Rex May 2021

I S S U E 04 | M AY 2021

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

Thales and the digitalisation of rail - SEE PAGE 20

Siemens innovations driving the cities of the future

Innovations towards safety

New approaches to working around high voltage

PAGE 24

PAGE 30

PAGE 26

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Contents Issue 04 - May 2021

4

From the Editor

6

News up front

O P E R AT I O N S 24

Siemens is adapting for the cities of tomorrow

26

Innovations in safer electronic handling

28

2XM’s Matthew Morrish on the ‘Swiss Army knife’ of rail

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

20 24

30

Innovations in safety in WA

45

RISSB looks at drones in the rail sector

I N D U S T R Y A S S O C I AT I O N S 44

RTAA gatherings shed light on key projects

46

ARA and the future of Australian rail in the 21st century

49

ALC conference to examine Inland Rail

F E AT U R E S H O W C A S E 26

30

32

Contract Capabilities Showcase

CO N T RACT S 50

Key contracts from around the nation

I S S U E 04 | M AY 2021

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

46

COVER STORY Thales and the digitalisation of rail - SEE PAGE 20

Siemens innovations driving the cities of the future

Innovations towards safety

New approaches to working around high voltage

PAGE 24

PAGE 30

PAGE 26

SUPPORTED BY:

Michael Powell from Thales on how the digitisation of rail can enable safer, more sustainable journeys while also helping operators to control their all-important expenses.

See page 20.

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From the Editor Issue 04 - May 2021

Published by:

David Sexton Editor - Rail Express 11-15 Buckhurst St South Melbourne VIC 3205 T: 03 9690 8766 www.primecreative.com.au

Publisher Christine Clancy E: christine.clancy@primecreative.com.au Chief Operating Officer Zelda Tupicoff E: zelda.tupicoff@primecreative.com.au Group Managing Editor (Northern) Syed Shah E: syed.shah@primecreative.com.au Editor David Sexton E: david.sexton@primecreative.com.au Business Development Manager Oliver Probert T: 0435 946 869 E: oliver.probert@primecreative.com.au Client Success Manager Janine Clements E: janine.clements@primecreative.com.au Design Production Manager Michelle Weston E: michelle.weston@primecreative.com.au Art Director Blake Storey E: blake.storey@primecreative.com.au Design Kerry Pert, Madeline McCarty Subscriptions subscriptions@primecreative.com.au

www.RailExpress.com.au The Publisher reserves the right to alter or omit any article or advertisement submitted and requires indemnity from the advertisers and contributors against damages or liabilities that may arise from material published. © Copyright – No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the permission of the Publisher.

4 | ISSUE 4 - MAY 2021 | RAIL EXPRESS

Welcome to our May edition of Rail Express

T

HE YEAR IS FLYING BY TO THE extent that we can see the halfway point rapidly approaching.

It has been a busy year on the rail front, with major projects underway in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

While these projects come at a cost, we know that for large cities with expanding populations to remain functional, quality rail connections are essential.

The situation in Melbourne is worth noting, where plans are finally progressing towards construction of a rail link to the airport. This is a welcome development and well overdue, despite some grumbling over price tags.

For too long Australians have returned from overseas holidays only to arrive at Melbourne airport where transport options for getting into the city or elsewhere are bus, Uber or taxi. Compare this with Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok, Tokyo (the list goes on) which have sleek rail connections from their airports.

At the same time, the Victorian and Commonwealth governments have tremendous responsibility to get this project ‘right’. It must be a fast and efficient connection, not one that involves too many stops and results in people choosing other transport options in despair.

Rail projects garner tremendous interest, as demonstrated by proponents of the Outer Suburban Rail Loop receiving 15,000 responses from the public.

The ‘loop’ project is an ambitious one in its own right, but, given population growth trends, one would think that its time also will come.

Elsewhere, there has been progress on important light rail projects on both the Gold Coast and Canberra/ACT. I had doubts about the value of light rail in a city as spaced out as Canberra but am happy to have been proven wrong. Light rail has also proven popular on the Gold Coast and, we would argue, is also the way of the future on the Sunshine Coast to Brisbane’s north. A recent media report quoted Maroochydore locals as opposing light rail because they wanted to retain the region’s tranquil lifestyle. But surely light rail, as an efficient and environmentally responsible means of moving people, is a step towards retaining the idyllic coastal lifestyle, far better than having congested road networks full of emissions-intensive cars.

In other areas, we hear from our friends at the Rail Track Association of Australia that things are returning to normal with industry gatherings again taking place. Clearly there are many important topics to discuss in the world of rail and, however much we enjoy Teams or Zoom, it is hard to replace genuine face-to-face meetings.

We note also that the virus is far from beaten and is likely to continue to affect the world of rail for some time yet. Rail commuters in Brisbane and south east Queensland recently had to bring back face masks as a virus outbreak in the Sunshine State led to authorities implementing a snap lockdown.

There is plenty going on.

Thanks for your ongoing support. david.sexton@primecreative.com.au

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News

Victoria

IMAGE CREDIT: OFFICE OF JACINTA ALLAN MP

An artist’s impression of a Melbourne Airport train crossing Ballarat Road.

First look at Melbourne Airport Rail Victorians have received a glimpse of how Melbourne Airport Rail could look at key locations along its route, including the soonto-be second highest bridge in Melbourne, as the Australian and Victorian governments proceed with delivering the long-awaited airport rail line.

Urban infrastructure minister Paul Fletcher and Victorian transport infrastructure minister Jacinta Allan recently released concept designs for a new rail bridge over the Maribyrnong River and elevated twin tracks between Sunshine and the Albion Junction.

Airport trains are to run through the Metro Tunnel, meaning families in the booming south-eastern suburbs can get to the airport without changing trains, and the majority of Victorians can get to the airport with just one interchange from their closest station. Both governments have committed up to $5 billion each for the construction of the project.

6 | ISSUE 4 - MAY 2021 | RAIL EXPRESS

Minister Fletcher said tourists visiting the state would be able to get from the airport to regional Victoria in a hassle-free way.

“We know how long people have been waiting to see Melbourne Airport Rail become a reality, and these concept designs show just how much progress is happening on this transformational project,” Fletcher said.

“The Morrison government is pleased to announce that this major investment is expected to deliver approximately 8,000 construction jobs, and give Melbourne and greater Victoria a state-of-the-art airport connection.”

The new bridge is to be 550 metres long, 50 metres high and built alongside the existing heritage-listed rail bridge over the Maribyrnong River.

Sunshine and the Albion Junction airport trains are to gradually rise to travel on new elevated twin tracks across a distance of less

than two kilometres, before descending and continuing at ground level alongside the existing freight line through Sunshine and Airport West towards the airport.

Minister Allan said the proposed elevated rail solution would avoid costly and disruptive impacts to several major roads.

“Works from Sunshine to Albion will form an important part of Melbourne Airport Rail, with Sunshine becoming a key station for airport services and other regional and metro lines,” she said.

“These improvements will make travelling through Sunshine easier, as the number of trains and passengers increases following the completion of projects such as the new Metro Tunnel, Sunbury Line Upgrade and Melbourne Airport Rail.”

Melbourne Airport Rail has a target opening date of 2029, subject to relevant Australian and Victorian Government planning, environmental and other government approvals.

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News

Victoria

Level crossings made safer in northern Victoria

Ensuring safety on regional rail networks.

Safety for motorists and train passengers in Victoria’s north has been boosted, the state government says, thanks to upgrades to four level crossings at Kerang.

Works to commission boom barriers at the level crossings have significantly improved safety for motorists, pedestrians and train

passengers along the Echuca line.

The $3.6 million safety upgrades kicked off in March, with crews installing boom barriers at the level crossings in Murray Street, Victoria Street, Vaughan Street and Wellington Street in Kerang.

The four crossings already had flashing

lights and bells and the installation of boom barriers will further improve safety.

A crew of more than 40 workers completed the upgrades on Sunday 7 March, with all four level crossings now operational with boom barriers.

Crews also commissioned new signalling and track equipment in the Kerang area to support the upgraded crossings.

The pedestrian crossings at both Vaughan Street and Victoria Street were also upgraded to improve accessibility and installed lighting for improved visibility at night.

The upgrades were completed as part of V/ Line’s Annual Works Plan, which focusses on ensuring the ongoing upkeep of the network so it can continue to offer safe and reliable services to regional communities.

Crews continue to follow strict protocols as set out by the Department of Health and Human Services on work sites, to help protect the health and safety of workers and the community.

Public transport minister Ben Carroll said their works to upgrade level crossings would improve safety and reliability for local communities.

“These upgrades in Kerang will significantly improve safety and allow more modern trains to run through the growing regional community,” Carroll said.

Minister talks up Australian transport infrastructure investment Assistant freight transport minister Scott Buchholz MP told delegates to the Victorian Transport Association State Conference that the federal government was committed to a safer, increasingly productive freight sector.

“Our government understands that better infrastructure, means a safer, faster journey from paddock to port. That is why we’re investing $110 billion over 10 years from 2020-21 in transport infrastructure across Australia through our rolling infrastructure plan,” Buchholz said.

“Never in Australia’s history have we spent more on transport infrastructure to bust congestion,” he said.

“A challenge those in this room rise to meet every single day and particularly

8 | ISSUE 4 - MAY 2021 | RAIL EXPRESS

during the pandemic.”

Buchholz said the pandemic had placed great pressures on the transport sector.

Buchholz said industry initiatives had been supported by the Australian government and he was excited for the future of the sector.

“Our government, through various initiatives and programs will continue to make the necessary investments in infrastructure,” he said.

“Recovery from the impact of the pandemic will take time – and there are many challenges which still lie ahead,” he said.

“However, the Morrison government has an Economic Recovery Plan for Australia, and transport infrastructure is at the heart of that plan.”

Scott Buchholz speaks at the VTA conference.

News

Victoria

“Mega machines” head under Yarra in final tunnelling push Two 1,100 tonne tunnel boring machines were put into action, excavate the final few hundred metres to complete the section of the Melbourne Metro Tunnel Project’s twin tunnels between South Yarra and the CBD. Minister for Transport Infrastructure Jacinta Allan toured TBM Millie, meeting the team of tunnellers.

Millie was expected to take around two weeks to tunnel the 120 metres under Melbourne’s iconic waterway, as life on the Yarra for rowers, boaters and sightseers carried on undisturbed.

After crossing under the river, Millie is to dig a further 300 metres to Town Hall Station below Swanston Street to complete the final section of tunnel in the south-east, followed a few weeks later by TBM Alice.

Geological and environmental testing has shown that ground conditions deep under the Yarra include silt, gravel and basalt.

The Metro Tunnel TBMs have encountered a variety of ground conditions when tunnelling in other sections of the project.

Tunnelling is now 85 per cent complete,

Minister Jacinta Allan (left) at the construction site.

with TBM Joan now digging more than 30 metres below Swanston Street towards Town Hall Station from the State Library Station site in the CBD’s north, and TBM Meg to be launched in coming days.

The arrival of all four TBMs at Town Hall Station later this year will mark the end of tunnelling to create the twin 9km-long, 6.3m-high rail tunnels from Kensington

under the Melbourne CBD to South Yarra.

Each 120-metre-long TBM is equipped with a state-of-the-art navigation system to ensure they dig accurately along the tunnel alignments. They are staffed and monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and equipped with an office, kitchen and toilets.

The Metro Tunnel will have two CBD stations: Town Hall Station at the southern end of Swanston Street, with entrances at Federation Square, City Square, and the corner of Flinders and Swanston streets; and State Library Station at the northern end of Swanston Street, with entrances near Franklin Street and La Trobe Street.

These two new CBD stations will allow Metro Tunnel passengers to connect to City Loop services via underground pedestrian links at Flinders Street and Melbourne Central stations.

“Tunnelling on the Metro Tunnel Project is heading into its final stages, with a TBM now digging under the Yarra, as it completes this incredible feat of engineering deep under Melbourne’s CBD,” Allan said.

$235 million North East Rail Line upgrade a boost for Victorian rail passengers Rail passengers in Victoria are tipped to enjoy a smoother ride and fewer delays between Albury-Wodonga and Melbourne after the completion of contracted works on the $235 million North East Rail Line upgrade.

Deputy Prime Minister and infrastructure minister Michael McCormack said the upgrade works on 532 linear track kilometres would bring about improved rail outcomes.

“With the completion of the main works on the North East Rail Line upgrade, passengers will experience more reliable services and a better ride quality between Spencer Street Junction in Melbourne and Albury-Wodonga,” he said.

“The works bring the rail line up to a Victorian Class 2 track performance standard, which is in line with other regional passenger rail lines in Victoria, including accommodating new VLocity trains.

