Rail Express October 2021

I S S U E 09 | O C T O B E R 2021

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

Mission towards safety & productivity How one global company plans to bring innovative maintenance equipment to Australia - PAGE 22 Alltrack’s quality-used railway equipment

Innovative welding equipment from Holland

Keolis Downer focuses on the customer experience

PAGE 26

PAGE 30

PAGE 40

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Contents Issue 09 - October 2021

4

From the Editor

6

Industry news

P LA N T, M A C H I N E R Y A N D E Q U I P M E N T 22

Australia big part of Unipart plans

24

Specialised equipment keeps customers wild about Harrybilt

26

All over the world with Alltrack

28

Caterpillar helps excavate the future

24

30

Holland’s innovative welding solutions

26

33

GLH the rail problem-solvers

34

MFB accessories to suit enclosures

36

Torque keeps rail on track

RO L L I N G S TO C K A N D M A N U F ACT U R I N G 38

Panolin keeps rail rolling

M A J O R P ROJ E CT S A N D I N F RA S T R U CT U R E 40

Keolis Downer puts people first

I N D U S T R Y A S S O C I AT I O N S 30

38

42

ARA: Building on rail’s sustainability

44

ALC: Industry needs room to move

45

RISSB: New horizons for industry’s best

CO N T RACT S I N B R I E F 46

The latest in rail projects around Australia

40 I S S U E 09 | O C T O B E R 2021

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

COVER STORY

Mission towards safety & productivity How one global company plans to bring innovative maintenance equipment to Australia - PAGE 22 Alltrack’s quality-used railway equipment

Innovative welding equipment from Holland

Keolis Downer focuses on the customer experience

PAGE 26

PAGE 30

PAGE 40

How one global company intends to bring its brand of safety and productivity to Australiasia with its equipment.

See page 22

SUPPORTED BY:

WWW.RAILEXPRESS.COM.AU | 3

From the Editor Issue 09 - October 2021

Published by:

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

Publisher Christine Clancy E: christine.clancy@primecreative.com.au Chief Operating Officer Zelda Tupicoff E: zelda.tupicoff@primecreative.com.au Group Managing Editor (Northern) Syed Shah E: syed.shah@primecreative.com.au Editor Ray Chan E: ray.chan@primecreative.com.au Business Development Manager Michael Usic T: 0423 177 977 E: michael.usic@primecreative.com.au Client Success Manager Janine Clements E: janine.clements@primecreative.com.au Design Production Manager Michelle Weston E: michelle.weston@primecreative.com.au Art Director Blake Storey E: blake.storey@primecreative.com.au Design Kerry Pert, Madeline McCarty Subscriptions subscriptions@primecreative.com.au

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

4 | ISSUE 9 - O CTO B E R 2021 | RAIL EXPRESS

Ray Chan Editor - Rail Express

Welcome to our October edition of Rail Express

W

ARMEST greetings from yours truly, who has taken over as the editor of Rail Express.

Many thanks go to my predecessor, David Sexton, who did a sterling job in his time at the helm.

I come with an extensive background in the media industry, having been a newspaper editor for almost 30 years. Much of that time has been spent managing agricultural and mining publications, so I am well-acquainted with the heavy haulage rail stakeholders who play such an important role in transporting commodities such as grain and minerals to port.

I possess a keen interest about the passenger transport side of the sector, and have my batteries charged up to provide readers with the latest products and developments as we head into an incredibly hectic rail infrastructure space across Australia and New Zealand. In doing so, I am looking forward to meeting members of the industry who champion these causes.

Indeed, it is an exciting time, COVID notwithstanding: for example, Inland Rail construction across three states, the METRONET project in WA, Melbourne and Sydney Metros, and the underground Cross River Rail tunnel program in Queensland.

Then of course, there’s the Level Crossing Removal Project, aimed at easing road congestion and travel delays caused by level crossings.

Rightfully so, the Federal Government has recognised freight and transport as essential services during the pandemic, so progress across the country remains unhampered. But it’s a privilege not taken lightly, with strict preventative measures in place to protect workers and the local communities in which they operate.

Of course, having reliable staff is just part of the formula to achieve success in the rail sector. The other vital part of the equation is ensuring the right equipment and technology is in place.

In this issue, we look at some of the innovations and ideas that can make the difference between success and failure. Key questions regularly arise: should one invest in new technology? Or seek to bring about improvements from existing plant?

Read about the Unipart Group’s mission to bring about safety and productivity efficiencies and improvements with the use of innovative rail construction and maintenance equipment. Also, find out more about Alltrack Rail, an Australian company making global waves in the quality-used railway equipment procurement business. Remarkably, it deals with every country in the world except the Russian Federation.

Then there is manufacturing giant Caterpillar, who shines the spotlight on its specialist piece of excavator machinery designed for rail services, while Holland shows off a number of its highly-regarded welding solutions.

We also speak to Ballarat institution, Harrybilt, on how business is growing for its rail maintenance products; George’s Loader Hire, which focuses on its dedicated rail, recycling and materials handling services; and MFB Products, which showcases its enclosures for data centre and outdoor applications.

There’s plenty of other interesting articles as well, of course, including the regular contributions from our rail industry partners.

We’re sure you will find this informationpacked issue an enjoyable read.

ray.chan@primecreative.com.au

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News

National

Accelerate freight worker vaccinations, says Pacific National boss Governments must prioritise the roll out of COVID-19 vaccine to essential freight workers, Pacific National chief executive Paul Scurrah says.

To better protect the national supply chain from the highly infectious Delta variant, Scurrah said it was critical to vaccinate essential freight workers, many of whom live in regional Australia where vaccine supplies are limited.

“As the nation’s largest private rail freight company, Pacific National hauls hundreds of thousands of tonnes of goods and commodities each week across our continent,” he said.

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

“Each day, hundreds of our train crews cross state borders and at times enter lockdown or ‘hotspot’ LGA zones to help deliver goods and commodities to ports, supermarket distribution centres, mines, and grain receival sites.”

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

“State governments have moved to tighter COVID-19 testing regimes (either three or seven days) for essential freight workers,

Pacific National chief executive Paul Scurrah said vaccination of essential freight workers was an urgent priority.

meaning they obviously view freight workers to be in a higher risk category,” Scurrah said.

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

Scurrah said the Delta variant had “shone a bright light” on the missing pieces in our country’s fight against COVID, including the need to further shield and strengthen our national supply chain against the risk of any future variant outbreaks.

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

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

Brad Williams appointed Australian Logistics Council CEO The Australian Logistics Council has announced the appointment of Brad Williams as its new chief executive.

He started in the role on Monday 2 August.

ALC chair Philip Davies said Williams brought with him more than 25 years’ of experience in policy development and advocacy across a range of sectors including agriculture, resources, government and energy.

“The ALC Board is delighted that Brad has taken up this key leadership role and is looking forward to working closely with him as we continue to support ALC’s members, broaden ALC’s impact and advocacy

6 | ISSUE 9 - OCTOBER 2021 | RAIL EXPRESS

activities,” Davies said.

Williams has held senior corporate affairs and government relations roles at the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, ASX listed mining and metals company South32 and Japanese oil and gas producer INPEX. He also served as a chief of staff to a former deputy prime minister and transport minister.

“This is an important time for the sector, and we believe that Brad’s experience coupled with a strong team will further enhance ALC’s capacity to deliver the policy framework and reforms needed to support national supply chain efficiency, resilience

and safety,” Davies said.

Williams takes over the role from interim CEO Rachel Smith, who stepped up following the retirement of Kirk Coningham.

“In welcoming Brad, I would also like to thank Rachel Smith for the dedicated and engaged organisational leadership she has provided as ALC’s interim CEO,” Davies said.

“The Board and ALC’s members look forward to working with Brad as we continue our critical role of ensuring the logistics sector is well placed to support the economic growth of our regions and cities in a safe, efficient and globally competitive way.”

