ISSUE 6 | 2019
Bigger, stronger, faster: CRRC optimising rail wagon designs - SEE PAGE 20
SPECIAL FEATURE: Condition Monitoring – SEE PAGE 25
Rail fighting for fair go on freight PAGE 8
SUPPORTED BY:
Light rail rolls down George Street PAGE 11
Q&A with Bombardier’s Wendy McMillan PAGE 53
CONNECTING THE WORLD
THROUGH BETTER MOBILITY
ISSUE 06 | 2019
CONTENTS
4
From the Editor
6
News Up Front
20
CRRC develops freight wagon offering
47
ISSB partners to create a safe, efficient, R effective rail industry
20 31
CONDITION MONITORING
33
25
Alstom on dynamic maintenance programs
27
Plasser harnesses data to optimise machines
29 MRD helps make better maintenance decisions 31 IMI improves rail dryer with condition monitoring
38
33
Treotham smart plastics for rail doors
34
Strukton’s Australian boss on local footprint
36
Track IQ’s sound solution for bearings
38 Siemens Mobility on capital, operational savings through smart maintenance 40
ART focused on pantographs, overheads
OPERATIONS 42
Latest-generation train control from Thales
44 Keolis Downer boosts multimodal network for Newcastle
ROLLINGSTOCK & MANUFACTURING
44
51
Dotmar enhances local capabilities
53
Q&A: Bombardier MD Wendy McMillan
PRODUCTS & TECHNOLOGY 47
ISSUE 6 | 2019
Bigger, stronger, faster: CRRC optimising rail wagon designs - SEE PAGE 20
SPECIAL FEATURE: Condition Monitoring – SEE PAGE 25
r benefit ogies
CRRC is working with its Australian and other international customers to refine its marketleading range of freight and heavy haul wagons. Story begins page 20.
Rail fighting for fair go on freight PAGE 8 Search: Thalesgroup
COVER STORY
Light rail rolls down George Street PAGE 11
56
Sonaray on the benefits of solar lighting
57 Manco delivers a new thread for rail automation
SAFETY & INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS 58
Message from RISSB
59
Message from the ARA
61
Message from the RTAA
62
Message from the ALC
Q&A with Bombardier’s Wendy McMillan PAGE 53
SUPPORTED BY:
RAIL EXPRESS | ISSUE 6 2019
3
FROM THE EDITOR
Published by:
Oliver Probert Editor - Rail Express
Twin challenges of rail freight, road safety present rare opportunity for governments
O
N AUGUST 2, THE COUNCIL OF Australian Government’s Transport and Infrastructure Council met for the first time since last November. The collection of transport and infrastructure ministers from each of Australia’s state, federal and territory governments met in Adelaide to discuss, among other things, two key issues: road safety, and freight efficiency. A key driver for the first of those two issues was a report from the Australian Automobile Association (AAA), saying Australia will fall discouragingly short of many of the 10-year road safety targets, set out in 2011. Among the 48 per cent of road safety targets the AAA forecasts will not be met by 2020, is the three-year annual average for deaths from crashes involving heavy vehicles. It was 214 in the latest data, significantly higher than the target of 178. The AAA criticised government inaction over the eight-plus years since the goals were set out. “It shows not only the scale of the trauma that’s happening on Australian roads, but also the futility of the government’s current playbook on road safety,” AAA managing director Michael Bradley said in the report. Addressing the challenge of road safety will obviously take a range of measures. But one major step is staring the Transport and Infrastructure Council right in the face: an improved environment for rail freight. Recent analysis from major rail freight company, Pacific National, showed access costs for moving a container via rail between Melbourne and Sydney to be almost double the equivalent costs when using a B-double truck. So it’s not surprising that rail now accounts for less than one per cent of freight movements between the two cities. Meanwhile, a whopping 700,000 potentially deadly B-double equivalent return trips are made up
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and down the Hume Highway every year. That’s just one major freight corridor, but it reflects what’s happening all round the country. Last year, Pacific National’s largest east coast competitor, Aurizon, abandoned the rail freight sector entirely after internal research judged it unprofitable. Decisions like that from Aurizon, and cost estimates like those from Pacific National, serve as a damning indication of policy failure, over decades of unprecedented spending on the construction of new roads and the maintenance of old roads. In their post-meeting communique, the transport and infrastructure ministers resolved to form a new committee to investigate actions aimed at driving down road trauma. But no reference was made to the road-rail access pricing imbalance, despite an in-person presentation from Pacific National boss Dean Dalla Valle, who also serves as chair of the Freight on Rail Group of Australia. Reducing access charges for the rail sector, or raising the cost of access for heavy vehicles on our nation’s roads, would be an unpopular move in the eyes of trucking operators and end users who rely on road transport as part of their business. Any additional costs would no doubt be passed down to consumers. But Australia moves less containerised freight on rail than almost every other similar country in the developed world. Rail is safer, more environmentally efficient, less labour intensive and – if volumes are there and access pricing fair – more cost-efficient on major medium- to long-distance routes than road transport. It’s rare governments can resolve two challenges with one solution. This opportunity should not be ignored.
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States need to help accelerate infrastructure spending: Tudge
Tudge (right) says that the Commonwealth was ready to provide funding for key projects but state governments need to “play ball” too.
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ISSUE 6 2019 | RAIL EXPRESS
immediate funding on several key projects included in its $100 billion, 10-year infrastructure plan, but the states need to play ball. “There are several major projects that have significant funds committed by the federal government, but [to] which state
CREDIT: ALAN TUDGE MP / TWITTER
ALAN TUDGE SAYS THE ONUS IS on states to facilitate the acceleration of national infrastructure spending in response to a Reserve Bank push for more action. Tudge, federal minister for cities, urban infrastructure and population, said the Commonwealth was prepared to provide
governments have yet to commit,” Tudge wrote in the Financial Review on July 16. “This includes the huge $4 billion East West Link in Melbourne that would generate 3,700 jobs and finally connect the Eastern Freeway to the other side of town. Our federal commitment would cover the entire government share of funding meaning it will not cost the Victorian government a cent. Let’s get on with it!” Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, tore up contracts to build the East West Link with combined government money when he came to power in 2014. Despite continued pressure from the Coalition, the premier maintains the project does not “stack up”, and has refused to support its delivery. Tudge said the Coalition has faced a similar road block building Roe 8 and 9 highway extensions in Perth. “Finally, over the next 12 months, we want to see each of the 166 Urban Congestion Fund projects either under construction or at least in detailed planning,” he said. Tudge’s highlighting of projects which have been under state-federal dispute for several years came in response to a call by the Reserve Bank of Australia governor Philip Lowe for the Commonwealth to ensure a war chest of projects are at least ‘shovel ready’ in case the economy slows. Labor leapt on the RBA chief ’s comments, saying they support accelerated funding, and Labor leader Anthony Albanese criticised Tudge’s column for putting the onus on states. “It was very disappointing that this morning, it’s reported that Alan Tudge has actually called for state governments to do more on infrastructure rather than what he has responsibility for,” Albanese told a press conference in Perth on July 16. “We know in WA here, the McGowan Government is putting record funds into infrastructure through programs like Metronet and other road projects that they’ve put forward. Labor put forward, during the recent federal campaign, an additional $460 million worth of good infrastructure projects over the forward estimates. “There are a range of projects that could be brought forward, and the government needs to examine them and do more when it comes to infrastructure investment.”
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properly consulted. Before the election he promised to call for an inquiry into the consultation process for Inland Rail, with particular concern over how the alignment will impact farmers in New South Wales. The Coalition’s victory effectively means the project is likely to go ahead without major review. But Albanese hasn’t given up. “It’s a great idea,” he said of Inland Rail. “It’s ambitious and it’s overdue. But its planning has been done without appropriate regard to farmers themselves. Who’s going to be thrilled about winding up with their house on one side of the tracks, and their shed on the other? Who’s going to jump for joy about a train that’s going to get their produce almost but not quite all the way to port?” The Coalition and its Inland Rail team say the consultation process for the project has been, and will continue to be, thorough. But Albanese says an inquiry should go ahead anyway, saying “the project is too important to get wrong”.
CSIRO study to be expanded Meanwhile, a CSIRO study into the benefits of Inland Rail to farmers and manufacturers has been extended to further convince stakeholders of the benefits of the major project. Infrastructure minister Michael McCormack on July 11 said a CSIRO study
CREDIT: CSIRO / JARLE DIXON
OPPOSITION LEADER ANTHONY Albanese has told a bush summit more should be done to consult farmers before Inland Rail is delivered. The Labor leader speaking in Dubbo on July 18 said Inland Rail was one example of the sorry state of federal politics, which has left the public crying out for opposing sides to sit down and work on proper solutions. He said people in Australia’s regional areas are rightfully annoyed by how often, and how loudly, they are being told what to think, but how rarely they are listened to. Without naming names, he clearly referenced Bob Brown’s anti-Adani convoy which helped scupper Labor’s hopes in Queensland at the recent federal election. “A convoy of well-meaning protestors travelled up into the heart of Queensland and talked with – or, more accurately, talked at – everyone they met and told them how what they were doing was wrong,” Albanese said. “It went about as well as expected, which is the most polite way I could put it.” Albanese said Australians everywhere were tired of “the conflict that passes for politics these days”. “What happens when we don’t listen? What happens when outsiders march in and decide what’s best for locals? What happens is that there’s a good chance they’ll muck it up.” He said the Inland Rail project was one example of regional Australians not being
CSIRO is conducting a study into the benefits of Inland Rail.
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CREDIT: ANTHONY ALBANESE MP / TWITTER
Albo tells farmers they’ve been ignored on Inland Rail
Labor leader, Anthony Albanese.
would be extended to the stretch of Inland Rail between Narromine and Seymour, ahead of industry and community workshops in regional NSW and Victoria. The same study in March determined cost savings of an average $76 per tonne when it examined the potential for the Parkes to Narromine section of the project. “The data is clear – Inland Rail is a game-changer,” McCormack said. “In order for Inland Rail to deliver its full benefits, industry and community need to be able to identify and plan for its roll-out. “That is why we are bringing them to the table early, ensuring we have identified the supply chains – grains, cotton, minerals, meat products, wine and bio-oil among others – that will likely be the biggest beneficiaries of Inland Rail.” McCormack said the first phase of the CSIRO study between Narromine and Seymour will be followed by a second phase to be rolled out between Narromine and Toowoomba in July 2020. “The cost-savings announced in the pilot will be an incredible boost for regional Australia – an average saving of $70 million a year for those commodities alone,” he said. “90 per cent of fresh produce sold in our supermarkets is produced here in Australia. The cost savings for farmers – between paddock and port – will be a significant competitive advantage when accessing new domestic and international markets.”
RAIL EXPRESS | ISSUE 6 2019
7
NEWS
NATIONAL
Melbourne-Sydney rail freight on ‘deathbed’
Deputy Prime Minister, Michael McCormack.
PACIFIC NATIONAL CEO DEAN Dalla Valle has called for access charges on the Sydney-Melbourne rail corridor to be abolished to address a substantial competitive advantage enjoyed by road operators along the busy route. Dalla Valle on July 29 said less than 1 per cent of the 20 million tonnes of palletised and containerised freight transported between Melbourne and Sydney is now hauled by rail. Pacific National has calculated the access costs of hauling a 20-foot container between Melbourne and Sydney by a freight train as
$94, compared to just $55 for a container on the back of a B-double truck. “In terms of accessing the freight corridor between Melbourne and Sydney, that’s a massive 70 per cent cost penalty for rail – this rips the guts out of our industry,” Dalla Valle said. This access charge discrepancy, Dalla Valle argues, is because rail charges have been designed to properly reflect the cost of maintaining that infrastructure, while this mechanism is not properly reflected in access charges to truck operators, with the maintenance, repair, and incident costs for roads made whole by taxpayers. He said without immediate action from the government, road could soon increase its share of Sydney-Melbourne freight to 100 per cent. “Government access charges must be abolished on the rail corridor between the two cities,” Dalla Valle said. “Bizarrely, at a time when Australians want safer roads, less traffic congestion during their daily commute, reduced vehicle emissions, and properly maintained roads, government policies are geared to rolling out bigger and heavier trucks on more roads. “Australia’s busiest freight corridor by volume has become a conveyor belt of 700,000 B-double equivalent return truck trips each year along the Hume Highway. Now the Hume Highway is fully duplicated, I suspect governments in the future will allow access for even bigger trucks on the freeway, including A-doubles and B-triples.”
Government willing to consider changes
Less than one per cent of the 20 million tonnes of palletised and containerised freight between Melbourne and Sydney is now hauled by rail.
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Deputy prime minister Michael McCormack told Rail Express on August 1 he had met the day prior with several rail stakeholders, including Pacific National corporate affairs director Andrew Huckel and ARTC boss John Fullerton. Asked whether the government is willing to consider improving rail’s competitiveness through changes to rail access pricing regimes, McCormack said “it is”. “I had a great meeting with several rail stakeholders [on July 31],” he said. “We had a very frank discussion about what we could and should do.” McCormack said getting more freight onto rail was “a huge priority” for
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the government. “That just makes good sense for safety, for productivity, for supply chain efficiencies, and for lowering costs for all concerned,” he said. “Get more freight onto rail networks, get those supply chains and efficiencies happening; it’s better for productivity, better for getting goods to port and then onto those market opportunities that we’ve opened up.”
Road safety a key factor McCormack added “it stands to reason if you get more trucks off the road, and more freight onto rail, that is going to be safer for road users.” He made his comments on the same day the government agreed to address major road safety concerns. Research conducted by the Australian Automobile Association forecast Australia will not meet almost half the targets set out in the National Road Safety Strategy,
which launched in 2011 with targets for 2020. In response a new Joint Select Committee on Road Safety will study the government’s current and planned actions aimed at driving down road trauma. “The Joint Select Committee will thoroughly examine the effectiveness of existing road safety support services and programs, including opportunities to integrate Safe System principles into health, education, industry and transport policy,” McCormack said in a statement. “The committee will also look at the importance of achieving zero deaths and serious injuries across Australia, but especially in remote and regional areas. It will also consider recommendations for the role of the newly established Office of Road Safety.”
NEWS
Pacific National CEO, Dean Dalla Valle.
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NSW
NEWS
Tram testing for Sydney Light Rail in Sydney have started in the CBD.
Sydney tram testing reaches Circular Quay TRAMS HAVE NOW TRAVELLED all the way along George Street, from Central station to Circular Quay, during testing for the new Sydney Light Rail CBD & South East project. The first light rail vehicle pulled up at Circular Quay overnight on July 29/30. It had set off from the Randwick Stabling Yard, passed Central station and travelled the length of George Street beyond Town Hall for the first time, before parking at the new Circular Quay stop. Visiting the stop, which will be the northern terminus of the new light rail line, NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian said she hoped hundreds of thousands of ferry, train and bus commuters would get a good look at the tram while it sat at Circular Quay for the day. “It was an historic moment last night with light rail travelling along the wire-free
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section on George Street for the first time,” the premier said. “By the end of the year, this exciting project will be open and those customers will be able to jump on the light rail as part of their daily commute.” Trams travelled down George Street powered by the “third rail” strip embedded into the ground by construction crews in recent years of work. The technology, developed by Alstom, is called APS. APS originally stood for Alimentation Par le Sol – “feeding via the ground” – but has been termed Aesthetic Power Supply for the Sydney project. APS is designed so power is only supplied to segments of the “third rail” while the light rail vehicle is completely covering them, meaning the technology is safe for pedestrians and motorists.
