will continue to be very important in the future as essential elements of an integrated transport ecosystem.”

Beca is one of the Asia Pacific’s largest independent advisory, design and engineering consultancies. Beca has more than 3300 employees in 21 offices delivering projects in more than 70 countries. Beca prides itself in forging strong and meaningful relationships with the clients it serves.

SYSTRA is one of the world’s leading engineering and consulting groups, specialising in public transport and mobility solutions. SYSTRA has designed one out of every two metros in the world and delivered 50 per cent of the world’s high speed rail lines.

WWW.RAILEXPRESS.COM.AU | 29

Rolling Stock and Manufacturing A Northern Explorer train in New Zealand with HVAC systems designed, manufactured and supplied by Noske Rail.

Keeping comfort on track The KYR Group’s services in the HVAC equipment sector have been boosted by the merger of two specialist companies.

Noske-Kaeser Rail & Vehicle and Coachair’s rail division have come together as members of the 100% Australian-owned KYR group to create Noske Rail.

Noske-Kaeser Rail & Vehicle is headquartered in New Zealand with branches in Victoria and Western Australia, and specialises in the design, manufacture and in-service support of Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) and refrigeration equipment for passenger cars and locomotive driver’s cabs, including customdesigned solutions and an extensive range of standard units.

Coachair, headquartered in New South Wales with branches in Queensland and Victoria, is an Australian market leader in the provision of HVAC solutions for the bus and rail industry, with their rail division also offering sacrificial antigraffiti window film and Teknoware lighting and panel solutions.

By bringing Noske-Kaeser Rail & Vehicle and Coachair’s rail division together under the common ownership of the KYR group, customers benefit from working with a company with a broader engineering base and experience, an

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extended branch network, and access to the KYR group’s market leading products such as ecotio₂ anti-virus coating, sacrificial window film and the Teknoware range of transportation lighting.

Noske Rail managing director Martin Mallon said it was an exciting time for Noske-Kaeser Rail & Vehicle.

“New ownership by a financially strong Australian shareholder underpins our commitment to support our customers for the whole life of the product,” he said.

“The joining of Coachair’s rail division with our own means we now have truly Australiawide coverage for sales and service.”

KYR Group CEO Dieter Mosmann said the formation of Noske Rail had added rail HVAC manufacturing capability to the KYR group, and increased its ability to support customers by extending the branch network for rail HVAC sales and service throughout Australia and New Zealand.

“Our bus and coach customers will still be able to rely on Coachair to deliver quality products and innovative engineered maintenance solutions under the Coachair brand which will now be solely focused on

the bus and coach market,” he said.

Noske-Kaeser Rail & Vehicle has celebrated more than 20 years of experience delivering and supporting successful HVAC and refrigeration outcomes in the rail industry.

The company specialises in the provision of custom-designed equipment as well as offering a wide range of standard HVAC units, refrigeration and ventilation equipment for passenger cars and locomotives.

Established for more than 40 years, Coachair is a market leader in providing engineered HVAC solutions for the bus and rail industry.

It provides Through Life Support for all HVAC solutions, and has diversified into sacrificial anti-graffiti window film, and Teknoware interior lighting and panel solutions in both the rail and bus segments.

The KYR Group owns and operates a number of Australasian companies in the rail, bus, aviation, industrial ventilation and engineering markets.

Its brands have long and proud Australian and New Zealand heritages, complemented with leading products provided in partnership with major offshore OEMs.

Rolling Stock and Manufacturing

Maximising mobile communications As the rail industry’s communications systems evolve, passengers, train and railway managers are set to benefit from new applications that deliver improved performance and operation.

Siemens Mobility has been at the forefront of railway mobile communications for more than 25 years, with the company’s GSM-R cab radio system providing operators worldwide with a robust and secure platform for voice and data communication.

This equipment is essential for the safe, smooth and efficient operation of railways, and as 5G FRMCS (Future Rail Mobile Communications System) is introduced, it is increasingly also being used to enable data to be passed around the railway, creating new opportunities and benefits.

FUTURE-PROOFING COMMUNICATIONS 5G FRMCS is the next-generation worldwide telecommunication system for railways, which will ultimately replace GSM-R. Supporting IP (internet protocol) voice and prioritisable IP data (critical; video; telemetry), 5G FRMCS is a key enabler for digitalisation within the rail industry and provides a range of opportunities to enhance the passenger experience with live video entertainment, video security transmission and dynamic passenger information systems.

A dual mode GSM-R/5G FRMCS solution that adapts and re-uses the existing on-board infrastructure will ensure costs are kept to a minimum whilst enabling a seamless migration for operators, and providing flexibility in terms of network deployment.

Siemens Mobility has revolutionised the GSM-R cab radio by adapting it to suit the next generation IP systems with railway specific requirements, futureproofing the cab radio by providing an upgrade path for operators to transition to 5G FRMCS.

