Alstom’s Urbalis Fluence smart signalling solution is accelerating the transition towards more efficient, seamless and sustainable transport while improving the passenger experience. PAGE 32
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The use of digital technologies to improve processing efficiency and enhance productivity has accelerated to such an extent that it’s now almost considered an essential component of day-today operations.
The adoption of technology has skyrocketed with the increasing sophistication of smartphones and use of the 5G network.
And among the biggest beneficiaries of new digital developments are the public transport industries, including of course rail.
Coupled with advancing technologies (such as big data analytics, the Internet of Things (IoT), machine learning, and artificial intelligence), the sector can carry out intelligent and rapid interpretation of data into useful information for travel purposes.
Transit companies around the world are already implementing new technologies to make commutes more comfortable, and most passengers are now able to enjoy and expect seamless travel and accurate realtime information.
Mobility-as-a-service is truly more than just a buzzword now. Metro and other major public transport systems have progressed from simple mass transportation systems to integrated public transport providers.
Apart from relaying passengers to destinations, rail operators continue to embrace evolving digitalisation for the provision of services such as security, customer service assistance, and operational support.
This edition of Rail Express looks at some of the ways that digitalisation is changing the face of the rail industry.
For example, read how data solutions provider Dassault Systemes has created a dedicated workforce management suite to help the rail industry grapple with changing employment patterns of a post-COVID world.
Find out why testing and monitoring service EngAnalysis believes that it’s important to assess the risk potential of projects to help maximise their potential.
Discover how predictive maintenance technology developed by an Australian company impressed Siemens so much that the global mobility giant acquired the business.
Meanwhile, mobility giant Alstom is driving advancements in railway signalling that are paving the way for future growth, with its Urbalis Fluence solution pioneering technology around the world.
Apart from digitalisation, we also focus on the role of the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR), which casts an eye on more than 200 accredited operators comprising light and heavy rail operations, freight and passenger services, tourist and heritage railways and major projects in the country.
With a determined commitment to delivering safe railways for Australia, the independent agency clearly has zero tolerance for actions that endanger operations, as shown by a recent prosecution resulting in a $30,000 fine for a train driver.
Showing neither fear nor favour, it has also laid charges against NSW Trains and the Australian Rail and Track Corporation over an incident at Wallan near Melbourne, which resulted in two crew fatalities. The case will be heard in court later this year.
As acting CEO Peter Doggett tells us, the ONRSR has a critical enforcement role that involves specialist investigations and legal teams to ensure it acts in the interests of rail safety whenever and wherever it’s necessary. And with that comes the responsibility for holding people accountable where needed.
In other news, read about how the principles behind GS1’s inventory management system look set to be used in a new integrated rail network being built across the Baltic states in Europe; catch up on a number of rail workforce members who enjoy the careers they have chosen; and enjoy the usual contributions from our industry partners. ray.chan@primecreative.com.au
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In an ultimate knockdown-rebuild for the Botany Rail Duplication project in New South Wales, the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) has dismantled an existing steel single-track rail bridge and constructed a new concrete double-track bridge in just five days, on Robey Street in Mascot.
The Australian Government is fully funding ARTC to deliver the $400 million project, which will deliver better access to global export markets via Port Botany, improve freight supply chains across NSW and help reduce the number of trucks on local roads.
The rail line is located in a constrained and high-traffic area, over a major road and situated next to Sydney Domestic Airport, making the challenging works a major achievement.
Ultra-High Performance Concrete (UHPC) was utilised to ensure works were completed efficiently and safely. UHPC is extremely durable with a fast curing time.
The bridge works included moving and installing two 36.5 metre-long main bridge girders over Robey Street, weighing 330 tonnes each, during a five-day track closure.
A total of 24 planks were also installed to form the bridge deck, a process using a 600t crawler crane and a 650t mobile crane working simultaneously.
The project will duplicate the remaining 2.9 kilometre section of single line track to Port Botany, and construct a passing loop on the Southern Sydney Freight Line at Cabramatta to accommodate freight trains up to 1300 metres in length.
major gateway for Australia and the world, and investing in its growth was vital to the economic wellbeing of the nation.
“When completed, this project will allow freight to be moved more efficiently and effectively, ensuring we are ready for an anticipated 77 per cent increase in freight task by 2036,” she said.
ARTC group executive for major construction projects, Mike Zambelli, said the duplication was a transformational project.
“Th Robey Street bridge construction indicates major construction works are on
A team of archaeologists have unearthed a convict hut and historical artefacts that date as far back as 1792, during the start of work at Sydney Metro West’s Parramatta Station site. The 230-year-old convict hut housed women just four years after the settlement of the new colony in the late 1700s.
The convict hut was uncovered along Church Street in Parramatta and experts are currently investigating its significance.
The hut dates back to 1792 and will be fully excavated from the site to investigate its contents thoroughly.
The team that unearthed the treasured relics will continue their archaeological works at the site until mid-2023.
in just five days in a busy urban environment is a major achievement.
“Not only will this project increase freight capacity, it will also encourage more freight movements to be made by rail – helping to shift freight away from road transport and reduce truck movements and associated traffic congestion.”
Zamblli said each extra freight train travelling on the Port Botany Rail Line would take up to 54 trucks off Sydney’s roads - a result that would be well received by local road users.”
These discoveries mark the meeting of the past with the future of Western Sydney, as Sydney Metro West will take customers from Greater Parramatta to the Sydney central business district in just 20 minutes.
Parramatta Station is one of nine new metro stations for the 24km Sydney Metro West line that will link Sydney’s two major CBDs.
It will provide easy, efficient and accessible interchange with buses as well as Parramatta Light Rail.
Find out more about the historical facts and archaeological discoveries during the construction of Australia’s biggest public transport project at: www.sydneymetro.info/history
Inland Rail’s Material Distribution Centre (MDC) at Narwonah, New South Wales, is rapidly taking shape with the distribution site – that will be the largest site of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere – on track to begin services in mid-2023, with 67,000 cubic metres of topsoil stripped and more than 74,000 cubic metres of soil already moved onsite.
The Narwonah MDC will service the Rail Corridor Program as part of the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) project and is one of two MDCs servicing the future installation of ballast, sleepers, rail, and turnouts between Narromine in NSW and Gowrie in Queensland.
At the peak of construction around 100 people will be working on building the MDC that will facilitate construction of part of the 1700 kilometre Inland Rail alignment. The centre will process 675,000 concrete sleepers, more than 45,000 tonnes of new rail, and more than 500,000t of ballast.
Rail Delivery Director Paul Hollamby said Narromine was a significant location for the Inland Rail as it was the staging point for the largest greenfield section of the project between Narromine and Narrabri.
“The vast majority of the materials to build Inland Rail will be transported from their point of manufacture to the material distribution centre at Narwonah by rail, and depart again on rail to the construction railhead where they will be placed in their final location using a track laying machine,” he said.
“In a unique way, we are using a railway to construct a new railway. This approach will utilise significant safety, environmental, and sustainability benefits by removing the
requirement for tens of thousands of truck movements on interstate and local roads.”
Narromine shire mayor Craig Davies said the site was generating local opportunities for jobs and suppliers of goods and services in the Narromine area.
“We saw enormous benefits materialise in Parkes when the Parkes to Narromine section was built, as well as similar benefits in Moree and Narrabri at present. Now it’s Narromine’s turn to reap the rewards,” he said.
Transport for New South Wales (TfNSW) is evaluating emerging frictionless ticketing technology to make travelling on public transport easier for People with Disability (PWD), and to enhance the public transport customer experience.
This could include using biometric tools including facial and voice recognition, and 5G smart phone-based technologies.
TfNSW partnered with the iMOVE Cooperative Research Centre and La Trobe University’s Centre for Technology Infusion on the recent project, with its findings released in a report.
A total of 16,000 concession cards were issued to PWD in 2021, mainly for severely vision impaired people, while 60,000 people applied for a concession card.
The study concluded a significant number of people are having difficulties with public transport ticketing.
It found “for PWD that do not meet the concession criteria, tapping on and off can still pose a significant challenge”.
“For instance, for people with a mental or physical disability, using public transport can be a stressful experience and concerns about having the right ticket ready and finding access to the platform adds to this stress,” the report said.
It revealed from the beginning of 2021 to September of the same year, 152 problems were reported about concession cards.
“The nature of these problems was quite serious – in many cases the issue prevented the PWD from traveling on public transport. Lost cards are a frequent reason for making an inquiry as are late replacements, expired cards, and making updates to cards,” it said.
The study explored emerging technologies over a time span of two to five years and found that several technologies have the potential to deliver a frictionless ticketing experience.
A frictionless ticketing experience is where the end-user can simply walk through the gates that automatically open or walk onto platforms and be issued with a ticket automatically, without the need to tap on and off.
The project evaluated which technologies should be prioritised and provided a deep dive into each of these technology solutions. Four options were recommended for further exploration: a phone app using 5G, a token using Ultra-Wide Band (UWB), biometrics such as facial recognition, and integration with a wayfinding app using light detection and ranging (LiDAR) technology.
It also said NSW public transport legislation “required amendment to ensure technological neutrality in transport regulation for the future”.
For example, the report stated that “the concept of ‘authority to travel’ is linked to the notion of a ticket as a physical item, despite later amendments providing for the use of Opal cards and debit or credit cards … this does not easily fit with an authority to travel conferred using biometrics”.
Transport operators consulted included Airport Link (Sydney’s Airport Train), Transdev Australasia, Sydney Metro, Sydney Trains, and Sydney Ferries.
seen to traffic flow in these communities” with the removal of level crossings, elevating the rail was also going to deliver much community benefit with new public open spaces.
“It’s not often six hectares of public open space becomes available in an already developed part of our city, and we have a blank canvas to create something that will become a fantastic community amenity for many years to come.
such as Midland Health Campus and Midland Gate Shopping Centre.
The new station will include:
• platforms servicing the urban and regional networks
• a pedestrian overpass accessible to the public 24/7
• 12-stand bus interchange
• a multi-storey car park with more than 800 bays to replace the existing at-grade carpark
• 1 kilometre of new shared path to extend the existing network
• a kiosk
• bike shelters
New design images showing concepts for major new public open spaces along Perth’s Armadale Line have been released as part of planning for the jointly funded Federal and State METRONET Victoria Park-Canning Level Crossing Removal project.
Up to six hectares of new public space will be created by removing six level crossings on the line and replacing them with an elevated rail between Victoria Park and Beckenham stations.
The Victoria Park-Canning concept designs showcase a range of new public amenities including playgrounds, fitness zones, basketball courts, skate parks, new walking and cycling paths, public art, and activation spaces for community activities and events.
The new design images have been released as part of the Development Application (DA) for the Carlisle and Oats Steet Station precincts.
The project will also see five new elevated stations built at Oats Street, Carlisle, Queens Park, Cannington and Beckenham, which will integrate with the local community through architecture and design.
The high-level concept designs were workshopped and refined by incorporating feedback from local government, community reference groups and the broader community on what they would like to see around these station areas.
The designs have now been submitted for formal public comment and approval by the Western Australian Planning Commission.
Concept designs for the City of Canning section will be released in coming months with a formal advertised public comment period. This area covers Queens Park and Cannington stations and surrounding areas.
Transport minister Rita Saffioti said while a lot of the focus of the Armadale Line project had “understandably been on the significant improvements that will be
“What is now a rail line will become a thriving community precinct with a whole range of new facilities and amenities that people can use with their friends, family and neighbours.”
Meanwhile, fresh designs for METRONET’s new station in the Perth suburb of Midland have also been released, paving the way for major construction to begin in the middle of the year.
The facility will be a landmark for the area, featuring a contemporary design reflecting the local Noongar culture and landscape against the industrial backdrop of the Midland Railway Workshops.
Midland Junction Alliance, made up of McConnell Dowell Constructors (Aust), Georgiou Group, Arcadis Australia Pacific and BG&E, is building the new three-platform station between Helena and Cale streets.
Major construction on the project, which is jointly funded by the Federal and State Governments, is expected to begin in the middle of this year, with completion due in 2025.
The new location brings the station closer to the Midland CBD and improves access to sites
• operations facilities.
The public spaces surrounding the northern and southern station entries will link to the bus interchange, kiosk, and wider precinct.
The project will also connect the Midland Line to the new Bellevue railcar depot and train assembly facility and accommodates a potential extension of the passenger rail to the future Bellevue Station.
The new level crossing at Cale Street will be opened by early 2024, before the permanent closure of the current Helena Street level crossing.
Saffioti said the new train station would be the centrepiece of a revitalised Midland, with the new designs showcasing a modern, accessible, and visually appealing station that connects with local businesses, residential buildings, and essential community facilities.
“With works set to begin in the middle of this year, we will start to see these designs take shape and move one step closer to having this long-overdue station upgrade to better service Midland and the growing eastern corridor,” she said.
After eight years leading Victoria’s Big Build, Major Transport Infrastructure Authority director general Corey Hannett has informed the Victorian Government of his decision to seek a new career challenge.
Since the election of the current Government in 2014, Hannett has overseen an unprecedented construction blitz across the state.
He has led the Big Build as it grew from the removal of 50 level crossings to now 110 by 2030, the construction of the Metro Tunnel and a $100 billion pipeline of transport projects across Victoria, employing more than 50,000 workers.
He will be replaced by Kevin Devlin, currently chief executive officer of the Level Crossing Removal Project.
The pair have worked together on the
delivery of Victoria’s Big Build over the past eight years and Devlin is uniquely placed to ensure the ongoing success of the program.
Devlin started in the new position following Hannett’s departure in late March, allowing time for a seamless transition and the opportunity to move quickly to fill his role at the Level Crossing Removal project.
Premier Daniel Andrews commended Hannett’s role in the historic Big Build program of works that had transformed the state and created tens of thousands of jobs.
“His passion for the sustainability of the construction sector, and the safety of workers on the ground, have been hallmarks of his leadership and I thank him and wish him, and his family well for the future,” he said.
Transport and Infrastructure minister Jacinta Allan said Hannett had displayed a relentless
drive for results that has been the cornerstone of the Big Build’s success.
“He has built an amazing team with a strong culture of performance, professionalism and safety that is the envy of other states,” she said.
Trains travelling down Melbourne’s Geelong Line will soon have a new home to rest overnight, with major construction complete on the Waurn Ponds stabling facility.