While the power system is safe for pedestrians, NSW Police assistant commissioner Michael Corby used the Circular Quay milestone to remind people to keep their heads up and be aware around the new light rail corridor. “We have had a few near misses during the tram testing as people get used to having trams around,” Corby said. “Mobile phone distraction and people crossing in front of trams are particular dangers. The message for all road users is the same: ditch the distraction, follow the road rules and pay attention.” The state government is progressively rolling out its safety campaign as testing continues to take place along the route. Motorists are being instructed never to turn in front of a tram, or queue across intersections along the route. Cyclists are being told not to ride along the tracks.
RAIL EXPRESS | ISSUE 6 2019
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NEWS
VIC
Yarra Trams operations centre to benefit from new tech THE YARRA TRAMS OPERATION Centre is receiving a new “mega-wall” of information screens that will help controllers monitor real-time data more effectively. The upgrade will incorporate information such as VicRoads traffic data, CCTV from the tram network and passenger tweets so that it is easily accessible on the screens. A dedicated station for planned and unplanned disruptions has also been added, allowing controllers to switch to “crisis mode” to quickly and effectively plan tram diversions should incidents such as accidents, protests or traffic occur. The staff at the centre are able to provide advice to drivers and passenger information teams should issues occur. The upgrades come at a time when Yarra Trams is introducing its newest generation of controllers, who have undergone hundreds of hours of training involving the operations centre, including a five-week program
The upgrades come at a time when Yarra Trams is introducing its new generation of controllers.
driving E-Class trams. “These upgrades are just another way we’re improving the reliability of our public transport system – minimising disruptions and improving the passenger experience,” Victorian public transport minister, Melissa Horne, said. “As our city continues to grow, we’re
investing in the latest technology to get people where they need to go as quickly and safely as possible.” The Yarra Trams Operation Centre monitors more than 5,000 journeys and receives up to 1,800 calls from drivers across Melbourne’s network every day.
Three crossing removals fast-tracked on Frankston line THE VICTORIAN GOVERNMENT has added three more crossings to the Edithvale-Bonbeach project in Melbourne’s southeast, to reduce overall disruptions on the Frankston line. Level crossings at Swanpool Avenue, Chelsea Road and Argyle Avenue in Chelsea, 30 kilometres southeast of Melbourne’s CBD, will now be removed at the same time as four other crossings, with
completion targeted for 2022. Overall, the Edithvale to Bonbeach project now means the Frankston line will be lowered into a trench under Edithvale Road in Edithvale, Thames Promenade and Argyle Avenue in Chelsea, and Bondi Road in Bonbeach. The greater connectivity achieved through this work will allow for the total closure of existing crossings at Swanpool Avenue and
Completion for the crossings is targeted for 2022.
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ISSUE 6 2019 | RAIL EXPRESS
Chelsea Road in Chelsea, and at Lochiel Avenue in Edithvale. The work also involves building three new modern stations at Edithvale, Chelsea, and Bonbeach. Construction is expected to begin midway through 2020, with a contract award targeted for early in 2020. State transport minister, Jacinta Allan, said the work was part of a $3 billion investment in the Frankston line, which includes removing 18 level crossings and building 12 new stations. “Bringing these works forward will mean fewer disruptions for residents, traders, and visitors to Chelsea – plus getting rid of the dangerous dogleg at Chelsea Road will improve congestion and get traffic off local roads,” Allan said. The Frankston line reopened after eight days, during which the old Carrum station was removed and construction of a temporary track was completed so the line can keep running while work takes place there on a new station and bridge.
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QLD
NEWS
Adani dismisses financial ‘smear campaign’ ASPIRING MINE AND RAIL developer Adani says a harrowing diagnosis from one of Australia’s top forensic accountants is “uninformed” and “inaccurate”, and the company is not at risk of financial ruin. Adani’s proposed Carmichael coal mine and rail project in the Galilee Basin is perhaps the most controversial of its kind in recent history, with a plethora of environmental, economic and employment factors debated in the nation’s newspapers, shouted about in Central Queensland’s oldest towns, and discussed across dinner tables around the nation for more than half a decade. But all that controversy could be moot, according to Sandra van der Laan, a forensic accountant from the University of Sydney. “[Adani Australia] looks to me like a corporate collapse waiting to happen,” van der Laan told the ABC in late July.
“It has all the hallmarks of the big corporate failures we’ve seen over the last 20 to 30 years.” Van der Laan, one of the few experts who predicted the collapse of childcare major ABC Learning in 2008, told the ABC the “labyrinthian” structure of Adani’s Australian business “seems to be developed to obfuscate or confuse or to hide things”. Her analysis indicated the current assets of Adani Mining, the Australian registered business which reported to ASIC on March 31, were less than $30 million. Current liabilities due over the next 12 months come to more than $1.8 billion, van der Laan said. “Adani Mining is in a very fragile, even perilous, financial position,” she was quoted as saying. “The gap between current assets and liabilities is what’s really concerning. Effectively on paper, they are insolvent. I wouldn’t be trading with them, as simple
Adani challenges reports about its existing financial position.
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as that. I wouldn’t have anything to do with them.” Adani on July 24, dismissed the report, and labelled van der Laan’s commentary as “false and misleading”. “Just like every mining project, our project will not generate income until the mine and rail are built and operating and coal can be sold and exported. Until we start producing and selling coal, we will be continuing to invest in the development of the mine and rail and therefore this will be treated as an accounting loss,” a spokesperson said. “With Adani’s approvals for construction now in place, construction on the Carmichael mine and rail project is progressing well. The construction stage is due for completion approximately two years after approvals were received, and production of coal will shortly follow. “The investment in the delivery of the Carmichael Project was always expected to be a long-term investment, which is why Adani has remained committed to the Project. “Already Adani’s businesses in Australia have had major impacts on the Queensland economy, through its ownership and operation of Abbot Point Port Terminal, Adani Renewables’ solar farm in Rugby Run, and now with the delivery of the Carmichael Project. “Adani looks forward to continuing its operations and the significant financial contribution it makes to the Australian economy over the coming years. ”We expect anti-coal activists will continue their attempts to discredit and misrepresent our organisation and operations. Despite this, we will deliver our Carmichael Project and the benefits it will bring to regional Queensland communities.” Adani also criticised the Institute for Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), an advocate for renewable energy development which republished van der Laan’s comments. “IEEFA is well-known for publishing alarmist papers that attempt to discredit the fossil fuel industry using flawed analysis in order to achieve its state aim of transitioning to renewable energy,” Adani Mining said.
RAIL EXPRESS | ISSUE 6 2019
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NEWS
SA
GWA: Port uncertainty, lack of road pricing led to Viterra departure GENESEE & WYOMING AUSTRALIA says it invested heavily in the Eyre Peninsula rail network prior to the departure of key grain customer Viterra, and has lambasted its unfair disadvantage against road haulage in South Australia. GWA on July 26 addressed the recent departure of its only Eyre Peninsula regional rail network customer, Viterra, saying much of the “considerable public, political and media discussion … has not been factual in nature”. Viterra announced in February it would stop using rail because road haulage was the cheaper option. It said it had worked with GWA on an ongoing deal, but “the condition of the rail infrastructure, the restrictions it placed on operations, and ultimately the cost have all contributed to rail no longer being efficient or cost effective to move grain”. GWA on Friday rejected the assertion its infrastructure was in poor condition. “When GWA acquired the regional rail network in SA in 1997 – more than 20 years ago – many of the rail corridors were in poor condition through lack of, or no, customer use, nor adequate maintenance over many
years,” a GWA spokesperson said. “GWA in the period since has spent a very large sum, totalling tens of millions of dollars, upgrading and maintaining the regional rail routes. No more so has this been evident than across the Eyre Peninsula network which has had ongoing, regular custom, albeit supported by a single customer on the grain lines. “In fact, the greatest amount of GWA’s rail expenditure in regional SA has been on the Eyre Peninsula rail system where GWA has kept the lines operational so that trains can keep running to as recently as May this year.” The company, which operates nearly 5,000 kilometres of track in South Australia and the Northern Territory, said Viterra’s departure from the Eyre Peninsula network was driven by the lack of a proper road pricing policy. “The cost of operating trucks does not reflect the full cost of maintaining the road network (truck users don’t pay for highway and road upgrades/maintenance), unlike rail,” the GWA spokesperson said. “Over many years, regional rail in SA has come under constant competition from
trucking which has been allowed to increase significantly in its tonnes capacity to haul.” Additionally, GWA cited the lack of a unified, long-term vision for ports in the region. “Considerable uncertainty has been created recently with numerous Eyre Peninsula port options under development. This has fuelled the inability to attract long-term support for local rail,” the spokesperson argued. “The rail network is dependent on external patronage. Despite years of stakeholder negotiations and engagement with the Government and our customers, unfortunately the decision to move to road has resulted in the cessation of rail use on the Eyre Peninsula. “GWA would like nothing more than to have the Eyre Peninsula rail network attract fresh, economically viable rail traffic. The lines are not closed. However, any further ‘sizeable’ network investment, in the absence of any sufficient and sustainable commercial traffic, would not be commercially viable.” GWA said it remains in regular communication with the SA Government regarding the situation.
GWA says it has invested in the Eyre Peninsula’s rail network.
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SA
NEWS
Services resume in Adelaide after tram track replacement REGULAR TRAM SERVICES resumed in Adelaide in late July following major track work for the City South Tramline Replacement Project. South Australian transport minister Stephan Knoll thanked commuters and motorists for their patience during the partial closure of the network. During the shutdown crews replaced existing tracks along King William Street, between Victoria Square and South Terrace. The state is also replacing the City South tram stop so it complies with the Disability Discrimination Act. That stop remains closed for now. “It’s obviously been a frustrating time for commuters and motorists, however these are necessary works to make the City South tram stop DDA compliant, and replace the existing tram tracks between Victoria Square
and South Terrace, which were constructed in the early 1980s and reaching the end of their useful life,” Knoll said on July 24. “This project will also reduce delays to current tram operations and improve the safety along King William Street for both road and tram users. “This section of the track was the only remaining shared tram corridor in Adelaide’s CBD.” The project means trams will now have their own dedicated corridor along this section of King William Street. “This project adds to the growing list of measures the Marshall Government is delivering to improve our public transport network including building the Flinders Link project, new Park ‘n’ Rides along the O-Bahn and the Gawler line electrification project,” Minister Knoll concluded.
The project looks to reduce delays to current tram operations and improve safety along King William Street according to Minister Knoll.
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Bigger, stronger, faster: CRRC optimising rail wagon designs - SEE PAGE 20
RAIL EXPRESS is compulsory reading and a vital tool for all people working in and around the rail sector.
SPECIAL FEATURE: Condition Monitoring – SEE PAGE 25
Rail fighting for fair go on freight PAGE 8
Light rail rolls down George Street PAGE 11
Q&A with Bombardier’s Wendy McMillan PAGE 53
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Rail Express is Australia’s authoritative business to business rail publication. ISSUE 5 | 2019
Bringing the World to the West RISSB to host global safety event - See Page 30
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AUSTRALIA’S LEADING BUSINESS TO BUSINESS RAIL PUBLICATION
WA
NEWS
Grants offered to SMEs for Metronet railcar program PERTH BUSINESSES WILL BE offered grants up to $20,000 to help them take part in the upcoming $1.6 billion Metronet railcar program. The state government said on July 26 it would provide grants to qualifying small- to medium-sized businesses to help them meet essential pre-qualification requirements, and purchase and upgrade essential equipment to be a part of the local manufacturing process. The grants process will begin once a bidder is selected from three shortlisted proponents for the contract. Alstom; a joint venture of CAF and UGL; and a joint venture of EDI Rail and Bombardier are competing to deliver the Metronet rollingstock contract. The contract demands local construction of 246 new railcars: 17 six-car sets to service new rail projects under the state’s Metronet
banner, and another 24 six-car sets to replace the Perth network’s aging A-series fleet. Once the winning bidder is selected,
local SMEs will be able to apply for the supply chain grants through WA Industry Link. The grants process will begin once a bidder is selected from the shortlisted proponents for the contract.
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COVER STORY
CRRC focuses on cutting-edge technology to develop freight wagon range Rail Express speaks with CRRC about the latest developments from its cutting edge freight wagon supply business headquartered in Qiqihar, in China’s northeast, and its plans for global growth.
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ABOVE: QRRS is constantly improving and optimising its suite of freight wagons.
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RRC’S QIQIHAR ROLLING STOCK Company, known as QRRS, is the core subsidiary for its operations in Qiqihar City, and the pillar enterprise in the freight wagon sector for CRRC. Over the last 20 years, QRRS has provided more than 17,000 wagons to Australia and New Zealand. Its range of ore wagons, grain hopper wagons, coal hopper wagons, container flat wagons, articulated wagons, side dumping wagons, ballast wagons, tank wagons and others has found success in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, along with the eastern states, South Australia, and on both South and North Island in New Zealand. CRRC representatives Wang Xiojun and Li Lina tell Rail Express QRRS’s team of nearly 150 designers, CAE engineers and testing engineers have been hard at work improving and optimising the manufacturer’s suite of freight wagons. “As the largest freight wagon supplier in China and one of the most important freight wagon suppliers around the world, QRRS owns
ISSUE 6 2019 | RAIL EXPRESS
independently a full set of testing facilities and systems for complete wagons and key components – such as car body, bogie, coupler and brakes – and follows strictly to the relevant recognised quality systems, such as ISO, IRIS and other local ones,” Li and Wang tell Rail Express. With a particular focus on the Australian market, QRRS has designed and manufactured wagons with axle loads ranging from 20, 23, 25, 26.5, 30, 35.7 and up to 40 tonnes. The configuration of the wagons has evolved from a carbon steel car body with a 120 brake system, a 13EF coupler, MT-2 draft gear and ride control bogie; to a stainless-steel car body employing a Wabtec/Knorr air and ECP brake system, an extra capacity coupler, draft gear and ZK1 bogie, which is QRRS IP. Operation speeds for the 40t wagons have been improved to 100km/h with a maximum traction tonnage of 57600t. “At present, the 40t axle load ore wagons developed and manufactured by QRRS are popular
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with several ore mining companies in Australia, and have become the most advanced wagon in satisfying the operational requirements in West Australia,” Li and Wang say. “Said wagons have been in service for more than a decade and satisfy nearly all the heavy haul transportation requirements in the world.” The 40t axle load wagons are designed to provide high speed and stable ride control. The design’s lightweight car body, low wheel track force and empty/loaded dynamics have helped increase loading capacity of the wagon by 10 per cent, and service axle to 44t, to let a single wagon can carry almost 155 tonnes of ore. “Meanwhile, the new type rotary coupler, fixed coupler and forge yoke developed by QRRS can help further improve the loading capacity of the wagon, and a train of 30,000t to 50,000t traction tonnage can be satisfied, which has become the train with biggest axle load, highest loading capacity and largest traction tonnage all around the world,” Li and Wang explain.
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Research & development Not satisfied, QRRS plans to soon launch its 45t axle load wagon into the Australian market. CRRC credits this latest development, along with the ongoing optimisation of its existing fleet of wagons, to its dedicated team of research and development experts. “Over the years, QRRS has insisted on strengthening the construction of information and research platforms to improve research and development efficiency and quality,” Li and Wang say. “Parallel design technology was implemented in the product development phase, supported by the PDM data management system, and through a collaborative R&D using CAD, CAE, CAPP, CAM and other technologies, to realise fundamental changes in product development concepts, management models and business processes.” More modern technologies, like 3D design (Pro/E), and computer simulation for strength, stiffness, modulus, dynamics, and fatigue simulation analysis, have also played a key role.