10 | ISSUE 4 - MAY 2021 | RAIL EXPRESS

“The benefits of this project go beyond the passenger experience, with more than $70 million invested into regional North East Victorian communities since the start of the project in early 2020, which has supported 173 Victorian businesses and service providers.”

Finance minister Simon Birmingham said the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC), together with contracting partner John Holland, were able to deliver the works “ahead of schedule and above the original scope of the project”.

“The early success of the North East Rail Line upgrade meant the Australian government could task ARTC to consider what further works might be accelerated with the pandemic offering the unusual opportunity to fast-track some of Australia’s major infrastructure projects during a time that would have minimal impact on

commuters,” Senator Birmingham said.

“Accelerated works took place on the line between July and November 2020, with ARTC delivering additional turnout renewals and more than 30 extra bridge deck conversions, enhancing the services and safety to passengers and communities of North East Victoria.

“We also extend our thanks to the team of 100 John Holland contractors that were based in Wangaratta, many of whom made personal sacrifices to remain in regional Victoria to continue working and complete this project as the pandemic struck.”

Senator for Victoria Jane Hume said that the project was delivered by the ARTC on behalf of the Australian government with support from key Victorian transport agencies including V/Line, Public Transport Victoria, Transport for Victoria and Rail Projects Victoria.

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News

Queensland

Acacia Ridge terminal sale finalises The $205 million sale of Aurizon’s Acacia Ridge Terminal to Pacific National has been completed, with all conditions satisfied and outstanding funds transferred to Aurizon.

Aurizon has already received a nonrefundable payment of $35 million.

The balance of $170 million was received recently by Aurizon.

Tax payable on the sale is an estimated $40 million, resulting in net remaining proceeds of approximately $130 million.

According to an Aurizon statement, the contract became unconditional following approval of the transaction by the Foreign Investment Review Board in February 2021.

Late last year, the High Court rejected an application by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission that sought leave to appeal a decision by the Full Federal Court allowing the sale to proceed.

The Terminal sale completes Aurizon’s

three-stage exit from its loss-making Intermodal business, comprising: • Closure of the Interstate intermodal business (outside Queensland) completed in December 2017; • Sale of the Queensland Intermodal business to Linfox which was completed on 31 January 2019 ($7.3 million received

by Aurizon); and • Sale of the Acacia Ridge Terminal, south of Brisbane.

The TBM Merle photographed before entering the tunnel stub.

Cross River Rail’s second massive tunnel boring machine was launched into action, meaning both of the transformational project’s mega machines are now busy burrowing beneath Brisbane.

Cross River Rail Delivery Authority CEO Graeme Newton said the 1350-tonne TBM Merle – named after pioneering feminist Merle Thornton AM – had now joined TBM Else, to excavate the project’s twin tunnels from Woolloongabba north towards Albert Street.

Meanwhile, two 115-tonne roadheaders are excavating the tunnels in the opposite direction from Woolloongabba towards Boggo Road.

“With TBM Else and TBM Merle both now on their way north, and the project’s roadheaders excavating south, Cross River

Rail’s year of tunnelling is well and truly underway,” he said.

Newton, who recently toured the TBMs below ground with Minister for Transport and Main Roads Mark Bailey, said Cross River Rail had even launched a TBM Tracker on the project’s website, allowing the public to follow tunnelling progress in real time.

“The TBM Tracker shows where the TBMs and roadheaders are and how far they’ve come as they excavate the project’s 5.9 kilometres of twin tunnels below Brisbane,” he said.

Newton said each TBM was equipped with trackers and sensors which fed technical information to the project team in real time.

“We’ve been able to use the data the TBMs

IMAGE CREDIT: QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT

Cross River Rail unveils tracker to mark launch of ‘TBM Merle’

send us to add the TBM Tracker to our website, which can be viewed on a computer or a mobile device,” he said.

“It means you can check out where our TBMs are, wherever you are, as they journey under the city.”

Newton said the TBMs would first arrive at Albert Street mid-year, before continuing to Roma Street and finally emerging at the project’s northern portal at Normanby before the end of 2021.

“Our TBMs are like underground factories – they’re 165 metres long and not only are they excavating the project’s twin tunnels, but they are lining the tunnels walls with 25,000 concrete segments along the way,” he said.

WWW.RAILEXPRESS.COM.AU | 13

News

Queensland

Upgrades to boost accessibility at Brisbane stations east being overhauled to make them more accessible, including for those with a disability and older people.

Inspecting the works with Bulimba MP Di Farmer, transport minister Mark Bailey said making stations more accessible was key to encouraging public transport use, especially with the downturn in patronage during the IMAGE CREDIT: QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT

Investments aimed at making public transport more accessible across Queensland are being implemented.

This is part of the state government’s $500m station accessibility program.

A 500-tonne crane recently lifted in a brand-new pedestrian footbridge at Cannon Hill station, one of 17 stations in the south

A crane deployed at Cannon Hill, Brisbane.

14 | ISSUE 4 - MAY 2021 | RAIL EXPRESS

COVID-19 pandemic.

“What we’ve seen during COVID is more people moving to Queensland because of the way we continue to manage the health response, and it’s vital from a public transport perspective that the accessibility is there to accommodate our diverse and growing population,” Bailey said.

The government recently announced members of its Queensland Accessible Transport Advisory Council to give a voice to those with vision, hearing, physical or cognitive impairments, older people, parents and youth groups when it comes to building public transport.

“There’s $26.9 billion worth of transport and road projects coming over the next four years plus the $5.4 billion Cross River Rail project, all supporting close to 30,000 jobs, and I think we can all agree that we want them to be as accessible to as many people as possible,” he said.

Mr Bailey said in addition to works happening at Cannon Hill, station upgrades were also occurring at Dakabin, Auchenflower, East Ipswich, Fairfield and Yeronga, with upgrades at Yeerongpilly, Moorooka, Rocklea, Salisbury, Banyo, Bundamba, Burpengary, Wooloowin, Lindum and Morningside to follow.

Those upgrades will feature new footbridges, lifts, accessible car parks, raised platforms, upgraded hearing augmentation loops, tactile platform surfaces, updated security, lighting and station signage.

“That’s on top of what the Palaszczuk government is doing more broadly with the $335 million program to fix the NGRs, new stations in the Brisbane CBD and on the Gold Coast, light rail Stage 3 to Burleigh, and our commitment to build new trains in Maryborough,” he said.

“Regionally, we’ve also seen new accessible buses rolled out across major hubs by our partners who operate public transport and upgrades to train stations along the spine of the North Coast line.

Minister for Employment and Small Business and Member for Bulimba Di Farmer said making public transport more accessible was so essential for everyone to participate in their communities and to access vital services.

“Benefits of station upgrades are twofold, with greater access to public transport for the community and a boost to our economic recovery plan with job creation and infrastructure,” she said.

Yeronga station to close for six months Yeronga station on Brisbane’s southside has closed for six months from 19 April.

This is part of ensuring works at the station as part of the Cross River Rail can be done safely and efficiently.

According to Unity, the company developing Cross River Rail, the works at Yeronga station will include raising platform

1 and 2, relocating in-ground services, constructing retaining walls, installing shade canopies and installing new station amenities.

“When the station reopens to services, construction will continue to complete permanent features,” the Unity statement read.

“These activities have less of an impact on the operation of the station.”

New, temporary bus services are being put on during the disruption.

“We appreciate your patience during construction and will continue to update you as work progresses,” the Unity statement concluded.

Southside works proceed in Cross River Rail Project Efforts are ramping up to upgrade southside stations as part of the Brisbane Cross River Rail Project.

As part of the Cross River Rail Project, the six stations between Fairfield and Salisbury are to get “significant accessibility upgrades”, including new overpasses and lifts, platform improvements, new station buildings and upgrades to facilities such as Kiss ‘n’ Ride, PWD

parking and bicycle storage.

The first of these upgrades will start at Yeronga station, which will be closed from mid-April 2021 for about six months.

To support customers during the closure, new bus route 109 StationLink will be introduced, running between Moorooka and Boggo Road stations.

To support customers during the closure

UNITY Alliance will build five new temporary bus stops between Yeronga and Moorooka stations.

“We appreciate your patience during construction and will continue to update you as work progresses,” a spokesperson said.

At Moorooka, Yeronga and Yeerongpilly, temporary bus stop installation is occurring between 8pm and 5am, Monday to Saturday when traffic volumes are low.

News

New South Wales

Interstate network affected by wild weather in New South Wales

Flooding impacted railways in NSW.

A section of the Interstate Network between the New South Wales centres of Telarah and Grafton was closed following inclement weather across the region.

It was eventually reopened.

According to the Australian Rail Track Corporation, “high rainfall, strong winds, fallen trees and debris, power failures and fallen power lines and power poles are all concerns which led to operations being halted”.

“Weather events such as these have the potential to damage to our network and increases risks to all those involved in the transport operations,” an ARTC spokesperson said.

“Continued periods of rain caused significant impacts on the network at approximately 60 sites along the network, where significant restoration works will be required.

“Ensuring the safety of the community, our customers and staff remains our highest priority,” the spokesperson said.

“ARTC will provide further updates as the situation progresses.”

HUNTER VALLEY As reported in Rail Express, the ARTC had resumed full rail operations on the Hunter Valley Network between Newcastle and Maitland following a closure due to cases of

localised flooding.

“As part of the full return to service, coal services that were running in a limited capacity have returned to standard operations and passenger trains have resumed operations on the network,” the spokesperson said.

“The network between Narrabri North and Moree remains closed due to continued flooding in the north west of the Hunter Valley Network.”

The spokesperson thanked the community and ARTC customers “for their continued patience and cooperation as we worked to recover operations as quickly and safely possible”.

Locals have their say on Suburban Rail Loop More than 15,000 people have had their say on Suburban Rail Loop since 2019, helping to shape the planning, construction and delivery of Stage One of Victoria’s biggest ever infrastructure project.

“From pop up information sessions to online engagement tools and surveys, we’ve been regularly consulting with the community and

16 | ISSUE 4 - MAY 2021 | RAIL EXPRESS

stakeholders – asking you what you want to see happen and getting your input as the planning and development of Stage One has progressed,” a spokesperson for Suburban Loop said.

“Thank you to everyone who has participated in Suburban Rail Loop engagement and consultation activities so far

– there will be more opportunities to provide input in the coming months, including inperson and online.

“We will be reporting back to you soon with a comprehensive wrap-up of your feedback to date.”

More information is available on the Suburban Loop website.

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News

International

Thales, a global leader in high technology solutions; Invision AI, a Toronto-based technology start-up and Metrolinx, the regional transportation agency for the Canadian Province of Ontario, have joined forces to help shape the future of transit technology.

The project is supported by the Ontario government’s AVIN’s WinterTech Development program and is led by the Ontario Centre of Innovation. WinterTech supports small and medium-sized enterprises and their partners by commercializing winter-ready innovative mobility solutions.

Invision AI, Thales and Metrolinx are building sensing and computing capabilities that provide enhanced situational awareness to existing rail systems and are capable of operating in severe winter conditions. The goal of this partnership is to build a platform that will ultimately enable deployments in urban, regional and mainline rail networks globally.

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Project expands the future of autonomous rail

An ‘autonomous’ train in Ontario.

prototyped and installed on a Metrolinx GO train, operating on multiple lines in Toronto, Ontario.

The data gathering activities will continue for an additional six months in different weather and environmental conditions.

Moreover, the technology equipped on the train is providing real-time information and

data – such as next generation positioning, train telemetry, and diagnostics information – to ensure the system is running smoothly.

“Thales is proud to partner with Metrolinx and the Ontario Centre of Innovation to create a solution that will improve transit systems for both operators and passengers,” said Mark Halinaty, president and CEO, Thales Canada.

“Partnering ahead of the train, along with a cyber secured 4G/LTE connected data collection and equipped on the front of the train and includes; radars, cameras and lidar, for multi-spectral sensing processing system.

“These technologies actively collect important data which can then be used to train the system to recognize obstacles and other dangers.”

Metrolinx CEO Phil Verster said they were proud to support the initiative with Invision and Thales.

“A focus on safety is central to delivering a world class transit system, and innovative solutions like this one are an important part of this work,” he said.

Rail Services Australia

Alstom acquisition boosts its presence in Europe and Latin America Alstom says it is continuing to implement its strategic plan with the acquisition of Flertex, a group specialised in the design and manufacture of brake linings (pads and shoes) for braking systems, particularly for the rail industry but also for other industrial applications.

The strategy is called ‘Alstom in Motion’.

This acquisition expands and strengthens Alstom’s expertise in braking systems, a key element in the overall technical performance of trains. It comes only a few months after that of IBRE, a company specialised in the development, manufacture, and supply of cast-iron or steel brake discs. This acquisition also represents a promising development opportunity for Flertex and its employees.