New train storage at at the site means more room for trains on Victoria’s busiest regional rail line as well as improved reliability, with trains able to begin service on time each morning.
the new stabling yard, which will house
VLocity trains overnight and provide storage capacity for the growing fleet of trains that will service the line following critical upgrades between South Geelong and Waurn Ponds.
The project team installed more than 1.65 kilometres of track, 2700 sleepers, 25km of signalling cabling and combined services routes and a 4km pressure sewer system.
with minor works continuing in the coming months including landscaping, line marking, CCTV installation and site cleanup. Stabling at Waurn Ponds will support planned improvements for the Geelong Line. These include the South Geelong to Waurn Ponds Duplication, Geelong Fast Rail and the completed Waurn Ponds Station upgrade. The Geelong Line is the fastest growing
More train services will operate on Melbourne’s Hurstbridge line from the middle of the year, alongside two new stations at Greensborough and Montmorency.
Crews geared up for work from mid-March to build the new stations at Greensborough and Montmorency and finish 3.5 kilometres of track duplication as part of the Hurstbridge Line Duplication.
The works will see more trains than ever before running on the line with the track duplicated between Greensborough and Montmorency, and between Diamond Creek and Wattle Glen – also allowing trains to pass each other along the line, resulting in increased reliability for passengers.
The new timetable will see trains run every seven minutes from Greensborough, 10 minutes from Montmorency and Eltham and 20 minutes from Diamond Creek, Wattle Glen and Hurstbridge during the morning peak – as well as two more morning peak services will be available from Hurstbridge.
The new, modern stations at Greensborough and Montmorency will have better facilities for passengers including better weather protection, safer connections to the
surrounding area and improved all abilities access to meet the current and future needs of the community.
A new walking and cycling path will be built between the two stations by the end of the year, making it easier for people to exercise and commute, and connecting to the Plenty River trail via a new signalised pedestrian crossing.
Platform 2 at Diamond Creek Station will also be upgraded and a new signalised pedestrian crossing behind Diamond Valley College will be built, so the school community can safely cross the rail corridor.
Track duplication and signalling work started on March 16 and will go until April 30. During this time, buses will replace trains on sections of the Hurstbridge line. Commuters are encouraged to plan ahead and allow extra travel time.
Ahead of the six-week construction blitz, buses will also replace trains on parts of the Hurstbridge Line as crews work to upgrade tracks, signalling and equipment in preparation for the future extension of the rail tunnel beneath Greensborough Highway, as part of the North East Link Program.
The goats, nicknamed the ‘Puffing Billy Goats,’ were used on the rail network at Upper Ferntree Gully, Belgrave and Heathmont stations, helping to clear weeds in rocky areas that are difficult for machines to access.
Metro’s Puffling Billy Goats program has expanded since it was introduced in 2019, with more goats being added to new locations across the network.
High rainfall has seen an acceleration in the growth of vegetation along the train line that must be cleared to minimise the threat
While the goats re-joined the team recently to the fight against overgrowth on the rail network, Metro’s Vegetation Management team were also hard at work, focussing on grass cutting and slashing, tree pruning and station garden maintenance, which takes place every day and on most nights so Metro can stay on top of almost 1000 kilometres of plant growth.
Other activities by the Metro team to keep the network cool during summer included painting the outside of signal boxes
The Victorian Level Crossing Removal Project is removing 110 level crossings across Melbourne by 2030 – including 20 in the north-eastern suburbs, like the Ruthven Street level crossing in Macleod by 2027, to improve safety, unclog traffic congestion and increase the capacity of our train network.
with heat-reflective paint, and proactive investigations and maintenance at critical locations on the network.
Metro has a team of more than 1000 infrastructure maintenance specialists who are constantly monitoring and managing the rail infrastructure, including tracks, overheads, signals and communications.
The crew uses remote condition monitoring, as well as on-site inspections, to help prioritise areas needed for work ahead of the hotter months. They also ensure the rails are stressed to avoid buckling, and the overhead lines are tensioned to prevent them from sagging in hot weather.
Passengers may have also noticed an unusual-looking bright yellow train cruising the network.
EV120, affectionately called ‘Evie’, is a custom-built specialised maintenance vehicle that roams the entire rail network analysing the track and overheads, providing Metro Trains with valuable data to make sure any issues are identified quickly.
Queensland Rail’s network will soon be able to transport more essential items like groceries and building supplies faster to regional towns and cities, with works forging ahead on the State Government’s $77 million North Coast project to optimise freight movement between Rockhampton and Townsville.
Transport and Main Roads minister Mark Bailey said the line capacity improvement project was supporting 300 jobs and paving the way for the future of sustainable freight transportation across the state.
“The North Coast line is the principal regional freight and passenger line running from Nambour to Cairns. Now, seven of eight freight train passing loops have been commissioned on the line, with the latest round of works at Kunwarara now complete,” he said.
“The extended loops mean freight trains as long as 950 metres will be able to operate on the line, nearly double the previous capacity of 650 metres.
“With a single freight container holding up to 50,000 cans of food, that means more essential items getting where they need to go faster.
“As Queensland’s population continues to grow rapidly, projects like this will ensure people can receive the goods they need, when they need them.
“These works are essential in easing capacity constraints on the line and improving rail as a competitive alternative
to road freight, taking pressure off our roads and road users.
“It will also improve the environmental sustainability of freight transportation with rail freight producing 16 times less carbon pollution than road freight for every tonne kilometre travelled.”
The loops being extended along the line are located at Kunwarara, Kooltandra, St Lawrence, Koumala, Mount Ossa, Longford Creek, Guthalungra, and Gumlu.
Queensland Rail Head of Regional Jim Benstead said the Kunwarara works involved track and earthworks in the rail corridor, followed by signal testing on the upgraded equipment.
“The project is also delivering significant safety improvements, with the critical Automatic Train Protection System at the passing loops also being upgraded,” he said.
“What’s more, about 300 jobs have been supported throughout the project including crews from Queensland-based Civil Mining & Construction (CMC).
“CMC were enlisted to undertake the earthworks, design and construction elements, while Queensland Rail track and signalling teams undertake the tie-in, testing and commissioning works.”
Crews will next get to work on the final loop at Mount Ossa.
More cattle will soon be able to be moved by rail along Queensland’s Mount Isa line, with siding extension works at Maxwelton now underway.
Transport and Main Roads minister Mark Bailey said the upgrade would increase capacity of the siding almost five times its current level.
“This upgrade will make it much easier for our cattle industry to make the most of the rail network,” he said.
“As part of the upgrade, we’re extending the current siding from 300 metres to around 1.4 kilometres, providing much more space to get cattle off trucks and onto trains.
“It means two cattle trains will be able to use the siding a week, and also create a space to store trains at Maxwelton temporarily if
needed. The upgrade isn’t just future-proofing the line – it’s also supporting 60 secure jobs in the industry.”
Queensland Rail Head of Regional Jim Benstead said he was pleased to see design works underway, starting with surveying and hydrology investigations.
“Once the design is complete, crews will commence civil construction works including installing the new track and signalling infrastructure,” he said.
“In collaboration with the Richmond Shire Council, crews will relocate the cattle loading area approximately 600 metres east of the current loading area.
“During the construction period, residents near the siding may notice additional vehicle
movements, lighting, and noise. Every effort will be made to minimise impacts on the local community.
Richmond Shire Council mayor John Wharton said the council was supportive of the upgrade.
“The Council has plans for further development around the sites with farming underway and grain silos being built and filled,” he said.
“It’s an excellent opportunity to have a feedlot near this facility with 90 per cent of cattle loaded out of Maxwelton going to a processor.”
Construction works on the siding will kick-off from late February weather conditions permitting.
The Maxwelton rail siding extension is part of a $4.26 million investment by the State Government.
Downer has been selected as the preferred applicant to deliver the Queensland Train Manufacturing Program (QTMP), the largest investment in new rolling stock in Queensland history.
The QTMP is a state-shaping project, which will support rail manufacturing in Queensland, as well as the Cross River Rail project and the 2032 Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Under the contract, Downer will deliver:
• Design, manufacture and commissioning of 65 six-car passenger trains
• Design and build of two training simulators
• Design, construction and commissioning of a purpose-built train manufacturing facility at Torbanlea, in the Fraser Coast region
• Design, construction and commissioning of a maintenance facility and stabling yards at Ormeau, in the Gold Coast region
• Maintenance of the new rolling stock fleet, simulators and the Ormeau maintenance facility for an initial term of 15 years and a maximum term of 35 years.
Revenue to Downer will be finalised at contract execution, which is expected to occur in the coming months.
Downer chief executive officer Grant Fenn said the contract would cement Downer’s position as the largest passenger rolling stock maintainer in Australia for the next 30 years.
“Downer is the leading provider of rolling
stock asset management services, with more than 100 years’ experience delivering rail solutions for our customers across Australia,” he said.
“With the addition of the new Queensland fleet, Downer will manage the largest rolling stock fleets in each State on Australia’s Eastern seaboard. Downer has successfully delivered a total of 119 Waratah trains for the New South Wales Government across Series 1 and Series
2 trains, and is currently more than halfway through completion of 70 new High Capacity Metro Trains for the Victorian Government.
“Downer is proud to be part of this project, which will change the way people travel around South East Queensland.
“We look forward to working closely with the Department of Transport and Main Roads to deliver this critical project for the people of Queensland.”
Dozens of innovative new sensors have been installed across the Toowoomba Range to help detect land movement and provide valuable information to Queensland Rail engineers to help improve safety.
Acting Head of Regional Scott Cornish said the devices were designed and manufactured in Brisbane to help detect real-time risks to the rail corridor.
“We’ve been exploring how innovative technology can identify land movement on the Toowoomba Range, which is incredibly important in helping us minimise disruptions to passenger and freight services that use the West Moreton Line,” he said.
“The systems, made by Kurloo, were placed on one embankment during significant rainfall events last year and helped our engineers
retrieve invaluable land movement data from areas they were unable to access.
“Following the successful trial, 35 newly upgraded devices have been installed on nine embankments to monitor the impact heavy rainfall has on the mountainous territory and reduce unplanned closures of the West Moreton system, which provides an important link to the Port of Brisbane.
“In addition to this technology, Queensland Rail is investing $37 million in the Toowoomba Slope Stabilisation Project to ensure the safety and reliability of the rail network. By trialling new effective innovations, we can help support traditional activities and be better informed about risks in the environment and target investment accordingly, paving the way for more safe and reliable network operations.”
By using cutting edge technology, Kurloo can measure real-time displacement, giving daily readings with an accuracy within 3mm which helps inform Queensland Rail teams when inspections are required.
Kurloo technology co-founder and CEO Lee Hellen said long-term the technology will continue to collect accurate displacement data.
“This will enable engineers to make betterinformed decisions about the stability of a structure or landform,” he said.
“Through the collection of accurate data on displacement, geotechnical engineers can have more certainty and confidence when undertaking qualitative assessments, enabling risk mitigation initiatives to occur more quickly and preventing further movement or degradation on site.”
Australian agriculture network Viterra and rail freight operator Aurizon are pushing to reinstate rail freight on the Eyre Peninsula to benefit local growers, communities and exporters.
Both companies have submitted a formal application for Federal Government funding for the upgrade and reopening of the rail network between Port Lincoln and Cummins, and Cummins to Wudinna and Kimba.
The proposal includes upgrading the currently closed narrow gauge line in those regions to a level where rail can operate at increased axle weights, improved travel speeds and more reliably into warmer summer period.
Viterra Australia chief operations officer James Murray said partnering with Aurizon and the state and federal governments to fund an upgraded rail system would create significant long term economic, social and environmental benefits for local growers and communities
export customers, government and flow-on effects for the state.
“It means they will have more opportunities to achieve higher prices for their grain with increased supply chain capacity and shipments in the first half of the year when global demand for Australian grain is higher and pricing is at a premium,” he said.
“The project will also provide reductions in freight costs, which Viterra passes back to grower customers.
“There are many positive opportunities for the Eyre Peninsula community from this project, including the reduction of about 25,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent a year, the removal of about 42,000 truck movements between upcountry sites and Port Lincoln each , and the creation of local jobs throughout the construction process once rail is operational.”
If the project receives government funding,
The Ovingham Level Crossing Removal Project in Adelaide is now complete, with the new Torrens Road bridge and upgraded Churchill/ Torrens Roads intersection fully open to traffic.
As well as the new overpass over the Adelaide Metro Gawler rail line and Australian Rail Track Corporation freight line, and the upgraded intersection, the project includes a new community plaza, bike lanes, artwork, extensive landscaping and other improvements.
The $231 million project was jointly funded by the Australian and South Australian governments on a 50:50 basis.
More than 21,000 vehicles cross the new bridge each day.
Prior to the removal of the crossing, the boom gates were down for almost a quarter of the time during the morning and afternoon peak periods, significantly impacting traffic flow and slowing down commutes and travel times.
These delays are now a thing of the past as cars drive up and over the rail line via the new bridge.
As part of the project, the adjacent Ovingham Railway Station has been upgraded, while extensive landscaping has been undertaken in the vicinity of the overpass.
The precinct also includes a community plaza, playground equipment and Aboriginal
converted into public parks, providing the community with additional open green space.
These parks will be located along Drayton Street, Chief Street and Churchill Road.
The SA Department for Infrastructure and Transport delivered the project as part of an alliance (the Public Transport Projects Alliance –Ovingham) with McConnell Dowell Constructors (Aust), Mott MacDonald Australia and ARUP.
South Australian Infrastructure and Transport minister Tom Koutsantonis said he had been eagerly watching this major project
significant infrastructure upgrades will take place at Viterra’s sites to support the introduction of rail in the region.
This includes fast rail outloading infrastructure and Viterra’s Lock, Wudinna, Cummins, Kimba and Ruddal sites to maximise the efficiency of using rail and unloading infrastructure at its port Lincoln terminal to reduce turnaround times for rail, while increasing volume capabilities.
Aurizon Adelaide-based bulk central general manager Matt Jones said the company was keen to invest in and grow its rail business following on from its acquisition of One Rail in 2022.
“Not only is rail the most efficient mode of bulk for bulk freight grain, but it also delivers major benefits for the community by reducing the need for thousands of truck journeys on regional roads and achieving a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions,” he said.
commuting to the city or heading into the north-western suburbs – can appreciate what a difference it makes not having to stop for passing trains,” he said.