EFFICIENT, COST-EFFECTIVE INFORMATION The necessity to evolve and transition from GSMR to 5G FRMCS brings opportunities for smart applications to be introduced to existing onboard equipment.

One such example is a hardware-ready platform that provides innovative cab radio enhancements, with radios being used as a platform for a range of integrated smart applications, including Trainborne Condition Monitoring (TBCM).

Without the need for any new hardware, this low-cost solution offers benefits to many railway stakeholders, including infrastructure owners and their maintenance teams, rail passengers, train operating companies and train owners.

The application can be inexpensively retrofitted to trains equipped with GSM-R cab radios and is simply downloaded over air (provided that LTE and GPS antennas are installed).

A smart application, TBCM is an efficient way of managing, monitoring and maintaining the track, identifying areas that need to be maintained by simply using data collected from in-service trains that are equipped with a GSM-R cab radio.

In so doing, it transforms the way train operators and infrastructure owners can monitor the conditions of their track assets, as it wirelessly creates a digital representation of the track using information from every train on the route, without needing additional equipment fitted.

TBCM works remotely and can be activated on all GSM-R equipped in-service trains, enabling continuous monitoring of the infrastructure.

Using an additional processor card in the GSM-R cab radio and the built-in highly sensitive three-axis

5G FRMCS is the next-generation worldwide telecommunication system for railways.

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accelerometer (vibration sensor), TBCM captures the vibration of the train to highlight areas where the track is deteriorating and indicates where track issues are causing a rough ride for passengers.

The integrated accelerometers can detect a number of different track defects including voids, rough-ride and dip-track on both plain track and switches and crossings.

By digitally harvesting data from across the fleet in real time, TBCM can precisely identify areas of track where preventative or predictive maintenance is required.

A comparison between runs on the same section of track can highlight sections where the track is deteriorating, and the speed at which it is doing so, allowing maintenance teams to correct defects before they become more serious.

This allows maintainers to focus their activities on those areas, reducing time lost due to the imposition of temporary speed restrictions and damage to trains, significantly improving the overall safety and reliability of the network and enhancing passenger comfort.

With fleet wide TBCM installations, given multiple journeys by multiple trains, an automated assessment of the entire rail network can be provided in a very short period of time.

Analysis of a track section is therefore much more straightforward and accurate, helping to reduce the number of false alarms, and improve location accuracy and defect size.

With access through a user-friendly web-facing Windows browser, the system provides user-defined alerts, automated reporting, including whether the defects are on switching’s and crossings or plain track, and trend analysis.

It also enables trends to be identified, providing advanced warning of potential issues, and enabling planned, prioritised and preventive maintenance programs to be carried out.

This contributes to the overall decarbonisation of the railway as it keeps trains moving rather than waiting for issues to be cleared, allowing smooth and predictable journeys, which consequently will influence people to travel by train as a more sustainable mode of transport.

With its GSM-R equipment already fitted to main line trains worldwide, Siemens Mobility has harnessed the power of the equipment both to speed up and reduce the cost of adopting new technologies to deliver immediate benefits to the customer, operator and maintainer.

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Rolling Stock and Manufacturing

Keeping in touch with technology RSE’s new general manager aims to embrace the digital era and strengthen the company’s position in the systems integration marketplace.

In the space of just three years, Downer Rail Systems Engineering (RSE) has made a name for itself based on its significant rail systems engineering knowledge, as well as capability and experience through its history of designing, building and maintaining complex rail infrastructure .

The dedicated rail division is part of the Downer Group, which has worked for more than 150 years providing end-to-end, innovative transport solutions.

RSE is a leading rail contractor with major projects across Australia and New Zealand, with its services including turnkey infrastructure alterations, factory builds of signalling equipment, and construction and commissioning of various works. The business is also unique because it’s an in-house technical rail systems integrator.

The man who spearheaded the establishment of RSE, Peter Jones, is proud of the all-inclusive service customers have come to expect, backed by extensive rail sector experience, in-house capabilities and cross-sector understanding that provides the valued customised and specialist service for rail projects.

Jones retired as general manager last month, but he is excited about the future as he hands over the baton to Marc Hamameh, a recognised rail industry leader who has worked previously with the likes of giants such as Alstom and Siemens.

Hamameh aims to focus hard on the systems integration aspect, to encompass all the major components of rail projects and further strengthen RSE’s position in the market .

“It’s doing more of what we already do, and continuing to improve,” he said.

“It could be the electrification part, the signalling part, the infrastructure part … it is how we help our customers achieve the expected outcome by managing the complex interfaces through Systems Integration and mitigating the risks to ensure a safe and ontime delivery.

“We’re not like other system integrators who have to engage in external resources and subcontractors and rely on them to provide the services: we are fully there from the conception right through entry into service and beyond with through-life support

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Incoming RSE general manager Marc Hamameh.

cannot today neglect the impact and influence of the systems on a project, it’s about changing the way projects are thinking and being delivered” he said.

