REX Jul 2019

ISSUE 4 | 2019

Sydney Metro opens 140k passengers on opening day – See Page 20, Photo Spread – Page 64

Thales grows signalling footprint PAGE 37 SUPPORTED BY:

Alstom experts on automation in rail PAGE 38

Election wrap-up PAGE 06

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ISSUE 04

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2019 CONTENTS

04

From the Editor

06

News Up Front

SIGNALLING & COMMUNICATIONS 46 32

37

Thales growing local signalling footprint

38

Alstom experts on Australia’s automation push

40

Rail Control Systems offering end-to-end solutions

43

JBE providing dependable, cost-efficient signalling work

44

Pandrol’s new balise mount system

46

Latest addition to Hitachi’s signalling suite

TRAINING & CERTIFICATION 64

49

CERT’s rail training offering

44

MAJOR PROJECTS 50

DCWC integrating project and cost management

PRODUCTS & TECHNOLOGY 27 49

52

Sonaray lighting the way with new technology

54

Manco Engineering talks safety evolution

SAFETY & ASSURANCE 58

Message from RISSB

INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS

elay railway?

ISSUE 4 | 2019

COVER STORY

Sydney Metro opens 140k passengers on opening day – page 20, Photo spread – page 64

ork with dessan

specialist design software allowing rail signallers to networks using an interface ve and accurate.

Thales grows signalling footprint PAGE 37

nfocon.com

ai into rail

focon.com

Alstom experts on automation in rail PAGE 38

Election wrap-up PAGE 06

Sydney Metro Northwest’s opening on May 26 represented a ‘transformational’ step for New South Wales, according to transport minister Andrew Constance. Our full report on Page 20.

60

Message from the ARA

62

Message from the RTAA

63

Message from the ALC

OUT & ABOUT 64

Sydney Metro’s big day

66

LINX raising money for kids’ charity

SUPPORTED BY:

06/06/2019 18:18

RAIL EXPRESS | ISSUE 4 2019

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From the editor

Published by:

Oliver Probert Editor - Rail Express

Sydney Metro opening a reminder of rail’s public appeal

A

fter years of detailed planning, design, construction, testing and commissioning, the first stage of the NSW Government’s Sydney Metro project opened on May 26.

More than 140,000 journeys were taken on the Sydney Metro Northwest on its opening day, a Sunday, and on May 30 more than 75,000 journeys were taken, the busiest weekday recorded in the first week of operation. By June 10, the state announced more than a million journeys had been recorded in the Sydney Metro’s first fortnight.

Just on those numbers alone, Northwest’s opening was certainly an impressive one. Patronage is already higher than what was originally expected, and by all accounts commuters – many of whom used to drive into the CBD – are delighted with their new train line.

I say ‘by all accounts’ because I can’t find an overwhelmingly negative report on the new train line from any of the major news outlets since it was launched.

Yes, they’ve been able to report on some normal operational hiccups – small delays, a brief power outage, and so on – but every commuter interview has come in with two thumbs up.

This of course contrasts with much of the coverage for the rail line before it was opened, where the standard cost and disruptions represented by the project’s construction were emphasised over and

over again, and very little attention was paid to the long-term result, which is a fantastic one for all involved.

You can take that entire order of events and apply it to the Canberra Light Rail project, which opened under budget and to huge patronage figures in April after a similarly ‘disruptive’ construction phase.

Projects like these serve as important reminders of the value of rail to the growth and prosperity of the nation.

We had an opportunity to speak with some of the companies involved in Sydney Metro Northwest for our special feature on Signalling and Communcations, which starts on page 37. Our report on the opening itself is on page 20, and we’ve collected some of the best photos from opening day on page 64.

The overwhelmingly positive reception for new train lines shouldn’t be ignored at Parliament House in Canberra. With the Coalition re-elected in May (our reporting starts on page 6), it will be interesting to see how well the Morrison Government keeps this in mind as it continues to work with states and territories to develop its population, cities and congestion strategy in coming months.

As always, we hope you enjoy this latest issue of Rail Express. Thanks to our commercial partners for supporting the work we do, and please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team if you’re keen to get involved. oliver.probert@primecreative.com.au

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ISSUE 4 2019 | RAIL EXPRESS

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SCOTT MORRISON’S Liberal-National Coalition shocked pollsters and pundits on May 18, securing a majority government at the federal election despite Labor being the odds-on favourite for the entire campaign.

Here’s what it means for the rail sector.

Queenslanders want the Adani mine and rail project to go ahead

Queensland was the state where the Coalition staged its historic election victory.

There it made Labor pay for, among other things, its conflicted position on the controversial Carmichael coal mine and rail project proposed by Indian energy giant Adani.

After Labor leader Bill Shorten campaigned hard in the Sunshine State, the ALP hoped to swing a number of seats its way. But the dial instead turned in the opposite direction: No Coalition seats were lost, and Labor actually lost two seats – the urban Townsville seat of Herbert, and Longman, between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast.

Despite a Labor State Government, Labor is left with just six of the thirty federal seats in Queensland – and it witnessed major swings towards the coalition in five of those seats.

Labor never specifically said it planned to prevent the Adani mine and rail project from going ahead: Bill Shorten said he didn’t plan to block it, and Anthony Albanese resisted the loud ‘Stop Adani’ movement in his inner-Sydney electorate.

But the party’s environmental agenda wouldn’t allow direct support for a new coal mine.

Coal Council of Australia CEO Greg Evans said after the election that Labor was clearly opposed to coal, and this was a clear contributor to the election result.

“Anti-coal policies concerning Adani, the suggestion of ‘transitioning’ of coal workers elsewhere and resisting coalfired power generation have damaged the Labor Party, and as they reset their policy platform, they need to reverse their anti-coal positions,” he said.

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ISSUE 4 2019 | RAIL EXPRESS

CREDIT: SCOTT MORRISON FACEBOOK CREDIT:/SCOTT MORRISON / FACEBOOK

Election 2019 What does the Coalition’s upset mean for rail?

“Suggestions that coal workers are second class citizens has rightly been viewed as insulting.”

Cathy O’Toole, the Labor candidate who lost her seat of Herbert, said the party’s Adani stance had created some difficulties in the lead-up to the vote.

“The reality is we are in a difficult and transitional time across a range of areas and energy and industry is one,” O’Toole was quoted by The Australian in the days after the vote.

“We have to have harmony in that space and we have to understand we need to transition and I would have thought Townsville, of all communities, would have understood putting all your eggs in one basket is not a wise move.”

“There is policy tension between the environmental Left and the industrial Left of the [Labor] party,” a senior party strategist reportedly told AFR. “It’s having a real impact on the policy agenda and the program of the state government.”

The Carmichael project, which played an equally complex and pivotal role in Queensland’s state election in 2017, has been trimmed down from initial plans for 60 million tonnes of annual production and a dedicated, 388-kilometre standard gauge rail line to export facilities at Abbot Point. It is now a more modest, scalable proposal, which

Scott Morrison and Michael McCormack with the Coalition’s new Ministry.

would build a 200-kilometre narrow-gauge connection to Aurizon’s existing rail network.

Queensland will pay for Cross River Rail

Queenslanders’ rejection of Labor confirmed its State Government will have to foot the full bill for the Cross River Rail project.

Bill Shorten in January committed $2.24 billion in Federal funding for the $5.4 billion project, which will deliver a new underground rail connection through Brisbane’s CBD, alleviating congestion across the South East Queensland network.

In contrast, the Coalition has no interest in helping build the rail link.

After Infrastructure Australia in 2017 rejected the latest business case for Cross River Rail, the Coalition, then led by Malcolm Turnbull, said it would not provide funding. A bemused Annastacia Palaszczuk – Queensland’s premier – immediately committed to fund the project entirely from state coffers.

After Labor won the state election later that year, the party again urged the Coalition to reconsider its refusal to fund the project.

But Coalition ministers, time and again, have reiterated the state will be left to go it alone on Cross River Rail.

If all of the above set the stage for a referendum on Cross River Rail for Brisbane

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voters over the weekend, the results weren’t a good look for Labor’s project.

Brisbane area seats Bowman, Petrie, Dickson, Bonner, and Forde were all retained by the Coalition with significant swings in its favour. Moreton, Oxley, Lilley and Rankin were retained by Labor but also saw swings towards the Coalition. There was a slight swing towards Labor in the seat of Brisbane itself, but nowhere near enough to unseat incumbent LNP member Trevor Evans, and the story was similar in Ryan, which the Coalition held by a major margin despite a modest swing to Labor. Labor did manage to build its lead in the inner-Brisbane seat of Griffith.

Victoria will also have to go it alone

Victoria’s Labor premier Daniel Andrews will no doubt be disappointed in the election result, not just for his federal colleagues, but for what it means for a pair of his pet rail projects.

Andrews’ acrimonious relationship with the Federal Coalition began just days after he was first elected premier in 2015. Following through on a key campaign promise, he immediately cancelled the East West Link toll road project and tried to redirect federal funding to his preferred Metro Tunnel rail project.

The Coalition has flat out refused to allow the East West funding to be reallocated, and has refused to commit any separate funding to the Metro Tunnel, which Andrews has vowed to deliver fully with state funds.

A week before the federal election, Prime Minister Scott Morrison reiterated the Coalition’s position, promising to supply $4 billion for the East West Link if the Andrews Government came on board.

Bill Shorten, meanwhile, promised $2 billion to support the Metro Tunnel, which is already deep into its delivery phase.

Additionally, Labor had promised to provide $10 billion for Andrews’ more substantial rail vision, the Suburban Rail Loop, which would create a ring of rail around Melbourne, connecting Cheltenham in the southeast to Werribee in the northwest, via Melbourne Airport in the north.

The morning after the vote, however, Andrews woke up to the same challenge he has faced every morning of his career as premier: Liberal National control of Federal money, and a vast gap between the infrastructure policy of his government, and that of the Commonwealth.

Speaking with ABC Radio the day after

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CREDIT: ALAN TUDGE / TWITTER

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Alan Tudge (left) was returned as minister for population, cities and urban infrastructure.

the election, Andrews again rejected the idea of accepting federal funding for the East West Link. “This thing doesn’t stack up, it’s never stacked up,” he said. “The money they’re offering is nowhere near enough to get it done.”

Despite the Coalition’s stunning victory, Labor gained ground in Victoria, with swings in its favour across most seats, and victory in the newly redistributed seats of Corangamite and Dunkley.

An inquiry into Inland Rail is unlikely

Labor’s infrastructure spokesperson before the election, Anthony Albanese, committed to an inquiry into the Coalition’s financing decision and the Australian Rail Track Corporation’s route selection process for the Inland Rail project.

In a joint conference with NSW Farmers in April, Albanese said Labor supported the Inland Rail project as a whole, but that a number of issues meant an inquiry was needed to renew public confidence in the project.

The inquiry, unlikely to go ahead under the Coalition, would have reviewed claims by NSW Farmers that its members were being ‘shut out’ of the route alignment process, particularly in Central and North West NSW. “At every turn, the Coalition Government has refused to conduct an inquiry, preferring to press ahead in the face of deepening community opposition to the project,” NSW Farmers president James Jackson said in April.

Albanese is likely to continue his campaign against the Coalition’s execution of the project in opposition – with a

particular focus on its financing.

Albanese has been highly critical of the Coalition’s decision to move Inland Rail’s funding off Budget, meaning the project will need to make a return on investment.

“The CEO of the Australian Rail Track Corporation delivering this project, John Fullerton, conceded to us in Senate estimates that [Inland Rail] wouldn’t produce a return,” Albanese told 2GB host Alan Jones before the election.

“So what [the Coalition] are doing is counting the Australian Rail Track Corporation’s balance sheet as a whole, in order to defend this equity injection into the project.”

Albanese suggested finance minister Mathias Cormann opposed the equity injection model, “but Barnaby Joyce just pushed on through because he wanted a big announcement”.

“This was part of the payoff when Malcolm Turnbull took over, that the National Party would get a couple of things out of it. And this is what Barnaby Joyce wanted. But you’ve got to get it right. This is appalling. The Government has botched this from day one … It is very clear that the Government has failed to consult properly. It is very clear that there are real issues with the route going through prime agricultural land [and] the locals aren’t being listened to.”

The Coalition’s ‘fast rail’ program will go ahead

Labor’s dreams for European-style high speed rail between Brisbane and Melbourne via Sydney and Canberra are on hold for at least another three years, with the Coalition’s proposed program of faster rail

RAIL EXPRESS | ISSUE 4 2019

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NATIONAL

CREDIT: AUSTRALIAN EMBASSY JAKARTA

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Scott Morrison was praised by colleagues for helping the Coalition overcome long odds.

Anthony Albanese took off on a ‘listening tour’ immediately after being named the next Labor leader.

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ISSUE 4 2019 | RAIL EXPRESS

160-200km/h range – stands in contrast to Labor’s desires for a European style line connecting Australia’s east coast capitals at speeds of more than 300km/h.

A week before the election Labor promised $1 billion to secure the corridor for high speed rail between Sydney and Brisbane, as a way to start off the full project between Brisbane and Melbourne.

Canberra Light Rail’s second stage could face delays

The ACT’s Labor Government is yet another which has been at odds with the Federal Coalition over infrastructure.

Planning for the second stage of Canberra’s

CREDIT: ANTHONY ALBANESE / TWITTER

connections standing in its place.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison in March made a $2 billion commitment to deliver 160km/h rail journeys between Melbourne and Geelong, part of a 20year fast rail plan.

The plan will include the creation of a National Fast Rail Agency, with $40 million in seed funding to investigate five more corridors for potential investment for faster rail.

The Federal Budget in April identified Sydney-Wollongong, Sydney-Parkes, Melbourne-Albury-Wodonga, MelbourneTraralgon and Brisbane-Gold Coast as the first five corridors under the program.

Morrison’s plan for faster rail – in the

light rail network, between Civic and Woden, means a detailed approvals process with the federal government, as the planned route crosses through federal land near Parliament House.

ACT chief minister Andrew Barr two days after the election said he was unsure how long it would take to get the green light for the next stage of light rail, given the election result.

“It’s going to set back the timeframe, there’s no doubting that,” he said. “Had the election result gone differently on Saturday I was hoping to sit down this week with an incoming Labor infrastructure minister and an incoming Labor territories minister to get on with fast-tracking that project.”

Visiting the opening ceremony of the first stage of Canberra Light Rail in March, Bill Shorten promised $200 million for the second stage of the project if Labor won the election.

Albanese elected Labor leader, maintains infrastructure focus

Anthony Albanese was elected unopposed as the new leader of the Labor Party, and reiterated his support for high speed rail, after Bill Shorten stepped down following the party’s shock election defeat.

Albanese said on May 27 he was “honoured and very proud” to be named the party’s twenty-first leader. In his first speech as Labor leader he explained his

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The line-up of federal ministers relevant to the rail sector has been left largely unchanged, but there is welcome news for the freight sector specifically.

Morrison on May 26 named his new ministry, eight days after overcoming significant polling deficits to see the Coalition retain Government. For rail, Nationals leader and deputy prime minister Michael McCormack returns as the minister for infrastructure, transport and regional development.

McCormack has been infrastructure minister since he replaced Barnaby Joyce as Nationals leader early last year.

Scott Buchholz has been named an assistant minister specifically for freight transport.

The Australian Logistics Council praised the appointment of Buchholz, with chief executive Kirk Coningham saying the addition of a specific role for freight transport in the Cabinet was the prime minister “sending an important message to our industry and to the wider community”.