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[QRRS] wagons satisfy nearly all the heavy haul transportation requirements in the world.
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COVER STORY
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At present, the 40t axle load ore wagons developed and manufactured by QRRS are popular with several ore mining companies in Australia, and have become the most advanced wagon in satisfying the operational requirements in West Australia.
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ABOVE: QRRS is the first Chinese wagon manufacturer approved by CNAS for Conformity Assessment.
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“These technologies have significantly improved design methods, shortened the development cycle, and improved product reliability,” Li and Wang say. “The product development period and process preparation period has been shortened from six to nine months, to five to ten weeks. The efficient and reliable new product development capability can satisfy the demand of high reliability and short delivery time for domestic and international markets respectively.” QRRS says it aims to leverage both independent and integrated innovation to develop a worldclass technology innovation platform, product development platform and basic research platform. Additionally, the company says a completed management system and support system will improve the basic research and application technology in freight wagon development, to help build a worldwide leading heavy-haul and fast freight wagon research and development platform.
Testing lab Just as important as R&D is a thorough testing program. In its laboratory facility, QRRS covers all the testing needed for a railway freight wagon, such as static strength, impact, dynamics and fatigue test for the wagon and its key components. QRRS’s lab is the first of any Chinese wagon manufacturer approved by China’s National Accreditation Service (CNAS) for Conformity Assessment. It is also the only special tank container impact test laboratory authorised by China Classification Society, and the lab’s Metrology and Testing centre is also approved by CNAS for Conformity Assessment. Equipment available to QRRS testers includes a coupler fatigue test rig, the only curve negotiation simulation test bench in China, the country’s leading warping stiffness test bench, an industryleading 1500kN fatigue test bench, a 5000kN longitudinal force test bench, 5000kN press, a
ISSUE 6 2019 | RAIL EXPRESS
three-coordinate inspection and measuring machine, and more. Additionally, QRRS possesses a full scale wagon fatigue and vibration test rig it says can acquire the data of 25 years’ operation of a wagon in just 20 days of testing. “The QRRS laboratory is not just for newlydeveloped products, but also for testing items for other freight wagon companies and institutes in China,” Li and Wang add. “The testing capability of the laboratory takes the leading position in freight wagon sections in China.”
Global strategy Along with freight wagon design, manufacturing and maintenance covered by QRRS, CRRC’s operations in Qiqihar also produce special purpose containers for rail, railway cranes, and air conditioning for passenger rail and waste water treatment systems. In addition to Australia and New Zealand, CRRC’s Qiqihar businesses have sent rollingstock to 52 countries, including the United States, Brazil and Kazakhstan. The company says by focusing on its big local and global market through big marketing and a big customer strategy, it has transformed from a product manufacturer to a well-rounded manufacturing service provider. “The international business has always adhered to the customer-oriented and ‘technology plus quality’ direction,” Li and Wang conclude, “adopting a progressive combination of business models to export Chinese products and services to 60 countries and regions. “Product exports, product plus maintenance services, product plus technology, and capital output, cover 40 per cent of the world’s railway lines in 146 countries.” Contact QRRS’s International Business Department: zhanghui.qh@crrcgc.cc, Ph: +86 138 4621 0186
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CONDITION MONITORING
Prevention to prediction: The future of maintenance Alstom’s Services Director for Australia Nicolas Thiebot says the company is working with operators and asset owners to demonstrate that it is safe to move to predictive maintenance across their networks.
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CREDIT: RAIL GALLERY
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OR GENERATIONS, RAIL operators and owners have relied on fixed schedules to maintain their fixed and rolling assets. General maintenance and component replacement was scheduled based on the distance travelled by a piece of rollingstock, or the amount of use endured by a section of track. While this “preventative maintenance” gets the job done, it is far from the most efficient method. What if a replaced component is still in good condition? What if a component is faulty and degrades faster than it should? What if you’re performing general maintenance too often? Not often enough? The basic theory behind the development of condition monitoring systems was to address these concerns. Devices installed in trains and around railways record and report data, so assets can be maintained and replaced when needed; not before or after. Despite the rapid development of proven technologies in this space, however, Alstom’s Nicolas Thiebot says many operators are still hesitant to complete the shift from the old preventative maintenance model, to the new predictive maintenance model. “The industry has a range of tools and initiatives around condition monitoring, but it’s often bolted onto a systematic maintenance plan,” Thiebot, Alstom’s Services Director in Australia, tells Rail Express. “People are still a bit reluctant to move away from this systematic, preventative maintenance approach, to a more predictive model. At the moment, it’s a bit of a belt and braces approach, and we really need to move to an optimised version. “I think the future lives in an understanding that it’s safe and more cost effective, to move on from the preventative to the predictive model.” Since 2014, Alstom has used its platform, HealthHub, to facilitate a more wholehearted shift towards predictive methods for rail passenger rail operators. HealthHub looks to include as much of the data being collected from around the network, and incorporate it into a central hub
to drive maintenance. It takes prioritisation into consideration before making recommendations for work to take place. “Some of HealthHub’s tools are very mature such as the train to ground remote condition monitoring systems and have been a part of the maintenance industry for a long time,” he says. “The value of HealthHub is to bring them together into a shared platform, and to take the data and convert it into recommended actions to help keep assets in the best possible condition. “When all the different initiatives around maintenance and asset management are put into one package, you can optimise your operation through dynamic maintenance planning. “Some of those initiatives are based around asset planning, workload optimisation and work execution, some are to do with remote condition monitoring; they are all important factors in a smart maintenance program.”
Capabilities Thiebot says Alstom has developed – and continues to develop – HealthHub primarily to aid its own maintenance operations. Alstom is delivering ongoing rail maintenance for the first stage of Sydney Metro, which opened in May 2019. On that project it is using HealthHub to integrate tools like Catenary Tracer, Track Tracer, Train Tracer, broken rail detection and point
Alstom is delivering ongoing rail maintenance for the first stage of the Sydney Metro.
machine detection. Throughout the world, the platform is also available to customers who want to do their own maintenance, however. “We are developing HealthHub primarily for ourselves, because we believe in the technology and the benefits it adds to us,” Thiebot says. “But on operations where we don’t do the maintenance, we can package HealthHub as a product that a customer can use themselves, or as a service that we can perform for them: we produce the reports, do the data mining and so on, to make recommendations to their maintenance operation.” HealthHub has included onboard rollingstock monitoring and track and catenary monitoring for some time. Thiebot says points machine monitoring is a more recent addition, and the company is looking to add signalling monitoring to the suite as it develops, as well as tools to rationalise the high volumes of data generated by power monitoring and infrastructure monitoring SCADA systems around the rail network. “The end goal for HealthHub is to help an operator have the smallest downtime possible due to maintenance,” he concludes. Contact: Alstom.com/Alstom-Australia
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CONDITION MONITORING
Digitisation in track maintenance Rail Express speaks with track maintenance and construction machines OEM Plasser Australia about applying digital and condition monitoring principles to enhance its offering.
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LASSER IS ALREADY A MARKET leader in the field for the supply of track construction and maintenance machines. Looking forward, a spokesperson tells Rail Express the company sees two of several new applications of condition monitoring principles as the next step for the Australian market. Plasser is using condition monitoring to help operators better maintain their machines – through the PlasserDatamatic platform – and to help operators better manage their fixed infrastructure – through the PlasserSmartMaintenance solution.
Monitoring the machine “For operators using Plasser machines, smart maintenance gives them a better opportunity to increase their return on investment, in the form of sweating the asset. This can now be performed with a level of comfort based on the data gleaned,” the Plasser Australia spokesperson says. “By monitoring conditions and quality of components, we can actually get a better idea of when the machine may need to be serviced.” PlasserDatamatic combines a number of systems to automate notifications based on the operator’s parameters and the known lifetimes of components on Plasser’s machines. When the time is approaching for a machine service or part to be maintained or replaced, the operator is notified ahead of time and can arrange the best time for work to take place. Various aspects of the system can be enhanced with active condition monitoring. As an example: “You can monitor the condition of the oil. There are certain Australian Standards for engine oil and hydraulic oil condition, and if those standards are exceeded you’ll get an alert email, and you’ll know it’s time to schedule the machine for maintenance and address the issue.”
PlasserDatamatic incorporates an edge device on the machine, called the MachineDataConnector, which reports key information about the machine back to a central database, which is stored in the Cloud. The operator can examine the information and coordinate actions through a web interface, called the MachineConditionObserver, and a mobile app, called the MachineMaintenanceGuide. The web interface can be customised, and the platform itself is designed to be scalable, providing key data for multiple machines to all members of staff involved in the operation and maintenance of those machines, whether they are in the office, the depot, or in the field. “Over time, the platform increases the efficiency of the machine, increasing the return on investment, because the machine is spending more time out there working, and then being maintained when required and according to the real time data,” the spokesperson says.
Monitoring the track Plasser is also applying digital methods to help operators respond to increasing pressures to reduce maintenance costs and time windows, with its PlasserSmartMaintenance solution, which aims to digitise track maintenance. The solution uses modern sensors to study the rail corridor – primarily the track and overhead infrastructure – and create a digital twin of the asset. Plasser’s concept to best use this digital technology is to seek opportunities for better cooperation between the fixed infrastructure and the maintenance machine, by incorporating data on infrastructure, geometry and operational parameters into the maintenance program. “Nearly every network operator would benefit from this system,” according to the spokesperson. “The digital twin gives us the benefit of recording the fixed infrastructure and creating a virtual track. Through managing that data, we can put the required geometry movements into the track.”
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By monitoring conditions and quality of components, we can actually get a better idea of when the machine has to come in to be serviced.
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LEFT: Smart maintenance gives operators to increase their ROI.
Contact: Plasser.com.au
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The global leader in digital rail solutions Driving the digital revolution for a smarter rail system. siemens.com.au/mobility
CONDITION MONITORING
Understanding the challenges of condition monitoring Electronic equipment manufacturer MRD Rail Technologies says the primary goal of its predictive asset condition monitoring system, TrackSense, is to give meaning to data to allow the customer to make data driven maintenance decisions.
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RD RAIL TECHNOLOGIES has 30 years’ experience designing and manufacturing electronic equipment for the rail industry. Three years ago, it looked to capitalise on this with a push into the growing space of predictive maintenance and condition monitoring. TrackSense, the system designed by MRD to carry out this task, has grown to now collect data and measure various parameters of condition in thousands of railway assets across Australia and in international markets. In just three years, several operators throughout Australia and New Zealand are already using TrackSense, and it’s not slowing down: after attracting international attention exhibiting at Innotrans in Berlin last year, the Queenslandand-based company will exhibit at Railway Interchange USA in September. Product Manager Yvie Hough says through a continued focus on listening to and communicating with customers, the TrackSense team hopes to refine its state-ofthe-art approach, and help new and existing customers best take advantage of what it has to offer. “The MRD team has been working closely with our customers to refine and improve our solution to provide a robust, easy to install system that is user friendly and provides valuable information to users,” Hough says.
Cost of ownership Despite operational savings being a core benefit of condition monitoring and predictive maintenance systems, one major obstacle MRD has seen operators struggle to overcome is simply the cost of installing and maintaining a condition monitoring system, and the inflexibility of many common solutions available in the market. “Some vendors charge exorbitant amounts for hardware and lock customers into fixed contracts,” MRD Managing Director Rob Gersbach tells Rail Express. “The obvious downside to this is that should you decide to break ties with the vendor or they go out of business, you’re basically left with an expensive paperweight.” Taking a different approach, the MRD
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loggers used in the TrackSense solution are not bound to that system. “Yes, we offer a local or cloud server option for accessing the data, but this is optional as our loggers are capable of stand-alone operation,” Gersbach explains. “Our loggers log, process and alarm directly from the device without the need for external servers or software. “This gives the customer total ownership and control of their hardware and data.”
Tuning for perfection One misconception MRD aims to address is that a condition monitoring solution will provide maximum results from day one. “When implementing a condition monitoring solution it’s important to understand it’s not a set and forget solution. It requires operator training, tuning and data input from the user,” Gersbach says. To address this, MRD has developed tried and tested workflows to help operators get started with condition monitoring. The TrackSense team will also work with the customer to refine that workflow to their individual needs. “Our auto-tuning feature will get you up and running fast and our teach feature will keep the system performing optimally,” Gersbach adds. “We use shape recognition to identify anomalies, and KPIs are extracted from logged parameters and used to gauge an assets health and identify trends. All positive
alerts and alarms are sent to the system’s fault library and fed back into the system to improve the systems performance. This library is also available for reference and training purposes.” Critical to this is the use of machine learning to refine how data is analysed. “The primary output of any condition monitoring system is data. Performing complex analysis of data collected from hundreds or thousands of sensors is a tedious and time-consuming activity, beyond the capabilities of human operators.” By putting machine learning to work, Gersbach says TrackSense can help operators maximise the value of predictive maintenance while keeping costs down.
Local presence MRD designs and builds hardware, and develops its software and applications locally in Australia. Along with TrackSense, the company also provides EarthSense, a solution for detecting earth leakage; and RelaySense, a solution to test the condition of relays. Its range of smart sensors collect data from fixed rail infrastructure, including points machines, batteries, track circuits and relays, as well as environmental, mechanical and portable assets. Measurements taken by MRD’s sensors includes current, voltage, pressure, temperature, vibration, and so on. Contact: TrackSense.com.au
RIGHT: The MRD loggers log, process and alarm directly from the device without the need for external servers or software.
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Keolis Downer is the leading multimodal transport operator in Australia. We are proud to partner with Governments and Transport Authorities to design, operate and maintain public transport and mobility services that are integrated and adapted to local needs. With more than 4,000 employees and a presence in five states, Keolis Downer enables 250Â million passenger journeys per year. We operate and maintain the largest tram network in the world in Melbourne (Yarra Trams), the light rail network on the Gold Coast (G:link), and more than 1,200 buses in NSW, Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland. Since 2017 we have also been operating the integrated transport network in Newcastle that includes regular bus services, On Demand transport, ferries and from 2019 the new light rail.
www.keolisdowner.com.au
CONDITION MONITORING
‘Smart dryer’ pushing the boundaries of efficiency IMI Precision Engineering is using condition monitoring to improve the efficiency of its drying system for compressed air on rollingstock.
