Rail Express Aug 2022

I S S U E 7 | A U G U S T 2022

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

The Pacific National way Pacific National managing director Paul Scurrah explains how the company's commitment to its ‘PNA’ helped it overcome the many obstacles of a tumultuous year. PAGE 26

Positioned perfectly for remote monitoring

Melbourne level crossing removal blitz continues

Micro-credentials help upskill rail engineers

PAGE 34

PAGE 40

PAGE 48

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Contents Issue 7 - August 2022

30

4

From the Editor

6

Industry News

COV E R S TO RY

26

Pacific National: Paul Scurrah in profile

CONDITION MONITORING

30 Land Surveys: the future of tunnel asset management 32

39

Siemens: the digital age of rail automation

34 Position Partners: precision, efficiency and control 37

Alstom: monitoring the health of the railways

38 Loram: actionable intelligence with measuring tools M A I N T E N A N C E A N D O P E R AT I O N S

39 42

Manco: new range of light rail RRV models

F E AT U R E S

40

LXRP: easing congestion around Melbourne

44

Gawler: northern suburbs line fully charged up

RO L L I N G S TO C K A N D M A N U F ACT U R I N G

45

RATP: the global leader in automated metro

THE WORKFORCE

I S S U E 7 | A U G U S T 2022

The Pacific National way

Melbourne level crossing removal blitz continues

Micro-credentials help upskill rail engineers

PAGE 34

PAGE 40

PAGE 48

SUPPORTED BY:

47

Metro Trains employer of choice for women

COVER STORY Pacific National managing director Paul Scurrah explains how the company’s commitment to its ‘PNA’ helped it overcome the many obstacles of a tumultuous year.

Positioned perfectly for remote monitoring

Rail yards managed with military precision

48 Engineering Australia: micro-credentials help upskill workers

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

Pacific National managing director Paul Scurrah explains how the company's commitment to its ‘PNA’ helped it overcome the many obstacles of a tumultuous year. PAGE 26

46

See page 26.

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

50 ARA: national competencies for long-term growth 53

RISSB: six new Standards and one new Code

CO N T RACT S, T E N D E R S, E O I S

54

The latest rail projects and opportunities

WWW.RAILEXPRESS.COM.AU | 3

From the Editor Issue 7 - August 2022

Published by:

Ray Chan Editor - Rail Express

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

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

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4 | ISSUE 7 - A U G UST 2022 | RAIL EXPRESS

Welcome to the August issue of Rail Express

T

he various State Governments are to be complimented for embracing the unprecedented expansion of the rail industry, with projects booming at a furious rate.

To their credit, they have recognised this trend in their annual Budgets released over the past two months, and have prepared for the future by investing heavily in initiatives designed to drive and cater for growth in the sector.

In Queensland, a $3.5 billion rail allocation is aimed at transforming transport, supporting Queensland’s surging population numbers. Apart from the massive Cross River Rail underground line, the investment is headlined by projects like crucial track duplications, Gold Coast Light Rail stage three, station upgrades across all of Queensland, plus the manufacturing of 65 brand new trains in Maryborough.

Bringing all of these projects together is the rollout of brand new ETCS technology, the worldleading program used across much of Europe.

Over the border in New South Wales, this year’s Budget delivers a record $39.8 billion in funding for transport infrastructure and service delivery in 2022-23.

Of that allocation, a $500 million commitment aims to bring faster rail a step closer, along with quicker and more reliable connections between Sydney and Newcastle. And regional services have not been ignored, with $10.6 billion delegated to projects such as delivering a modern new Regional Rail Fleet to replace the current XPT, XPLORER and Endeavour trains.

On the other side of the country, the WA Government’s METRONET program will continue to transform Perth from $6 billion allocated over the next four years in the State Budget.

Projects include further boomgate removals and peak construction activities across a number of METRONET links and extensions, following on from the opening of the Bellevue Railcar Manufacturing and Assembly Facility.

As well, there is further investment in the Train Control and Signalling project, which forms part of High Capacity Signalling program works.

And of course we must mention Victoria, whose Big Build model for infrastructure priorities ensures major construction activities and disruptions are coordinated across the transport network, including planning to keep people moving through major works periods.

In this year’s Budget, $338.1 million has been

put aside for additional services and to operate new transport infrastructure being delivered as part of the progrtam, which includes the Suburban Rail Loop and Metro Tunnel.

Perhaps the most successful transport component of the initiative is the Level Crossing Removal Project (LXRP), which, when it began in 2015, aimed at removing up to 50 dangerous and congested level crossings around Melbourne. Fast forward seven years, and more than 60 crossings are already gone for good, with the Government targeting a total of 85 to be dismantled by 2025.

This issue looks at the history of the LXRP: how it began, its initial projects, and its evolution along the way, which has included incorporation of sustainable materials, vegetation enhancements and public artwork at various new or remodelled railway stations.

Meanwhile, our cover story profiles leading Australian freight company Pacific National, and in particular, focuses on chief executive officer Paul Scurrah’s first year in office.

With challenges such as COVID, lockdowns, border closures and freak weather events, he could not have anticipated such a fierce baptism of fire. Read about how Scurrah has met the difficulties head-on, what problems he sees facing the freight sector in the coming year, and how he has instilled an impressive work philosophy which the company now calls its ‘PNA’.

Our monthly feature is on the process of condition monitoring, which of course aims to detect and isolate deterioration on the rail tracks before it causes a failure.

As technology gets more sophisticated and efficient, the task has become quicker, easier and more convenient to assess without having to physically be on-site. We talk to various companies on the solutions they offer, which include the use of track geometry measurement vehicles, digital twinning, rail sensor nodes, and various forms of analytic software.

There’s also a report on the long-awaited electrification of the Gawler line in South Australia, our regular profiles on people in the rail sector workforce, and contributions from our industry partners.

I hope you find this jam-packed edition enjoyable reading. ray.chan@primecreative.com.au

WHEN THE WORK GETS DONE....

INNOVATION CONTINUES… RYAN BLACK

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BRYAN BLACK E M A I L : bryan@manco.co.nz P H O N E : + 64 21 960069

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News

National

Key rail projects among infrastructure priorities Infrastructure Australia has released its latest 2022 Infrastructure Priority List, which focuses on ensuring efficient road, rail and renewable energy projects in regional Australia.

The Infrastructure Priority List presents the key investment opportunities for Australia’s cities and regions that should be further developed over the next 15 years.

The update highlights a need for greater focus on delivering resilient road and rail connections in regional Australia, enhancing the efficiency and connectivity of our transport networks and promoting development in northern Australia.

The update publishes proposals at various stages of development that are not yet fully funded, including 25 new early-stage proposals (Stage 1), three new potential investment options (Stage 2) and two new investment-ready proposals (Stage 3).

The list was developed in collaboration with state and territory governments, industry and the community and draws on independent research, including the 2021 Australian Infrastructure Plan and 2021 Infrastructure Market Capacity report.

Key rail priorities include: • Regional road and rail freight corridor resilience • NSW Inland Rail interface improvements

Improving Melbourne’s intermodal terminal capacity is a priority.

• Melbourne intermodal terminal capacity •S E Queensland intermodal terminal capacity An infrastructure investment is nationally significant if, based on the evidence presented, the investment is expected to have a material impact on national output by: • addressing a problem that would otherwise impose economic, social and/or environmental costs, or • providing an opportunity for realising economic, social and/or environmental benefits, or • both addressing a problem and providing an opportunity.

Infrastructure Australia says that as a guide, for a proposal to be considered nationally significant, it should concern a problem or opportunity that would have more than $30 million per annum impact on the economy (nominal, undiscounted).

Potential unquantified social benefit considerations are also taken into account.

Alongside the impact on the economy, the following characteristics can inform the assessment of national significance: • The proposal will contribute to the Australian Government fulfilling its declared strategic priorities • The proposal affects or is likely to affect more than one state or territory, such as a network utility operation • The proposal relates to an asset or location that is unique and will have a materially positive effect on national identity or cultural standing • The proposal relates to an asset that is demonstrated as critically important for access/ connectivity, where the only alternatives are cost- prohibitive (for example, water pipeline, freight rail line, road corridor). This would be most relevant for access/connectivity during a critical incident and/or for assets serving remote communities.

Report calls for acceleration on decarbonisation Three infrastructure peak bodies have issued a new report to call for industry transformation to accelerate the transport sector’s journey to netzero and support Australia’s sustainable future.

The Journey to Net Zero – Inspiring Climate Action in the Australian Transport Sector was delivered as part of an industry-first partnership between the Australasian Railway Association, Infrastructure Sustainability Council and Roads Australia, and includes 46 recommendations to accelerate decarbonisation in the sector.

The report, authored by KPMG and sponsored

by Arup, analysed local and global examples of leading best practice, and features 29 case studies demonstrating existing technology and strategies for carbon reduction.

The report sets out a series of actions for government and industry to support a focus on placemaking, drive emissions reduction, support investment in renewables and innovation, and promote engagement and collaboration.

The project partners confirmed collaboration would be crucial to transforming transport systems to drive action in the sector.

6 | ISSUE 7 - AUGUST 2022 | RAIL EXPRESS

The transport sector will play a key role in leading Australia’s journey to net-zero.

ARA chief executive officer Caroline Wilkie said the transport sector would play a critical role in achieving net-zero targets.

“Transport systems shape how we live and work and will be a critical part of our sustainable development,” she said. “This report confirms the transport sector will be a key role in leading Australia’s journey to net-zero.”

The report identified five key areas of action to drive action and support the sector’s journey to its decarbonisation target: 1. Create a national, strategic approach to transport and infrastructure, with a focus on placemaking to meet the community’s longterm needs 2. Introduce policies and investment that promote the development of efficient, sustainable and resilient transport systems, including a move to ensure all new infrastructure projects incorporate net zero emissions targets 3. Enable collaboration, capacity building and education at all stages of the process and advocate for new approaches to procurement 4. Implement governance structures, processes and approaches to drive transparency and sound decision making to support the decarbonisation of transport systems 5. Adopt and promote technology solutions that optimise asset design, construction and operation of road and rail fleets.

New requirements for rail safety data Australia’s new rail safety data reporting scheme has come into effect.

The National Rail Safety Data Strategy 2018 – 2022 (NDS) champions a single relevant, consistent and quality national rail safety data set that is readily available to stakeholders to make rail safety decisions.

The Strategy was developed as a partnership between the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR), the Australasian Railway Association (ARA) and rail industry representatives to achieve a relevant, consistent and quality national rail safety data set that is readily available to stakeholders to inform rail safety decisions.

All accredited operators will now report under the terms of the NDS. ONRSR Chief Executive Sue McCarrey said the new arrangements would deliver a multitude of benefits.

“The NDS is yet another terrific example of what is now possible with a national outlook, and I am really excited by the opportunities this resource will provide us all to continue making Australia’s railways as safe as they possibly can be,” she said.

“The NDS will deliver better focussed national data and comparability. It will also significantly reduce the number of

occurrence types operators are required to report by focussing more on collection of the data that directly impacts rail safety.”

Development of the NDS was only made possible by extensive engagement with a range of rail safety stakeholders over several years which included the creation of a Rail Operator Steering Committee cochaired by ONRSR and the ARA. Australasian Railway Association chief

executive Caroline Wilkie said achieving this milestone has been possible due to a truly collaborative approach between the regulator and industry.

“The ARA supports a national focus on rail safety and for the first time, the Australian rail industry will now have a truly national and consistent rail safety data set that will better inform safety decisions,” she said.

All accredited operators must now report under the terms of the NDS.

Wabtec to modernise Fortescue locomotives Wabtec Corporation has announced an agreement to modernise locomotives for Fortescue Metals Group, representing a first-ofits-kind fleet delivery for an Australian customer.

The fleet will be transformed into AC44C6M locomotives to meet the performance requirements of Fortescue while delivering operational and environmental efficiencies.

Senior Regional Vice President, South East Asia, Australia and New Zealand, Wendy McMillan, said while the company had completed more than 1000 modernisations for customers globally, it was a first for Australia and demonstrates Fortescue’s commitment to drive more sustainable rail operations.

“By repurposing and rebuilding our locomotives, we give these heavy-haul trains another 20 years of life, while reducing the fuel consumption and maintenance, and repair and overhaul expenses by up to 20 per cent.

“For Fortescue, the modernised trains will deliver up to a 55 per cent increase in

The modernised trains will deliver up to a 55 per cent increase in tractive effort.

tractive effort and more than 40 per cent increase in reliability.”

The modernised locomotives will benefit from improved performance and increased reliability with new features including a UX engine, new electrical cabinets, a new design high-efficiency radiator and radiator cab, an upgraded control system to remove obsolescence, and AC traction with individual axle control.

General Manager Hedland Operations, Mark Komene, said the procurement of the modernised

locomotives was an important element of Fortescue’s locomotive fleet strategy.

“This newly modernised fleet will enable substantial long-term capital and operating costs savings, provide the latest traction and control technology, and enable future upgrades to alternative energy sources such as battery electric in support of Fortescue’s industry-leading target to be carbon neutral by 2030.”

The new AC44C6M locomotives will be rebuilt at Wabtec’s Fort Worth facility in Texas, USA, before making the journey to Western Australia for deployment at Fortescue’s mining operations.

Wabtec’s modernisation program is a key component of the company’s effort to advance a circular economy. It updates ageing locomotives with customised solutions that range from simple changes including control system upgrades to complex restorations, such as the comprehensive transformation of an aged DC locomotive into an AC locomotive outfitted with state-of-the-art digital technology.

WWW.RAILEXPRESS.COM.AU | 7

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News

Victoria

Shepparton Line station upgrades near completion Upgrades at three stations on Victoria’s Shepparton Line are nearing completion, to enable more reliable and comfortable journeys for passengers.

Coming as part of Stage 2 of the $436 million Shepparton Line Upgrade, the works at Nagambie, Murchison East and Mooroopna stations will allow the larger and more modern VLocity trains to run on the line for the first time.

Upgrades include platform extensions at all three stations to accommodate the longer trains, accessible asphalted car parking, as well as CCTV coverage, platform lighting, seating and shelter for improved safety.

Construction of the crossing loop extension at Murchison East has already been completed, which will give trains more room to pass each other.

The upgrades will enable the bigger VLocity trains to run on the Shepparton Line.

Transport Infrastructure minister Jacinta Allen said the station upgrades would pave the way for the new bigger and more modern VLocity trains to run on the Shepparton Line for the first time later this year.

“This will provide a huge benefit to passengers – making it easier for them to travel across our regional network with more reliable and comfortable services,” she said.

Due for completion later this year, Stage 2 of the Shepparton Line Upgrade also includes upgrades for 59 level crossings between Donnybrook and Shepparton, with six upgrades already complete.

The now completed first stage of the project included 10 extra train services each week between Melbourne and Shepparton, a stabling upgrade at Shepparton Station and 29 extra coaches between Shepparton and Seymour.

Stage 3 of the project, which will enable nine daily return services and trains to travel faster on the line, is targeted for completion in late 2023.

Budget boost keeps Mildura on the move The Victorian Government is continuing to boost the rail freight network in Mildura – making it safer, easier and quicker for freight operators and farmers to transport their local produce to port.

Visiting citrus exporter Mildura Fruit Company and freight provider Seaway Intermodal, Ports and Freight minister said Melissa Horne said the rail freight network in Mildura would be kept moving to ensure continued support for famers and freight operators, by making it easier and quicker for them to transport their local produce.

Seaway plays a crucial role in moving fruit, wine, grain and peas, and will benefit from works soon to be carried out to upgrade the rail freight corridor, which will allow for heavier and more frequent trains to operate on freight rail between Mildura and the Port of Melbourne.

They include siding extension works at Merbein near Mildura, to allow 1200m-long trains to stable away from the main line so grain trains can run more frequently to Yelta, ahead of what is expected to be another bumper grain season.

Crossing loops further south will also be extended to allow opposing 1200m-long freight trains to pass each other and increase the current Seaway service between Mildura to the Port of Melbourne from to three to five days a week, moving thousands more tonnes of freight by rail and removing thousands of trucks from local roads.

An average loaded 800m long intermodal freight train carries a massive $2.25 million

worth of produce – which is the equivalent of 55 semi-trailers removed from local roads, making our roads safer and reducing carbon emissions.

Packed citrus product from the Mildura Fruit Company (MFC) forms a major portion of Seaway Intermodal’s freight business, with approximately 5000 containers of produce moved per annum by rail from MFC alone.

The Victorian Budget 2022/23 will deliver $181 million for critical maintenance works on the regional rail freight network to improve rail freight competitiveness and support the growing freight task that is vital to regional economies and supply chains.

In addition, a further $3.5 million has been

allocated to extend the Mode Shift Incentive Scheme (MSIS).

The MSIS supports more than 170 freight industry jobs at intermodal terminals in regional Victoria – including Seaway Intermodal – and removes the equivalent of 28,000 truck trips from the state’s roads every year.

The works are being delivered by Rail Projects Victoria as part of the Murray Basin Rail Project and support 1000 direct and indirect jobs during delivery. Upgrade works have also recently been carried out on the Mildura line to improve the condition of the track and reduce the risk of infrastructure faults which can delay grain loading.

The rail freight network in Mildura has received a Budget boost.

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News

Victoria

Word class bidders for SRL tunnelling build

SRL East will generate up to 8000 jobs during construction.

Victoria’s Suburban Rail Loop has attracted interest from global leaders in tunnelling and construction, with submissions received from five world-class bidders to build the twin tunnels for SRL East.

Expressions of Interest (EOIs) have now closed for the two tunnelling contracts: the first between Cheltenham and Glen Waverley – the longest tunnelling package in Victoria’s history – and the second between Glen Waverley and Box Hill.

The bidders include companies with track records in delivering iconic projects both locally and internationally. They are: • Bouygues Construction Australia • CPB Contractors and Ghella and Acciona Construction Australia • John Holland and Gamuda Berhad trading as Gamuda (Australia) • Samsung C&T Corporation and Hyundai Engineering & Construction

• Webuild S.p.A and GS Engineering and Construction Australia Three bidders will move through to a Request for Proposal process later this year, and from there, two will be awarded tunnelling contracts – the first to be announced next year.