“I’m very happy we’re now able welcome the public to the wonderful new precinct that’s been constructed underneath and alongside the bridge.”
The project team hosted a celebration to thank the community for their patience and cooperation during the construction, utilising the new public spaces.
The Federal Government will invest $4.6 million in grant funding to improve level crossing safety across Australia, via its Regional Australia Level Crossing Safety Program, which aims to foster research and also improve the data and risk assessment for the crossings.
The Government is already spending $160m under the program from 2023–24 to 2026–27 for up to 80 per cent of the cost of delivering priority level crossing upgrades.
The grant money will support research to look at innovative options, and also studying driver behaviour at level crossings to better target safety changes, as well as getting better information and risk assessment.
Applications recently opened for the Level Crossing Safety Research and Innovation Project grant, which will support research and investigation of new technologies and approaches to improve level crossing safety. It will also back practical actions such
as trials to bridge the gap from research to introduction of innovative technologies and approaches, paving the way for stakeholders to better manage regional level-crossing safety into the future.
Other funding of $1.7m is available to the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator to apply for grants to improve data and risk assessment of level crossings, enabling road and rail infrastructure managers to better target protections and prioritise crossings for upgrade.
The RALCSP is a new funding stream dedicated to level crossing safety, which supplements the existing Australian Government investment in land transport infrastructure, including level crossings.
Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government minister Catherine King said regional and rural communities had long been campaigning for safety upgrades at level crossings.
“These grants deliver on our October 2022–23 Budget commitment to establish the RALCSP, targeting safety at these crossings nationwide,” she said.
“I strongly encourage all stakeholders, including those from the industry, research bodies, and universities, to apply for the Research and Innovation Project grants.
“Thanks to this grant opportunity, your innovative ideas and technology can help save lives into the future.”
For more information on eligibility and how to apply, visit www.grants.gov.au
The results of a survey of the rail industry have shown that the Rail R U OK?Day has been successful in motivating individuals to take action to support colleagues, with 70 per cent of those who were aware of the event saying they had checked in with someone.
Rail R U OK?Day is an initiative of industry partners The TrackSAFE Foundation and R U OK?, encouraging rail staff to reach out, connect and have meaningful conversations every day of the year.
Since its inception in 2015, participation has grown from just under 7000 people to current numbers of more than 90,000 from 110 organisations nationwide.
In 2021, a national survey was conducted from a wide demographic of employees across the industry, including rail maintenance, office staff, customer service, safety, operations and rail and train crews.
Results found awareness of Rail R U OK?Day was very strong, with more than 99 per cent of those surveyed aware of the event, and 79 per cent of those participating in one or more ways.
“It makes people aware that they don’t have to deal with mental anguish alone,” a survey respondent said. “They can speak out and seek assistance.”
Importantly, 99 per cent of respondents said they would be willing to help a
workmate they thought could be struggling. Rail R U OK?Day is increasing this willingness to give or seek help, with 59 per cent more willing to ask a workmate what it is that’s troubling them, 50 per cent more willing to tell a workmate what’s troubling them if asked, and 44 per cent more willing to seek professional help.
“It encourages people to speak out about topics that may be difficult and feel comfortable accessing the support services that are available to them,” said one of the people surveyed.
This year’s event will be held on Thursday, April 27.
Italian construction group Webuild has finalised the acquisition of Western Australian engineering and building specialist Clough, guaranteeing the business’ operational continuity.
The combined group will become one of the biggest companies in Australia for the construction of complex infrastructure, with more than 3000 employees in the country. In the 50 countries where the combined group operates, the workforce will total 83,000.
Webuild has now assumed operation and control of Clough’s activities in Australia and Papua New Guinea. The final acquisition perimeter comprises Clough’s organisation, including offices, trademarks, credentials, business references, senior management and office personnel; and more than €4 billion worth of projects in backlog (as of end 2022).
In addition to Clough’s stakes in projects held in common with Webuild – strategic infrastructure projects Snowy 2.0 and Inland Rail – the Group took the stakes, under restructured terms, in the Waitsia gas project, Lombrum naval base, Tallawarra power plant, as well as projects for which Clough is preferred bidder, such as Perdaman’s Ceres urea plant.
Australia is a core market for Webuild with potential construction contracts estimated in excess of €300 billion for the 2022-2025 period.
Among the projects acquired by Webuild is the construction of part of the Sydney Metro-Western Sydney Airport project that will connect the city to the new airport. The Group is working on the North East Link, the missing section of Melbourne’s beltway.
Webuild is part of Regionerate Rail, a
consortium comprising Plenary Group, Clough, GS Engineering and Construction, and Service Stream to develop the Gowrie to Kagaru section of Inland Rail, which represents a significant milestone for the project in Queensland.
The company also designed and built the Forrestfield-Airport Link in Perth, which opened last year and connects the airport to the CBD.
Intermodal logistics provider Team Global Express (TGE) has signed an 11-year partnership with Aurizon worth about $1.8 billion, to operate its containerised rail freight along the East-West (Sydney-MelbourneAdelaide-Perth) and North-South (BrisbaneSydney-Melbourne) networks.
TGE chief executive officer Christine Holgate said the partnership would significantly improve Australia’s rail freight capacity and choice for more greener options to deliver important freight across the country.
“Our partnership with Aurizon is gamechanging for TGE customers, securing them important extra capacity and more choice, in what to date has been a very limited rail market, with restricted capacity and rising tariffs,” she said.
“The weather events of recent years have demonstrated how important both choice and capacity on major routes are, to ensure important freight, including food, can still be delivered at times of great need.
“These events have also evidenced the importance of leveraging rail as a greener solution for transporting freight, to help address climate change and secure our nation’s carbon ambitions.
“Through this partnership, we are able to offer our customers much-needed capacity
along crucial routes linking major cities across our country.
“This presents significant opportunities for reliable deliveries, service efficiencies and less carbon intensive transport solutions for customers, whilst helping ensure regional Australians are served.”
Aurizon managing director Andrew Harding said together with TGE, the business had designed an innovative transport and logistics solution to best meet its end customer needs.
“We both share a strong commitment to helping achieve a net zero emissions future and recognise the significant role rail can play in helping achieve that goal,” he said.
TGE, which rebranded from Toll Global Express last year, operates Australia’s most comprehensive and far-reaching intermodal fleet, operating across rail, sea, air and road.
“We have a vision to provide Australia’s most sustainable logistics solutions and we are taking active steps to achieve this,” Holgate said.
Physical works for New Zealand’s largest transport infrastructure project – Auckland Light Rail (ALR) – are underway with the start of below ground investigations to test soil and water conditions.
Minister of Transport and for Auckland, Michael Wood, was present for the start of work on a bore hole being drilled 40 metres into a section of Gribblehirst Park, Sandringham.
Core samples will be analysed to help decide the most technically viable route for light rail which will connect people to the city’s biggest job centres – the CBD and the airport – and its two universities.
ALR chief executive Tommy Parker said the first pieces of a very complex infrastructure jigsaw were being put in place.
“It’s the physical start to a challenging and exciting project that is going to bring so many positive changes to Aucklanders and our city,” he said.
During the next six months, ALR will sink 30 holes between 10 to 80 metres deep along sections of light rail’s indicative 24-kilometre-long route spanning Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland’s narrow central isthmus, half of which will be tunnelled.
ALR will also tap into underground information already gathered by two other big infrastructure projects – the City Rail Link and the Central Interceptor, Auckland Council’s underground wastewater pipeline. Information from the samples will help ALR’s computer team “draw” a 3D picture of below ground conditions along the project’s proposed corridor.
the efficient and hard work by our design and planning team to get things moving quickly to deliver a project that is credible, affordable and consentable,” Parker said.
Funding of $16m was approved last year to allow Arup and Aurecon – the two companies in ALR’s planning and design alliance – to jump start their work.
The ground investigation costs are included in a further $48.45m approved for the alliance to undertake work necessary to further progress the project for construction.
Parker said the approval also includes further design development of the light rail system, work towards gaining consents, preparation of the Corridor Business Case to secure additional Crown funding, planning for the maintenance and operations as well as investigations and planning to give Aucklanders more clarity by mid-year around light rail’s preferred route and station locations.
The work will allow ALR to develop its next significant step – lodgement of a Notice of Requirement (NOR) with Auckland Council mid-year to apply for the legal designation and resource consents required to construct the light rail system, and to operate and maintain it into the future.
“But even with our mid-year NOR target, much still needs to be done to complete all the planning and design work a project as big and as complex as Auckland Light Rail needs – 2023 will be very busy,” Parker said.
Light rail will connect the communities of Sandringham, Mt Roskill, Onehunga and Features of the project include:
• 24km route with up to 18 stations or stops from the City Centre to Māngere and the airport, running every five minutes so people
• Capability to carry up to 15,000 passengers per hour at peak, which is four times more passengers than a dedicated busway or
• Removal of up to 13 car lanes or taking 12,000 cars off the road
• Integration with current train and bus hubs and the City Rail Link stations and connections. Light rail can also be extended to the North Shore and North West without having to transfer from one line to the other.
• Estimated building of up to 66,000 new homes by 2051 and opening up housing along the corridor in Mt Roskill, Onehunga and Māngere.
• Creating up to 97,000 new jobs by 2051.
The Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR) made the news recently when it pursued a case which resulted in a $30,000 fine being issued to a train driver for “irresponsible actions”.
The offences arose from an incident in October 2020 when a train traveling between Broken Hill and Parkes experienced a loss of air pressure, indicating a likely uncoupling of wagons near Kaleentha in western New South Wales.
The regulator said the driver put lives at risk after inexplicably “losing” four carriages, and failing to take immediate action to secure and recover them.
It was a striking example of the several high profile incidents involving the ONRSR that demonstrated the agency’s independence and commitment to ensuring safety in the rail industry.
“They’re friendly people to work with, but I’ve never invited them around for a barbecue and they’ve never invited me around for a barbecue.”
That was one of many insights offered up during the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator’s (ONRSR) 2022 survey of its key stakeholders, and one that has struck a chord with a respected, if not widely recognised, part of the Australian rail industry.
For acting chief executive and national rail safety regulator Peter Doggett, who stepped into the position following the recent resignation of his long-time predecessor Sue McCarrey, the comment speaks to the unique role ONRSR plays in keeping people safe.
“I guess it reflects the fact that we are present and visible on the network but at the end of the day we are an independent regulator and with that comes the responsibility for holding people accountable, one that we never shy away from,” he said.
A veteran of the rail industry who has worked at all levels through a 35-year career to date, Doggett is leading ONRSR through what he’s coined “phase 3”, taking the reins as the national body marks 10 years in operation.
He’s cognisant of the milestone but has his
been achieved over that first decade, we are all very proud of. We completed that initial start-up to get everyone on board and go national,” he said.
“Then we spent a period bedding in processes and systems and defining our identity. Now it’s about forging ahead taking things to the next level with our core business of promoting and improving rail safety around the country. That’s phase 3 for me - and where we’re fully focussed.”
With jurisdiction in all states and territories, ONRSR operates in a co-regulatory environment, one in which the standards or rules by which railways need to operate in Australia are not directly prescribed.
Within this framework, the national
Australia’s national rail safety regulator is guided by its incontestable commitment to delivering safe railways for Australia.Acting ONRSR CEO Peter Doggett. ONRSR officers on the job.
regulator independently administers Rail Safety National Law (RSNL), according to its operational mantra called the ONRSR Way.
The organisation has the dual, but complementary, roles of administrator of the RSNL accreditation regime and the regulator of a duty-based safety management regime (an educator, monitor and enforcer). The nature of the RSNL means ONRSR is not an approver of equipment, services or processes.
A risk-based regulator, ONRSR works to ensure regulatory effort is commensurate with risk and that scope for improvement in making regulatory decisions, such as the development of a national work program, is informed by an assessment of risks to rail safety.
“On the ground, this equates to regulatory oversight of more than 200 accredited operators comprising light and heavy rail operations, freight and passenger services, tourist and heritage railways and major projects,” Doggett said.
“Each year ONRSR rail safety officers visit these operators in conducting hundreds of annual inspections and site visits and dozens of audits across a national network comprising more than 44 thousand track kilometres.”
Essentially, the regulator works in four main areas in order to do its job.
“We have a role to administer accreditations, and this can be approving new ones to run railways or facilitate infrastructure projects or varying existing ones,” Doggett said.
“Obviously, we are also here to monitor operations to make sure safety is being managed so far as is reasonably practicable, but we are increasingly in the education space, helping people in the field to understand how they can improve the overall
“And we also have a critical enforcement role that involves specialist investigations and legal teams that ensure we act in the interests of rail safety whenever and wherever it’s necessary.”
According to its latest Annual Report, ONRSR conducted five prosecutions in 2021-2022, including the aforementioned Kaleentha incident, and the ongoing final investigation and legal proceedings arising from an XPT passenger train derailment at Wallan, near Melbourne, in February 2020.
• Kaleentha
Doggett said with the train being more than 1100 metres long, the driver initially only inspected a little over half its length before returning to the lead locomotive hoping to rectify the problem by resetting the train computer.
“When this failed to restore air pressure a second inspection was undertaken and located an open-air tap on the ‘last’ wagon. No end of train marker was identified, and the identification of the last wagon was not correlated with the train consist documentation,” he said.
“The train then continued for another 80km with the driver apparently unaware the last four wagons of the consist had become separated and been left behind unprotected on the main line.”
Exacerbating an already dangerous situation, the uncoupled wagons were obscured to other rail traffic by a rise in topography at the location.
The driver was convicted of two offences for failing to comply with his duty under S56 of the RSNL, which outlines the duties of rail
need to, when carrying out rail safety work:
• take reasonable care that his or her acts or omissions do not adversely affect the safety of other persons
• comply, so far as the worker is reasonably able, with any reasonable instruction given by the rail transport operator to allow the operator to comply with this law.
In handing down his ruling in the NSW Magistrate’s Court , Magistrate Glenn Bartley said the four trains were “carelessly allowed to drift to a standstill and in effect abandoned; if they had been slammed into, it could have killed the driver and driver assist of the next train or others”.
Even having considered the offender’s previously clean record, Magistrate Bartley imposed the $30,000 fine, adding it was important other rail safety workers take notice of the decision and are aware of their safety duties under the national legislation.
“General deterrence must be given great weight because this is a regulatory offence – it is a safety offence, the public are entitled to protection, as are other rail workers,” he said.