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News

New South Wales

Inland Rail upgrade continues despite COVID Construction continues along the Narrabri to North Star (N2NS) section of the Inland Rail alignment in NSW, despite the statewide lockdown recently imposed to arrest a major surge in COVID cases.

This section of the 1700km freight rail line - connecting Melbourne and Brisbane via regional Victoria, NSW and Queensland - will upgrade 184.5km of existing rail corridor and construct 1.7km of new track near Moree. This is the second section of Inland Rail to enter the building stage, following the commissioning of the Parkes to Narromine line in September 2020.

With freight workers considered essential and exempt from many COVID restrictions, Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) Inland Rail Delivery Director Central Heather Parry said construction needed to continue as the track had to be operational in time to resume services ahead of the next grain season.

“ARTC has developed a construction schedule allowing works on the Narrabri North to Moree section to be undertaken, minimising impact on key harvest and offtake periods as much as possible,” Parry said.

“We are continuing to work with all stakeholders including grain growers, traders

The ARTC has implemented additional preventative measures to ensure the safety of its team and the Moree and Narrabri communities.

and train operators using the existing network to assess the impact to their operations and appropriate mitigations.

“Australians rely on the freight network to deliver essential supplies such as food, medicine, medical equipment, which are critical now more than ever.”

Parry said ARTC is continuously monitoring COVID restrictions across various jurisdictions and adapting work practices on the national network to conform with the latest advice.

She said the current Sydney outbreak posed a challenging set of circumstances, with the ARTC implementing additional preventative

measures to ensure the safety of its team and the Moree and Narrabri communities.

“Workers involved on Inland Rail construction in Moree are tested on arrival and then regularly throughout their time at the workers’ accommodation and we are meeting all NSW Government guidelines to ensure our workers and the community are protected,” Parry said.

“We are committed to the safe delivery of Inland Rail during this unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, and we want to give the community confidence we are on track to reopen the track on October 31.”

Parramatta light rail achieves leading ISCA design rating Parramatta Light Rail infrastructure works package has achieved an Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia (ISCA) ‘Leading’ rating for design, demonstrating the project’s commitment to achieve sustainable outcomes throughout the delivery of light rail.

Transport for NSW executive director Anand Thomas said a leading’ rating is the highest industry benchmark of its kind and recognises Stage 1 of the project’s efforts to implement substantial sustainability outcomes throughout the design phase.

“This achievement reflects the project’s commitment to deliver long-lasting economic, social and environmental outcomes while delivering a major transport infrastructure project to the people of Western Sydney,” Thomas said.

“It’s been a key priority during the design and construction process to identify and implement opportunities where we can

8 | ISSUE 9 - OCTOBER 2021 | RAIL EXPRESS

increase resource efficiency and reuse materials.”

Transport for NSW and Parramatta Connect, the Infrastructure Works contractor building the light rail, have worked together to deliver a raft of innovative and sustainable outcomes for the project. The light rail project will be the first in New South Wales to have ‘grass track’, as well as achieve significant and positive outcomes for the project and community.

“In a NSW first, ‘grass track’ will be installed along 10 per cent of the alignment, which requires 81 per cent less concrete compared to standard embedded trackform,” Thomas said.

“The project will achieve a 36 per cent reduction in carbon emissions through construction and operations, simply by designing areas with a wire-free system, using supplementary and recycled materials in concrete and asphalt, and re-using existing rail, sleepers and ballast.”

Other Parramatta Light Rail initiatives that contributed to the rating include: • An Australian First Innovation with the use of a noise and vibration reducing product known as a rail boot system, which is installed on the tracks in sensitive areas.

• A NSW First Innovation with the use of macro synthetic fibres within the light rail’s concrete track, which reduces the quantity of steel reinforcement required, increases concrete durability and performance, and is quicker to install.

• Achieving strong positive social impacts through the creation of jobs and employment opportunities. To date, 57 per cent of trades roles are apprentices, 14 per cent of the workforce are under the age of 25, 2.7 per cent are women in non-traditional roles and 2.4 per cent are Aboriginal.

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News

New South Wales

Safety kept “on track” during Rail Safety Week easily could have had his life changed forever,” Toole said.

“You might think you are saving yourself some time, but as you can see in some of the security camera footage, an oncoming train with no way of stopping could be just seconds a-way.”

Toole said safety at level crossings had and would continue to be a priority for the state government.

“Between July 2008 and May this year, there

C R E D I T: T F N S W

Footage of dangerous near misses at level crossings was released to remind motorists to take extra care during National Rail Safety Week in August.

NSW regional transport minister Paul Toole said everyone had a role to play in improving rail safety, particularly at level crossings.

“The reckless behaviour by both drivers and pedestrians in this footage is very concerning - they’re not only risking their own lives, but spare a thought for the train driver, who very

National Rail Safety Week highlighted the caution needed to be taken by motorists at level crossings.

have been 83 collisions between trains and cars at level crossings in NSW, resulting in 10 fatalities and 13 people seriously injured,” Toole said.

“More than 30 per cent occurred at locations where the speed limit was 100 km/h or greater, which is why we’ve reduced speed limits to no more than 80 km/h at 28 rail level crossings in a number of regional locations including Orange, Albury, Narromine, Cootamundra and Dubbo.”

Toole said in coming months they would also be introducing reduced speed limits at another 82 regional locations.

“The reduced speed limits increase safety by allowing drivers more time to react and stop, mitigating the likelihood of crashes,” he said.

“This is especially important for heavy vehicles, which need more time to stop due to their size.”

Toole said Transport for NSW was also gearing up to trial a low-cost level crossing system, which would contain Grade Crossing Predictor train detection technology and active level crossing controls such as flashing lights, bells, and boom gates to further increase safety.

“Level crossings involve multiple levels of Government, rail managers and operators so it’s incumbent on all of us to work together to ensure everyone stays ‘rail safe’ and gets home to their loved ones safely,” he said.

Sydney Central hosts Quantum Innovation hub The Quantum Terminal, Tech Central’s first collaboration space, is taking shape within the historic walls of one of Sydney’s most iconic heritage landmarks . Central Station’s Sydney Terminal Building will be the place for researchers, developers, engineers and mentors to strive for the next breakthrough in technology.

The NSW Government has announced that expressions of interest are open to establish founding members of the new Quantum Terminal.

Jobs minister Stuart Ayres said a residency in The Quantum Terminal was a chance for startups to be part of history and help grow the innovation ecosystem in Tech Central.

“This is an exciting component of our long-term goal for Tech Central, to create 25,000 innovation jobs and encourage 25,000

new students to focus on science, technology, engineering and maths and life sciences studies,” Ayres said.

“The Quantum Terminal will be home to a community of researchers, educators, developers, programmers and engineers who will help lead the development and innovation of quantum excellence.”

Minister Ayres said as a whole Tech Central would in time provide 50,000 square metres of affordable space for start-up and scale-up businesses.

“As we continue through the COVID-19 pandemic, technology and innovation are key in not only attracting investment but also in strengthening the state’s economic recovery by creating more jobs and retaining talent from the brilliant innovators and entrepreneurs we already have in NSW.”

The Terminal has been designed to help future-focused startups scale their businesses and thrive, amongst a curated community of experts in their field and access to shared and private workspaces and large event spaces.

The Quantum Terminal is part of the 24-hectare renewal of Central Precinct, located in the northern end of Tech Central. Transport for NSW is leading plans to renew this iconic location.

Transport minister Andrew Constance said the progress of The Quantum Terminal marked a synergy of Sydney’s transport heritage with the city’s expanding future in technology.

“The Quantum Terminal will see the nerve centre of Sydney’s train network taking shape as the heartland of the city’s new technology and innovation developments,” Constance said.