“It is significant that freight transport is now a specific portfolio title within the ministry, and highlights that enhanced supply chain performance will be a priority for the re-elected Coalition Government,” Coningham said.

Tudge spruiks population plan

Alan Tudge, returned to his role as minister for population, cities and urban infrastructure, used his first public address since the election to outline the Coalition’s plan to use visa schemes to shape population growth in different states and territories, with the goal of tackling congestion and boosting regional workforces.

Tudge told a Property Council of Australia conference in Sydney on May 29 the Federal Government was working with states and territories to understand their desired population growth targets, so a national scheme could be formed.

The minister blamed existing congestion in Sydney and Melbourne on the former Labor Government in New South Wales, and the current Labor Government in Victoria, respectively.

“Here in Sydney, you actually had the two levels of governments working in opposite directions in the early to mid-2000s. You had Premier Bob Carr

Victorian premier Daniel Andrews on the election trail in May.

Sydney Metro City & Southwest will include 31km of tunnels.

CREDIT: DAN ANDREWS / FACEBOOK

Few changes for rail in new Morrison Cabinet

SYDNEY METRO

belief that government has a role to ensure change in the interest of all Australians.

“The economy must work for the people, not the other way around,” he said. “The key to growing the economy is investing in infrastructure and investing in people through education and skills.”

He also spoke proudly of his “ongoing and what will be continuous advocacy for high speed rail down the east coast of this country.”

Albanese, 56, was selected as the Labor Party’s new leader after a range of potential rivals fell away over the prior week.

Tanya Plibersek, deputy under Bill Shorten, opted not to run for party leader due to family commitments. Chris Bowen exited the race roughly 24 hours after announcing his candidacy, saying he felt success was unlikely. Then Jim Chalmers, tipped to run on behalf of the party’s Right faction after Bowen pulled out, announced he would not, and instead supported Albanese’s bid.

Albanese has been a prominent figure in Australia’s transport and infrastructure sector for well over a decade. He served as shadow minister for water and infrastructure after Kevin Rudd became Opposition leader in December 2006, and was subsequently made minister in that portfolio after Rudd was elected in 2007.

He held that position under Julia Gillard’s leadership, and again under Rudd’s second term, leaving the role only when Labor was defeated at the election in 2013.

Albanese served as infrastructure and transport shadow minister between the 2013 loss and this year’s election. Naming his new shadow ministry at the start of June, Albanese appointed Catherine King to replace him in that role.

King served as Labor’s shadow health minister for six years, a role that will now be filled by Chris Bowen, the previous shadow treasurer.

“It was a great honour to serve as Labor’s shadow health minister for six years and I’ll always be proud of the ambitious health agenda we took to last month’s election,” King said on her Twitter feed. “I wish my friend [Chris Bowen] all the very best in the role.”

Other notables in Albanese’s shadow cabinet are Richard Marles as his deputy and shadow minister for defence; Penny Wong as shadow minister for foreign affairs, home affairs and immigration and citizenship; and Jim Chalmers as shadow treasurer.

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who famously said that ‘Sydney was full’ and was consequently not building the infrastructure for the future, while just a few years later, Kevin Rudd became PM and turbo-charged the population growth into Sydney,” Tudge said.

“The infrastructure couldn’t keep up; the housing approvals couldn’t keep up. Much of the congestion in Sydney over the last decade has been the result of this. It has been the result of poor planning and state and federal governments in the past working in opposite directions.”

Tudge praised the work of NSW’s current Coalition Government, saying it was “doing incredible work in catching up”. Meanwhile, he said Victoria’s Labor Government was not keeping up.

“Melbourne still doesn’t have an effective ring road because Daniel Andrews cancelled the East West Link (and wasted more than $1.3 billion in doing so); there is still no rail to Australia’s largest university campus in Clayton; and a rail link to the airport will only occur because we have forced the state government into it by putting $5 billion on the table,” he said.

Tudge said the Coalition’s plan would “strongly link population growth to infrastructure, service and housing approval capacity”.

RAIL EXPRESS | ISSUE 4 2019

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ARA seeks new CEO, Broad endorsed as next chair ARA Chairman Bob Herbert AM will step down at the end of 2019.

DANNY BROAD WILL FINISH UP as CEO of the Australasian Railway Association, and has been endorsed to succeed Bob Herbert as Chairman at the end of 2019.

The ARA announced on May 30 Broad and Herbert would conclude their terms as CEO and Chairman, respectively, at the end of the calendar year.

Herbert, appointed as Independent Chairman in 2015, said he was happy to leave the ARA in a strong position.

“The new constitution that was ratified by members in July 2016 has strengthened the governance arrangements of the organisation whilst providing an agreed structure that allows members to better direct the affairs of the ARA,” he said.

“Recognising the substantial contribution Danny Broad has made as CEO of the ARA and the importance of maintaining leadership continuity, the Board has unanimously endorsed Danny assuming the Chairman’s role at the end of 2019.”

Broad paid tribute to Herbert’s work helping transform the ARA. “Bob is a hands-on Chairman, who

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ISSUE 4 2019 | RAIL EXPRESS

played a leading role in setting up the new structure, and positioned the ARA to be advocating not just for increasing rail investment, but as a strong voice on key strategic issues, such as the need for a National Rail Plan and action on skills shortages.”

As for his news, Broad said after more than four years as ARA CEO, he feels the time is right to pass the reigns on to a new leader.

“Since taking on the role in October 2015, ARA membership has grown significantly, our engagement with member companies has strengthened, and the ARA has maintained its position as a respected industry body,” Broad said.

“The ARA is now well placed to work with the Australian and State and Territory governments as they implement substantial passenger and freight rail projects, and deal with significant infrastructure policy issues.”

The ARA Board has established an Appointments Committee, convened by Sydney Trains boss Howard Collins, to oversee the recruitment of a new ARA CEO over the next few months.

Herbert will maintain his role as Chairman of the TrackSAFE Foundation, the ARA-endorsed harm prevention charity for the rail sector.

“

The ARA is now well placed to work with the Australian and State and Territory governments as they implement substantial passenger and freight rail projects, and deal with significant infrastructure policy issues

”

ARA CEO Danny Broad has been endorsed as the Association’s next chairman.

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Public consultation crucial to sharing responsibility: ACCC THE PUBLIC HAS GROWN MORE conscious of the methodology behind major infrastructure decisions, as a result of poor past experiences with big projects, and rapid technological change.

That’s the view of Cristina Cifuentes, a commissioner of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), who addressed an OECD Forum of Governance of Infrastructure in Paris on April 17.

Cifuentes, who oversees the ACCC’s role in key infrastructure areas including rail, told the forum infrastructure delivery has in the past focused on assets that deliver services, rather than the services themselves and whether the needs of customers are being met.

“Engineering design, financial viability, construction, the efficiency of system operations, and ongoing asset management have been the driving factors in many infrastructure decisions,” she said.

“For the most part, this has served the community well, particularly at a time when the services needed were reasonably basic and affordable. Consumers by and

large were satisfied with what they were being offered and had confidence in the decisions being made by others on their behalf.

“In the past 10 years though, we’ve seen the emergence of the more assertive consumer spurred on by poor service experience, rapid technological change, changing expectations and ability to give voice to concerns.”

More than this, Cifuentes, who holds degrees in both Law and Economics and previously served as a director of the Hunter Water Corporation, said today’s consumers expect their infrastructure “will meet a range of social, economic and environmental objectives as well”.

“While this is not unexpected, it has been accompanied by a significant loss in confidence in the decision chain that delivers infrastructure,” she continued.

“Consumers have lost faith in the traditional delivery model where the asset itself was the primary concern and the asset owner or operator, the primary decision maker. There is a growing demand for a customer-driven culture

of infrastructure design, delivery and operation, which puts at the forefront the service needs of customers and the community rather than the physical assets that will be used to deliver those services.”

If the community is to have confidence in major infrastructure decisions, the ACCC commissioner said government, regulators, consumers, infrastructure operators and investors must all acknowledge their shared responsibility for the quality of services and long-term decisions.

“Effective stakeholder engagement is not just communication,” Cifuentes said, “and it should not be seen in terms of one-off transactional processes, for example, seeking one off input into a five yearly tariff setting process.

“Effective engagement has to be continuous and contiguous across all activities which affect consumers.

Most importantly, it has to occur well before critical decision points are reached. It must also recognise the role of intermediaries in service delivery, not just final customers.”

Major transport projects often have a significant impact on local communities during construction.

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ISSUE 4 2019 | RAIL EXPRESS

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FORG calls for seat at Transport Infrastructure Council table

Projects like Inland Rail are emphasising rail’s role in the national transport infrastructure conversation.

AUSTRALIA’S KEY RAIL FREIGHT businesses are demanding an audience at the next meeting of Australia’s transport infrastructure leaders, over the steps needed to get more freight off roads, and onto rail.

Freight on Rail Group (FORG) of Australia chair and Pacific National boss Dean Dalla Valle in May urged the Transport Infrastructure Council to lend the freight sector its collective ear at its next meeting, scheduled for June 28.

Dalla Valle told Rail Express an audience for the rail freight sector at the TIC was “long overdue”.

“FORG represents the nation’s largest rail freight operators and infrastructure managers, employing more than 20,000 people across Australia and generating $11 billion each year in revenue for the nation,” Dalla Valle said.

“In terms of large-scale investment in rail freight and what it takes to successfully run above and below rail operations in Australia’s vast transport supply chain; if you are not talking to us, you are not in the know.

“Australians from every walk of life want safer roads, less traffic congestion

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ISSUE 4 2019 | RAIL EXPRESS

during their daily commute and lower vehicle emissions – hauling bulk goods and commodities by rail ticks all these boxes.”

The Transport Infrastructure Council, which last met in November 2018, includes transport infrastructure ministers from each of Australia’s state, territory and federal governments, along with a representative from the local government level.

Dalla Valle made a direct request to address the Council’s next meeting on behalf of FORG of Australia, in a letter dated March 26.

In the letter to Dr Steven Kennedy, Secretary of the Department of Infrastructure, Regional Development and Cities, Dalla Valle said FORG had grown “increasingly concerned” about the negative impacts to rail freight operations caused by a number of outdated and inconsistent state and federal policies.

“Unnecessary and overly burdensome regulations om rail freight diminish and erode benefits derived from new and improved infrastructure,” Dalla Valle wrote. “They also have the effect of denting investment confidence in our sector.”

FORG of Australia includes Pacific

“

Australians from every walk of life want safer roads, less traffic congestion during their daily commute and lower vehicle emissions – hauling bulk goods and commodities by rail ticks all these boxes

”

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NEWS

LTAP pulls GrainCorp takeover bid GRAINCORP SUITOR LONG TERM ASSET Partners (LTAP) has pulled out of its $3.3 billion takeover attempt, citing difficulties during due diligence.

LTAP chairman Tony Shepherd said on May 6 LTAP had been a “very serious bidder” when it made its non-binding offer to acquire GrainCorp on December 3 last year.

He noted the lengths LTAP had gone to secure a funding arrangement, and its formal engagement with a ratings agency and an internationally recognised insurer to back its proposed new business model.

But he said the due diligence process – which has been ‘slow’ and ‘patchy’, per the AFR – has led LTAP to back down from its takeover bid.

“Had due diligence supported our operational assumptions, we are confident we would have turned the LTAP proposal into a binding offer as contemplated,” Shepherd said.

“GrainCorp provides a valuable service to the nation’s grain growers and we wish them well.”

GrainCorp, which operates a vast grain receival, storage and transport network, said

it had engaged “extensively with LTAP to assist them as they undertook due diligence and sought to develop a binding offer capable of consideration and response by the GrainCorp board of directors”.

With the takeover bid now dropped, GrainCorp said it would continue with its own portfolio review.

Options being considered in GrainCorp’s internal review include demergers and combinations of various divisions, potential investments and other structural changes.

GrainCorp announces $59m loss GrainCorp blamed drought conditions and international trade tensions for a $59 million loss in the six months ending March 31, 2019.

The company’s underlying earnings were down from $119 million in HY18 to just $27 million in HY19. Statutory net profit in HY18 was $36 million – dropping to the $59 million loss in HY19.

GrainCorp CEO Mark Palmquist

said the results reflected a “particularly challenging” period which saw severe drought conditions in eastern Australia, and tumultuous international trade conditions.

“East coast Australian grain production was the lowest in over a decade and this has had a significant unfavourable impact on both our Grains and Oilseeds business,” he said.

Challenging conditions in eastern Australia are forecasted to continue into the second half of the financial period, according to GrainCorp’s own outlook.

“Planting for the winter grain crop is well underway in eastern Australia, however it is too early in the season to forecast grain production levels and the potential implications for GrainCorp,” the company said.

Due to the poor financial figures, GrainCorp did not provide shareholders with an interim dividend.

It said its financial performance in the second half would come down to conditions in eastern Australia, the impact of global markets and trade conditions, and foreign exchange movements.

A seriously drought-impacted winter crop in 18/19 left GrainCorp vulnerable to a takeover bid.

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RAIL EXPRESS | ISSUE 4 2019

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NEWS

NSW

140k ride ‘transformational’ Sydney Metro on opening day NSW TRANSPORT MINISTER Andrew Constance has hailed Sydney Metro’s opening as a huge success, with almost 140,000 passenger journeys reported on its opening day on Sunday, and a successful first weekday on Monday.

Constance said 21,000 rode the Sydney Metro Northwest on its first morning peak, between 4.45am and 10am on Monday morning.

That came after tens of thousands flocked to the opening of the new line – the first passenger railway in Australia to be completely driverless.

Constance and Premier Gladys Berejiklian joined the public for a ribbon cutting ceremony on Sunday morning.

“This is truly an historic day for NSW with services starting on one of the world’s greatest metros,” Berejiklian said.

“I am so excited that our hard work and

discipline has paid off with this rail line opening on time and more than $1 billion under budget.”

“Sydney Metro will forever change how we get around Sydney,” Constance said. “It is a transformational public transport investment on par with the Sydney Harbour Bridge a century ago.”

While some in the media noted crowding at key stations like Epping and Chatswood, public feedback on the project has been overwhelmingly positive.

“Travelling on #SydneyMetro to work today,” one passenger tweeted.

“Left Castle Hill at 7:31am… arrived at Central at 8:24am – a trip that usually took 1hr 45mins and $110 in parking, tolls and petrol just took 53mins and $5… absolutely life changing.”

The Metro’s opening meant the debut of 13 new and upgraded platforms across

36 kilometres of metro railway, and a fleet of 22 new six-car, fully automated metro trains from Alstom.

Each trainset includes three doubledoors per car on each side, compared to Sydney’s heavy passenger fleet, which features longer cars with two double-doors on each side. The trains are directed through Alstom’s CBTC signalling system, adapted for the specific needs of the Sydney Metro project.

As the Northwest portion of Sydney Metro opens between the northwest suburbs and Chatswood, construction for the Sydney Metro program’s next stage is well underway.

Sydney Metro City & Southwest will continue the new line on through northern Sydney, under the Sydney Harbour, through the CBD and beyond to Bankstown, in the southwest.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Sydney Metro Northwest.

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ISSUE 4 2019 | RAIL EXPRESS

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NEWS

ACT

Strong patronage for new Canberra transport network THE ACT GOVERNMENT SAY Canberra’s new public transport system broke patronage records in its first days, despite public grumbling over route changes and Opposition claims over number-fudging.

Transport minister Meegan Fitzharris on May 2 said the new public transport network, launched soon after the opening of the Canberra Light Rail and at the start of a new school term, resulted in 90,854 on April 30 – the first time boardings exceeded 90,000 on a single day in the nation’s capital.