SRL East will deliver twin tunnels from Cheltenham to Box Hill with new underground stations at Cheltenham, Clayton, Monash, Glen Waverley, Burwood and Box Hill. Up to 10 tunnel boring machines (TBMS) will be used in the project, with tunnelling to begin in 2026.

Construction on SRL East kicked off in June, with the launch of a massive program of initial and early works which will create up to 800 local jobs.

As well as utility protections, the Initial and Early works will include road modifications, service relocation and preparation for three sites where the TBMs will be launched.

SRL East will generate up to 8000 jobs during construction, delivering exciting opportunities and a long pipeline of work for local industry and suppliers.

Flinders Street Viaduct reinforced for 75 years Restoration work on the historic rail bridge connecting Flinders Street Station and Southern Cross Station in Melbourne has been completed to ensure the bridge is safe and strong for the next 75 years.

For more than 100 years, the bridge – known as the Viaduct – has been a key connection in Melbourne’s transport network, with hundreds of train services running over six sets of tracks every day.

The $17 million project to improve the bridge included repairing and replacing bridge supports from Elizabeth Street to the Melbourne Aquarium, strengthening the bridge’s steel beams as well as sandblasting and repainting the bridge.

Metro Trains chief executive officer Raymond O’Flaherty said careful planning by multiple specialist teams was required to complete these essential works on one of the most iconic parts of Melbourne’s public transport infrastructure.

More than 35,000 working hours were required to deliver the complex project during the past three years, with careful planning required to complete the complex

10 | ISSUE 7 - AUGUST 2022 | RAIL EXPRESS

work without significant disruption to the metropolitan train network.

The project involved more than 300 specialists, from engineers to safety experts, to deliver a comprehensive maintenance and renewal program on the Viaduct.

Public Transport Minister Ben Carroll said the Flinders Street Viaduct refurbishment had allowed a historic piece of Melbourne infrastructure to be maintained, while continuing to move passengers safely and reliably into the future.

“The massive package of works carried out

The Viaduct has been a key connection in Melbourne’s transport network.

over the last three years will ensure this vital link can continue to safely run the hundreds of trains that use it each day,” he said.

As one of the busiest parts of the metropolitan train network, careful planning was essential to deliver the work and minimise disruptions.

Metro Trains crews worked within 50hour windows over multiple weekends to set up and dismantle special containment structures to safely carry out work – keeping locals safe and minimising noise throughout delivery.

Hurstbridge Line duplication powers on The Victorian Government is powering ahead in preparation to duplicate 3.5 kilometres of the Hurstbridge line and open two modern stations at Greensborough and Montmorency by the middle of 2023, with big changes happening on the ground.

The once-in-a-generation investment in the city’s north-east rail corridor will allow more trains to run more often, create less crowding on peak services and better connections to public transport.

Crews are making rapid progress on piling works to create strong soil foundations to support the weight of the new Plenty River bridge. Around September, the new 50-metrelong steel bridge will be lifted into place in two sections. Railway Road, which passes under the existing bridge will remain closed until August, before closing again temporarily to safely lower the sections of the new bridge into place.

Crews will also be constructing the new Greensborough Station pedestrian bridge and concourse which will be at the same level as Para Road. The works include using a crane to install nine beams, each 24 metres long and weighing 36 tonnes.

Crews are making rapid progress on piling works to create strong soil foundations.

The Greensborough Station precinct will feature lifts and stairs to the platforms to replace the current long and steep ramps.

There will also be modern facilities, an air-conditioned waiting room, unisex and ambulant toilets, better lighting and security cameras, and 700 trees and 15,000 plants, shrubs and grasses.

Across Para Road from the station, a new 100 space car park and bus interchange will

open to provide more options to park, catch the train and access shops and services.

Also, between Greensborough and Montmorency stations, a new walking and cycling path will be built on the southside of the rail line, linking to the Plenty River trail to make it easier for people to exercise or commute.

The new Montmorency Station will remain at the heart of the shopping strip and has been carefully designed to reflect the unique village look and feel of the area. Community feedback has been integral to the minimalist design which will incorporate updated facilities, allabilities access, more weather protection and native vegetation.

As part of the project, Diamond Creek Station platform 2 will also be upgraded and a new pedestrian crossing will be built behind Diamond Valley College.

This stage follows the successful completion of Stage 1 of the Hurstbridge Line Upgrade, where 1.2km of track was duplicated between Heidelberg and Rosanna, level crossings were removed on Grange Road in Alphington and Lower Plenty Road in Rosanna, and a new station was created at Rosanna.

Drones fly high to improve train safety Two new drones are taking to the skies to combat the problerms of trespassing on Melbourne’s train network.

Trespassing on or near train tracks can cause significant trauma for staff, passengers and the community, as well as cause major disruptions for passengers.

When unauthorised persons enter the rail corridor or other restricted areas on the network, Metro cannot operate trains until it is deemed safe to do so.

To reduce the impact of such intrusions, Metro is trialling a new drone program as a rapid response to offenders in the rail corridor.

Metro’s Head of Security Operations Jim Dimitrioski said paired with current trespassing initiatives and strong partnership with Victoria Police, the drone program will contribute to lowering the number of trespasser incidents on the network and ensuring the safety of people, passengers and reliability of services.

The program consists of two drones and four qualified drone pilots who have gained their remotely piloted aircraft licenses.

These drones can be used for proactive

Drones can fly over the train tracks and send updates and live footage back to the team on the ground.

patrolling during special events and also for onhand incident management.

Drones can fly over the train tracks, send updates and live footage back to the team on the ground, reducing the time it takes to clear incidents.

Public Transport Minister Ben Carroll said trespassing was dangerous and the safety of the community required everyone to be aware

and alert around trains. “It is great to see that Metro are continuing to work hard to reduce trespassing on the rail network and minimise disruption to our passengers so they can get to where they need to go safely,” he said.

The drone capability will give access to the exact locations of trespassers, ensuring crews can attend quickly.

The drones will provide real-time updates to Metro’s Control Centre and Victoria Police during an incident.

The program is in its early stages and is currently operating in Melbourne’s western suburbs on the Werribee Line with plans to increase the use of the drones to other parts of the network and even conduct infrastructure inspections.

A single trespasser at one of Melbourne’s busiest central stations can potentially disrupt as many as 50,000 train passengers.

To reduce trespasser incidents, Metro also has more than 12,500 CCTV cameras across the network and initiatives including anti-trespass ground panels and thermal imaging cameras.

WWW.RAILEXPRESS.COM.AU | 11

News

New South Wales

Business case on Aerotropolis line extension Work will start immediately on a business case to extend the Sydney Metro–Western Sydney Airport Line from the Western Sydney Aerotropolis to Glenfield, via Leppington.

The extension will provide an additional transport option for one of Sydney’s fastestgrowing regions and connect the area to the new Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport.

The business case is the first step in bringing metro services to more communities in Greater Western Sydney. It will provide the design, economic assessment, and cost estimation to inform an investment decision for the construction of the extension.

As part of the Future Transport Strategy 2056, a metro line between the Western Sydney Aerotropolis and Leppington was identified as an initiative for investigation.

In June 2020, Transport for NSW protected transport corridors in the Western Parkland City to enable this connection.

The extension will continue the 23-kilometre Western Airport Line linking St Marys to the Aerotropolis. Work on the first stage has commenced, with tunnelling to start

An artist’s impression of the new Glenfield station.

by 2023. The Final Business Case is expected to be completed in 2024 and its contents will determine how the extension will proceed.

The Sydney Metro–Western Sydney Airport project is jointly funded by the Australian and NSW governments.

Meanwhile, work to connect Sydney’s newest metro line with the existing Metro North West Line at Chatswood is almost complete, marking a big step forward in bringing the project to life.

A team of more than 100 workers removed, realigned, and rebuilt two 50-metre lengths of track that will soon join the twin

15.5-kilometre tunnels of the Sydney Metro City & Southwest project with the existing Metro North West Line to Tallawong.

First, the team cut the rails and excavated new paths between the Metro North West Line and the tunnels at Chatswood. After preparing the ground and laying 200 tonnes of ballast, the crew installed 170 sleepers and clipped on 12 tonnes of steel rails to build the track.

The connection between the Metro North West Line and the new Sydney Metro City & Southwest project will extend Sydney Metro from Chatswood, under Sydney Harbour and the CBD, and beyond to Bankstown.

R

F

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Upgrades keep NSW freight in the loop A multi-million-dollar upgrade of the Main West Rail Line through New South Wales’ Central West is providing more efficient access to market for producers via a critical freight route.

Regional Transport and Roads minister Sam Farraway said the completion of four passing loop upgrades and installations marked the

Member for the Dubbo electorate, Dugald Saunders.

end of stage two of the NSW Government’s $43.3 million Main West Rail Line Capacity Enhancement program.

“These passing loops are the equivalent of rail overtaking lanes, which lead to less congestion and reduced waiting times for passenger and freight trains entering a section of track,” he said.

“This upgrade is essential because freight movements along the Main West Rail Line are forecast to grow to 11.5 million tonnes by 2056.

“Freight such as grain, cotton, meat and fresh produce will be able to get to market quicker than ever before and with more freight able to be transported by rail, motorists can expect fewer heavy vehicles on the road.”

The most recent passing loop was completed at Bumberry near Parkes, along with three other projects also delivered in 2021 at Polona near Blayney, Pinecliffe near Molong and Maryvale, north of Wellington.

In the past, there were limited passing opportunities on the single-track Main West Rail Line, particularly for longer freight trains. The new and extended loops alleviate those issues, creating more capacity on the busy line.

A further $2 million has also been allocated for the investigation and development of potential future projects on the Main West Rail Line including loops, rail sidings that support loading and unloading freight, and upgrades to sections of track to accommodate heavier trains.

Member for the Dubbo electorate, Dugald Saunders, said the Maryvale loop would deliver time savings of up to an hour and reduce congestion along the Main West Rail Line for freight and passenger services between Orange and Dubbo.

“Passing loops allow modern and longer freight trains to pass each other and create additional capacity on the busy western line as well as providing more flexibility with timetables,” he said.

“The freight task in regional NSW will grow by 12 per cent to 286 million tonnes by 2036, so it’s important we invest now so that our infrastructure continues to serve generations to come.

“This project has created local jobs, stimulated the local economy and will deliver ongoing benefits to our region.”

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New South Wales

NSW commits funds to faster rail project

A new $500 million commitment in the 202223 NSW Budget will bring faster rail a step closer, along with quicker and more reliable connections between Sydney, the Central Coast and Newcastle.

The funding will go to the first stage of the Northern Corridor, helping build two new electrified rail tracks between Tuggerah and Wyong, new platforms and station upgrades, new bridges including over the Wyong River and safeguarding future fast rail connections to the north and south, subject to agreement with the new Federal Government.

Premier Dominic Perrottet said the NSW Government’s Fast Rail vision could slash travel times between Sydney and Newcastle to one hour, Sydney and Gosford to 25 minutes and Sydney to Wollongong in just 45 minutes.

“We’re committed to a rail network that helps shape our State’s growth for the next century, starting with improvements to cut delays and lay the foundations for making faster travel times a reality,” he said.

“This investment will improve reliability and increase capacity in the rail network helping deliver better services closer to home for the people on the Central Coast as we plan a brighter future for the people across the State.”

Treasurer Matt Kean said the project would help transform NSW. “We’re committing $500 million towards early works, planning and further development of the line that will initially minimise delays and eventually allow high speed travel and drastically cut travel times,” he said.

“This will create tens of thousands of jobs and significantly boost the economy.”

Minister for Infrastructure, Cities and Active

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Transport Rob Stokes said these upgrades will improve connections as part of the Government’s six cities vision.

“Infrastructure creates opportunity. Faster and better connections between our great cities will improve reliability, improve travel times and ultimately improve quality of life for the many across our state,” he said.

“These infrastructure improvements have enormous productivity benefits for the whole community and pave the way for further investment down the track.”

Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast Adam Crouch said the NSW Government’s commitment for rail improvements on the Central Coast builds on a Federal Government commitment to this great part of the state.

“This investment will help improve the capacity and reliability of the intercity network, and will make journeys to and from our region faster and easier for Central Coast commuters,” he said.

“This is in addition to the $300 million investment in the state-of-the-art rail maintenance yard in Kangy Angy, which has helped create over 90 full time jobs for Central Coast locals.”

The NSW Government commitment is conditional on $500 million in matched funding from the Commonwealth Government that was announced by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese prior to the federal election.

Site investigations as part of the project are scheduled to commence before the end of 2022.

The Australasian Railway Association (ARA) said faster rail would have a transformative impact for people living in Newcastle and on

the Central Coast. ARA Chief Executive Officer Caroline Wilkie said the investment would act as a catalyst for growth in the region and slash travel times for those commuting to the city.

“With Sydney’s population set to rise by a further 3.7 million by 2060, investment in faster rail is needed now to support our sustainable growth,” she said.

The ARA’s Faster Rail Report, released in 2021, confirmed the need for urgent action to deliver faster, more reliable and more frequent services between capital cities and regional centres.

The report found rail travel times that were competitive with the time it takes to drive were crucial to encouraging more people to choose rail.

Wilkie said a train trip of 25 minutes from Gosford to Sydney, or just an hour from Newcastle, would be a game changer for many living and working in the region.

“Investment in faster rail on routes like the Sydney to Central Coast link will make it easier for people to leave the car at home for their daily commute or weekend away,” she said.

“Highways in and out of Sydney are already reaching capacity, so making rail a genuine mode of choice would help bust congestion and support liveability in these thriving regions.”

Wilkie said faster rail could also be a key driver of economic growth and regional development.

“The global experience tells us faster rail drives urban renewal along the rail corridor, creating the opportunity for new housing and business precincts beyond capital city centres,” she said.

© Alstom / RailGallery

The Budget funding has taken fast rail a step closer to reality.

© Alstom / RailGallery

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New South Wales

Parramatta Light Rail second stage kicks off The New South Wales Government will proceed with Parramatta Light Rail Stage Two, committing $602.4 million to start works and commence a detailed planning process to move ahead with the project in Sydney’s West.

The Parramatta Light Rail will connect Westmead to Carlingford via the Parramatta CBD and Camellia with a two-way track spanning 12 kilometres and is expected to open in 2023.

The route will link Parramatta’s CBD and train station to facilities such as the Westmead Health Precinct, Cumberland Hospital Precinct, CommBank Stadium and the Camellia Town Centre.

Stage two of the project will connect to the future Metro West and heavy rail in Parramatta and Sydney Olympic Park, and ferry services at Rydalmere and Wentworth Point.

Stage one of the Parramatta Light Rail is currently under construction and has created more than 5000 local jobs.

By 2026, around 28,000 people will use the light rail every day and an estimated 130,000 people will be living within walking distance of light rail stops.

The $602.4 million in funding will go towards early works and building the

Parramatta Light Rail is expected to open in 2023.

Wentworth Point Bridge, while detailed planning work for the next stage of the planning gets underway.

Premier Dominic Perrottet said the project was backed by the state’s strong economic management.

“This vital piece of infrastructure will support the growth of Western Sydney while linking to another enormous project in Sydney Metro West, improving quality of life by slashing daily commute times,” he said.

Transport and Veterans minister David Elliott said the project has been a catalyst

for investment and development in Greater Parramatta to the Olympic Peninsula.

“We’ve only just seen 100 per cent of tracks laid across the Parramatta Light Rail Stage One project as well as construction of the light rail stops along Church Street. Stage two will drive revenue for small businesses in the area and change how the community travel and connect to places across Greater Parramatta in the future,” he said.

An Environmental Impact Statement for the project will be released for public comment by the end of the year.

Architecture accolades for green track The Parramatta Light Rail’s Green Track initiative has won two categories of the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) New South Wales 2022 Awards.

Transport for NSW was awarded Landscape Architecture Awards in both the Infrastructure and the Research, Policy and Communications categories for its research study Green track

The green track around the light rail.

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for Parramatta Light Rail. Conducted in partnership with Western Sydney University, the study was commissioned to assess the viability of green track for the Parramatta Light Rail project.

The study was instrumental in more than 1.3 kilometres of green track being installed across three sections in the project’s first stage:

the Cumberland Precinct, the Robin Thomas Reserve, and Tramway Avenue in Parramatta.

The sections represent the first green track laid in New South Wales and the longest stretch in Australia.

The awards jury commended the research study commended the research for its innovation and practicality.

“The intellectual rigour and commitment to collaboration across disciplines such as engineering, climate science, soil, biodiversity and landscape architecture demonstrates a truly integrated and creative approach to design,” the jury wrote in a statement.

“The problem-solving is elegant and unyielding, the outcome transformational and no-doubt one that will enable more sensitive and systems-based approaches to creating resilient, cool, and inspiring places in future.”

State award winners will proceed to the National Landscape Architecture Awards program later this year.

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News

Queensland

Toowoomba to host Inland Rail summit

The event will bring all stakeholders together from across the Inland Rail project.

The inaugural Inland Rail Summit will be held in Toowoomba in September this year, officially hosted by the Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise (TSBE).

Toowoomba Regional Council mayor Paul Antonio said the event would bring all stakeholders together from across the $14.5 billion nation-building rail project.

“I see great benefit in bringing together all councils, as well as industry across the alignment, to share insights and opportunities. Inland Rail is a complex

project and one that needs the combined effort of local, state and federal governments to be successful,” he said.

“I will also be approaching the new Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Catherine King, to invite her to play a central role in the Inland Rail Summit, as I believe this summit is of national significance.

“I have held talks with Inland Rail managers the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) and they have given me a commitment that they will support the event to the hilt. They see the advantages of having such a large body of stakeholders in the same room to address the issues around Inland Rail.”

TSBE chief executive officer Ali Davenport said the summit would establish a forum for collaboration among councils who are looking to create new economic opportunity, to understand the status of Inland Rail and to discuss opportunities to minimise impacts on local communities.

“There are 36 local government areas along the Inland Rail alignment and businesses and communities are looking for certainty so they can continue to plan

and get on with delivering the jobs and economic growth this infrastructure will bring,” she said.

“We are looking to bring as many local government, state and federal government agencies and economic development groups along the route together in September.

“The Inland Rail Summit gives us a wonderful opportunity to share our vision for regional Australia and what we can build on the back of Inland Rail.”