WWW.RAILEXPRESS.COM.AU | 11

News

New South Wales / Queensland

Port Botany rail contracts awarded The $400 million Port Botany Rail Line Duplication and Cabramatta Loop project is moving closer to construction, with the awarding of two major contracts by the Australian Rail Track Corporation.

ARTC has announced that John Holland is the successful contractor to design and construct the Botany Rail Duplication, and Fulton Hogan is the successful contractor for the Cabramatta Loop.

ARTC CEO Mark Campbell said this marked a significant step in the delivery of this transformational project.

“The project will help meet future demand at Port Botany, where the freight task is predicted to increase by 77 per cent by 2036,” Campbell said.

“The Botany Rail Duplication will duplicate the remaining 2.9km section of single line track between Mascot and Botany, while the 1.65km Cabramatta Loop will allow freight trains up to 1300 metres in length travelling in either direction on the Southern Sydney Freight Line to pass each other.

“Not only will this increase freight capacity, it will also encourage more freight movements to be made by rail – helping to shift freight away from road transport and reduce the rate of growth in truck movements and traffic congestion.

“This will further bolster the economy, with more than 620 people employed by the two major contractors and their subcontractors at the peak of construction.”

The Botany Rail Duplication includes the following key features: • A new 2.9 kilometre track within the existing rail corridor, track realignment and upgrade • New crossovers to allow trains options to move between track • Construction of new rail bridges at Mill Stream, Southern Cross Drive, O’Riordan Street and Robey Street.

• Executive general manager - rail at John Holland, Steve Butcher, said the company was excited to begin working on this important project.

The Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) is delivering both projects on behalf of the Australian government.

Cross River Rail breaks through at Roma Street TBM Else, the first of Cross River Rail’s two massive Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs), has broken through a rock wall into the huge underground cavern beneath Roma Street in Brisbane, marking the biggest milestone yet for this transformational project.

The Queensland Government initiative aims to build a new north-south rail line connecting Dutton Park to Bowen Hills under the Brisbane River and CBD. The breakthrough means Cross River Rail’s future Woolloongabba and Roma

More than 370 people are involved in building Cross River Rail’s twin tunnels.

12 | ISSUE 9 - OCTOBER 2021 | RAIL EXPRESS

Street stations, key to securing the 2032 Olympics, are now connected by a 2.5 kilometre tunnel that runs beneath the river and CBD. The very same section of tunnel that the 1350t TBM has just finished excavating will be used in the future to take sports fans between athletics and swimming events during the Games.

With 14 active worksites already underway, more than 2900 people are currently working on the project, including

more than 370 directly involved in building Cross River Rail’s twin tunnels.

Additional health and safety measures have allowed workers to stay on the job throughout lockdown, including segregated work teams with work ‘zones’, only project critical face-to-face meetings occurring, strong social distancing measures, and all non-essential travel between or to site ceasing.

Meanwhile, further upgrades are slated at Roma Street station following a decision to keep the Inner Northern Busway (INB) at Roma Street on its current alignment.

There was an initial proposal to put the busway underground, but further assessment and consultation with the property sector showed commuters are more likely to change between above ground bus and rail services rather than the rail services arriving underground, and that leaving the INB at grade will not compromise future development in the precinct.

As part of the Roma Street Station rebuild, the busway will be upgraded, including extending the length of bus Platform 1, and refurbishing the existing subway that connects all 10 of Roma Street’s above ground platforms.

TBM Merle is also expected to break through at Roma Street in coming weeks, with both machines continuing through to the project’s northern portal at Normanby and emerging by the end of the year.

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News

Victoria

Advanced signalling tested on Melbourne high capacity train A high capacity metro train (HCMT), fitted with advanced signalling technology, has taken its first test run on the Melbourne rail network.

The HCMT recently travelled overnight from the Pakenham East depot to Epping, where it will begin tests equipped with the new highcapacity signalling.

High capacity signalling, a key component of the Metro Tunnel Project, allows trains to automatically adjust their speed to maintain a safe distance from the train in front.

The signalling technology is expected to help create a reliable “turn-up-and-go” network in Melbourne for the first time, similar to those in London, Singapore and Hong Kong.

It is the first time this technology will be installed on an existing network in Australia, so extensive testing is taking place ahead of the Metro Tunnel’s opening in 2025.

The new signalling system has already proven it is safe and effective after almost 400 hours of testing on X’Trapolis trains over 61 nights earlier this year on a section of the Mernda Line between Epping and South Morang.

“This is an exciting step forward on the Metro Tunnel Project,” said transport infrastructure minister Jacinta Allan.

“This generational change in train travel for Melbourne requires a massive testing effort to ensure the new systems and infrastructure can operate safely and effectively before the first passenger steps onto a platform.”

The latest round of testing is to continue for about six months, followed by further testing on the Cranbourne/Pakenham line next year. Trackside signalling equipment is being progressively installed on sections of

High capacity signalling, a key component of the Metro Tunnel Project, allows trains to automatically adjust their speed to maintain a safe distance from the train in front.

the Cranbourne, Pakenham and Sunbury lines for the new trains to communicate with two new signalling control centres at Sunshine and Dandenong.

HCMTs will use high capacity signalling when travelling through the Metro Tunnel and parts of the Sunbury and Cranbourne/ Pakenham lines, and can travel using

conventional signalling where HCS is not installed.

The new trains, which began running using existing signalling technology on the Pakenham Line in December, give passengers a smoother, quieter journey and have better accessibility, heating and cooling and safety features.

Progress reported on Geelong Fast Rail Up to 40 boreholes are expected to be drilled by the end of 2021.

14 | ISSUE 9 - OCTOBER 2021 | RAIL EXPRESS

Progress has been made on plans for the Geelong Fast Rail concept.

Around 100 ground investigation locations have been surveyed, with a third of around 300 potential survey locations that need to be investigated along the Werribee corridor.

Meanwhile a total of 11 boreholes have been drilled to date, with another four ready to be drilled (permits have been awarded).

Up to 40 boreholes are expected to be

drilled by the end of the year, Geelong Fast Rail project director Mark Greener said “These initial site investigations to learn more about the conditions below the surface is an essential step in our planning and design process,” he said.

“It means that we can refine the project’s scope with more confidence and give our future contractors more certainty before construction gets underway.”

News

Victoria

Quicker train trips along Echuca line Trains will be travelling at higher speeds along the Echuca Line before the year’s end, the Victorian government has announced as a major upgrade gets under way.

Coaches will replace Echuca Line trains between Bendigo and Echuca from Wednesday, 1 September to Sunday, 31 October to enable major works to take place on the Bendigo and Echuca Line Upgrade.

The revamp will allow trains to travel at up to 130km/h between Epsom and the new Goornong Station, up from the 80km/h they travel currently, enabling passengers to get where they need to go sooner.

John Holland has been appointed to handle the construction blitz, which includes replacement of more than 20,000 sleepers, new ballast, drainage improvements, rail bridge upgrades, mud-hole removal and level crossing modifications to boost safety.

According to the state government,

Goornong is targeted for completion by the end of the year.

deliveries of new ballast and concrete sleepers had commenced along the line ahead of track works starting in September.

Construction of the new Victorian Government-funded stations at Goornong and Huntly will also kick off while trains aren’t running.

Critical works including track alignment and platform construction will take place at the new stations.

Goornong is targeted for completion by

the end of the year, with Huntly to follow in mid-2022 and Raywood Station on the Swan Hill Line at the end of 2022.

Development of the new electronic train order (ETO) system, delivered by V/Line as part of the Bendigo and Echuca Line Upgrade, is also progressing, which will allow additional weekday return services to both Eaglehawk and Epsom, and triple the number of weekday services to and from Echuca after completion in late 2022.

News

Western Australia

Perth commuters poised for major rail shutdown Underground, to understand potential impacts of the closure, how to best target the bus replacement capacity and how to best communicate the blockade travel options with passengers.