The figure included more than 16,500 boardings on the new light rail line.

ACT’s Liberal Opposition rubbished the figures, jumping on sentiment from some members of the public who have been inconvenienced by the new network.

“The data that the Government has put out today is fabricated,” Liberals spokesperson Candice Burch was quoted

by ABC. “They’re counting the number of boardings and not the number of passengers or the number of journeys.

Under the old network, if you had a direct bus service, that would be counted as one trip. Now it might be that you have to get two buses to work, you might have to get a bus, light rail and then another bus, or you might have to get three buses … they’re now counting those as individual trips.”

Fitzharris, responding to the ABC, said the official figures had also counted record journey numbers – over 65,000 on both April 30 and May 1, the two highest days on record to that point.

A Transport Canberra spokesperson also told ABC there had been a 10 per cent uplift in the use of MyWay cards – the ACT’s contactless ticketing system.

“These record breaking early figures show that a high frequency network is the right network for Canberra. There’s also no doubt Canberrans love light rail,” Minister Fitzharris said.

“Transport Canberra is keeping a close eye on the network, recognising that this has been a change for a number of existing users. There may be isolated issues, and if so, Transport Canberra is working with customers to resolve those.

Transport Canberra will look at putting on larger buses and increasing light rail frequency to cater for demand.”

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Fitzharris looked to soften the blow for commuters who would no doubt have to adjust to the new schedule, with a month of free travel in May. She noted the new network featured more frequent bus services, light rail and more customer service assistants.

“We know this will be a big change for many people, but we hope Canberrans will make the most of the month of free travel that starts today to give the network a try,” the minister said, launching the new network.

The timetable and network is designed around ten popular ‘rapid routes’, along which services are guaranteed at least every 15 minutes between 7am and 7pm on weekdays. The network design has benefited from community consultation undertaken in mid-2018, during which Fitzharris says the Transport Canberra team identified a strong desire for more direct routes, more frequent and reliable services, and increased services during both on and off-peak times.

“This is a new era for public transport in Canberra,” Fitzharris said. “Our city is growing and that’s why we are investing in a better public transport network to keep Canberra connected.”

Light Rail Stage 1 under budget

The first stage of Light Rail in Canberra was confirmed in May to have come in $32 million under budget, for a final cost of $675 million.

The saving outlined by the ACT Government was even larger when compared with the original business case proposed for the 12-kilometre line released in 2014.

The full business case for the project estimated that it would cost $783 million and open in 2019, and referred to analysis from Ernst and Young to suggest the project would return $1.20 for every dollar spent. Since the project came in under budget however, this has been revised to a return of $1.30 for every dollar spent.

Canberra’s new-look transport network looks to optimally integrate bus and light rail services.

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ACT

NEWS

Passengers are able to ‘tap on’ using Transport Canberra’s MyWay cards.

The initial business case budget was later revised downwards by 9.7 per cent in the project’s final stage one contract released in 2016 to $707 million. This contract also moved the start date forward to 2018, a deadline the project would eventually not meet.

The final breakdown of the $675 million spend was split between $589 million for base design and

construction costs and $85 million in contingency costs.

The project links Canberra’s city centre to a terminus at Gungahlin in the city’s northern suburbs. Stage two of the project is planned to extend the line to Woden in the south.

Minister Fitzharris said the patronage on the rail line was also greater than the predictions set out in the business case.

“Light rail is proving to be hugely popular already,” she said. “Along the light rail corridor the benefits are plain to see: with light rail getting people to work, opening up new customers to local businesses and seeing hundreds of Canberrans employed on building and construction projects along the alignment that are already using their proximity to light rail to attract buyers.”

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NEWS

VIC

Labor reveals state budget ‘transport blitz’ for Victoria THE VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT HAS unveiled plans to commit record funding for road and rail projects across the state in what it has referred to by Premier Daniel Andrews as a “blitz” for suburban transport.

“From fixing a pothole at the end of your street to the biggest transport projects in Victoria’s history – this Budget will get you where you need to go,” Andrews said.

The plans constitute part of the Victorian Budget for 2019–20, incorporating a $27.4 billion pipeline of works.

This includes $15.8 billion for the creation of the North East Link; $6.6 billion to remove 25 more level crossings (of a total 75) as part of the ongoing level crossing removal project; and $3.4 billion to deliver upgrades to the Sunbury, Cranbourne and Hurstbridge lines.

In all, the Sunbury line will receive

a $2.1 billion boost, Cranbourne $750 million, and Hurstbridge $547 million.

Sunbury will also receive new highcapacity trains that will boost passenger capacity by 113,000 people.

The first of the 65 high-capacity trains previously announced in 2016 as part of the Labor Government’s High Capacity Metro Trains Project, is set to start on the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines this year.

Cranbourne will benefit from line duplications (doubling capacity during peak hours) and Hurstbridge will receive station upgrades at Greensborough and Montmorency.

The government has also set aside $615 million for regional public transport deliveries, including $340 million to purchase up to 18 new three-car V/Line VLocity trains, which the government said would

bring good news for manufacturing and supply jobs in Dandenong, which hosts the assembly plant where the trains are built. $111 million on training, recruitment and upskilling of train drivers in preparation for the new trains and services.

Three new stations will also be built at Goornong, Raywood and Huntly in the Bendigo area for a combined cost of $49.6 million and $150 million will be provided to fund new car parks at some of the busier stations in Melbourne and regional Victoria through the Car Parks for Commuters Fund Following on from promises made before the state election in March, Labor will build 11,000 new spaces at stations across the state, bumping the current total number of spaces by 20 per cent to 66,000 stations in order to help relieve pressure along the lines.

An incentive scheme designed to reduce The Victorian Government has assigned more money for its rail programs in its latest budget.

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ISSUE 4 2019 | RAIL EXPRESS

www.railexpress.com.au

VIC truck numbers on local roads by shifting more freight to rail will also be extended with an $8 million investment. Minister for Public Transport, Ports and Freight Melissa Horne said, “We promised to get trucks off local streets and that’s exactly what we’re doing.”

Outside of rail projects, the Andrews Labor Government will also put aside $608 million for road upgrades (including $425 million on regional roads) and $45.4 million for the development of bike and pedestrian paths, including new bike paths on St Kilda Road. $205.1 million will be spent on increasing train and bus services generally, with the latter to be rolled out in Melbourne growth areas such as the north and south-east of the city.

“These projects should have been built years ago,” said Minister for Transport Infrastructure Jacinta Allan. “We can’t change that, but we can keep our promises and keep delivering the projects Victorians voted for and need – and that’s exactly what we’re doing.”

The Labor Government has spent $46.7 billion on state transport in the last four years, including its ongoing

work on expensive projects such as the aforementioned level crossing removals and the $11 billion Metro Tunnel development, an underground rail line connecting the Sunbury line in the northwest to the Pakenham and Cranbourne lines in the south east.

Western Rail Plan gets $100m boost

The Budget also includes a $100 million boost to the Western Rail Plan.

The investment is intended to fund planning and design works to separate the regional and metro services on the Geelong and Ballarat lines as part of a wider plan to deliver fast rail to the regions. This separation will avoid situations where V/Line trains are slowed down by Metro trains, allowing for faster and more frequent journeys.

Rail Projects Victoria (RPV) has started a program of investigations and technical studies along the Melton, Werribee, Wyndham Vale and Geelong corridors, with staging of the Western Rail Plan being considered alongside the Melbourne Airport Rail Link business case, due

for publication in 2020.

Committee for Ballarat chair Nick Beale welcomed the investment in a statement, saying the works were “in line with Committee’s stated aim of duplicating the line between Ballarat and Southern Cross, which includes electrification and quadruplication of the line to Melton. Once the work is complete, it will result in a noticeably faster trip to Melbourne.”

The Western Rail Plan sets out investment plans for three connected rail projects, including the creation of two new metro lines leading west to Melton and Wyndham Vale; increased rail capacity between Melbourne’s CBD and Sunshine; and upgrades on the Geelong and Ballarat lines to allow trains to run faster than 160km/h.

The creation of the metro lines to Melton and Wyndham Vale will separate the two areas from the Ballarat and Geelong lines, with Wyndham Vale also proposed as the potential western section of the Suburban Rail Loop, which is expected to cost at least $50 billion, with a pencilled completion date of 2050.

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NEWS

VIC

Level crossings in Melbourne’s north to be removed with elevated rail THE VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT has laid out plans to deal with eight level crossing removals in Melbourne’s north as part of its ongoing Level Crossing Removal Project.

The crossings, which belong to the Upfield and Mernda lines, will be removed by elevating relevant sections of the lines.

“We said we’d get rid of them and now we’re getting on with the job of removing these dangerous crossings,” said Victoria’s minister for transport infrastructure Jacinta Allan.

“This is part of a huge investment in the inner north creating jobs and better connections for those living and working in these communities.”

The elevation is expected to deliver more open space for the public and improve connections for cyclists and pedestrians. Member for Pascoe Vale Lizzie Blandthorn commented that this would provide new precincts for the community.

“Our community will soon have an opportunity to provide their feedback about what they would like to see in the new open space,” she said.

Level crossings at Bell Street, Reynard Street and Munro Street in Coburg and

Elevated rail is set to provide a better solution for road users and pedestrians.

Moreland Road in Brunswick (all Upfield line) will be removed at the same time by elevating the line.

The other four level crossings at Murray Road, Bell Street, Cramer Street and Oakover Road in Preston (all Mernda line) will be dealt with through the construction of a rail bridge.

The removal of the Coburg and Boom gates close level crossings to traffic for large portions of the morning peak.

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Brunswick crossings is expected by 2020. The Preston removals are set to be completed in 2021 following the commencement of major works next year.

New stations will be built at Preston, Bell, Coburg and Moreland to accommodate the changes, while also preserving the existing heritage-listed Coburg and Moreland station buildings.

The works form part of the larger Level Crossing Removal Project, which plans to remove 75 “dangerous and congested” level crossings in Melbourne by 2025.

In addition to the works in the city’s north, the Victorian Government announced today that it would begin construction works within the next year to remove two crossings on the Packenham line by 2021.

The level crossings are located at Clyde Road in Berwick and Cardinia Road in Packenham, and will join the nine that have already been removed across the southeastern line.

The Clyde Road crossing in particular has been cited by the government as a source of delay for ambulances travelling to Casey Hospital, as well as a notable congestion point on the Princes and Monash freeways.

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QLD

NEWS

Aurizon reaches CQCN access deal with miners OPERATOR AURIZON LOOKS TO have ended its long-running stoush with key mining customers over revenue on the Central Queensland Coal Network (CQCN), announcing an agreement towards a revised access deal on May 3.

Aurizon will submit a draft amending

access undertaking document to the Queensland Competition Authority (QCA) after it came to terms with miners representing more than 90 per cent of the tonnes moved on the CQCN – which is owned by Aurizon’s below-rail business.

The draft terms include extending the

Aurizon says the new access arrangements are a more fair result for all parties.

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term of the CQCN access undertaking to ten years, from FY17 to FY27, and a maximum allowable revenue for Aurizon based on a weighted average cost of capital (WACC) of 5.9 per cent, increasing to 6.3 per cent, subject to completion of specified milestones.

The WACC figure is an improvement on the 5.7 per cent determined by the QCA in its final access undertaking – the undertaking which will be modified by the submission now being made by Aurizon.

Aurizon reluctantly accepted the QCA’s final access terms in February after months of back-and-forth with the regulator over how much it should be allowed to earn from operating the CQCN. At that time Aurizon vowed to work with miners to come to a better agreement, and now it believes it has.

“Today’s announcement is an important step in the development of an Undertaking that better addresses customer needs and provides longer term certainty for the Queensland resources sector,” Aurizon CEO Andrew Harding said.

The new access terms also commit to the development of mechanisms to provide improved supply chain stability and improved maintenance and asset renewal programs.

Aurizon says mining customers who had signed up to the new terms included Anglo American, BHP, Coronado, Glencore, Idemitsu, Jellinbah, Kestrel, Middlemount, Peabody, QCoal and Yancoal.

The company said in an ASX statement the new access terms were the result of “months of negotiation,” and said they would provide “greater commercial and operational certainty for all users of the CQCN”.

Aurizon angered miners when it shifted to a less flexible maintenance regime on the CQCN in February 2018, in response to the draft terms then set out by the QCA. The rail operator said the QCA’s terms forced it to make the cutbacks.

Aurizon slammed the QCA’s terms as ‘deeply flawed’, arguing they didn’t allow Aurizon to make a commercial rate of return on the CQCN without making significant changes to procedures like maintenance.

RAIL EXPRESS | ISSUE 4 2019

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NEWS

QLD

Federal Court approves sale of Acacia Ridge to Pacific National COMPETITION CZAR ROD SIMS SAYS he’s not satisfied with the Federal Court’s decision to reject a bid to block the $205 million sale of Aurizon’s Acacia Ridge intermodal terminal to Pacific National.

The Federal Court in May rejected the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s bid to block Aurizon from selling its intermodal terminal to Pacific National, over fears the move would reduce competition in the market.

The Court decided it was happy with an undertaking submitted by Pacific National, committing to common user access at the site.

A Pacific National spokesperson told Rail Express the Court’s acceptance of the undertaking confirmed PN’s acquisition would not lessen competition as the ACCC has alleged.

“Pacific National will operate the terminal on an open access basis in accordance with an undertaking accepted by the court which is consistent with the undertaking first offered to the ACCC

by Pacific National in July 2017,” the spokesperson said.

“This judgment paves the way for Pacific National to add the Acacia Ridge terminal to its network of efficient freight terminals and to continue to provide important rail freight services for the Australian people.

“Pacific National is actively working to ensure the benefits of rail freight are considered in Australia’s growing freight task, to reduce emissions, ease traffic congestion and improve road safety.”

In submitting the sale to Federal Court review in July last year, the ACCC had alleged that both Aurizon and Pacific National had conspired to muffle potential competition in the east coast above rail market via the deal, saying Pacific National was a “more lucrative” partner for Aurizon than other potential bidders.

The ACCC later rescinded this aspect of its case.

“Pacific National is particularly pleased that baseless and reputationally-damaging claims relating to alleged understandings entered into by the company and individuals were withdrawn by the ACCC,” the

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spokesperson told Rail Express.

“We have continuously refuted these allegations and it is important to note that the ACCC did not proceed with these claims as any part of its final case.”

Nonetheless Sims, chair of the ACCC, said the rejection of this case by the Federal Court was unjustified.

“Aurizon may have sought to maximise its sale price by entering into these transactions with its closest competitor, Pacific National, but the transactions will create huge, likely insurmountable, barriers to new entrants who may wish to enter the markets and compete with Pacific National,” he said.

“The ACCC does not believe that these barriers will be addressed by the undertaking accepted by the Court.”

Sims reportedly told the AFR the case was evidence Australia’s merger laws needed a re-think.

“It must be a worry to all Australians that we do not have an effective merger control regime,” Sims was quoted by the paper on Thursday. “There is nothing wrong with our legal strategy. About 85 to 90 per cent of cases we take to court

are successful in cartels, competition and consumer law. But on mergers our record is lousy.

“When you are winning the cases all of the time in all other areas of the law but not in mergers, it is clear there is a problem with the merger regime in Australia.”

Aurizon welcomed the Federal Court decision in a short statement.

“The ACCC initiated the proceedings in the Federal Court in August 2018 when it blocked the transactions and sought penalties and orders from the court that the parties not proceed with the transactions,” Aurizon told the ASX. “Today’s decision by the Federal Court allows Aurizon to progress the $205 million sale of the terminal to PN, pending receipt of regulatory approval by the Foreign Investment Review Board.”