Inland Rail interim chief executive Rebecca Pickering praised the initiative, saying local government was the bedrock which underpinned communities, and councillors were the local champions of development of regional Australia and saw first-hand the opportunities and challenges Inland Rail will bring.

“We are working with local government right through the design and delivery process to ensure that Inland Rail is delivered to the highest standards and with minimum disruption to these communities,” she said.

“Inland Rail will bring a new wave of prosperity to regional Australia by the efficient transport of goods around the country or for export.”

Record investment in Queensland transport Transport projects across Queensland will be supercharged by a record level of infrastructure investment, creating jobs and supporting the state’s growing population.

The State Government budget for 2022-2023 includes a $29.7 billion, four-year roads and transport investment plan to support 25,200 jobs.

Rail-related investment highlights include: South Coast Region $5.19b investment over four years, including key investments such as: • $1.21b Gold Coast Light Rail (Stage 3) Broadbeach South to Burleigh Heads (jointly funded by the Australian Government, Queensland Government and City of Gold Coast) • $120 million Queensland Government funding commitment for three new Gold Coast railway stations at Pimpama, Hope Island and Merrimac Metropolitan Region $3.85b investment over four years, including key investments such as:

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• $450m funding commitment for Brisbane Metro Woolloongabba Station (jointly funded by the Queensland Government, Australian Government and Brisbane City Council) • $209.3m Beams Road (Carseldine and Fitzgibbon) rail level crossing upgrade (jointly funded by the Queensland Government, Australian Government and Brisbane City Council) • $206m funding for Boundary Road (Coopers Plains) rail level crossing (jointly funded with the Australian Government). Project cost, timing and funding arrangements subject to further planning and negotiations with Brisbane City Council and Australian Government Project (in line with its 2022 Federal Election commitment).

• $125m Linkfield Road Overpass upgrade (jointly funded with the Australian Government) North Coast Region $3.07b investment over four years, including key investments such as: • $550.8m Beerburrum to Nambour Rail Upgrade (Stage 1)

• $57m Strathpine – Samford Road (Eatons Crossing Road and Mount Samson Road) intersection and safety improvements Statewide Includes funding commitments that cross regional/district boundaries that will be prioritised and allocated specific areas over time. Also includes investments that cross regional/district boundaries and investments delivered on a statewide basis.

• $2.59b Logan and Gold Coast Faster Rail (Kuraby to Beenleigh) upgrade (jointly funded with the Australian Government) • $1b funding commitment towards upgrades of the Inland Freight Route (Charters Towers to Mungindi) (jointly funded with the Australian Government).

• $600m Queensland Train Manufacturing Program which forms part of the $7.1b to boost Queensland’s train manufacturing industry and build and operate 65 trains • $544.5m for the Warrego Highway (jointly funded with the Australian Government).

Facelifts planned at Northern Queensland stations The Townsville and Cairns train stations have been identified as priority sites for a Queensland Government overhaul, as part of a budget commitment to improve accessibility and the customer experience at regional stations.

Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said this year’s budget saw the Regional Station Accessibility Upgrade Program expanded to include two additional stations.

“This enhanced program will see upgrades get underway at Cairns and Townsville stations, in addition to work continuing at Rockhampton, Maryborough West and Bundaberg stations,” he said.

Proposed improvements include a refurbished station precinct on the existing sites with uplifts like customer lounges with improved seating, tables and air conditioning, breakout areas with device charging stations, an integrated travel centre and luggage check-in facility.

A seating refresh, enhanced signage, service information screens, public announcement systems and new emergency help phones are also proposed throughout the stations, significantly improving the customer experience.

“Townsville station is a key regional rail hub that sees close to 20,000

The Spirit of Queensland.

customer journeys each year, and the State Government is committed to improving these important facilities for locals and tourists alike,” Bailey said.

Member for Cairns Michael Healy said the current Cairns station opened in 1996 as part of the Cairns Shopping Centre, and pulled in about 33,000 customer journeys each year.

“Queensland’s iconic railways are at the heart of this state, and I’m pleased to see some of the state’s oldest stations being revamped with a more modern look and feel.

“The Spirit of Queensland is a key form of travel tourism across the coastline of Queensland, and I encourage everyone to give it a try.”

Member for Barron River Craig Crawford said Cairns station was also home to the Kuranda Scenic Railway.

“Celebrating its 131st birthday this year, the Kuranda Scenic Railway takes customers on a trip through Far North Queensland’s heritage listed rainforest into the heart of Kuranda,” he said.

“Upgrades may include installation of tactile ground indicators, handrails where required and an upgrade to the accessible toilets for enhanced customer comforts and a more modern look and feel.

“A new drop-off zone will also be considered that integrates with other public transport providers, for improved connections.”

Pedestrian crossing upgrades in the Outback Three pedestrian rail crossing upgrades in Longreach are only one step away from completion, as part of a $5.5 million program to improve safety in the West Moreton and Central West systems of regional Queensland.

Queensland Rail Head of Regional Jim Benstead said the upgrades at Kite Street, Jabiru Street and Longreach Airport have been upgraded to include mazes for improved pedestrian safety.

“Three pedestrian intersections are now safer for the Longreach community after being upgraded from simple signage to protection in the form of pedestrian mazes,” he said.

“The crossings are currently in use by the community, with the final piece of the construction, the laying of tactile for vision impaired people, to be completed for all three crossings by the first week of July.

“Community safety is Queensland Rail’s top priority and level crossings are regularly reviewed to ensure the appropriate level of protection is

in place, including in Longreach where we see freight trains and the twice-weekly Spirit of the Outback service.

“The recently upgraded Kite Street crossing will allow patrons to walk safely from the caravan park to Longreach Showground and also between a new Outback Aussie Tours development, which involves a new rail car to Winton, and Longreach city centre.

“The upgrade at Jabiru Street is providing

One of the traffic mazes in Longreach.

a safer path for patients and families visiting Longreach Hospital and for students using the crossing to walk to the nearby high school, while visitors and residents are benefiting from the crossing upgrade at Longreach Airport, which is home to the famous Qantas Museum.”

Benstead said the Longreach crossings were three of a total 19 pedestrian crossings set to receive upgrades as part of the $5.5 million investment.

“The program will deliver vital safety upgrades at the Ilfracombe Sportsground in July, before moving on to crossings at Wallumbilla, Mitchell, Barcaldine and Toowoomba,” he said.

“Queensland Rail is committed to improving level crossing safety through infrastructure upgrades such as these and invests in rail safety education. It’s important motorists and pedestrians also play their part, by paying attention to our surroundings and obeying the warning signs in place for everyone’s safety.”

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News

South Australia

State preserves land for future rail corridor

A train travels over the Valley Bridge in Onkaparinga, where Aldinga is located.

The State Government will preserve a corridor of land for a potential future extension of the Seaford rail line to Aldinga, ensuring there are long-term options for expanding public transport in South Australia.

The move reverses the decision taken under the former Liberal Government to pursue private development of part of the land, which would have terminated any future rail prospects.

In October 2021, Renewal SA began a process to secure a private development partner for a 60-hectare site at Aldinga.

The reserved rail corridor runs directly through the earmarked land parcel.

Renewal SA has now terminated its Request for Proposal process for the Aldinga site.

All affected proponents have been notified.

Renewal SA will work with the Department of Infrastructure and Transport regarding requirements for the reserved rail corridor before embarking on a new market process for the remaining land.

The decision also affects plans for a 3.8ha block neighbouring Cardijn College Galilee for an expansion of the school. Renewal SA will now work with representatives from the College regarding alternative solutions for the school’s expansion.

Although there are no plans in the next decade to build a train extension to Aldinga, this decision leaves open the option to pursue this in the 2030s.

The immediate focus of the government is

the duplication of Main South Road and Victor Harbor Road.

Premier Peter Malinauskas said preserving this land for a future rail extension ensured long term options in the future.

“Selling off this land for private development now means we would not have the option to pursue a rail extension in future years,” he said. “That’s short-term thinking and I am pleased we have been able to preserve this land for future generations.”

Extending the Seaford train line to Aldinga was a part of the South Australian Government’s submission for Infrastructure Australia’s Infrastructure Priority List back in 2017, when the Labor Party was at the helm, but the project was sent to the back burner when the Liberals won the elections in 2018.

The Infrastructure Priority List ranks projects under consideration in order of viability, with projects ranked as Priority Projects or High Priority Projects being strongly considered for Commonwealth funding.

The Seaford extension included an “integrated public transport initiative,” which covered the extension of the train line to Aldinga, Park’n’Rides, interchange upgrades, increased public transport frequency, and first mile/last mile access.

Up and Ovingham as Torres Road Bridge opens Adelaide motorists have started to travel on the newly constructed Torrens Road Bridge as work on the Ovingham Level Crossing Removal Project continues to surge ahead.

Traffic was switched onto the new bridge for the first time at the end of June, allowing motorists to drive up and over the train line, as part of the $196 million project jointly funded by the South Australian and Australian governments.

The overpass has removed the need for traffic to stop to allow for passing trains, reducing travels times and congestion for motorists. The new overpass will also improve public transport usage to north-western Adelaide, as buses will no longer need to stop at the boom-gates. This will cut travel times and increasing reliability and safety.

Road users and the community have seen the progression of the bridge construction over recent months, as 16 South Australian built, 100-tonne girders were craned into place.

Once construction is complete, the area beneath the bridge will be developed into open space for community use.

The Ovingham Level Crossing Removal Project is due to be complete in 2023, supporting 265 full time jobs during construction.

Transport Minister Tom Koutsantonis said the opening of the bridge meant traffic could flow smoothly through this busy intersection, up and over the tracks without having to stop and wait for any passing trains.

“An average of 21,300 vehicles passed through the level crossing every day, and up until recently the closed boom gates at Torrens Road stopped traffic flow for around 22 per cent of the time during the combined morning and evening peak periods,” he said.

The boom gates at Torrens Road, Ovingham are down for about 22 per cent of the time during the combined AM and PM peak periods.

Torrens Road crosses both the interstate

rail line and the newly electrified Gawler passenger rail line.

The project was delivered as part of an alliance with McConnell Dowell Constructors, Mott MacDonald Australia and Arup.

The consortium had previously completed major infrastructure works in South Australia, as part of the Public Transport Projects Alliance, including the Oaklands Level Crossing Grade Separation project, and the Regency Road to Pym Street Project as part of the North-South Corridor.

The Torrens Road Bridge being built.

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News

Western Australia

METRONET training facility reaches next stop Construction of a $5.6 million specialist METRONET Trade Training Centre at North Metropolitan TAFE’s Midland campus in Perth has entered a new chapter, with works on the $4.6 million Stage 2 section of the project now underway.

Developed in consultation with industry, this project will deliver Western Australia’s first dedicated public facility to support training for jobs in the rail industry and meet the diverse training needs of the METRONET program.

The Stage 2 works include construction of a dual-track level crossing, including a maintenance track and crossover, a standalone Signalling Equipment Room to enable hands-on training in using and maintaining signal equipment, and a section of rail line for training in maintenance of various gauges of rail.

Once completed, the METRONET Trade Training Centre will upskill workers for: • construction and maintenance of the METRONET network and rail rolling stock • rail operations and signalling to support WA’s wider rail networks owned and operated by the State Government and resource companies The new facility will provide local training for METRONET projects, which are creating job opportunities for local workers, pre-apprentices and apprentices.

Stage 1 works, completed in October 2020

by M/Construction, included the creation of rail signalling workshops and introduction of electrical rail signalling qualifications to complement the range of engineering qualifications supporting METRONET manufacturing and maintenance.

An artist’s impression of the TAFE site.

They enabled a pilot group of employees from Rio Tinto, John Holland Group and Hitachi to commence a Certificate IV in Electrical Rail Signalling from Semester 1, 2021, and people with a WA electrical licence to undertake a Certificate IV in Electrical Rail Signalling from Semester 2, 2021.

The new facilities will also cater to the increased demand for training driven by the expansion of the ‘Lower fees, local skills’ initiative. Many courses included in the program are essential to METRONET, including: • Certificate II and III in Automotive Electrical Technology; • Certificate II and III in Electrotechnology; • Certificate II in Engineering (Heavy Fabrication; Light Fabrication; Mechanical Fitter and Machinist); • Certificate III in Engineering – Fabrication Trade (Heavy/Welding YH; Light YC; Fitter and Machinist ZB; Mechanical Fitter ZA); • Certificate II in Engineering Pathways; • Certificate IV in Engineering; • Certificate IV in Electrical – Instrumentation; and • Diploma of Engineering – Advanced Trade.

Construction of Stage 2 is expected to be completed towards the end of 2022, with training set to commence in the new facilities early next year.

First graduates from Pilbara Rail Academy Sixty new train drivers are poised to graduate from BHP’s Pilbara Rail Academy Traineeship Program, created last year to meet the growing skills shortage in Western Australia.

BHP is investing $20 million in the academy program, which aims to employ and train 200 new train drivers over three years. BHP welcomed the first recruits – the new graduates – into the academy in August last year.

BHP WA Iron Ore Asset president Brandon Craig said through the investment in the academy, the company hopes to ease the squeeze of rail driver availability in WA and create new pathways for people to join our team and pursue a rewarding career in mining.

“Through the academy, we can make our business and the mining sector more resilient, create training and job opportunities in regional WA, and continue to deliver value to communities and the economy,” he said.

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More than 70 per cent of the 60 trainee drivers are women and about 20 per cent are indigenous, as BHP works to increase diversity and strengthen the capability of its workforce.

The academy recruits have a range of life skills and experiences, including former Uber drivers, ex-military personnel as well as mums looking for a career change after raising children.

After undergoing a 10-month intensive program at BHP’s Port Hedland and Newman operations, the graduates will receive nationally recognised qualifications in a Certificate IV Train Driving.

They will join BHP’s experienced team of drivers responsible for operating the company’s WA iron ore train fleet of more than 180 locomotives, which deliver ore across more than 1000 kilometres of track from its Pilbara mines to Port Hedland for export.

A fully laden BHP WA iron ore train typically

comprises four diesel-electric locomotives pulling approximately 270 cars carrying 40,000 tons of iron ore and can be up to two kilometres long.

Some of the Academy trainees.

Rail access regime ready for reforms Following a review and extensive consultation with stakeholders, the State Government is now implementing significant changes to Western Australia’s Rail Access Regime, which provides a regulated pathway for parties to gain access to pre-determined privatelyowned railways.

Amendments to the Railways (Access) Code 2000 have now been drafted to make the regime a more effective alternative when commercial negotiations stall, speed up access negotiations and ensure railway access arrangements are fair for all parties.

Interested parties were asked to provide feedback on the draft amendments during a 30-day consultation period.

Premier and Treasurer Mark McGowan said the important reforms contributed to ensuring businesses can more easily use the rail network to efficiently move their products across the state.

“The contribution of railway owners and

access seekers has been instrumental in developing these reforms and ensuring the Rail Access Regime works well for all parties,” he said.

“I invited all interested parties to consider the drafted regulatory amendments and provide their feedback.”

Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said this was a chance for rail users, owners and the like to have their say on the draft changes to legislation.

“We are investing a record amount in rail and want to create a fairer access regime,” she said.

“Ensuring fair and efficient access to railways in WA is essential to supporting the sustained economic growth of our regions and the critical industries of agriculture, mining and energy.

“These necessary reforms will go a long way in ensuring Western Australians benefit from how rail is operated and accessed in our State.”

CBH was one of the many stakeholders who made a submission.

Stakeholders who made public submissions in response to the Issues Paper included Alcoa, Arc Infrastructure, Aurizon, the ARTC, CBH, Pacific National, Roy Hill, Rio Tinto, and the Wheatbelt Railway Retention Alliance.

Business case for WA high speed project

The proposal aims to improve public transport travel between Perth and Bunbury.

Planning to investigate a potential faster rail link between the Western Australia city of Bunbury and Perth is progressing, with consultants now on board to develop the project’s strategic business case.

In partnership with MER Consult and Arup Group, KPMG has been awarded a $500,000 contract to produce the project’s strategic business case, which will include evaluation of the potential economic, social and environmental costs and benefits of the project.

The proposal aims to improve public transport travel between Perth and Bunbury, with the existing Australind service trip taking two and a half hours.

Once complete, the strategic business case will help outline the economic and population conditions required for this future piece of transport infrastructure to be viable.

The Federal Government allocated $4 million in the 2020-21 Budget for high-level investigations into a faster train to Bunbury, with the State matching that investment.

Detailed planning work will continue throughout next year, with the strategic business case expected to be ready in mid-2024.

This is long-term planning for a fast train that, if the study finds it feasible, is still realistically many years away.

Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said the contract award was an important step in the planning process for a potential future Bunbury faster rail service.

“The business case will use population data, travel patterns, land use planning and other metrics to assess the project’s economic, social and environmental benefits, which will help guide us when making decisions about its development,” she said.

“This is a long-term project looking well into the future. The strategic business case is a first step in understanding what a faster public transport link between Perth and Bunbury might look like.”

Murray-Wellington MLA Robyn Clarke said high-speed train services would be a boon for both the tourist industry and the local communities.

“There are so many wonderful towns between Perth and Bunbury – Harvey, Pinjarra and Cookernup just to name a few – and a high-speed train will provide more access for locals and tourists alike,” she said.

“The awarding of this contract is the next big step towards investigating the concept of a high-speed train, with a business case due in mid-2024.”

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News

New Zealand

Martinus on board for CRL station works New Zealand’s City Rail Link has signed a new contract with rail specialists Martinus to complete a range of works around the Waitematā Station (Britomart), at the eastern end.

Chief executive Sean Sweeney says the scope of works is designed to better enable connectivity of the new rail network and improve passenger experience when accessing the CRL at Waitematā.

Martinus was chosen because of its exceptional work and experience in delivering rail infrastructure and systems across Australasia, Sweeney said.

“The contract for structural works and track and rail systems also demonstrates how the CRL continues to seek the best return on investment on behalf of ratepayers and taxpayers.”

Martinus chief executive Treaven Martinus says he is delighted to partner with the CRL for New Zealand’s largest ever transport infrastructure project.

“We are thrilled to be awarded additional works on this significant social infrastructure project which will provide our team with an abundance of opportunities and build industry capability for years to come,” he said.