The McGowan Government has nine METRONET projects under construction, creating thousands of local jobs and providing opportunities for local businesses.

WA Transport Minister Rita Saffioti acknowledged that the shutdown would be disruptive and inconvenient for many.

“We apologise in advance for this,” she said.

“We’re asking people in the southern suburbs to plan ahead. We don’t want to choke the freeways.

“We know this is frustrating but it is also exciting – these works are a key step in constructing the Thornlie-Cockburn Link, which will provide southern suburbs commuters with new transport options in the future, including a more direct connection to Perth Stadium.”

Perth commuters are bracing for the temporary partial closure of the Mandurah Line for more than three weeks in late December, in what will be the largest ever shutdown of the city’s public transport network.

Major construction on the METRONET Thornlie-Cockburn Link is prompting the closure. The hybrid suburban rail/rapid transit railway line on the Transperth Trains network in Western Australia runs from Perth south to Mandurah, the state’s second largest city.

As part of the works, the Mandurah line will close completely between Aubin Grove Station and Elizabeth Quay Station: a 75km stretch that encompasses four other stations.

It services 60,000 journeys a day and will be partially closed for up to 25 days. Services will run at a reduced capacity between Mandurah Station and Aubin Grove.

The Public Transport Authority has begun surveying commuters at stations along the Mandurah Line, including at Perth

The Thornlie-Cockburn Link upgrade will be focused on where the Thornlie Line enters the Kwinana Freeway through the Glen Iris tunnel down to Cockburn Central Station.

The Thornlie-Cockburn Link will be Perth’s first east-west cross line connection, linking the Mandurah and Armadale lines and making travel through the southern suburbs quicker and more flexible.

The Mandurah line services 60,000 journeys a day and will be partially closed for up to 25 days.

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News

New Zealand

Swift response to RCF track damage report and tens of thousands more passenger journeys made on Auckland’s network.

“However, the funding for renewal and maintenance of the tracks themselves was left behind, so those services were mainly running over aging track. While catch-up work was planned, the deterioration of the rails outpaced those plans until last year’s discovery of the severity of the degradation.”

Auckland Transport’s Integrated Networks executive GM, Mark Lambert, said all rail networks required regular maintenance and a robust asset renewal program.

“Auckland Transport will work with KiwiRail on any changes needed to maintain and

improve the quality of the network – including investigating any modifications that may be needed to our train fleet,” he said.

Moyle said 130km of rail was replaced in just seven months and KiwiRail is now working through the second phase to repair the more complex sections of track.

The track remediation work is part of a $1.5 billion project to modernise and improve the Auckland metro rail network. Others include the ‘third main’ project to ease congestion and allow for extra services on the busiest part of the network between Westfield and Wiri, the extension of electrification to Pukekohe, and three new stations at Drury and Paerata.

C R E D I T: Auckland RCF Working Group

KiwiRail and Auckland Transport have moved quickly to address issues raised by a report into track damage caused by Rolling Contact Fatigue (RCF), which led to widespread speed restrictions across the Auckland rail network.

The Auckland RCF Working Group Root Cause Assessment Report spotlighted multiple causes, with historic underinvestment in Auckland’s rail track infrastructure singled out as one of the key factors.

It also identified insufficient rail grinding, poor underlying track condition, the design of the EMU trains and the wheel rail interface, while Auckland’s climate is also another likely contributor.

KiwiRail chief operating officer Todd Moyle said work was already well advanced to implement recommendations made in the report.

“The report highlights that to run a modern and reliable metro service, the underlying track infrastructure must have enough investment to ensure it is fit for purpose,” Moyle said.

“Over time, funding was provided to enable electrification, the double tracking on the Western line, new stations and to buy new electric trains, which led to a huge increase in demand with hundreds of additional services

The report identified many causes for Rolling Contact Fatigue.

Auckland electrification takes a step forward

C R E D I T: Auckland Transport

Electrification of the rail line between Papakura and Pukekohe is a step closer with approval of resource consents for the main works.

An independent panel approved the consents for KiwiRail’s electrification project in South Auckland under COVID-19 fast-track legislation.

The Papakura to Pukekohe bridges at Onslow Road travelling south.

It considered the application for the main works. These include masts, overhead wiring, signal work and improving five level crossings along the 19km route.

The electrification of Auckland’s entire metro rail network from Swanson to Papakura was completed in 2015 allowing for faster, quieter and cleaner commuter trains.

It was a significant day for improving rail in Auckland, said acting group chief executive of KiwiRail Todd Moyle.

“This project will be hugely beneficial for Aucklanders, especially people who live in this growing part of the city,” Moyle said.

“Passengers will be able to travel all the way to the city centre from Pukekohe without the need to change trains at Papakura.

“We are also taking the opportunity to do some improvements to the tracks at the same time. When completed, travel times will be reduced making travel by rail an even more attractive option for commuters and other passengers.”

Moyle said it was all part of the government’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions by investing in rail through the NZ Upgrade Programme.

“Unfortunately, disruption is inevitable and KiwiRail will work with AT on how best to manage this,” he said.

KiwiRail’s Auckland Metro Programme is a more than $1.5bn series of projects to modernise the rail network in New Zealand’s biggest city. In addition to the electrification, it includes three new train stations between Papakura and Pukekohe, a third main line to separate freight and passenger services as well as track improvements throughout the Auckland network.

This programme aims to maximise the benefits of the City Rail Link by improving capacity for freight and passenger services.

KiwiRail and its contractor eTRACS, engaged directly with Mana Whenua, stakeholders and lineside neighbours as part of the fast-track consenting process.

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News

New Zealand

Breakthrough at New Zealand’s deepest railway station

The Mercury Lane station building is now connected directly to the mined tunnel excavations underway for Karangahape’s platforms.

Two sections of New Zealand’s deepest railway station are joined up after an underground breakthrough at City Rail Link’s Karangahape Station.

The breakthrough occurred 18 metres below the station entrance under construction at Mercury Lane – the building is now connected directly to the mined tunnel excavations underway for Karangahape’s platforms.

“It’s quite a milestone for us – one that shows we’re overcoming challenging ground conditions to ensure we are ready for the arrival of CRL’s Tunnel Boring Machine’s from Mt Eden next month,” said Jonathan Hill, The Link Alliance project manager for the Karangahape Station.

“Construction of the station building below

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street level began in early March and within five months, we’ve laid the concrete slabs for two of the station’s floors, removed 16,000 cubic metres of spoil, and joined up with the mined tunnels beneath.”

A combination of vibro ripper and hammer working inside the station entrance excavation chiseled its way through layers of rock to open the hole in the roof of a pilot tunnel below that had been used to excavate the platform tunnels.

With access now available from both the underground station and the mined tunnels, there is more flexibility to share resources between teams to excavate the remaining 16,500 cubic metres of rock for the station.

On- site innovation solved a safety challenge facing Link Alliance workers.

Before the breakthrough, the pilot tunnel was backfilled with spoil from the mined tunnel, eliminating the risk of machinery falling into the tunnel from above, or debris falling if the breakthrough had been tackled from below.

When completed, Karangahape will be 32 metres below ground. Excavation work has finished on the southbound platform tunnel closest to Mercury Lane and work is underway on the adjoining northbound one. The platforms are 203 metres long to accommodate nine-car trains instead of the current six used on the Auckland network.

Karangahape is one of two underground stations being built for the City Rail Link project to improve access into central Auckland and to better connect the city’s entire rail network

Plant, Machinery and Equipment

The Panel Lifter system revolutionises the method of removing, moving and installing rail panels.

Australia forms big part of global plans Innovative equipment from McCulloch Group is coming onstream in Australasia, with benefits for safety and productivity.

Unipart Group Australia is on a mission. A mission to bring about safety and productivity efficiencies and improvements with the use of innovative rail construction and maintenance equipment from McCulloch Group.