“It’s not just about building the infrastructure and adding pieces of technology to make it work.

“It has to come as a cohesive offering where the technology and infrastructure is integrated through system engineering and safety assurance to achieve the optimal outcome.g “Technology controls everything and we need to see things in four dimensions. It’s a new era.

“Instrumental to the integration, it is our plan to embrace the digital era, develop our digital engineering offering and make use of the “Big Data” to provide our customer

“It is our plan to embrace the digital era, and develop our digital engineering offering to provide our customer a complete solution for complex multi-disciplinary projects.”

Marc Hamameh, Downer Rail Systems Engineering

“We only started three years ago and growth has been exponential. We now plan to take it to the next level.”

Hamameh’s experience from the technology supplier’s industry is also expected to provide a boost to the RSE operations as he takes over the mantle.

“Marc brings in a valued OEM view from the suppliers’ perspective as we serve the construction and delivery paradigm,” Jones said.

“We’ve always had staff with expertise in specific areas such as project delivery, construction management and infrastructure.

“But we’re now going into the softer skills with integration, and these are skills that Marc brings with the knowledge and experience from the OEMs and suppliers.”

Hamameh said technology was evolving rapidly, and RSE would keep up every step of the way.

“The nature of projects are shifting and you

a complete solution for complex multidisciplinary projects.”

The Rail System Engineering offering features: • Full turnkey project services including full service offering across the lifecycle of rail asset systems.

• Strong experience in delivering depot systems, including depot personnel protection systems, stabling yards signalling and train control.

• Ability to implement digital technologies into rail systems, bringing highly capable and experienced team members to provide optimised solutions to clients.

• Asset Management Services , which feature Downer’s Digital Asset Management System Platform, TrackDNA, to provide condition and preventative maintenance systems, asset management planning, and TMP development and review.

Safety and Assurance

Instrument calibration specialist puts technology to the test As the need for stringent quality standards grows, EMC is establishing its name and growing rapidly throughout Australia and South East Asia.

Now in its 23rd year of operations, Electronic and Mechanical Calibrations (EMC) has made a name for itself as a leading specialist in sales, repairs and calibrations of electronic and mechanical instruments.

The privately-owned Brisbane-based Australian company currently already has more than 400 customers throughout Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and South-East Asia.

According to EMC calibration engineer and business owner Carlos Ortega, every industry needs servicing that is accurate, safe and reliable, along with product support and cost efficiency.

“Among our major clients are the railway and aviation industries, which we service to the best standards,” he said.

“Customers have included Pacific National, who have used our services for more than 10 years and are using 12 of the brake tester kits around their Australian maintenance sites; we have looked after Queensland Rail for 15 years and they have kits from Brisbane to Cairns; and several other companies such as Aurizon, Bombardier, and UGL. “We use specialised products such as tools and test equipment and offer the full range of sales, repairs, service and calibrations.”

BRAKE FORCE TESTER One of the company’s most well-regarded tools is its brake tester, which measures the force from brakes on wheels to ensure they meet safety requirements.

“The brake tester checks not only mechanical components but pneumatic operation,” Carlos said.

“It is a wireless force-measuring system which transmits readings onto a hand-held battery-operated indicator, and has magnetic bases for hand-free applications.

“With a maximum reading distance of 100m, the indicator can read up to 12 individual force units. Readings can also be read on a laptop and exported into Excel for data recording and analysing.

“The low profile dual load cell units can take up to 90KN of force with better than +/-1 per cent accuracy.”

Ortega said the sturdy EMC-manufactured product is housed in a weatherproof, sealed load cell and transmitter box, with strong steel load bases and stainless steel braided connecting cable.

The company offered plenty of support, parts and training for the tester, which was nominated for the Innovation award at the Moreton Bay Telstra innovation awards in 2018.

“It is unique, with no other product like it in Australia, and can be used from any trains from freight/material wagons, passenger trains to locomotives,” Ortega said.

OTHER SERVICES EMC also specialises in servicing and calibrating areas such as torque, electrical meters, temperature meters, pressure and vacuum, dimension metrology, force systems and levels.

• Dimensional metrology: Engineer squares, dial and electronic gauges, feeler gauges, gauge blocks and accessories, micrometers,

plug and thread gauges, rules and tapes, thickness gauges, verniers, height and length gauges, straight edges.

• Force measurement: tensiometers, belt weighers, torque wrenches and meters, balances and scales, load cells, force testing machines, jacks, weighing kits.

• Temperature meters : thermometers, temperature meters, temperature probes, ovens, furnaces, temperature controllers, IR temperature meters.

• Electrical: insulation testers, multimeters, current meters, frequency meters, RCCB testers, network analysers, function generators, milliohm meters, hipot testers • Other Instruments: pressure gauges, vacuum gauges, protractors, levels, pH meters, conductivity meters, tachometers, sound meters, durometers, vibration analysers, flux meters, light meters, moisture and humidity meters.