“Through the successful delivery of various other works on CRL, we have forged an incredible partnership with the CRL team,

Sean Sweeney (left) and Treaven Martinus sign the contract.

which is built on a culture of collaboration and camaraderie.

“Winning this contract also means our team is able to transition smoothly onto the next section of works with a like-minded team that is well focussed on best-forproject outcomes.”

The scope of works Martinus Rail will complete includes: • Structural strengthening and streetscaping • Pedestrian emergency egress walkways within the existing tunnel • Demolition and construction of new underground support walls on the north and the south side of the existing tunnel • Track slab construction and track realignment • Track-side cable installation and new track crossing • Changes to the signalling equipment foundations and fixings Sweeney said works are scheduled to commence in June, with some preparatory work completed later this month, and completed by February 2024.

There will be construction operations in Britomart Place and Scene Lane, with the work sequencing designed to avoid disruption to commuters as much as possible, with appropriate traffic management in place to ensure an optimum travel experience during surface works.

“Track closures at Waitematā Station will be confined to the night-time, with occasional weekend closures and Christmas shutdowns, to maximise productivity and significantly reduce commuter inconvenience,” Sweeney said.

New era as Pukekohe heads towards electrification KiwiRail and Auckland Transport are working together to build a modern train station suitable for future needs as the town of Pukekohe grows.

Auckland’s metro rail network was electrified in 2015, and as part of the New Zealand Upgrade Program in early

Artist’s impression of the new station.

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2020, KiwiRail received funding for the electrification to be extended to Pukekohe.

When completed in 2024, customers travelling from Pukekohe across Auckland will no longer need to switch trains at Papakura and will enjoy faster, quieter, and cleaner journeys in modern electric trains.

Customers will also experience faster and more frequent services.

The new station will include: • A new platform layout to accommodate longer trains. Initially platforms will serve six-car trains with an option to extend them to nine-car trains in the future, providing more capacity • Removing the existing station building and building modern passenger facilities such as new shelters, AT HOP machines and easy access to complement the bus interchange • Installing new overhead power masts and

changing the track layout for trains to pass easily and safely through the station area • Building new electric train stabling (where trains are placed when not in use) In November 2021, KiwiRail and Auckland Transport announced that the Pukekohe shuttle service that connects Papakura and Pukekohe would be suspended from mid-2022 until the second half of 2024, to accommodate the significant work that needs to be carried out on the 19km section of line between the two locations until 2025.

Most of this work will require at least one track, and often two, to be closed at multiple locations along the route.

To enable this, Auckland Transport has agreed to replace the ageing Papakura– Pukekohe diesel train shuttle service with buses from August 13, until electric trains can run on that stretch of track.

Pacific National in Profile

The PNA that drives the largest private rail freight company When Paul Scurrah was appointed managing director and chief executive officer of rail freight business Pacific National last April, he could not have asked for a tougher baptism of fire.

Scurrah took over the reins at Pacific National with a wealth of experience gained in lead roles across the rail, port and aviation sectors, including time as CEO of Queensland Rail, and executive vice-president at Aurizon.

Rail Express speaks to Scurrah about his first year in the job and the challenges he faced along the way.

“It’s been tumultuous for many, many different reasons,” he said.

“And in fact, as I have said to my team, the past 12 months have seen an unprecedented use of the word “unprecedented”.

“The rail freight industry has had to cope with the enduring impact of COVID, lockdowns and border closures, loss of labour and some of the most disruptive weather events the country has seen in decades.”

These included the floods across New South Wales and Queensland, and major washouts which rendered the Trans-Australian railway across South Australia inoperable for almost a month.

“And then unbelievably, in the last 12 months we also had earthquakes in Melbourne and Adelaide, although they were very minor,” Scurrah said.

“So what does normal feel like at Pacific National? Because the past year has been anything but normal.”

But as so often is the case, adversity brings out the best in people, and for Pacific National, the way that staff has taken on the testing times has been a source of pride for Scurrah.

“I’m really appreciative of all of the people in the company for the way they’ve taken on the circumstances.

“They have had an impact on our business and it takes an enormous amount of effort to deal with the unusual and the abnormal, and our team has stepped right up to help with that.

“We are a company built on solid foundations with a team of dedicated people, guided by common values, working together as one.

“We care about each other and the work we do, and because of this, ‘we care more’ is Pacific National’s core philosophy. We care more because we strive for the best and it is the right thing to do. It’s what sets us apart.”

For Scurrah’s part, he has certainly been proactive where it matters.

For example, during the heaviest lockdown periods, he called on governments to prioritise COVID vaccinations for essential freight workers to better protect the national supply chain from the virus.

“It is critical to vaccinate essential freight workers, many of whom live in regional Australia where vaccine supplies are limited,” he said at the time.

“We haul hundreds of thousands of tonnes of goods and commodities each week across our continent,” he said.

“Our frontline rail freight workers, about 2300, have played a critical role in helping keep Australia’s economy moving during the pandemic.

“Each day, hundreds of our train crews cross

state borders and at times enter lockdown or ‘hotspot’ LGA zones to help deliver goods and commodities to ports, supermarket distribution centres, mines, and grain receival sites.”

Scurrah noted that working from home was not an option for those operating giant freight trains.

“State governments have moved to tighter COVID testing regimes (either three or seven days) for essential freight workers, meaning they obviously view freight workers to be in a higher risk category,” he said.

“Therefore, it stands to reason that such workers should be provided with a priority jab.

“On many key freight corridors, all it would take is for a dozen or so train drivers to contract the virus, or indeed just to be deemed close contacts, or for a COVID outbreak to occur at a major intermodal terminal or depot, for the national supply chain to be severely disrupted.”

The business has long championed the need for RAT tests, and had the foresight to secure supply of an additional 30,000 RAT kits before Christmas.

“It’s called the national supply chain for a reason – it is only as strong as its weakest link,” Scurrah said.

Then, in January, when the rail track north of Port Augusta was deluged – suspending freight services from Adelaide to Perth and Darwin – Scurrah was quick to point out the need for the Trans-Australian Railway to be upgraded.

Describing it as the umbilical cord connecting the continent’s eastern and western

A Pacific National train travels under the Southern skies.

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seaboards, Scurrah said the line was a vital link in Australia’s supply chain.

“It’s time for the Australian Government to commit funds to upgrade this vital piece of national infrastructure. More resilience needs to be built into the existing rail line. I can’t imagine commuters or truckies accepting major regional highways being closed for up to or over a week,” he said.

A NEW VISION Scurrah is particularly proud of Pacific National’s rejuvenated strategy, which has reset the direction, the vision, and the purpose of the company.

“Our structure has been aligned in line with the strategy, and we are really gathering momentum, so I’m really happy with the first 12 months, taking everything into account,” he said.

The company-wide values and priorities program was launched by Scurrah shortly after his appointment.

“Referred to as our ‘PNA’ among employees, the ‘Pacific National Approach’ includes our strategic priorities and shared values which bind us together as a business and guide how we operate,” he said.

“Our PNA is what sets us apart as a business, it’s effectively our company’s ‘DNA’ which is the essence of Pacific National’s social license to operate and guides how we engage with colleagues, customers, and the community.

“Central to our PNA is encouraging a diverse workforce, which is why our Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) framework supports a number of concrete initiatives, such as recognising our LGBTQI+ colleagues, our successful women’s mentoring program (now in its third year), and committing to targets to increase participation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

“Pacific National’s history, values and operational track record are a strong foundation to continue to grow and mature our ESG strategy to achieve our vision to be recognised as Australia’s most trusted and respected logistics partner.”

Scurrah said the company has shifted from reporting simply on ESG performance metrics to outlining a comprehensive pathway focused on achieving specific goals in key areas.

“Pacific National recognises implementing our enhanced strategy, including meeting key goals, and growing and maturing our ESG position into the future, is inextricably tied to our continued success and appeal to customers, employees, investors, and the community.

“To build our climate resilience and implement long-term strategies to futureproof business operations, we are

also growing our national footprint of freight terminals aligned to the Australian Government’s Inland Rail route and investing in 50 new fuel-efficient locomotives.”

The ESG strategy firmly acknowledges Pacific National’s strong local presence in Australia’s regions.

“As the largest rail hauler of bulk grain on the eastern seaboard and with more than 70 locations around the country, Pacific National is deeply embedded in the fabric of regional Australia and proud to actively support primary producers and exporters,” Scurrah said.

“As part of our license to operate, Pacific National remains dedicated to continuing to support and invest in these communities, recognising they contribute to the ongoing success of our business.

“We emerged stronger and more resilient after weathering the supply chain challenges and disruptions posed by the pandemic, continuing to move freight across borders and deliver for our customers.

“Going forward, we are focused on building our operational resilience so we can deliver a sustainable future for our people, customers and our shareholders.”

Scurrah said Pacific National was not taking its eyes off coal. He said while the operator was planning for a net zero emissions future, it acknowledged high quality Australian coal continues to play a role in the world’s economic development and energy generation.

“We recognise the need for appropriate transitions across global markets away from coal usage as the world moves towards more renewable energy sources,” he said.

“Pacific National is committed to reducing carbon emissions in the broader supply chain and in our business.”

INTERMODAL INTENSITY Scurrah said as part of Pacific National’s strategy, the company had developed a plan to significantly grow its intermodal business over the next four years.

“We are investing heavily in an extensive national terminal plan in response to surging customer demand for containerised interstate rail freight services,” he said.

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

“We’ve been investing really heavily in our intermodal business over the past 12 months to get our assets fit for purpose and to take the growth that we know will come our way.

“We are planning on about 25 per cent growth, which is a pretty significant investment

and a pretty substantial number. But we know we have to be prepared to take the demand as it comes, and a part of that is making sure we have a fit-for-purpose fleet.

“So we’ve just made a fairly substantial investment in 110 new wagons and that is a more than $40 million plus investment.

“In total we’ve invested more than $400 million to develop and optimise our rail terminals: those ones we’ve got, plus some new ones.”

Pacific National managing director Paul Scurrah.

These include the St Mary’s Freight Hub in Western Sydney, the Acacia Ridge Terminal in Brisbane, and the Parkes Logistics Terminal in Central West NSW, with options taken out at Little River in the west of Melbourne, an agreement for the future development of a major rail freight terminal at Toowoomba, Queensland, and a presence around every major city in Australia.

“While growing Pacific National’s total containerised freight volumes will, in the short-term, increase our company’s emissions, the positive impact is more of Australia’s total freight volumes will shift from road to rail which has a smaller carbon footprint compared to road,” Scurrah said.

“Road freight produces 14 times greater accident costs and up to 16 times more carbon pollution compared to rail freight per tonne kilometre, which is why our strategy as a business is to grow our intermodal volumes and get more freight off road and onto rail.”

THE NEW GOVERNMENT With this view in mind, Pacific National has welcomed the new Federal Government’s pledge to examine major infrastructure projects, including the cost and scope of the Inland Rail project.

“Importance needs to be placed in relation to future intermodal terminals, which must be positioned in a location to secure a shift

WWW.RAILEXPRESS.COM.AU | 27

Pacific National in Profile

Pacific National is built on solid foundations with a team of dedicated people, guided by common values, working together as one.

of freight from road to rail to deliver reduced emissions, traffic congestion and road accidents,” he said.

“Shoring up investment confidence in the freight and logistics sector, particularly at a time when the national supply chain is under intense cost pressures and capacity constraints, is also imperative.

“Pacific National would like to see Infrastructure Australia play a greater role in helping to enhance the safety and productivity of the national supply chain, including track upgrades to build greater resilience in the interstate rail network.

“In a competitive global marketplace, Australian import and export businesses can ill afford to have major railways shutdown for extended periods of time due to sub-standard track infrastructure.

“Having spent six years as the federal minister responsible for infrastructure, transport and regional development, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will bring experience and a deep of understanding of the rail industry’s infrastructure needs.”

Prioritising rail infrastructure resilience was in fact part of a pre-election wish list released

by Pacific National along with other members of the Freight on Rail Group (FORG), which include Australian Rail Track Corporation, One Rail Australia, Aurizon, Qube Holdings, SCT Logistics, Arc Infrastructure, Watco Australia and Southern Shorthaul Railroad.

With “once-in-100 year” events happening more regularly, the group said it would it would be important that:

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• Resilience priorities are identified across Australia’s rail freight network, including regional rail infrastructure and focusing on where the improvement is needed • The use of technology is used to detect when a network or particular sections of a network require mitigation and protection actions • Rail networks are well prepared to undertake efficient recovery works when required.

The group also wanted the introduction of a level playing field for rail and road in terms of infrastructure pricing policy.

“On freight corridors where rail and road compete to transport general freight, the current policy of federal and state governments has resulted in favourable road user charges for trucks that are not cost-reflective,” Scurrah said.

He said the federal and state governments must introduce equivalent policies for rail and road infrastructure pricing, and achieve this by one of the following options: • Road pricing reform that introduces costreflective user charging for heavy vehicles • Alternatively, the introduction of a rail freight utilisation incentive program, potentially linked to the value of the emissions reduction benefits of freight transported by rail “The major corridors between MelbourneSydney, Sydney-Brisbane and MelbourneBrisbane have a very low rail share,” Scurrah said.

“We need to look at the way rail operators are charged, because for example, although we are the biggest operator on rail, we’re quite a minnow in the entire picture and we need to be supported to make sure that growth does happen, and that a shift from road to rail occurs.

“Roads have a pretty steady stream of users in a pretty accepted pipeline of investment. And rail has to go back to the government and beg, steal, and borrow for every cent of funding.

“Basically rail has to prove itself every time.

And I think that’s unnecessarily bureaucratic and 100 per cent at odds with what this government’s stated ambitions are.”

Scurrah also supports a focus on improving the productivity of rail freight.

Former Deputy Prime Minister John Anderson recently chaired a review which identified impediments to rail freight productivity, and Scurrah says they need to be addressed.

“We need to make targeted investments in improving the productivity of existing rail infrastructure,’ he said.

“A coordinated federal and state government approach to consistently identifying and overseeing the implementation of rail freight productivity improvement priorities should be integrated with overall supply chain development programs.”

SKILLS SHORTAGE Pacific National has a team of more than 3400 people working across 70 sites around Australia. But it’s not immune to the labour problems facing many industries.

“When it comes essential freight workers, we have a grey tsunami,” Scurrah said.

“The average age of a Pacific National freight train driver is now over 50. This is a common trend in our sector.

“The rail industry is in the midst of a boom.

The skills gaps that were already evident a few years ago have only increased as new projects get under way and recent border restrictions limited the movement of skilled workers between states and from overseas.

“There is a critical need to attract, train and develop talent in our industry to support its long-term growth.”

The company aims to attract and retain talent by sourcing from a diverse candidate pool and fostering a culture of continuous development.

“We provide competitive remuneration to reward employees for their expertise and commitment to our business strategy,” Scurrah said. “We recognise the need for transformation and continually improve our tools and technologies to enable our people to deliver to the best of their ability, keeping our workforce connected and engaged.”

Pacific National recently joined up as a member with the Australasian Railway Association, which released a new report on building rail skills capability as the industry faces increasing skills shortages across the country.

The report confirmed expected workforce gaps of up to 70,000 skilled workers by 2023, with some areas of specialisation already experiencing shortages.

Its review of global initiatives to build rail skills capability identified four areas of action for industry and government to address: • Leadership, collaboration and partnership • :Strategic workforce planning • Attracting, recruiting and retaining workforce Skilling our workforce Scurrah agreed with the report, supporting the call for a national approach that makes it easier for people to join the rail industry, and advance their career within it.

Pacific National makes it loud and clear that its employees are valued.

Its ‘We Care More’ ethos surrounds how staff care about each other, the communities they operate in, the work they do, their customers and shareholders.

And as he enters his second year at the helm, that may well be Scurrah’s most important challenge: recruiting enough people to keep the PNA alive and well.

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Condition Monitoring

The future of tunnel management The concept of digital twins has gained significant traction in recent years, no more evident than in rail tunnel asset management.

A digital twin is a 3D replica or model of the asbuilt or natural environment generated by using a variety of reality capture techniques.

Its purpose is to accurately reflect a physical object. The results of this technology are then used to create simulations that help to predict how an asset performs over time.

Such reality capture solutions combine laser scanning technology with high-resolution cameras, and photogrammetric processing techniques that create complete geometrical and visual replicas of tunnel assets – and all at 1mm resolution. This is the edge: digital twins deliver superior condition assessments and asset management,making still photographs and pencil notes on clipboards old school.

One of the spearheads that has led the way in these innovations is IntelliSpatial Group and its associated companies and global partners, including Land Surveys in Australia.

Collectively, they have developed a geospatial data management and visualisation portal called IntelliSpatial. As the name implies, it houses the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills for the collection of geospatial information to create substantial value for asset owners.

IntelliSpatial was conceived in 2020 with a clear purpose: to provide solutions that harness 3D spatial information that enables asset owners, managers, and builders to better understand the as-built environment. And this, in turn, allows them to make educated and enlightened decisions that lead to continuing returns on their investments in their respective assets.

As Land Surveys National Business Development Manager James Sanderson explains, IntelliSpatial matches geospatial data and its attendant analytics to provide a highly detailed creative dataset for interpretation and utilisation by key decision makers.

“Clients and asset owners access their data through IntelliSpatial’s proprietary portal in the Cloud,” Sanderson said.

“It’s not so much a product but a dynamic, organic system. It sits at a hub fed by multiple databases that harness all of the group’s data – each business arm contributes to data collection, management and analytics that give life to

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Dibit TIS provides the capability to map areas and objects of interest generated from a tunnel scan.

IntelliSpatial’s extensive capabilities in generating fit-for-purpose aggregated data.”

IntelliSpatial’s target is to meet the demanding needs of engineering and design companies and infrastructure and construction entities, among them the linear assets of road and rail.

It utilises industry standard and proprietary reality capture technology that includes highdefinition scanning and imagery, virtual and augmented reality (AR and VR), the Internet of Things (IoT), and numerous connected sensors.

“Combined, these provide a geospatial ecosystem for real-time data analytics via the connection of digital twins to reality,” Sanderson said. “The IntelliSpatial system helps decision-makers to minimise their design costs at the outset of construction projects, reduce maintenance expenditure once an asset is in operation, and assist in revising the foreseeable continuation or predicted eventual closure of a building, facility or infrastructure asset.”