Aurizon said the sale would conclude its three-stage exit from its ‘loss-making’ Intermodal business, which began in December 2017 with the closure of its interstate operations, outside of Queensland.

The second stage of the exit was the sale of the Queensland Intermodal business to Linfox in January this year, for which Aurizon received $7.3 million.

Pacific National has secured the acquisition of the Acacia Ridge terminal.

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SYDNEY METRO

NEWS

QLD

ENERGY GIANT ADANI HAS RECEIVED the last approval it needed to begin work on its planned Carmichael coal mine and rail project in Queensland’s Galilee Basin.

The controversial project, subject to different levels of discussion and approval for the better part of a decade, was given the final all clear after Queensland’s Department of Environment and Sciences (DES) approved its Groundwater Dependent Ecosystem Management Plan (GDEMP) on June 13.

It followed the approval late in May of Adani’s management plan for the blackthroated finch.

The Groundwater plan was approved after Adani submitted an updated version of the plan addressing the state’s feedback on June 12.

“In assessing the plan, both Adani and DES took on board advice from CSIRO and Geoscience Australia – the same advice considered by the Commonwealth Government in approving an earlier version of the GDEMP in April this year,” the Department said.

Adani Mining’s CEO in Australia, Lucas Dow, said the approval brought to a close a two-year process of rigorous scientific inquiry, review and approvals.

“The finalisation of the GDEMP and

CREDIT: ROCKHAMPTON REGIONAL COUNCIL

Adani gets final green light for Carmichael mine and rail project

the Black-throated Finch Management Plan paves the way for construction to commence on the Carmichael Project and the delivery of much-needed jobs for regional Queenslanders,” he said on June 13.

“Over the coming days preparatory activities such as finalising contracts, mobilising equipment, recruitment and completing inductions will continue. These preparatory actions will enable us to then start construction activities including fencing, bridge and road upgrades, water The Carmichael project will put more coal volumes on the Central Queensland rail network.

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Pro-Adani protestors in Rockhampton.

management and civil earthworks on the mine site. The level of construction activity will then steadily increase over the coming weeks.”

Along with a new coal mine, the Carmichael project also includes construction of a 189-kilometre, narrow gauge rail line to connect to Aurizon’s Central Queensland Coal Network.

The company had originally planned a 388-kilometre standard gauge railway to take coal directly to export facilities at Abbot Point, but scaled back its plans in September 2018.

The final approvals for Adani come just weeks after Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk asked the state’s coordinator general for a firm timeline for action.

“The community is sick of it, I’m sick of it, everyone is sick of the delays,” Palaszczuk said in May. “Everyone has had more than enough time to resolve these issues and for some reason that has not occurred – that all ends now.”

The Carmichael project has been subject to repeated approval delays over the last two years. Adani’s plan for the development encompasses an open-cut and underground coal mine capable of producing 60 million tonnes of product a year, but production is set to begin at a lower rate.

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WA

NEWS

Rio awards $137m rail deal RIO TINTO HAS AWARDED A $137 MILLION DEAL TO build a new section of rail embankment and associated infrastructure for its Koodaideri iron ore project in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.

ASX-listed contractor NRW Holdings said last week it had been awarded the contract, with work to take roughly 70 weeks starting in August 2019.

The work includes building around 73 kilometres of new rail embankment, a new mine access road and associated road works along the Koodaideri rail alignment for Rio Tinto.

At peak construction more than 300 site-based personnel will be required, the company said.

“I am delighted that NRW has been awarded the Koodaideri Rail Formation South contract,” NRW chief executive Jules Pemberton said.

Pemberton noted NRW has built more than 900 kilometres of rail formation across the Pilbara since 2002.

The work includes around 73 kilometres of new rail embankment.

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CONTACT Alexandra Walker Market Intelligence Limited Sales Representative for InnoTrans (Australia) alexandra@fruitnet.com T + 61 4 1642 8561

NEWS

NEW ZEALAND

New CEO for KiwiRail NEW ZEALAND STATE-OWNED network and above rail operator KiwiRail has moved chairman Greg Miller to the role of CEO, after an international search failed to yield an outside candidate for the important role.

Brian Corban, KiwiRail’s deputy chair since July 2018, will move into the role of acting chairman to free up Miller to take over as CEO. Corban on May 3 said there were a number of strong contenders for the CEO role, but the Board did not find the specific combination of skills required across commercial, supply chain, rail, international experience, leadership and transformation.

“At the end of an international search … the Board made the decision that Mr Miller, as Group chief executive, was the best way to lead the organisation forward.”

Miller replaces acting chief executive Todd Moyle, who steps back into the role of chief operating officer and deputy CEO. “As we enter a period of unprecedented growth and positive change, the Board

is delighted to have secured a leader of Greg’s ability,” Corban continued.

“We are setting up a management team and Board which will take the organisation through this important next stage and we have found a leader with an unrivalled set of global experience in supply chain, a history with rail, domestic transport expertise, and who has led companies through significant growth and transformation.”

Miller thanked Moyle for his good work during his time as interim CEO.

“Todd Moyle has done an excellent job over the past six months as Acting Chief Executive and we have formed a fabulous working relationship built on mutual respect,” Miller said.

“We are now at a pivotal point in the organisation’s history with the support of the Government and the ability to make a once-in-a-generation difference to New Zealanders through easing congestion in our cities, taking trucks off vulnerable roads, reducing carbon emissions and driving investments in regional economies.”

KiwiRail is New Zealand’s state-owned rail company.

Mini TBM completes Auckland drill A MINIATURE TUNNEL BORING machine has completed drilling a stormwater main 17 metres below Auckland in preparation for major construction of the City Rail Link project.

The micro-sized TBM known as ‘Jeffie’ has finished boring a 423-metre stormwater main for the project, needed to replace an existing main which was in the path of the future CRL tunnels.

“Jeffie’s journey brings the City Rail Link and a much better rail service one step closer to Aucklanders,” CRL chief executive Sean Sweeney said.

Throughout its four-month job, Jeffie removed more than 2,000 cubic metres of spoil, installed 208 concrete tunnel segments, and made a sweeping curve to avoid a field of hard volcanic basalt along its way.

Major construction will soon begin on the CRL, which will turn Britomart station from a deadend in the

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network to a two-way through station.

The project requires 3.45 kilometres of new underground railway to be bored and built.

The Link Alliance was last week selected to deliver major construction for the project, which will cost roughly NZ$4.4 billion.

Jeffie the mini TBM completing its drill.

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NEW ZEALAND

NEWS

Coastal Pacific patronage up 9pc after Kaikoura rebuild NEW ZEALAND OPERATOR KIWIRAIL says patronage on its Coastal Pacific service rose 9 per cent in its DecemberMarch run, following a two-year hiatus due to the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake.

The earthquake at the end of 2016 shut down the South Island’s Main North Line for the majority of 2017.

The Coastal Pacific service returned to the line for the first time on December 1, 2018. The service travels along the Main North Line between Christchurch and Picton.

With early figures showing the 9 per cent rise in patronage since last time the Coastal Pacific operated, KiwiRail’s head of Tourism Ahleen Rayner said New Zealanders and international tourists alike were clearly happy with the opportunity to once again travel by rail along the Kaikoura coastline.

“The return of the Coastal Pacific has exceeded our expectations, with around 27,380 passengers travelling between December and March,” Rayner said.

“This is especially impressive given that the booking window was considerably shorter than it normally would have been, with the Coastal Pacific’s return announced only months before it resumed.

“The success of this season underlines the potential we see in this

The Coastal Pacific is considered New Zealand’s most scenic train route.

much-loved service, which is in line for a major expansion.”

The New Zealand Government in 2018 announced it would invest $40 million through the Provincial Growth Fund to introduce new premium carriages on the Coastal Pacific, and make it a year-round service.

KiwiRail listed a number of interesting tidbits recorded so far in the Coastal Pacific’s return. It said nearly

22,000 cups of tea and coffee had been served so far, along with almost 5,000 bottles of wine, 4,568 bottles of beer, 5,788 sandwiches (ham, cheese and egg the most popular filling), 1,774 pies, 1,077 cheese platters, and almost 6,000 ice creams.

The busiest day of the season was 29 December, with 258 passengers total.

The Coastal Pacific will return on 27 September 2019.

The Coastal Pacific service is in line for a major expansion.

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NEWS

NEW ZEALAND

KiwiRail will receive $331 million for track infrastructure projects.

NZ budget provides $1bn for KiwiRail, extra money for City Rail Link A $1 BILLION FUNDING PACKAGE will facilitate the “long overdue” redevelopment of KiwiRail, with money set aside for new rollingstock, track and supporting infrastructure.

KiwiRail will receive $375 million for new wagons and locomotives, $331 million in track and infrastructure, and access to up to $300 million from the Provincial Growth Fund for regional rail projects.

It’s all part of New Zealand’s 2019 budget, which was dubbed the ‘Wellbeing budget’.

Transport minister Phil Twyford said the budget put a strong focus on rebuilding rail as the backbone of a sustainable 21st century transport network, with plans for a long-term national rail plan to be developed this year.

“Our goal is to have a stronger rail network that sees more freight moved by rail and fewer heavy trucks on our roads, as well as better public transport options

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ISSUE 4 2019 | RAIL EXPRESS

to give commuters choice,” Twyford said.

“Previous governments took a hands-off approach and left rail in a state of managed decline. That’s why we instigated the Future of Rail review to make sure we are taking a long-term approach to rehabilitating rail.

“Our New Zealand Rail Plan will outline the Government’s strategic vision and give a 10-year programme of indicative investments and benefits.”

KiwiRail chief executive Greg Miller welcomed the news.

“More than a billion dollars over two years is an outstanding level of investment from the Government. It’s a real shot in the arm for KiwiRail, and a clear recognition of the value rail can add to New Zealand’s transport system,” Miller said.

“We know that rail, with 66 per cent fewer emissions per tonne of freight carried than trucks, has a key role to play in reducing New Zealand’s transport emissions, relieving congestion

on our roads, improving road safety and connecting our communities.

“This funding will allow us to improve the resilience of the rail network and invest in much needed wagons, locomotives and improve the productivity of our workshops so that rail services can be more reliable and operate more competitively in the market.

Miller also praised the New Zealand Rail Plan news.

“I see a great opportunity to think strategically about rail, including ensuring that it is integrated into transport planning across the country, and that there are appropriate mechanisms to ensure rail infrastructure is funded sustainably on an ongoing basis,” he said.

Australasian Railway Association CEO Danny Broad said the investments included in the budget would improve the reliability and competitiveness of rail services in New Zealand.

“We are seeing an investment boom in rail right across Australasia

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NEW ZEALAND

as governments are recognising the contribution of rail to ease congestion, add to economic productivity, reduce carbon emissions and improve road safety,” Broad said.

“We are particularly pleased with the announcement of the development of the New Zealand Rail Plan. Rail needs to be fully incorporated into regional and national transport planning, with appropriate funding mechanisms.”

More expensive City Rail Link fully funded

The budget also provided $405.5 million in extra funding required for the City Rail Link, after the cost of the passenger rail project was revised upwards.

City Rail Link Ltd welcomed the announcement.

“Today’s budget news and the Council’s earlier decision are big and positive steps forward, and our sponsors’ confidence clears the way

for us to get cracking on delivering a project that will have a huge impact on Aucklanders,” CRL chief executive Sean Sweeney said.

The budget addition came a month after Auckland Council released $500 million in additional funding for the City Rail Link project, a decision from the Council’s governing body which was welcomed by Auckland mayor Phil Goff.

“This project is critical to the future of this city,” Goff said. “More than $700 million has already been invested in the first two stages of the tunnel. Without the CRL, Auckland will hit gridlock and the city will grind to a halt.”

The projected cost of the CRL was revised up to $4.419 midway through April, with the project team citing increased construction and ‘nondirect’ costs, and the additional cost of building the project for longer trains.

Mayor Goff said the changes

NEWS

were reasonable.

“A significant part of the cost increase, some $250 million, reflects the need to future proof the tunnels and stations,” he said. “We won’t repeat the mistake of the Harbour Bridge which was built at half of the size it needed to be and had to have major additions made to it within eight years.

“We’ve got one shot at getting the CRL right. Approving additional funding today will ensure that we do.”

Goff said the extra money wouldn’t mean rate increases for Aucklanders.

He said the money was being raised via interest cost savings due to lower market interest rates, a reduction in cash holdings from improved cash management, re-assessment of the valuation of operating commitments which impact on the Council’s debt policy limits.

Note: Figures in New Zealand Dollars.

The City Rail Link will transform public transport throught Auckland.

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RAIL EXPRESS | ISSUE 4 2019

35

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SIGNALLING & COMMUNICATIONS

Thales increasing local footprint with Transport Competence Centre Multinational technology provider Thales tells Rail Express it is intensifying its focus on the rail market in Australia and New Zealand, with plans to rapidly grow its local transportation capabilities in New South Wales, then extending to other states.

T

HALES GROUP’S AUSTRALIAN GM for Transport Elias Barakat says the company is leveraging recent success and the presence of more opportunities, to develop a Transport Competence Centre at its site in Rydalmere, in Sydney’s west.

Such a Centre would include a rail innovation lab and test facility in Sydney, including all the equipment and people necessary to engineer, test, commission and demonstrate Thales’ signalling and communications solutions for the metro, light rail, and mainline rail sectors.

“We’ve already been able to establish our local capability in metro rail off the back of our work on the Sydney Metro Northwest project,” Barakat tells Rail Express, referring to Thales’ work providing a Central Control System and Communication System for the newly-opened metro line.

“At our Rydalmere lab we’ve set up an integration and test facility for a metro central control system and comms solutions – passenger information, public address and so on. We’ve recruited local talent, and brought in team members from overseas who have become local through that.”

Next, to build on the Centre’s light rail capabilities, Thales will leverage its delivery of the signalling and communications systems for the Parramatta Light Rail project.

“In terms of setting up our capabilities for light rail, Parramatta Light Rail is acting as the first cab off the rank. We are currently working with Thales Italy, the solution lead for light rail systems within Thales, but our intention is to do more of this light rail work in Australia, and rely less on Italy.”

And finally, for mainline, Thales has worked in the past on Sydney Trains’ Common Telemetry Infrastructure Platform and provided mainline signalling products such as axle counters to a number of customers across Australia. Now, Thales is targeting Transport for NSW’s $880 million Digital Systems program, which will bring ETCS Level 2, Automatic Train Operation, and a modern Traffic Management System to the Sydney Trains network. Barakat says Thales is also incorporating demonstrations to showcase these signalling solutions

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LEFT: Thales is setting up a Transport Competence Centre at its Rydalmere site.

into their Sydney facility.

“We have good capabilities and products in both areas of signalling and Traffic Management Systems globally, but our focus at the moment is setting up a team here [in Sydney] made up of people with knowledge of the local network, and more experts from our Thales organisation in Germany and Spain who have been brought here.”

Barakat says the presence of a local Transport Competence Centre will majorly benefit its customers.

“The most important element of this is to give clients people who can support them in the same time zone, speaking the same language, all the while supported by a robust global network,” he explains.

“This enables better and quicker service for their questions and queries. And it facilitates a closer working relationship with our clients and partners at earlier stages of the delivery process.”

Moreover, Barakat says, rising demand for solutions that can help operators boost the capacity of their networks is further justifying Thales’ decision to grow its transport footprint in Australia.

“The transport market in Australia is on a steep growth curve, and that’s generating a lot of interest from global players,” he says.