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DRYING SYSTEM EXTRACTS moisture from air before it enters a train’s onboard systems – braking, doors, suspension and so on. In a typical rail dryer, a pair of parallel “towers” take turns performing this task: while one is absorbing moisture and feeding air to the train, the other is using a small amount of ‘purge air’ to dry itself out. The frequency at which the system switches between towers is a key factor in the longevity and efficiency of the rail dryer. The amount of purge air required to dry the inactive tower is another key efficiency factor. IMI Precision Engineering, which already has hundreds of its dryers installed on varied rollingstock in Australia and New Zealand, is tweaking the performance of its rail dryer through condition monitoring. “We’re now making it a smart dryer,” IMI’s Peter Raemers tells Rail Express. “By putting condition monitoring on it, we can regulate the amount of dry air needed to regenerate the second tower. “By only using as much purge air as you need, the compressor feeding that purge air doesn’t need to be used as often. Additionally, by properly monitoring the condition of each tower, you can also minimise
Safer ped gate a success “One thing we do as a company is work with the rail sector and investigate what they see as issues, what we can do to help them, and how we can make ourselves more proactive in dealing with the customer,” Raemers explains. One product of this is IMI’s pneumatic gate for at-grade pedestrian crossings. The gate, designed by IMI’s Sydney team, has so far performed almost 30,000 operations without trouble over a trial in the Sydney metropolitan area. The pneumatic gate looks to address a key flaw in typical electric gates: if power is lost, they can jam in an open position – an understandably dangerous possibility. IMI’s system relies instead on more efficient pneumatic power, with a failsafe spring to shut the gate in case power is lost. The low-maintenance system is contained within a compact, robust unit and relies on
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the frequency of cycles required.” Raemers says this efficiency multiplies the benefits of IMI’s cutting-edge AMT drying technology. While traditional systems feature towers filled with small desiccant beads wrapped in clay as a binder, IMI extrudes the desiccant into narrow tubes which are impervious to water. “The problem with clay is, as it gets wet, it starts to break down,” Raemers explains. “That can be quite destructive and inefficient. If you don’t dry the air properly, systems can become water laden, leading to rust and other issues, and if the clay binder breaks down that can enter the water as well, which can bung up those systems with sludge or sand.” Raemers says side-by-side testing has shown the AMT (Adsorbent Media Tube) solution as more effective and efficient than a clay-based system. The technology also means the system can be equipped horizontally or vertically, allowing for more flexibility for rollingstock owners and manufacturers. “It really is a fit and forget solution,” Raemers says. “And the improvements in air quality are also passed down to components around the train for more lifetime improvements and further lengthening of maintenance cycles.”
a single moving part. Pneumatic control is dictated by a pair of solenoids, which are directed by electrical signals, typically from the operator’s control system. When the gate is shut, it is held shut with a significantly higher force than when it is in the open position, and an in-built hydraulic damper regulates opening and closing at a reasonable force. With no cranks or gearing, IMI says it can guarantee up to four million operations, maintenance free, and a ten-year life before a service is required for major parts. The company is looking to market the system to networks around the rest of Australia and in New Zealand. It is designed to work as part of an existing pneumatic system, or can be set up with its own pneumatic system, powered through mainline power or solar power, with the latter solution optimising it for regional applications.
ABOVE: Condition monitoring allows the operator to precisely regulate the amount of dry air needed to regenerate the second tower.
BELOW: The gate is part of an ongoing trial.
“Pedestrians everywhere are often looking at their phones with their headphones in,” Raemers says. “Even then, improvements onboard trains themselves mean the noise and vibrations through the ground are disappearing. If you lose all those indicators, it’s very easy for an accident to happen.”
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AUSTRALASIAN RAILWAY ASSOCIATION
Siemens Mobility implements
Project i-TRACE
Implementation has begun with GS1 standards compliant ID for Point Machines. This means faster maintenance processes and improved efficiency for field technicians maintaining the machines.
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GS1 Australia Bonnie Ryan Senior Manager Freight, Logistics and Industrial Sectors
Australasian Railway Association (ARA) Duncan Sheppard General Manager Freight & Contractors
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CONDITION MONITORING
Smart plastics for real-time monitoring of rail components Industrial component supplier Treotham Automation says smart plastic parts can help eliminate unplanned outages by predicting failures before they happen on rollingstock and the rail network.
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REOTHAM AUTOMATION, which supplies components and products to a wide range of industrial markets in Australia and New Zealand, tells Rail Express the igus range of smart plastics can boost reliability in both above rail and below rail applications. Smart plastics are designed to provide information on the status of components in real time. In rail, this can allow for the proactive maintenance of trains, preventing delays and boosting efficiency. igus’ range of flame-retardant motion plastics, distributed by Treotham, includes polymer bearing technology, energy chains and fail-safe cables. The range is designed to monitor components on the interior or exterior of passenger rollingstock and wagons, on special rail vehicles, on fixed infrastructure like rail switches, and on dynamic pieces of below rail and trackside infrastructure. At the most recent Innotrans event in Berlin in 2018, igus specifically showed off how the range can enable predictive maintenance of doors on trains, trams and high-speed suburban rail vehicles. “Train doors can be directed to open and close hundreds of times every day,” a Treotham Automation spokesperson told Rail Express. “A common problem is that if a safe edge, which offers protection against people getting injured by closing doors, becomes defective, the door in question is usually immediately disabled. Boarding and alighting times are therefore longer and the timetable is thrown into disarray with delays being a consequence.” By applying the igus CF.Q intelligent cable to this application – equipping the cable to the safe edges in question – faults can be predicted ahead of time. “The isense modules monitor the condition of the cables and send the status data to the control centre of the operating company by means of the igus mobile Communication Module (icom),” the spokesperson explains. “In the control centre, employees use dashboards to monitor the condition of the safe edges in all trains. The system manages all limits and gives advance notice of the imminent failure of a safe edge. Thanks to this advance information, operators can plan preventive replacement centrally and carry it out during scheduled stops.” Another igus product highlighted at Innotrans was its intelligent range of energy chains (e-chains) and linear units, which can be incorporated as part of a train’s interior equipment.
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igus’ e-chain range, which has applications across numerous industries including manufacturing and packaging, can be used in the opening and closing mechanism on a train or tram door, allowing for predictive maintenance of that mechanism. Nuremberg’s municipal rail operator, VerkehrsAktiengesellschaft Nuremberg, has incorporated both the e-chain and intelligent cable technologies into the doors of trams around its network. “The developments and requirements are increasingly moving in the direction of the intelligent door,” VAG system technician Robert Meier says. “Each door of VAG railways has to cope with around 70,000 opening and closing cycles per year. “For this purpose, there are cable for the optical door closing signal, for the sensors that detect trapping and for the door switches.” Contact: www.treotham.com.au Phone: 1300 65 75 64
ABOVE: The new igus range can enable predictive maintenance of doors on trains, trams and high-speed suburban rail vehicles.
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CONDITION MONITORING
Advancing the conversation: Putting mountains of condition monitoring data to work
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monitoring are retained,” McIlveen says. “For example, we developed a system about 15 years ago for points monitoring, but if you’re just looking for points faults and responding to them as and when they occur, you’re effectively not making any savings. “However, if you’re able to develop insights from the data you’re collecting, and you’re able to build smart algorithms – based on machine learning or just good engineering – then there are significant savings to be had.” These savings aren’t only limited to a reduced volume of points faults. Once an operator starts to apply these smarts to how it structures its workforce and delivers maintenance, even more significant savings can be achieved. “For us, condition monitoring is just the element that gives you access to a lot of data,” McIlveen explains. “The ability to analyse and interpret that data is what becomes really valuable.” Of course the real upside of an improved maintenance regime is increased reliability on the network. “We’re aspirational in helping achieve
ABOVE: Paul McIlveen, Managing Director, Strukton Rail Australia. BELOW: Strukton has a 100-year reputation as a rail maintenance specialist.
CREDIT: STRUKTON
TRUKTON RAIL HAS BEEN involved in the development of condition monitoring technology for over a decade and will continue to do so. But the company also wants to broaden the conversation around condition monitoring, and help others understand the role it can play in an overarching smart maintenance solution. “Condition monitoring alone isn’t a solution,” McIlveen, Managing Director of Strukton Rail Australia says. “Condition monitoring forms part of a broader smart maintenance solution, and the benefits are fully derived when you’ve got all the elements of a smart maintenance solution working together.” While the devices used to collect data are an important element, McIlveen says systems to ensure the relevance of what those devices are measuring and monitoring are equally vital to a good smart maintenance system. So too are methods of properly managing the data so it can be interpreted, using that data to organise and plan work, and delivering that work efficiently. “That’s really where the benefits of condition
CREDIT: STRUKTON
Rail Express speaks with Strukton Rail Australia Managing Director Paul McIlveen about the role condition monitoring plays in a smart maintenance solution.
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CREDIT: STRUKTON
LEFT: Willow Rail as an integrated solution in Strukton’s Asset Management Control Room in Utrecht, the Netherlands.
a network which is 100 per cent available to rail operations, meaning no unscheduled loss,” McIlveen says. “We do that today: in the Netherlands we have contracts for which we provide a 99.8 per cent availability guarantee.” In several cases this goal is being made achievable through clever application of artificial intelligence. One example is a fault prediction system for insulated rail joints based on image recognition, which Strukton has developed in partnership with Siemens. Strukton has also teamed up with Australian software developer Willow Inc. to develop an enhanced tool for managing and creating insights to existing rail data. The technology solution is described as a Digital Twin for Rail, combining operational data and asset management information into a simple and intuitive software platform. Strukton Rail Business Development Manager Ben van Schijndel wrote last year the strengthened partnership with Siemens “goes a step further, because we are increasingly interweaving our business processes”. Of both partnerships, he added: “We realise that the products and services we both supply are a perfect match. Each party has its own skills and together you provide more value than each party independently ... The result of a partnership is better work.”
Strukton in Australia Strukton provides engineering, asset management services, network optimisation, and condition monitoring hardware and software tools to Australian customers. This aligns to its history as a traditional rail maintenance contractor in the European market. But with its recent pushes into new markets like the United States and Australia, it is also looking to leverage its experience to serve emerging needs. In Australia there is a growing awareness of the need to improve data utilisation from existing systems. Strukton has already provided support to some heavy haul operators in Australia in this context. McIlveen says this is a credit to Strukton Rail’s unique position in the Australian market. With a
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relatively small footprint compared to its European presence, but with the support of its global network, Strukton Rail Australia can focus on addressing a common issue limiting the value of condition monitoring for rail owners and operators in the region. “There’s a lot of data already gathered on rail networks around the country, but there’s a real gap in the analysis and interpretation of that data,” he explains. “That’s an area we’ve focused on, and as part of that we offer the ability to improve the way condition monitoring is done, and the insights that come from that.” For a lot of network owners and operators, collected data sits in silos, and that data sits isolated from data from elsewhere around the network. Drawing on its experience in Europe, Strukton has encouraged its Australian partners to work to break down the barriers around those data silos, allowing the data to work together in a sophisticated way, using modern computing power to create really important insights. “I think we’re still at the stage in Australia where people are still wary of owning and being responsible for their own data,” McIlveen opines. “Part of the challenge is addressing those concerns of data ownership and security, because ultimately the data is worthless unless you’re doing something with it.” It makes sense, then, that part of Strukton’s work so far in Australia has been helping rail companies transform their approach to data. McIlveen stops short of describing Strukton as a consultant in this space, instead saying the company is comfortable helping bridge the gap between operations on the rail network and the maintenance of that network, by using internal teams as well as external contractors when they are involved in the solution. “We operate in a niche part of this space, because we bring a very practical working knowledge of how to maintain and operate rail networks, and a very deep understanding, from an engineering point of view, of how a rail network should work and what maintenance requirements are important,” he concludes.
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We’re aspirational in helping achieve a network which is 100 per cent available to rail operations, meaning no unscheduled loss.
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CONDITION MONITORING
A sound solution: Better rail through acoustic monitoring For more than two decades Track IQ has been one of Australia’s most successful rail technology exporters. Rail Express finds out about its newest innovation, RailBAM-IB.
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BELOW: Track IQ has installed more than 190 systems in over 120 locations acorss 19 countries.
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RACK IQ IS AN AUSTRALIAN success story. Launched at the turn of the century under the name Trackside Intelligence after engineering consultant Vipac developed a viable method of acoustic measuring for rail axle joint bearings, the Adelaide-headquartered company has grown to work with dozens of major international customers. This growth has accelerated in recent years since Track IQ’s acquisition by US rail technology giant Wabtec in 2015. Through Wabtec, Track IQ has enjoyed a significant investment in its technology and marketing, allowing it to tap into even more global markets. This support, coupled with the acquisition of imaging technologies in 2017, has helped the company today employ around 50 staff in five offices around the world, making Track IQ one of the largest global suppliers of integrated wayside condition monitoring solutions. Over its history, Track IQ has installed more than 190 systems in over 120 locations, across 19 countries on six continents. “The acquisition by Wabtec has provided Track IQ with greater access to a broad range of industry experts with whom we can collaborate in our ongoing product development,” Track IQ’s John Dowie tells Rail Express. Dowie works out of Track IQ’s Adelaide office as General Manager for Business Development,
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Sales and Customer Service. He says the Wabtec association has boosted the volume of opportunities for Track IQ to get its technology into operational railway environments. “The global footprint of Wabtec provides support to Track IQ to deliver our market solutions to almost any country in the world. No matter where we go, there are local Wabtec resources that are there to assist Track IQ, and ultimately our ability to provide a quality service to our customers,” he says. He notes Track IQ has also had the opportunity to be a part of emerging industry solutions, such as WabtecONE, Wabtec’s monitoring and analytics platform that turns “big data” streams into actionable intelligence, with the aim of providing operators with new opportunities to overcome operational challenges.
RailBAM and RailBAM-IB Since early in its history, Track IQ’s flagship product has been the Rail Bearing Acoustic Monitoring (RailBAM) system. RailBAM is a wayside condition monitoring system designed to zero in on the performance of bearings on passing rail vehicles. It is able to monitor the acoustic signature of each axle bearing on a train passing at full speed, accurately and reliably identifying the presence of defects in bearings, providing the operator with known issues ranked by severity and fault type. Track IQ says the RailBAM technology is able to identify defects within bearings 100,000 to 150,000 kilometres before they would be found by through human inspection. This means faults can be found and resolved before they impact operations, be it through a Hot Bearing Alarm event shutdown, or worse, a catastrophic failure. Dowie says Track IQ was fortunate to develop the RailBAM system at a time when local railways were pioneering in their thoughts around integration of wayside monitoring into their business model. “Twenty years ago, the world’s first bearing acoustic monitoring systems were being installed in Australia. Today, the RailBAM system has been installed in most major railways in Australia, including with every major mining railway, but many other countries are only just starting to think about this.” Track IQ is looking to repeat the success of the RailBAM system with its latest innovation, the RailBAM-IB. Instead of being mounted wayside
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like the RailBAM system, the RailBAM-IB system is mounted “inboard” on the track, so the train passes over it. This relocation allows the device to detect inboard axle, traction motor, and gearbox bearing defects. It is designed to be installed in conjunction with RailBAM, or as a standalone solution. “With our proven capability in bearing acoustic monitoring, we are confident that the value of the RailBAM-IB will be recognised and embraced by our customers both in Australia and worldwide,” Dowie says. Track IQ has been developing the RailBAM-IB system for around two years. The first commercial system, installed in the US in early 2019, has so far had 100 per cent success in confirmation of bearing defects identified. The seed for the new product was planted during internal evaluation of acoustic data by Track IQ engineers looking to improve the company’s existing product suite. The work identified the potential to apply Track IQ’s advanced acoustic analytic capabilities to u-tube and traction motor bearings. “Initial trials confirmed this,” Dowie recalls. “Working with industry partners, Track IQ installed the RailBAM-IB in live railway operational environments for both passenger and freight applications and, based on the data gathered, we identified bearings with potential faults that were targeted for investigation. Following hardware and software modifications, we have now fully commercialised the product.” While traction motor failure is not a common occurrence, it is certainly one that operators prefer to avoid; the failure of a vehicle on any rail network is likely to create significant operational disruption. So far, Dowie says, the RailBAM-IB system has helped operators protect themselves from this possibility. “We have already had very positive feedback on
the RailBAM-IB and the associated operational improvements,” he says. “As with all Track IQ products, we add value to our customers by minimising operational delays as well as creating an opportunity to undertake maintenance when and where it is cost effective for their business. Asset inspection can, and should, where possible, be undertaken in an operational environment thereby freeing up valuable real estate in a maintenance facility.”