Doggett said the sheer seriousness of this incident had led to the regulator’s decision to pursue it.
“No decision to prosecute is ever taken lightly. Rather it is always in the interests of rail safety,” he said.
“As a general rule ONRSR will focus on organisational and systemic failures when it comes to prosecutions. However, we simply cannot ignore the blatantly irresponsible actions of individuals that threaten the safety of others who are relying on their colleague to work safely.
“ONRSR’s actions and this result should serve as a timely warning to all rail safety workers that they have important legal responsibilities and is a reminder to rail transport operators that they should make sure their workers, including contractors, are aware of those legal obligations.”
• WallanOn February 20, 2020, a Sydney to Melbourne XPT train carrying 153 passengers derailed at Wallan, about 40km north of Melbourne, after it failed to negotiate a passing loop.
Train driver John Kennedy and train pilot Sam Meintanis died as a result. There were serious injuries to 12 of the 155 passengers and five other crew members.
The ONRSR has laid charges against train operator NSW Trains and track owner the Australian Rail and Track Corporation (ARTC) over the deaths, including contravening the RSNL by failing to carry out safe systems, exposing individuals to risk of death or injury.
The high-speed derailment of the XPT occurred when a northern turnout switch caused the train to leave the track, concertina, tip the leading power car on its side and derail the next five carriages.
The ONRSR alleges that ARTC failed to implement key safety measures and NSW Trains failed to notify its drivers of the divergence at Wallan, or install warning measures on the approach to the track change.
It also alleges that NSW Trains, as an accredited rolling stock operator, owed a duty to ensure the safety of its operations, including to its workers and the passengers aboard the XPT, and had not reduced or eliminated the risk of the train derailing, or ensured that safety staff were aware of critical information, such as changes to the rail network, before each journey.
In an investigation report, the Australian Transport Safety Board (ATSB) said that 17 days before the derailment, a vehicle had collided with overhead wiring at Wallan causing a fire that led to extensive damage to signalling equipment controlling train movements at Wallan.
“Some of these undertakings are relatively straight forward but others are highly complex processes that can take months or years to carefully consider and take the appropriate actions,” Doggett said.
“It’s easy to get caught up in the sheer size and scope of some of the machinery and the vastness of operations in an industry like rail, but it is our job to remember that the law is there to keep people safe, to save lives - and when it is in the interests of rail safety we don’t hesitate to act.”
While the long arm of the law is extended whenever necessary, increasingly ONRSR finds itself making the most of its education function and embracing a greater industry and public profile in the process.
While its annual Rail Safety Report remains a keenly awaited yearly appraisal of the overall safety of Australia’s rail sector, for the past 18 months ONRSR has been periodically releasing digital incident re-creations and videos that break down the causes of rail safety incidents and detail key lessons applicable to the wider industry.
The productions have proven extremely popular with operators around the country and have encouraged ONRSR to broaden its outlook in relation to educational offerings.
“Where we can see the need to raise awareness of an issue that has relevance to a wide range of operators, we have found digital
animations and videos to be a really effective way of doing that,” Doggett said.
“In turn that has given us a bit of impetus to increase our education and communication to industry to promote these resources and get the right eyeballs on them.
“That’s culminated in increasing engagement with our brand generally and our website, social media presence and monthly e-newsletter, ONRSR Engauge.
“It’s not about seeking an unnecessarily high profile for ONRSR, but rather making sure we have the right profile within the industry we regulate.”
A decade spent creating and then establishing ONRSR has delivered some long overdue reforms to the rail regulatory landscape, previously administered by seven state-based regulators.
From ONRSR’s head office in Adelaide and via offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Darwin and Hobart, generational leaps in regulatory craft and information have flowed over the last 10 years.
Australian rail operators now enjoy a single accreditation process, a national ‘one invoice’ fee structure, nationally consistent data sets, a digital portal for the exchange of regulatory information, and a host of operational guidance materials designed to help them understand and meet their obligations under RSNL.
And the statistics tell an increasingly good story where ONRSR’s effectiveness as a safety regulator is concerned.
Railway-related fatalities in Australia reached a five-year low in 2019-2020 and remain at these historically low levels.
Furthermore, since ONRSR commenced operations in each jurisdiction, there has been a significant reduction in rail safety worker fatalities and similar downward trends in heavy rail running line collisions, light rail running line collisions, passenger train derailments, heavy rail SPADs, track work rule and procedure breaches and level crossing equipment failures and defects.
“We’re having a positive impact on rail safety but let’s face it, that’s what we are here for so we shouldn’t get too carried away,” Doggett said.
“There are still incidents on our network, thankfully most of them are minor, but the position we are in now should give us confidence to know that we approach this next phase of ONRSR’s development from a position of strength.
“Rail in Australia is booming, there is unprecedented investment in the sector, and it has played an invaluable role in the postCOVID-19 recovery, so it’s vitally important that we are equipped to make sure we grow with the industry and really hone our expertise to deliver independent safety regulation of the highest calibre.
“And I still don’t expect to be invited to any barbecues.”
For more information, visit the website www.onrsr.com.au, where subscriptions can also be made to ONRSR’s monthly enewsletter ONRSR Engauge. ONRSR cvan be followed on Twitter @ONRSRAustralia.
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ITEM NUMBER: 9312345678907
ITEM NAME: Rail Clamp COMPANY: Nexus Trains
Founded in 2015, EngAnalysis has developed into Australia’s leading industrial test, analysis and structural monitoring service provider, delivering projects that monitor some of Australia’s most critical infrastructure.
The company is focused on providing engineering solutions underpinned by leading edge measurement and analysis capabilities.
From sensor installation through to answers, its highly qualified team can provide real-time in-depth analysis and interpretation from a wide range of measurement and modelling techniques, so clients can make decisions with confidence sooner.
The Newcastle-based company provides turnkey, end-to-end monitoring solutions and specialist engineering, enabling its partners to make better, data-driven choices.
The range of services EngAnalysis covers is vast, including transport and rolling stock, below-rail infrastructure, construction and civil infrastructure, and mining machinery.
And as EngAnalysis managing director John Vazey tells Rail Express, a major point of difference between the business and its competitors is that it prioritises in-depth analysis, interpretation and decisions, with a focus on reducing risk and uncertainty.
“Firstly, we believe in solid evidence that comes from comprehensive testing and measurements. As a reflection of this, our range of services offer significant depth and range of experience and capability,” he said.
“This combination of experience and technical expertise enables us to approach complex projects with innovative and proven methods, resulting in successful and practical outcomes.
“I have seen the use of measurement and data in asset management grow significantly over my career.
“More organisations are identifying the improvements to their operations that they can achieve through the use measured data and the insight that is uncovered from a well-designed and executed measurement and analysis program.
“We have worked hard to build a team with the right skills to deliver these services and this has been an important factor to our own growth.”
Vazey said EngAnalysis was a leader in structural health monitoring, a vital component of the infrastructure industries.
He said it revolved around making asset
management decisions based on hard data and robust analysis, measuring the right properties, and providing high-quality data and appropriate analysis for characteristics such as:
• Integration with analytical models and digital twins
• Degradation trending
• Asset lifetime prediction/extension
• Effective scheduled maintenance
• Early fault detection
• Fault monitoring
• Real-time notification and data visualisation, analytics
“Our custom data portals with data visualisation, analytics, predictive analysis and machine learning capabilities ensure that
When analysing data, it’s important to also assess the risk potential of projects to help maximise their success.Sensors being installed on a rail bridge to measure strain and vibration. An EngAnalysis electrical cabinet with data acquisition equipment for a structural monitoring system.
customers’ asset data is delivering results for their organisations,” he said.
“You need the pillars of measurement methodologies, analysis methodologies and communication methodologies to really work together to achieve a successful outcome.
“It’s more than just putting three magic sensors on a structure to tell if it’s competent or not.
“We provide the data and engineering expertise to help clients make better decisions leading to reduced risk and improved outcomes.”
For example, for below-track infrastructure like bridges and tunnels, the main question asked is usually whether they’re strong enough or whether there’s a fault.
“Our approach is to consider what risks are currently being taken and how we can better define them,” Vazey said.
“So we actually aim to get a better understanding of what the actual risks are, and then look at remedial action to influence the risks.
“If it’s a loading issue, for instance, we could limit the axle load, or lessen the speed travelled over a bridge; basically, we form management strategies that are informed by the process of measurement and analysis.”
And it goes further than that.
“We can really do a beautiful job of defining the loading and we can help with the process of modelling in order to generalise that to all the structural details,” Vazey said.
“Let’s say you had a structure – either a wagon or a bridge, perhaps – and you want to know more about the loads it’s taking during the season, we will design an experiment to determine the risks involved.
can operate from any location, and work to our client’s schedule. If this means installing and operating a test program anywhere, anytime, we can do it.
operate the equipment for whatever period is needed and then we’ll report on it and or provide clients with real-time tools for indicating the asset’s current health or current loading.”
Vazey said that essentially, the company makes informed decisions around assessment of the data. So if it’s fatigue damage, it examines where the structure is currently at or whether it’s exceeded its structural life, or calculate when it is expected to be.
“This can be informed directly from
likely outcomes and likely problems that the structure is going to experience.
“It’s all well and good to collect data, but we have to use the measurement and analysis tools to maximise the benefit. Collecting data is only part of the journey to data-driven decisions.
“Liberating that data to make it available in a fast, coherent platform is where we excel. Our vision is to provide our clients with the datadriven insight they need to manage risk and make informed decisions.
“That’s our wheelhouse. We don’t sell doodads that measure something, we don’t just provide data that requires purchase of
“You need to make use of the data. If you’re not watching it and it doesn’t plug into anything, it’s a waste of time, and it probably
Working in collaboration with the team at CSIRO, EngAnalysis instrumented a number of structural members below the road deck and rail line on the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The instrumentation array included accelerometers and strain gauges, and the data was used to
The project involved designing a weatherproof instrumentation cabinet housing equipment for power management, communications for secure data transfer, strain
EngAnalysis investigated the relationship between three-piece bogie warp and rail wheel squeal. Its engineers developed test procedures and advanced software for testing, quantification and analysis of bogie warp stiffness and rotational resistance, then undertook on-track test programs to measure the instantaneous bogie warp, rotation and angle of attack.
Complexities due to the range of external variables, degrees of freedom, and uncertainties were captured and defined by using a statistical approach to reporting. Video reports were developed to animate sections of the wagon’s journey. Bogie frame animations using measured data, alongside maps and time domain plots of warp, angle of attack, and bogie rotation visualise the results.
The measurement system used an array of world class amplifiers and signal conditioner units, power management systems, and communications that allowed remote supervision of the test run.
A rail operator identified widespread structural cracking in a critical location of their fleet. These wagons presented recurrent cracks on welds at critical location much sooner than expected.
EngAnalysis provided testing and analysis services to review the fatigue issues and guide a repair strategy. Within five minutes of the operational testing, the strain gauge results disproved the original hypothesis and identified an un expected load case due to wagon dynamics.
The strain data was analysed for load reconstruction using the unit load FEA results. The load reconstruction data was able to represent the test data within 5 per cent.
The outcome of this investigation illustrated that the primary mode of failure was not caused by the expected load. This made it possible to design simple remedial changes that targeted the root cause of the failures at the welds on the existing wagons to maximise life.
The project provided large savings in the simplicity of the repair, and highlighted the value that measurement and data analysis combined with computational modelling can provide.
• Points strain measurement
The project objective was quantifying the strains and apparent stresses at specific locations on a set of points on heavy-haul track. The primary aim of the project was to
estimate the dynamic amplification of stress (and load) on the points in the heavy haul rail environment. The scope of work included:
• Developing a test plan and gauge location map
• Hardware, software and communication equipment to facilitate project
• In-field strain gauge and accelerometer installation to the track infrastructure
• Measure strain and acceleration during several trains throughout a day of operation
• Provide immediate on-site feedback on the results after each train pass, and data files at the end of the measurement campaign
• Testing rail vehicles
To operate a vehicle on Transport for NSW RailCorp network, vehicles must comply with the interface requirements set by the Asset Standards Authority. To demonstrate compliance to many of these requirements, a measurement program is needed.
EngAnalysis has expertise in undertaking on-track measurement campaigns in the rail industry. A recent example of this was to test the dynamic kinematic outline of a grain wagon.
The wagon is instrumented with an array of displacement transducers to measure the wagon body roll, vertical bounce, and lateral movement during on-track operation. The project scope included:
• Instrumentation of the wagon and bogie,
• Remote monitoring of tests and real-time visualisation of test parameters, including GPS position and speed.
• Review of test results against operating standards
• In addition to this, detailed analysis of results can be undertaken to understand correlations between measured variables, for example the geographic dependence of peak events.
• Wagon structural monitoring
A rail operator had identified a structural vulnerability in the design of a popular class of coal rolling stock with potential to result in catastrophic wagon failure during revenue service. The detail of concern was located at a position that cannot be readily inspected without significant disassembly of the wagon structure. This was not only a costly and time consuming exercise but also provided no assurance that future failures would not occur.
EngAnalysis devised and successfully demonstrated a low-cost method of assessing the structural integrity of coal rolling stock during revenue service.
The solution required the development of custom wireless electronics capable of operating for up to nine years on batteries.
The system was tested across a fleet of wagons to provide real-time assurance of structural health, and to facilitate preventative maintenance interventions
EngAnalysis staff commissioning sensors and data acquisition system on a new locomotive.
Wabtec’s unparalleled excellence and expertise in locomotives, equipment design and digital solutions make it a global leader across the freight, transit and mining sectors.
The corporation is accelerating the future of transportation by enabling customers to optimise their rail operations, networks and performance.
As the world’s foremost rail technology company, Wabtec has pioneered products and services to drive sustainability in the rail industry.
It is leading the industry’s digital transformation to provide railroads with efficiency and emission-reduction solutions. The combination of Wabtec’s efficient product portfolio and digital intelligence solutions complement each other to achieve the sustainability goals of the industry and the community.
Wabtec Senior Regional Vice President, South East Asia, Australia and New Zealand, Wendy McMillan, said these were all critical levers in Wabtec’s mission to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across every aspect of its business and customer interface and to drive hard towards the vision of zero-emission rail systems.