“We are pleased with this acquisition which, similarly to IBRE, enhances our solutions and skills in the field of braking to meet our own needs as well as those of our customers,” said Jean-Baptiste Eyméoud, president of Alstom France.

Flertex is a group of international scope with about 120 employees, with the vast majority working at its sites in Gennevilliers (in the region of Île-de-France) and Saint-Florentin (in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté), with a turnover of around 16 million euros in 2020. More than 50% of its turnover comes from the rail industry, mainly in Europe but also in Latin America.

Flertex has a business focus on developing “ever more efficient materials”, increased braking performance, noise reduction and reduced emissions particles into the atmosphere.

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Cover Story

Thales offers world-leading simulation training.

The digitisation of rail: Offering smarter mobility for all Australians Michael Powell, director, technical and engineering at Thales, writes how the digitisation of rail can enable safer, more sustainable journeys while helping operators control costs.

Cost is always a key driver as rail operators face constant pressure to do more with less and keep fares affordable. However, there are other factors at play including capacity. Prior to the pandemic, growth in public transport use was surging across many Australian cities and, while usage has gone down, the last year has seen people migrate further away from city centres which will create new shifts in demand.

In addition, the pandemic itself has created new requirements around social distancing which change the dynamics of public transport and how capacity is managed.

These pandemic-related challenges are ones that we did not envisage, and it is simply impossible to predict all of the requirements that will emerge in the future.

We need the ability to respond to changes in our environment faster than ever and the digitisation of the industry will enable us to do that. This is due to the advancements in data and technology as well as the ability to shorten development, integration, and validation times through leveraging

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digital twins, simulations, and virtual reality technologies.

More specifically, digital technology can help to increase the carrying power of existing rail networks, avoiding the need for operators to continually build new physical infrastructure while at the same time reducing the amount of carbon produced. For example, our digital signalling system SelTrac G8 can reduce traction energy consumption by about 15% compared with traditional communications-based train control (CBTC) systems. This is achieved by loading efficient speed profiles into the train’s on-board system.

THE ROLE OF THE PASSENGER Another key driver in the digitisation of rail is the passenger and we believe shifting the focus from concrete and metal to data and software will enable much more timely, integrated, and safe passenger journeys.

For instance, passengers understand that incidents occur within transport systems, but they also expect situations to be responded

to and rectified quickly. More autonomous and digitalised railways allow for faster response and rectification of incidents which can be outside the control of the railway.

As an example, technology can help operators automatically adjust the speed

Michael Powell, director, technical and engineering at Thales.

profile of trains in order to move passengers more quickly during times of increased capacity. These could include sporting events, concerts or multi-day events like the Sydney Royal Easter Show. Once these events are over and normal conditions resume, technology can then help operators to automatically optimise their networks for efficient energy consumption.

HELPING RAIL OPERATORS TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE DIGITAL REVOLUTION Thales helps operators to supervise their networks, monitor capacity, ensure safety and security, and enhance the passenger experience in the most effective way possible.

Providing a smooth passenger journey involves more than just the train. It involves providing passengers with the appropriate information, directing them to the right carriages to optimise the dwell times at stations, and even controlling the speed of escalators. It also sometimes requires managing crowds by limiting the number of passengers entering the station.

These capabilities are essential requirements for modern rail networks and are made possible through advancements in digitisation, artificial intelligence (AI), data analytics, and cybersecurity. Thales offers proven solutions in all these areas to deliver on the promise of smarter mobility.

Using AI, for instance, we’ve developed a new passenger density and guidance system which allows passengers to identify which carriages are the least crowded before their train arrives in the station. The Distributed Intelligent Video Analytics solution helps to reduce crowding and facilitate social distancing for safer and more comfortable travel.

We have another video analytics solution, SAVARITM, which can be used to detect fare evasion or instances where passengers are not complying with requirements for facial masks. NAIA is another solution we have that helps rail operators leverage data from ticketing machines and tap-in and tap-out barriers to better understand their passenger flow and therefore make better decisions. For example, by looking at historical patterns, operators can plan for recurring events and optimise schedules. They can also use near real-time data to react to abnormal events such as unexpected peaks in capacity.

In addition to data, which is contained within the transport system, it is also possible to integrate open-source data to understand other relevant patterns and inform decisions

to improve the passenger experience. For example, weather forecasts (which may mean more people stay home), traffic conditions (which mean more people could take public transport), and information on snap lock downs which result in substantially changing travel behaviour. Transport operators around the globe are acknowledging this need to be more data-driven and there is an enormous amount of data available to them that can be gathered and analysed to drive business and operational efficiencies. It can also be leveraged to provide a better passenger experience as in the examples above.

SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT NETWORKS It is important rail operators are able to handle more traffic or different patterns of traffic without always building new networks.

In order to achieve this, operators need to increase utilisation of their existing networks.

We can help operators by increasing the flexibility and regularity of services and by reducing the intervals between trains during peak hours. For example, with our CBTC solution used for metro applications, we can reduce headways as low as one minute between trains to help maximise network capacity. In the mainline arena, we have our

Thales has contributed to a smoother Sydney network.

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Cover Story

A picture displays Thales main line signalling and interlocking.

European Train Control System (ETCS) which are fast becoming the global standard for maintaining a safe maximum speed for each train. Our Level 2 and ETCS Level 3 Hybrid solutions are also moving towards automatic train control for mainline applications.

When it comes to the environment, rail is already efficient. It is the only mode of transport where emissions are falling despite an increase in passengers and freight. Of course, there’s always more we can do and Thales is developing eco-responsible AI solutions that are helping to reduce the energy consumption of trains, metros, and stations.

The key to this is the management of data.

By collecting information about the actual speed profile of the train and drivers, we can calculate the optimum speed profile for either throughput or energy consumption. This data can be a useful training tool for drivers.

These solutions include GreenSpeed, our driver advisory system for main lines which uses advanced energy-saving algorithms to calculate the optimal speed for each train.

This reduces emissions and costs while also ensuring punctuality for a more reliable passenger experience. The move towards

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autonomous technology will make rail even more sustainable by reducing operating costs, adding to capacity, and further cutting emissions.

It will also make it possible for operators to monitor their infrastructure in real time for greater safety. Thales is a leader in rail autonomy and we are developing solutions for both main line and metro applications. In fact, our autonomous positioning solution for metros is already available. One of the key advantages of this autonomous positioning is that it reduces the need for trackside equipment by incorporating sensors on board the rolling stock to understand its location.

Another benefit of this autonomous positioning is reduced delivery risk as it avoids the need to install many kilometres of electrical cable and equipment. This is something that can be disruptive to normal services. Other advancements in autonomous operations for main line railways, include a new concept from Thales called RailBot™. This has two key components: RailBot Drive for Automatic Train Operation (ATO), including driverless operation, and RailBot Eye, our obstacle detection solution. These solutions are examples of how

AI will be applied in the future to help trains “think” and move for themselves.

FUTURE PROOFING NETWORKS AND GUARDING AGAINST CYBERTHREATS We know you can’t always close down railways while you upgrade them. At the same time, we recognise operators need the flexibility to adapt to new requirements and respond quickly to an evolving threat landscape. What matters most to operators are seamless upgrades with little to no impact on existing operations. For this reason, we’re very focused on how we can deploy solutions with significantly reduced disruption. One way we can do this is by adding new functionality through strictly controlled software uploads and we have enabled this for many of our solutions such as SelTrac G8 for metros and ETCS Hybrid Level 3 MAX for main lines. Our latest SelTrac G8 implementation allows for a flexible implementation and leverages on board sensors for positioning to minimise the amount of trackside equipment. It also future proofs radio technologies by being radio agnostic.

“By making the system agnostic to the actual communications bearer, the system can evolve as the technology is upgraded.

The same applies to sensor technology.”

Radio networks have evolved from Tetra-based systems to GSM-R to LTE and now there are discussions about the use of 5G. We simply cannot be certain what the future holds, but we do know that what is considered state of the art in 2021 will not be state of the art when current rolling stock comes to the end of life around 2040. In fact, there will be several iterations in between.

By making the system agnostic to the actual communications bearer, the system can evolve as the technology is upgraded. The same applies to sensor technology. Sensors are improving in accuracy and functionality at a rapid rate and by having a system designed for upgrades and specifically planning for these upgrades (or refreshes) during the life cycle of the asset, operators can take advantage of these technologies rather than being constrained by legacy technology.

Thales is involved in many communications and sensor applications and can integrate the latest technology into systems.

We also believe it’s time for operators to move away from the traditional reliabilitycentred maintenance (RCM) approach to condition-based maintenance where technology is refreshed and security upgrades are deployed on an ongoing basis. Our predictive maintenance solution, TIRIS, can support operators to make this shift and achieve cost savings of up to 30%. Again, data is the key, and TIRIS works by capturing information and enabling analysis into large volumes of data, in order to support operational decision making.

A technology refresh approach also makes it easier to upgrade networks with new features and functions while combatting cyber threats. Cyber, security, and safety are

Thales helps rail operators leverage data to understand their passenger flow and make better decisions.

all interlinked these days and the way we manage these is changing. Traditionally, our standards, processes, and tools have been geared towards identifying safety and security threats at the time of design and then mitigating those through the design, verification, validation, and qualification process. This approach has worked for typical safety hazards which are well known at the time of design and can therefore be mitigated. It has also worked for traditional, well known security threats such as intrusion, vandalism, and other criminal acts.

The threat associated with cyber is new and different. Firstly, where railways previously used bespoke, proprietary, or standards-based technologies we are now using common approaches like 4G, ethernet, and Wi-Fi which are widely used and understood. Secondly, cyber threats are changing on almost a daily basis. You cannot simply wait for “end of year maintenance” to incorporate new cyber upgrades; upgrades need to happen more frequently because the threats are changing more frequently.

Thales can further help operators to succeed in the digital world by ensuring operational readiness with new technologies.

As previously mentioned, digital twins, simulations, and virtual reality technologies can help speed development or validation of new solutions. With our world-leading immersive simulation capabilities, for example, we can work with operators to insert new technologies into a virtual environment where they can be tested and optimised before they are deployed within a train, station, or control room. With this virtual environment, scenario-based training or training on emergency response becomes more realistic and cost-effective as well. These technologies can also provide just in time training or remote assistance to personnel in the field carrying out inspection or maintenance activities and can lead to more efficient and effective training across the workforce. Ultimately, these technologies can enable a rail workforce to be fully prepared for the new digital systems and ensure that safety is maintained or even improved, and the passenger experience is enhanced.

In addition, Thales has a rich history in designing and implementing systems for transport and other mission critical industries which we can leverage to help operators reduce risk and disruption as they adopt new digital technologies. To learn more about Thales and smart mobility solutions, visit:www.thalesgroup.com/en/events/smartmobility-experience.

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Operations Upgrading legacy systems in Port Melbourne.

The future of rail starts in Australia By developing the latest in rail technology locally, Siemens is enabling Australian cities to plan for the world of tomorrow.

Our transport infrastructure has reached a turning point. Every day in many metropolitan areas, railway and road commuters are approaching the limits of what is tolerable. By 2050, another 2.5 billion people will be living in large cities and urban regions worldwide while climate change is becoming a major challenge.

In Australia, Melbourne and Sydney are widely predicted to each have eight million people by 2050, with the nation as a whole being home to close to around 38million.

Australia is one of the most urbanised nations with 85 per cent of the population living within 50km of the coast. The future of Australian mobility is therefore top of the agenda in terms of achieving sustainable growth in upcoming decades.

Rail will be crucial in ensuring these metropolises of the future are functional for both living and working.

MODERNISING THE SYDNEY NETWORK Clearly, large-scale investments will be required in areas of rail such as technology, signalling, predictive maintenance and data protection.

In this context, recent developments regarding Siemens are worthy of note. Siemens Mobility recently won multiple contracts to upgrade and modernise Sydney rail network.

Siemens Mobility has been awarded two contracts worth around $190m by the New South Wales government in Australia to significantly upgrade the rail network in metropolitan Sydney, one of the busiest networks in the southern hemisphere. This work is aimed at improving the overall efficiency and capacity of the rail network.

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The total contract consists of two key packages, including the introduction of a new traffic management system along with the upgrading of the Sydney Trains’ network conventional signalling to a digital ETCS-L2 train control system. This work is part of the NSW government’s broader Digital Systems Program, described as a “once in a generation change” to replace legacy signalling and train control technologies with modern, internationally proven, intelligent systems. The systems are due to be available for operation in 2023.

“Siemens Mobility is delighted to have been selected to deliver the services that will modernise and optimise the Sydney rail network,” Siemens Mobility chief executive Michael Peter said.

“Our state-of-the-art traffic management and signalling technology will augment operations throughout the network by increasing service reliability and availability, which will enhance the passenger experience.

“This important project further underscores our leading position in the field for delivering automated signalling systems and expands our growing footprint in Australia.”