LEFT: RailBAM is a wayside condition monitoring system that tracks the performacnce of passing rail vehicles.
Growing suite RailBAM-IB joins a suite of condition monitoring solutions developed in Australia by Track IQ. In addition to RailBAM, Dowie says the most common products provided by Track IQ include its Wheel Condition Monitor, Wheel Profile Monitor, its Brake Inspection Monitor, and its Bogie Geometry Monitor. “We can deliver systems that provide full inspection coverage of almost any rollingstock and motive power asset,” he notes. “Track IQ now has a number of wayside supersite installations around the world that include a range of our condition monitoring technology, with railway companies that are truly focused on safety and efficient operations.” This type of value-adding is the area Dowie says Track IQ plans to focus on for customers into the future. “We intend to grow our hardware portfolio and will continue to evolve or data analytics capability to ensure customers maximise the value they obtain from working with Track IQ,” he concludes.
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ABOVE: RailBAM-IB sits between the rails.
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The global footprint of Wabtec provides support to Track IQ to deliver our market solutions to almost any country in the world.
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CONDITION MONITORING
Siemens striving for 100 per cent availability Siemens Mobility Head of Data Services, Gerhard Kress, tells Rail Express about the transport technology firm’s push for a world with zero unscheduled railway outages.
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F YOU’VE REGULARLY CAUGHT THE train in a major Australian city, the prospect of a passenger rail service with zero unscheduled downtime seems too good to be true. Fortunately for Gerhard Kress, Siemens Mobility’s Head of Data Services, the idea is not so difficult to comprehend. “If you combine very good maintenance processes with a proper use of data, you can actually get to very high availabilities,” Kress tells Rail Express on the sidelines of Digitalize 2019 in Brisbane. “Across the globe at the moment we have 17 or 18 projects where we achieve from 99.92 to 99.98 per cent availability. “One flagship is the high-speed connection in Russia, from Moscow to St Petersburg, where the last technically-induced delay was in February 2018; 10 million kilometres without an unscheduled outage. “To achieve this, you need to have some solid underlying processes.” Siemens Mobility’s solution to provide such “solid underlying processes” is Railigent. Siemens says Railigent is designed to make the best use of data to guide rail operators towards 100 per cent availability. Powered by the company’s open Internet of Things (IoT) operating system, MindSphere, Railigent applies artificial intelligence and sophisticated analytics to large volumes of rail data collected by IoT devices in the field. Kress calls it “predictive monitoring”, and it
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has major maintenance applications across fixed infrastructure and rollingstock.
Turning maintenance depots into pit stops
ABOVE: Having near zero unscheduled downtime on train services is possible with Railigent.
Kress says the focus for Siemens in developing the Railigent solution has been to help operators achieve lean but robust maintenance processes, through the support of very efficient documentation. “You have to make sure that every time a train comes into the depot, you can continue right away with your maintenance program where you left off,” Kress says. Along with scheduled maintenance regime, the predictive monitoring technology allows for corrective maintenance to be scheduled on a train before something goes wrong. In the example of Siemens’ Thameslink operations in the United Kingdom, 40 per cent of all corrective maintenance tickets are created automatically by the Railigent system, while the other 60 per cent come from data fed from the system to the maintenance desk, where it is assessed so appropriate work orders can be created while the train is still on the tracks. All of this is compiled into instructions for maintenance teams well ahead of a train’s arrival at a depot. This way those teams can be ready with the right parts and tools in the right places, so when one of Thameslink’s 8- to 12-car trains come into the depot, work can begin on the right sections
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of replacement parts all across the continent – a measure which has allowed several smaller operators to eliminate much of their stock of parts and components. “For operators that are newly created, perhaps with smaller fleets of rollingstock,” Kress continues. “Why should they invest in big depots full of spare parts?”
Fleet efficiencies
of the train, right away. “If your team is in the wrong place, or if you’re missing something during this process, going into the store to get the right part or tool might take you an hour of wasted time, which might be a significant part of your maintenance window for that train,” Kress says. “With the right systems you can reliably know what work can be done in that time, and you are able to better prioritise certain work as you need to.” The other element of this process is performed by an API interface between Railigent and an ERP system to track the operator’s spare parts and components. “As an example, when Railigent detects something wrong with a bogie, the right parts are automatically ordered and ready, so you can simply remove the bogie that needs maintenance when the train comes in, and put a fresh one in its place,” Kress explains. “Then you can perform the work on the bogie separately. But what’s important is you can keep track of where that bogie was, and the mileage of that bogie, because as part of your preventative maintenance schedule you want to ensure that bogie has its scheduled overhauls once it reaches distance milestones, wherever that mileage came from.” Another benefit of this robust solution comes when new parts are required from the local supply chain. Siemens guarantees, for its European customers, the 24-hour supply
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The benefits of achieving zero unscheduled outages go beyond just operational improvements. As Kress explains, less downtime means you can make a significant saving on your capital expenditure as well. “When you look at many fleet procurements today in rail, they’re actually procuring 15 per cent excess capacity, on average, just as a backup,” he says. “That’s something you can easily spare, especially when you have some cities where you’re already running at such short headways that you can’t get more trains in.” Extra capacity is still needed in light rail and streetcar environments, where unexpected and unavoidable collisions with road vehicles are an unfortunate inevitability. Networks which deal with extreme weather also need some extra fleet capacity to deal with unexpected externalities. But for the rest of the rail sector, Kress says smart maintenance regimes employing modern predictive monitoring systems can limit excess fleet expenditure to an absolute minimum. “The question is,” Kress continues, “is
acquiring excess capacity the best way of using your money, or is it better to use the money by simply procuring the right number of assets, and then ensuring they don’t breakdown unexpectedly? “Additionally, with the right systems in place, when something happens – which it will occasionally – you can ensure you’re able to effectively contain the problem and avoid having it spread throughout the whole network. “This way you get a lot more value out of your spending.”
Independent of fleet Kress says Siemens made a point during the development of Railigent, that the solution be applicable – within reason – to any rollingstock, anywhere in the world. That means a monitoring system that is not designed just for one fleet, but for all. “An operator has a clear demand to manage their own fleet, or set of fleets,” he says. “If every customer tries to integrate a solution on their own, that’s probably not as efficient as someone delivering that integration for them. So that’s why we’ve developed the system in an open way. “This enables us to deliver a certain set of metrics that when integrated with partner and customer interfaces, can apply to any fleet,” Kress concludes. BELOW: Kress (middle) says less downtime with a good system means you can make good savings on capital expenditure too.
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CONDITION MONITORING
Catenary and pantograph monitoring catching snags before they bite Australian Rail Technology tells Rail Express about a pair of solutions helping reduce operators’ overheads by protecting their overhead.
W BELOW: The Pantograph Condition Monitoring System.
HEN A PANTOGRAPH atop an electric train, tram or locomotive snags overhead wiring, a large amount of damage can result to both the fixed infrastructure and the train itself. A train travelling at line speed can tear down a significant length of overhead wiring, costing the operator in many ways. “Tear downs of overhead wiring are a major issue to transport operators,” Australian Rail Technology (ART) National Sales Manager Darren Will says. “They can create a dangerous situation for
people inside and outside the rollingstock, greatly disrupt the operation of the network. and require emergency call out of repair resources. Additionally, there can be operational penalties as well as the cost of employing buses to ferry passengers around the impacted part of the network.” ART provides a range of rollingstock, engineering, infrastructure and condition monitoring products and services. Among them are a pair of solutions to reduce tear downs.
Pantograph monitoring The Pantograph Condition Monitoring System (PCMS) is installed above the railway to automatically scan the condition of pantographs as they pass underneath. The process occurs without any contact between the system and the rollingstock itself: as the vehicle passes through the scan location, the system assesses wear on the pantograph head, and scans for any chips or damaged areas. The system can measure carbon thickness, carbon damage (e.g. missing carbon, edge chips, abnormal wear and cracks), pantograph head yaw angle, missing horns, horn alignment, uplift force and train speed, with real time analysis reported back to the asset owner. Exception reports can then be viewed in client software, and also sent
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via email. By regularly monitoring the condition of pantographs throughout its fleet, an operator can perform predictive maintenance of that equipment, saving it from unexpected downtime, and potentially preventing a heavily worn or damaged pantograph from damaging overhead infrastructure. The PCMS is supplied and installed in Australia by ART, in partnership with Dutch technology group, ImageHouse. Will says ART has worked with operators who have reported a return on investment (ROI) timeframe of just three to six months for the system. “The obvious saving is in the form of faster and accurate identification of damage or excessive wear to the carbon strips on the pantograph head. This allows the carbon to be worn to condemning limits accurately to gain maximum useable life out of the carbon,” he says. “Additionally, it removes the need for manual inspection of the pantograph, which is typically done in the maintenance yard or workshop by accessing the roof or using an elevated gantry. This can require isolation of the traction power, working at heights permits, and more factors that have an impact on overall productivity. Intervals between traditional inspections can also vary based on the time available.” ART says the PCMS can operate with train speeds of up to 180km/h in all weather conditions, and can be installed on the main line, meaning there is no need for a custom shed or slow zone.
with no indication of where it has occurred. Loose or defective catenary can damage a pantograph without causing a major incident – knowing where the incident has occurred can save serious man hours, and prevent a tear down before it occurs. PCDS is powered by two in-built solar panels, with high-performance batteries, meaning it doesn’t need to be connected to the rollingstock’s systems in any way. Data is collected and delivered to the cloud, allowing the user to receive direct alarms and access data via a web dashboard. The system can also deliver an API for integration of that data into a third party management platform. System data contained and reported by the device includes vehicle ID, speed, location, time and date, status and impact levels. Adjustable parameters to help fine-tune the device include impact thresholds, sleep/wake parameters, and Admin and Status User phone numbers. “Over time, any trend or increase in the severity or quantity of detected impacts are displayed and allow the asset owners to identify an impending issue on the overhead network,” Will explains. “Similarly, the detection of a severe impact and communication of it to the network operations group, allows them to determine if services should be stopped until the fault can be rectified, thereby removing the potential of a teardown and associated penalty of this happening.”
Collision detection
Will says ART has chosen to employ a flexible architecture for the PCDS, and to provide for independent data collection and transmission, in order to facilitate a wide range of current and future applications in addition to just collision detection. “Our key technologies in the predictive maintenance and condition monitoring space are focused on the interfaces between electric or passenger rollingstock and the infrastructure and environment in which they operate,” Will says. In the future, PCDS could be enhanced with capabilities like recording of climatic conditions, odometer validation, live vehicle/asset location tracking, and monitoring and reporting of other onboard systems. In addition, it could record overhead line stagger, pantograph height, arcing and current draw. In regional areas, the system is also suitable for monitoring other fixed assets, like switch points and signalling systems, monitoring the track for seismic shifts, and monitoring the condition of additional trackside infrastructure like power and compressed air lines. Will says ART’s strong partnerships with overseas suppliers, and a demonstrated ability to develop custom condition monitoring systems in-house, will drive future condition monitoring innovations and enhancements.
While automated inspection of pantographs can go a long way to reducing tear down incidents on an electrified railway, another of ART’s solutions aims to cut down on another key culprit: faults in the overhead infrastructure itself. When a pantograph shows up damaged, two key questions must be answered. First: how did the damage occur? Second, and more important: where did it occur? The Pantograph Collision Detection System (PCDS) – developed in Australia by ART – is mounted on top of rollingstock, and is designed to continuously monitor the interface between the overhead catenary and the pantograph, providing real time warnings for unusual contacts or strikes. When the system’s high-performance 3-axis linear accelerometer detects an unusual impact, it reports GPS details and other relevant data to the asset manager. This information is further supported by a camera which monitors the overhead in real time, and captures and transmits video footage of the area immediately before and after the collision. From there, the asset manager could trigger a work crew to attend the exact site to perform repairs, and potentially have other rollingstock avoid the area until work is complete. Without the location information provided by the PCDS, pantograph damage can appear with
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Next steps
Contact: ar-tech.com.au
ABOVE: The Pantograph Collision Detection System is solar-powered.
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Tear downs of overhead wiring are a major issue to transport operators. They can create a dangerous situation for people inside and outside the rollingstock, greatly disrupt the operation of the network, and require an emergency callout of repair resources.
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CONDITION MONITORING
Latest-generation CBTC driving urban rail modernisation
CREDIT: THALES
Rail Express speaks with Thales’ Arnaud Besse about the company’s seventh-generation SelTrac CBTC system.
The Dubai Metro, the world’s longest driverless metro at 70 kilometres, is supported by SelTrac CBTC.
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VER THREE DECADES SINCE commercialisation, Thales’ SelTrac Communications Based Train Control (CBTC) system has been installed on more than 100 metro lines, in over 40 major cities around the world, and moves more than three billion passengers every year. Thales launched the future-focused seventh generation of the SelTrac train control system, SelTrac G7, at Innotrans 2018, and will demonstrate the system again at AusRAIL PLUS 2019 in Sydney later this year. Arnaud Besse, Marketing and Communications Director for Urban Rail Signalling at Thales, tells Rail Express the new generation of SelTrac is aimed at helping passenger operators achieve 100 per cent availability of service. “Every operator wants to reach 100 per cent availability of service, and so do we,” Besse says.
Changes in SelTrac G7 With the share of global population living in cities expected to rise from 50 to 70 per cent by 2050,
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governments around the world must not only build new rail lines, but must maximise the capacity of existing infrastructure. Thales says it has developed its SelTrac system with this in mind: SelTrac G7 is designed to be as flexible as possible, to help different operators, on new and existing lines, using varied rollingstock. “SelTrac is both valid for greenfield and brownfield projects,” Besse explains, “and we are rollingstock provider agnostic. We have installed our system in trains from 14 different rollingstock manufacturers, which is pretty much every major rollingstock manufacturer on Earth.” Besse says after safety, the top priority in the development of SelTrac G7 has been working with customers to assess their needs. The result is a forward compatible system designed to ensure long and extendable design life, without the need for disruptive, system-wide re-signalling every time a new line is added or a new fleet enters service. Thales says SelTrac G7 features a set of advanced functions designed to better help public transport operators manage network growth, extensions and fleet expansions, and prepare for the future of control operations. Thales has improved the user interface for the centralised command-and-control system, which uses web technologies to allow users to work on their own workstations. The equipment installed on trains is also 20 per cent more compact for SelTrac G7, than for previous generations. The seventh-generation system is also designed to operate with any kind of telecommunication system, including new-generation LTE, which is notably favoured in China over WiFi for CBTC communications. Besse says one key innovation in SelTrac G7 is a bidirectional line management capability. This means if there is an issue at any given time, anywhere on the network, the operator can reconfigure the entire network to reduce or eliminate downtime. “When you have an incident on your line, SelTrac G7 can very quickly and safely put in place any provisional services that require trains to do something they’re not usually supposed to do,”
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Besse explains. “This means when a potentially disruptive incident occurs, the overall impact on the passenger and the operator is minimised.” This added flexibility ties in with SelTrac’s decision support system, or DSS. “When an alarm occurs on the line, the DSS will propose to the operator a few scenarios,” Bess explains. “If there is a train broken down at a station, for example, the system could propose one option to run a provisional service, another for trains to skip the station, or turn around, and present the information needed for the operator to decide.” Another customer-driven improvement made to SelTrac G7 relates to the first ‘C’ in CBTC – communication. When a train loses communication, SelTrac G7 allows it to continue until it reaches the limit of its movement authority. This means temporary, brief communications outages don’t impact operations. “Our customers told us that losing communication on one train should not necessarily mean they don’t have room to manoeuvre, i.e. that the train cannot at least proceed with a few monitors. After all, in CBTC you are providing a limit of movement authority – basically how far the train can go given its position.” In the case where a train does not reestablish communication before reaching the edge of its movement boundary, it will stop. But, as in most cases, if it has re-established its connection to the system, it will be able to continue. “It’s all about minimising the cost of operations,” Besse explains. “Any disruption on the network costs the operator money, and costs satisfaction for the passenger. Nobody likes to be stuck on the network for additional time.” With major research and development always going on in sectors like mission critical defence, security, and avionics, Thales has also applied its developments in cybersecurity to the new generation of SelTrac. “The technology behind encryption analytics and hardware that we are supplying to banks, for example, is the same that supports SelTrac G7,” Besse says. “We have the best cybersecurity experts looking at our system, trying to break into it, and advising how it can be made even more secure. This relationship also means we have kept cybersecurity as one of the design constraints throughout development – so SelTrac G7 is what we call ‘cybersecure by design’.”