Matthew Lloyd is the director of McCulloch Business Development at Unipart Group Australia Pty Ltd. Unipart Group is the global distributor and manufacturer for McCulloch, an entity formed around three decades ago, whilst McCulloch Group has been supplying products and services into the construction market across the United Kingdom for the past 25 years, and most recently has sought out a partner to expand globally.

“We see Australasia as a significant growth market with the existing products that we have,” Lloyd said.

“The core products already held in stock within Australia are the TRTs (Trac Rail Transposers) and the McCulloch Panel Lifters, with other products coming into the market late 2021/early 2022.”

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KEY MCCULLOCH PRODUCTS INCLUDE: TRT: The TRT is a remote controlled, rubber tracked machine suitable for use on rail infrastructure, underground track and light rail networks. The rubber tracks mean versatility with no conversion required for operation on different track gauges as experienced across Australia. The TRT is 2.3 metres long, 1.8 metres in width, 1.6 metres in height and weighs less than 1.4T making it a compact and easily transportable unit allowing for rapid deployment and operation in limited access locations, such as live OHW environments. A pair of TRTs can be used to move any length of rail up to 220m long and transport, remove and install associated iron work such as switches and crossings. The TRT has been in operation in Australia since early 2020 with numerous sales throughout 2021, making it the most popular product in the McCulloch product range.

Panel Lifter: The Panel Lifter system revolutionises the method of removing, moving and installing rail panels swiftly and safely with greater efficiency in comparison to all

other methods. The Panel Lifters are remote control operated in pairs with a combined lifting capacity of 18T, or approximately 25m concrete sleeper track panel. Panel Lifter machines can also be operated in multiples to allow removal and installation of longer length track panels.

TCT: The TCT (Trac Cable Transporter) is a recent development which aims to transform the way large cable runs are deployed and cable laid within the railway Infrastructure. The TCT allows large lengths of cable to be laid safely and efficiently compared to traditional methods. The TCT can work with various types and sizes of cable drums up to 2000kg in weight and 1700mm in diameter.

FLASS: The FLASS (Fine Line and Sleeper Spacer) is a beam accessory to the Panel Lifter and enables the accurate movement, alignment and spacing of up to fifteen sleepers per lift.

Due to the unique operation of the two-lift beam, the need for handling, barring, spacing or fine lining is eliminated.

MMPV: The McCulloch Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MMPV) is a self-mounting, self-propelled, self-loading platform which can be used for various tasks and adapted to suit the customers’ requirements. With a load capacity of 40T, the versatility of this machine enables much of the preparation work to be undertaken away from the line and provides a flexible self-propelled platform to power and deploy any number of equipment modules and materials.

BACKGROUND AND OPPORTUNITIES Unipart Group is a global business with an annual turnover of approximately £800 million (AU$1.5 billion) that brings together manufacturing, logistics and consultancy in a set of products and services that create imaginative solutions for customers. Unipart Rail was acquired by Unipart Group as part of the privatisation of British Rail in 1997.

Lloyd said the challenges these products had helped overcome in the United Kingdom were faced by industries across the globe, opening expansion opportunities.

“We have products already in operation in Australasia,” he said.

“The pandemic has undoubtedly affected demand across the rail sector, but with the McCulloch range - and its huge benefits we are seeing increasing interest in these machines, and there are a lot of rail businesses out there whose projects can benefit from the use of the products.”

SAFETY A KEY FACTOR “From the safety perspective, our products are remote controlled. You can keep your key operators and personnel out of the line of fire,” Lloyd said.

“The TRTs now come with halo exclusion zone lighting installed. Four lights, one on either side of the bonnet, project a halo or a ring around the machine so you have a visible exclusion zone to keep workers out of danger.”

Outside of the UK, McCulloch Panel Lifters have already been deployed in Canada, New Zealand and Malaysia, while TRTs are in use in Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Canada and Malaysia. In Australia, the TRTs are primarily used in Victoria and Western Australia, with recent sales also secured in New South Wales.

Lloyd said they would be spreading their message with promotional activities at key events such as the AusRAIL conference in Brisbane this November.

“We will be exhibiting at AusRAIL 2021, which will provide us with a tremendous opportunity to engage with existing and new customers who will be able to see and touch our products in person.”

The McCulloch Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MMPV) and Trac Cable Transporter (TCT).

Lloyd said new versions of existing products were set to make a difference.

“There are the large metro projects that we now see in the Australian environment,” he said.

“We have recently developed the new TRT-e, a zero emissions version of the standard TRT. This first-of-its-kind solution uses an electric motor and battery power pack instead of the traditional diesel engine and is run via an electronic control system with remote condition monitoring enabling it to be worked more extensively on the rail infrastructure where diesel emissions and noise pollution are a major issue.

“This is achieved without compromising on the duty cycle and performance of the existing diesel version.

“Whilst the existing diesel powered TRT is already a relatively low emission machine, producing only 80kg of CO2 in a typical operating shift, the TRT-e eliminates this altogether, equating to an annual saving of 650,000kg of CO2 within McCulloch’s existing UK operations. Noise pollution is also substantially reduced.

“We want to really ensure the Australian market knows about these products as they strive to be better in the environmental space.

“Outside of Australia, there is significant impetus in North America. We have got teams in Canada and the US supporting sales and doing demonstrations and we believe there is tremendous potential to build on the successful sales achieved already.”

Lloyd noted examples from Australia.

“We have recently worked with a customer

who was experiencing challenges with the volume of work during weekend possessions and shortfalls of skilled operators. Our products now provide the opportunity to start using equipment on midweek nights when access wouldn’t ordinarily be planned,” he said.

“Our products are agile. They are easy to deploy. If you are working in a metro environment, you can work in situations where there are live overheads with appropriate controls in place.

“They offer opportunities to mechanise activities where often manual activities might otherwise be necessary, and vastly reduce or eliminate the safety risk to track workers.”

Contact Matthew Lloyd, Director - McCulloch Business Development, Unipart Group Australia Pty Ltd: www.unipart.com.au, email: matthew.lloyd@ unipart.com or phone: +61 (0) 459 803 126.

The TRT (Trac Rail Transposer) in action.

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Plant, Machinery and Equipment

Just wild about Harry The Ballarat producer of rail maintenance equipment is achieving growth in challenging times.

The global pandemic has failed to halt demand for rail maintenance equipment.

That’s the view of Harrybilt Engineering finance and marketing manager Beth Martino.

“We were really lucky with the pandemic, we actually saw business growth,” Martino said.

Harrybilt is a family-owned business based in Ballarat, a town in Victoria. It has been providing highly-specialised solutions to local and national customers for more than 35 years.

The company’s typical customers perform maintenance on rail tracks. It has continued to expand and now services the rail and utilities sector, along with general engineering projects.

“As much as the pandemic did affect us in some ways, we’re lucky to keep working and growing with our customers and gaining new customers around Australia,” Martino said.

Everything is built in Ballarat, with a doubling of floorspace required two years ago because business was expanding so rapidly.

THE TURNKEY SOLUTION An important business concept for Harrybilt is their ‘Turnkey Solution’. This is essentially a solution for converting a wide range of excavator and truck makes and models for rail.

According to the company, this includes buying machinery, installing the rail system, building the rail maintenance attachments, as well as supporting registration for any networks around Australia.

The team has partnered with Hitachi to provide the S Series Rail Machine, developed for the operators in particularly difficult working conditions. This package is similarly available with the Hi Brid Rail System, allowing a wheeled excavator to run on both standard and narrow gauges.

According to Martino, the Turnkey Solution is registered for networks around Australia and ensures any machine is rail ready when it leaves the workshop.

“We can handle the purchase of the machine and installation of the rail system,” Martino said.

“Harrybilt has its own wide range of rail maintenance attachments as well. Importantly, we manage all aspects of the rail machine rather than a customer having to go through different companies.