TRAIN CONTROL SYSTEMS The TMS is to be integrated with the new European Train Control System (ETCS) Level 2 technology, which is said to be today’s leading technology running on some of the best and most efficient rail networks worldwide.

The Digital Systems Program upgrades are set to enable more frequent and reliable services and increase capacity to allow 24 trains to operate during peak hours and up to

30 trains per hour for recovery from disruptions.

The other key project element will include implementation of automatic train operation that helps drivers by providing more frequent, reliable, and consistent train journeys. Train drivers will remain in control but will be assisted in improving operations and reducing journey times, which subsequently benefits passengers.

A crucial role of the state-of-the-art TMS solution, will be to continually monitor the position of all trains; helping keep train services running as planned and assist with responses to incidents.

The TMS is to be operated from the Rail Operations Centre and will work alongside other systems used by Sydney Trains to control train operations.

“A SIGNIFICANT WIN” “This is a significant win for Siemens Mobility in Australia. Beyond the contracts, we’re excited to play a major role in helping shape and future-proof the rail infrastructure of one of the world’s most iconic cities,” said Raphaelle Guerineau, CEO, Siemens Mobility Australia and New Zealand.

“This project will help set the network up for future growth. Siemens is uniquely positioned to do this because of its track record of successfully delivering similar state-of-the-art TMS solutions and digital ETCS-L2 train control system to clients worldwide.”

UPGRADES FOR LEGACY SYSTEMS Meanwhile, Siemens is also taking on another great challenge – that of introducing technology change to legacy systems. The

Raphaelle Guerineau, CEO, Siemens Mobility Australia and New Zealand.

and the new.

The new S2 upgrade was the outcome of many conversations with our customers who came to us requesting a pragmatic solution “Due to our Australian production sites in Port Melbourne and Perth, plus our service centre in Mackay, we are set up to deliver bespoke Siemens solutions all over Australia,” a Siemens Mobility Spokesperson said.

And while Australia is tackling its legacy system challenges, other nations and markets experience similar issues.

Rail infrastructure assets by nature have a long lifespan and we see similar issues in many parts of Europe at the moment. There, the harmonisation of efforts between the national systems puts pressure on operators to upgrade when public funds are scarce.

“Also in the future Siemens will be supporting legacy electronic equipment both from a component availability, and the supporting infrastructure, such as communication systems, for example copper phone lines to digital fibre,” the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said repairing and upgrading legacy components was equally important in Australia to optimise efficiency as installing a new fully digitalised signalling system.

“Investing in new rollingstock has the full effect for customers when also all other vital systems are up to date,” said the spokesperson.

“Siemens is uniquely able to deliver both in Australia while at the same time maintaining what operators want to keep.”

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company is currently re-engineering the Siemens S2 control system that is used by railways around the globe as a vital part of the operational infrastructure. While S2 has been on the market for more than 30 years, the reconfiguration is being developed at the Siemens production facility in Port Melbourne with a focus on Australian clients.

The company has decided to re-engineer the S2 product onto a new industry standard platform to “give the product a new lease of life” while “implementing protocols and physical interfaces allowing for interoperability with legacy systems”.

According to Siemens, railways by their nature have a significant number of high-tech assets that are spread across the spectrum in terms of technology and age. This is the case in Australia and is somewhat reflective of the powerful economic development in the last century with dramatic population growth and constantly increasing export industry heavily dependent on rail. Australia’s rail infrastructure improvements have always been a gradual evolution rather than radical revolution, with compromise required between the old

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info@2xmprojects.com.au

Operations

Safety at high voltage How one company is making for safer electronic handling.

To enable reliable transportation of passengers and goods worldwide, trains are typically tested thoroughly before they join the international rail network. That’s why the Bombardier Group carries out functional and electrical tests on its trains on its test rigs at its site in Bruges, Belgium. To ensure safe operation at high voltage, the automation expert Pilz developed a safety concept based on its PSS 4000 automation system.

For the electrical test, the completed trains are moved by rail to the test rig. This resembles an oversized cage, as it is secured all-round by massive fences to protect against unauthorised access. The tests themselves need to be thorough, as literally every wire is tested – that’s more than 5000 connection points in one vehicle.

Marc Wuidart, facility manager at Bombardier, is well acquainted with the testing procedure.

“In the first cage we test the quality of the wiring and use dielectric tests to check the insulation,” Wuidart said.

“The train then passes to the next test cage for function tests.

“These range from safety checks that cover the thickness of the air ducts and pneumatic brake tests through to the air conditioning and heating – even the high voltage inverter is tested at 220V and 380V. “Working under high voltage always requires a special procedure to guarantee staff safety.”

A WELL-REHEARSED TEAM The internal technical service at Bombardier guarantees that all its plant is ready for operation. When installing new plant the train manufacturer works with SPIE, an international technical service provider for buildings, plant and infrastructure.

“In this project we were responsible for the technical development of the test rigs,” said SPIE site manager Hans Soulliaert.

“Our speciality lies in implementing the

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At Bombardier, trains in a test rig undergo functional and electrical tests under high voltage before going into operation.

mechanical and electrical aspects of the plant; for safety issues we relied upon the expertise of Pilz.

“The result of this symbiosis was a plant with an increased level of safety. The fact that Bombardier, SPIE and Pilz had worked together previously was an advantage.”

STEP-BY-STEP APPROACH TO THE SAFETY CONCEPT Safety experts at Pilz took on all the tasks regarding calculations, programming, validation and concept development.

The company took a step-by-step approach: firstly, risks were identified and evaluated as part of the risk assessment. Then they worked with the customer to develop practicable, compliant solutions for the safety concept.

This forms the basis on which the safety design takes shape. Once the detailed engineering was complete, SPIE continued with the practical implementation. SPIE was

responsible for the mechanical and electrical installation of the various components.

Finally, Pilz validated the whole process.

“Then every component was inspected step-by-step, using a shutdown matrix,” said Kwinten Cantraine, sales manager for Flanders at Pilz Belgium. “This verifies once again that everything is working technically and will shut down as intended in a worstcase scenario. This validation process is a very important step that is sometimes overlooked.”

HIGH VOLTAGE BEHIND BARS Guards are an essential part of the safety concept, making test operations in high voltage test rigs safer. Previously all staff were able to move freely around the test site. That’s why the test rig was closed off with a fence.

Today, flashing lights make clear when the high voltage is active. Benoit Sioen, safety engineer at Pilz, explained another aspect of the safety concept.

The safety concept is based on the automation system PSS 4000 from Pilz, which processes all the I/Os.

“As it’s a large work area with no overall view, we introduced a reset procedure,” Sioen said.

“Before starting, a mandatory test must be carried out to activate three reset buttons: one at ground level, one above that and one in the pit. This prevents anyone remaining in the danger zone unnoticed and being overlooked when the power is switched on.”

PROTECTIVE MEASURES ARE EFFECTIVE The company also introduced an access control system to the test cage with RFID identification. Now only authorised personnel can access the test cage and the plant can only be started when a uniquely coded key is inserted. As soon as an emergency stop is triggered, power is removed from the whole cage. The same happens if any gates are opened without authorisation; this is monitored using the coded safety switch PSENcode from Pilz.

Staff at the control cabinet can immediately check the status of the emergency stops and safety gates. This enables rapid diagnostics and reduces downtimes on the test operation.

ONE SYSTEM MONITORS BOTH TEST CAGES All safety I/Os are controlled via the automation system PSS 4000. One PLC is used for two test cages. A PLC is positioned in the first test cage and an I/O module in the second. Both are connected via the real-time Ethernet SafetyNet p.

So, there’s one program that controls two test cages. Within PSS 4000, function blocks can be tested separately and stored in a library via the software platform PAS4000.

New function blocks can build on existing ones but have their own specific parameters.

This makes it so much quicker to write a second, similar program, saving a great deal of programming time. Increased safety level Bombardier is very happy with the increased safety level on the test cages. The test manager has a better view of all the functions.

“The test manager can now stop the process himself, to carry out certain checks and to prevent unsafe situations,” Marc Wuidart said.

“However, safety is a continuous process in which we will keep investing. We are delighted that Pilz can support us with this.

“We will happily count on Pilz again.”

FINAL COMMENTS While in this particular application the PSS4000 automation based safety PLC was used to meet the needs of the customer, Pilz also has a CENELEC certified version of this PLC called the PSS4000-R which has been developed for use in rail applications that require a higher level of certifications. With the automation system PSS 4000-R, Pilz offer a proven, safe and tested system for tailored and particularly economical solutions for rail.

The “R” in the product names indicates that these products were developed specifically for railway applications. They conform to SIL 4 in accordance with the following CENELEC standards: EN 50121, EN 50126, EN 50128, EN 50129, EN 50155 and EN 45545. Their modular design makes them eminently suitable for digital control tasks and retrofitting.

The automation system PSS 4000-R is a more affordable solution than the proprietary control solutions often used in the railway sector, both in terms of procurement and maintenance.

Operations

From biscuits to Bondi In a conversation with Rail Express, 2XM managing director Matthew Morrish talks about his background in rail and exciting plans for the future.

From boxing biscuits in the English Midlands to bronzing on Bondi Beach, it’s been a rail-filled global adventure for 2XM Projects’ managing director, Matthew Morrish. As the company prepares for an exciting 12 months ahead, Rail Express caught up with him to find out about his move Down Under, becoming a citizen and how, in under 10 years, he’s led a company that started with just himself and his mobile phone and grown to over 200 people with head offices in three big Australian cities.

REX: MATTHEW, TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND. MM: I was born and bred in the West Midlands of the UK. The Midlands is often referred to as the industrial heartland of the country and is also home to some of world’s biggest rail manufacturers, so you wouldn’t be too surprised to find out I was always interested in the rail industry.

As a young man I did an apprenticeship with Alstom. I like to think fate has played a big part in my life as it was with Alstom where I met my wife to be. The apprenticeship combined hands-on practical application with an engineering degree at Sheffield Hallam University.

Matthew Morrish, 2XM managing director.

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After university I took a summer job in a biscuit factory working on the malted milk line, which has for some reason followed me throughout my career. I get a few laughs when I share this part of my past, I guess boxing biscuits and rail bogies are worlds apart.

REX: SO, HOW DID YOU GET YOUR FIRST JOB IN RAIL? MM: Calling upon fate again, while dropping a friend off at an open evening for Adtranz (now Bombardier) I needed to go to the toilet, so I popped in to use the facilities and I ended up getting interviewed and offered a job.

My time there was great, and we developed some cutting-edge manufacturing and assembly processes, which led to me having the responsibility of designing and building an assembly line for new trains delivered to London.

Over time my responsibilities increased leading to multiple project management roles, meaning a rise in working directly with clients to bridge the gap between their needs and practical project application. Satisfying client requirements by finding and executing solutions soon became my favourite part of the job and with that my career advanced quickly.

As I became more client facing, I moved into overseeing all sales and bids for the new UK domestic market trains, and also ran bids for the international market as well, for example: China, Taiwan, India and South Africa to name a few.

REX: HOW DID YOUR MOVE TO AUSTRALIA COME ABOUT? MM: During my time in the UK I was asked to go to India for two weeks to support one of our bids. That bid ended up being successful and two weeks became three years living in Delhi.

We delivered a complicated and time sensitive project providing new trains for Delhi Metro phase 2 where the design was done in Sweden, the trains built in Germany and then requiring Antonov planes to deliver the first few to India.

During these formative years I also got married and had two kids with my family joining me in India. My wife has extended family in Australia so whilst there we’d often travel here for family holidays.

We actually honeymooned in Australia and with each visit we fell further and further in love with the country, it’s natural beauty and welcoming people. My wife and I often spoke about the idea of making it permanent.

As fate would have it, we were once again enjoying Christmas in Australia, I got tapped on the shoulder by an Australian train manufacturer who asked if I would be interested in joining their company which would include a move to Sydney.

To be honest there wasn’t much of a conversation, we jumped at it and the rest as they say, is history. One of our families’ proudest moments is when we achieved our Australian citizenship back in 2015.

RE: SO, HOW DID THE CREATION OF 2XM PROJECTS COME ABOUT? MM: My first foray in Australia was with Downer Rail in 2010, working as their train acceptance director, which I executed for a few years. On a work trip to Northern China, I ran into a couple of the TXM Group’s senior executives.

I knew TXM Group’s founders: Lawrence Seward and Keiron Gallimore, from my time in the UK and a conversation started as they were exploring the expansion of their global presence into Australia and were keen to establish a rail project management business there.

TXM operates in the UK, North America, United Arab Emirates and already had a presence here in Australia through its 2XM Recruit and 2XM technology companies.

My challenge was to set up a rail project management service, starting from scratch.

So, I took a desk within the 2XM family in Sydney, rolled my sleeves up and decided to build a service that stood for all of the brilliant values the global group proudly embodies.