Always moving block Besse credits the level of innovation Thales is
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able to achieve with SelTrac to the history of the system itself. First developed by Standard Elektrik Lorenz (hence SEL in the name) in the 1970s, the technology now known as SelTrac began as the first fully automatic movingblock signalling system. It has never been a fixed block system, and is not based on fixed block technology. Besse notes this means Thales is not attempting to move innovation over from a fixed block mindset, into moving block; instead that innovation is always being made with moving block as the status quo. Part of this alternative approach means SelTrac has been designed to not require a secondary train detection system, which can cost millions of dollars to install and maintain. Typically, such systems are installed as fixed “backup” systems, using
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We can equip a secondary train detection system if our customer wants one, but SelTrac does not need one by definition.
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things like axle counters to detect when a train enters a section of the network. “This would be a fixed block system, added to a moving block solution,” Besse reasons. “Because our competitors are coming from a fixed block background and moving to a moving block, this secondary train detection is embedded into their system. But we started from the other end, so we don’t need it.” Besse notes SelTrac has been used in Vancouver for more than 30 years without secondary train detection. “We can equip a secondary train detection system if our customer wants one, but SelTrac does not need one by definition. And from our perspective, this secondary train detection infrastructure becomes another thing that can eventually impact the availability of the network.”
Flushing line conversion Thales recently helped MTA New York City Transit convert one of its busiest subway lines, the Flushing line, to full CBTC, and launched Automatic Train Operation (ATO) capabilities on the line in May. The Flushing line, which serve 400,000 daily passengers, went into revenue service using SelTrac CBTC in December 2018. A Certificate of Substantial Completion was finalised for the project in March 2019. Two months later, in May 2019, Thales ATO capabilities were enabled. Thales says the project was the first irreversible re-signalling cutover project in North America. Modernising 17 kilometres of track connecting 22 stations with a fleet of 46 trains, the result of the project is a more efficient operation. On-time performance since revenue service began has increased by more than 16 percentage points to 91 per cent. For riders, the average amount of time they now spend onboard a train beyond their scheduled travel time has been slashed by over a minute, to just 39 seconds. The ATO also means train operators can put more focus on platform procedures and emergency breaking, while the train runs automatically. “We are committed to supporting the future of New York City with its Fast Forward plan and contribute to increased public transit capacity for New Yorkers,” Thales Urban Rail Signalling Managing Director Dominique Gaiardo said in July. “By re-signalling one of the busiest lines in New York, Thales has once again proven its outstanding capabilities in urban rail modernisation.”
Thales to bring SelTrac G7 to Australian Market Thales is actively engaging with local industry to bring it’s SelTrac G7 solution to the Australian Market – starting in Sydney and then expanding to other neighbouring geographic regions. “Thales is excited to bring this world class CBTC solution to the Australian market in order to help our local customers achieve their project objectives – it is already in operation in a number of major cities around the world – reducing congestion in our customer’s cities and improving the safety of their networks, reducing travel times for their commuters and providing major economic and social benefits to their countries,” General Manager of the Ground Transportation Systems business for Thales Australia Elias Barakat said. Contact: thalesgroup.com
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OPERATIONS
‘Embracing the future of mobility’: A multimodal network for Newcastle Springboarding off the success of light rail, Keolis Downer is enhancing Newcastle’s multimodal transport network with a bigger On Demand service, driverless shuttles, and Park and Ride.
K BELOW: A rigorous safety testing program is in place for the driverless shuttle before it is ready for commercial use.
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EOLIS DOWNER HAS A 10-YEAR contract to design and run Newcastle Transport, the integrated transport system in the Newcastle area, incorporating buses, ferries, and light rail. The integration of the city’s transport network was part of the NSW Government’s Revitalising Newcastle plan, which featured the light rail line as its centrepiece. The line, which opened in February 2019, runs from Newcastle Interchange in Wickham to Newcastle Beach at the east end of the city, and features six stops. Just months after it opened, the light rail line was managing more than 4,000 passenger trips a day, over double the
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patronage estimated by the state government in 2013. As part of the Newcastle Transport overhaul, in January 2018 a new bus network was launched, providing better and faster connectivity to key areas and the introduction of real-time On Demand bus services. The On Demand services was a success: patronage on the service grew 12 per cent monthto-month on average, with more than 3,000 On Demand trips taken in May. 68 per cent of On Demand customer trips would not have been possible via a regular public transport route. “These flexible, non-regular routes encourage the use of public transport by providing mobility options for all, in areas where daily demand is variable,” Keolis Downer CEO David Franks said. “Most customers have less than 150 metres to walk to reach the pick-up point for their personalised bus service and customers are able to travel to areas when they want, thanks to this new flexible service.” The system was successful enough that Keolis Downer in July 2019 decided to expand its reach from 25 square kilometres to 56 square kilometres, allowing access for another 27,000 residents in the Lake Macquarie area. “We are delighted by the success of Newcastle Transport On Demand and are thrilled to see the service expand,” Via CEO Daniel Ramot said. Via, a New York-based tech company, is partnered with Keolis Downer on the project. “Australia is one of the world’s leaders in transforming public mobility from rigid fixedroute schedules into a fully flexible On Demand network,” he said. “This service in Newcastle is a great example of a city embracing the future of mobility.”
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Driverless shuttle Keolis Downer is also trialling a driverless vehicle to offer more choices to locals and visitors. Designed as a potential solution for the ‘first mile, last mile’ portion of the commute, the driverless, 11-seater Navya shuttle bus entered testing in July ahead of a 12-month trial period, moving passengers along the harbour foreshore. During the trial, a chaperone will be onboard to stop the vehicle via an override if required. Keolis Downer New Mobilities Manager, Sue Wiblin, said the trial was being developed in accordance with national and state legislation and regulations to ensure it met all safety standards. “Over the next month, we will complete a rigorous safety testing program, on road and off road, to prepare the vehicle for customer services,” Wiblin said. “In-built computers and sensing systems capable of detecting obstacles, anticipating movement and evaluating risk of collision, are what sets this vehicle apart from the risks associated with human-controlled cars. “These systems are capable of detecting vehicle movement and are also able to determine the travel route, make decisions to slow down, brake and alternate the vehicle’s path if required.” Wiblin said the trial would help gauge demand for driverless vehicle operations and assess their suitability in mixed traffic and transport scenarios in Newcastle. Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said the launch was a major milestone for Newcastle’s smart city journey. “I look forward to working with Transport for NSW and partners Keolis Downer on this unique opportunity to make the future of automated transport in Newcastle a reality as we transform the city into a living lab,” Nelmes said. The plan is for passengers to be able to take in views of the City’s harbour along the proposed 2km loop service, from Watt Street along Wharf Road
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to Nobbys and back, providing a very appealing service for tourists. A larger circuit will include some of Newcastle’s other beachside destinations after a couple of months.
Park and Ride deal secured Keolis Downer has also been awarded a 12-month deal to continue operating Newcastle’s popular Park and Ride. The Park and Ride allows commuters to park at McDonald Jones Stadium and catch a bus to a range of stops in the city. The service is important for freeing up roughly 200 car parks in the city centre each day, giving commuters a convenient and affordable alternative to driving into the city. All reports from the community, city businesses and major employers are that Park and Ride should be continued, as it is making the daily commute easier for more than 1,000 regular weekly users, and keeping cars out of the CBD. There have been over 120,000 trips on Park and Ride since it commenced in November 2017. Contact: keolisdowner.com.au
ABOVE: The express Park and Ride service is cheaper than the $7-return Opal bus fare or $8.50 all day parking.
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This service in Newcastle is a great example of a city embracing the future of mobility.
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MESSAGE FROM RISSB
Partnering to create a safe, efficient and effective rail industry: The RISSB story In this exclusive message, the Rail Industry Safety and Standards Board outlines its purpose, its approach, and plans for the future.
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RIGINALLY ESTABLISHED in 2003 as the Code Management Company, the Rail Industry Safety and Standards Board (RISSB) exists to develop Australian Standards, Rules, Codes of Practice and Guidelines for national application across Australia. RISSB is jointly funded by the rail industry and by the State and Commonwealth Governments. Membership of RISSB is open to all rail transport operators in Australia and overseas as well as network owners and managers, and contractors and suppliers to the rail industry. Most recently, RISSB opened up membership to individuals, small contractors and charitable tourism and heritage operators under a new Associate Member scheme enabling more organisations or individuals to take advantage of RISSB’s membership benefits. RISSB is the industry leader in promoting interoperability and harmonisation of the Australian rail industry, and championing safety, productivity and efficiency.
Under Australia’s co-regulatory model, RISSB supports the rail industry by coordinating the development of performance-based national rail standards (which encourage innovation and open up markets) and providing guidance and advice to help industry achieve safer outcomes. RISSB is accredited by Standards Australia as the only Australian standards development organisation for the rail industry.
RISSB’s Strategic Approach Over 150 years of divergence in railway Standards and practices have left the rail industry with a legacy of inconsistency. Breaks of gauge across jurisdictions create operational differences and ultimately affect the performance of the entire rail network in Australia. RISSB promotes the adoption of rail Standards, facilitates the harmonisation of rail practices, promotes innovation, and contributes to programs of national significance that will enhance the safety
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RISSB is continuing to support the interests of a diverse rail industry in Australia through its fiveyear strategic plan.
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LEFT: RISSB membership is open to all rail transport operators in Australia and overseas.
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MESSAGE FROM RISSB and sustainability of Australian rail. RISSB is continuing to support the interests of a diverse rail industry in Australia through its five-year strategic plan. The plan not only builds on RISSB’s heritage, achievements to-date and reputation, but also provides industry with a path to tackle emerging issues that will affect it in the areas of safety and productivity. RISSB’s six strategic pillars are: • STRATEGIC PILLAR 1: Industry Safety and Productivity • STRATEGIC PILLAR 2: Technology and Innovation • STRATEGIC PILLAR 3: Value add • STRATEGIC PILLAR 4: Transparent and Collaborative Processes • STRATEGIC PILLAR 5: Stakeholder Engagement and Promotion • STRATEGIC PILLAR 6: Leadership RISSB’s core focus is, and always will be, on developing, managing and promoting a quality suite of products to assist the rail industry. Each year, RISSB produces more than 20 products for the benefit of its members and key industry stakeholders. In the 2018/2019 financial year, RISSB coordinated another vast cross-industry work program resulting in the development of 23 publications, including the following: • Rail Cybersecurity Guideline • Configuration Management for Railway Contractors Guideline • Digital Engineering Code of Practice • National Standard for Health Assessment of Rail Safety Workers Technical Note for AHPs on Category 3 Assessments • AS 7457 - Management of SPADs and Proceed Authority Exceeded Events • AS 7643 - Track Stability • AS 7508 - Track Forces and Stresses • Safety Critical Communications Guideline • AS 7711 - Signalling Principles
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In 2019/2020 RISSB’s workplan spans 42 products comprising 5 new ones, 12 new reviews and 25 products carried over from the previous year. Further to the development of products and as part of RISSB’s remit to facilitate and maintain the Australian Network Rules and Procedures (ANRP) the past year has seen RISSB make great advances. The National Rules project is taking the ANRP and modularising and updating it. It began with the significant achievement of obtaining agreement across industry of seven fundamental operating principles – the first time this has occurred in Australia’s 150 rail history. Since then, RISSB has, and is continuing to, work closely with industry to develop modules and handbooks that will be accessible to all members through RISSB’s website. RISSB considers the ANRP/National Rules a core program that provides the rail industry with opportunity in the harmonisation of national rail operational rules. RISSB will continue to improve the rules and support the industry through continued working collaboration and relationships. A key part of RISSB’s role is to facilitate industry engagement and provide education and training around rail safety, especially to aid in the adoption of RISSB products. RISSB manages a number of committees and groups through which it engages with industry. Such groups include technical product Development Groups (comprising subject matter experts who contribute technical content to RISSB products), Advisory Groups (provide specialist advice) and Standing Committees (overseeing the development and management of RISSB products). With an ageing workforce, a key issue faced by the Australian rail industry is encouraging intergenerational knowledge sharing and incentivising Generation Y workers to continue working in the rail industry.
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RISSB has a longstanding commitment to add value to industry and is proud to have initiated the Horizons Program. The Horizons Program encourages young rail professionals to be involved with RISSB, gain exposure to the standards development process and develop their technical and professional capability. In its inaugural year, the Horizons Program attracted nearly 50 applications for its 15-month program and provided opportunities for professionals aged 35 and under to meet and learn from senior figures in the rail industry. Since it commenced, RISSB has undertaken events and training for members to add value to their membership as well as provide opportunities for members to share knowledge and comply with legal requirements. In the past year and a half, RISSB has not only reinvigorated its National Rail Safety Investigation and Derailment Investigation and Analysis courses, but also has rolled out a new Safety Critical Communications course supporting its Safety Critical Communications Guideline.
What RISSB plans to do in the future Technology and innovation is another key pillar in RISSB’s strategic plan and is important for the future of the rail Industry. In 2017, RISSB launched a risk modelling tool – the Australian Rail Risk Model (ARRM) with the capability to assess safety risk across a large number of different hazardous events, (each one
interrogatable at multiple levels) allowing users to drill down into individual precursors to understand the major contributors to those hazardous events. Further development work is planned for ARRM to enhance its capabilities and fast track the uploading of data into the model. This will enable the better understanding of safety risks and result in new functionality. RISSB has also embarked on a program to identify the barriers in industry that make take up of new technology difficult and diminish the opportunities for innovation. Over the next year, RISSB will also be focusing on interoperability and finessing its Train Control Road Map for industry. With the launch of the Rail Cyber Security Standard in July 2018, publication of the Australian Rail Network Cyber Security Strategy late last year and the introduction of a rail cybersecurity themed conference, RISSB will continue to lead industry in the development of strategies to mitigate rail cyber security risks. RISSB would like to acknowledge the many members who support RISSB’s work in Standards development and industry harmonisation through their continuing financial contribution and in kind support. Contributions continue to enable RISSB to deliver on a substantial work program and help create a safer, Australian rail industry. For more information about RISSB and its products, visit www.rissb.com.au.