• The company is ISO9001-accredited since 2000, with all calibrations traceable to National Standards.

E: sales@emcalibrations.com W: www.emcalibrations.com

EMC’s brake tester measures the force from brakes on wheels to ensure they meet safety requirements.

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Sustainability in Rail

Rail on right track to net zero Rail is one of the most environmentally friendly ways to move people and goods, and global technological, policy and operational initiatives need to be implemented to take full advantage of its benefits.

Over the 45 years to 2016 Australia’s rail freight has increased more than ten-fold to 414 billion tonne kilometres, largely influenced by the growth of bulk commodities such as iron ore and coal.

However, the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics has recently concluded “that apart from commencement of new services via Inland Rail, there are few other obvious opportunities that might significantly increase rail freight volumes” in the future (Research Report 152).

It predicts the growth of freight movement by rail to significantly slow over the coming decades, with forecast growth of only 16 per cent to 2040.

In contrast road freight volumes are projected to grow by around 56 per cent.

“This blend of targeted measures could similarly serve as a model for Australia.

“Global rail operator, Deutsche Bahn, moves more than one million tonnes of goods by rail every day. Its competitiveness with road transport is maintained through investment in high technology intermodal “MegaHubs”, use of new techniques such as transport of whole trucks or truck trailers by rail (roll-on roll-off or lift-on lift-off) and investment in zero emissions solutions to meet the objectives of the European Green Deal.

“Reducing or potentially eliminating carbon emissions from Australia’s transport sector is essential to achieving net zero emissions by 2050. Transport is Australia’s third largest source of carbon emissions, almost 18% of the total.

“Finding zero emissions solutions for the rail freight industry is key to creating future competitive advantages over road freight.

Rail needs to lead the race to be the world’s first zero emissions transport sector.”

Mark Keogh, Deutsche Bahn Engineering Consulting Operations Every day more than 2000 trucks travel the Pacific Highway between Sydney and Brisbane.

Road freight has benefited from significant interstate road upgrades and various microeconomic reforms.

Rail Express speaks to Mark Keogh, Executive Director Australia and New Zealand Hub for Deutsche Bahn Engineering Consulting Operations, about future innovations, initiatives and policy reforms that can maintain or increase rail’s mode share of the Australian freight task.

“The European Union has encouraged mode shift to rail using a combination of policies including incentives for freight shippers to choose lower carbon modes and investment in better rail infrastructure and improved intermodal connectivity,” Keogh said.

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“Finding zero emissions solutions for the rail freight industry is key to creating future competitive advantages over road freight. Rail needs to lead the race to be the world’s first zero emissions transport sector.”

Keogh said Deutsche Bahn has set itself the ambitious goal of becoming climate neutral by 2040, which has precipitated a focus on eliminating diesel vehicle emissions.

“We are conducting pilot projects with low and zero carbon locomotive technologies including battery-powered trains and use of synthetic fuels,” he said.

“In our advanced TrainLab, for example, we are testing eco-fuels such as hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), which are produced exclusively from residual and waste materials

Mark Keogh, Executive Director (Australia and NZ) for Deutsche Bahn Engineering Consulting Operations.

of vegetable and animal fats. We are also fast-tracking hydrogen-powered trains that will play a major role in replacing diesel locomotives around the world.

“Deutsche Bahn has also developed a ground-breaking simulator to assess the comparative performance of different zeroemission technologies – electric, battery and hybrid options - and identify the best technical solution for clients.

“The Eco Rail Simulator has been instrumental in helping Deutsche Bahn’s client, Vale, the world’s largest producer of iron ore and a major heavy rail operator, to determine the best low carbon rail technologies that will help the company achieve its carbon reduction commitments.”

Keogh said that in Australia, the inclusion of clean hydrogen as a priority technology in the Federal Government’s Low Emissions Technology Roadmap is a good first step to encourage investment in developing and scaling-up hydrogen as a clean fuel for heavy transportation.

Ultimately, the funding and investment decisions that governments make now will determine how successful we are in limiting emissions 20 years down the track.

“Rail is one of the most environmentally friendly ways to move people and goods,” Keogh said. “Clearly a strong, efficient and carbon neutral rail freight industry will deliver broad based societal and environmental benefits.

“Rail industry participants need to enhance this increasingly important competitive advantage by exploring the applicability of global technological, policy and operational initiatives to the Australian context.”

Operations and Maintenance

Making the most of mobility Mobility as a Service is now being used widely to meet customer and stakeholder needs.

How do we make mobility about freedom and autonomy? How do we offer travellers flexibility and real time journey options? How do we create a broader mobility ecosystem which is easy for travellers, operators and authorities to navigate?

These are some of the questions that global mobility leader Thales is tackling with its ground transportation systems, and in particular its TRANSCITY technology.