REX: YOU STARTED AS A ONE-MAN BAND, WHERE IS 2XM PROJECTS NOW? MM: What started life as just me in a shared office in Sydney has grown to over 200 employees located in three major Australian cities: Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. We now have an executive board with large specialist teams working within each sector.

The hard work over the past 10 years has

up a multi-disciplined team and bring in executive level input at any point. We truly do offer a top to bottom, 360˚ rail service solution.

Matthew Morrish set up 2XM’s rail project management service in Australia.

helped 2XM Projects build a great reputation to be identified as a ‘Swiss army knife of the rail industry’. There’s a lot we’re now able to

offer: if a client needs some extra horsepower, no problem; if there’s a knowledge barrier issue, we can deploy an expert; we can scale

REX: WHAT’S THE FUTURE FOR 2XM PROJECTS? MM: In the short term we’re seeing real growth, not just in the operational side, but in the engineering consulting, management review and independent review arms of the business too.

The ‘Consult’ services start from when clients are bidding for work, through to delivering the full lifecycle of a project. So, from bid, through to contract award, delivery and closing, our consult services go through all of those spheres.

Our focus over the next 12 months is to reinforce and celebrate the wide range of white-collar rail services that complement and enhance our project operations. Our long term plan sees us expanding into the great Asia Pacific Region, so watch this space.

Safety & Assurance

A worker ensures safe rail operations.

A safe path to success Rail technology company Wabtec is on a journey to not only facilitate good business but bring about enhanced industry safety.

The iron ore giant, Rio Tinto is one of the great generators of wealth in Australia. From the Pilbara, iron ore is shipped north to China and other Asian economies, thus shaping the growth trends of the 21st century.

Rail provides the crucial link between the Rio Tinto mines and the great bulk terminal at Dampier where the ships are loaded.

Facilitating the safe transport of iron ore from mine to port is Wabtec Control Systems which does a large amount of project and maintenance work within the mining industry.

For some perspective, Wabtec, or WCS, is a provider of equipment, systems, digital solutions, and value-added services for the freight and transit rail sectors.

The WCS core business is design, engineering and construction and commissioning of railway signalling and train control systems. It is a major global supplier of wayside condition monitoring systems.

The company has a head office in Perth with other offices in Adelaide, Melbourne and Queensland. It has about 350 employees nationally with factories across WA, South Australia, New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland.

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A PATH TO EXPANSION A more recent addition to the WCS business is its rail safe working and traffic management division. In this area it has a team of about 70 employees nationally who operate on networks for BHP, Fortescue Metals Group, Roy Hill, PTA, Arc Infrastructure, the Australian Rail Track Corporation, Metro Trains and Vline. A key role is to ensure safe traffic management and advanced worksite traffic management and the development of traffic management plans and traffic guidance schemes for government departments and local councils. Mark Hopkins, the WCS general manager and regional EHS coordinator for Australia/NZ, explained progress on worksite traffic management to date.

“After the success of our Rail Safe working and traffic management services on the west coast, WCS have invested in expanding this part of our business on the east coast to address the demand for these services,” Hopkins said.

“This demand has been created by the large amount of rail infrastructure projects and the requirement for professional resources in this area.”

Hopkins said they had identified the importance of these services across rail as it

directly contributed to the safe, successful and timely delivery of projects. This is something that WCS had experienced first-hand and was a major contributing factor to the development of WCS Safe Working Services.

“WCS understand the impacts of these services and also have the experience of delivering large scale projects internally,” Hopkins said.

“Customers get the benefit of engaging a total service provider with an impeccable safety record, who have the skills and experience in project management and execution.

“Safeworking services would historically have been supplied by labour hire type companies who lack this holistic experience and understanding.”

THE WAY AHEAD Hopkins believes opportunities are myriad.

“Expansion and professionalisation of traffic management and rail safe working particularly within Victoria,” he said.

“Our key point of difference is the level of service as a result of our experience in large scale project management being transferred into a services business.

“Our key point of difference is the provision of a dual capability of rail safe working and traffic management.”

Hopkins said the traffic management component was a specialisation of the road/ rail interface i.e. at level crossings and traffic management in and around the rail corridor.

“Most other companies either specialise in traffic management or rail safe working requiring customers to engage two separate companies,” he said.

“Often both companies do not have a sound understanding of both capabilities.”

The company was recently awarded a contract with WA Main Roads to ensure a network that interacts with the Roy Hill and BHP mines, a major job starting at the end of May. “We are getting a significant amount of work up in the Pilbara,” Hopkins said. “That is the safe working and traffic management we will be involved with.”

Hopkins said significant government investment in key infrastructure projects had generated a competitive market, particularly within the rail industry.

“There are known skills shortages in key resource areas such as signalling and rail safe working as a result of this investment,” he said.

“There are many multi-billion-dollar rail infrastructure projects being undertaken within Australia over the next few years.”

A Wabtec staffer with safety kit.

Ensuring the highest standards of safety.

INDUSTRY R&D Hopkins talks of the role of research for the business in an ever-changing and challenging world.

“As part of Wabtec R&D we are always monitoring other market technologies which may improve or contribute to the overall continuous improvement of rail technology,” he said.

“Where this is identified they often bring business and technology together, resulting in a greater overall capability.”

THE WAY AHEAD With current investment in rail from both governments and the private sector, Hopkins says the outlook for business is positive.

“So, we are seeing significant funding expansion across key areas and a significant amount of work,” he said. “We are experienced in delivering those projects and by partnering with us to ensure the safety of your employees and the successful and timely delivery of projects, you are on the right path.”

Hopkins said the company was particularly proud to have achieved an important safety record, having clocked up one million hours of injury free work at the end of 2020.

“So, we are just continuing to build upon that,” he said. “We have one of the largest teams available in Western Australia and we are trying to achieve that in Victoria as well.”

Bookings with Wabtec can be made at wcs-info@wabtec.com FACT BOX – KEY PROJECTS FOR WABTEC: • Victoria Safer country crossings program • Arc Infrastructure 5 year Level crossing upgrade project (WA) • BHP Rail Technology Project • Rio Tinto HBD Upgrade Project • Shepparton Line upgrade • Violet Town Longwood rail upgrade

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Contract Capabilities Showcase

COLEMAN RAIL HEAD OFFICE 174 Turner St Port Melbourne VIC 3207 OTHER OFFICES

PARENT COMPANY - ACCIONA

Sydney Brisbane Adelaide Perth

SISTER COMPANY John Beever Australia, Geotech Engineering, Acciona Construction Australia

CONTACT

BUSINESS SUMMARY

Paul Feris Paul.Feris@acciona.com 0428 710 324

Coleman Rail, an Acciona company, provides construction services for major rail and transport infrastructure projects Australia-wide.

Our expertise covers construction, upgrades and maintenance, complemented by our in-house capacity to undertake civil, mechanical, utilities, services relocation and building works. The majority of our projects are delivered within live operating environments and constrained sites. Our highly skilled and experienced resources include a large permanent direct labour workforce as well as experts in engineering, commercial, construction, safety and environmental management.

Our teams are involved in major infrastructure projects for both the public and private sectors in several states including Victoria’s flagship level crossing removals and upgrades to some of Victoria’s regional rail network, multiple upgrades to sections of Melbourne’s extensive tram network, works programs across South Australia’s rail system and in Western Australia, the new Bayswater Station in Perth.

Since it was established in 2002 Coleman Rail has grown to maintain a strong presence throughout Australia supporting and supplying the country’s rail infrastructure and has offices in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. We are certified under the Australian Government Building and Construction OHS Accreditation Scheme and are an accredited rolling stock operator in VIC, NSW, SA, QLD and WA.

CAPABILITIES Construction and maintenance • Structures (bridges and tunnels) • Platforms and stations • Earthworks, formation, drainage • Track (ballasted or slab) • Turuts/Special track • Overhead wiring and power supply • Signalling • Depots and provisioning • Safety/ traffic management • Environmental management Equipment Hire and Supply • Flashbutt welding equipment • Work platforms • Track construction/maintenance equipment (tampers, regulators, track-laying trains) • Grinding machinery • Automated construction equipment (tampers, regulators, tracklayers) HiRail equipment • Cranes and lifting equipment • Earthmoving equipment Design and Technical Services • Geotechnical and site surveys • Engineering design • Auditing and compliance • Project Management • Financial services • Digital engineering • Training • Labour hire

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PROJECTS • • • • • •

Southern Program Alliance - Melbourne Bayswater Station - Perth Shepparton Line Upgrade - Victoria Gawler Rail Electrification Project - South Australia Kenwick Freight Facility - Western Australia Koodaideri Rail Formation North - Western Australia

DONALD CANT WATTS CORKE ( DCWC ) HEAD OFFICE Upper Level 3 GPO Building 350 Bourke St, Melbourne VIC 3000 OTHER OFFICES L4, City Walk Centre 2 Mort St, Canberra NSW L10, Angel Place, 123 Pitt St, Sydney NSW L1, Paspalis Centrepoint 48-50 Smith St, Darwin NT L11, 340 Adelaide St Brisbane QLD L5, Wyatt House, 115 Grenfell St Adelaide SA L8, Parmelia House 191 St Georges Tce, Perth WA CONTACT Peter Gill - Infrastructure info@dcwc.com.au 03 8662 1111 CAPABILITIES Design and Technical Services • Quantity Surveying • Engineering Services • Independent Review • Lenders technical advisory • Facilities Management • Scheduling & Project Controls • Advisory/planning • Asset and Facilities Management • Bank Reporting • Financial Certification

BUSINESS SUMMARY Donald Cant Watts Corke (DCWC) is one of Australia’s largest, privately owned providers of quantity surveying, project management and associated services.

For over 50 years, we have been committed to developing strong relationships and working collaboratively with clients to achieve outstanding results.

As a multidisciplinary consultancy, we can provide clients with the specific combination of services they require, through our joined-up thinking approach.

The services we offer include: • Quantity Surveying • Project Management • Engineering Services • Independent Review • Infrastructure • Lenders technical advisory • Facilities Management • Scheduling & Project Controls • Advisory/planning • Asset and Facilities Management • Bank Reporting • Financial Certification Our end-to-end range of services allows us to view your project from all angles and stages – from inception to completion. Our team members are specialists in their fields and have the required expertise and experience to ensure your project is successfully delivered. Operating throughout Australia, we have provided consultancy services to some of the country’s leading organisations. Our teams have extensive operational experience and an in depth understanding of local markets and relevant sectors.

PROJECTS • • • • • •

Sydney Trains Fleet Technology Upgrade Melbourne Metro Tunnel Circular Quay Renewal Sydney’s Light Rail Caulfield-Rowville Link Project Gold Coast Light Rail – Griffith University to Helensvale

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Contract Capabilities Showcase

HOLLAND RAIL SERVICES AUSTRALIA HEAD OFFICE 2207/11 Barrack Square Perth WA 6000 CONTACT Kevin Piefer kpiefer@hollandco.com 61 438 300 096 CAPABILITIES Construction and maintenance • Track (ballasted or slab) • Turuts/Special track Equipment Hire and Supply • Flashbutt welding equipment

Rail Services Australia PARENT COMPANY - HOLLAND LP

BUSINESS SUMMARY Founded in 1935, Holland has been a leader in progressive and comprehensive solutions spanning the rail industry for over 85 years. It’s not one product, service or solution that does it all but a continuing dedication to partnership and building lasting relationships that address real-world problems with unique solutions. We employ a diverse, talented and innovative workforce of nearly 1200 employees globally who are committed to providing the best solutions and service. Holland is known as the premier provider of flashbutt welding technology and service. We engineer, build and operate a fleet of over 200 mobile welding trucks – the largest in the world. Our state-ofthe-art MobileWelders® house Holland designed and manufactured welder head, control systems and rail pullers. Our proprietary Intelliweld® control system allows us to make more welds than anyone else while maintaining 98% equipment uptime and 99% weld quality conformance. Holland Rail Services Australia delivers world-class flash-butt welding solutions to the Australian rail industry via the most current technology and the most knowledgeable operators. Our growing fleet of Intelliweld MobileWelders provides low consumption weld capabilities with real-time weld monitoring, control and diagnostics along with automated data collection, weld parameter certification, charting and archiving. Intelliweld’s remote calibration and troubleshooting allow for maximum equipment uptime and continuous weld quality improvement.

PROJECTS • • • • • • •

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Claremont Station – Perth Transit Authority Denny Avenue – Perth Transit Authority Squamish Porta-Plant - Canadian National Steelton Roller Line - Arcerlor Mittal Brazos Turnkey Roller Line - Union Pacific Frontera Porta Plant - Sumitomo PP-80 Welder, MobileWelder 980, MobileWelder 981

THALES AUSTRALIA HEAD OFFICE 7 Murray Rose Ave Sydney Olympic Park NSW 2127 OTHER OFFICES

BUSINESS SUMMARY

Canberra Sydney Brisbane Melbourne Perth

As a global leader in smart transport, we specialise in ground transportation, working closely with state and local governments as well as transport operators worldwide to meet the challenges of rapid urbanisation and the changing demand for mobility.