“I think the development especially towards ETCS Level 2 and modern Traffic Management Systems give Thales the opportunity to become a major player in the Australian market, and we definitely are on a trajectory to do that.”

Contact: thalesgroup.com.au

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SIGNALLING & COMMUNICATIONS

RAIL GALLERY

New South Wales pushes on with rail automation Rail Express speaks with experts from Alstom about the signalling revolution underway in New South Wales, and how modern technology helps drive capacity and performance.

T

HE OPENING OF SYDNEY METRO Northwest in May represented the first revenue services for a completely driverless passenger train in Australia.The new line’s Alstom trains operate at the highest grade of automation as defined by the International Association of Public Transport, which defines five Grades of Automation (GoA) as follows: • GoA 0 is traditional on-site train operation, without any automatic systems assisting the driver or controlling the vehicle.

• GoA 1 sees the train driver remain in full control, while being advised by an Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system, which checks the train’s speed against what is permitted by the signalling, and can help adjust speeds to stick to a timetable or improve capacity.

• GoA 2 uses ATP and Automatic Train Operation (ATO), which drives the train during regular operations, but still uses a driver to control doors and operate the train in the event of a disruption.

• GoA 3 removes the driver, leaving a train attendant to open and close the doors and operate the train in the event of a disruption.

• GoA 4 is a completely automatic train system,

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ISSUE 4 2019 | RAIL EXPRESS

with no staff onboard. Movement and door operations are all controlled automatically.

With GoA 4 now implemented on the Sydney Metro, Transport for NSW continues its rollout of GoA 1 through its ongoing ATP program across the electrified Sydney Trains and NSW TrainLink network, including the South Coast Line as far as Kiama, the Blue Mountains Line to Lithgow, and the Central Coast / Newcastle Line.

Rollout includes installation of balises in the rail corridor between existing trackside infrastructure to monitor train speeds, and the installation of equipment on board all suburban and Intercity train fleets, and is set to continue until at least 2020.

Meanwhile, the state will incorporate the ATP program and achieve GoA 2 on the Sydney Trains network through its Digital Systems program.

Announced last year, Digital Systems is an $880 million investment in ETCS Level 2 technology, ATO, and a Traffic Management System for more effective incident management and service regulation across the network.

Alstom has worked with Transport for NSW on its ATP program for the last seven years, it delivered the rollingstock and signalling for

ABOVE: Alstom provided its signalling solution to the recently-opened Sydney Metro Northwest.

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GoA 2 to GoA 4, and key to this is replacing the driver not so much with something that can drive the train, but with something that can react to unexpected situations.”

Local track record with global support

“We’ve built up a reputation for solutions in rollingstock, signalling, systems and services, and we like to think we can take very small components – effectively products and their sub-components – to standalone solutions, all the way to bundled offers of two or more of our solutions,” Alstom Australia’s Customer Director NSW Alan Trestour says.

In Melbourne, Alstom continues to deliver its Metropolis trainsets.

For the Sydney CBD & South East Light Rail project, Alstom is delivering traction power substations, overhead catenary systems, rollingstock, signalling, passenger information systems and the ongoing maintenance of those solutions.

Alstom delivered and will maintain the new rollingstock for the recently-opened Sydney Metro Northwest, and will also maintain the CBTC signalling solution it provided for the new line.

Alstom’s Mainline Platform VP Jean-Marc Nizet, visiting Australia in April, reflected on how the company was responding to an increased desire for modern signalling technology around the world.

“Just as you have in Australia, there is a growing demand all over the place for signalling for railways,” he told Rail Express. “The biggest challenge we face as an industry is having the competence to sustain all that.

“To respond to this we have our global strategy, which first aims to provide our customers with strong local teams, to help with all aspects of a project – whether it’s engineering, maintenance or design – but to then support that team with global network of knowledge bases.”

“

Because you have better stability, you can increase your margins and operate your network in the most efficient way

”

BELOW: Alstom’s ETCS Solutions Director Vincent Passau.

EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR RAILWAYS

Sydney Metro Northwest, and it is one of the top candidates in the ongoing procurement of the Digital Systems platform, which is expected to roll out in stages from the early 2020s.

With all that in mind, Alstom’s ETCS Solutions Director Vincent Passau gives Rail Express his thoughts on how operators can use ATO as a tool to improve their operations.

“When we speak about ATO, it is not simply an onboard function. It is the way you regulate and optimise the capacity of your network,” he says.

“An integrated Traffic Management System (TMS) gives a global view of the complete performance of your system; you know where your trains are, how they are behaving, where they are in comparison to the timetable.”

Passau says the accurate tracking of trains provided through modern onboard and trackside technology further aids the performance of a TMS. “Iconis [Alstom’s mainline TMS solution] is working well in combination with ETCS technology, because the data being sent by ETCS are giving us very accurate information about the train. Not just the track section the train is on, but its exact location, speed, and its mode of operation, so our system can detect not just if a train is late, but why it is late, and adjust automatically.”

The technology allows the transfer of instructions in the other direction, telling a train to speed up or slow down within safe limits, to better comply to its timetable and to improve capacity and performance on a network-wide level.

“Once the train receives the information from the control centre, it will have the expected speed profile and the arrival time at the next station, and the ATO will compute a speed profile to achieve that within the safety limits, and while using energy in the most efficient way.”

At the control centre, Alstom’s Iconis system incorporates automatic path management functions with the goal of achieving greater efficiency on large networks with dense traffic.

Implemented in Bologna, Italy, the system automatically routed 80 per cent of traffic, and achieved a 15 per cent capacity boost.

“Because you have better stability, you can increase your margins and operate your network in the most efficient way,” Passau says.

Passau says Alstom’s systems, as well as its onboard and trackside technologies, are designed with the potential for a transition between GoA 2 and GoA 4 in mind.

“Every transportation segment of rail is going towards ATO, and then we see it progressively moving from GoA 2 with a driver, to GoA 3, where it is driverless but you have a person on the train in case of incidents, or to support the passengers should they need it, up to the unattended Grade of Automation 4.

“The important element is moving from

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39

SIGNALLING & COMMUNICATIONS

Independent, versatile signalling solutions for a modern market Rail Control Systems Australia was founded in 2007 by a pair of Signalling Engineers who identified a clear niche in the market. Today it has grown to work on projects as large as Brisbane’s Cross River Rail. Oliver Probert speaks with Paul Hann and Richard Ogilvie about their business.

T

WELVE YEARS AGO, PAUL HANN and Richard Ogilvie recognised a need within the rail sector for better signalling project delivery. Assured there was the necessary talent to fill that niche, the pair co-founded Rail Control Systems Australia (RCS Australia).

“Richard and I were both Signalling Engineers and had met each other previously on various projects around the world, but at the time we were both working in Australia,” Hann, who recently took on the role of CEO, tells Rail Express.

“We recognised there was a good

talent pool of Signalling Engineers, and we thought if we put some of them together we could deliver some better-quality engineering than we were seeing at that time around the industry.”

The pair brought together a core team of signalling, design and testing and commissioning expertise at first based in both Brisbane and Melbourne, with the aim of combining signalling expertise with solid project management capabilities.

“Predominantly we were aiming to provide that combination of engineering talent and project delivery: really

understanding the client’s needs, and getting it right the first time, so the client really got what they were after – which was not necessarily what was being given to them.”

Ogilvie, both a Mechanical Engineer and a qualified Signalling Engineer, says RCS Australia sought to serve customers not only through its end-to-end capabilities, but through its independent position.

“Most of the signalling delivery resources within Australia were based either in a railway itself – say a state-owned operator – or with one of the OEMs,” he says.

Hann and Ogilvie perceived inherent

CROSS RIVER RAIL

BELOW: Rail Control Systems has grown since 2007 into a versatile signalling and engiineering provider.

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ISSUE 4 2019 | RAIL EXPRESS

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flaws to this status quo: signalling expertise constrained within just one operator would be limited to the experience and capabilities of that operator, and by a smaller dedicated team. Meanwhile, expertise within one of the major OEMs would be limited to providing only that OEM’s solution.

“We started by focusing on that top-level signalling design and commissioning, but that grew into focusing more on holistic project delivery,” Hann explains. “We’ve added a construction capability to the business, because it became apparent we could do well putting together a design and construct sort of offering. And where we’ve driven that is to try and get as much of an end-to-end offering to our clients where we can.”

Now with offices in Australia, Hong Kong and the United Kingdom, RCS Australia is capable of providing a technology solution and engineering a job: designing, building, commissioning and even maintaining it.

The company works across mainline, freight, metro and light rail, with the goal of providing clients with holistic signalling project delivery.

Growth focus

Key to RCS Australia’s growth since it was founded in 2007 has been its versatility.

“Growth has come from a number of different areas,” Hann says. “In some cases we’ve been a part of a multi-disciplined alliance delivery model, and that’s given us the opportunity to develop our discipline expertise in the signalling space, while working on those larger projects.

“We’ve also grown as a technology solutions provider, and Whyalla was a formative project in that space. It was our first install of a commercial off-the-shelf, SIL4 signalling solution, and that project proved to us there were definitely some opportunities for pursuing that kind of technology in Australia.”

The Whyalla project Hann refers to, which RCS Australia delivered for Leighton Contractors in 2012, involved the design and construct of a complete signalling solution for Arrium Mining’s Whyalla Port Expansion Project, located within the OneSteel steel works in Whyalla, on the upper north east coast of South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula.

The project incorporated 15 kilometres of steel track, two signalled balloon loops, 11 active level crossings, and interfaces with two existing main and several internal rail lines. RCS Australia was responsible for the scope, design, procurement, construction, installation, testing and commissioning of

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ABOVE: Paul Hann (left) and Richard Ogilvie (right), co-founders of RCS Australia.

the system, as well as delivery of power and communication networks.

The remoteness of Whyalla meant the RCS Australia team had to conduct special planning and budgeting. Further complexities included variable cable and equipment delivery rates, and having to consolidate freight from different sources.

Despite these challenges, the project was a major success, and Ogilvie now considers it a milestone for the business.

“It was at that time, around six or seven years ago, that we thought rather than being a consultancy working to an hourly rate, we were prepared to stand on our own two feet and take on large quantities of work on a fixed price basis,” he says.

“We give the customer certainty on a project and are prepared to back ourselves in terms of how it’s delivered. I think that’s one of the key service differentiators that we provide: in some respects, we are like a consultancy, but we are always happy to put down a firm price and manage that for the customer.”

Ogilvie also notes that during RCS Australia’s growth, the market has changed in terms of how technology is provided, and the company has responded to that shift.

“Technology and signalling systems used to be generally available to system integrators and companies like ourselves, and that’s lessso these days,” he explains.

“We’ve recognised that gap in the market and that started us down the track of delivering our own signalling products and SIL4 systems. They’re based on commercial off-the-shelf technology; not proprietary, not vendor-locked, and they give both us and our customers the ability to take full control of the finished product, and maintain it throughout its life-cycle.”

“The old model of proprietary, vendorlocked systems; there’s a bit of a desire to break away from that,” Hann adds. “There’s a desire from the customer to have a little bit more control over the engineering of the product, or what they can do with it.

“Ten years ago a commercial off-theshelf offering was probably being dismissed

by the industry as not viable, but it’s now very relevant, and we’re seeing a lot of movement in that space. I think there’s going to be a lot more commercial off-the-shelf solutions within the industry.”

Hann says despite the company’s growth and versatility, RCS Australia has managed to maintain a high level of signalling expertise and industry knowledge.

“Many of the people who were part of our founding team are still with the business,” he says, “and now that’s combined with the commercial offerings we have within the technology space, and our ability to really get the best outcomes for our clients on a project-specific basis.”

The flexibility that helped the company grow is still a major asset.

While still working on technology supply and smaller project delivery, RCS Australia’s successful project portfolio also includes major operations like the Cranbourne Pakenham Rail Corridor Project, where it worked to provide updated reference designs to Metro Trains Melbourne, and the Cross River Rail Project in Brisbane, where it is part of the Unity Alliance delivering the design, supply and installation of the supporting rail system, and integration of Cross River Rail into the broader South East Queensland network.

“We might be designing, constructing and providing the technology for one project, design only on another, construct only on the next,” Hann says. “We maintain a very strong ethic of looking at our client’s needs, and ensuring they get success out of their project, and that’s what drives us.”

International push

Ogilvie also says the RCS Australia team has benefitted from a vast amount of international experience. “In the engineering sector, but particularly in signalling, there is a fairly strong push for people to work in different parts of the world,” he says.

“In our formative years, we were bringing together a group of people who had done work in a number of different regions, and that experience has seen us provide solutions to projects in places like the UK, Taiwan and Indonesia.

“One of our key capabilities is providing technology solutions that aren’t OEMdriven, but commercial off-the-shelf. And that’s picking up in some markets overseas: we have a trial site in Taiwan at the moment, and there are opportunities to export that technology to places like New Zealand, Europe, Asia and the United States.”

Contact: railcontrol.com.au

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SIGNALLING & COMMUNICATIONS

Signalling expertise with proven results Rail Express speaks with national signalling and electrical specialist JBE Group about its work providing rail signalling systems and maintenance.

F

ORMERLY JUDGE BROS ELECTRICAL, JBE has since 1992 worked to develop a reputation providing high quality services and turnkey solutions for all signalling and electrical industries.

Operations Manager Jack Hills tells Rail Express the JBE team strives to deliver dependable signalling and electrical systems while ensuring a cost-effective, efficient and expedient service.

“We provide complete services for signalling construction works, from turnkey finished products to conducting pre-feasibility studies, concept development, site management, construction, foundations, cable routes, decommissioning, testing and commissioning,” Hills says. “That could be for level crossings, traffic light integration, interlockings, turnouts, signals or track circuits.”

Alongside construction, the company has a strong presence in the signalling maintenance and fault response space.

“This includes civil support works, engineering, fault root cause analysis, incident investigation, refurbishment works and overhauls, asbestos removal, repairs and site acceptance testing for a range of signalling equipment including points machines, boom mechanisms, and Q-style relays,” Hills says.

On top of this, Hills says JBE – headquartered in Brisbane – can provide track protection officers competent in all Queensland networks. Officers are supplied in RCPO, PO1, PO2 and Hand signaller levels of competency.

Hills notes a number of key rail contracts where the company has demonstrated its value.

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JBE worked as the Principal Contractor upgrading 11 interlocking sites, commissioning 10 power equipment rooms and upgrading 200 signals to LED on the Brisbane, Cleveland and Gold Coast lines. The company’s role included principal management, construction, testing and commissioning with successful asset handover to the client.

JBE has also upgraded 200 signals on the North Coast line in Queensland, providing innovative solutions to refurbish life-expired railway signals.

Hills says JBE has “extensive experience in upgrading axle counters,” with recent works supporting the replacement of existing axle counters along the North Coast line.

Furthermore, JBE performs signalling maintenance and fault response in South East Queensland intermodal and rail maintenance facilities.

“With complete maintenance scheduling, servicing and fault response our team is dedicated to the on-time running of services,” Hills says.

“This service extends to asset renewal works to provide cost efficient solutions in prolonging aging technology that can still be maintained and kept safe for services.”

He concludes: “We have developed a reputation for the delivery of projects and now our clients can benefit from our team’s experience.”

LEFT: JBE Operations Manager Jack Hills says the company aims to provide a cost-effective service.

BELOW: The JBE team hard at work.

Contact: corporate@jbe.net.au

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SIGNALLING & COMMUNICATIONS

A better bet for balise Pandrol (Vortok) has developed a balise mount system that could change the game for on-track install times. Rail Express speaks with Pandrol’s Craig Mulvay.