The way people travel has changed. With cities bringing together multiple transport and mobility choices, expectations are changing. Mobility must be tailored to everyday needs, must be sustainable and must be accessible through our phones.

What’s needed is a way to effectively make joined-up journeys. This means being able to plan and pay for any trip using the most efficient combination of different mobility modes via a single platform – preferably a smartphone app. This is what is meant by Mobility as a Service (MaaS).

THE FORCES SHAPING MOBILITY Thales reports that a study by the United Nations forecasts that 68 per cent of the world’s population will live in urban areas by 2050 – up from 55 per cent in 2018. Unless mobility solutions are put in place, cities are likely to become more congested and more polluted.

Passenger flow is never evenly distributed over the day. During rush hours, trains, metros and buses are overcrowded. This causes people to miss their ride which results in a negative user experience.

Yet, during off-peak hours, the same vehicles are driving almost empty. From a cost-efficiency perspective, this is an undesirable situation.

Investments in ‘hard’ infrastructure – track, stations and trains – will continue to play a pivotal role in transforming cities. But getting the most out of these new investments will increasingly hinge on deployments of ‘soft’ infrastructure – apps that incentivise and encourage people to leave their cars at home and put high-quality public transport at the heart of their multimodal journeys.

BUILDING THE MAAS PLATFORM • Public transport at the core MaaS allows transport authorities to put their existing public transport services at the heart of their mobility offer. Transport authorities can put policies in place that discourage the use of single occupant car-based mobility options – to incentivise where there is a public transport alternative available through the MaaS platform.

Connected mobility with MaaS.

• Build a trustworthy platform MaaS isn’t just about journey planning. It’s about ticketing as well. Travellers are likely to become highly dependent on their MaaS apps. Reliability and security become paramount.

Security measures such as PCI DSS certification, key management and tokenisation of users’ identities and accounts are becoming normal in transport ticketing. With new players joining the mobility ecosystem, there is the need to maintain and even strengthen security standards.

Trust is a crucial asset for the MaaS platform. This applies to the travellers who share personal data, for the mobility providers and for the revenues they collect through the platform.

• Ensure a level playing field The success of MaaS hinges on attracting providers to the platform. Entry barriers must be low. Open and modular architecture holds the key to getting as many mobility providers as possible onto the MaaS platform.

• Use data to improve the user experience MaaS platforms process and produce huge amounts of valuable data. Extracting insights from this data is beneficial for both participants and transport authorities.

Insights from MaaS data help transport authorities to understand how travellers’ daily pains can be solved. They also enable personalised mobility offers.

Better insights from data also deliver systemwide benefits. Journey data analytics can improve the day-to-day operation and the efficiency of the entire transport network. Transport authorities can predict demand based on historical and realtime data. This prediction not only allows them

to monitor passenger flows but also to adapt schedules in real time.

• Focus on interoperability Interoperability schemes can be used to facilitate ‘co-opetition’– cooperation between competing companies. This ensures that the commercial benefits of MaaS are not restricted to a few dominant players.

HOW THALES CAN HELP The focal point of any MaaS deployment is the digital mobility platform.

Transport authorities need a platform that is open, data-driven and capable of providing a level playing field. Above all, the platform must be cyber-secure to safeguard the privacy of users.

The everyday convenience and flexibility offered by Account-Based Ticketing, Open and Closed Payments/ EMV and mobile tokenisation profoundly improves the customer journey experience, enabling Thales to engage with and enhance the broader MaaS ecosystem via connected mobility.

Thales’ solution is TRANSCITY – a powerful ticketing and mobility platform that enables interoperability amongst multiple mobility players. It is designed with cybersecurity and users’ privacy at its core.

Through its open interfaces and APIs, transport authorities can integrate third-party services to provide the optimal user experience.

TRANSCITY is scalable, modular and has an open cloud-based architecture so it can be integrated into existing revenue collection systems and grow naturally as the number of mobility users rises.

The technology was on display at the recent AusRAIL PLUS conference, where visitors to the Thales stand found out more about the company’s innovative MaaS solution.

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Rail: the economy's backbone Pacific National CEO Paul Scurrah outlines the company’s plans to increase containerised volumes in its intermodal business – PAGE 22

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Industry Associations

New dedicated Standard for light rail, rule for harmonisation The RISSB has released a new light rail Standard, and Australia’s first harmonised rule.

LIGHT RAIL STANDARD The Rail Industry Safety and Standards Board (RISSB) has announced the release of the first dedicated Australian light rail Standard – AS 7601.1 Light rail and road interfaces: Management of light rail vehicle movements.

This Standard is the cumulation of over 12 months work by some of the light rail industry’s leading operations, human factors, and safety experts, who worked collaboratively to ensure that all aspects of light rail vehicle movement was covered.

AS 7601.1 seeks to assist the light rail sector by providing requirements and recommendations that are specific to the nature of light rail networks and aims to improve safety whist reducing engineering and project costs, as well as bringing a level of harmonisation to the industry.