“Wabtec’s digital intelligence solutions are a key component in helping our customers meet their productivity and ESG commitments in three key areas. Firstly, targeting up to 30 per cent reduction in diesel emissions and fuel utilisation; secondly, the overall productivity impact from fuel savings, asset and crew utilisation; and thirdly, our integrated product suite ticks the boxes with technologies including Positive Train Control (PTC), the Trip Optimizer suite, LOCOTROL platform and the application of network solutions,” she said.
“Wabtec’s portfolio of digital intelligence products is a great enabler for an increase in rail capacity across all networks, allowing additional freight to move more efficiently by rail as opposed to by road.
“Clean technology solutions, underpinned by our suite of sophisticated and evolving digital intelligence products and services, are the smartest and fastest ways to address the decarbonisation of the Australian economy. Wabtec prides itself on leading the charge to create safer and more efficient rail networks
across Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia and digital intelligence plays a major role in that.
• Digital data and insights
Wabtec’s unique Expert on Alert program has for many years provided a leading-edge central remote monitoring of locomotive health status and performance using off-board data analytics in real time.
“Locomotives transmit data to Wabtec’s Global Performance Optimization Center (GPOC), where experts supported by software analyse control system status and performance data to monitor locomotives live to ensure the successful completion of journeys. This enables Wabtec to determine the root cause of failures while in-transit, and proactively manage the maintenance and repair of locomotives,” McMillan said.
Wabtec has five GPOC locations (across the United States, India, Brazil and Kazakhstan) which service more than 50 different customers operating in 20 different countries.
The centres operate 24/7 by a team of three to four experienced experts per shift. The centres receive 2.5 million messages a day and digital tools (like knowledge rules, digital
twins and machine learning), process the messages into approximately 500 ‘cases’ a day, which are then reviewed by the onsite experts.
“The digital intelligence – both sensors and software – provides our analysts with data on the performance of the locomotive and track conditions, using knowledge and algorithms that we’ve developed over many years, and in the production and operation of more than 15,000 locomotives. This enables us to deliver valuable insights and drive improved efficiency, sustainability and safety and reduce costs for customers all over the world,” McMillan said.
Real-time solutions from Wabtec’s GPOCs provide customers with advanced notification of imminent failures which allows them to proactively route locomotives for repair, and avoid main line failures and train delays. Advanced notices also permit shops to preplan labour, parts and locomotive placement, dramatically reducing ‘unavailability’.
• Mixed reality technology
Another exciting and evolving innovation for Wabtec is the increasing implementation of mixed reality technology – a combination of virtual and augmented reality – to service customers. The technology has many
Not only has rail technology company Wabtec pioneered alternative power sources for rail, it is also leading the digital transformation to achieve sustainable transport solutions.A mixed reality HoloLens in use for Wabtec services.
applications but has its greatest potential as a Remote Technical Advisor for customers, helping to overcome the tyranny of distance, and bridging the knowledge and skills gap.
In early 2020, in the initial stages of the arrival of COVID when international and interstate border restrictions were in place, the Wabtec service team adapted its model to troubleshoot technical issues for clients, using the Microsoft HoloLens and worked with the customer team to ‘walk and talk’ them through the problem and to find a solution.
Using mixed reality technology also allows Wabtec to deliver further synergies in the safety space, which is always a key performance indicator for all of its customers. For example, HoloLens allows Wabtec’s technicians to construct virtual safety barriers for customers who could be thousands of kilometres away, especially with highly skilled work such as the very specific isolation process for its new generation electric locomotives.
If, in the event that the customer’s service operator doesn’t follow the specific steps of the program, they will receive an immediate audible warning through the HoloLens goggles that they
are putting themselves in an unsafe position and to stop work.
• Safety revolution
Wabtec’s Digital Mine is at the forefront of the digital transformation of the mining ecosystem, offering a suite of technologies to improve safety, performance, availability and reliability, and operations.
Wabtec’s Digital Mine solutions, including Asset Performance Management (APM), Operations Performance Management (OPM), and safety technologies like Collision Awareness Systems (CAS) for open pit mines,enable mine operators to enhance production and efficiency, while increasing safety and control.
Using advanced technology field hardware and communications software, along with best-practice business processes, Digital Mine’s safety technology features include GPS tracking and real-time health monitoring surface solutions, real-time data connectivity, back-to-base reporting and safety adherence technology.
Wabtec’s Digital Mine portfolio, including the combined advanced software, models, analytics and solutions enable safer mining
practices, and create a more efficient and reliable mining ecosystem.
In addition to drive systems, digital mine applications, pantographs and trolley poles, Wabtec’s digital intelligence presence in mining continues to grow with offerings such as cable reels, slip rings, railcar movers, cooling systems and more. When combined, these solutions offer a more complete product offering to customers, and unlock additional safety and electrification benefits.
Having spent several decades developing, acquiring and integrating an array of digital services, software and platforms, Wabtec has connected both digital intelligence and rail technologies to help customers achieve increased productivity, efficiency, reliability, emissions reduction and safety improvements.
“We are committed to bringing the best innovations to every customer we serve. As a leading global provider of equipment, systems, digital solutions, and value-added services, we are helping meet our customers’ emissions reduction targets, by delivering more efficient and sustainable technology solutions,” McMillan said.
Rail
RMS is providing services in project site maintenance, operational management with approximately 100 dedicated staff and trained operators. RMS has a strong commitment to provide competent operators and is continuously investing in the development of our people. Mindful of the needs of our clients, our technical team scoured Australia and the world for the latest innovations in plant and equipment to provide our clients more efficient, cost and time saving solutions.
We
Maintenance Services Pty Ltd (RMS Rail), has been servicing the rail industry since 1971 and has established a reliable reputation for the hiring of wet and dry plant, equipment and professional services. RMS Rail takes pride in its commitment to health and safety, environment and quality. Underpinning the quality of all our works is our ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001 certified Integrated Management System.
aim to have the highest skilled team with greatest specialised Road – Rail fleet in Australia.
Rail is at the heart of sustainable mobility, providing the shift to take passengers and freight off roads to reduce greenhouse emissions, improve transport safety, reduce travel times and congestion.
However as rail networks continue to grow across Australia, the challenge arises of how to effectively increase capacity and efficiency on existing rail networks. This includes being able to deliver an increased service frequency that is safe and reliable while also achieving optimal cost effectiveness for the customer.
In tandem, sustainability mobility and innovative technologies to enable greater efficiencies is the goal in which global mobility giant, Alstom, has its sights firmly fixed.
Alstom sees that the continued adoption of advanced digital signalling in Australia will maximise the potential of rail infrastructure benefiting both operators and the public.
Alstom’s Perth-based Signalling and Infrastructure Director for Australia and New Zealand, Dominic Clark, believes the key lies in putting the control of the train in the hands of digital control systems.
“Increasing capacity and reliability to cater for passengers and freight, provides motivation for greater growth of rail over other transport modes. An unreliable network fails to deliver confidence to rail customers and this is where technology needs to play a key role in mitigating a poor experience,” he said.
“While major rail infrastructure investment is inevitable and welcomed with the growing population in all States across Australia, on existing networks there is the need to grow capacity by embracing signalling digitalisation to deliver material capacity and reliability impacts.”
With digital signalling, the headway, speed and braking can be perfectly optimised, allowing operators to run more trains at faster speeds and shorter intervals.
“This type of signalling increases capacity while customers benefit from shorter, more reliable services. In this way, the benefits of rail digitalisation in Australia bring us in line with global efficiencies,” Clark said.
“Through digitalisation, we can accelerate the transition towards more efficient, seamless and sustainable transport systems while improving the overall customer experience.”
Alstom is driving advancements in railway signalling, paving the way for future growth. The company’s focus is to leverage digitalisation to improve the efficiency of urban, mainline and freight rail transport.
“Alstom’s newest signalling solutions have shifted from housing intelligent systems in trackside infrastructure to building more of them into the train’s software,” Clark said.
“Any equipment that is still required trackside is now smarter and better connected. These advancements prioritise software, which is easier to maintain over hardware, making the train into an information processor instead of having it rely on directions received from trackside equipment.
“When the technology is contained within the train, it is more efficient than communicating with trackside objects.”
Alstom’s Urbalis Fluence is the new generation of smart urban signalling that is being
deployed throughout Europe and the Asia Pacific region.
Urbalis Fluence is a modernised solution that builds upon the success of Alstom’s Urbalis signalling technology, which is in operation on more than 100 metro lines worldwide.
It brings intelligence on-board by transferring interlocking functions from the track to the train and integrating direct train-to-train communication. This pioneering advancement in signalling technology includes the best of Urbalis technology, as well as optimised technical response time, increasing passenger capacity and improved operational flexibility for operators.
“This innovative solution is scalable making it suitable for all types and sizes of systems. Through the reduction in trackside infrastructure, it also reduces life cycle costs and minimises installation time on greenfield and re-signalling projects,” Clark said.
The extremely high level system availability and the resilience of Fluence to temporary losses of communication make it a great fit for fully automated operations, even when using public networks such as LTE (wireless broadband) or 5G technology.
This resilience reduces the undesired application of emergency brakes, keeping passengers moving safely and fluidly throughout the system. Above all, cyber security by design is ensured in all systems.
“Urbalis Fluence also has the capability for predictive maintenance, where the system
Mobility specialist Alstom is leading the way in utilising advanced digital signalling to enhance rail operations in Australia and around the world.Putting the control of the train in the hands of digital control systems enables greater capacity and reliability.
software identifies equipment that is close to failing, allowing maintenance teams to intervene before anything goes wrong,” Clark said.
“This reduces the overall workload of the maintenance staff, meaning they can be reassigned to other tasks, increasing the overall efficiency of operations and lowering costs to the operator.”
With an eye to the future, Alstom is at the forefront of standardising and implementing ETCS Level 3 (European Train Control System) over the coming years.
“However, as it will most likely take more than 10 years to finalise full standardisation, for the time being, Alstom’s ETCS Hybrid Level 3 offers operators a balanced approach for capacity increase at limited investment and optimised life-cycle cost, with continuous radio communication.
Alstom’s ETCS Hybrid Level 3 solution increases the efficiency of train control systems, optimising line capacity by anticipating and adapting train speed through continuous train position measurement and control via a radiobased signalling system.
With Hybrid Level 3, rail operators can equip their existing infrastructure with a virtual-block signalling system for positioning trains equipped with a train integrity monitoring system (TIMS).
This reduces the impact of the new system on existing trackside systems such as the RBC, interlocking, and traffic control centre while subjecting operational procedures to minimal overhaul.
Meanwhile, the existing train detection can be used to position trains without a TIMS and
operators, such as India’s NCRTC, to increase line capacity while reducing the number of train detection systems installed trackside. Less infrastructure means substantially reducing life-cycle cost,” Clark said.
Automation is the way forward and Alstom is proud to lead the development and implementation of Automatic Train Operation (ATO) over ETCS in mainline applications.
Alstom’s ATO vision meets the challenges operators face today, and will be facing in the future: expanding capacity on existing infrastructure, reducing carbon emissions, and handling driver scarcity, all while enabling a wide range of enhancements – for operators, drivers, passengers and the general public.
“ATO translates into maximising and optimising operations – increasing line capacity, reducing energy consumption and costs, and improving general service for passengers, from comfort to train punctuality,” Clark said.
When it comes to urban and mainline digitalised signalling systems, Alstom is the leader in Australia.
“Moving forward, CBTC (Communicationsbased Train Control) and ETCS technologies will have a greater part to play in creating safer, more reliable railways that can hold a higher capacity across Australia and New Zealand.
“Both technologies will be required to meet the current challenges faced on our networks,” Clark said.
“CBTC applications are required for high density demand on Melbourne, Perth and Sydney metro lines. ETCS is required for medium and low density demand on
“In addition to the leading technologies Alstom has developed, the company also has the first-hand experience of deploying both CBTC and ETCS technologies throughout Australia.”
After partnering with Transport for New South Wales (TfNSW) to implement ETCS L1 across 600km of track and three train classes in NSW, both organisations have extended this collaborative partnership into the Digital Systems Program.
Here, under a 20-year major works framework agreement, Alstom is replacing traditional trackside signalling equipment with the latest mainline signalling technology including interlocking, ETCS L2 and cybersecurity.
Alstom is also upgrading the existing ETCS L1 onboard designs to ETCS L2.
The Digital System Program changes the way train drivers receive signalling information, so instead of relying on fixed traffic light signals outside the train, the driver responds to digital information received within the train cab.
This is in support of TfNSW’s Future Transport Strategy to enable an increase in capacity across the railway network to meet future demand, and to improve customer experience by delivering more reliable services, reduced journey times and enhanced real-time information.
Alstom has been working closely with the operator in NSW, Sydney Trains, since 2016 for the operation of ETCS in NSW.
Alstom is also supporting Queensland Rail with the implementation of ETCS in Queensland, having already fitted 125km of Alstom Trackside ETCS L1 on the North Coast Mainline.
Through these projects, Alstom has gained a wealth of experience in supporting its customers with the implementation of the latest mainline signalling into the complex brownfield rail environments in Australia.
“Our partnership with Sydney Metro enabled Australia’s first urban CBTC, Urbalis, to start operational service in 2019 both successfully and most importantly safely,” Clark said.
“Currently we are partnering with Sydney Metro, Rail Projects Victoria, operators and construction partners for the delivery of Australia’s second and third urban CBTC system projects, Sydney Metro City and Southwest, and Melbourne Metro Tunnel Project.
“We have learnt a lot through these projects on how to deploy brownfield and greenfield urban signalling projects in the Australian context and the experience we have gained will benefit the deployment of current and new signalling projects.”
With a wide range of solutions crossing a number of industries around the world, Dassault Systemes is a leader in digital innovations, with a strong background in rail.
Since 1997, Dassault Systemes, through its DELMIA Quintiq brand, has been providing rail operators around the world with data solutions to model, plan and optimise their business operations from end to end.
The software is used to plan and optimise complex production value networks, maximise intricate logistics operations, and plan and schedule large, geographically diverse workforces.
Key capabilities include forecasting, what-if scenario planning, collaborative decision-making, disruption handling and production scheduling.
And today, as the Australian rail boom continues to expand, the company has no intention of resting on its laurels, always working to improve its services to help the rail industry plan and enhance the entire value chain.
Rail Express speaks to Dassault Systemes
DELMIA Worldwide Industry Process Expert for
Rail, Cameron Collie, about how the business can provide the level of control and insight needed to transform supply chain planning from a cost center to a revenue generator.