B

ALISE ARE AN IMPORTANT component of modern rail signalling technology and a familiar sight on the rail track.

Craig Mulvay, a technical and commercial development manager at rail track systems specialist Pandrol (Vortok) explains that balise serve primarily as a beacon on European train control systems (ETCS) that can accurately provide a train’s location (along with other data) through communication with trainborne receivers.

It is important that balise be correctly and securely fitted to rail tracks due to the need for accurate positioning and the safety critical data balise transmit. The Pandrol (Vortok) Balise Mount Systems (BMS) are commonly installed as mechanical fasteners for ECTS balise but can also be used to mount Communications-based Train Control (CBTC) transponders as well (along with the capability to be adapted to any signalling technology).

Traditionally, balise-fitting installations have been considered a rather laborious process, requiring either the removal of ballast from around sleepers or sleeper drilling and anchoring, processes that can risk damage to sleepers and

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cost more money down the line.

The Pandrol (Vortok) BMS is set to aid this with a duo of products designed to facilitate easier balise installations in a fraction of the time.

The BMS On Sleeper beam and BMS Clamp Beam hold several benefits for both installers and end users. For one, the integrity of the sleepers is maintained since the beams do not require any drilling with power tools to be fit balise into position.

Instead, installation can be facilitated cleanly using commercially available hand tools.

This reduces installation and removal periods significantly, with Pandrol (Vortok) estimating ontrack times of less than two minutes per beam for the On Sleeper type beams. This in turn improves project management flexibility for operators as well.

The installation is so quick that it can also help to reduce (or even entirely eliminate) the need for track possession in brown field sites.

Balise positioning being set by design rather than the competence level of the installer significantly reducing the risk of read errors between balise and receiver.

“Normally the procedure would require track position as you would not be able to do the job within traffic,” Mulvay explains.

ABOVE: Pandrol’s new On Sleeper Balise Mount System (BMS).

TOP RIGHT: The older Vortok Train Protection and Warning System (TPWS).

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“In addition, getting power tools on site adds time and equipment liability.”

The products are suitable for fitting balise from several different manufacturers, including Bombardier, Siemens, Hitachi and Alstom.

The On Sleeper Beams use the existing rail fastening as an attachment point and are capable of interfacing with all major fastening systems, such as Pandrol’s own e-clip, Fastclip and Nabla, as well as Schwihag, Vossloh, K-Plates, Delkor and directly to timber sleepers. This helps to avoid the requirement for installation of additional components that could require training or added time for installs.

For example on the E-Clip system; “Very simple hand tools can be used to extract the e-clip and equally put it back in - we use the heel load (the reactionary load) of the e-clip to hold down our beam,” says Mulvay. “We take the clip out with the hand tool, get the beam in position and reinstall the clips.”

The biggest advantage of positioning the balise over the sleeper is that the bed between the sleepers can remain unoccupied, which is handy for allowing automatic railway maintenance applications such as ballast consolidation machines to maintain access to the space between the sleepers.

Clamp beams, by contrast, are placed between sleepers and are secured to track via mechanical clamping to the underside of the running rail foot and are available in single or double clamp beam formations.

Mulvay explains that the development of the double clamp beam variant came about as a response to the needs of high-speed rail lines in Germany.

“The development of double clamp beams originated in Germany from a phenomenon known as ‘ice bombs’ or ‘ice shedding’”, Mulvay says.

“Ice shedding can become a more common as trains travel through tunnels where the environment is a bit warmer, chunks of ice that have built up on

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the trains can melt,” he explains.

“When they are exposed to the sudden pressure change on exiting a tunnel, those big chunks of ice can shed from the train, so in Germany (among other countries) they have a requirement that all equipment mounted on track be required to withstand the impact of these ice strikes. It proved quite the challenge in terms of engineering.”

The Pandrol (Vortok) team tested the strength of the single clamp beam by hitting it with a 4kg billet of ice at 176km/h, which was suitable for slow- and standard-speed tracks, but insufficient for high-speed rail, which led to the development of a double clamp system capable of withstanding greater punishment of up to 330km/h strikes.

The BMS products build on Pandrol’s 20 years of equipment mounting experience dating back to the launch of the original Vortok Train Protection and Warning System (TPWS) in the year 2000.

The company’s innovations on the TPWS, which served as something of a progenitor of Pandrol (Vortok) modern BMS systems, included the use of track fasteners as a fixing point and pultruded fibreglass as a structural material to support the signalling asset.

TPWS innovated in its the use of pultruded fibreglass, which was considered an excellent material for use on the railway in terms of its strength-to-weight ratio, and its ability to withstand the often harsh environments of the railway.

The natural electrical isolation properties of the material also ensure existing track circuit signalling technology is unimpeded.

The company then followed up its initial success on the TPWS with its first official BMS, the H-Frame, followed by the heavy-duty Automatic Warning System (AWS) Rapid Fit Frame, capable of carrying up to three AWS magnets of over 70kg each.

Pandrol (Vortok)’s experience with the development of mounting systems has helped to inform the design decisions on the on sleeper and clamp beam.

“

The installation is so quick that it can also help to reduce (or even entirely eliminate) the need for track possession in brownfield sites.

”

BELOW: The Automatic Warning System (AWS) Rapid Fit Frame.

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SIGNALLING & COMMUNICATIONS

A dessan for life Hitachi’s dessan software is the only design software specifically tailored for rail.

Rail Express asks, ‘Why didn’t somebody think of it sooner?’

D

RAWING ON MANY YEARS OF systems integration experience within signalling technology, Hitachi Information Control Systems Europe (HICSE) has added a new feather to the cap of its dessan Rail product suite. HICSE’s dessan Rail products, developed to improve efficiency, safety and performance, now includes a new integration, dessan Design.

Early scheme plan drawings can be edited and created by clicking and dropping objects from a pre-existing library of signalling components. This allows users to design and edit in real time, significantly speeding up decision making related to stakeholder engagement and design optimisation. dessan Design has been developed with the principles of intelligent design in mind to make things easier for track designers in the earliest stages of signalling design.

The program can monitor the validity of a track diagram while it is being drawn, while warning icons are able to pop up and alert the user with an error description on the diagram in case there are any issues in the design.

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The ability to automatically check for basic errors in this way greatly reduces potential reworking during later design stages. dessan Design also provides several advanced scalability options that allow ongoing development without the need for specialist third-party technology.

“Creating the right environment was essential to ensure easy adoption,” says Denise Watkins, sales manager at HICSE. “The objective was to use the latest technology to design a highly intuitive, userfriendly tool with a modern interface that was simple to deploy globally.”

User experience (UX) was another central tenet of dessan Design’s creation. To understand what was important to users when using the software, Hitachi utilised performance research from UK-based client Network Rail. dessan Design can be used on platforms that use valid Standard Data Exchange Format (SDEF) files, with other data export formats also being available. This allows for deployment across a wide range of users in both the UK and international rail signalling supply chain, helping both rail companies and passengers. dessan Design has so far received positive

ABOVE: dessan Design is specifically created for rail.

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feedback from a soft launch at the Railtex exposition in the UK, though it is still too early to provide a full assessment of the potential scope of the product’s integrational impact on the dessan Rail suite as a whole.

HICSE also specialises in high-fidelity simulation which can replicate the signalling infrastructure and operations of any part of the rail network.

“Design decisions and/or errors can be difficult and costly to amend on a live railway.

So before committing to or investing in new or altered infrastructure it makes sense to use this type of technology to fully test the integrity of a design in a virtual environment, especially when engineering and operational options are being considered,” says Watkins.

A good example of the effectiveness of dessan Rail software was its use on the major £200 million ($362 million) re-signalling project to improve the railway in and around Derby station, UK. HICSE was engaged by Network Rail to produce a detailed micro simulation model for the planned rail infrastructure using dessan Model.

“Although the station itself was modernised in 2013, the track layout had not been improved for nearly 50 years and the signalling had not been comprehensively upgraded since the 1960s,” Watkins says. “During this time, the number of passengers travelling through Derby has more than doubled.”

“It was the biggest investment and improvement program at Derby for decades and now provides better journeys for thousands of passengers every year.”

The project involved the creation of five design options that could be demonstrated to companies in real time (including perturbed operations).

“

The objective was to use the latest technology to design a highly intuitive, userfriendly tool with a modern interface that was simple to deploy globally

”

According to Steve Taylor, Network Rail Senior Project Engineer for the remodelling project, this on-the-fly flexibility has proven essential for stakeholder meetings.

“I believe without this simulation tool the Derby remodelling would be fully reliant on simpler and retrospective modelling much later in the design process,” he says. “Therefore, the tool enabled the project to demonstrate to the sponsor value for money much earlier.”

Overall, HICSE has high hopes that dessan Design will bring overall improvements to the efficiency and accuracy of signalling project design, with future scope for automated design and testing.

“As rail transport demand continues to expand worldwide, it is increasingly important to boost performance levels,” concludes Watkins.

LEFT: A sketch created using dessan Design shows a dynamic representation of a live railway.

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RAIL EXPRESS | ISSUE 4 2019

47

Delivering Growth; Creating Opportunity; Embracing Technology

THE LARGEST RAIL EVENT IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE RETURNS TO SYDNEY WHAT TO EXPECT, BESIDES THREE DAYS OF HIGHLY BENEFICIAL ENGAGEMENT WITH YOUR PEERS, SUPPLIERS AND SERVICE PROVIDERS...

• 1000+ senior rail sector, government and academic leaders participating in the conference • Plenary and technical streams across three informative days • 400+ exhibiting organisations from a diverse range of suppliers and service providers • 13 catered functions for a cross range of attendees over three days of premium networking including Welcome Reception, Networking Drinks, 2 major Gala Dinners, Luncheons • And more

ARE YOU AN ARA MEMBER? ARA Members receive a 20% discount on conference attendance, sponsorships and exhibitions (conditions apply)

YOUNG RAIL PROFESSIONALS – AUSRAIL SHINES A SPOTLIGHT ON TOMORROW’S LEADERS • Young Rail Professionals Pitching Competition – ENTRIES NOW OPEN! • Next Generation Scholarships • NEW FOR 2019 – Mentor 50% discount rate now available for those 35 years and under (conditions apply) • Visit www.ausrail.com for full information.

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To promote your organisation, secure a networking package, exhibit or advertise, email: Deborah.Bocock@informa.com.au

TRAINING

A dead CERT for rail training CERT has been providing rail training for two decades.

A

N ORGANISATION IS ONLY AS good as its staff and the rail industry is no exception. The Centre for Excellence in Rail Training (CERT) was developed in recognition of this fact in Western Australia in 2003.

Owned by diversified company Engenco, CERT is a registered training organisation (RTO) committed to providing responsive, flexible, innovative and cost-effective training solutions to the Australian rail industry.

From small beginnings, the company has since moved on to provide extensive training not just for rail workers in Australia, but across the mining, port and engineering industries internationally. With over 40 trainers and assessors located across the country, the business has developed into a significant safety player.

In 2004, the business expanded to New South Wales, followed by Queensland, Victoria and the Northern Territory in 2008.

By 2011, CERT boasted training facilities all over Australia, with the latest (2018) being its Ballarat station training centre in Victoria.

The company expanded its high-risk and mobile plant equipment training capacity in WA with its Pilbara and Bunbury centre launches in 2016 and 2018, with highly skilled assessors focusing on relevant, contextualised and hands-on training in addition to rail.

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The company’s client base has also grown considerably in the same period, encompassing a list of rail majors and government orgs. This includes companies such as Queensland Rail, RISSB, Transport for NSW, Samsung C&T, Aurizon and V/ Line, in addition to several Tier 1 mining companies such as Rio Tinto, BHP and Fortescue, to name a few.

“CERT offices and trainers are strategically placed nationally to ensure compliant, responsive and cost-effective service to national clients,” says CERT Training national manager Mark Haigh.

“Internationally, CERT has developed and delivered tailored training programs to countries including Kenya, New Zealand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Uganda and the UK.” Nationally recognised rail qualifications offered by the company for the Australian rail industry currently include TLI21315 – Cert II in Rail Infrastructure; TLI32515 – Cert III in Rail Infrastructure; TLI42315 – Cert IV in Rail Infrastructure; TLI42615 – Cert IV in Rail Operations; and TLI22015 – Cert II in Shunting with track inductions and rail safeworking.

These courses include various assessment methods including theory, practical and onthe-job assessments. For all these processes, CERT has integrated the use of technology helping to enhance the learning experience

ABOVE: CERT has expanded its suite of training safety solutions in Australia significantly since launching in 2003.

and support environmental commitments.

All CERT trainers hold the current Certificate IV in Training and Assessment in addition to state and national safety and vocational qualifications. CERT trainers are also kept current in their vocational skills with regular industry placement to ensure their training reflects the latest in industry practice.

These qualifications are relevant across all states and territories of Australia and encompass a holistic approach to rail training, according to Haigh.

“CERT trainers and assessors have a minimum of 15 years’ — most in excess of 20 — rail industry experience and a minimum of three years’ rail training experience,” he says.

“Our most popular courses vary from state to state and subject to particular project requirements, but in general it’s about rail infrastructure at all levels of qualification, rail safeworking and rail operations.”

CERT maintains high levels of regulatory compliance and continues to expand opening new facilities and extending its scope of services to meet industry demand nationally.

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49

MAJOR PROJECTS

Improving major projects and avoiding cost blowouts through better integration With a booming pipeline for rail in Australia and New Zealand, quality end-to-end project management is critical to avoid cost blowouts. Oliver Probert speaks with Peter Gill from Donald Cant Watts Corke about the importance of an integrated design and cost approach.

P

ETER GILL IS THE MANAGING Director of Infrastructure for cost and project consultancy Donald Cant Watts Corke (DCWC). Just over a year after coming onboard in April 2018 to revitalise the Infrastructure division, Gill tells Rail Express his team has made great strides in the transportation space – particularly in rail.

“We’ve had great success,” he reports, “getting into the market on suburban road upgrade projects, the Melbourne Metro Tunnel project, Sydney Light Rail … we’ve had a very, very successful year.”

For the Metro Tunnel project, DCWC’s Infrastructure team is providing cost planning assurance in the form of the measurement and cost estimation of around 400 design packages for the five new underground stations. The design packages are passing through two levels of design – concept and detailed – before being issued for construction.

Gill says in its year of growth, the DCWC Infrastructure team has looked to the importance of end-to-end support from an integrated project management team to a successful and under-budget project.

“Fully integrated project teams – rather than a separate design and a separate cost team – we think are the answer to saving time and cost blowouts in the future,” Gill says.

“We advocate that our clients focus very heavily on the constructability and operational requirements prior to projects going to the market.

We’re trying to encourage governments now to do that work upfront, before they go to market.

“In addition to that, organisations are too often ignoring the Treasury and Finance guidelines for high risk, high value projects, missing governance issues, and so on.”

As a platform for this advocacy, Gill in May presented a White Paper to the Victorian Transport Infrastructure Conference. The paper suggests if the best talent resources aren’t present and flexible cost options aren’t provided and continuously benchmarked and tested against the market, “the Total Outturn Cost for major transport-related infrastructure projects could be

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underestimated by 15 per cent to 20 per cent”.

“There are often various factors that can lead to an inaccurate business case cost estimate being developed for a project,” the paper explains. “Some of the more common issues that have been identified on transportrelated projects have included a lack of accurate site condition information, particularly below ground, and experience in the requirements of government authorities.”

As a prime example of this, the paper points to the Sydney CBD and South East Light Rail, which after the settling of legal disputes is nudging towards a final project cost of around $2.7 billion – over $1 billion higher than the forecast made at the end of 2014.