TUNNEL TECHNOLOGY VIA DIBIT TIS For decades inspections of tunnels have been carried out manually with static cameras and manual recording on clipboards. With advances in reality capture platforms and digital twinning, the opportunity has never been greater to utilise detailed 3D photo-realistic models of the built environment to improve asset performance.

Land Surveys has partnered with tunnelling specialist Austrian-based Dibit Messtechnik GmbH, the developer of the Dibit TIS (Tunnel Information System), a powerful database application for efficient management of tunnelrelated data.

“Dibit TIS provides the capability to map areas and objects of interest such as defects, structure elements and repairs on a digital tunnel surface

generated from a tunnel scan,” Sanderson said.

“During mapping, object-related changes such as crack lengths can be calculated and stored in the database. The Dibit TIS also provides the function to compare different digital tunnel surfaces and the capability to map changes as well as to generate standardised reports.

“A key advantage of the technology is it provides a comprehensive, impartial view of tunnel condition that is of great immediate benefit and forward-looking decision making for the user.

“So we use a combination of Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) and other IntelliSpatial tools to build 3D photo-realistic models of the tunnel, and then we use the Dibit TIS software to execute a digital inspection of the tunnel.”

Among its many features, the system provides for analysis of the tunnel surface in 2D and 3D-views, offers easy mapping with standardised object types, generates automated reports and plots, and can export data to AutoCAD. “The 3D tunnel can thereby be easily inspected on the computer screen and defects quickly identified. This makes for fast and easy workflow, helps in workforce planning, and provides sustainable and effective compilation of mapped objects overtime,” Sanderson said.

While Dibit TIS was only introduced in Australia in the past four years, it has been extensively used in Europe for a much longer period, with between 400 and -500 kilometres of tunnel scanning undertaken each year, including for Deutsche Bahn, Germany’s major rail transport operator.

In Australia, Dibit TIS has been used in a number of major rail and road tunnel projects, such as the Public Transport Authority in Perth, part of the Sydney Metro rail tunnel, and Transurban in Queensland.

For more information, visit: www.intellispatial.io

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Condition Monitoring

The digital age of rail automation Siemens software immediately monitors rail assets without maintainers having to leave the depot.

In 1872, the first message was transmitted over the 2700-kilometre Overland Telegraph Line between Darwin and Adelaide.

This pioneering engineering achievement, using Siemens technology, connected Australia to the rest of the world, and marked the entry point of the company’s work in this country.

As Siemens commemorates its 150th year in Australia, it is fitting that its engineering capability is now being used to assist trains to run smoothly along the Tarcoola to Darwin rail corridor: a 2250-kilometre section of south–north railway line between the two locations used by a third-party passenger service and freight trains operated by One Rail Australia.

With such long distances of track section to be maintained, monitoring critical wayside infrastructure for condition and required repairs is a massive task, particularly if manual inspection and reporting is relied upon, as it could take days for any issues to be investigated.

The rail line also traverses some of the most inhospitable terrain in the world, enduring summer temperatures that can reach greater than 50ºC, and an annual monsoon season which can lead to flooding and washouts.

And that’s where Siemens Mobility comes in.

The company has introduced its well-received, innovative RailFusion software into Australia to help enable the rail wayside infrastructure to be monitored and assessed in real time.

RAILFUSION RailFusion monitors and analyses data points across an entire railroad’s infrastructure, including wayside assets such as active road crossings, remote crossing loops and stream flow detection on six major rivers between Katherine and Darwin.

It is designed to turn the information into intelligence by intuitively monitoring and analysing railroad wayside infrastructure to improve system operations and safety.

Every location has an IP address. This provides the rail maintenance teams with insights into activity across the entire railway as the system remotely monitors and captures data from both Siemens Mobility and third-party devices located along the rail corridor.

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RailFusion helps monitor everything from battery condition, and a light out at a level crossing, to knowing what the current flow is on a switch machine.

RailFusion allows wayside devices to communicate with the RailFusion data centre to remotely determine the status and condition of the wayside equipment. It helps in accessing live crossing occupation information, identifies incorrect device behaviour, and can also analyse patterns along the railroad based on historical data, and offers maintainers an easy-to-use platform to manage complex rail infrastructure.

As Siemens Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) signals specialist Glenn McCoubrie explains, on any given railroad, there are millions of data points being created by train movements and devices along a line.

“RailFusion brings all of these disparate data points together in one system and puts intelligence behind them, allowing railroad operators to make more informed, efficient decisions about how to operate and maintain their systems specific to their needs,” he said.

“Data secured by the new system is transmitted in real-time and stored in a Siemens data centre in the USA for analytics and reporting.”

One Rail Australia Signals Manager Mick McCarl said a majority of sites on the corridor relied on battery and solar power due to their remoteness, so hence a form of smart monitoring was always needed.

“We have batteries installed in the remote equipment locations and no information on their health apart from the scheduled site visits by our maintainers and track inspectors to do their scheduled maintenance,” he said.

“One Rail Australia looked at systems that could bring us up to speed and work a little bit smarter and quicker than what we had and RailFusion, being customisable, was the perfect solution.

“RailFusion was operating in Northern America with great success, so we investigated, developed and introduced it to adapt to our system and the remoteness of our network. Now we are in a position to monitor everything from our batteries

to a light out at a level crossing to knowing what the current flow is on a switch machine.”

Mick McCarl said there were 48 sites currently using the RailFusion platform along the One Rail Australia line.

“At the moment we have adopted it from Alice Springs to Darwin, with future plans to extend it way south to the start of the corridor,” he said.

Glenn McCoubrie said RailFusion “communicates with each installation” along the corridor either by 4G or satellite communications.

“It checks hundreds of times a day and looks for any change, event or any condition of concern from the site,” he said.

“If there is any issue where thresholds with batteries and other device parameters are not met, RailFusion will initiate an e-mail alarm to the appropriate maintainer for action.

“As we have the system split into divisions, the dedicated signal maintainer for his or her respective area will receive an e-mail alarm to advise if there is any issue that needs attention.

“There is also the ability to view event logs from history. For example, if we do have an incident or a train driver or operation staff report, we can go through via RailFusion to retrieve an event log to ascertain if there was in fact a problem and what actually occurred in the field.”

The immediacy of the RailFusion solution is a big advantage for One Rail Australia. The maintainer has the ability to look at real time data and has greater transparency on the condition of the wayside equipment prior to mobilising to site.

The RailFusion solution also provides stream flow detection alerts, so One Rail Australia can manage rail traffic over the major rivers.

This project was achieved through the collaboration of One Rail Australia and Siemens Mobility. Siemens Mobility provided the design input and One Rail’s Signals staff were key players in the installation of the equipment and the setting to work of the field sites.

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

The Pacific National way Pacific National managing director Paul Scurrah explains how the company's commitment to its ‘PNA’ helped it overcome the many obstacles of a tumultuous year. PAGE 26

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Condition Monitoring

Positioned perfectly for remote monitoring for railway tracks Wherever surveyors, engineers, construction machine operators and contractors are needed, Position Partners is there to ensure their work is precise, efficient and in control.

The wireless technology can be used to monitor bridges and tunnels.

Formed in 2008 from five state-based laser and machine control distributors, Position Partners has now grown to a team of more than 300 people, with offices in every state and territory of Australia, along with New Zealand, Indonesia, and Singapore.

Simply put, the company builds business relationships by sourcing, deploying and supporting intelligent positioning solutions to enhance its customers’ productivity.

Rail Express speaks with Position Partners market development manager Andrew Jones about how its diverse skill set enables the best outcomes for a range of projects, including the rail industry.

“In fact, the three sectors that I spend most of my time in are rail, mining and infrastructure,” he said.

“And we’ve certainly done a lot of work around Australia in helping construction groups and rail operators manage some of their assets around a condition monitoring point of view.

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“We employ surveyors with experience in cadastral, engineering and mine surveying, mechanics, spatial sciences experts and more to ensure we have the know-how to source and tailor technology solutions to save on time, labour, wasted materials and re-work.”

The name of the company itself is a literal definition of its expertise.

“We work with the surveying industry in providing its members with highly accurate point positioning instrumentation,” Jones said.

“We help clients understand the actual position of a point; and that might be for anything from a boundary set-out of a house or a block of land, right through to components on the biggest infrastructure projects going on in Australia.”

KEEPING IN SHAPE Jones said that whenever works are carried out around an existing track, it is important to ensure that its geometry and design is

maintained. “The implications are serious when a set of track falls outside of its design specifications,” he said.

“You have a very large vehicle traveling very fast, suddenly encountering a geometry that hasn’t been catered for, and which can have pretty bad outcomes.

“That’s the most acute risk. Outside of that, there is a whole suite of different sort of maintenance type considerations as well.

“So what we do is we provide different sorts of technology to help measure the track bed geometry, and allow construction teams to continue their work by giving them peace of mind that the tracks are being monitored innear- real time without high levels of manual input.

“This is an important consideration, given that the rail corridor is potentially quite a dangerous area to be working within, and can also be quite fatiguing given the hours involved and the duration of some of the projects.”

Position Partners cuts out the physical work by making use of sensors placed on sleepers to monitor movements and deviations in the tracks, including rail cant, twist, super-elevation, slew and settlement.

A board in the unit communicates the information back to a central location and then from there is transferred to the Cloud, typically over a cellular network for clients to use.

SENCEIVE TECHNOLOGY Position Partners is the exclusive distributor for Senceive, which manufactures the rail sensor nodes.

It has been designed and built for the tough demands of railway applications, providing precise, reliable structural and geotechnical data to help address the unique pressures and challenges of rail projects.

“Last year, we deployed about 800 of these around Australia on different rail projects,” Jones said.

“And they have become a commonly-used alternative to manual methods of having surveyors out in the rail corridor, or having some sort of optical instrumentation set-up that runs on an automated basis, but also has some drawbacks around the application of optical technology.”

The Senceive unit offers many features.

• Changing needs The monitoring system can be easily adapted as the project progresses, with flexibility to move sensors to fit project needs.

Settings can be changed without leaving the desk, data can be shared with the whole team, and external structural and geotechnical sensors can be integrated.

• Protecting people and infrastructure Early warnings of distress and defects are received without leaving the desk,

Clients choose Senceive solutions when they need real-time insight into track geometry conditions.

The rail sensor nodes are designed and built for the tough demands of railway applications.

as automated alarms are conveyed when trigger levels are breached. Warnings include notifications of failures such as landslip or underlying structural movement.

As well, the warnings reduce the number of site visits, which in turn lessen risk exposure.

• Staying on budget The unit offers cost-effective monitoring for cost-effective rail construction and maintenance.

Money is saved through reduced site visits and enhanced long life performance, confidence and productivity are increased through reliable real-time data, while longterm maintenance is optimised.

“Prediction and prevention costs less than failure and fixing,” Jones said.

The Senceive wireless monitoring sensors helps assess long- term trends to optimise maintenance, and detect sudden movement that could represent a safety issue.

“Clients around the world choose Senceive solutions when they need real-time insight

into long-term changes in track geometry,” Jones said.

“They know they can trust the technology to deliver precise, reliable data in tough track bed conditions. And they welcome the quick, simple installation process that helps reduce the risks associated with boots on ballast.”

Small they may be, but the structure of the units are also remarkable in their robustness.

“They can operate for 12-plus years on their own batteries, and they’ve been internally ruggedised to withstand that high moment of shock when the rolling stock passes over them,” Jones said.

BLINDSIGHT Position Partners has also entered into a distribution agreement to expand access and implementation of Blindsight, the simple, pretrained AI safety system for heavy industry.

By helping plant operators prevent collisions with real-time alerts and comprehensive safety reporting, Blindsight protects workers in the most dynamic industrial environments.

Unlike other alert systems and safety solutions, Blindsight’s integrated camera and AI software sees, understands, and alerts operators to potential hazards. The Blindsight system can be installed on mobile plant or fixed infrastructure, anywhere.

The pre-trained AI automatically detects people, vehicles, traffic cones, and custom objects unique to each worksite.

With automatic, over-the-air updates, the system is constantly learning and improving.

Its in-cab visual, auditory, and haptic alerts immediately notify operators to the presence and direction of dangers in real-time.

Supporting employee safety at every level of the organisation, Blindsight automates health and safety reporting for operations and compliance.

Videos and detection-event data are available in the Cloud continuously and can be viewed in real-time via Blindsight’s mobile and web apps.

“We recently worked with Sydney Trains to provide them with Blindsight devices that will ensure people and plant are kept separated in the confined space of the rail corridor,” Jones said.

“We have also assisted with the development of Possession Limit Markers that will help workers in the rail corridor understand their position with a level of accuracy, telling them which tracks they can work on, and which tracks are still live.”

“It can be seen as a personnel safety device that helps people stay safe in the rail corridor.”

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Condition Monitoring

Maintaining railways in perfect health

Alstom maintains more than 2100 rail cars under long-term contracts right across the country.

Alstom’s HealthHub prognostics tool offers a new approach to asset management through condition-based maintenance.

When it comes to rail maintenance – and indeed, in the provision of all railway services – Alstom has long been regarded as the undisputed global leader.

The company is renowned for its cuttingedge condition-based and predictive maintenance solutions to optimise asset management, including rolling stock, signalling and infrastructure.

As Alstom Services Director for Australia and New Zealand, Lindsay Menzies, explains, the maintenance methods go a step further than those merely based on routine or preventive servicing, as exemplified by the innovative HealthHub prog-nostics tool.

“HealthHub offers a new approach to asset management through condition-based maintenance, providing greater efficiency in the overall maintenance process,” he said.

“The system optimises the life cycle costs by extending the remaining useful life of all types of rail equipment, saving up to 20 per cent in preventive maintenance labour and 15 per cent in materials consumption.

“This package revolves around a series of data capture solutions which feed information in real time to plan ahead for maintenance operations effectively.

“The data received enables active, holistic management of vehicle and infrastructure maintenance, performance and operation.”

HealthHub stengthens the implementation of the pit-stop approach by anticipating

maintenance activities. Everything is ready when the train arrives so that main-tainers can complete the tasks swiftly and without waste.

It has been specifically designed to issue recommendations to carry out the tasks that are actually needed, at the moment they are required.

For Alstom’s customers, the advantages are multiple: they optimise their fleet-size thanks to the increased train availability, the time in depot is reduced and the total life cycle cost is lowered.

HealthHub is supported by various high technology data capture solutions such as TrainScanner, an automated diagnostics portal which uses 3-D cameras and lasers to measure the condition of three key consumables of a train as it moves through the portal: wheels, brake pads and pantograph carbon strips.

Under-frames and body shells can also be quickly assessed.

“It’s especially suitable for large or dispersed fleets; or when high level of service is required, subsystem information is captured as the train passes through the TrainScanner,” Menzies said.

“After automated inspection, the data is transmitted to the HealthHub platform, which translates raw data into actionable information, by using rule-based algo-rithms, leading to the calculation of a health index for each asset.”

Other programs include TrainTracer, which offers on-board real-time condition monitoring; and TrackTracer and

Alstom offers cutting-edge condition-based and predictive maintenance solutions to optimise asset management, including rolling stock, signalling and infrastructure.

CatenaryTracer, with each monitoring the condition of the relative infrastructure using tools installed on commercial trains, using predictive analytical techniques for future maintenance requirements.

Menzies said Alstom offered services within one of three contract frameworks.

“With a technical support and spare supply agreement (TSSSA), the operator se-cures asset availability while keeping certain tasks in-house,” he said.

“Under a core maintenance contract, Alstom provides a fully outsourced maintenance operation to help operators meet their availability targets.

“And a full maintenance contract involves the client fully transferring technical risk to Alstom as the fleet maintainer, allowing the operator to concentrate on their own core business: operating a high-quality railway system.”

Menzies said that Alstom was committed to the long-term success of customers and aimed to be a partner for global and costeffective performance.

“With our expertise in supply chain and industrial organisation and backed up by a strong system engineering capability, we help to deliver outstanding rail system availability and reliability,” he said.

“Alstom has great experience in passenger rail, tramway, metro, regional, high speed and freight operations; and across the full spectrum of assets, including rolling stock, infrastructure and signalling.

“Our many and varied customer references, with some contracts set to run for 40 years, prove the trust that our clients have in us and our status as one of the world’s leaders in maintenance, both on Alstom and nonAlstom equipment.

“In Australia alone, the company maintains more than 2100 rail cars (including trams) under long-term contracts right across the country, delivering the highest fleet availability and reliability performance of any rail fleet in the country.”

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Condition Monitoring

Actionable intelligence with Loram measurement tools In most cases, the condition defining the need for track improvement is poorly-performing track geometry: and that’s where Loram Maintenance of Way comes in.

Loram provides track maintenance services to freight, passenger, and transit railroads worldwide, as well as sells and leases equipment which performs these functions.

When people think of the geometry of the track, they think of the lines, curves and angles that make up the track’s position along the right-of-way, and they talk of such things as vertical profile, horizontal alignment, crosslevel and gauge.

Track geometry data from Loram’s Track Geometry Measurement Vehicle (TGMV) is used to provide an objective indication of the roughness of track, and by aligning and comparing track geometry roughness over time, one can quantify the performance and deterioration rate of the track.

Ballast and drainage conditions are the key contributors to maintaining the track geometry.

By analysing the vertical profile geometry channel from successive inspection that runs over time, the performance of the track’s ballast and drainage condition can be evaluated.

Loram has also developed a “heat plot” that expresses the geometry roughness on a color scale, with cool colours (blue, green) indicating

smoother geometry, and hot colors (orange, red) indicating rougher geometry, in order to study the three axes of time, distance and roughness in 2D view.

Loram provides Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and light-detection-and-ranging (Lidar) measuring services along with data analysis for condition information.

Using its proprietary analysis tool named Rail Doctor, Loram integrates the GPR/Lidar data to supplement the TGMV data.

Integrating performance information derived from track geometry data with condition information provides insight into the root-cause of track performance issues.

From a track substructure perspective, GPR data provides continuous measurement of the condition of track substructure layers by providing information on the fouling condition of the ballast, the subsurface moisture condition, and the layer thickness and configuration of the bottom of ballast layer and the top of subgrade.