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RISSB’s core focus is, and always will be, on developing, managing and promoting a quality suite of products to assist the rail industry.
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LEFT: RISSB is committed to developing, managing and promoting a quality suite of products to assist the rail industry.
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RAIL EXPRESS | ISSUE 6 2019
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ROLLINGSTOCK & MANUFACTURING
Not milling about: Dotmar EPP growing local capabilities Specialised plastic parts fabricator, Dotmar EPP, takes Rail Express through its process, and the latest addition to its local manufacturing capabilities.
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OTMAR ENGINEERING PLASTIC Products (Dotmar EPP) specialises in the fabrication of specific industrial components using an extensive range of modern plastics. For the rail sector, these components can be for rollingstock, track or other fixed infrastructure. Sales Representative, Nicholas Farrell, tells Rail Express that Dotmar EPP has refined a process to help new and existing customers get the niche parts they need, made out of the ideal material. “First, the team meets with the client to discuss precisely what type of part is required, and what qualities are desired or necessary from the material itself,” he says. “Then we can work a customer specification, and can utilise client drawings or samples to design and fabricate a solution.” Working through the information together with the client, Dotmar EPP will propose a solution and can conduct a trial to ensure it is ideal for the task at hand. Once any necessary refinements are made, the Dotmar EPP team can then move into a full production run. “Our aim is to be a trusted advisor,” General Manager, Andrew Windsor says. “Material selection is something we’re good at, so, we like to be involved right at the R&D stage of a project.” Boosting its standing as a trusted advisor is the fact that all the material used by Dotmar EPP in Australia is imported by the company itself, and not through a third party. “Customers have a direct link to any information that may be required about the materials on offer,” Farrell explains. “They’re coming directly to the source for the material itself, which means they have a direct link to any knowledge they may deem necessary.” “It hasn’t come through multiple hands,” Windsor adds. “There’s a clear line of communication for the material itself, which is crucial for such a specialised range.” Farrell says demand for specialised materials in the rail sector is generally driven by the high level of specification demanded by asset owners and standards. “That demand for a wide range of specialised products is where our versatile manufacturing capabilities come into play,” he says. “Once we’ve settled on a material that’s fit-for-purpose, we can work with it right away.”
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Dotmar EPP’s capabilities include CAD/ CAM, CNC routing, milling and turning, manual machining, and work with specialised machines like a multi spindle moulder, a rod saw, and a panel saw. One of the most recent additions to the company’s fabrication facility is an Okuma bar fed mill turn. “Essentially, it’s a highly-automated precision turning lathe, but it’s high capacity bar feeder, allows us to load the machine with plastic rods, program it and let it run overnight, or whenever needed,” Farrell explains. “That obviously gives the process maximum efficiency and a high level of precision for the finished products. And while it’s great for big production runs, it’s also ideal for precision prototyping.” The machine has been with Dotmar EPP for around six months and Farrell says the company fully understands its capabilities, and has already enjoyed efficiency gains from having it in-house.
Rail capabilities Key applications for Dotmar EPP’s offering to the rail sector include bogie brake systems, bolster wear pads, freight car coupling wear pads, pedestal and center bowl liners, bushings for brake pull rod systems, bushings for rail brakes, rail joints for electrical insulation, cable clamps, insulating beams, liners for bulk carriers, articulating side bearings and more. Material offered by Dotmar for rail applications includes, but is not limited to Ertalyte (PETP), Ertalon (Nylon), Ertacetal (Acetal), Polystone P7000 (UHMWPE), Polystone P300 (HDPE), Palsun (Polycarbonate) and Ketron PEEK for applications such as bushings, centre bowl liners, wear pads, washers, track spacers, side guides and electrical insulators. The company is ISO 9001:2015 accredited, and has a dedicated quality assurance facility and process to ensure all goods that go out to customers are within their specifications.
Dotmar’s Adam Kofoed (left) and Steven Windsor (right) showing off some recentlyfabricated components.
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Our aim is to be a trusted advisor. Material selection is something we’re good at so we like to be involved right at the research and development stage of a project.
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Contact: sales@dotmar.com.au, 1800 170 001
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Delivering Growth; Creating Opportunity; Embracing Technology
THE LARGEST RAIL EVENT IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE RETURNS TO SYDNEY WHAT TO EXPECT, BESIDES THREE DAYS OF HIGHLY BENEFICIAL ENGAGEMENT WITH YOUR PEERS, SUPPLIERS AND SERVICE PROVIDERS... • 1000+ senior rail sector, government and academic leaders participating in the conference • Plenary and technical streams across three informative days • 400+ exhibiting organisations from a diverse range of suppliers and service providers • 13 catered functions for a cross range of attendees over three days of premium networking including Welcome Reception, Networking Drinks, 2 major Gala Dinners, Luncheons • And more
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YOUNG RAIL PROFESSIONALS – AUSRAIL SHINES A SPOTLIGHT ON TOMORROW’S LEADERS • Young Rail Professionals Pitching Competition – ENTRIES NOW OPEN! • Next Generation Scholarships • NEW FOR 2019 – Mentor 50% discount rate now available for those 35 years and under (conditions apply) • Visit www.ausrail.com for full information.
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To promote your organisation, secure a networking package, exhibit or advertise, email: Deborah.Bocock@informa.com.au
ROLLINGSTOCK & MANUFACTURING
Boosting rail in SEA and ANZ In this exclusive Q&A, Rail Express speaks with Bombardier Transportation’s leader in the South East Asia and Australia region, Wendy McMillan. Rail Express (REX): What was your approach when you took over Bombardier Transportation in the region on February 1?
Wendy McMillan (WM): I wanted to focus on building customer and employee satisfaction, sustainable growth, project delivery, and transforming the business into a more effective and efficient model across South East Asia and Australia markets. All of these objectives were underpinned by a complete focus on safety.
REX: And how did you go about that?
WM: Engaging with as many of our customers and, equally as important, engaging and travelling to meet with my teams in as many of our locations as quickly as was possible within that six months was very important to me. Additionally, embedding a culture that values diversity at all times in everything we do was a key objective. As you can appreciate, we already reflect within the region significant diversity within our teams. However, I wanted to highlight the integration and development aspects, particularly for our indigenous and female team members. The leadership team and I wanted to immediately capitalise on synergies identified throughout the region and I’m happy to confirm that this has occurred. Ensuring that our customers, our employees, our partners and stakeholders understood what we were undertaking, along with our key objectives, was of paramount importance. The implementation of our strategies was and is thereby set up for greater success. These strategies encompass all of the Bombardier Transportation businesses and products – from rollingstock to our services business, systems integration, train control management system (TCMS) and rail control solutions (RCS).
REX: What were some things you learned about the business that you may not have anticipated?
WM: If there was a technical or product aspect to note that I learnt more of since joining, it was the sheer extent of our RCS business – in terms of our offering and the breadth
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of our markets that we cover globally, our leadership in this field. And in terms of our people – the pure commitment to our business and the way it’s delivered to our end customers never fails to impress me – I’m fortunate to have such a professional and caring team.
REX: What’s your top priority for BT in Australia moving forward?
WM: Ensuring we remain our customers’ local partner of choice is critical, and we take great pride in supporting this. We also want to highlight that within the industry we continue to offer the best local expertise and capability, meaning we can deliver a high level of local benefits to our customers and partners.
REX: You spent time at Queensland Rail and, more recently, with the Victorian Government. How has that experience on the customer side of the market enhanced your perspective?
WM: 30 years of experience in the government, rail, transport, infrastructure and consulting sectors has provided me with an in-depth understanding of both sides of the industry, an industry that I am incredibly passionate about. This experience has enabled me to take on new challenges and consider problems from a different perspective. However, some aspects never change – a comprehensive focus on customer, delivery, your people, your business. Also, you must be a good listener, and have the EQ and ability to see things from another perspective.
REX: What are your thoughts on the rail market in South East Asia?
WM: With an average annual economic growth rate of more than five per cent and an anticipated increase in population from 648 million today to 698 million by 2025, there is a focus on megacity urban planning and the more effective use of transport corridors. Bombardier has been contributing to the growth of the South East Asian region for 30 years. Our involvement in the expansion of the public transport network continues to
Wendy McMillan, President, South East Asia and Australia, Bombardier Transportation.
evolve as the estimated demand for smarter mobility solutions soar. Bombardier aims to invest in South East Asia with a long-term perspective in developing local talent and supplier base, enhancing engineering capabilities, as well as in new technologies and innovation in the projects which are strategic to our growth regionally.
REX: What are your thoughts on the rail market in Australia and New Zealand?
WM: We see that, in the next couple of years, there will be more projects, considering Australia is a vast country and requires connectivity which is safer and faster and supports economic growth. There will be similar opportunities in New Zealand. There are various projects in Australia and New Zealand that Bombardier is keen to participate and deliver. State and federal governments have set out their respective visions for rail as a key provider of connectivity and social equity, and as an enabler of economic development, with massive investment allocations over the next few years. With our presence and experience in the region, we are well poised to increase our share of the accessible market. As the world continues to vary and expand, we must listen more carefully to our customers to better deliver on what they require and solve their problems – sometimes before they know they have one.
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PRODUCTS & TECHNOLOGY
Solving lighting challenges for remote site operators Sonaray is providing rail operators with more efficient solutions for lighting challenges in remote locations.
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BELOW: Overall safety on remote rail sites can be boosted with a flexible and cost-efficient lighting option.
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CCESS TO CHEAP AND RELIABLE power can be a challenge for regional rail sites. In remote locations where mainline power is not always available, generating power for lighting around the yard is often challenging and inefficient. There are also concerns over the environmental impact of lighting when left on permanently in remote locations. Sonaray’s Project Manager, Alex Poon, tells Rail Express this range of issues was among those considered by the Australian lighting specialist when it designed its solar-powered LED range. “Solar lighting, especially for street lights or pathway lights, becomes a very environmentally friendly, user friendly, and cost-effective option,” Poon says. “It was not as viable in the past because traditional lighting consumes a lot more energy than an LED, and you need to have a huge battery.” With the shift to more energy efficient LED technology, Poon says overall energy consumption drops between 50 and 70 per cent. This means the solar panel and battery can be smaller, reducing the wind factor of the product and its overall weight. “In the past, you were using a traditional power cell battery that could easily weigh 40 to 50kg. You cannot put that on top of a panel, so you would have to dig a hole, and that can be a problem. Being able to mount the power equipment high up also better protects it during incidents of flood, theft, and other events,” Poon explains. Providing a flexible and cost-efficient lighting option for remote rail sites can be a boost to overall safety. “When rail workers have to carry out manual train switching duties, they need lighting and might not have power. In the past, at night, they may have used a torch to walk out and switch the tracks, but the torch is limited and not very powerful, so there is an occupational health and safety issue. With a solar light in that area, you can see the control handle from 200 metres away.” The solar lighting system has been designed not just to be switched on or off, but as a smart system with automatic
ISSUE 6 2019 | RAIL EXPRESS
dimming to not disturb wildlife and conserve energy. A motion sensor means the LEDs can come up to 100 per cent when needed. Cost efficiency is further boosted through the LED technology itself: the lights have a life expectancy of roughly 50,000 hours, compared to around 12,000 hours for traditional systems. The LED solar light comes in 4W, 10W, 30W, 80W, 150W and 320W options. This very wide range is designed to cover a variety of applications from residential houses, footpath, driveways and rail infrastructure, all the way up to the rail intersections. The 320W option can provide power to any lighting, security camera or IoT monitoring system, as well.
Beacon partnership Often for overall solutions, Sonaray works with its partner, Beacon Energy Solutions, a division of ASX-listed firm Beacon Lighting. “We often work with Beacon when they have a tender on large warehouses and sites that have solar parts,” Poon explains. “We do the lighting solution and make sure the client meets Australian Standards while using the minimum possible energy consumption. The less energy you use, the more overall efficiency is improved.” Even for larger regional train depots where there is access to mainline power, Poon says the solar LED lighting solution can protect operators from the high prices charged by energy providers. “Often energy companies charge depots on spikes, when their electricity demand is at its highest. The electricity companies might charge based on a spike that is used for five seconds every day. It might be 100 pi pressure for that five seconds with a normal pressure of 50, but they’ll still charge on the higher rate. You want to bring down your peak closer to the average,” Poon explains. “From Beacon’s point of view, they can do what is called power correction factor, which can save clients a lot of money. That’s not just about generating the power but reducing the everyday usage costs. “Our focus is long term business with local support. With Beacon, we aim to be there in the long term for the customer and deliver what we promise for the customer.”
Contact: sonaray.com.au
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PRODUCTS & TECHNOLOGY
A new thread in rail automation New Zealand-based Manco Rail is delivering a better bet for rail threading and sleeper laying with a new design that combines the best of both worlds.
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UTOMATION TECHNOLOGIES have been used for rail sleeper and track laying projects in the past, but the systems are often disparate. Project coordinators may have to source tugs, excavators, and machines for laying sleepers and track from several different equipment manufacturers. New Zealand-based OEM Manco Rail spent more than a year designing an inclusive, automated system that incorporated all these elements into a single piece of equipment supported by electricpowered tugs with the potential to expedite rail and sleeper-laying operations considerably. Manco managing director Bryan Black said that during the company’s research it found that manufacturers in Europe were using individual items to accomplish these tasks in an automated fashion, but none were combining them to the degree that the entire process could be accomplished in one go. It would prove a hugely ambitious undertaking for the company. “Nobody has done this before – we’re combining sleeper laying and rail threading and it’s all automated,” Black told Rail Express. “We had six engineers working on it for the best part of 14 months. It took thousands of hours of work. It lays the rail, spreads it out, places the sleepers, then pull the rail back over the top.” The automated rail threading and sleeper laying device works through the complex integration of several systems into a single format. The first stage of the process is rail transport and distribution. The design is led by a 23-tonne rail-wheeled excavator at the nose of the device that drags, several 110-metre rail sections using a motorised rail thimble and clamp with a hydraulic rotator. An excavator with a rail grab function is also placed at the rear of the consist to help hold it in place during stoppage. The front excavator tows the consist forward until its end lines up with the last section of off-loaded rail, at which point the rear excavator grabs the innermost sets of rail from the dolly while the front excavator pulls the consist forward. The front excavator stops pulling before the rail completely slides off the dolly so that the rear excavator can move forward to prise the other end of the rail into a straightened position. Once all the rail has been laid, the rear excavator can connect to the rearmost dolly and be towed back to the dive for reloading. This is followed by sleeper transport, distribution and placement. Sleepers are pre-stacked on a
specially designed intermodal sleeper transport container comprised of up to four 40-tonne, 14.7-metre bogies carrying up to 420 sleepers (210 sleepers on each of the two rear trailers). “The towing and delivery methodology are based on the two rear trailers being unloaded first so that they can return to the dive for further loading,” Black says. “Once loaded these two trailers, being assisted by a powered tug will return and rejoin the sleeper laying consist.” The sleepers are grabbed from overhead by a specially designed straddle crane and sleeper transfer gantry, which can grab seven sleepers at one time and slide down to the front of the consist to gently place them into position. The front of the sleeper trailer consist includes a sleeper truss lead trailer to accommodate the placement of seven sleepers concurrently on the tunnel invert. Black explained that this was an important consideration of the design as Manco wanted to avoid the pitfalls of conveyor-based sleeper layers, which are prone to dropping the sleepers with greater force. “The problem with conveyor laying systems is that it tends to drop the sleeper on the ballast and the ballast acts as a cushion. If you drop a sleeper under that principle, it sort of drops it then pulls it into line,” he explains. “If you drop it like that you can damage the sleeper.” Positioned beneath the lead truss trailer and secondary rail threading trailer are a set of hydraulically operated rail threaders with thimbles underneath that can allow threading to take place simultaneously to sleeper laying as the dollies move forward. These rail threaders help to compress the rail gauge distance to 1435 millimetres, but they have hydraulically adjustable gauge widths that help to hold the rail at the correct height off the sleepers. Propulsion of the system is handled by a rail-wheeled excavator on the tunnel invert in combination with the electric power of the tugs, and, like the rail placement consist, the sleeper distribution system can also be towed back to the dive for sleeper reloading. “We were looking to make an automation system where we could ‘pick and place’ – pick the rail up and spread it out using a spreader beam,” Black says. “We worked in conjunction with an English company who had done those before using an excavator but not on a straddle.” Overall, Manco Rail has big plans for its new system, offering a truly holistic system that combines multiple ‘threads’ into a single, cohesive unit. 1
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SAFETY AND ASSURANCE
SPADs – Industry and academia driving reform with RISSB’s help In its monthly column, RISSB discusses signals passed at danger.