Our integrated expertise in voice and data communications, command and control, rail signalling and security underpins safe, efficient, sustainable and more connected journeys for passengers and freight.

CONTACT Nuno Guerra Nuno.Guerra@thalesgroup.com.au 0404 723 607 CAPABILITIES Construction and maintenance • Platforms and stations • Signalling • Depots and provisioning Design and Technical Services • Engineering design • Project Management • Digital engineering • Training

Transforming Australia’s infrastructure In Australia, Thales has a total workforce of 3,700 people, including a dedicated team of more than 180 transportation specialists. Our local expertise is backed by a global workforce of 64,000 employees across 52 countries, including 8,000 transport specialists worldwide.

No matter how challenging the project, we’ll get you and your passengers where you need to be, safely – whatever it takes. Thales is a key player in the largest transport infrastructure investment drive in Australian history. We are actively involved in several landmark projects such as Sydney Metro and Parramatta Light Rail.

PROJECTS • • • • • •

Sydney Metro City Southwest - Australia/NSW Sydney Metro Northwest - Australia/NSW Parramata Light Rail - Australia/NSW Doha Metro - Qatar Gotthard Tunnels (ETCSL2) - Switzerland 4 Lines Modernisation (4LM) - London

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Contract Capabilities Showcase

WABTEC CONTROL SYSTEMS HEAD OFFICE Ground Floor, Building A/The Garden Office Park, 355 Scarborough Beach Rd Osborne Park WA 6017 OTHER OFFICES Sydney Newcastle Brisbane Adelaide Melbourne Port Hedland Karratha CONTACT John Dowie wcs-info@wabtec.com 08 7099 4630 CAPABILITIES Construction and maintenance • Signalling • Safety/ traffic management • Points and Rodding Design and Technical Services • Geotechnical and site surveys • Engineering design • Auditing and compliance • Project Management • Digital engineering • Training • Labour hire

36 | ISSUE 4 - MAY 2021 | RAIL EXPRESS

PARENT COMPANY - WABTEC CORPORATION

BUSINESS SUMMARY Wabtec is a leading global provider of equipment, systems, digital solutions, and value-added services. Whether it’s freight rail, transit, mining, industrial or marine, our expertise, technologies, and people - together - are accelerating the future of transportation.

WORTHINGTON RAIL HEAD OFFICE 15 Enterprise Way Bayswater VIC 3153 CONTACT Renzo Biancotto R.Biancotto@worthingtonrail.com.au 03 9729 1277 / 0427 554 172 CAPABILITIES Construction and maintenance Local manufacture & supply of interior panel assemblies for passenger rolling stock including ceilings, floors, wall linings, doors, cabinets, partitions and HVAC ducts.

Equipment Hire and Supply Local manufacture & supply of interior panel assemblies for passenger rolling stock including ceilings, floors, wall linings, doors, cabinets, partitions and HVAC ducts.

Design and Technical Services Design and engineering support for interior panel assemblies for passenger rolling stock, including ceilings, floors, wall linings, doors, cabinets, partitions and HVAC ducts.

BUSINESS SUMMARY Welcome to Worthington Rail, Australia’s leading manufacturer of rolling stock interiors. Worthington Rail has the expertise, capabilities and experience to manufacture in Australia a wide range of panel-based interior systems for both heavy and light rail cars. Applications we support include floors, ceilings, hatches, wall linings, partition walls, interior doors, seat inners, cabinets and lightweight composite air ducts.

Our wide range of material technologies includes panels with lightweight structural foam cores, honeycomb cores, acoustic barrier layers and various decorative surfaces. In addition, according to the engineering needs of each project, panel products can also be supplied based on fire retardant plywoods and compact laminate (HPL). Materials for each project are certified for compliance with the required fire standard – for example EN45545-2, BS6853 or AS1503.

Our service extends well beyond the manufacture and supply of base panels.

Worthington Rail offers full panel machining and pre-assembly of components such as locks, hinges, grilles, brackets and hatches. Our objective is to supply complete, finished interior products and modules, kitted and ready for efficient installation to the car. In addition, we offer our clients support with product design optimisation, cost estimation/budgeting, prototyping, testing/ certification, right through to project-volume manufacture and after-sales service.

Worthington Rail’s management system is certified to AS/NZS 4801 and ISO9001, assuring you of our commitment to OHS, quality and compliance.

PROJECTS • • • •

E-Class Tram: Floors, Ceilings (saloon & cab), air ducts, driver desk panels VLocity EMU: Saloon and cab floors Adelaide 4000 series EMU: Ceilings, floors and cab floors Tangara fleet refit (Sydney Trains): supply of full fleet quantities of replacement fire-retardant seat inners • Qube locomotives 2020 new build: flooring • Refit and life extension for: B,Z,A & W tram classes, and for various fleets including XPT, Xplorer, C-sets, K-sets, QR L-series and Adelaide 3000 series • VLocity DMU, Adelaide EMU, E-Class tram, B-Class tram

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Contract Capabilities Showcase

Acoustic Studio Pty Ltd

•

African Resources Development

Rolling Stock and Services

Aldridge Railway Signals Pty Ltd Andromeda Rail Australia Pty Ltd

Other (please specify)

Environmental management

Safety/ traffic management

Depots and provisioning

Signalling

Overhead wiring and power supply

Turuts/Special track

Track (ballasted or slab)

Earthworks, formation, drainage

Platforms and stations

Structures (bridges and tunnels)

Parent Company

Business Name

CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE

•

•

Andromeda Engineering Limited

Ausblox Services

• •

Earthing and Bonding, LV Supplies

•

•

Austral Hydraulics

Service repairs/supply

Backplane Systems Techlogy

•

•

•

•

•

EN50155 Railway Certified Industrial Computer and Networking Hardware

Baileys Diesel Group

Fuel Injectors - fuel savings

Bambach Specialised & Industrial Cables

Manufacturer of railway signal & track circuit electrical cables

BCON Services

•

•

•

•

•

•

C5Solutions P/L

Remote control Ballast

Calgraphics

Decals & Signage

Centre for Railway Engineering

Central Queensland University

Coleman Rail

Acciona

Applied Railway Research •

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

Telecommunications Emergency Telephones and Help points and PA interfaces

Dallas Delta Corporation Downer Infrastructure Projects

Downer EDI

Degnan Constructions Efacec Transportation

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

Exel Composites Oyj (Finland)

Frequentis Australasia Pty Ltd

Frequentis AG

•

•

•

Exel Composites

•

•

•

Locomotive supply and maintenance

•

•

Eptec Pty lTD

•

Electrotechnical systems Integrated Services (Mechanical & Electrical)

•

Coating Works

•

Composite profiles for insulation & electrical applications •

Galvin Engineering Pty Ltd

Incident and Crisis Management Overhead Line Castings

Geovert Ground Engineering

•

Slope Stabilisation

•

Metal Manufacturer Electrical Merchandising

Supply of Materials

Highgrade Personnel

Engineering Recruitment

Hiway Stabilizers Australia Pty Ltd

Hiway Group

Holland Rail Services Australia

Holland LP

38 | ISSUE 4 - MAY 2021 | RAIL EXPRESS

•

Efacec Power Solutions

EnerMech

Haymans Electrical

CSR, Tamping, Welding

• •

•

•

• Electrical Transformers and Signalling products.

• Giken Ltd

•

•

Construction work along railways

•

JMDR - Rail Signalling, Construction and RTO specialising in the Rail Sector

• Keltbray Group

Training & Competency

• •

King Rail

•

Laser Industries Pty Ltd

• Loram Maintenance of Way, Inc

•

•

• •

•

•

•

Laser Cleaning -Flash Butt Welding , Coating Restoration

• Capability and competency solutions for rail engineering

Love Learning Solutions Lycopodium Infrastructure Pty Ltd

Other (please specify)

Environmental management

Safety/ traffic management

•

Ironcore Transformers Pty. Ltd.,

Loram Pty Ltd

Cables and cable harnessing

•

Invec Controls Pty Ltd

Keltbray International Pty Limited

Depots and provisioning

Financial Services

Innovec Controls Pty Ltd

J Steel Group Pty Ltd

Signalling

Overhead wiring and power supply

Turuts/Special track

Track (ballasted or slab)

HUBER+SUHNER AG

Earthworks, formation, drainage

HUBER+SUHNER AUSTRALIA Pty Ltd

Platforms and stations

Parent Company Hong Kong & Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited

Structures (bridges and tunnels)

Business Name HSBC

Lycopodium Limited

Lyons Machine Hire Pty Ltd

•

•

•

•

•

•

Fouled Ballast Undercutting

Manuco Electronics Pty Ltd

PID Public Information Displays

•

Megasorber Pty Ltd

•

Noise Insulation and fire protection for platforms and stations

•

Melvelle Equipment Corp Pty Ltd

Equipment Supplier to construction and maintenance works

Mills Ormiston Rubber

Trains and Trams

MNG

Surveying & Geospatial services

MP Rail Pty Ltd

•

•

•

•

•

Alumithermic Welding

•

Nelson Consulting Group

Workplace Relations and Human Resources

New Era Electrical Services

Electrical - LV - Electrical HV - Communications - Passenger Information - CCTV - Ticketing - LV Maintenance - HV Maintenance -

• Nitto Kohki Australia

•

Cembre

•

• •

Removal of graffiti from trains and other railway assets

Onebiosci Pty Ltd t/as Graffiti-Enz QPE Fabrication Pty Ltd Quantum Safety

• Protech

Rail Control Systems Australia

• •

SafeSmart Access Segula Technologies Australia

Safeworking Staff

• Segula Technologies

•

Access Platforms for Maintenance Tasks

•

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Sigtech Solutions Australia

Other (please specify)

Environmental management

Safety/ traffic management

Depots and provisioning

Signalling

Overhead wiring and power supply

Turuts/Special track

Track (ballasted or slab)

Earthworks, formation, drainage

Platforms and stations

Structures (bridges and tunnels)

Business Name

Parent Company

Contract Capabilities Showcase

•

Strailastic Australia

Strailastic International

Strukton Rail Australia Pty Ltd

Strukton Group NV

Noise Attenuation

• •

T6 Rail Specialists Pty Ltd Taylor Rail Australia Pty Ltd

•

•

•

•

Thales Australia

•

•

•

•

•

•

Asset Management

•

• •

•

•

•

TorTech

•

•

Rail maintenance and construction, Cane Rail maintenance and construction

• Operational Control Centre (OCC) Solution, Design, Supply, Integration & Maintenance

•

•

Total Drain Cleaning Services Pty Ltd

•

Track Safety Australia

•

Ashley Services Group LTD •

VFT Engineering Surveyors Pty Ltd

• Vossloh AG

Wabtec Control Systems

Wabtec Corporation

•

Stormwater Drainage Works

•

Traction Group Limited

Vossloh Cogifer Australia

•

•

•

•

• DSS Detailed Site Surveys

•

•

• •

•

Workfast

• Local manufacture & supply of interior panel assemblies for passenger rolling stock including ceilings, floors, wall linings, doors, cabinets, partitions and HVAC ducts.

Worthington Rail

40 | ISSUE 4 - MAY 2021 | RAIL EXPRESS

Other (please specify)

Earthmoving equipment

Cranes and lifting equipment

Hi-Rail equipment

Automated construction equipment (tampers, regulators, tracklayers)

Loco, Leasing, Bearing Refurbishment, Wagons EN50155 Railway Certified Industrial Computer and Networking Hardware

Backplane Systems Techlogy BCON Services

Grinding machinery

Track construction/maintenance equipment (tampers, regulators, track-laying trains)

•

Work platforms

•

Flashbutt welding equipment

Locomotives

African Resources Development

Material wagons

Parent Company

Business Name

EQUIPMENT HIRE AND SUPPLY

•

Track inspection and measuring equipment

Other (please specify)

Earthmoving equipment

Cranes and lifting equipment

Hi-Rail equipment

Automated construction equipment (tampers, regulators, tracklayers)

Grinding machinery

Track construction/maintenance equipment (tampers, regulators, track-laying trains)

Work platforms

Flashbutt welding equipment

Locomotives

Material wagons

Parent Company

Business Name C5Solutions P/L

Remote control Ballast wagons & locomotives

Calgraphics

Decals & Signage

Coleman Rail

Acciona

Downer Infrastructure Projects

Downer EDI

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

EnerMech

Testing & Commissioning Equipment

Gemco Rail Pty Ltd

Gemco Rail manufactures and service Rollingstock, as well as provides tolling (track gauges etc.)