“We have developed a core, fully integrated Rail Planner suite that includes various products and addresses several key rail industry capabilities,” he said.
These include:
• Service Planner for infrastructure managers
This package covers rail network topology configuration and version management, as well as rail network capacity planning and traffic management
• Service Planner for train service operators
This covers the operating network definition and version management; train service planning and optimisation for both timetabled and on-demand operations
• Fleet Planner
This is used for fleet planning and optimisation for fixed-consist unit trains, wagons and locomotives
• Crew Planner
This solution is employed for rail crew demand forecasting; rail crew planning,
scheduling and operations; and rail crew time and attendance management.
“In addition to the above, we are currently looking to expand our formal product portfolio to include solutions for yard planning and occupation, rail network maintenance, and freight terminal operations,” Collie said.
And it’s that latter Crew Planner product which Dassault Systemes and DELMIA has focused on as the rail industry grapples with the work scenarios of a post-COVID world.
“We have developed a multi-year strategy to demonstrate our long-term commitment to the global rail industry,” Collie said.
“As part of that, we’ve seen a refresh of our workforce and rail crewing solutions to further develop the Rail Planner suite, both to uplift the existing products as well as add new capabilities.
“We know that rail crewing and workforce management have been a pretty volatile area over the last couple of years and continues to be.
“At the start of the pandemic, we recognised that providing reliable rail services was being severely impacted by workforce volatility and availability.
“So we started to focus on rail crewing and how that could help operators address that volatility and disruption.
“And now, since the pandemic has begun to ease, the rail industry has been further impacted by continuing global workforce shortages. Trends such as the great resignation, where a lot of people are reassessing their career options, have led to higher-than-normal levels of attrition across multiple industries, including rail.
“And more recently, events such as the PEB 250 resolution in the US, where pay increases
Data solutions provider Dassault Systemes has enhanced its rail industry suite of products to take into account workforce planning in the post-pandemic environment.With the Crew Planner module, rail crew planning, scheduling and operations can be carried out efficiently and easily. The Service Planner for train operators covers the operating network definition and version management.
were made to avoid a collapses of the entire rail system across the US, and we can see that trend happening around the globe.
“We’ve already seen increased industrial action in Australia and in Europe within the rail industry as it tries to get this right balance between the employers’ objectives and making sure that the employees are adequately compensated, and enjoy increased work/life balance while still carrying out their work.”
Collie said DELMIA recognised from an early stage the potential for all of those trends and events to create much higher than normal instability in workforce planning.
“So we embarked on the comprehensive review and elevation of our generic workforce planner and our rail-specific crew planner solutions,” he said.
“The result is that we believe that we now have one of the most comprehensive and up-to-date rail crewing solutions on the market today.
“It starts off in in the forecasting and planning stage and then, using our optimisation technologies, we can produce much better crew plans.
“For example, based on timetabled operation, we can effectively optimise the number of roster lines or potentially minimise the number of crew required, but maximise the driver foot plate time, which is the amount of time a train driver actually spends in the cab.
“We had a major passenger rail operator utilising our crewing system.
“Before using the system, it had about 170odd trains cancelled per week due to lack of crew being available in the right location at the right time.
“Following the implementation of our solution, the number of trains cancelled per week was down to about 20 or so, so that’s a massive reduction, and obviously resulted in a
greatly improved level and quality of service for the travelling public.
“The key to all of our solutions is that from the initial inception and design, they are built specifically for the rail industry.”
Throughout much of 2022, Dassault Systemes has been developing a multi-year strategy, demonstrating its long-term commitment to the global rail industry.
“Our aim is to continue to review and further develop our current Rail Planner suite of products as well as developing additional solutions to expand our current product portfolio,” Collie said.
Indeed, the list of operators and agencies which use the Dassault Systemes products reads like a Whos’ Who of the rail industry.
Within the Australia and New Zealand region, they include:
• Sydney Trains: fleet allocation and reporting
• NSW TrainsLink: fleet allocation and reporting
• Queensland Rail: fully integrated service, network and fleet scheduling and operations
• Aurizon Networks: network capacity planning and scheduling
• Aurizon Operations: rail crew planning and optimisation
• KiwiRail: integrated rail freight planning (including network capacity, service design, wagon and locomotive planning and end-toend workforce management)
Around the globe, the marquee rail clients include:
• SBB (Swiss Rail): train crewing
• Amtrak: train crewing
• Eurostar/Thalys: fleet and crew planning
• DB Cargo: train crewing and locomotive planning
• NTV “Italo” (Italy): fleet planning
• LKAB (Sweden): service and fleet planning
• Nederlandse Spoorwegen (Holland): yard planning
• MRS (Brazil): rail crew planning and optimisation
• Indian Railways (India): network capacity planning
The Quintiq planning and operations software that powers all of DELMIA’S client solutions was purchased by Paris-based Dassault Systemes in 2014.
“It was then fully integrated into the DELMIA brand within Dassault Systemes from the beginning of 2019,” Collie said.
The publicly-listed Dassault is a sciencebased company whose objective is to combine science, technology and art for a sustainable society.
Dassault has more than 230,000 customers, with over 25 million users in 140 countries.
In Australia, Dassault Systemes has a strong presence, with offices and personnel around the country. The company supports various industries with 11 different brands, each offering a unique set of technical capabilities.
“Dassault Systemes, through the DELMIA brand and the incorporation of the Quintiq software, has more than 20 years’ experience in developing products specifically defined for the rail industry,” Collie said.
“We at Dassault Systemes believe that we are both committed for the long term, and well positioned to assist clients in being a part of this exciting new period for rail.”
DELMIA has developed a core, fully integrated Rail Planner suite that includes various products and addresses several key rail industry capabilities.
German transport solutions specialist Siemens Mobility’s comprehensive measurement and monitoring portfolio has been used around the world to enable rail operators to monitor and maintain rail assets and to ensure they run properly.
Notably, the technology for the process has been locally developed and manufactured at a facility in Perth, Western Australia.
MRX Technologies – originally run as a small family entity – first began providing products and services to the rail, mining and exploration industries in 1996.
It duly developed a vehicle measuring system which could monitor the condition of bogies and wheels as the trains arrived into the depots, and used sensors to analyse the tracks themselves instead of the equipment.
These and other railway monitoring equipment inventions were the genesis of renowned Siemens monitoring applications such as the Vehicle Equipment Measurement System (VEMS) and the Broken Rail Detection System (BRD).
The initial MRX technology was so full of potential that in 2017, Siemens acquired the company, as it moved to strengthen its capability and offering to the rail industry at a time when digitalisation technologies started to be seen as the key to unlocking productivity gains.
The acquisition further expanded Siemens’ offering in the field of predictive maintenance, a capability that had proven global results in increasing rail availability and throughput, enabling operators to achieve maximum value from existing assets and extending maintenance intervals.
MRX Head of Business Segment (MRX) Gary Owens tells Rail Express that the incorporation into Siemens was a triumph for both parties.
While Siemens received the ground-breaking monitoring products, MRX reaped the benefits of remaining an independent company within a global corporation, access to a global market, and generous funding that allowed the organisation to continue to devote resources to research and development projects that have been the foundation of the company.
“It’s a win-win for all. Siemens can combine its established mobility solutions expertise with the digitalisation of service-relevant data and analytics system that is unique in the industry,” Owens said.
“MRX has remained in Perth, moving to a larger facility during 2021 to continue developing the business. We have a wide remit, and we’re allowed to manage our business within that remit.
“There’s a lot of freedom and innovation. We can develop the products that we think need to be developed and Siemens will provide the funding for the R&D.”
Owens said that the localisation of the business also meant a boost for the Australian workforce.
“We’re helping fill the an engineering skills shortage caused by record investment in the sector across Australia,” he said. “We’re hiring local people and supporting investment for local jobs and skills. Our Perth site now has about 100 staff, including a multi-disciplinary team of engineering disciplines and skillsets.
Predictivemaintenance technology developed by an Australian company impressed Siemens so much that the global mobility giant acquired the business. Siemens Mobility’s comprehensive monitoring portfolio has been used around the world to ensure smooth rail operations.
“And part of the attraction is the fact that we’re innovating. The work is not mundane, such as tweaking data or managing the same thing over and over again.
“Our engineers and researchers are involved in developing products and solutions from scratch and take a lot of pride in this and seeing that develop, manufactured, and go on to sites for testing.
“Our employees have utmost pride not just in MRX as a business or Siemens as a whole, but in the products that we develop and the work that they do. They can see the work from cradle to grave.”
MRX has established an arrangement with WA’s Public Transport Authority to test its products, and maintains connections with the mining companies in the Pilbara where the early products were initially trialled.
The other benefit of being in the Siemens network is that, when needed, MRX can also rely on other specialist staff within the organisation from outside Australia.
“For example, we have the ability to use other Siemens engineering resources if required,” Owens said.
“In software, there are some really clever engineers in Germany and we have access to that.
“There are 311,000 people across the Siemens entities. Many of them are creative engineers who can help us support the development if we need it.
“But definitely, about 98 per cent of the engineering development is done or initiated in Perth.”
Owens said that when Siemens bought MRX, the customer base was quite narrow, but that quickly changed.
“We do lots of work in Australia, of course, with heavy haulage work in the mines, but we are a global supplier and export a lot of our equipment internationally; at the moment we’re exporting to five continents and about 15 countries, so our products are truly global now,” he said.
“We’re exporting to countries as diverse as Hong Kong, Qatar, South Africa, Finland, the UK, USA, Canada and of course Germany.
“We’ve just won a contract with Milan and that’s the first Broken Rail Detector that will be going into a metro railway.
“If we can prove it works, then it’s going to open up a whole new market for MRX.
“And we’re also looking at its application for high-speed rail with testing happening in Germany.”
Closer to home, Owens is excited about Siemens Mobility’s role as the system integrator for delivery of the Sydney MetroWestern Sydney Airport, the new metro railway line that will service between the new St Marys Station, the new Western Sydney International Airport and the Western Sydney Aerotropolis.
The company has been awarded a contract to deliver 12 automated, driverless threecar metro trains, a purpose-built depot, the digital rail infrastructure including signalling, electrification, telecoms and platform screen doors, as well as system integration, testing and commissioning.
“As part of the turnkey project, Siemens will provide the full suite of its latest digital technology, platforms and portfolio solutions, and that of course includes the MRX products,” he said.
• Vehicle Equipment Measurement Systems (VEMS)
VEMS provides a range of automated inspection equipment for rail vehicles to determine their serviceability and safety.
It is a suite of modular measurement solutions installed on or adjacent to the track to provide contactless roll-by checks of vehicle integrity, wheels, brakes, pantographs, and collector shoes.
VEMS solutions excel in condition monitoring and provide detailed, objective, and repeatable inspections to support the management of maintenance activities. By detecting critical equipment conditions, they help increase operational safety and protect valuable assets.
The systems are supported by a comprehensive Data Management System (DMS), including a measurement database and facilities for analysing, viewing, and exporting measured data – along with tools to connect this data to your third-party maintenance solutions via a standard REST application programming interface (API).
• Broken Rail Detection (BRD)
The train-mounted broken rail detection system checks the condition of the rail network during operation, identifies any damage, and reports the rail status to the following train.
This increases throughput, because tracks can be quickly maintained and released for operation, instead of being blocked for days due to damage.
A break in the rail can be identified with a very accurate GPS position, facilitating identification and repair.
The system improves rail safety and operation by significantly exceeding the performance limitations of current detection technologies. It’s easy to install and operate on a variety of rail-based vehicles and is simple to integrate in existing signalling and maintenance solutions.
Each train is equipped with a pair of sensors on one of the bogies. While the train is in motion, they scan the tracks features and reliably detect track damage even in hard-to-reach and dark areas and where no physical separation has yet occurred.
An on-board unit reports the damage to the back-office system for verification. Within seconds of detecting a rail break, the message is forwarded to the signalling system, train control, or interlocking so that immediate action can be taken by the next trains passing the located rail breaks.
Swedish data solutions company Predge is expanding its footprint into Australia with its operationand-maintenance software package for rolling stock, aimed at enabling predictive maintenance and increased operational efficiency.
In the competitive and fast-paced world of railway operations, companies are always looking for ways to increase efficiency and reduce downtime.
That’s where Predge comes in. The software company specialises in predictive maintenance for the railway sector, with the aim of helping customers anticipate failures, errors, and prevent unwanted stops in their operations.
Country Manager in Australia for Predge, Tommie Åkesson, tells Rail Express that collaboration is always key to providing effective solutions for the railway industry.
“Our offering has always been developed in close collaboration with customers to ensure that the software is tailored to the specific needs and challenges the industry is facing, providing them with the most effective predictive insights possible,” he said.
Since 2016, Predge has been the dominating player in northern Europe, servicing leading freight companies with its predictive maintenance packages.
“The success is a testament to the effectiveness of the Predge offering and the value it brings to our customers’ operations,” Åkesson said.
“As the railway industry continues to evolve and adapt to new technologies, Predge is poised to be at the forefront of this transformation.
“The need for good, useful data will continue to grow.
“Data-driven decision making and predictive maintenance will be critical in meeting the increasing demand for sustainable and safe railway operations.
“At Predge, we’re committed to leveraging cutting-edge technologies and collaborating with our customers to provide the predictive
insights they need to keep their operations running smoothly while reducing their environmental impact.”
The most widely used product from Predge is one simply called Rolling Stock, and as the name suggests, helps predict failures in rolling stock operations.
It estimates remaining useful life and assists organisations in taking better decisions based on high quality information.
Already widely used across Europe, Predge believes this product will be of considerable benefit to rail operations within Australia.
“We are now taking further steps through an expanded offering to meet the customers’ needs for flexibility and scalability, enabling them to face new and unique challenges,” Åkesson said.
The Cloud-based product has a modular characteristic of features separated into three categories: analytics, decision support, and automation.
The modularity of the product enables an iterative approach for customers’ value creation. As all customers are different, it’s important to address their main challenges for rapid value creation and be able to continuously support them on their journey towards better railway operations.
The analytics module involves algorithms performing continuous processing of incoming data to derive meaningful insights.
The decision support module is adapted to suit different customers and different maturity levels, ensuring that the right information is presented to the right person in the organisation at the right time for better decision-making.
Åkesson highlighted the company’s agnostic approach for data acquisition and integration.