“Initial requirements on the Sydney Light Rail were grossly underestimated,” Gill tells Rail Express, quoting the Audit Office of NSW report from 2016, which suggested the full scope of the work was not properly understood when the State Government approved the business case for the project.

“The scope and costs were uncertain when the business case was approved,” the Audit Office

ABOVE: Accurate scope and cost analysis is critical to the overall success of a public transport project.

TOP RIGHT: DCWC has provided advice for the Metro Tunnel Project’s Tunnels and Stations PPP.

RIGHT: A concept image for the Metro Tunnel.

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report stated. “By October 2014, TfNSW reported that mispricing and omissions in the business case had caused $517 million of the $549 million capital cost increase. The remaining increase ($32 million) was due to scope changes and planning modifications, some of which TfNSW knew about before submitting the business case for approval.”

A way forward

Gill encourages governments and organisations to take a close look at the mistakes of the past, particularly given the size of Australia’s pipeline for rail projects.

“With projects like Inland Rail, the Melbourne Airport Rail Link, Metronet in Western Australia and a rail link to Western Sydney Airport, the portion of rail projects in infrastructure will probably be more significant in coming years than any other sector,” he says.

“As a nation therefore, we cannot afford to perpetuate the mistakes of the past where scope and cost is uncertain at Business Case, and project cost blow outs become the norm, rather than the exception.

“Unfortunately, specific infrastructure projects have been used in the past for political debates at both state and federal government levels and in some instances the requirements and budget details have been rushed as part of the process.

“We’re very concerned about that, and it’s why we’re advocating these projects use these integrated teams, to enhance those requirements upfront. Governments can then present a scope and budget which is more accurate, and that’s where we need to focus.”

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Gill says it is imperative that greater emphasis be placed on both the constructability and operational requirements long before major projects reach business case, and/or the market.

“No procurement model or form of contract can save a project if inadequate information and cost advice is uncertain prior to delivery,” he says.

“Legal disputes, loss of confidence, customer and stakeholder reparation and further compensation claims are all undesirable collateral of such an outcome.”

An integrated approach

Gill says his team frequently looks to leverage the wide range of disciplines available within the DCWC talent pool when working in the rail sector. Outside of transportation, DCWC has eight other divisions, operating across sectors like civil, commercial, residential and retail.

“Using a major rail project like Melbourne’s Metro Tunnel project as one example, the right advice cannot be given without the integration of at least five of our divisions,” Gill says.

“Mechanical and electrical, processes advice, contract advice, quantity surveying support, project management support; these are all very important. We can’t claim all of the success on these major projects for our division, we share that success with the other divisions. In our experience, such integrated project teams can provide improvement in the assurance of information and cost impact by up to 20 per cent.”

Across the whole DCWC team, Gill says personnel have experience working on a wide range of rail projects, from next generation regional rail developments, underground projects using high capacity metro trains, intermodal freight terminals, the conversion of existing rollingstock to meet innovative operations procedures.

“Our Methodology in each case is underpinned by three core principles,” he says. “Director involvement for the duration of the engagement; an integrated team approach and collaborative work with transparent project governance; and systems and process with client-centric method.

“With our integrated team approach we can offer design advice, contract and procurement advice construction and scheduling advice; Project Management advice, CAPEX and OPEX cost planning and risk management services.

“With our long and extensive experience in the delivery of landside and airside projects in a complex airport operating environment, we would like to transfer this valuable experience and lessons learnt to the delivery of rail projects in the future.”

Contact: dcwc.com.au

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PRODUCTS & TECHNOLOGY

Illuminating ideas for rail Sonaray is shining a light on rail safety with its latest project with Pacific National. Rail Express reports.

L

ED TECHNOLOGY COMPANY SONARAY has been providing controlled optic lighting solutions for myriad industries since its founding in 2008. Created as the lighting-focused subsidiary of holding company Dascom, the company is primarily known for its LED lighting solutions.

Sonaray’s light products such as its Delta range of flood lights and Off Grid Solar lights (which offer 17 hours of light from a single charge), are both well suited for railway lighting setups, where optimum visibility is crucial for night operations.

The Delta range is noted for its highpenetration optic lighting, flexible beam angle configurations and easily removable modular driver, which is both upgradeable and interchangeable with all of the company’s lighting lines.

“If you have a 100-watt light and want to improve the brightness to 150-watt, you can swap the 100W driver to the 150W driver easily” says Dennis Mah, strategy and commercial development manager at Sonaray.

Not only do the drivers provide benefits of upgradability, they are also designed to be modular, so that in cases where the driver fails the whole light fitting doesn’t have to be replaced. In addition, this also benefits the company’s sustainability program by reducing unnecessary wastage.

This technology was recognised by the Good Design Awards in Sydney in 2018, where Sonaray received a Product Design award for its Delta flood lights.

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The optic control system uses a combination of chip-on-board (COB) LED chip technology, and optic lenses to customise a solution that can help to improve light control, penetration and light spillage.

This lends the end user greater brightness in areas where it is needed most. This output is measured by lux — the intensity of illumination over a given surface area, not to be confused with lumens — the measurement of total light emitted from the bulb.

This system gives the users more light control when compared to other types of LED lighting.

This system increases lighting efficiency by avoiding light wastage issues associated with the current surface-mounted diode (SMD) chip technology. Even though they produce a greater lumen output, the useable light output is lost through reflectors and diffusers in an attempt to

ABOVE: Sonaray is currently using its lighting technology to upgrade infrastructure at Pacific National’s Melbourne yard.

TOP RIGHT: A before and after shot of one of Sonaray’s installations shows a marked improvement to visibility.

LEFT: Sonaray Australia strategy and commercial development manager Dennis Mah (left) and director Alex Poon (right) hold their Good Design Awards in Sydney last year.

RIGHT: Sonaray’s Delta flood lights on display at the 2018 Good Design Awards in Sydney.

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control the light. These can be differentiated by the number of LED chips in the light since SMD has a large quantity of chips whereas COB only has a few.

It is in the area of improved lighting control and efficiency is where Sonaray’s lighting really shines, according to Mah. “Both lumens and lux are considered to be more efficient units of measurement than wattage, which is more applicable to the traditional bulbs,” he explains.

“Lumens can tell you how much light you’ll get from a particular light source, but not how much light you’ll get over a particular area, but if you’re in an workshop, for example, you don’t necessarily want that light on the walls or on the ceiling, you want it on your bench.”

The lens design has the added benefit of reducing glare, which holds a safety benefit for workers such as train drivers, who might otherwise be temporarily stunned by bright lights.

“If you’re a train driver and you get hit by the light, what happens? You’ll see dots

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and might get blinded for a while or lose concentration of your train.”

Sonaray lights are modular in design and also offer surge protection of up to 450 watts for the lights, so even if it does blow, that module can be replaced easily without the need to replace the whole light fitting.

The lights are also fully protected from the elements, boasting water resistance, impact resistance and corrosion resistance.

Sonaray is currently using its lighting technology to upgrade the existing infrastructure at Pacific National’s Melbourne yard through a partnership with energy auditor Beacon Solar Solutions. It is one of four Pacific National projects Sonaray is working on in Australia, in addition to works in Adelaide, Perth and Sydney.

Through the implementation of optic lighting with beam angles ranging from 18 to 120 degrees, light can be directed only where required, penetrating further, avoiding spillage onto neighbouring areas and eliminating the need for inefficient, diffusers and reflectors.

This project is intended to improve Pacific National’s environmental OHS by minimising dark spots across the track by retrofitting to the new LED lighting. Around 250 flood lights and 150 street light will be installed as part of the project.

“The client tells us what they want, we design a plan that is appropriate for the area and provide a lighting plan and simulation that shows how much light they can get in a given area,” says Mah. “Sonaray receives a site plan from the site manager, so that its technicians can utilise existing infrastructure, such as poles and wiring, to create an optimal lighting plan.”

This will lead to significant savings costs to Pacific National. Sonaray estimates that an ongoing project with Pacific National in Melbourne & Adelaide could deliver $100,000 in maintenance cost savings a year on top of the operational electricity cost.

“They were previously using 1000W metal halide that would take a while to turn on, and because of the 30-metre plus heights where they were installed limited lighting was achieved,” explains Dennis.

“These kinds of lamps would not only require a boom lift to get someone up there to change the bulbs out, but it would also require a team of qualified electricians, drivers and spotters to change a bulb to boot.”

Sonaray estimates that by replacing 1000-watt halide lamps with a combination of 150-watt and 250-watt Delta LED flood lights, Pacific National could see similar results in Melbourne, saving around 75 per cent in lighting operational costs as soon as the project is completed. While improving the brightness of the whole site.

“By making the switch to us, they basically won’t have any maintenance cost for lighting,” he concludes.

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PRODUCTS & TECHNOLOGY

Meeting the standard for rail safety Road and rail equipment specialist Manco Rail discusses how the evolution of safety protocol has helped to shape its technological leadership.

R

OAD/RAIL EQUIPMENT SPECIALIST Manco Rail has seen a lot of change in its 40-year history of custombuilt equipment for rail electrification and rail maintenance projects.

The company has met industry need for safety developed its technologies over the years to become more integrated with mainline production methods, ensuring its offerings meet the highest standards of safety and efficiency.

‘Necessity is the mother of invention’ as the old adage goes, and increasingly stringent safety policies in the rail and construction industries have led to a number of innovations for Manco’s bespoke output, according to Manco general manager Ryan Black.

“Back in the day you could get some sheet metal, whack a few bits and pieces together and ‘She’ll be ‘right’,” he says. “That’s kind of how we got started, but now we look at projects where we’re operating machinery on a computer with so many certifications and safety guidelines and standards, and that also applies to our bespoke material.”

This evolution is in keeping with comments made Infrastructure Australia chief executive Romilly Madew, who recently commented at the AFR National Infrastructure Summit in Melbourne that new technologies often push

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boundaries before the need for controlling legislation is developed or even recognised.

Manco’s developments in areas such as trackbound elevated work platforms (EWPs), overhead line tensioners and scissor lifts have developed to meet the pace of this industry need.

Tensioners in particular have provided a strong outlet for safety over the years given their primary purpose of tensioning wires while avoiding overtensioning, which can lead to breakage. Wire tensioning equipment allows for the simultaneous tensioning of contact and catenary wires,

ABOVE: A vintage image of early Manco rail equipment carrying a CITRA truck.

BELOW: Manco’s modern tensioning plant.

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ABOVE: Manco’s tensioning plant today (bottom) has come a long way from technology in the 1980s (top).

Manco’s latest tensioner vehicle, the Manco Rail WT2020, which is capable of running dual overhead wire under final tension parameters, is a good example of how the company achieves this.

Building off of existing European wagon-mounted methods, the tensioning technology was built using two 350HP Isuzu FVZ Road Rail vehicles combined to form a single consist that can be controlled by one person via radio remote control.

“We’ve been crazy to build it to be honest, but that would be known as the most innovative piece of high rail equipment in the country, or even in southeast Asia,” Ryan says.

“Issues like wire breaks are all too common, so it’s a great way to improve safety in this regard.”

It’s a far cry from the company’s wiring train from the 1970s, which

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required several manual operators who were not often dressed to the standards of modern operators.

“There have been massive changes in PPE,” says Manco group managing director Bryan Black. “Where forty years ago, jandals, sandshoes, T-shirts, shorts and straw hats were frequently the norm, this has now fortunately been replaced by quality visual apparel, matched with a high standard of head, eye and ear protection.”

Bryan adds that operator awareness is another prevalent element of modern rail safety that has seen Manco evolve over several decades decades. His experience with operators manuals and their ability to provide both the correct knowledge of the equipment and the associated risks for the operator, is at odds with today’s expectations from many regulators and contractors.

THis is something that dates back to the company’s days as a key supplier of plant to Italian contractors CITRA and the Australian Infrastructure company EPT (Electrification, Power & Transmission) in

1979, a time when both companies were extensively involved in the electrification of the line from the Central Queensland Copal fields to Mackay.

Bryan, a mechanical engineer with forty-two years of experience in the rail industry, says that when it comes to safe operating practices on rail, one-on-one operator training designed to practically convey plant and equipment safety methods has been supplanted by dense operational manuals.

Today’s rail operators’ manuals in most cases have become such complex documents of over 100 plus pages that most operators struggle with the content and seldom refer to them after the initial induction.

Black suggests that a key operators’ document should be provided summarising key safety and risk assessment bullet points as well as daily maintenance checks and basic operating procedures as part and parcel of a physical induction.

Manco’s safety philosophy in this respect takes a leaf from the aviation industry, where cumbersome operational manuals are eschewed in favour of lighter documents that provide easy-tofind information in an emergency. This approach can serve to enhance safety, reduce risk and improve operational performance, particularly in situations where time is of the essence.

“There is a time and place for the fully detailed operators, but priority needs to focus on the abbreviated daily check sheets handed out at the time the equipment is handed over by the manufacturer to the end-user,” he explains.

“It is very appropriate to draw comparisons with rail plant operators’ procedures and that of today’s commercial pilots both fixed and rotary wing.

“Pilots specifically use brief, laminated, easy-to-read checklists as their main point of reference — normally in A5 size and sequenced to follow start-up, operation and shutdown procedures — with full detailed aircraft operational manuals are generally only referred to in emergencies, abnormal performance or operational activity.”

This philosophy of safety by reduction is emblematic of Manco’s approach to engineering; while the designs of its rail equipment are often complex, their use is not.

Overall, Manco’s assured approach to engineering, which has been honed over the last four decades in combination with a pioneering spark, is seeing the company take safety forward.

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Embracing new technology and encouraging harmonisation The Rail Industry Safety and Standards Board (RISSB) assists industry continuing on the path towards harmonisation and interoperability as rail moves into the digital age.

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HE RAIL INDUSTRY IS ON THE brink of what some believe is the fourth industrial revolution. Driven by the concept of the internet of things (IOT), at its core is the combination of big data, analytics and physical technology.

The acceleration of this technology stands to benefit operators, passengers, owners and the entire rail industry.

To realise future opportunities, industry must do more than just consider the concept of a digital railway. It must seriously contemplate how it can safely implement new technologies, and it must bring itself to move towards harmonisation at a far quicker pace.

The benefits of harmonisation are considerable in terms of productivity gains, improved safety and performance.

RISSB helps members better mitigate their operational and site risks by providing safety tools in the form of Australian Standards, Guidelines, and Codes of Practice.

One example of a risk is cyber security and data protection, which was relatively unheard until recently but now presents a unique risk with many organisations unsure of how to respond to this effectively. RISSB worked with industry to develop the word’s first Rail Cyber Security Standard and facilitated the development of the Australian Rail Network Cyber Security Strategy. RISSB has also offered two cyber security conferences and a third will be held next month.

Across jurisdictions, there are different forms of communicating instructions to drivers, different authorities to proceed and different ways for rail industry workers to establish train location. Last year RISSB published a Safety Critical Communications Guideline seeking

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to minimise the risk of failed communications.

The high level of interest in RISSB’s new certified Safety Critical Communications Course suggests that there is certainly more we can do to standardise safety critical communications across Australia. This course is offered to individuals or rail organisations.

The development of products such as these (RISSB has published 22 products since 1 July 2018) and the staging of RISSBdriven conferences confirms the relevance and significance of its products within the rail industry, as well as a growing demand for these products in future years as members of the industry move towards national harmonisation.

Consistency of safety standards across Australia is inevitable. Only fragmentation is holding the industry back from realising its true potential.