“We can manage the whole thing.”

BUSINESS GROWTH Martino said it had been encouraging to see

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S Series Rail Guidance System Hitachi ZX170W-5.

the market was undaunted by the pandemic.

“We have noticed in the last couple of years, that the market has been expanding for us and our customers have kept coming back,” she said.

“It has been great to see their businesses growing as well.”

While its customers are mostly based in Australia, they also do business in New Zealand and Indonesia.

“We have sent rail maintenance attachments there. We have also attended the NZ Rail Conference a couple of times, which has helped us keep up to date with key challenges and opportunities facing the rail industry in New Zealand,” Martino said.

SECRETS TO SUCCESS AND EMPLOYMENT GROWTH Martino outlined some reasons for success.

“We listen to our customers’ feedback and are happy to work with them to make customised products,” she said.

“For example, we have the Hi Brid Rail System that we designed specifically from hearing customer feedback that by having a machine that has the capability to switch between narrow and standard gauge networks, it would significantly increase their efficiency.

“We seek to keep in touch with the industry and adapt according to its needs.”

Martino said Harrybilt had been busy hiring across their business and were looking to keep doing so into the future.

Its typical staff are fitters and turners, fabricators, labourers.

A full-time mechanical engineer is also

employed, enabling an end-to-end solution for clients.

FINAL THOUGHTS Said with many rail projects around Australia, the outlook for business growth was positive.

“Lots of our customers are buying not just one machine from us with attachments, they are buying a few,” Martino said.

“Everyone seems to be getting ready to make sure they have enough product to get things done.

“Also, to be able to provide our Turnkey Solution in the future to places like New Zealand will be a positive development.

“We want to really grow our presence there.

Some of our plans have been delayed due to the pandemic, but in the future, we think that we can really grow our business in New Zealand.”

HARRYBILT • Business is based in Ballarat, Victoria.

• Equipment manufactured ranges from Hi Rail and Rail Guidance Systems for excavators and trucks as well as rail maintenance equipment.

• The equipment is built to withstand tough conditions.

• The team is increasing the product range to keep pace with industry needs.

• Harrybilt Engineering have developed its fabrication, machining, hydraulics, and painting capabilities along with a large overhead crane and testing capabilities.

The McCulloch solutions are revolutionising track & cable handling, delivering a safer and more productive method of working.

Contact us to learn how we are working in collaboration to improve productivity for our Australian and New Zealand customers.

www.unipart.com.au

uga.enquiries@unipart.com

Plant, Machinery and Equipment

All over the world with Alltrack One Australian company is making global waves in the quality-used railway equipment procurement business.

Throw a dart at a map of the world and chances are it will land on a country in which NSWbased Alltrack Rail has stamped its footprint.

Based in the Hunter Valley and owned and managed by rail industry veteran Robert (Bob) Taylor, the company is a leading Australian purveyor of railway locomotives, rolling stock and associated rail maintenance parts and plant. It also sources new and used railway perway materials such as rails, sleepers, turnout components and fastenings.

Alltrack Rail boasts an impressive list of clients around the globe, including major maintenance providers, rail track operators, large construction firms, contracting businesses and key individuals in the railway industry.

“Probably the only country we haven’t dealt with is the USSR,” Taylor said.

“We have more than 45 years’ experience in the rail sector working both in Australia and overseas. Our wealth of knowledge and industry specific experience is almost unsurpassed.

“We have an exceptional list of contacts within the worldwide railway construction and maintenance industry, and we have a reputation for spotting the opportunity and closing the best possible deal for our customers.”

Taylor prides himself and Alltrack Rail on being able to acquire any type of used locomotive or specialised Rail Plant from almost anywhere in the world, at an acceptable price.

Indeed, such is Taylor’s vast experience that – away from the procurement tasks – he can also serve site-based client representative in a superintendent role.

AllTrack Rail sources and supplies used rail construction materials as required, such as these pre-loved sleepers.

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AllTrack Rail transporting ex-Queensland Rail locomotives.

THE BUSINESS OF PROCUREMENT Taylor said AllTrack Rail was established more than 25 years ago to help clients secure new and used railway maintenance plant, used locomotives and pre-used railway materials.

“We saw a real need for rail company executives and plant managers in the rail sector to have a reliable, reputable, affordable option when it comes to sourcing goods, especially from Asia, Europe and North America,” he said.

“Our knowledge and understanding of plant and materials available is enhanced by our network of contacts garnered in the industry.

“Simply put, we are your conduit for sourcing selected used locomotives and maintenance plant equipment.”

On the rare occasion that AllTrack Rail is confronted with an unfamiliar model, part or fixture, it works with its network to find out what is available and ensures customers are briefed in an accurate and timely manner.

Alltrack Rail’s sales or purchases of used locomotives and railway maintenance plant includes an impressive list of features.

Not only does the company assist in the location and procurement of used locomotives from across a wide variety of locations, but it facilitates the sale of these items to large markets that are always seeking value-added delivery options (such as gauge conversions to suit buyers’ respective requirements).

“We also assist with land transport and shipping from the Australian end of the operation,” Taylor said.

“We source and sell used railway maintenance plant from resurfacing equipment to basic railway plant used in the maintenance

of railways, which can be the used high end production models or the lower cost models of rail maintenance equipment.”

Alltrack Rail also has access to a large group of manufacturers across the world and enjoys close relationships with all key suppliers.

“We can source both new and rebuilt locomotive spares. We’re aligned with several international groups who are specialist in electronic cards and contractors, cabinets and mechanical spares supply, as well as others who manufacture obsolete products for various locomotives types,” Taylor said.

“This group is also a hub for GE and EMD products which can also be sourced as remanufactured goods. Alltrack Rail has the ability to source rare spares for the older type locomotives such as ALCO and English Electric.”

In addition, Taylor said AllTrack Rail is often contacted to supply materials for rail perways, or permanent ways, which mainly entail all the elements of railway lines.

“We source and supply used rail construction materials as required,” Taylor said.

These include: · Used rail of various sizes in re-layable condition · Second hand timber sleepers · Sleeper jewellery in varying quantities.

“Alltrack Rail has connections that are deep and wide – if it’s used in rail, we can get it – new or used, in any condition,” Taylor said.

PROFESSIONAL SITE MANAGEMENT As an added string to the bow, Alltrack Rail offers project and staff management, for which it has a proven record of success.

Taylor said with its knowledge of the railway

construction and maintenance industry, the company provides site management services to customers who may be looking for short term site management support.

“We are known and respected for our ability to understand project delays and seek solutions for moving projects back on to program,” he said.

This service is spearheaded by Taylor himself, a professional project manager with more than four decades’ worth of civil and rail experience, and whose career includes scoping, tendering, interface management, design management, project engineering, project co-ordination, testing and commissioning, construction management and project management.

He has worked as senior project manager for the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) delivering capacity enhancement projects in the Hunter Valley, rail replacement work across the network, leading the national concrete resleepering and re-railing programs, and running the Hunter Valley Asset Team as the initial start-up delivery manager.

Prior to joining ARTC, Taylor worked for

Barclay Mowlem Rail Operations in Eastern Australia, having returned from his stint as the trackworks manager for the Alice Springs to Darwin project.

His impressive resume includes an expansive understanding of rail systems combined with deep technical knowledge of rail works both in a brownfield or greenfield environment.

THE ALLTRACK RAIL DIFFERENCE · Knowledge of customers and vendors. · Knowledge of the products being offered – quality, reliability and compatible. · Knowledge of the procurement and disposal systems of agencies within Australia. · Understanding of customers’ requirements. · Willingness to see that the customer achieves the best economic outcome.

AllTrack Rail specialises in procurement of used rail plant and equipment including locomotives, rolling stock and rail maintenance parts.