The Standard covers line of sight movements, road crossings, and signaling systems, including standardised approaches to signal indications.

A key focus of the Development Group was the consideration of human factors across all areas, to ensure that system design considers the needs of light rail drivers and other road users.

RISSB has already received feedback from light rail organisations that they intend to adopt the requirements and recommendations outlined in the Standard, as it will provide significant value to their networks.

Prior to its publication, light rail networks have largely had to comply with heavy rail and road specifications which have often proved to be sub-optimal from a light rail perspective.

RISSB is continuing to support the light rail industry, with the Light Rail Safeworking Code of Practice under development, and the creation of the Light Rail Standing Committee to oversee the RISSB Light Rail program.

Further light rail specific products will be developed over the coming years, all aimed at improving safety, interoperability, and harmonisation for this rapidly expanding urban transport system.

The Standard provides requirements specific to the nature of light rail networks.

HARMONISED RULE The RISSB has also published Australia’s first ever harmonised rule, AHNR 2007 Network Communication.

Consolidating three disparate Australian Network and Procedures rules, it is one in a set of national rules being developed by the Rail Industry Safety and Standards Board that will bring Australia closer to achieving rail harmonisation and interoperability.

The rule manages safe working communications across the rail network, protecting the lives of track workers and ensuring the safe passage of people, goods and materials around the country.

The national rules will apply to all participating operators and track managers across the nation and are set to not only deliver significant safety and productivity benefits, but also support the modernisation pathway for network rules.

So far, 13 of the biggest rail operators in Australia have pledged to help develop and implement the series of agreed national rules within their business.

They include Queensland Rail, ARTC, Pacific National, Sydney Trains, Arc infrastructure, Perth Transport Authority, Victrack and TasERail.

Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator COO Peter Doggett said the organisation supported “every effort to bring harmonisation to the railway, and especially in such an important area as communications”.

“Having a suite of nationally harmonised rules will be a great asset to the industry,” he said.

RISSB Chief Executive Officer Deborah Spring said that the 13 organisations had shown great leadership in committing to support the adoption of harmonised rules in their own networks.

“We applaud the commitment from these rail companies to improve the quality and consistency of industry rules. RISSB has been on this journey for many years so to see these organisations band together now and support our work is a terrific outcome,” she said.

Work is already underway on a new rule – Walking in the Danger Zone – continuing RISSB’s emphasis on track worker safety. This second national rule is expected to be released to industry in mid-2022.

If you would like to get involved in RISSB’s national rules work, please send an email stating how you would like to get involved to info@rissb.com.au.

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Industry Associations

Survey confirms importance of rail skills shortage focus The Australasian Railway Association’s most recent rail remuneration survey has confirmed key roles remain in demand as the industry continues to address skills shortages.

The latest ARA survey, conducted late last year, predicted rising salaries of up to 4.2 per cent over the next 12 months as the industry continues to advance a range of new projects, technological transformation and innovation.

The survey assessed salary information for 400 rail specific roles across 46 organisations in 2021.

IN-DEMAND ROLES While the industry is facing a skills shortage across many roles, the survey found that in 2021 rail maintainers and rail trades were most in demand, with total fixed remuneration rising seven per cent over a six-month period.

The increase was attributed to high demand in both rail and other industries, as well as the impact of national skills shortages.

Signals technicians were not far behind, recording an increase of six per cent over the same period, while technical trainers and

The survey found that in 2021, rail maintainers and rail trades were most in demand.

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assurance engineers were expected to be increasingly in demand over the next year.

The survey found WA typically attracted the highest pay for technical roles, partly as a result of additional allowances for remote working.

However, NSW and Victoria attracted premiums for key roles in fields such as health and safety, human resources, technology and project management, as a wave of new projects continued to be delivered.

PREPARING FOR THE PEAK The survey validates forecasts in the ARA’s Skills Capability Study, which predicted skills shortages for key roles such as signalling technicians, train drivers, train controllers, track workers, trainers and assessors.

The 2018 report predicted a 7.5 per cent workforce gap by 2027 across rail construction, operations and manufacturing.

It anticipated a shortage of 70,000 skilled

Caroline Wilkie, chief executive, Australasian Railway Association.

workers by 2023 – a date that is now almost upon us.

Infrastructure Australia last year confirmed 2023 would present challenges for the infrastructure sector, forecasting shortages would peak next year in its most recent workforce and skills supply report.

International and state border closures over the last two years have exacerbated the challenges faced by the sector, highlighting the importance of addressing this issue to ensure a strong workforce to meet Australia’s long term needs.

As the industry prepares for this peak, the rail construction pipeline has continued to grow, with $155 billion expected to be invested over the next 15 years.

It is clear ensuring the industry attracts and retains the best people in the face of high demand within and beyond the infrastructure sector will require a multi-faceted approach.

The ARA has been working on a range of fronts since the release of its 2018 study.