ABOVE: RISSB worked with industry to develop an Australian Rail Network Cyber Security Strategy.

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On the move Bombardier’s new boss on the company’s fresh approach

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rail overhaul PAGE 21

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Combining the resources of our respected journalism team and our unparalleled industry contacts and affiliations, Rail Express provides extensive, comprehensive and balanced coverage of breaking news and trends in key areas like infrastructure, investment, government policy, regulatory issues and technical innovation.

Published both in print and digitally every second month, the Rail Express magazine is the only publication to have both the official endorsement and active participation of the main railway associations in Australia and the broad support of the rail industry.

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INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS

Taking the next steps after Election 2019 Australasian Railway Association CEO Danny Broad discusses key priorities now that the 2019 federal election is over and the Coalition Government has been returned. years. His door has always been open to us and he has championed rail throughout his time in government and opposition.

Our industry, like the rest of Australia now looks forward to the next three years of stable government, committed to evidencebased policy, long term commitment to infrastructure investment and being held to account by an effective opposition.

The ARA will continue to work with the Morrison government as it implements its infrastructure agenda, adding our unique rail expertise and industry guidance and perspective.

The ARA’s overall approach is that properly planned and funded rail, integrated with other transport modes can ease congestion, assist decentralisation, grow connectivity and improve freight efficiency, making our economy more productive and improving our quality of life.

Faster Rail

ABOVE: ARA CEO Danny Broad.

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N BEHALF OF THE ARA BOARD and the members of the ARA, I congratulate Prime Minister Scott Morrison MP and his team in securing reelection for a third term. It’s not often that nearly all the political commentators get the result wrong. The Prime Minister led a strong ‘backs to the wall’ campaign that will no doubt go down in history.

Infrastructure played a clear role in the election campaign, and the Government’s $100b infrastructure program, launched in the 2019 federal Budget played no small part in the final result.

I also congratulate Anthony Albanese MP on his elevation to the position of Leader of the Opposition. Anthony Albanese is well known to the ARA and the rail industry, having held the infrastructure portfolio for 12

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A key plank of the government’s infrastructure agenda was the promotion of faster rail to ease population pressures in our major metropolitan centres, and assist decentralisation of major cities.

The government has committed $2b to the Geelong-Melbourne Faster Rail, to be matched by the Victorian Government. The significant investment in this project will be after 2023 and will also rely on other projects to improve efficiency of the line, such as the Melbourne – Sunshine line, as part of the Melbourne Airport Rail Link.

The government has committed to a range of business case assessments of other faster rail projects in Victoria, NSW and Queensland. Three of these were announced in the 2017 Federal Budget and are expected to be finalised in the next few months. Five other business cases were named in the 2019 budget and are expected to be finalised next year.

The Government is now establishing the National Faster Rail Agency, which will come into effect on 1 July 2019. The Agency will oversee the development of a 20 year Faster Rail Strategy, work with jurisdictions to develop business cases, as well as undertake planning and financing activities, and even consider securing corridors for High Speed Rail.

ARA welcomes this initiative as it represents a genuine bipartisan policy development of the need for a specialist federal government agency with a remit to long term planning and financing options for Faster and High Speed Rail solutions around the country.

Noting though that many of these projects are some years away, the ARA hopes that the Government may be in a position to bring some forward where Budget circumstances warrant, to give greater visibility to the Government’s commitment to rail.

Rail Freight

Rail freight is fundamental to maintaining the international competitiveness of Australia’s export industry. The ARA supports the National Freight and Supply Chain Strategy, which is due to be considered by Transport Ministers this year, to add coherence to freight policy making in Australia, and drive necessary reforms with the jurisdictions. ARA believes projects focussing on line separation and delivering the last mile to the port are essential to improving freight rail efficiency.

Domestic rail freight markets should operate as far as possible on an even footing with other modal choices by creating an environment where there is an equitable and comparable regulatory environment and/ or competitive neutrality between competing modes of transport. In order to achieve this, governments should not impose unnecessary

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regulatory restrictions or barriers across the Australian transport industry.

ARA notes that a review of the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL) is being undertaken by the National Transport Commission to achieve a more performance-based and outcomes focused approach to regulation.

ARA has submitted that if the outcome of this review were to make the regulations governing the movement of freight by road more efficient by improving flexibility and reducing prescription, it would further exacerbate the policy imbalances that are currently experienced between the two modes of transport. Any future reforms to the HVNL to remove prescription must be accompanied by similar efforts to address outstanding prescriptive regulations and state-based differences affecting the freight rail industry, which inhibit rail’s ability to compete effectively with other modes of transport.

We will continue to advocate for an increase in attention to mode-neutral freight policies and investment and independent price regulation of heavy vehicles to establish a more even playing field between road and rail.

National Transport Regulatory Reform

The ARA is in the process of preparing a submission to the Productivity Commission’s Inquiry into National Transport Regulatory Reform. We held four workshops around the country to engage our members on this important national inquiry.

Drawing on input from ARA members, the thrust of our submission is that whilst

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many benefits have been achieved through the reform, further opportunities remain.

Specifically, that prescriptive approaches to rail safety impose unnecessary compliance costs on industry and prevent rail operators from improving the efficiency of their operations while still appropriately managing rail safety. The most effective way to manage rail safety risks is to focus on an individual rail transport operator’s context.

This requires a nationally consistent, nonprescriptive co-regulatory approach.

In our submission, we will illustrate that the benefits derived from the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR) could be enhanced by addressing the inconsistencies in rail safety regulation arising from state-based derogations which reduce the benefits of the national reform.

Skills

The ARA has previously advised of the challenges facing rail construction, operation, maintenance and manufacturing in the rail industry over the next ten years due to skills shortages. If not addressed, these shortages will inhibit the ability of governments to deliver the growing investment pipeline within reasonable timeframes and budgets.

The Government has advised that it will address these issues via the National Rail Plan which is under development and is expected to be finalised this year. The ARA has sought to ensure that senior industry leaders are engaged in this process and that there are sufficient resources allocated to Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Cities and Regional Development and the jurisdictions to actively resolve this challenge.

The research and publication of a

ABOVE: The Coalition will get to work on its faster rail plan for regions.

national pipeline of rail projects would be of immense value to industry and governments across Australia. Such a publication, kept updated would facilitate improved investment, project planning, focused training and the allocation of skilled labour. The ARA has advocated that a modest investment by Government in a pipeline would reap significant rewards.

Transition at the ARA

It is tremendous time to be involved in the rail industry, with growth leading to dynamism and energy. Already this year alone we have seen Canberra Light Rail and Sydney North West Metro successfully launched.

I have decided now is the right time to pass on the leadership of the ARA to a new CEO. I have enjoyed working with the industry and leading the ARA for the last four years, and I know it will go on to greater achievements.

Our Chairman Bob Herbert has also advised the ARA Board that he will retire from his role at the end of this calendar year.

He has been a tremendous servant of the industry in his commitment to a growing organisation, championing of complex issues such as the needs for a National Rail Industry Plan and action on skills shortages, as well as important human issues such as tackling suicide in our industry. I am honoured to have been invited to take over the Chair’s role, and look forward to assisting the organisation through the transition as we find a new CEO.

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INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS

Four Corners Q&A Night a success A message from the Rail Track Association of Australia (RTAA).

ABOVE: A Q&A session at the RTAA’s recent Four Corners Q&A Night.

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HE RTAA RECENTLY HOSTED A joint event with Women in Engineering, the Four Corners Q&A Night in Sydney.

The new format was an industry sharing knowledge event where four esteemed speakers across industry shared key tips they’ve gained across their careers, with the audience then splitting into four groups for smaller group Q&A’s. The speakers included: • Raquel Rubalcaba, Operations Manager, Rail NSW & ACT, CPB Contractors: Raquel has forged a successful 25-year career in an industry she loves. In the meantime, she has raised two kids and emigrated from the UK to Australia.

A purposeful advocate for women in rail, she devotes a lot of time and energy to helping women into, and through, the industry.

• Nial O’Brien, Global Service Leader, Roads and ANZ Infrastructure Offshoring

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Leader, Aurecon: Having been with Aurecon for nearly 13 years and based in Sydney, Nial previously headed up Aurecon’s New South Wales roads group, leading a team of 40 on some of Australia’s biggest and busiest transport infrastructure projects. A Fellow of Roads Australia, Nial is an ardent Diversity & Inclusion spokesperson and was selected as one of Aurecon’s first Male Champions of Change, promoting gender diversity and challenging gender discrimination within the industry.

• Y emi Penn: As a management consultant, business strategist and executive coach, Yemi works closely with organisations and their people to disrupt the way they work, providing strategies to work smarter, not harder and be more efficient and productive during desk time. Yemi has philosophy in her work to share the untold stories of how you can live a fulfilled life on your terms, creating your own definition of success and fulfilment.

• A bdul Karim Jamal, Design Engineer – Track (Sydney Metro Northwest) at John Holland: Abdul studied a Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) at the University of Sydney. Since graduating in 2010, he has been employed within John Holland for eight years on multi-disciplinary projects such as the Sydney Metro Northwest and the Sydney Light Rail Inner West Extension. In 2018, Abdul was recognised with the Permanent Way Institution (PWI) Young Achiever Award.

The RTAA would like to take this opportunity to thank the event sponsor, all the speakers and attendees on a very successful and insightful event.

Awards and Pearls of Wisdom

The RTAA is proud to be involved in the Australasian Rail Industry Awards, which recognise outstanding achievements by individuals and organisations within the sector in the Australian and New Zealand.

The RTAA’s own award category, The

Frank Franklyn Young Rail Specialist Award, aims to promote excellence in the Australian rail community and recognise the achievements of young rail specialists.

The RTAA provides the winner with up to $10,000 to attend an international rail or transport conference of their choice, and we are looking forward to announcing the winners at the event in July.

Further to this, as part of the RTAA’s commitment to share grass roots knowledge and connect generations in the rail industry, we are proud to launch an industry-first webinar series, ‘Pearls of Wisdom’, with three videos already available on the RTAA website.

The series features interviews with some pivotal RTAA members who are also senior figures in the rail industry, covering career highlights, changes in the industry during their tenure and their advice for the upcoming generation looking to forge a career in rail.

Assisting in the filming and editing of these videos were student volunteer Hatta Misra and young rail professional Lai Lee. Hatta is a second-year Bachelor of Engineering Honours (Mech) student at the University of Sydney and a recipient of the Vice-Chancellor’s International Scholarship.

Hatta works as a tutor for the University of Sydney Faculty of Engineering and Information Technologies.

Lai graduated from the University of Technology, Sydney with a Bachelors of Engineering (Civil), Diploma in Engineering Practice in 2015. Lai joined the rail industry as an Engineering Graduate 5 years ago, during her penultimate year. She is currently an industrial engineer for Alstom, on the Sydney Light Rail project.

Additional Pearls of Wisdom videos will be released in the coming months.

Follow the RTAA on social media to stay tuned for further information on our activities in 2019! Twitter: @RailTAA LinkedIn: Rail Track Association Australia – RTAA Facebook: RailTAA

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INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS

Australian Logistics Council welcomes inclusion of freight in Morrison Ministry Australian Logistics Council (ALC) CEO Kirk Coningham congratulates Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack and their Coalition colleagues on their election victory, and welcomes the incorporation of freight transport as a specific responsibility in the new ministry.

T

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finalised and released in the next several months, it will be important for clear lines of accountability and ministerial leadership in this space.

The decision to add freight transport to Assistant Minister Buchholz’s responsibilities will help ensure this, and help inform the decision-making of other key ministers including Hon. Michael McCormack, Deputy Prime Minister and Minster for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development, and the Minster for Population, Cities and Urban Infrastructure Hon. Alan Tudge.

ALC also welcomes the appointment of Hon. Anthony Albanese as Leader of the Opposition. Given his vast experience in dealing with infrastructure related matters, there is now a genuine opportunity to build a long-term approach to infrastructure planning and investment that is truly bipartisan in nature.

ALC hopes to work closely with both the Government and the Opposition in furtherance of that objective.

We also look forward to working with the government on the establishment of the National Freight Data Hub, as funded in April’s Federal Budget, so that our industry can start to take advantage of the productivity, investment and safety benefits that will flow from having access to better quality data about freight movement.

Finally, the election result also means that construction of Inland Rail can continue without the threat of delays posed by proposed inquiries , so that the benefits of this critical piece of freight infrastructure can flow to

ALC

HERE IS REASON FOR participants in the freight logistics industry to be greatly encouraged by some of the developments that have occurred in the wake of the Federal Election – particularly in the freight rail sector.

In particular, the whole industry will welcome the fact that for the first time, freight transport has been incorporated as a specific ministerial role within the ministry. The appointment of the Hon. Scott Buchholz MP as Assistant Minister for Road Safety and Freight Transport is an important acknowledgement by the Prime Minister of the crucial role that freight movement plays in the nation’s economy.

During the election campaign, the ALC released Freight: Delivering Opportunity For Australia which sets out 39 priority actions for the incoming Federal Government that address challenges and opportunities relevant to all modes of freight transport. ALC will be pursuing the matters contained in this publication with the re-elected Coalition Government, and ensuring that supply chain efficiency and safety is appropriately prioritised in government policy making.

Given that both major parties spoke about the virtues of taking a long-term approach to infrastructure planning and investment during the campaign, ALC would hope this bipartisan view can become a policy reality in the course of this next term of government.

With the National Freight and Supply Chain Strategy due to be

ABOVE: Australian Logistics Council CEO Kirk Coningham.

our economy and to regional communities.

Those benefits will be a key focus at the Australian Logistics Council (ALC) and the Australasian Railway Association (ARA) 2019 Inland Rail Conference to be held on 21-22 August in Toowoomba.

The conference theme is Connecting Regions, Building Australia and will focus on how the nationally significant infrastructure project will transform the movement of freight in Australia.

You can learn more about this event and how you can get involved at austlogistics.com.au/InlandRail

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OUT & ABOUT

Sydney Metro a hit on opening day Check out Rail Gallery’s best photos from Sydney Metro’s opening day.

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OUT & ABOUT

LINX team raises $32k for children’s charity Intermodal freight operator LINX Cargo Care Group has raised more than $32,500 for charity through a 24-hour treadmill challenge.

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ROUND 200 LINX CCG EMPLOYEES around the country took part in the challenge, which ran from 9am on May 24 to 9am on May 25. Through the kilometres covered by the team the company raised over $32,500 for Very Special Kids, a children’s charity offering

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ongoing support for more than 900 families who have a child with a life-threatening condition.

Very Special Kids has for almost six years supported the family of LINX CCG Talent Acquisition Manager Tom Philbin, whose son was diagnosed with Dravet Syndrome, a genetic intractable epilepsy.

“My amazing colleagues at LINX Cargo Care Group are stepping up to the challenge for our second year,” Tom said.

“Not only did we run a treadmill for 24 hours at Very Special Kids in Malvern Victoria, but numerous treadmills were running around the country including Brisbane, Newcastle, Sydney, Griffith and many more all with the aim of having a great time and supporting Very Special Kids to beat last year’s fundraising total of $30,000.”

LINX CCG’s Chief Executive Officer Anthony Jones said the company was proud to include Very Special Kids in its Group Foundation.

“Having launched the foundation over a year ago, I am humbled to see our staff get behind this challenge,” he said. “Not only does it bring awareness of the great work the VSK charity does, it also creates fun and a real buzz across our group of businesses.”

ABOVE: Tom Philbin taking part in the 24-hour challenge.

LEFT: LINX CCG employees Monica Marevic (left), Shauna Gear and Tom Philbin.

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