Additional right-of-way information from Lidar scanning, precisely aligned to GPR and track geometry information, provides an even

Loram offers a range of GPR solutions, from complete data collection and analysis services to deployable GPR systems, available for rail car mounting.

more complete picture of the health of the line.

Integrating disparate information, along with providing an intuitive visualisation of the combined information, is very useful for track maintenance management and renewal planning.

Using the Rail Doctor output allows railways to understand the conditions, where and what attention is required to help plan maintenance activities, and budget.

Loram provides analysis that uses the integrated information to make recommendations as to where to apply tampers, or if ballast maintenance or drainage, including the ditches, is required.

Once maintenance plans are generated and work is prioritised, Loram brings the necessary equipment to execute the prescribed maintenance with industry leading production, precision and reliability.

Loram’s TrackVac, shoulder ballast cleaner, undercutter, Badger ditcher, slot machines and Self-Powered Slot (SPS) are used to correct a variety of ballast and drainage issues, including but not limited to removal of fouling material from the ballast section and cutting ditches to direct water away from the track.

Since 1954, Loram has been providing the most advanced, most productive and most innovative railroad maintenance services and equipment with exception-ally high standards of quality and performance.

The company has more than 50 years of experience in the Australian rail industry and its machines operate on Australia’s major mining networks, interstate freight lines, and passenger systems.

Today, the Loram portfolio represents the industry’s leading range of comprehensive solutions designed to help achieve operational excellence, extend rail and track asset life, and enhance efficiency to new levels.

Additional information on Loram’s GPR, Lidar, Railroad Doctor analysis services, as well as the ballast and drainage machines, is available on the Loram website: Loram.com.au

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Operations and Maintenance

The ideal road-rail vehicle Manco Rail is set to launch its new series of RTD Light Rail Vehicles into the Australian market.

For decades, Manco Rail has been regarded the OEM collision detection and safety as one of New Zealand and Australia’s interfaces to remain undisturbed. leading suppliers of hi-rail construction and The Manco RTD-85 road-rail equipment is maintenance equipment. designed to sit below the chassis rail height, Its expertise continues to provide contractors allowing easy fitment of a variety of tray back with the perfect hi-rail equipment hire solution options on both single and crew cabs. in the rail industry.

“The design provides maximum available As well, the company offers a complete ground clearance,” Vanderent said. service for any rail project, with its solutions “With the rail equipment mountings installed not only covering equipment but also ensuring below the vehicle chassis, the RRV can be that it operates at the highest level at all times. equipped without hindrance a variety of tray But perhaps the main reason why customers options, such as drop sides or tipper. The keep coming back to Manco is the company’s standard available tray size is 4.5 metres by 2 commitment to innovation and updates, metres with 400mm high dropsides. evolved from the success and learnings of “Additionally, toolboxes, or small vehicle Manco Rail equipment operation over the past loading cranes are all available. Should 45 years. operators have any specific tray mounted As Manco general manager in Australia, equipment requirements, Manco Rail engineers Jaclyn Vanderent, outlines, the company are able to design bespoke solutions to fit listens closely to its service personnel and operator needs.” valued customer base for suggestions for The hi-rail equipment is hydraulically improvement, and continues to innovate and articulated on and off rail via a 5-inch touch build its reputation as an industry leader. screen located in the vehicle cab, and all “We are specialists in supplying, engineering functions and controls are interlocked and and tailoring solutions for the rail industry,” displayed via icons on the screen, with the she said. assistance of audible alarms to provide One such bespoke release about to be maximum safety. launched on the market is Manco’s RTD Light All wheels are individually sprung using coilRail Vehicles (LRV) series road-rail vehicles over hydraulic suspension, ensuring the use of (RRVs) in narrow, standard and broad gauges. rubber torsion suspension is not used.

These days, RRVs need to be more than The Manco Rail RTD series RRVs have been just vehicles and machinery that have been designed to provide on-track performance modified to operate both on conventional of up to 50km/h travel speed (subject to any roads and on railways. They need to be robust, network restrictions) and a carrying capacity of easy to operate and have strong in-built safety up to 3000kg based on an 8500kg GVM carrier capabilities. vehicle, such as a Hino 300 series 4x2.

Manco’s RRVs possess these qualities and Vanderent said hydraulic fail-safe park are all traction-driven, which means they use non-gear reduction technology that minimises a lot of vibration and noise.

“Traction drive (Type 3) roadrail vehicles are fast becoming a mainstay for rail maintenance crews to quickly transport work crews, tools, and various componentry to and from worksites,” Vanderent said.

All Manco Rail RTD series vehicles are supplied with the The Manco RTD-85 road-rail equipment is designed front rail axle placed behind to sit below the chassis rail height, allowing easy the truck steer axle, allowing fitment of a variety of tray back options.

and service brakes are installed on the front rail equipment, with hydraulic service brakes mounted to the rear rail equipment.

“With the carrier vehicle wheels in contact with the rail head, additional braking capability is provided from the OEM truck-braking equipment,” she said.

“Navigating the control system could not be any easier, with a simplified hydraulic and electrical solution that also incorporates the company’s comprehensive diagnostic and safety systems.”

Rail travel is engaged through the rear axle inner tyres of the carrier vehicle in contact with the rail head, while the vehicle is driven on rail via OEM foot controls as though it was on normal road use without the requirement of steering.

Vanderent said the vehicle comes complete with additional external rotating beacons and work lights.

The carrier vehicle maintains all road registration, with the addition of rail network approvals and operators require a MR licence to drive this vehicle in Australia. All Manco Rail RTD LRV vehicles are compliant with AS7502 Road Rail Vehicles standards.

Manco Rail has already commissioned several new RTD LRVs onto the KiwiRail network in New Zealand, and is currently taking orders from Australian operators.

“You can rely on us to provide the right advice from the start of the project. Manco Rail Hire offers proven designs from a level of expertise and knowledge born of working closely with clients across all facets of rail construction on projects,” Vanderent said.

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The Victorian Level Crossing Removal Program

Railway traffic logjams become relic of the past as blitz continues The Victorian Government’s Level Crossing Removal Project is eliminating 85 level crossings by 2025, with more than 60 already gone for good, boosting safety and easing congestion across Melbourne.

The Bell to Moreland LXRP in Melbourne’s Brunswick and Coburg has been given the highest infrastructure rating ever awarded in Australia.

In 2015, the Victorian Government created the Level Crossing Removal Project (LXRP), aimed at removing up to 50 dangerous and congested level crossings around Melbourne.

The initial completion date was 2022, but now the program has been extended to a further 35 level crossings to be removed by 2025.

With 64 crossings already removed as this magazine went to press, the original target has already been surpassed and the project is more than a year ahead of schedule.

In 2020 and 2021, one level crossing was removed every four weeks on average, and the same frequency is taking place this year.

Since saying goodbye to the 50th set of boom gates at Bonbeach in November last year, the project has removed level crossings at Edithvale, Chelsea, Hoppers Crossing, Williamstown, Dandenong South, Berwick, Hallam, Glenroy and Preston.

Work is not slowing down anytime soon – with the project well on track to remove 85 level crossings from Melbourne within three years, including Fitzgerald Road in Ardeer, Robinsons Road in Deer Park and Gap Road in

40 | ISSUE 7 - A U GUST 2022 | RAIL EXPRESS

Sunbury by the end of the year, boosting safety and easing congestion for these suburbs.

LXRP delivers projects through an alliance model, working in partnership with various construction companies to get rid of level crossings and carry out other network upgrades The unique program alliance structure means a rolling program of projects can take place at any given time and allows efficiencies to be realised throughout the planning, design and construction phases of each project.

As part of the project, at least 35 new and upgraded stations have opened with better accessibility and upgraded, modern facilities.

Across the projects, around 20 Melbourne Cricket Grounds’ worth of open space has been unlocked, allowing for new bike parking, exercise and recreational spaces, skate parks, dog parks, and 42 kilometres of walking and bike paths.

With the removal of four level crossings in Preston on May 30, all of the original 50 level crossings committed by the Victorian Government in 2015 have now been removed.

In addition, the Lilydale, Pakenham and

Cranbourne lines will be boom gate-free by 2025, changing the way people live, work and travel.

Easing congestion and freeing up traffic has been hugely beneficial in many communities, with road users across Melbourne slashing 41 hours from the morning peak each day, with the most commute time slashed for drivers at Toorak Road, Kooyong; Main Road, St Albans; Buckley Street, Essendon; Burke Road, Glen Iris and Clayton Road, Clayton.

LXRP chief executive officer Kevin Devlin said the project was not slowing down, with more on the list to be removed by 2025.

“With each level crossing removed, suburbs all over Melbourne become safe and easier to get around, and new spaces are created for the community to enjoy,” he said.

“We’re going at a similar pace this year as we did for the past two years. In the past 12 months alone, we’ve removed 13 level crossings and built seven stations – an unprecedented feat in such a short period of time – improving safety, reducing congestion and allowing more trains, more often.

“We’d love to remove every level crossing

that remains, and we’re currently focused on getting rid of the 85 level crossings the Victorian Government has committed to removing.

“Last year, another 10 level crossings were added to the list and we have sites in construction all over Melbourne.”

BURKE ROAD, GLEN IRIS The first level crossing removed was from Burke Road, Glen Iris, where the rail line was lowered under the road – boosting safety – and a new Gardiner Station was built in January 2016.

All work at the crossing and station sites was finished by August that year.

Station platforms were lowered and are now accessed by lifts and stairs.

The project included the consolidation of tram stops near the station on Burke Road and the addition of new walking and cycling paths.

RECYCLED GLASS SAND The Kororoit Creek Road removal, completed in August 2018, was the first Metro Trains Melbourne project in Victoria with an innovative application of recycled glass sand.

Kororoit Creek Road is used by 22,000 vehicles each day and is part of VicRoads’ Principal Freight Network. It is a key transport corridor that connects the Williamstown North industrial precinct, nearby ports and residential areas to the Princes Freeway.

Procured from a recycled materials supplier, recycled glass sand has been used as bedding fill for combined service routes on the project, as well as backfill for drainage piping.

Recycled glass sand is manufactured from inert recycled glass recovered from the glass recycling process.

Re-using this material reduces the amount of waste being sent to landfill and preserves our existing sand deposits. It also conserves energy that would otherwise be used to extract sand.

The cost of recycled glass sand in this case was about half the price of virgin material, due to shorter transport distances. It is also safer to handle as it presents a lower respiratory hazard than traditional sand.

LANDSCAPING LEGACIES The level crossing removal projects are also committed to urban renewal during construction and creating new community open spaces.

About 500,000 new trees, shrubs and vegetation have been planted or relocated, and thousands of seeds raised and replanted in the spaces that have been created.

Some of the sites where these transformations have occurred include Bayswater Station, as part of LXRP works at Mountain Highway and Scoresby Road, which

Four level crossings in Preston were removed in May.

were completed in 2016; Essendon Station, as part of LXRP works at Buckley Street, which were completed in September 2018; Carnegie open space, as part of LXRP works at Koornang Road, which were completed in June 2018; Carrum open space, as part of LXRP works at Mascot Avenue, Station Street and Eel Race Road, which were completed in February 2020; Clayton RSL memorial, as part of LXRP works at Clayton Road and Centre Road, which were completed in April 2018; and Mernda Station, as part of the Mernda Rail Extension, which was completed in August 2018.

Meanwhile, a pocket park featuring a native floral garden will be established in Berwick as part of the Clyde Road level crossing removal project, opening up over 500 square metres of land to the community.

The pocket park will include a Woody Meadow garden consisting of a diverse range of native Australian shrubs, as well as seating, a footpath and lawn.

Woody Meadow is a collaborative project led by the University of Melbourne, and aims to create resilient, management-friendly green spaces to make our city more liveable.

Woody Meadow lead researcher Claire Farell said Woody Meadows have been planted as part of the Bell to Moreland, Werribee Street and Old Geelong Road level crossing removal projects.

“The Woody Meadows initiative is all about diversity and this planting will include a range of Australian plants, which will help conserve water, resist drought, and provide natural habitat for biodiversity,” Farrell said.

The initiative is part of level crossing works that will plant more than 37,000 trees, plants and shrubs throughout the Clyde Road project area. The level crossing at Clyde Road was removed in February 2022 by building a road underpass beneath the rail line.

Unlike typical low maintenance plantings which usually have low diversity and limited visual appeal, Woody Meadows include plantings with year-round visual interest

and are hard pruned every two to four years to create dense canopies, reduce weeds and promote flowering.

Another example of where careful thought is given to the type of greenery planted can be seen around the new beachside stations at Edithvale, Chelsea and Bonbeach.

The landscaping features more than 800 trees and 85,000 shrubs, groundcovers and grasses to improve the suburbs’ overall tree canopy, enhance biodiversity and provide a resilient and sustainable landscape to withstand the unique local coastal conditions.

Locals overwhelmingly asked for a combination of Australian native trees, shrubs, flowering plants and grasses that would preserve the existing bayside look and feel.

The careful design and plant selections of the project team have been informed by the community’s feedback.

SUSTAINABILITY STARS More than eight months since the Bell to Moreland LXRP in Melbourne’s Brunswick and Coburg wrapped up, it has been awarded a leading score of 98 points from the Infrastructure Sustainability Council (ISC), the highest rating ever handed out in Australia.

Additionally, the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) has awarded Coburg Station a 6-star green star result – making it Australia’s first as-built 6-star train station.

ISC Ratings are calculated by assessing sustainability elements, covering everything from environmental management, stakeholder participation, climate change resilience, community health and wellbeing, as well as the design and protection of heritage buildings.

The ratings are scored out of 100, with 10 bonus points available for innovation.

Green Star is a sustainability rating awarded by the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA). It’s an internationally recognised rating system that assesses the sustainability

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The Victorian Level Crossing Removal Program

outcomes from the design and construction of new buildings or major refurbishments.

Some of the sustainability highlights on the Bell to Moreland project include: • energy and water monitoring systems • solar panels at Coburg Station • water sensitive urban design •p lantings of Australian natives The project involved the removal of four dangerous and congested level crossings in Melbourne’s north, including Moreland Road, Brunswick as well as Reynard Street, Munro Street and Bell Street in Coburg.

Two new state-of-the-art stations were built at Coburg and Moreland, and 2.5kms of new open space was welcomed by the community, with walking and cycling paths, bike repair stations, active equipment, playgrounds and dog parks.

It wasn’t the first time that Melbourne’s reinvigorated train stations received high praise across the sustainability sector, thanks to a range of industry-first initiatives that saved time, money and the environment.

Using best-practice GBCA and Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia (ISCA) rating tools, all stations rebuilt under the LXRP are subject to independent reviews and scored in categories such as energy, waste and innovation.

The opening of Noble Park’s elevated station in February 2018 represented the first of five new stations to be rebuilt under the Caulfield to Dandenong Project, with each station achieving an unprecedented five out of six stars in the Green Star ‘Design’ review.

This was in addition to the eight stations across the city – Bentleigh, Ormond, McKinnon, Gardiner, Heatherdale, Ginifer, St Albans and Bayswater – which had already been completed and ‘as-built’ certified under the GBCA standard,the first train stations in Australia to achieve this status.

From self-sourcing energy by using rooftop solar panels, to implementing mandatory bins for general waste and recycling, the results prompted GBCA’s chief executive Romilly Madew to label Victoria’s rail infrastructure as “arguably the world’s greenest” in a 2017 ratings review.

Devlin said the authority was breaking new ground in a rail context, using the rating tools as a driver of continual improvement.

“By setting high benchmarks in sustainability, we are encouraging contractors to think outside the box and ensuring that our works are delivered with environmental and social impacts in mind,” he said.

“Lessons learned are shared for the benefit of the wider construction industry, helping each of our projects to continually improve upon what others have done, which is in turn driving new discussion amongst interstate transport agencies.”

PUBLIC ARTWORK To give the new stations a revitalised look, artists are commissioned to create public artwork, and in many cases after consultation with the respective communities to ensure a sense of identity.

As an example, acclaimed Melbourne artist Robyne Latham has been selected to create a bronze sculpture in the new Greensborough Station precinct as part of the Hurstbridge Line Duplication, which will replicate 3.5km of the

Problems revealed.

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Loram has the technological edge others do not. From unique, powerful inspection technologies to efficiently evaluate ballast, track, sleeper and substructure health – to the widest capabilities of mitigation and restoration solutions including advanced equipment deployed with experienced crews across Australia and around the world – no one offers the range of Loram. Loram delivers on the promise of unsurpassed efficiency, predictable maintenance and extended service life of your rail assets. From track inspection and geotechnical services to our industry-leading portfolio of maintenance equipment and optimisation solutions, Loram is equipped like no one else to maximise and protect your infrastructure investment. Learn more at Loram.com.au

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. .

Hurstbridge Line and provide more trains, more often and less crowding on peak trains.

A proud Yamatji woman from Western Australia, Latham has lived and worked in Melbourne for more than three decades and her Indigenous heritage underpins her artistic practice, which includes sculpture, painting, ceramics and set design.

Her works have been displayed at the National Gallery of Victoria, Shepparton Art Gallery, Deakin University, La Trobe University, The Berndt Museum and the Koorie Heritage Trust Museum. She also recently unveiled a major public art commission for the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation.

While researching the flora and fauna of the Greensborough area, Latham was fascinated by the lifecycle of one of Victoria’s most threatened orchids, the Rosella Spider-orchid. The native flower is believed to rely on underground fungi and a small native calictid bee to survive.

The flower is no longer found throughout central Victoria but remains in a protected area in Greensborough.

After consulting with Wurundjeri Elder Aunty Di Kerr, Latham has started work on the 2.3-metre-high bronze sculpture which will be an abstract representation of the Rosella Spider-orchid.

The sculpture will be installed in the new, modern Greensborough Station precinct which will feature greater weather protection on the platforms, better and safer connections to the surrounding area, and a new 100-space car park and bus interchange to make connecting to trains, buses and the local shopping strip quicker and easier.

By the middle of 2023, trains will be running along 3.5km of new duplicated track between Greensborough and Montmorency and Diamond Creek and Wattle Glen and stopping at the new Greensborough and Montmorency stations.