We continue to contribute to the work of the National Rail Action Plan to support greater collaboration between state governments and industry to address this critical issue.

The progress of three working groups established under NRAP in 2020 was positive and featured strong industry engagement.

We are pleased to see work continues on progressing the working group’s recommendations.

The ARA is engaging with industry and government to address the rail industry’s skills needs in areas of high demand.

WELCOMING NEW PEOPLE TO THE RAIL INDUSTRY Attracting new people to the industry also remains a focus.

While the industry has fostered a loyal workforce and supports 165,000 direct and indirect jobs, new workers will be needed to meet future demand.

The remuneration survey found more than half of the industry’s talent are Gen X or Baby Boomers, with the average age for people working in rail was 46, about five years older than the national average.

This is part of a broader trend, with Infrastructure Australia predicting 40 per cent of the infrastructure sector’s workforce could potentially retire over the next 15 years.

But there is a new generation moving into the workforce, with the survey finding 41 per cent of rail industry workers were Generation Y, and five per cent Generation Z. The proportion of women working in rail has also increased, although there remains more room for improvement.

In 2018-19, 27 per cent of the rail workforce were female and 22 per cent of managers were female.

Improving the diversity of the industry will be key to building the rail workforce for the long term, and remains a strong focus for the ARA. Our next gender diversity report is due for release this year and will help track the industry’s progress and areas for improvement as we continue to promote the industry.

Highlighting the benefits of working in rail will be a key part of the ARA’s program of work this year.

The ARA is currently developing a new Work in Rail campaign, to be released with the launch of a new website later this year, to support industry efforts to attract new people to the industry.

The website responds to industry feedback that there is a need to build awareness about

the diversity of roles, and the breadth of rich and rewarding careers, available in rail.

The ARA’s newly formed Work in Rail Project Committee will help lead our work to identify and promote the range of career options available in the industry for school leavers, university graduates and skilled workers from other industries.

This will showcase not just the many rewarding careers available, but the intrinsic community benefits rail has to offer our communities.

The ARA’s Young Leaders’ Advisory Board identified in 2019 that the industry’s contribution to sustainability was a key factor attracting young people to the industry.

Promoting rail careers must therefore also highlight the fact that working in rail contributes to connected communities, takes cars off the road and supports our sustainable development for generations to come.

The benefits of rail have become increasingly clear during the pandemic, as essential rail services have continued to connect people and businesses through lockdowns and restrictions.

Communicating these key benefits must be part of encouraging new people to join our industry and contribute to this important role it plays in the community.

PATHWAYS INTO RAIL Another area of focus for the industry is highlighting the range of education and training pathways available to work in rail.

Finding training pathways has historically been a challenge for those not already in the industry.

Rail has drawn fewer employees from training provides such as TAFE compared to other industries, with private training providers often meeting the bulk of this need.

This means there has been no rail-specific training available to those not already working in the industry.

Meanwhile, a lack of undergraduate rail

units and degree programs have made it challenging to identify clear pathways from engineering and other courses into the rail industry, despite the fact that some of these roles are in high demand.

The ARA is engaging with industry and government to support the development of training and education courses that can help address the rail industry’s skills needs over the medium term, particularly in areas of high demand.

This will be supported by the ARA’s existing work to support national competency matrices to make it easier for rail workers to move between projects and across state borders as they build their careers.

MEETING FUTURE SKILLS NEEDS There are also great opportunities to attract new people to the industry in emerging roles and relatively new areas of specialisation.

The remuneration survey identified greater investment in sustainability and ESG as the industry increases its focus on sustainable business practices across the supply chain.

The ARA’s Sustainability Committee has confirmed a strong commitment by industry to embed sustainability across its operations, and is working closely with its members to advance a number of initiatives to support our low carbon future.

This will require strong expertise to support sustainability across the rail industry asset lifecycle.

Technology and innovation was also a key focus, with data analytics and automation to drive the industry’s future.

These skillsets will be vital to the industry’s growth over the next decade and beyond, and will help realise greater efficiencies from design and construction through to operations and maintenance.

In additional to ensuring the right training and pathways are in place to attract people that can lead these growth areas, a culture of rail innovation must also be supported at every level of the rail industry.

Smart rail strategies that build the planning pipeline for digital technology will be vital, as will best practice procurement and contracting approaches that accelerate technology adoption.

All these measures will require strong collaboration between industry and government to ensure a national approach to attracting and retaining talented people in the rail industry.

While the immediate challenges require urgent focus right now, there is a great deal of opportunity to harness the intrinsic benefits of rail to build a strong workforce and long and rewarding careers for years to come.

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Contracts, EOIs, Tenders

VICTORIA Inland Rail The Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) has engaged McConnell Dowell to complete the first phase of designs and early delivery activities for Inland Rail in Victoria.

The $16.4 million contract includes design and preparatory works at four sites on the existing North East Rail Line to enable Inland Rail double-stacked freight trains to run between Beveridge and Albury.