Engenco Limited

•

•

Geovert Ground Engineering Haymans Electrical

Rock Drills, Shotcreting Metal Manufacturer Electrical Merchandising

Supplier of materials

Highgrade Personnel Holland Rail Services Australia

Engineering Recruitment Holland LP

•

Flash-butt Welding Electrical Transformers and Signalling products.

Ironcore Transformers Pty Ltd J Steel Group Pty Ltd

Giken Ltd

Construction Equipment

Laser Industries Pty Ltd Loram Pty Ltd

• Loram Maintenance of Way, Inc

•

•

•

•

Lyons Machine Hire Pty Ltd

•

•

Friction Management

•

Megasorber Pty Ltd

•

•

Melvelle Equipment Corp Pty Ltd Nitto Kohki Australia

•

• Noise and thermal insulation materials for locomotives, wagons and trains

• •

•

Cembre

•

•

•

•

•

•

Supply chemicals for removal of graffiti

Onebiosci Pty Ltd t/as Graffiti-Enz SafeSmart Access

•

T6 Rail Specialists Pty Ltd Taylor Rail Australia Pty Ltd

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

Rail Welding •

•

•

Thales Australia

Axle counters, Interlockings

tm stagetec systems

Audio and Visual Passenger Information Systems

Total Drain Cleaning Services Pty Ltd

•

Traction Group Limited

•

TorTech Vossloh Cogifer Australia

Worthington Rail

• •

Vossloh AG

•

Shunters transformers

• Local manufacture & supply of interior panel assemblies for passenger rolling stock including ceilings, floors, wall linings, doors, cabinets, partitions and HVAC ducts.

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Contract Capabilities Showcase

Acoustic Studio Pty Ltd

Noise, Vibration and Acoustics

Aldridge Railway Signals Pty Ltd Andromeda Rail Australia Pty Ltd

Other (please specify)

Labour hire

Training

Digital engineering

Financial services

Project Management

Auditing and compliance

Engineering design

Geotechnical and site surveys

Parent Company

Business Name

DESIGN AND TECHNICAL SERVICES

• Andromeda Engineering Limited

•

• •

•

• Customs Broker Providing Tariff classifications Customs & Quarantine lodgements and Cartage to site as required Including container unpacks EQ Exhaust Extraction Systems

Austorient Freight Services Backplane Systems Techlogy

•

Bambach Specialised & Industrial Cables

•

BCON Services

•

•

Manufacturer of railway signal & track circuit electrical cables •

Calgraphics

•

•

•

Centre for Railway Engineering

Central Queensland University

CERT Training

Engenco Limited

Chandler Macleod Group

Recruit Holdings Co., Ltd

Coleman Rail

Acciona

•

•

• • • •

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

C5Solutions P/L

Implementation of Remote control

Dallas Delta Corporation

Emergency telephones systems design and project management

Donald Cant Watts Corke

Downer Infrastructure Projects

Downer EDI

•

Degnan Constructions Efacec Transportation

Efacec Power Solutions

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

EnerMech

•

•

•

Site surveys (t geo)

•

Eptec Pty lTD

• •

Ergonomie Australia Pty Ltd

•

Fetch Recruitment

•

•

•

Frequentis Australasia Pty Ltd

Frequentis AG

•

•

Gemco Rail Pty Ltd

Engenco Limited

•

•

Geovert Ground Engineering Haymans Electrical

•

•

Quantity Surveying, Engineering Services, Independent Review, Lenders technical advisory, Facilities Management, Scheduling & Project Controls, Advisory/planning, Asset and Facilities Management, Bank Reporting, Financial Certification

•

•

•

•

Slope Assessment

Metal Manufacturer Electrical Merchandising

Supplier of materials

Highgrade Personnel

•

Hiway Stabilizers Australia Pty Ltd

Hiway Group

•

HUBER+SUHNER AUSTRALIA Pty Ltd

HUBER+SUHNER AG

•

Hyperman Services - Snagmaster

• •

•

•

•

•

•

Ironcore Transformers Pty. Ltd., J Steel Group Pty Ltd

Human Factors and Ergonomics services •

Electrical Transformers and Signalling products.

Giken Ltd

42 | ISSUE 4 - MAY 2021 | RAIL EXPRESS

•

•

•

King Rail

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

Loram Maintenance of Way, Inc

• •

Lycopodium Limited

•

•

•

•

Capability & competency training solutions that integrate systems and digital literacy

• •

All Earthworks

MCS Digital

•

Megasorber Pty Ltd

•

Melvelle Equipment Corp Pty Ltd

•

MNG

•

•

•

Radio Communications Noise and vibration design

•

•

MP Rail Pty Ltd

•

Nelson Consulting Group

Workplace Relations

New Era Electrical Services

•

QPE Fabrication PTY LTD

•

•

Protech

•

Rail Control Systems Australia

•

SafeSmart Access

•

•

•

•

•

•

Segula Technologies Australia

Segula Technologies

Sigtech Solutions Australia Strukton Rail Australia Pty Ltd

• Strukton Group NV

• •

•

• •

•

•

•

•

tm stagetec systems •

Total Drain Cleaning Services Pty Ltd

Worthington Rail

Cyber security - By design and other services (eg.

Penetration testing, digital twins) + Integrated Through Life Support Services

•

• •

•

Ashley Services Group LTD

• •

Trimble

VFT Engineering Surveyors Pty Ltd

Workfast

•

•

Traction Group Limited

Wabtec Corporation

•

•

TorTech

Vossloh Cogifer Australia

•

•

Thales Australia

Trimble Rail

•

•

T6 Rail Specialists Pty Ltd

Track Safety Australia

Safety And Assurance Professional Services

Lyons Machine Hire Pty Ltd

Quantum Safety

Other (please specify)

•

•

Love Learning Solutions Lycopodium Infrastructure Pty Ltd

•

•

Laser Industries Pty Ltd Loram Pty Ltd

Labour hire

Digital engineering

Financial services

•

Training

• Keltbray Group

Project Management

Auditing and compliance

•

JVAT Pty Ltd Keltbray International Pty Limited

Engineering design

Geotechnical and site surveys

Parent Company

Business Name JMDR - Rail Signalling, Construction and RTO specialising in the Rail Sector

•

•

• •

Vossloh AG

•

•

Installation & Commissioning

• •

•

Wayside condition monitoring

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

• •

•

•

• •

Design and engineering support for interior panel assemblies for passenger rolling stock, including ceilings, floors, wall linings, doors, cabinets, partitions and HVAC ducts.

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Industry Associations

Facing the challenges ahead RTAA reflects on some successful industry events and some of the issues to be faced in the near future. By Jonathan Barnes, president, RTAA The Rail Track Association of Australia has had a busy start to the year - celebrating our first in person event in March where we had speakers from Sydney Metro and Systems Connect talk to a full house on the progress and challenges of building the New Sydney Metro extension into the City.

This is a massive project and of tremendous importance for the city as plans are put in place for the movement of passengers in the 21st century.

It was a fantastic evening and hopefully such events will be the ‘norm’ in 2021, with social and industry gatherings last year having been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

I would like to extend my thanks again to the two presenters Nathan Hoffmeister and Charlie Arida for taking the time to talk to us on some interesting topics.

Nathan Hoffmeister is the construction director for Sydney Metro on the Line-wide package, making his work particularly topical.

Charlie Arida from Systems Connect also had some interesting insights to share to the gathering.

Audience members socially distance while listening intently to an update on the Sydney Metro.

44 | ISSUE 4 - MAY 2021 | RAIL EXPRESS

OUR PLACE IN THE INDUSTRY On the same day the Rail Track Association of Australia management committee came together to discuss the purpose and place of the association in the rail industry and develop our organisational strategy moving forward. The extended session held a lot of soul searching and ultimately a lot of value.

Like many organisations and businesses, we have a number of challenges to face if we want to continue to thrive and remain relevant, a challenge which I look forward to facing with our tireless volunteers and supports and most importantly our members.

I will be sharing the renewed vision and strategic plan with our members soon and I look forward to continuing our engagement and support of the industry into the future.

ANNUAL DINNER In these busy times, we are certainly not sitting on our heels. Planning is already underway on a number of events including our annual dinner in partnership with Rail Technical Society of Australasia, which we are

RTAA president, Jonathan Barnes.

planning to hold in mid-October. We are also developing a joint technical and networking session that I am very excited to be a part of with the Systems Engineering Society of Australia. This event, currently tabled for June, is set to be an excellent opportunity to delve into the complexities of systems integration and how emerging technologies are impacting the establishment and maintenance of surrounding assets like track.

THE INDUSTRY FIELD DAY Further ahead, RTAA and Sydney Trains continue to pour effort into the next Rail Industry Field Day currently slated for May 2022 at Chullora in Sydney. This is shaping up to be our biggest field day ever, and like any event of this scale, we are always looking for interested parties to help shape and make this event a success. The new location, and collocated facilities, also open up opportunities for significantly expanded school outreach and education programs and expanded exhibition of parallel industry streams. Early discussions are also underway to hopefully bring a strong heritage component to the event.

Thanks to our members for your ongoing support. I look forward to sharing details of these events very soon.

Hope to see you there for a catchup and the chance to talk rail.

Safety & Assurance

Setting the standard for drone use in rail Drones are playing an increased role across key sectors including business, defence and government. According to the research division of banking giant Goldman Sachs: “Like the internet and GPS before them, drones are evolving beyond their military origin to become powerful business tools.

They’ve already made the leap to the consumer market, and now they’re being put to work in commercial and civil government applications from firefighting to farming. That’s creating a market opportunity that’s too large to ignore.”

Goldmans also talked of a $100bn market opportunity for drones – helped by growing demand from the commercial and civil government sectors.

DRONES IN RAIL So, what does this mean for rail, particularly in Australia? Well, the use of remotely piloted aircraft systems, or drones, in the Australian railway industry has become more commonplace during the past five years.

Delivering safety and operational benefits, drones have proven their value by reducing the need for rail safety workers to enter potentially dangerous situations to carry out inspections in live environments. They continue to be used in mapping and recording incident sites, as well as green and brownfield development sites.

AN EXPANDING SAFETY ROLE As the use of drones expands in new and exciting ways, the need for a national approach to the safe use of drones in the rail corridor has become more and more apparent. Over the past 18 months the Rail Industry Safety and Standards Board has brought together

subject matter experts from all over Australia to write a new Australian Standard and the first standard for drone use in a rail network in Australia - AS 7460 Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (Drones) – Operational Requirements.

This Standard sets a baseline for the safe operation of remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) in the Australian rail industry, bringing together the requirements of professional aviation and rail safety by defining operational requirements that: * Ensure the safety of workers, remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) crew, the general public and airspace users; * Encourage and enable continued innovation in the RPAS industry; * Accommodate the rapidly evolving regulatory environment; * Demonstrate that the rail industry has adopted a risk-based, industry standard approach to RPAS (drones).

THE ROLE OF CASA While the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) regulates the operation of drones in public spaces, little guidance is provided for operations in the railway environment. The Development Group reviewed the available guidance from CASA and brought that into the Standard, and in many cases increased the requirements to ensure drone operations followed reasonably practicable principles.

The Standard offers guidance and structure in managing drone hazards and sets out requirements for the use of drones by drone pilots in rail operations and covers such things as: what training, certification and licences drone pilots should hold; what documentation

is required to comply with CASA requirements; what should be included in a flight plan; and which stakeholders should be engaged or notified before a flight.

Other risks unique to the rail industry, such as operation in live operational environments, were thoroughly discussed and requirements put in place to mitigate those risks.

Key to these requirements was the need for all drone operators and contractors to hold a remotely piloted aircraft operator’s certificate and remote pilot’s license.

WANT TO KNOW MORE? RISSB members can download AS 7460 Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (Drones) – Operational Requirements from RISSB’s website www.rissb.com.au/products.

This standard is also available through SAI Global and TechStreet websites. If you would like more information about this Standard or want to know how it can be applied in your operations, please send an email to info@rissb. com.au with DRONES in the subject line.

FACT BOX: • The Rail Industry Safety and Standards Board has brought together subject matter experts to write the first standard for drone use in a rail network; • CASA regulates the operation of drones in public spaces, but there has been little guidance for rail; • The new Standard offers guidance and structure in managing drone hazards and sets out requirements for drone pilots in rail operations.

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Industry Associations

The future of rail A series of major projects across the nation highlight the role railways will play in ensuring a functional Australia during the 21st century, writes Caroline Wilkie, CEO Australasian Railway Association

ARA CEO Caroline Wilkie.

In May, the ARA will co-host the Inland Rail Conference, where we will discuss the significant impact the 1700km rail project will have on Australia’s freight network, and the regions it serves.

It is a great example of a defining rail project that will deliver a generational shift for the industry. Pleasingly, it is not the only example to be found.