“Early on, the company decided to be hardware-independent. We believe that most often sufficient data is available on the customer side, but there remains untapped value potential in the operations. Hence, the key is to convert the data into actionable insights in the organisation for better decisionmaking,” he said.
“We take a holistic view of the operations where we ingest wayside data, operations data, maintenance data, workshop/inspection data, etc, to be able to draw deeper conclusions and deliver the decision support.”
The product is strengthened by its hybrid modelling approach, which uses artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) principles along with established physics of failure techniques.
“Basically, what this means is that it’s not a purely data-driven model. We combine AI and ML with deep domain knowledge and understanding of the physics behind component degradation, enabling us to make very accurate predictions,” Åkesson said.
Another aspect of Predge Rolling Stock which Åkesson said has generated a high level of interest among established users is its ability to automate the generation of work orders.
“We currently have several customers where our analytics insights are converted into work orders and automatically delivered into the customer’s asset management system, such as Maximo or SAP,” He said.
“It reflects the level of trust that our customers have built up with us, that they are confident of our analysis for the outcomes to be converted into company operations.”
• Under analysis
General rolling stock operations may look the same on the outside, but there are usually specific challenges related to any operational setup.
“To meet such variability, Predge Rolling Stock was packaged such that the primary needs and problems can be easily matched with specific product features on the basis of a core module,” Åkesson said.
“During the on-boarding or proof-of-concept phase, customers not only trial the product but also validate it for its operational context so that they can make a well-founded decision on the needed feature set in their subscription.”
Predge Rolling Stock offers a wide variety of features for specific needs, data availability, and use-cases.
Wheel Damage Prediction
• Performs a prediction of how wheel damages will evolve from their onset to quantify the remaining coverable time or distance for a vehicle. It utilises wheel impact load data to create a digital twin of each wheel to monitor and predict its condition.
Wheel Profile Prediction
• Tracks the wheel condition considering different vehicle dynamics and contextual differences for an optimised forecasting of the wheel profile. The remaining useful life in relation to safety or maintenance thresholds can be given in time or distance and utilises data from wheel profile readers.
Bearing Failure Prediction
• Predicts risk for bearing failures by integrating and aggregating data from multiple data sources such as hot box, bearing acoustic, wheel forces and weather data to generate a bearing health indication.
On-route Load Shifting
• Combines data from multiple detectors on
Detector Performance Indication
• utilization for decision support and provides indications on potential issues with the wayside measurement equipment.
Bogie Performance
• Predicts abnormally behaving bogies by analysing wheel impact load data and for early detection of bogies which are at risk of increased wear rates and could become candidates for derailment.
Backed by research in operation and maintenance, data analytics and AI, product development for Predge took off in 2013, with the company looking for mature industries ready to start pilot studies.
It partnered with LKAB, Europe’s largest iron ore producer with an annual production of 30 million tonnes from mines located in the north of Sweden, which utilises a fleet of 30 locomotives and 1300 wagons – having axle loads of 32.5t – to transport the ore to ports in Lulea and Narvik.
LKAB had already started its transformation from reactive to predictive maintenance, but lacked the tools and expertise to exploit the siloed information and impose the
“The benefits were substantial and led to an overall increase of the predictive/reactive maintenance ratio from an established 70/30 to a 90/10 2017, using primarily the wheel profile prediction feature of the software.
“Two additional positive side effects were observed. Bearing failure reduced in in average by a 78 per cent, and wheel set life was significantly increased.
“These effects not only increase the reliability and safety of the transport but also render significant cost savings.”
When LKAB demonstrated confidence in the analysis and the decision support, further efficiency increases were realised by using the automatic work order generation feature towards its workshops, with tailored and automated user interfaces and dashboard for efficient workshop operation.
The success of the product subsequently encouraged Predge to introduce more domainspecific features in Predge Rolling Stock to broaden its offerings.
“Seeing into our own future, we will aim to continue staying close to our customers to further develop our offering in line with their needs and ambitions,” Åkesson said.
“With our modular and flexible product offering, we are convinced we can support the majority of operators unlock value in their operations, both in the short term and long term.”
Predge’s focus on customer value creation and industry alignment has already led to significant growth.
In just 12 months, the company has doubled in size, and with an expanding offering and a growing customer base, Åkesson is confident in predicting further growth.
“We believe our existing offering and product roadmap strongly aligns with where the industry is heading, in Europe, Australia and beyond,” he said.
is embracing the industry’s digital transformation by offering Australia’s railway industry a chance to truly re-invent itself.
The railway industry is experiencing profound changes, driven by technologies such as Big Data, artificial intelligence, digital twin technology and automation.
This technology is disrupting almost every component of railway operations, from customer experience to signalling and infrastructure.
According to rail data specialist KeTech, while organisations are responding to digital transformation by employing new technology throughout their operations, it’s clear there is still a significant gap in knowledge and understanding of how to get best value from it.
Upgrading or replacing singular systems alone is not enough; an organisation needs to have intelligence at its core to become different.
KeTech specialises in aggregating real-time data to create innovative solutions to enhance the rail journey. It believes that systems don’t just need to be faster or better, but different as well.
According to the company, successful adoption demands the automation of hundreds or thousands of processes which are influenced by algorithmic systems; digital transformation comes when these systems’ combined behaviour exceeds the total of their individual behaviours.
“Just as graphite turns into diamond under enough pressure, at a critical point, more data and algorithms can transform the rail industry and the way it operates entirely. This is at the heart of what KeTech offers, intelligent transformed data in one single central place,” it said.
KeTech believes the industry has been challenged with fragmented legacy systems that are hard to access. Digitalisation allows the visibility the industry needs to move forward, increasing clarity of operations through unification and centralisation of data.
“Rather than being treated as an afterthought, real-time connectivity and data centralisation needs to be the foundation of any strategy to successfully unite data and users,” the company said.
“The rise of smart cities means that our
railways must evolve in parallel. Passenger needs and expectations have changed dramatically in the last few years and although new technology has been implemented, these systems are disconnected, creating frustration for users living in an increasingly connected world.
“The progression of efficient movement of people and freight does not rely on infrastructure alone, but through the use of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS). Without the intelligence behind the infrastructure, these sensors and systems are siloed, creating a barrier to the amount of value they bring to both staff and passengers.”
ITS are based on the integration of technology, gathering a variety of information about transport networks, travellers, and vehicles to make datadriven decisions at system level.
In most cases, the technology is available, but the unification and structure of systems is not.
According to KeTech, existing systems in the rail industry provide masses of unstructured data daily and was therefore limited without ITS.
“ITS leverage the use of existing systems and sensors and allow mass automated data collection and analysis to create the distribution of useful, intelligent information through new channels directly increasing the connectivity of the environment,” it said.
“The only problem with this is that the real-time element is still missing. What use is intelligent information to keep people better informed if it isn’t presented in real-time?”
An ITS is only useful to passengers and staff if the masses of data are processed, translated and presented in a meaningful way, in real-time.
KeTech’s systems offer the railways an opportunity to transform, without starting from scratch.
KeTech sales director, Paul Warren, said the company’s point of difference was based on its Universal Information System (UIS).
“We live and breathe smart systems .We develop and implement real-time, connected information systems - but that is just scratching the surface,” he said.
“KeTech’s UIS is truly unique: it is the only system that harnesses technologies such as the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, Cloud computing, unlimited data processing as well as advanced analytics in real-time to provide a whole new level of ‘connectedness’ and automation.
“KeTech’s UIS is able to connect individual sensors and systems, process the data, and provide intelligent outcomes with the highest security and reliability, resulting in lower operational costs and next level customer experience.
“It unlocks true value compared to what individual systems can do in isolation, connecting them to reach full functionality.
“The system allows all assets to be monitored and managed centrally from one dashboard in true real-time, with the addition of trend reports and analysis to aid future management.”
ITS such as KeTech’s UIS can strengthen passenger trust and confidence through strengthening the technology architecture.
“This overarching architecture essentially removes the barrier of siloed systems, allowing them to talk to each other and disseminate data and for the data provided to be translated into information unlocking the system’s full potential,” Warren said.
“As with anything, there are challenges when implementing digital transformation. There is no unique formula for success, every organisation’s situation must be studied individually in order to embark on a successful journey.”
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Project i-TRACE has become well-known in Australia for introducing standardised barcoding to collate data on assets and materials used across the rail industry.
The classifications are based on a cataloguing initiative devised by GS1, the international organisation specialising in developing standards for supply chain barcodes and corresponding issue company prefixes.
Together with the Australasian Railway Association (ARA), GS1 Australia has created a program whereby standard identifiers and data capture technologies including barcoding and RFID tagging, aimed at reducing costs and improving the quality of materials management processes.
An industry working group including rail operators, manufacturers and contractors has already been established to agree a common standard across the industry so parts and components can be tracked along the entire supply chain.
Participating organisations can use Project iTRACE standards to meet global data standards and support the growing use of automation in rail, while better leveraging data analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence to drive new efficiency gains and cost savings in their business.
Rail Baltica is a greenfield rail transport infrastructure project with a goal to integrate the Baltic States into the European rail network.
With its increased strategic importance in the recent geopolitical events, it is also expected to secure military mobility function and ensure wider socio-economic value to the Baltic region and EU.
As GS1 Australia Freight, Logistics and Industrial sector account director Tony Repaci explains, the project includes five European Union countries – Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and indirectly also Finland. It will connect Helsinki, Tallinn, Pärnu, Riga, Panevežys, Kaunas, Vilnius and Warsaw.
“Currently there is a separate country specific rail network which runs through the individual countries,” he said. “The new rail line will return Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to the main European railway network, but on standard gauge (1435) track for the first time – for historical reasons, the existing railway infrastructure in the region is all 1520mm, an old Russian standard”.
“In effect, they will be standardising the railway link through these three countries. It’s going to be the same rail gauge as all through Europe, and it’ll go all the way from Eastern Europe through to the Nordic countries”.
“The main section runs for 870 kilometres on double track, and there will be additional sections such as freight terminals, maintenance depots, and the like. It will be used for both passenger and freight traffic.
“This is the largest Baltic-region infrastructure project in the past 100 years, with an anticipated construction period until 2030.
“The trains will also be environmentally friendly: powered by electricity, and producing less noise and vibration.”
“Also commercial rail operators should be free to offer services – and site their maintenance activities – in any of the countries.”
It’s anticipated that the locomotives will reach a maximum speed of 249km per hour for passengers, and 120km/h for freight.
The project is funded by the national states – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania with co-funding from the European Union with up to 85 per cent of the costs, in particular in the framework of the Connecting Europe Facility funding instrument.
“Large-scale construction work has started in all three states with the first significant steps being taken in also developing railway subsystems – electrification and controlcommand and signalling,” Repaci said.
“They’ve broken ground with earthworks
The principles behind GS1’s inventory management system could be used in a new integrated rail network being built across the Baltic states in Europe.The design for the Ülemiste Terminal in Tallinn, Estonia.
already underway, they have developed a project plan and are keen to step through each of the various milestones.
“And that means a big part of the preplanning is done. As you will appreciate, they will be working across varying geography and national borders, it’s a major program and the so the good thing is they’ve started all of that work already.
“The Rail Baltica team are finalising how they manage all of the digital asset data from the construction program and what standards can be incorporated to ensure a seamless delivery of digital data to involved stakeholders in the project.”
One of the opportunities from building a greenfield project is that it would make it easier to establish a framework of data standards similar to Project iTRACE, right from the outset, with all components identified and labelled/tagged from manufacturer, to installer, to acceptance testing, to other parts of the material’s journey.
“There are no pre-existing assets installed, so they have the unique opportunity to agree a standard method to identify and capture asset data, adopting a standard system across the whole project, for example,” Repaci said.
“If Rail Baltica were to consider GS1 standards, our standards can be used to identify each of these assets in a consistent manner across the whole length of the network.
“This can include all infrastructure elements, and linked to BIM data for “as-designed” and “asbuilt” right from track laying, or even before that.
operators what is possible, both for maintenance/repair/overhaul (MRO) and also tracking operations, potentially also extending that to freight management.
established a project/lab facility, initially focussed around RFID (radio frequency identification) for small freight tracking, but also using exactly the same equipment for demonstration/validation of the approach for both vehicles and MRO scenarios.
Rail Baltica Innovation and Digital Architecture Team Leader Andy Billington confirmed that the project was a unique opportunity.
“We need to make the most of the greenfield and work with international and local partners to ensure maximum benefits and efficient delivery,” he said. “ The use of existing and widely used standards will allow us to leverage other work from other projects around the world.”
Repaci said GS1 Australia had already expanded upon the success of Project iTRACE in Australia to Rail Baltica stakeholders, its
He said Rail Baltica was keen to understand more about the process of local agreement with rail suppliers and operators, as well as the work done to develop agreed material master data attributes.
“GS1 in Europe has also provided support to Rail Baltica on a wide variety of EU specific implementations and best practices where local national rail operators have adopted GS1 standards,” he said.
“With standards in place, we don’t have to have different languages and different format standards for dates and times and locations based on the physical installation of that asset.
“Interestingly, the dominant suppliers tendering to this project are European and they’re already marking their products using
Work has already started on the Rail Baltica project. Design for a Baltica station and train.
Manco Rail’s commitment to providing the latest technology and best-in-class equipment is reflected in its continued investment in new plant.
Even though it’s early 2023, Manco has already onboarded several new items of plant.
Manco general manager Jaclyn Vanderent said all plant was supplied on a fully serviced dry hire basis, a feature unique to the company.
“Manco also works with a number of labour hire companies should wet hire be required, however the dry hire allows our clients to choose who they want to operate the plant and complete theirs works,” she said.
“Expanding into hi rail light vehicles, Manco has added its latest 8.5 tonne crew cab gang trucks to the fleet.
“These have gone out straight away and customers are finding the them a fast efficient solution to asset other large on-track assets and track inspections.”
Several more new hi rail elevated work platforms (EWPs) have also added to one of the largest hi rail EWP fleets in Australia and New Zealand, while the company is especially excited about its new G2 Railbooms.
“These which have immediately found success in tunnel projects, which require longer track travel distances and typically on steep grades,” Vanderent said.
And Manco has strengthened its hi rail crane solutions.
“We have a good reputation with the crane trucks we have supplied over the years, and so it was an easy decision to add another five vehicle loading crane trucks and one large Manitou-X 2470 into our range,” Vanderent said. “All the new fleet is available for national hire on tri gauge.