In Victoria, the project is expected to support hundreds of jobs, and provide an $8 billion boost in Gross State Product from construction and direct operation of the rail line.

McConnell Dowell will conduct site investigations to inform the preliminary and detailed designs for utilities, signaling, track slews and the update of rail structures at the Seymour-Avenel Road bridge in Seymour, Murray Valley Highway in Barnawartha North, Wangaratta Station Precinct, Wangaratta and Beaconsfield Parade precinct in Glenrowan.

ARTC Inland Rail Interim Chief Executive Rebecca Pickering said McConnell Dowell was chosen based on its experience delivering major projects including multi-million rail, bridges, railway stations and roads both in Australia and New Zealand, and globally.

Pickering said construction will start in the middle of this year , after all planning approvals have been received.

“McConnell Dowell and the main design subcontractor Aurecon will now oversee the detailed design of new bridges, train station modifications and track lowering at these initial sites in Victoria, while we await planning, heritage and environmental approvals,” she said.

“They will also be undertaking early delivery activities to get ready for construction, which includes minor civil works, overhead wiring and signal gantry installation for the sites.

“McConnell Dowell will now begin progressing detailed design for these sites in early 2022, which will include further consultation by ARTC with the community and stakeholders for the tranche one sites.

“ARTC will also continue to work through the heritage permit approval process for Glenrowan, before the community has the opportunity to make a submission through a consultation process conducted by Heritage Victoria.”

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Pakenham Line Three more dangerous and congested level crossings in Melbourne’s south-east are set to go – making the Pakenham Line completely level crossing free by 2025 – with a total of 22 level crossings being removed on the line.

The level crossings on Main Street, McGregor Road and Racecourse Road in Pakenham will all be gone for good by 2024 – with a new rail bridge built over the roads. Two new stations will also be developed at Pakenham and East Pakenham, along with 6 MCG’s worth of new open space for locals to enjoy.

A contract has now been signed to deliver the project – which will see thousands of motorists who pass through these level crossings everyday benefit from safer journeys and eased congestion.

An alliance comprising John Holland Group, Kellogg Brown and Root (KBR), Metro Trains Melbourne (MTM) and the Level Crossing Removal Project will deliver the $844 million works that will allow more trains to run, more often.

Crews have already commenced early works in the area to pave the way for major construction to begin. Throughout the year, crews will begin working on gas, power, water and other utilities in the rail corridor and the arrival of piling rigs – including giant drills – on site. Early ground works on the new Pakenham and East Pakenham stations will start in late 2022, with both new stations to open to passengers in 2024.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA Rio Tinto Rio Tinto has called for Expressions of Interest (EOI) from Western Australian manufacturers to build 100 rail cars for its Pilbara iron ore mining operations.

The EOI callout follows the miner’s announcement in September it would look for opportunities for WA suppliers to help grow the local rail car manufacturing industry and support local jobs.

Rio Tinto will initially purchase 50 rail cars from the successful supplier, followed by an ongoing commitment of 10 rail cars a year for

the next five years. The EOI supports the vision of the WA Government’s iron ore rail car action group, which was formed to develop the state’s manufacturing capability, and of which Rio Tinto is a member.

The tender can be accessed through the Rio Tinto Buy Local portal, a resource dedicated to making local suppliers aware of opportunities to partner with Rio Tinto and be part of its supply chain.

NEW SOUTH WALES Western Sydney Airport Major works are set to commence on the new Sydney Metro-Western Sydney Airport metro line after a $1.8 billion contract was awarded to CPB Contractors and Ghella to build the new twin metro rail tunnels.

The first of four mega tunnel boring machines will be in the ground by early 2023 to deliver 9.8 kilometres of twin metro rail tunnels in two sections, under the first major contract to be awarded as part of the project.

The driverless 23-kilometre metro line will link St Marys to the centre of the new Aerotropolis via the new Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport, with six stations to be built along the alignment.

The 9.8 kilometres of twin rail tunnels will be delivered in two sections. The 4.3-kilometre northern tunnels run from St Marys to Orchard Hills and the 5.5-kilometre southern section of tunnels runs between the Airport Business Park and the Aerotropolis Station.

Apart from the twin tunnel, the Station Boxes and Tunnelling contract includes excavation and civil works for new stations at St Marys, Orchard Hills, Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport, and Aerotropolis.

CPB Contractors and Ghella will build one of the two temporary precast concrete factories for the project on the Western Sydney International site, which will produce more than 67,000 concrete segments to line the twin tunnels. The teams will also build two TBM launch sites at Orchard Hills and Western Sydney International and two TBM retrieval sites at St Marys and Aerotropolis Station.

Once the tunnelling contract is complete in late 2024, work will continue to lay tracks and fit out stations.

CPB Contractors is already involved in the construction of the Western Sydney International Airport and the Sydney Metro City and Southwest project.

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