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IGNALS PASSED AT DANGER, or SPADs, are a significant rail safety issue for most rail systems. In 2014, the Rail Industry Safety and Standards Board (RISSB) published a SPAD Risk Management Guideline, providing examples of good practice in SPAD prevention and risk mitigation. Good practices have been presented in a scaled maturity model style to separate what is basically a minimal approach from the more sophisticated approaches indicative of a mature safety management system. It is recognised that precursors to SPADs can be factors leading to many other risks, and it follows that good SPAD performance is generally a sound indicator of good safety management. One of the industry groups RISSB co-ordinates on behalf of the rail industry is the SPAD Group. During the past five years, this group has canvassed key SPAD topics and delivered a number of outcomes, and it is currently progressing a range of research projects. Feedback from the SPAD Group will help inform a revised RISSB SPAD Risk Management Guideline, currently scheduled for review in 2021. The SPAD Group has investigated or is currently investigating a range of key SPAD issues identified by members of the group and the rail industry more broadly. Some examples are as follows: 1. SPAD categorisation: to overcome issues with variable reporting of SPADS, the SPAD Group developed and agreed upon a national categorisation of SPADs, which is now being applied by all rail organisations through the reporting requirements of ONRSR. 2. SPAD costings: to assist RTOs with development of budgets and business cases for SPAD prevention,
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novel research was undertaken to quantify SPADs and determine how much a single SPAD actually costs RTOs considering various factors (e.g. loss of service, operational/flow-on impacts and resourcing costs). 3. SPAD pre-cursor behaviours: to overcome the gaps in knowledge around which specific precursors lead to SPADs, this world-leading project is identifying salient predictors for SPADs through an industryfunded Australia and New Zealand-wide project. Results will be presented at the 2019 World Congress in Rail Research and the 2020 RISSB Rail Safety Conference. 4. Training the train controllers: to address the issue of train controllers inadvertently increasing SPAD risk through issues in how they work, clear routes, and communicate, this groundbreaking project is providing the first ever framework for non-technical skills training for controllers. Results will also be presented at the 2019 Word Congress in Rail Training. In many cases, RISSB works closely with academia and industry to generate innovation through research. For many of the projects outlined above, industry has collaborated with Associate Professor Anjum Naweed from Central Queensland University as project lead. A new and exciting project in early development will look at gaining a better understanding of current practices associated with relieving drivers post-SPAD, identifying unknown risks in the process, sharing these practices with RTOs, and then evaluating the potential for harmonisation across Australia and New Zealand.
ABOVE: Good SPAD performance is generally a sound indicator of good safety management.
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INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS
Transport ministers move to address skills shortage and endorse freight strategy Australasian Railway Association CEO, Danny Broad, discusses efforts to influence transport ministers on key rail issues.
ARA CEO, Danny Broad.
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HE AUSTRALASIAN RAILWAY Association (ARA) has welcomed key decisions by the nation’s transport ministers to refer the issue of rail skilled labour shortages to the National Transport Commission (NTC) and to endorse a new National Freight and Supply Chain Strategy at its meeting on August 2 in Adelaide. Rail is undergoing a continuum of significant public investment, with governments funding over $150 billion in new rail infrastructure projects over the next 15 years. The ARA has previously warned this plethora of projects could be delayed and delivered over-budget if issues causing skilled labour shortages are not addressed through collaboration between government, industry and the education sector. Industry executives from John Holland Group, CPB Contractors, Lend Lease, Sydney Metro, ARTC, Acciona Infrastructure, Sydney Trains, and Laing O’Rourke, and the author of the ARA’s BIS Oxford Economics Report, ‘Rail Skills Crisis - a Call to Action’ – gave Ministers first-hand accounts of the current challenges due to skills and resources shortages at the meeting. The CEO of Pacific National also spoke about specific regulatory and fiscal impediments hampering rail freight competitiveness. They addressed the following specific issues: 1. The need for a dynamic, up to date and publicly available forward pipeline of rail
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projects over a 10-15 year horizon, that includes skills profile for each project so that proper planning, resourcing and sequencing can be undertaken; 2. That rail skills training receives a fair share of government skills investment; 3. The need for quality rail training facilities to be elevated to national centres of excellence so that rail employees and companies across the country can access quality training facilities; 4. The need to address unnecessary accreditation and training barriers that inhibit seamless transfer of skilled labour between state rail jurisdictions; 5. Cost pressures built into current tendering and procurement processes mitigate against training of skilled workers. Innovative solutions are needed to facilitate industrywide training, such as industry-level training levy to fund training, and dedicated programs to identify target groups; 6. The imposition of project quotas in contracts for major construction jobs is not necessarily the most effective way of addressing skill shortages. Project timeframes are often shorter than apprenticeships themselves, and target groups are often not aligned to skills shortage areas. There is a need for better and consistent approaches across the country. These are national issues requiring a national approach, which reinforces the need for jurisdictions to work together to ensure consistency and alignment. Governments can’t leave it to the so-called training ‘market’ to resolve, because it’s just not working. After the industry presentation, ministers noted the need for Commonwealth and State and Territory governments to work collaboratively to address challenges associated with skills, labour supply and harmonisation of rail industry (including rolling stock) standards.
They tasked the National Transport Commission (NTC) to develop and circulate an action plan ahead of the next Ministerial meeting, scheduled for November 2019 to focus on these priority areas and identify measure to be taken immediately, and to map out a forward work program. Victoria will lead this work in partnership with the Commonwealth and will actively consult other jurisdictions. The ARA looks forward to working collaboratively with Government, through the NTC to put in place practical measures to ensure we maximise governments’ investments in Australia’s passenger and freight networks.
National Freight and Supply Chain Strategy At the same meeting Ministers endorsed the National Freight and Supply Chain Strategy and National Action Plan, which focuses on four critical areas: smarter and targeted infrastructure investment; enabling improved supply chain efficiency; better planning, coordination and regulation; and better freight location and performance data. The National Action Plan details a range of actions that will be progressed between now and 2024 to achieve a set of agreed outcomes. Following TIC’s endorsement of the Strategy, ministers will report back to TIC at the November meeting outlining arrangements for implementing the Action Plan, measuring progress and engaging with industry. This next step is of critical importance, as it will ultimately detail how jurisdictions will deliver on the National Action Plan. ARA will be continuing to advocate for the development of robust, detailed and measurable action plans to ensure the strategy delivers real change to improve our supply chains. Further information about the strategy can be found at freightaustralia.gov.au
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Heavy Haul Rail 2019 29 – 30 October 2019 | Newcastle City Hall
CONFIRMED SPEAKERS INCLUDE: Danny Broad, CEO, Australasian Railway Association Sue McCarrey, Chief Executive, Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator Naomi Frauenfelder, Executive Director, TrackSAFE Foundation Bonnie Ryan, Senior Manager – Freight, Logistics & Industrial Sectors, GS1 Australia Vivek Dhar, Associate Director, Mining and Energy Commodities Research, Commonwealth Bank
SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES The 2019 ARA Heavy Haul Rail conference (collocated with the Regional Ports 2019) will bring together senior government representatives and key industry decision-makers from Australia’s rail, mining and port industries, offering a unique profiling platform for sponsors and exhibitors. If your company or organisation is involved in construction, maintenance, supply, project finance, infrastructure development, technology, safety or provides consultancy services for Heavy Haul Rail or ‘pit to port’ operations in Australasia, this event will be of benefit to you. Contact Sarah Ingram for a copy of the Sponsorship & Exhibition Prospectus, which includes detailed information on past attendees and a copy of the exhibition floor plan. Sarah Ingram, Sponsorship & Exhibition Sales Manager Phone: +61 (0) 411 499 131 | Email: Sarah.Ingram@informa.com
NEW FEATURE TO PROMOTE COLLABORATION Heavy Haul Rail 2019 will be co-located with the 11th Annual Regional Ports conference, in association with the world’s largest coal export port. The Port of Newcastle facilitated $18.5B in exports and handled more than 500 rail assets, including wagons, locomotives and passenger cars in 2018. – Hear from Heavy Haul Rail industry experts and Government representatives as they share updates and information on the latest industry developments. – Meet and do business with representatives from both the rail and ports sector in one location – Network in a relaxed environment with delegates, speakers and peers from the rail and ports sector at the conference dinner. – Attendees will be provided with the option to choose between two site tours, focusing on different aspects of Heavy Haul Rail operations in Hunter Valley, Australia’s largest regional economy.
INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS
Meet the RTAA’s Executive Team A message from the Rail Track Association of Australia.
Thomas Kerr
Jonathan Barnes
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HE RTAA IS A membership-based, ot-for-profit organisation. We are dedicated to providing high levels of services to our members through the promotion of our strategic priorities. Members come from across the Australian rail community and include contractors, consultants, manufacturers, suppliers, academics, regulators, government agencies and individuals. The RTAA’s Executive Team is as follows:
Thomas Kerr, President Thomas is a Chartered Professional Project Manager, Civil and Systems Engineer and a Trainer/Assessor with 10 years experience in the construction and maintenance of railways. With extensive expertise in rail, Thomas has a broad understanding of different railway modes through the whole of asset life and is proficient in solving problems using systems thinking. He has achieved many accolades including Sydney Trains Gold Award, RTAA Young Rail Specialist Award and Transport for NSW’s Employee Excellence Award. Since joining as a member of the RTAA in 2014 and taking on various roles within the association, Thomas stepped up to the challenge of leading the RTAA as president in 2017.
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Steven Johnson
Kieran Navin
Jonathan Barnes, Vice President
Jonathan has worked in the rail industry for the last 15 years, having started his career with Swetha in 2000. He spent his early years in Rail Safeworking and corridor management, while studying civil and computer engineering at Western Sydney University. He joined RailCorp’s Intern program in 2008, working in the Civil Major Construction group, and has subsequently worked across a range of areas. Jonathan joined the Management Committee in 2013 and has played a key role in the Rail Industry Field Day as well as improving the RTAA’s engagement with young members. In 2014, Jonathan was elected Vice President.
Steven Johnson, Vice President
Steve Johnson willingly entered the rail sector in 2000 and has never wanted to leave. Steve studied for a Masters in Railway Systems Engineering at The University of Sheffield with the intention of starting a career in railways. Since then Steve has predominantly worked in the track renewals area of the industry focussing for many years on turnout renewals. He has worked on projects delivering improvements in the way turnouts are renewed in the UK and Sydney, with Sydney Trains. Steven is the Managing Director of MATISA Australia, a subsidiary of the Swiss manufacturer of railway maintenance equipment, MATISA Material Industriel S.A.
Jim Mahood
Kieran Navin, Treasurer
Kieran has worked in or around the UK and Australian railways for the past 13 years. He’s interested in fixing complex problems, be they technical, strategic or human. During his career, Kieran’s varied roles have included stints operating tamping fleets, ¬managing welding teams, supporting enormous bids, running small businesses and relentlessly searching for the next and newest technology. Kieran joined the Executive as Treasurer in 2018. Kieran is currently Managing Director of Riddell View Pty Ltd, a consultancy firm offering Project and Bidding Leadership expertise.
Jim Mahood, Secretary
Jim has 35 years’ civil engineering experience and started his career as a civil engineer with the State Rail Authority of NSW. Since that time he has held various positions including within Broadspectrum’s rail and power businesses, as well as having experience in road maintenance and pavement stabilisation projects. He was elected to the Executive in 2016 and has been an active RTAA member for many years, including playing a key role on the Rail Industry Field Day organising committee.
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INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS
Rail vision needs productivity focus Australian Logistics Council CEO, Kirk Coningham, says governments need to address inconsistencies across jurisdictions to help rail become more effective and efficient.
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HE MEETING OF COAG’S TRANSPORT and Infrastructure Council (TIC) that was held in early August had a significant focus on rail. Indeed, ministers in attendance heard directly from a range of leading industry bodies regarding constraints in the national rail environment, including freight rail. The views they heard expressed should not have come as a surprise. The 2015 Draft Freight Rail Policy Objectives Discussion Paper published by the (then) Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development noted that “complying with multiple environmental regulatory regimes costs the Australian rail industry $29 million per annum, a third of which is estimated to be a direct or indirect result of unnecessary regulation.” To overcome that, it was recommended that “where economic benefits exist, moving towards a single set of laws across jurisdictions governing environmental regulation, workplace health and safety, workers’ compensation, and drug and alcohol testing.” In the four years that have since elapsed, there has been precious little movement on this front. Yet, the imperatives for action have only increased. The National Freight and Supply Chain Strategy released on 2 August points out that Australia’s freight productivity and costs have stagnated over the past two decades. It is not unreasonable to conclude that a lack of regulatory reform is a significant contributor to this outcome. It used to be that different rail gauges in different jurisdictions was offered as the primary problem facing the freight rail sector. However, the challenges faced today relate far more to operational and regulatory inconsistencies than they do to infrastructure. Different requirements and rules enforced by different agencies impose significant administrative and cost burdens on rail operators. To take one example, operators moving containerised freight from regional NSW to Port Botany via rail often deal with networks managed by three separate entities along the journey, each of which can impose different standards, and use different technology and reporting systems.
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Of course, the challenge can be even more significant when the freight travels across a state border. It has been argued by many within industry the problem is due, in part, to the fact that there is no national body with oversight of productivity in freight rail. The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) has a mandate to ensure there is a “safe, efficient and productive heavy vehicle industry serving the needs of Australia.” In contrast, the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR) has an exclusive safety focus, and is not required to consider or promote matters relating to efficiency and productivity in the rail network. We all recognise the fundamental importance of safety but strongly believe consideration of efficiency need not and should not dilute the safety imperative – indeed broadening the remit to include productivity should further enhance safety outcomes. With the Productivity Commission currently undertaking a review of national transport regulators (including ONRSR) and the National Freight and Supply Chain Strategy showing why productivity in the freight rail sector must lift, now is the right time to ensure that productivity is placed at the heart of Australia’s approach to freight rail.
Australian Logistics Council CEO, Kirk Coningham.
BELOW: Australia’s freight productivity and costs have stagnated over the past two decades.
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