“At Manco Rail, we believe that providing top-quality equipment and superior service is the key to our success.
“To this end, we have experienced long-term service technicians based in all our major
operating locations to provide inspections, training, and support.
“We also have a number of mobile service vehicles equipped with fast-moving mechanical, hydraulic, and electrical components for onsite or in the field service and assistance.
“We are delighted to report that our recent equipment deployments have received overwhelmingly positive feedback. Operators on our projects have expressed high levels of satisfaction with the performance and reliability of our machines.
“Stay tuned for further updates, and please
Manco Rail Hire’s latest releases reaffirm the company’s reputation as a provider of a diverse fleet of rail equipment available for hire across Australia.Manco Rail equipment being delivered in a tunnel project. The G2 Railboom continues to be in demand. More crane trucks have been added to the Manco fleet.
The National Rail Skills Hub was launched at AusRAIL 2022, a joint initiative bringing governments and industry together to help significantly increase the number and diversity of people working in rail.
Features of the National Rail Skills Hub include:
• Profiles showcasing rail as a career of choice with diverse and inclusive job roles
• New career pathways and entry points into some of the sector’s most in-demand jobs
• Case studies of industry initiatives that are helping to address specific skills challenges
• National maps of rail education and training facilities in critical skill areas
scene couldn’t provide the structure and stability I needed in life.
“I began a psychology degree and was looking for a scholarship to help pay the university fees and give me experience in a real-world setting.
“I got the scholarship through Transport for NSW and was placed at Sydney Trains.
“My manager was interested in human factors, the study of interactions between humans and systems, such as phones, trains or the entire rail network. We’re primarily interested in the potential of human error to arise.
“Working with an RTO (rail transport operator), part of my job was analysing the incidents that come in every day.
“From the beginning, I could see that the work I was doing was helping to prevent serious injuries from happening. Being part of a focus to improve track safety is really rewarding.
“In my final year honour thesis, I directed my studies to an applied setting by helping with some risk assessment decisions my manager had to make. I coupled empirical research with virtual reality technology. The participants
“It’s something Sydney trains are looking at bringing into the training and induction process to
“I’m working with the Jacobs Engineering Group now as a consultant on their rail team.
“I work with a lot of different people including designers and engineers to ensure physical assets and procedures are designed for optimal
“As a human factor specialist, I get to interact with end users to understand their concerns about safety and their work environment. To be able to say to people, ‘I’m here to take that on and help to make things better’, is very rewarding.”
Kalgoorlie, around Spencer Junction (in South Australia) and up past Brisbane and Rockhampton.
“I crossed the Nullarbor on a hi-rail vehicle; it took us three weeks, checking all the culverts and bridges. The country is so flat the line disappears into the distance.
“Some areas are completely remote. We had to take everything with us from water and tools to
“I started at Sydney Trains in the rail safety area working largely on track protection projects to improve track safety.
“The pay-off was great. From the very beginning I could see that the work I was doing was helping to prevent serious incidents. It was hugely motivating.
“I didn’t start out looking for a career in rail. During school I was set on a becoming a professional musician. After graduating from the Sydney Conservatorium, I soon realised the music
Daly’s efforts were recognised at the 2022 Australasian Rail Industry (ARI) Awards, where she was a co-winner of the Emerging Rail Specialist Award.
• Glen Mitchell
Asset Inspector, Sterling Infrastructure Background: Lineworker
“I’ve been in rail as a linesman and asset inspector for 40 years. It’s been a great adventure,” Mitchell said.
“I’ve worked in so many places. Out west to
“There are rail cabins every 300 kilometres. You travel whatever distance you do for the day and if you don’t get past the 150km mark you travel back to where you were the night before.
“I’ve worked the hi-rail along the tracks from Newcastle to Brisbane. That’s amazing countryside. The rail line travels through tunnels, up and around mountains and down along the coast.
“I started in rail in 1982 with an apprenticeship as an overhead linesman. In 1986, I had an opportunity to become a line asset inspector checking the condition of rail assets and progressed into culvert and bridge inspections.
“As Sterling Infrastructure took on work outside the Metro system, we branched into country Victoria and interstate areas. I probably spend three to six months away most years.
“I’m getting a bit over remote work these days. I do more work now with some of the younger employees, trying to pass on the 40 years of information that’s stored in my head.
“Working in the rail is a fantastic career. There are so many opportunities to learn new skills and expand yourself.
“And there are so many job options. The thing in rail is that if you find that you’re not enjoying what you’re doing you can pick up new skills and move on to something else.”
Developed by the National Transport Commission, the National Rail Skills Hub aims to address a critical shortage of rail workers by showcasing the wide range of jobs available in the industry while also fostering broader skills recognition and job portability.Donna Daly receives her ARA award. Asset inspector Glenn Mitchell.
rofessor Anjum Naweed - Theme Leader for Human Factors and Operational Readiness, CQUniversity Australia, Appleton Institute enzo De Angelis - Director, Investigations
– Rail/Pipeline, Transportation Safety Board of Canada/Government of Canada
owland - General Manager Safety Operations, Metro Trains Melbourne
ephen Jones - Director of Health Safety and Environment, ARTC Inland Rail
Tim McComb - Principal Software Safety Engineer, RGB Assurance
rystle Thompson - Chief Operating Officer, ALTRAC Light Rail
onrad - Ethics and Sustainability Manager, Transdev Australasia - Assistant Director/ Railways, Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, Hong Kong SAR Government
Andrew Hussey - Director RAMS – Asia Pacific, Hitachi Rail
roy Shorley - Technical Director - Low and Zero Emission Solutions, DB Eco
A highlight of the conference will be the , where the winners of the 2023 RISSB Rail Safety Awards will be announced.
The official 2023 conference dinner will be held at the Museum of Contemporary Art on the edge of Sydney Harbour at Circular Quay.
This event is exclusive to conference speakers, attendees and sponsors and was a
To book a ticket to the conference and the Rail Safety Conference Dinner, go to the official Rail Safety Conference website www.informa. com.au/event/conference/transport-logistics/ rissb-rail-safety-conference/
Getting smarter with the products we use across the rail supply chain will be a vital part of reducing waste and supporting emissions reduction in the future.
The Australasian Railway Association (ARA) hosted its first circular economy workshop in March to share best practice on circular economy initiatives and identify key challenges and opportunities facing the industry.
This built on a key plank of the ARA’s sustainability strategy to support resource efficiency in rail.
There are already some fantastic examples of the circular economy in action in the rail
industry, from using recycled materials in the development of new projects to planning for the end-of-life use of key components and parts. The workshop provided an opportunity to build on the good work that already exists, and identify further opportunities to create positive change.
There were a number of key issues that formed part of this discussion.
CREATING THE RIGHT POLICY SETTINGS TO GROW THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY Achieving a circular economy will require industry and government collaboration across
The rail industry’s efforts to work towards a circular economy have increased significantly in recent years, as more organisations seek to increase their use of recycled or re-used materials.Caroline Wilkie, chief executive, Australasian Railway Association. Recycled plastics from kerbside waste have been used to create innovative modular tram stops in Melbourne, an example of the circular economy in action.
The policy has led to all major transport project tenders in the state requiring bidders to demonstrate how they will optimise the use of recycled and reused materials, within current standards and specifications.
In New South Wales, a new Protection of the Environment policy will focus on maximising the use of recycled and remanufactured materials on public infrastructure projects.
The NSW Government predicts a circular economy approach could not only support significant emissions reductions, but would also deliver $773 billion in direct economic benefits over 20 years.
These policies provide a strong opportunity for industry to present new solutions.
However, the rail industry faces some more traditional challenges in realising its circular economy vision.
Complex type approvals processes that often require new products to be approved separately by different operators and in different jurisdictions adds cost and complexity to introducing new, more sustainable options.
Research conducted by the ARA and the Rail Industry Safety and Standards Board (RISSB) last year found that, overall, inefficiencies in the type approvals process cost the rail industry $230 million per year.
That is in addition to the lost opportunities that this inefficiency can present when it comes to introducing more sustainable solutions that support a circular economy.
The ARA has long been advocating for a streamlined type approvals process with a national focus to address the inefficiencies the current system creates.
Enabling a stronger focus on circularity would be just one of many positive outcomes
and the wider community.
The ARA has also been a strong supporter for considering the whole lifecycle of an asset during the procurement process.
This long term focus can help demonstrate the value of fostering a strong local manufacturing and maintenance capability to support sustained investment in our rail infrastructure.
It also encourages the development of smart design to promote circularity, considering modular or flexible designs that can evolve as needs change over time.
A key part of building our circular economy will be fostering a culture of innovation.
Australia has traditionally lagged behind its international counterparts when it comes
tried and tested approaches. With just one per cent of global rail patents generated in Australia, there is significant scope to grow our innovation focus to support more sustainable outcomes in the rail industry.
A long term, national focus on innovation in Australian rail is needed to achieve this in a meaningful way.
This will give industry the confidence it needs to invest and grow our local research and innovation capability, with a focus on solving issues of importance to the Australian market.
The ARA’s circular economy workshop provided a unique opportunity to share examples of best practice in the rail industry to promote the wider adoption of existing approaches.
The event also allowed participants to explore further opportunities for information sharing across the ARA’s membership to ensure new innovations can be promoted throughout the industry quickly and efficiently.
In Victoria, Ecologiq’s industry reference guides are a good tool for those looking to explore additional options for their projects.
A number of existing ARA initiatives are also supporting this goal.
Later in the year, the ARA’s Meet the Innovator program is expected to showcase a range of new innovations in the sustainability field, providing buyers and decision makers with the chance to consider these options for upcoming projects and tenders.
AusRAIL PLUS will also be held in Sydney in November, once again providing the opportunity for industry to showcase the latest technology, innovation and sustainable solutions at the biggest rail event of the year. These efforts combined will help drive
The Queensland Government’s multimillion-dollar project to improve flood resilience on the Mount Isa rail line has reached a major milestone, with Queensland Rail awarding a $1.2 million contract for the detailed design phase.
Queensland Rail Acting Head of Regional Scott Cornish said Queensland-based company ARUP had been appointed to complete the design of new rail bridges on the line with works underway.
“We know how important it is to keep the rail network up and running to connect communities across the state and supply chains to domestic and overseas markets,” he said.
“It’s great to see further progress on this important project which will see up to three new rail bridges constructed, including two bridges at Chatfield Creek and one at Corella Creek east of Cloncurry to improve water flow.
“While it is impossible to fully withstand major weather events, these bridge upgrades will be key to improving flood resilience on the line.
“The proposed works will increase the flow of water at critical locations and help ensure recovery processes are as efficient as possible whenever major weather events occur.”
Cornish said design works would build on state-of-the-art reality modelling recently completed on the Mount Isa rail line.
“To prepare for the design phase, Brisbane-based company Rapid Capture was enlisted last year to complete reality modelling of the line, giving crews 3D digital access to site specific information at their fingertips, reducing the need for onsite visits,” he said.
“Our crews are using this reality modelling to identify environmental impacts before planning and implementing solutions.”
The Mount Isa line Waterways Resilience project is part of a $50 million investment by the State Government to bolster safety and reliability on the line.
The project will complement 21 existing weather monitoring stations that help monitor weather impacts remotely along the 1000 kilometre line.
CBH Broomehill rail project
Australian-owned and operated rail infrastructure and systems specialist
Martinus Rail has been awarded the contract for the rail siding construction WA grains cooperative CBH Group’s Broomehill rapid
rail and outloading project. Construction will start with site establishment, fencing, clearing and earthworks.
ASX-listed industrial engineering, design and construction services company Aerison will be responsible for constructing the new fixed rail loading facility at the site, significantly enhancing the loading of wagons.
The project is expected to be completed in the first quarter of the 2024 calendar year.
The site is the second of 11 rail siding extension projects at sites across CBH’s network to begin construction this year, funded in partnership with the Western Australian and Commonwealth Governments under Package 1 of the Agricultural Supply Chain Improvements (ASCI) Program.
It is the first of these projects to include a new fixed rail loading design (by Australian bulk storage and handling manufacturers Kotzur), which consists of four 1100 tonne V-bottom silos, a 500t per hour auger pit, 500t per hour elevator with drag conveyors, a 1500t per hour elevator to load trains, and state-ofthe-art control room.
The rail siding works will consist of over two kilometres of track being laid adjacent to the mainline, enabling the loading of a 60-wagon train.
Meanwhile, at the Brookton facility, WAbased Multiplant has been awarded the rail and civil construction contract and will be subcontracting and working with Railtrain Holdings Group, which will provide technical capability in rail construction.
Parramatta Light Rail
first phase of Parramatta Light Rail Stage 2, the new 320 metre-long public and active transport bridge over the Parramatta River between Wentworth Point and Melrose Park,” he said.
“Many of those shortlisted industry organisations were invited to participate in the Expressions of Interest (EOI) process for the enabling works package, which includes the delivery of the bridge and approaches on either side of the river – totalling 1.3 kilometres, with construction expected to start in 2024, subject to planning approvals.”
When completed, the new bridge will be the first significant crossing over the Parramatta River since 1987 and will provide essential public transport access for the growing communities north and south of the river and onto Sydney Olympic Park.
The NSW Government recently invited leading infrastructure organisations to help shape and build the next stage of one of the state’s major transport projects, Parramatta Light Rail.
Transport, Veterans and Western Sydney minister David Elliott said it was very encouraging to see industry experts, from not only across Australia but internationally, register their interest to be part of the procurement process for the delivery of such a transformative infrastructure project. “We’ve seen strong interest from industry leaders excited to design and construct the
Major construction works for Inland Rail has kicked off in Victoria, meaning track-building is now underway in two of the three states.
Victoria is expected to benefit significantly from the rail infrastructure project, with freight efficiencies and investment opportunities expected to boost the state’s potential output by $6 billion
As at December 2022, 58 contracts at a value of $269.1 million had been committed to Victorian businesses for services and supplies on the Victorian section of the project.
McConnell Dowell, the appointed contractor on the first four projects at Seymour, Barnawartha North, Glenrowan and Wangaratta, has commenced preliminary site works and will move into major construction in coming weeks.
The remaining projects are currently in the reference design stage.
Inland Rail has already completed the Parkes to Narromine section in NSW, with major construction works also underway on the Narrabri to North Star section in the state.
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