Plant, Machinery and Equipment

Excavating the future Caterpillar’s versatile, high-capacity railroad wheeled excavator provides the freedom to easily move from road to rail.

A high-capacity excavator that has already proved popular with rail; operators in Europe is beginning to penetrate the Australian market.

The product is the M323F wheel excavator, built by manufacturer Caterpillar.

This specialist piece of machinery can operate on both road and rail.

Michael Mattiacci is responsible for specialist rail equipment sales in Victoria for William Adams CAT Pty Ltd, the local distributor of Caterpillar products. He believes the product’s potential is limitless.

“They are a quality product; they are the bee’s knees as far as equipment goes,” Mattiacci said.

HYBRID STATIC DRIVE What makes this product so special?

According to Caterpillar, the M323F is a hybrid static drive machine, whereas previous models, or other equipment people have used over the years, are friction drive. With rail wheel excavators in the past, the rail wheels were ‘rail guiders’ but this product is ‘rail drive’.

With friction-drive machines, if the wheels wear out or there is some water on the track, it becomes a safety issue.

WHO ARE THE CUSTOMERS? The product has already proven popular in Europe, as Mattiacci relates.

“The people at Caterpillar asked me , ‘How are you going with that order?’ I told them I needed one (at the time),” he said. “They informed me that Deutsche Bahn (German Rail) had just ordered 26 and around Europe, they are absolutely the bee’s knees.”

Significant interested in the product also has been reported in the United Kingdom.

In the Australian context, the main customer is a major provider of regional rail services.

That customer was a significant buyer of Caterpillar products including backhoes, wheel loaders and telehandlers. They have purchased two M323Fs and have another six either in the workshop being built or being readied for transport to Australia.

“The units bought for Australia are dual gauge, they can run on broad and standard track,” Mattiacci said. “They have enough electronics in this machine that if it is required

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to work under overhead lines, it can be done and safely. Any rail provider, regional or metro, can use them.”

MARKET OUTLOOK A bullish Mattiacci said, “Every man and his dog is looking at [the product]”.

Aside from their key existing Australian customers, there has been considerable interest from potential customers in both New South Wales and Queensland.

Mattiacci said safety was a key selling point for the product.

“At some point people are going to say, from a rail compliance point of view, these friction drive machines that are currently operating need to be replaced by these hydrostatic drives that are so much safer and more compliant,” he said.

“At some time that safety point will be enforced and make the case for the M323F all the stronger. In terms of compliance, it ticks all the safety boxes. Then you have a simple advantage in that it can come with two seats and can carry two people whereas most excavators only have one seat.”

Everything that happens on board can be monitored.

“The biggest reason our Australian customer jumped on these from the very start, going back a few years, was that if something failed, it was backed by the OEM,” Mattiacci said.

He notes that everything on board is made

by Caterpillar, creating clarity when it came time for maintenance.

“What it used to be was, you would buy an excavator, you would give it to a third party, you would bolt on some rail wheels and away you’d go. But if there was an issue, there was a lot of finger point and saying ‘it is not my responsibility,” he said. “Whereas we don’t have that problem.”

In another interesting benefit, these machines are registered and can be driven on the roads of Victoria, an important point of versatility.

FINAL THOUGHTS Mattiacci is excited about the future of the product in the Australian market.

“We have a lot of work still to do, but, given the strong demand overseas and

An M323F with a digging apparatus. Note the wheels for both road and rail.

existing deals we’ve done in Australia, the potential is tremendous,” he added. “Australia is undergoing a railway boom and we see that is going to strengthen interest into the future. We’re looking forward to playing our part in the future of Australian rail.”

MACHINE SPECIFICATIONS • CAT C4.4 ENGINE. • 112 kW ENGINE POWER. • 22,900 – 23,900 OPERATING WEIGHT. • Maximize efficiency with load-sensing hydraulics which provide fast cycle times.

• The advanced hydraulic system reduces the load on the engine resulting in lower fuel consumption.

• Eco Mode and auto engine speed control help reduce fuel consumption while delivering consistent power.

• The rated capacity indicator (RCI) and rated capacity limiter (RCL) system ensure machine stability in any track condition.

• Powerful and efficient engine delivers superior durability.

• Engine idle shutdown, auto engine speed control, and on-demand cooling system reduce fuel consumption.

• The dedicated swing pump helps reduce fuel consumption and allows faster and smoother combined movements.

• The hydrostatic drive on rail axles provides great driving and braking performance.

• Highly mobile, the M323F can travel up to 20 km/h (12 mph) on road and rails.

INNOVATION

THAT KEEPS YOU ON TRACK TORQUE RAIL SERVICES With over 30 years’ experience, we have been operating as a diverse local business providing rail plant maintenance services. We pride ourselves in quality rail services which include supply of machinery, design, manufacture, testing and rail certifications.

TORQUE RAIL PRODUCTS Our Rail Products are built tough to withstand the harsh Australian environment.

Torque Rail can Design, Engineer, build and certify and rail product you desire. Get in contact with our team to see how we can help you with your next project.

- Fail Safe Brake Systems - Rail Trailers and Trolleys - Hi Rail Control Systems TORQUE HI RAILS -We pride ourselves in making some of the best and most reliable Hi Rail Systems on the market. All Torque Rail equipment is made to relevant Australian standards which comply with any desired rail network Australia - Small, Medium and Large Road Rail Systems - Earthmoving HiRail Equipment - Crane and EWP HiRail Equipment

TO GET YOUR FREE CONSULTATION FOR YOUR RAIL GEAR COMPLIANCE.

EMAIL OR CALL NOW! E: RAIL@TORQUEQLD.COM.AU | PH: 0438 237 114 74A MUSTANG DRIVE, RUTHERFORD, NSW, 2320 WWW.TORQUERAIL.COM.AU

Plant, Machinery and Equipment

Innovative welding solutions Holland has a rich history in innovative welding equipment. This is best demonstrated in its industry-leading Intelliweld control system recently introduced in Australia.

When Holland entered the Australian market in early 2020, its goal was to bring the newest and highest quality welding equipment together with expert operators to serve Australia’s heavy haul and transit rail sectors. Its service offering is unique precisely because of that pairing.

As the engineer and manufacturer of the equipment it operates, Holland’s history is one of innovating based on real experience in the field. From the first self-propelled railcar with a portable electric flashbutt welding machine in 1972, the company has been improving its equipment based on the needs of its operators and customer partners on-track.

“Holland has a long history of identifying problem areas and making our own custom solutions,” Shane Mayhill, Holland’s general manager of welding technology, said. “From the beginning when Holland entered the flashbutt welding industry using acquired technology and equipment we have taken on problems and found solutions.”

Although Holland is best known for its MobileWelders in the field, the company has also managed, operated and maintained several large, fixed welding plants over the last 50 years.

“Going back to the late 1980s and early 1990s, one of our key welding subject matter experts, Kenny Lankford, took over the fixed plant welder automation. It wasn’t just the welding itself, but he set his sights on improving the automation of the process,”

Specialised flashbutt welding crew making in-track welds in the Pilbara.

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Mayhill said. This identification of an opportunity and subsequent improvements made by those using the existing equipment allowed Holland to improve weld production by approximately 20 to 25 per cent in its fixed plants.

“Holland has used at least five different welding control systems on our mobile welding equipment over the years, with varying degrees of success,” noted Mayhill. “Around 2014 we were using a control system supplied by a third party. We were fine with some aspects of the system, but there were some areas that were lacking the data input and output that we wanted to improve our weld quality and production. When the supplier discontinued the system and tried to move us into using a new system that still had some of those same weak areas, Holland decided it was time to take the welding control 100 per cent in-house.”

A UNIQUE PROPOSITION This began the development of what is now known as Holland’s industry-leading Intelliweld control system. Mayhill added: “A team with over 150 years’ cumulative welding experience was formed and the organisation dedicated capital to spec out hardware and software that would work for what we wanted out of a bespoke one-of-a-kind weld control system.”