There are many more others promising to change the future of rail underway or planned - projects like the Sydney Metro, Cross River Rail in Brisbane, Melbourne Airport Rail, Perth’s METRONET or the Auckland City Link to name a few.

In fact, the ARA’s recently-released Rail Supply Chain Report confirmed there is more than $14 billion in rail construction activity planned in Australia over the next five years – more than twice the activity recorded at the peak of the mining boom.

So how does the rail industry make the most of this moment in time, just as the mining industry harnessed a boom that was arguably the biggest of its kind since the gold rush of the 1800s?

SEIZING THE MOMENT The supply chain report, prepared by BIS Oxford Economics, confirms there is urgent work to do to make sure this opportunity doesn’t slip through our fingers.

And now is the time. The onset of new projects, combined with opportunities for change emerging from the events of 2020, provide the ideal opportunity for industry and government to address these issues together.

As part of the response to COVID-19, innovation and technology adoption has been fast-tracked by many rail businesses as the industry has worked to meet community needs in changing times.

The ARA’s survey of suppliers, contractors and freight operators in 2020 found more businesses were looking to shore up supply

46 | ISSUE 4 - MAY 2021 | RAIL EXPRESS

chains locally as a result of the pandemic, providing a new opportunity for Australian businesses to play a greater role in meeting industry demand.

These changes have put the focus on driving change to ensure better outcomes for the community, and means the industry is ready to support new measures to ensure the sustainability of the rail supply chain.

POINTS FOR ACTION The report recommended nine areas for action to drive the growth and long-term success of the industry.

At the heart of these recommendations was the need to address the historic underinvestment in rail compared to other modes, reform complex procurement and local content policies and support greater innovation within the industry.

It should come as no surprise that procurement reform was among the areas of action identified in the report.

This is an issue that has been raised by industry for some time, with different processes employed across jurisdictions constraining the ability for rail businesses to improve efficiencies and innovate.

The report calls for streamlined tendering, fairer risk allocation and collaborative procurement models that make it easier for rail businesses to tender and propose new solutions.

A review of regulation to reduce duplication and streamline processes would also support these efforts.

These are themes that were explored in the ARA’s tendering framework for rollingstock and signalling, as well as its rail construction procurement guide, last year.

Both initiatives confirmed the inefficiencies created by fragmentation, and the need for a nationally consistent approach that supports Getting procurement right will help both government and industry maximise the value

derived from the significant investment now underway and must remain a focus.

Improving local content policies should be part of that, with current, state-based policies unnecessarily fragmenting the market and making it hard for Australian rail businesses to gain the scale they need to really innovate and grow.

That’s important not just for the larger organisations building and operating key rail projects across the country. It is also essential for the third of Australian rail businesses that have 20 employees or less and need to be able to tap into a national market to grow their offering.

With many of those businesses working in manufacturing, maintenance or construction, there is a real opportunity to drive efficiencies across these crucial parts of the supply chain through improved policies and processes.

The report’s recommendation builds on the findings of the ARA’s 2020 report on fast tracking rail innovation, which found a national rail market was essential to the industry’s future. As more projects progress over the next five years, ensuring we have the right skills to meet the needs of the industry will also be crucial.

The ARA is already supporting the

development of national competency matrices that make it easier for people to work across projects and jurisdictions through its Rail Industry Worker program.

We are also working closely with industry to encourage more people to join the rail industry, from supporting stronger career pathways for students, to attracting and retaining top talent from beyond the industry to support our growth. This is crucial not just to support the delivery of the projects now underway, but to help deliver a modern and responsive rail network to meet the community’s needs over time.

Providing greater visibility of investment pipelines would also support this goal, giving employees more certainty as they pursue their career in rail and allowing businesses to better plan for the future and retain top talent.

It is difficult to consider the future of rail without also considering the increasing focus on sustainability in all that we do.

The report confirmed the need to review transport policies, planning and procurement processes to make sure sustainability principles, including sustainable energy strategies, are adequately addressed through the process.

There are already good examples of the

use of recycled and reused materials in the industry, and further work to meet circular economy objectives is also needed. These issues are varied and diverse, and will need strong collaboration across government and industry to progress.

The ARA is now developing a Rail Supply Chain Blueprint to set out its action plan to support the report’s recommendations and identify tangible steps towards a stronger rail supply chain.

We have had significant involvement from our members in developing the blueprint over the last few months and we look forward to starting work on its implementation soon.

It is clear from our discussions that there is a strong desire to build on this moment in time to support a long term and sustainable future in rail. This will not only boost the Australian and New Zealand rail industry but will allow us to better promote Australia’s rail capability to the significant global market as demand for leading expertise in our industry grows. Ultimately, achieving that goal would not only deliver better outcomes for the people and businesses that rely on the network every day, but also ensure government and industry make the most of the investment in rail to support vibrant cities and communities for the long term.

The new Melbourne Metro, being built using the tunnel boring machine ‘Millie’ (pictured), is among the key rail projects being built around the country.

WWW.RAILEXPRESS.COM.AU | 47

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Industry Associations

Registrations now open for the Inland Rail Conference The Australasian Railway Association (ARA) and Australian Logistics Council (ALC) invite you to attend the third annual Inland Rail Conference in Albury NSW - Wodonga, VIC from Tuesday 25 - Thursday 27 May 2021.

The 2021 Inland Rail Conference is to focus on the theme ‘Connecting Regions and Building Australia’. It will explore how the Inland Rail project, a nationally significant 1700km infrastructure rail line, is transforming the movement of freight in eastern Australia.

Join more than 400 rail industry and supply chain leaders, operators, customers, ports representatives and regional community leaders at the conference. We invite you to join us at Albury Wodonga.

Albury is home to the mighty Murray River and Lake Hume (six times larger than Sydney Harbour), as well as an array of food, cultural icons, contemporary museums, linkages to our migrant history, our Indigenous people and with secret resting spots around every corner.

Albury Wodonga is an escape that’s a world away from everyday life. It is a place that reminds you to slow down and savour the little things. This year, we explore what this landmark project means for the freight industry and the benefits it will deliver for national freight customers.

We will explore how Inland Rail plays its part in boosting the economy and futureproofing Australia’s supply chain.

This is a really important event. Due to COVID last year we couldn’t have these important conversations. It makes this year all the more important for industry. This is one of the most significant infrastructure investments in our nation’s history. And it is vital that business and industry connect to maximise their return on investment.

With an outstanding program and speaker line-up, you won’t want to miss out on taking part in this important gathering of key industry leaders.

Key program highlights include: • Inland Rail will be the economic backbone of Australia Paul Scurrah, managing director and chief executive officer, Pacific National • Narrabri to North Star Contractor Project

manager port growth and planning, Port of Melbourne, Susie Harwood, executive director freight, customer strategy and technology, Transport for NSW and Blair Batts, general manager, InterLink SQ. You can also take advantage of site tours to intermodal hubs, local rail manufacturing facilities and the National Industrial Skills Training Centre as part of our interesting preconference program.

A small taste of our two exciting tour segments include: 1. TRANSPORT AND MANUFACTURING SHOWCASE, featuring: • Milspec manufacturing factory • NEXUS Industrial Precinct • Ettamogah Rail Hub ALC chief executive officer Kirk Coningham.

Update Jon Holmes, project director – Rail, John Holland • Inland Rail and the community Rebecca Pickering, director of planning, communications and stakeholder relations, Inland Rail • Panel: Intermodal – Delivering from point to point, Chair: Danny Broad, chair, Australasian Railway Association, Michael Kilgariff, chief executive, Roads Australia, Caryn Anderson, executive general

2. LOGIC – AUSTRALIA’S LOGISTICS HUB, featuring: • Explore Logic • Wodonga TAFE Logic Campus • Woolworths Distribution Centre • SCT Wodonga Intermodal and Refrigeration Hub We gratefully acknowledge the support of our partners and supporters for their commitment to the Inland Rail Conference 2021.

Registrations are now open – go to https:// cvent.me/qq8Vvl to secure your place.

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Contracts in brief

Keep up to date with the latest contracts, EOIs, and tenders announced this month INTERNATIONAL Metro car contract awarded The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority awarded to Alstom the contract to design, manufacture, supply, test and commission 234 metro cars, including personnel training for Line 4 and the extension corridor.

The order was valued at €220 million (AU$339m).

New products have been added to Alstom’s portfolio as part of the acquisition of Bombardier Transportation (BT) on January 29, 2021. The combined portfolio of products, signalling, engineering and services allows a significantly increased offering for customers across India and the Asia Pacific Region.

“These are exciting times, and this first order, following our merger with Bombardier Transportation demonstrates our continued commitment towards partnering in the country’s Make-in-India mission,” said Ling Fang, region president, Alstom Asia Pacific.

“We are glad to have been awarded this prestigious project by MMRDA and look forward to commencing work on this.”

The Line is a 35.3km elevated corridor with 32 stations.

Contract to build Spanish commuter trains Renfe, the Spanish national railway operator, has awarded to Alstom a contract to build 152 high-capacity trains for a total amount of more than €1.4 billion (AU$2.2bn).

The trains are to come from Alstom’s X’Trapolis range of suburban trains. The contract also includes the maintenance of 56 of the trains for a period of 15 years and the supply of parts for the fleet, as well as the initial stock of spare parts and their tooling. The new trains, which rely on proven platforms, will allow Renfe to transport at least 20 per cent more passengers per hour in the country’s most congested railway hubs, including Madrid and Barcelona. They will each be 100 metres long and have a capacity of over 900 passengers. The X’Trapolis boast an innovative mixed-configuration design, with both single and double-decker cars, designed specifically to meet the evolving mobility needs of major urban centres.

50 | ISSUE 4 - M AY 2021 | RAIL EXPRESS

VIC Level crossing removals continue A nine-day dig to excavate soil along the Craigieburn line in Glenroy began, as part of work to remove the dangerous and congested level crossing at Glenroy Road and build a brand new Glenroy Station.

This is part of the ongoing government project to remove level crossings around Melbourne. Around 19,000 vehicles pass through the Glenroy Road crossing each day, with the boom gates down for up to 43 per cent of the morning peak. Crews started preparing for this major excavation mission in March. The team is aiming to remove four Olympic swimming pools worth of soil from the rail line by the end of the blitz and 30 will need to be excavated for the rail trench that will remove the level crossing for good.

Crews were expected to hit basalt rock – as the rail corridor is built on top of the Western Victorian Volcanic Plain, which is the third largest rock formation of its type in the world. These works are set to cause higher than normal levels of noise, dust and vibration.

Also, in Melbourne’s west, major construction is about to kick off at another congested level crossing site at Robinsons Road in Deer Park, which is being removed with a road under rail solution. The first of three 100-tonne piling rigs has now mobilised on to site and will soon start creating deep foundations for a new road underpass. Excavation under the rail line will start in the middle of the year. Meanwhile, a contract will shortly be awarded to remove two more level crossings at Neerim Road and Glen Huntly Road, both in Glen Huntly.

Contracts at Port of Melbourne The Port of Melbourne recently awarded two key contracts for the Port Rail Transformation Project. The contract was for the construction of new rail infrastructure.

WSP and Seymour Whyte Constructions were engaged to develop new rail infrastructure at the port, including a new rail terminal interfacing with the container terminal at Swanson Dock East.

WSP is to provide the design consultancy

services, and Seymour Whyte Constructions the early contractor involvement. The project aims to get more freight off road and onto rail, helping alleviate congestion in inner Melbourne.

Suburban Rail Loop “to slash travel times” More than 80 per cent of Melburnians will eventually experience reduced travel times thanks to the Suburban Rail Loop, the Victorian government said.

Suburban Rail Loop minister Jacinta Allan visited Clayton station recently to reveal new travel time savings modelling for the first stage of this city shaping project.

Commuters from Clayton will be able to travel in four different directions with direct access to education, health and jobs precincts.

The project will transform the way people commute right across Melbourne with new destinations and connections.

Stage One between Cheltenham and Box Hill will be delivered first, and public transport users in Melbourne’s south east will experience much faster journeys on the underground line, saving up to an hour on a one-way trip.

Return trips to key destinations will be up to two hours faster.

Commuters from across Melbourne and Victoria will get faster connections to Deakin University in Burwood and Monash University in Clayton as they are connected to the train network for the first time.

QLD Having a blast with Cross River Rail As part of an excavation of the station box and underground station platform cavern, the Cross River Rail Tunnel and Stations contractor recommenced controlled blasting activities during April.

Blasting occurred between 7.30am and 4.30pm. Cross River Rail is a new 10.2km rail line from Dutton Park to Bowen Hills, which includes 5.9km of twin tunnels under the Brisbane River and CBD. The project is expected to unlock a bottleneck at the core of the Brisbane transport network and it is aimed at transforming the way people travel across South East Queensland.

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