Over at the new Merinda Park Station, a new artwork paying homage to Cranbourne wetlands will provide a luminescent entryway to the facility, built as part of the Cranbourne Line Upgrade and opened in February this year.

Designed by internationally recognised Australian artist, Catherine Woo, the artwork will adorn the ceilings of the station entrances with rippling patterns that reflect the area’s ecological history.

The artwork has been designed to respond to the movement and changing viewpoint of pedestrians and rail passengers who use the new station at Merinda Park and will be installed later this year.

Rings will ripple out from the station’s entrance columns to create the impression of glistening water on the surface of the wetlands.

The first level crossing removed was from Burke Road, Glen Iris.

Finishing works have been taking place around the new Merinda Park Station since February this year, with work underway to complete a new 4.25km shared cycling and pedestrian path - connecting Lynbrook, Merinda Park and Cranbourne stations.

Merinda Park Station opened a year ahead of schedule, along with eight kilometres of new, duplicated track between Dandenong and Cranbourne - with an additional 50 train services running weekly on the Cranbourne Line since February.

PREMIER ENDORSEMENT Victorian Premier Dan Andrews is among the many who have praised the success of the LXRP. He said the Preston removals were a significant accomplishment, with trains returning to the Mernda line after a two-week construction blitz.

“Getting rid of four level crossings from Preston while separating cars and trains is a massive win for the community. It makes Bell Street – one of the busiest roads in Melbourne – boom gate-free, easing congestion and boosting safety,” he said.

In September, the second elevated rail track will be finished and new, modern stations at Bell and Preston will open to passengers. Passengers can look forward to better station facilities, including a comfortable waiting room at ground level, lift and stair access, undercover seating areas and improved lighting.

About 82,000 vehicles passed through these level crossings each day, and the booms were down for up to 40 per cent of the morning peak.

Next year, work on landscaping and planting under the elevated rail line at Preston will continue. Almost 60,000 square metres of new open space will be created by the project – approximately three MCGs worth.

The open space will include landscaped areas with more than 700 trees and 150,000 grasses, shrubs and groundcover plants, as well as two playgrounds and a shared walking and cycling path to connect the new Preston and Bell stations.

Another accomplishment was the new Glenroy Station. The boom gates at Glenroy Road previously held up traffic for around 43 per cent of the morning peak, with 19,000 vehicles using the road every day.

A new state-of-the-art station has now opened at Glenroy, with trains on the Craigieburn Line running in a 1.2-kilometre rail trench underneath Glenroy Road.

“We promised we’d move 50 – and we smashed that target. We’ve now removed more than 60 dangerous and congested crossings well ahead of our new schedule to remove 85 – we’re getting it done,” Andrews said.

“These projects don’t just make communities more accessible and safer – they support thousands of local jobs every single day.”

WHEN WILL IT END? Devlin said he understood an argument could be made for every level crossing in the state to be removed, but they can’t be removed all at once.

“Every level crossing is dangerous and congested, and every level crossing we remove is good news for Victorians,” he said.

“We are ahead of schedule but this does not preclude any more level crossing removals being funded and added to the list in the future.”

Once these additional crossings are removed, there will be about 90 level crossings left across Melbourne.

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Gawler Line Electrification

Northern suburbs line fully charged up for action After several years of well-documented delays and problems, the electrified Gawler Rail Line in South Australia is finally in operation.

Providing a much-improved piece of transport infrastructure for the people of Adelaide’s northern suburbs, the line — which services suburbs including Elizabeth, Salisbury, Smithfield and Mawson Lakes – has been running trains since mid-June, and passengers are back on board.

But it certainly has been a long-time coming.

The project was first announced in 2008 under the Labor Government, with the Liberal opposition at the time critical of delays.

It was put off altogether after the Federal Government pulled its share of funding in 2013, citing a need to focus on rail freight and big road projects instead.

However, work started again in 2019 after the Liberals won the state election.

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

When Labor returned to power this year, it prioritised completion of the project as quickly as possible, so that commuters didn’t have to experience any further delays.

The finalisation of the project now delivers an electrified network through Adelaide, from Gawler in the north to Seaford in the south.

South Australian Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Tom Koutsantonis said the new electrified line, together with the progressive introduction of 12 new elec-tric rail cars, was set to provide a cleaner, greener, quieter and faster service for the thousands of passengers who use the line every day.

“We recognise that the prolonged closure of the Gawler rail line was extremely in-convenient, but commuters are now enjoying a smoother, quieter journey,” he said.

“The opening of the Gawler rail line is a gamechanger for the people of the northern suburbs who caught substitute buses for almost a year and a half.

“A number of stations along the Gawler rail line have also been refreshed to provide a better experience for commuters using the train services.

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There was a party atmosphere at the opening day of services in June..

“It has been very exciting to see passenger trains running once again. We expect that even more people will now leave their cars at home and embrace public transport to and from the northern suburbs with such a convenient and comfortable option available.”

The $715 million project was delivered as part of an alliance with Acciona (formerly Lendlease Engineering), adhering to the South Australian Industry Participation Policy which supports local jobs and local contractors.

Fourteen stations along the line have been upgraded and refreshed, with improvements ranging from new and refurbished shelters, new seating and bins to LED lighting upgrades, painting and landscaping.

To improve safety for pedestrians, 13 existing pedestrian crossings along the line are being upgraded to active crossings, whiuch use gates that close automatically when a train is approaching and reopen once the train has passed, and it is safe to cross. Four are complete with the remaining nine to be operational by late 2022/early 2023. The rail corridor has also been fenced to increase safety.

Passengers at Gawler Central Station are now able to cross the line via the new King Street pedestrian bridge, fabricated entirely in South Australia with a local workforce and using locally sourced materials.

The new structure replaced the old King Street Bridge, which was too low to accommodate the infrastructure required for the electrification of the Gawler rail line.

A new mural has been completed alongside the bridge as part of the volunteer-managed Rail Care program. The artwork, created by street artist Adam Poole-Mottishaw, depicts the Gawler township and local area past and present.

Electrifying the line was a complex project, requiring highly specialised workers from interstate. Detailed planning, together with skilled resources, were required to ensure the project was delivered safely and in accordance with the Rail Safety Act 2012.

The project included constructing a 58-kilometre combined services trench for the installation of new fibre optic communications cabling, installing more than 350 kilometres of conduit and 456 kilometres of signalling cable, and the installation of the 25kV overhead wiring system, concrete foundations and masts which support the overhead wiring network.

The project team worked closely with the relevant authorities, local councils and interested parties to minimise and impacts to vegetation, trees and wild-life habitats. Management of vegetation clearance to electrical wires is an integral part of the safe operation of an electrified rail network.

Rolling Stock and Manufacturing

The global pioneers in metro automation Across four continents and 14 countries, the RATP Group operates and maintains tens of thousands of kilometres of automated metro, urban-interurban-intercity train, tram and bus networks.

RATP Dev is coming to Australia equipped with 120 years of experience in metro operation and more than 70 years in semi- and fullautomated metros.

Currently operating eight GoA4 (highest grade automation) lines globally, the company has a proven track record of expertise in the launch of new networks (greenfield) or takeover and optimisation of existing networks (brownfield) without traffic interruption.

While RATP Dev may well not be known to Australians, it has a reputation in other markets as an industry-leader in mobility. Already present in 14 countries on four continents, RATP Dev is recognised for its contributions in the fields of automation and world-class services delivery.

The third largest transport operator in the world, RATP Dev prides itself on its multimodality and mobility expertise.

The group has advanced metro automation for 70 years.

Through its projects and innovations, it

KEY FIGURES

14

780+

COUNTRIES

1.5

PARTNER CITIES

27,000

BILLION

PASSENGERS

EMPLOYEES

per year on our networks

100+

OPERATIONS worldwide

5

metro networks

3

intercity rail lines

$

$

revenue 2020

9,000+

15

bus and coaches

7

cities to discover our hop-on-hop-off sightseeing tours

1.95

BILLION AUD

tram networks

30+

transport-on-demand services in France and USA

RATP runs trains, trams and buses across four continents.

Paris Metro Line 14.

has acquired expertise that benefits millions of passengers, their cities and its transport authority partners every day.

PARIS, FRANCE In Paris and Greater Paris, as the historical operator of the transport network, RATP works in partnership with its public transport authority IDFM to deliver an integrated transport network in one of the most densely populated regions in the world. Now RATP Dev intends to roll out this technology and expertise to Australia.

The first metro line was inaugurated in 1990.

Currently there are three GoA4 automated metro lines running: • Metro Line 14, the world’s first wide gauged GoA4 metro line launched in 1998 • Metro Line 1, the world’s first line fully converted to GoA4 while in operation, in 2012 • Orlyval, the Orly international Airport GoA4 metro.

A fourth automated line is scheduled for 2023: Metro Line 4, which will be the second line to be converted to GoA4 while in operation.

Altogether, RATP runs 328 kilometres and 368 stations for the Paris metro network.

MIDDLE EAST Since the Paris Line 14 launch, the company has worked all over the world to deliver automation in mobility now operates five metro networks around the globe.

For example, in 2019, RATP Dev worked with its local partners to ensure that three automated lines of the Doha Metro in Qatar became fully operational.

Similarly, the capital of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, is home to a brand-new fully-automated metro network where the two backbone lines will be operated by RATP Dev – and in Cairo, Egypt, RATP Dev recently started operation on the strategic semi-automated Line 3, 23 kilometres long with 19 stations, 6.5-minute frequency and a ridership of 150,000 passengers a day.

RATP runs 368 stations for the Paris metro network.

Semi-automated lines in Cairo.

AUSTRALIA RATP Dev has recently established a representative office in Australia to implement and manage tenders, reflecting what could be a golden age of public transport in the country.

The company’s general manager for Australia and New Zealand, Denis Masure, has been tasked with building the company’s business in Australia.

“Australia provides an exciting opportunity for RATP Dev to bring its customer-centric vision, customised innovation solutions and world-class engineering know-how that have been refined through years of experience across the world to the market,” he said.

“RATP Dev intends to leverage its extensive international experience by responding to the significant appetite in Australia for high-quality public transport at a state and federal level.

“Without a doubt, this is good news for the country’s cities, which will become even more liveable and environmentally friendly, as a result of a more competitive transport industry.”

As RATP Dev celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, this figure is sure to grow as it makes roads into the Australian market.

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Workforce Profiles

Aurizon rail yards managed with military precision Kris Knott transitioned from a military career in the British Army to a senior operational role with Australia’s largest rail freight business.

Kris Knott served for five years as an Officer in the British Army, commanding operations in Afghanistan, with post-tour deployments to East Africa and the Middle East.

This year he made the leap to the rail industry, joining Australia’s largest rail freight business Aurizon, in a seachange move that has so far gone off seamlessly.

Kris has brought deep leadership experience and well-honed skillsets to his new role where he manages rail yards operations at Callemondah in Gladstone, at the heart of Aurizon’s Central Queensland coal business.

“The military does a fantastic job of training and developing its personnel to exceed across a broad range of skillsets that Aurizon covets,” Kris said.

“In my time with Aurizon, I have already had the opportunity to utilise strategy, planning, problem-solving, leadership, negotiation and people management skills, all of which were forged in the military.”

Aurizon is honoured to have a number of returned servicemen and women in its workforce, recognizing that veterans bring a variety of unique and transferable skills and experience to our business, particularly in roles such as maintenance, supply chain and operations, engineering and leadership.

At Aurizon, Kris’ role is focused on leading the team responsible for managing railyard operations at one of our largest facilities in Central Queensland.

This operation is vital to delivering safe, reliable services for our coal customers.

Kris acknowledged there may be an initial absence of industry-specific technical knowledge for those transitioning from a military career, but there are ample opportunities to add value through his understanding of strategy, risk management and how to operationalise and execute plans.

He said the supportive local team at Aurizon helped him quickly fill the gaps in his rail knowledge and the needs of the customer base being served by the business.

“We have a brilliant and diverse cadre of leaders, planners, coordinators and freight

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Kriss Knott said organisations cannot sustain excellence without looking after their employees.

operators, who work tirelessly to ensure that we execute plans safely and on time in support of our customer portfolio in Central Queensland,” he said.

“Come into the industry with an open mind and be prepared to work hard to fill the technical gaps in rail specific knowledge.

“In addition, some form of further business education would also really help bridge the public/commercial sector divide and would only enhance the value proposition for veterans.

“Outside of this, stay true to the values and standards that underpin military organisations and continue to always put the mission and your people before self.”

Kris is definite about what he most enjoys about his job and working at Aurizon.

“People. Organisations cannot sustain excellence without looking after their employees and I have really enjoyed working with such a capable and diverse cohort at Aurizon’s Callemondah Depot,” he said.

“I have met colleagues that have driven

trains in the jungles of Sierra Leone, through to new recruits that have spent time horse breaking in the Northern Territory.

“This range of experience within our teams is a real bonus from a leadership perspective, as it provides the opportunity to attack problems from different angles.

“I am always looking to find areas where our team can outcompete rivals and having this assortment of skills and experience encourages innovative thinking, which often results in novel solutions to some of our more complex problems.

“There are great professional opportunities for veterans or serving members who are considering a career in the rail industry.”

Aurizon recognises that veterans can bring a variety of skills and experience to the company, so it participates in the Veteran’s Employment Commitment, a public declaration that an organisation supports greater employment opportunities for veterans.

Signing the commitment declares that an organisation will: • recognise the skills and value that veterans can bring • support the employment of veterans, ensuring that they have equal opportunity in gaining employment with the organisation • provide career opportunities to veterans • actively seek to understand how veterans’ skills and experience translate to civilian roles and contribute • provide suitable training, mentoring and coaching to help veterans integrate into the organisation • ensure human resource policies equitably support the recruitment and retention of all employees, including veterans.

Signatories become Commitment Supporters and are promoted as a veteran friendly employer to veterans seeking employment - a highly skilled and professional pool of potential employees.

They form part of a network and areprovided with opportunities to be involved in initiatives to support veteran employment.

Metro Trains employer of choice for women Metro Trains Melbourne is only one of 260 businesses globally that have received an endorsement to join Work180’s platform, which highlights the work done to support and empower women.

Work180 is a global jobs network that provides women with an easy way of identifying workplaces they can trust, reaching nine million women worldwide.

Employers looking to be endorsed by Work180 are screened against a set of 20 criteria to demonstrate that the organisation is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion.

Some of the criteria includes being transparent with benefits, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, and constantly striving for continuous improvement.

The organisation must also offer paid parental leave in addition to governmentfunded leave, and be open to discussing

flexible working arrangements at the interview stage.

In the past 10 years, Metro has more than doubled its number of female employees.

In 2009, there were 26 female train drivers working for Metro Trains – and in 2022 there are more than 345.

As part of Metro’s endorsement, roles that Metro recruit for will be posted on the Work180 platform, boosting its reach to prospective women seeking employment.

The organisation will also be able to showcase the Work180 badge on its online platforms to promote its accreditation to prospective employees.

Metro Trains Program Manager Teeshal Bal said with more than 20 years’ experience across the mining and construction sectors, she had never worked for a better company since joining Metro six years ago.

In the past 10 years, Metro has more than doubled its number of female employees.

“Metro has ‘walked the talk’ by consistently providing me with opportunities to step up and demonstrating from the top down that women and people from diverse backgrounds are valued and supported,” she said.

Metro Trains Passenger Experience and Disruptions Manager Erin McKenna said being an advocate for gender diversity involves much more than just filling a quota for hiring women.

“Metro supports its employees in professional development by providing access to coaching programs, leadership development programs, and mentoring programs,” she said.

Women the wind beneath SRL wings It takes a breadth of experience and diversity to design and build the biggest infrastructure project Victoria’s ever seen – and there are some incredibly talented women behind Suburban Rail Loop.

The project isn’t just supporting up to 24,000 jobs across the economy: SRL is creating more training and job opportunities for women in the industry.

Ground Penetration Permit Coordinator Vicki Foreman said she took up engineering to make a point.

Some of the women involved with the Suburban Rail Loop project.

“In high school I was told engineering wasn’t a woman’s job and it would be very difficult for me to get a job, so I actually enjoyed the challenge and wanted to prove them wrong,” she said.

Civil and Structures Lead Louise Murphy said if people were up for a challenge, the industry was very rewarding.

“There’s definitely room for the industry to grow and the more women we have, the better the field will be,” she said.

Station Design Coordinator Amelia Barnes

shared some advice for women looking for a career in construction and infrastructure.

“Don’t forget to ask for guidance. There will always be people around who can give you advice – you just have to seek them out,” she said.

Rail Systems Design Manager Fleur Nicholas urged: “Back yourself and be prepared to step out of your comfort zone.

What’s the worst that can happen?”

Construction on SRL East between Cheltenham and Box Hill kicked off in June 2022, starting a massive program of initial and early works which will create up to 800 local jobs.

Around 14 per cent of total hours worked during this first phase of construction will be completed by Victorian apprentices, trainees or cadets, with opportunities for women, Aboriginal and disadvantaged Victorians.

SRL will create a long-term pipeline of work, generating thousands of local job opportunities and helping train the next generation of skilled workers.

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Workforce Solutions

The micro-credentials include rail track alignment design.

New micro-credentials help to showcase rail engineer skills Engineers Australia is introducing eight micro-credentials to further strengthen its certifications.

Australia’s rail industry may be booming, but a lack of younger people entering the workforce have meant that labour shortages pose a challenge to progress.

In particular, there is a growing demand for engineers, who are in many ways the lynchpins of the success of any rail project.

The problem is being tackled by a new initiative from Engineers Australia, which will help not just the rail sector but other industries as well.

In partnership with its education arm, Engineering Education Australia (EEA), it is launching eight micro-credentials within its certifications that will provide the industry and the broader community with the confidence that the engineers working in highly skilled areas can practise their skills at a recognised standard.

Micro-credentials are a demonstration of a specific competency or skill. They have been developed in collaboration with industry and are designed to measure and assess results in the workplace.

Each micro-credential is aligned to industry standards of practice or a recognised framework.

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The range covers professional skills that are relevant for all engineers including communication, risk management and ethical practice, and specific sector skills relevant to rail engineers.

As an engineering professional, earning and displaying an Engineers Australia microcredential is a way to showcase professional ability to prospective employers and clients.

According to EEA general manager Alexandra Sparvell, the Engineers Australia micro-credentials are based on assessment of knowledge that’s not something that can be studied for. “That’s something you’ve got to demonstrate,” she said.

The initial micro-credentials consist of four professional skills credentials and four technical skill credentials in the rail track field.

More technical specialisations are expected in future, including for rail signalling and construction engineering.

Engineers Australia chief engineer Jane MacMaster said the micro-credentials would assist engineers to ensure their knowledge and skills remain relevant into the future in a very dynamic industry.

The professional skills credentials are

relevant for all engineers regardless of specialisation and align to Engineers Australia’s Chartered status elements of competency: • Communication • Risk Management • Ethical Practice • Stakeholder Engagement Technical credentials in rail track are firstof-their-kind assessment of practice for tghe existing workforce.

• Determine Rail Track Design Requirements • Develop Rail Track Alignment Design • Plan Rail Track Construction • Scope and Commission Rail Track Maintenance “Engineers can gain professional skills micro-credentials via three different routes: a learning, advisory or assessment-only pathway,” Sparvell said.

“Candidates draw on their real work to have their skills and competencies assessed and verified, and the process is conducted online.

“They can do the learning pathway, which is a great learning program with assessment of their application; they can get some help and then do the assessment; or just go ahead and do the assessment.

“Organisations can also provide microcredentials for their entire workforce.

“For example, engineers work on large and complex projects. This requires an ability to not only do the technical work, but to be able to communicate and negotiate as well as evaluate and manage risk and ethical implications.

“These professional skills are often learned on the job and not often recognised, but are absolutely critical to project outcomes.

“An Engineers Australia micro-credential in communication or stakeholder engagement, for example, gives organisations the confidence that their engineers not only understand but can apply these skills to the level of a Chartered engineer. It’s the confidence to say this is what their engineers can do, and it’s been verified by Engineers Australia.”

Rail Track credentials are available by the assessment route only as a faster route to reinforcing engineering standards on site.

Railway Technological Society of Australia (RTSA) executive chair Roy Unny said the credentials offer organisations in the industry a chance to elevate the skills of everyone in their operations.

“Personnel working in rail today is an order of magnitude larger than it was 10 years ago,” he said.

“To bring in all these resources to work in rail — either from other sectors, new grads, migrants from overseas — to get them upskilled, to understand aspects of the Australian rail industry, is important.

“And the quicker you can get engineers upskilled, the quicker that they can be working on the projects, whether in delivery and design, or in operations.”

Unny said the alternative to credentialling more engineers is to wait for new talent to be trained up on the job, which is a slow process.

“Traditionally it’s on-the-job training, which is common across all industries but particularly in rail,” he said.

“Given the backlog of work that’s out there, solutions such as micro-credentialing shorten a little bit of that training time.

“It doesn’t cover 100 per cent of everything, but it provides an alternate means for somebody to be upskilled in a shorter period of time. There is a very practical component to it.”

RTSA was deeply involved in developing the rail micro-credentials.

“We did a strategic analysis and looked at where there was a skill shortage, where the needs were from industry,” Unny said.

“We surveyed operators, consultants, suppliers, and we identified the needs, so certainly track was the first cab off the rank.”

Sparvell said it was important for EEA to work with RTSA on the development and assessment of the micro-credentials.

“Once you can put a framework around what industry needs its people to know and do you can absolutely micro-credential practice,” she said.

“It’s what industry have been asking us for: that ability to measure learning and development through assessment of practice.”

Unny said demonstrating competency was of utmost importance in the engineering field.

“Micro-credentialing is a part of being able to demonstrate competency, and so it’s very important for engineers to maintain their skills,” he said.

“And also to upskill. For those that are either transitioning from another industry, or want to try something different, we want to give them the opportunity. Rail will accept people from all industries and all ages.”

To learn more visit: engaus.org/micro-credentials

OTHER PROGRAMS EEA offers many other courses for the rail industry, such as: • Graduate Learning Program – Rail This program bridges the gap between graduate and proactive professional, to support the transition into the rail industry.

Designed in partnership with the Australasian Railway Association, key outcomes see graduates grow into confident and productive professionals, with the capability to contribute to business goals.

Ideal for organisations looking to strengthen their graduate development offering, the program is delivered online over 18 months through a mix of flexible live and self-paced learning.

Engineers Australia graduate membership is included for the duration of the program, providing access to further networking and development opportunities.

Participants will also learn how to start preparing for Chartered status.

• The Diploma of Engineering Infrastructure (Rail) (P1A) This forms the essential start to specialisation in rail track engineering, with rail-specific content that’s designed to challenge existing skills and knowledge.

Participants will gain a grounding in the entire track engineering cycle, from design to commissioning and maintenance.

The Diploma is suitable for: • Engineers looking to add rail track skills to transition into transport infrastructure • Experienced rail engineers and technicians looking to broaden their knowledge • Recent graduates (three years’ experience or more) working towards a career in rail This course is delivered by the University of Tasmania, in partnership with Transport for NSW.

The micro-credentials offer organisations a chance to elevate the skills of everyone in their operations.

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Industry Associations

The importance of national competencies for long-term growth The rail industry faces a number of skills challenges as it rides the wave of new investment that will transform our cities and towns to deliver sustainable, resilient infrastructure for decades to come.

Two pilot signalling assessment programs are being planned in collaboration with ARTC and Victorian operators.

While this period of investment comes with significant opportunity, it also presents new challenges as demand for skilled workers grows.

The skills gaps that were already evident a few years ago have only increased as new projects have commenced, while recent border restrictions limited the movement of skilled workers between states and from overseas.

As a result, there is a critical need to attract, train and develop outstanding talent in our industry to support its longterm growth.

A recent Australasian Railway Association report on building rail skills for the future confirmed expected workforce gaps of up to 70,000 skilled workers by 2023, with some areas of specialisation already experiencing shortages.

The ARA is advancing a range of measures to support the portability, attraction and retention of skilled workers to the industry.

Ensuring a national approach to how we train people and recognise their qualifications and credentials when they move between projects, employers and jurisdictions is an essential part of that.

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CHANGES REQUIRED TO SUPPORT SKILLED RAIL WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT Most training for rail-specific roles is delivered by private and enterprise Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) to meet the specific needs of individual networks.

When skilled workers move to a new employer or to another state or territory, they are often required to re-train or have their qualifications and work experience reassessed before they can start work.

This means it takes longer and costs more to onboard skilled workers and can lead to project delays or reduced workforce utilisation on rail projects.

A standardised, nationally recognised approach to training rail workers and recognising their skills and experience is needed to address this issue. This approach would also ensure local domain and product competencies are taught and assessed as required.

This would allow rail workers to move across borders, and between employers and projects, more easily, with training for new starters focused on the underpinning the knowledge and competence needed in the domain environment, supported by local domain and product upskilling.

The development and deployment of national matrices, which are agreed by industry, helps address competencies that are required in every state and RIM. NATIONAL COMPETENCIES A rail worker’s competency comprises their skills and any required evidence to demonstrate knowledge or application of a task successfully and consistently.

In the rail industry, the term competency refers to several requirements which may include qualifications, accreditations, validations or revalidations, currency and certifications.

The responsibility for setting competency requirements is owned

Caroline Wilkie, chief executive, Australasian Railway Association.

by operators, who hold the safety accreditation for their network.

There is a strong opportunity to bring about significant efficiency gains as well as cost savings for operators, their suppliers and contractors, by working together to harmonise the network competencies and facilitating the development of national matrices.

RIW PROGRAM SUPPORTS NATIONAL COMPETENCY COORDINATION The ARA is already supporting greater national coordination through the Rail Industry Worker (RIW) program.

The program is a nationally recognised competency management platform that helps organisations meet regulatory requirements and comply with Rail Safety National Law by providing them with full visibility of workers’ health, education and competency.

In 2021, almost 230,000 competencies were awarded to individual cardholders in the program. More efficient management of these competencies could therefore have wide ranging benefits for the national rail workforce.

As part of this focus, the RIW Program is leading the development of a national

framework of standardised roles through the implementation of national matrices.

These matrices outline a minimum set of competencies required to conduct specific work on a rail network and aim to support more flexibility and portability for workers across jurisdictions and rail networks.

In most cases this process has simplified the competency requirements for rail workers and created greater consistency across jurisdictions.

The industry has worked together in recent years to develop three national matrices for track and civil, plant and trade roles.

These matrices outline the requirements for 110 national roles and more than 4500 competencies currently used by industry.

Currently, 90 per cent of the 91,000 cardholders hold one or more of these national roles used in the RIW system.

By holding these national roles, employers can more easily recognise when a rail worker has the skills, training and experience to work on a rail network, allowing them to get to work on new projects sooner.

NEW MATRICES IN DEVELOPMENT The ARA is continuing to work with industry to agree the national competencies for additional key rail safety work roles.

Roles relating to rail safety work for project management, signalling, power and electrical, and engineering have been identified as areas where national consistency could deliver improved outcomes for industry.

Signalling in particular is a critical resourcing issue across the rail industry.

Signalling shortages have been in place for some time, highlighting the need for industry to be able to move qualified signalling staff to projects on an as needs basis without years of training and additional assessments required at every project or industry site.

The process for confirming national matrices is extremely thorough, with fields such as signalling often requiring a range of different qualifications, assessments, knowledge and experience depending on the seniority or specialisation of individual roles within these categories.

NATIONAL ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK A National Assessment Framework for roles supported by matrices currently in development is being developed to help define when certain qualifications, training or assessments may be required.

The process of confirming a national assessment framework requires extensive collaboration with operators, suppliers and contractors, and can support significant efficiency gains for projects and teams over time.

This new national approach will deliver significant cost and efficiency savings by improving skill portability, and addressing critical trainer and assessor shortages.

NEXT STEPS The ARA is working with industry to develop an implementation timeline for signalling, project management, power and electricals and engineering matrices.

Two pilot signalling assessment programs are being planned in collaboration with ARTC and Victorian operators and will aim to ensure the needs of industry are met as part of this process.

The ARA says a standardised, nationally recognised approach to training rail workers is needed.

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New standards, a code of practice and assurance services

The AS 7517 Standard describes the requirements for assembly, maintenance and interface of rolling stock wheelsets.

The first half of 2022 demonstrates the relentless efforts of RISSB to deliver on its work plan commitments and provide enduring value to its members and other stakeholders.

• AS 7520.1 AUSTRALIAN RAILWAY ROLLING STOCK BODY STRUCTURAL REQUIREMENTS PART 1 - LOCOMOTIVE This Standard describes requirements for the structural strength of railway locomotive bodies.

The requirements identify the minimum structural integrity level of the vehicle body to ensure safe performance under normal operating conditions and extreme operating conditions, and minimise risks to train crew and members of the general public in the event of collisions or derailments.

• AS 7666 TRAIN PROTECTION AND CONTROL INTEROPERABILITY This Australian Standard provides the rail industry with guidance (including a framework and process for planning and implementing any change) to a train protection and control system where the change has potential to impact interoperability.

The Standard will support the introduction of next generation train protection and control technologies such as in-cab signalling, which have been rolled out across rail networks in Australia.

• AS 7725 APPLICATION BASED WORK ON TRACK AUTHORITY SYSTEMS This Standard provides rail infrastructure managers with the requirements and recommendations for design (including functional and non-functional characteristics), procurement, and implementation of application-based work on track authority systems.

It also provides vendors a set of minimum requirements and functionality that would be reasonably expected of such a system.

The Standard can be applied to all rail transport operators, including light rail operators, who intend to procure and

use an application-based work on track authority system.

• AS 7519 BOGIE STRUCTURAL REQUIREMENTS This publication describes requirements for the structural strength of bogie structures and attached equipment.

The requirements seek to maintain the structural integrity of bogie structures and attached equipment under normal operation; and minimise risks to passengers, personnel, train crew and members of the general public in the event of collisions or derailments.

• AS 7517 WHEELSETS This Standard covers the assembly, maintenance, reassembly, overhaul, and interface requirements of rolling stock. It also covers the wheelsets components checks following a derailment.

• CODE OF PRACTICE – RAIL TRAFFIC TRAIN HORN USE This Code of Practice provides recommendations and requirements for using rail traffic horns to support the safe operation of rail traffic on the Australian rail network.

The recommendations and requirements aim to: • Standardise the use of rail traffic horns •M inimise the use of rail traffic horns where opportunity exists • Minimise the noise impact of rail traffic horns on the community where opportunity exists.

• AS 7638 RAILWAY EARTHWORKS This Standard provides a whole-of-life approach to rail structures, and covers the general management requirements, material composition, manufacturing, construction,

maintenance, decommissioning, and disposal of rail structures used in Australian rail operations.

Members can download all publications directly from RISSB’s website by logging in and going to RISSB’s products page www.rissb.com.au/products/.

TECHNICAL ASSURANCE SERVICES As industry’s partner in co-regulation, RISSB continues to support its members by providing assurance services.

RISSB recently concluded a level crossing assurance audit for a heavy haul railway, providing assurance to the management team that the controls implemented to manage rail safety risks remained effective.

Other assurance work underway includes assessing the effectiveness of an organisation’s safety management system and its alignment to industry good practice.

RISSB takes a risk-based approach to its assurance activities, focusing on the key safety risk areas for railway operations and then takes a deep dive into specific areas of risk to identify improvement opportunities.

For more information, please direct your query to sniles@rissb.com.au.

ALCAM REFRESH RISSB, on behalf of the National ALCAM Committee, is pursuing a project to facilitate a step change in the IT software supporting ALCAM (The LXM system).

The risk model itself isn’t changing but we’re working on a system refresh.

The key deliverable of this project will be to improve the accessibility and useability of the LXM System, with a view to future proofing the product.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on the current LXM System and how it can be improved. Please email your comments, suggestions and improvements to feedback@alcam.com.au.

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Contracts, EOIs, Tenders

VICTORIA South Geelong to Waurn Ponds Duplication project The Djilang Alliance has been awarded the contract for the project. The alliance brings together construction and design experts McConnell Dowell, Downer, Arup and WSP, who have formed the team to help deliver more frequent and reliable services and better stations for passengers on Victoria’s busiest regional rail line.

The project includes: •D uplicating around 8 kilometres of track between South Geelong and Waurn Ponds •R ebuilding South Geelong and Marshall stations: new station buildings and forecourts, second platforms and accessible pedestrian overpasses •R emoving the level crossings at Fyans Street and Surf Coast Highway, replacing with elevated rail bridges •U pgrading signalling systems between South Geelong and Waurn Ponds •C reating more than 5 kilometres of new shared-use paths linking to existing trails and paths, making a continuous connection for cyclists and pedestrians for the first time between South Geelong and Waurn Ponds.

Arup and WSP are jointly providing full engineering and design for the track duplication and grade separation infrastructure, including designing the new station buildings and precincts at Marshall and South Geelong and providing integrated landscape architecture and urban design.

Arup design manager Rachel Nicholls said stations were no longer seen as just transport hubs, but as places for people and the community.

“There will be quality public realms, enabling pedestrians and cyclists to move safely, along with new trees, permeable surfaces and water sensitive urban design.

Together these features will create a sense of place as well as a more sustainable and comfortable experience as people gather or move through the precincts,” she said.

When the work concludes, five trains will run every hour at peak times and the new elevated rail bridges will improve travel times and safety, and ease congestion for more than 36,000 motorists who drive through these intersections each day.

Early works are progressing, including the relocation of a Barwon Water pipeline, with

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major construction to follow later this year and a target completion date of late-2024.

The project forms part of the Victorian and Australian governments’ investment of more than $1 billion in rail upgrades between South Geelong and Waurn Ponds and is part of the Regional Rail Revival program.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA METRONET training facility

John Holland Rail & Transport has been contracted to design and build the multiuse training facility which will allow students in WA to study a Certificate IV in Electrical Rail Signalling.

The training facility will service the METRONET program and will be operated by North Metropolitan (NM) TAFE. A Certificate IV in Electrical Rail Signalling is a specialist qualification at completion and delivers national recognition. This kind of specialist training is currently only available in Newcastle, NSW, and Melbourne.

John Holland Rail delivery manager John Ma said the new facility would provide advanced training opportunities for West Australians seeking to further their careers in the rail industry, as well as help retain the best talent in WA during a nation-wide skills shortage.

“It’s great to be involved in a project that will give TAFE students the resources they need to learn how to install, operate and repair signalling infrastructure. This project will support the next generation of rail professionals, and maximise long-term employment opportunities,” he said.

“Once complete the training facility will ensure the people working on WA’s infrastructure are able to implement the most up-to-date technology.”

As part of the advanced training facility, John Holland will be constructing a dual-track level crossing with a pedestrian crossing, maintenance track with multiple sleeper types, and a crossover point.

Broken down, the construction work involves the delivery of: • Earthworks for the track and Signalling Equipment Room (SER) • Construction of track including the laying of sleepers, rail, and ballast • Construction of the SER • Construction of all cable routes and pits • Construction of all racking and associated signalling equipment • Construction of a level crossing and track equipment • Construction of all location cases and control equipment.

NEW SOUTH WALES Sydney Harbour Tunnel SNC-Lavalin, a fully integrated professional services and project management company with offices around the world, has been appointed to deliver engineering services associated with the asset management of Sydney Harbour Tunnel and the city’s new Western Harbour Tunnel.

Under a long-term services agreement, SNC-Lavalin will support Ventia, the asset management services provider for both tunnels and working for Transport for NSW. Ventia is one of the largest infrastructure service providers in Australia and New Zealand.

SNC-Lavalin will provide a range of engineering services, supporting Ventia’s engineering team, for the effective transition of existing operations of the Sydney Harbour Tunnel to Ventia, before operational commencement from September 2022.

It will also support Ventia during the procurement, design and construction phases of the Western Harbour Tunnel, including through systems engineering and digital asset management.

Ventia Director of Project and Program Management Services for Australia and New Zealand, Paul Callender, said it was a significant contract for the company as it continued to increase its portfolio in Australia, delivering critical infrastructure which is reshaping cities and communities.

SNC-Lavalin has had a presence in Australia for over 20 years and is currently involved in a number of major projects including the Sydney Metro Western Sydney Airport Line; Inland Rail; and the Cross River Rail project in Brisbane.

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