Holland took what was learned in more than 40 years of welding and brought that into a specifically designed control system for

flashbutt welding rail.

“This system took into account all the problems that we had with our past control systems as well as those things that we believed would improve the system. The times our operators were in the field and thought, ‘If only we had this or could do that’, were built into the system,” Mayhill said.

“After almost a year of development and testing Holland introduced its current Intelliweld system into new mobile welding units being built. And with a small amount of development we were also able to modify the Intelliweld system to develop a retrofit kit that could be installed on existing welderheads in the field by a field technician in one day.”

By the end of 2017, Holland had updated its entire fleet to a single, proprietary control system. Having a single control system in a fleet of more than 200 units improved efficiencies in training, unit repair times, and access to needed spare parts.

Recently arrived in Australia, the Intelliweld system provides real-time weld monitoring and automated data connection, along with low consumption weld capability. Being used in the contracting fleet means Intelliweld continues to be improved based on feedback from Holland’s operators as well.

These improvements include things as simple as debugging issues, all the way to underlying welding principles that can affect or improve weld quality. Bringing it all together in Australia and like North America, flashbutt welding is a contracted service. Holland says its key differentiator is on the technical side with its machine and control system intelligence. It involves science, engineering and data collection.

“We really take it to the next level in differentiation from other contractors. We are able to close the loop in-house because of our Intelliweld control system. We collect data from our machines as they’re welding, and we can perform predictive analytics with that data.

“Although we are a contractor and have expert operators that perform the welding service, we surround them with a lot of technical expertise making us a railroad service provider first, followed closely as a technology and data analytics business. We are very unique because there are not many businesses in our market that can do what we do.”

WE SELL AND SOURCE RAILWAY PLANT, EQUIPMENT AND PARTS. OUR GLOBAL NETWORK PROVIDES INVALUABLE INDUSTRY MARKET KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING. Alltrack Rail is a leading Australian purveyor (seller and

providers, rail track operators, major construction firms and

dealer) of railway locomotives, rolling stock and associated

contracting businesses.

rail maintenance parts and plant. We also source new and used railway perway materials such as rails, sleepers, turnout components and fastenings.

Our business is based in the Hunter Valley NSW, where it is

With our network of contacts we can also find a home for quality used equipment when the times comes to move your equipment along.

owned and managed by rail industry veteran, Bob Taylor.

Our background is underpinned by our reputation for spotting

With over 45 years’ experience in the rail sector, we boast

opportunities and ensuring the best possible outcomes for our

an impressive list of clients and contacts in each of the

customers. Whether it concerns the sale or sourcing of new or

continents across the globe which include major maintenance

used plant and equipment, Alltrack Rail can assist.

+61 487 811 007 | ADMIN@ALLTRACKRAIL.COM.AU | WWW.ALLTRACKRAIL.COM.AU

Plant, Machinery and Equipment

Problem solving for rail projects Brisbane-based rail and civil plant hire firm George’s Loader Hire is expanding its manufacturing operations to meet demand for specialised equipment in Queensland’s transport infrastructure sector.

In 1994, George Baird established a front end loader hire business with the purchase of two loaders from a local businessman in South East Queensland. With the support of his wife Shaneen, Baird grew the business to a fleet of 20 machines with major customers in rail, recycling and materials handling.

Kelly Cooke, director of George’s Loader Hire (GLH), says her father’s passing 12 years ago marked the end of an era, and motivated the GLH family to grow into one of Queensland Rail ’s leading plant and equipment suppliers.

“We are proud of our track record on Queensland’s major rail construction projects, having played a part in every major project over the last two decades,” Cooke says.

This includes work on rail upgrade projects Corinda to Darra, Richlands to Springfield, and construction projects such as Moreton Bay Rail Link and the Gold Coast Light Rail.

Currently, the company is busy with regional Queensland Rail maintenance work , Cross River Rail and supplying wet hire excavator laying sleepers and dry hire loaders for the Carmichael Rail Network.

Cooke says providing highly experienced operators is crucial for increasing efficiencies and eliminating downtime on site.

“Many of our operators have worked with us for 10 years,” she says. “We invest in our operators like we do our equipment, we can’t have one without the other. Having the big projects on your resume is so important because it means you have the experienced operators to meet a client’s needs.”

GLH now boasts a range of tri-gauge equipment for Inland Rail, including standard, broad and narrow gauge hi rail excavators, trolleys, brooms, sleeper layers and narrow gauge dumpers.

The rail equipment hire firm’s fleet GLH laying sleepers for the Carmichael Rail Network.

Many of GLH’s equipment operators have decades of experience.

of machines is unique to its customer’s requirements, according to Cooke.

“Our machinery has many uses and we aim to provide solutions to our customers, not just the bare bones equipment,” she says. “The management team has decades of experience in rail and with our in-house engineer we are able to work with customers to innovate and manufacture workable solutions to difficult problems.”

Operating from its maintenance workshop in the outer Brisbane suburb of Willawong, GLH designs prototypes to test on its own equipment so it’s ready for the field.

“Designing solutions for unique scenarios is our point of difference,” Cooke adds. “It’s how we are able to offer special solutions to customers with specific problems. For example, one of our customers couldn’t get ballast into a tunnel entrance so we designed and manufactured a special purpose bin to sit on one of our trigauge rail trolleys.”

For another project, GLH designed a special attachment for a hi rail excavator used with a rail trailer, to transport rigid catanery steel work into a central tunnel and lift it into the central rail tunnel in Brisbane CBD safely.

These success stories prompted GLH to increase its manufacturing capacity by establishing a new company called Specialised Rail Solutions (SRS) last year. Cooke herself is a director along with Cameron Baird and, together, they recently double downed on innovation investment by purchasing a small engineering business under SRS. Cooke sees the purchase of Quality Assured

Engineering and a new manufacturing facility as an opportunity to expand on GLH’s history of supplying rail attachments and innovation.

“We want to continue to be innovators in this field,” she says. “By putting energy into the manufacturing side of our business into this new company, we want to meet the increasing demand for our attachments.”

The new premises in Browns Plains will also increase capacity to manufacture GLH’s popular height limit systems.

The in-house designed systems use modern sensor technology to give machines more functionality whilst meeting Queensland Rail spec requirements and being easy for the operators to use.

Cooke says Queensland’s change in rail standards around four years ago sparked a system upgrade.

“We couldn’t find a suitable and wellpriced product off the shelf to meet the new standards,” she says. “In the process we developed not only a functional height limiter system for earthmoving equipment, but also a revolutionary sensor design which will have far reaching applications on mobile plant safety systems of all kinds, beyond height limiters.”

Moving forward, Cooke hopes to acquire a functional safety rating so the height limiter systems can branch into different markets.

“We believe the product will go through the third-party certification to achieve the functional safety,” she says. “We’re hoping this will create a potential for international marketing opportunities because we know there is great demand for the technology.”

WWW.RAILEXPRESS.COM.AU | 33

Plant, Machinery and Equipment

Accessories to suit enclosures MFB Products discusses the range of accessories it provides to complement its signature range of outdoor and data centre enclosures.

MFB Products prides itself on being the foremost recognised supplier to the Australian rail industry for 19” enclosures for data centre and outdoor applications. But as an Australian manufacturer with more than 50 years of experience, it also complements its enclosures series with a comprehensive range of accessories that are fit for purpose.

In essence it can categorise its accessory range into four groups: power management, air management, cable management and shelving.

NOISE LEVEL DB(A)

AIRFLOW CFM

AIRFLOW M3/H

1 FAN

45.0dB(A)

87

148

2 FANS

48.0dB(A)

174

296

3 FANS

49.8dB(A)

261

443

4 FANS

51.0dB(A)

348

591

5 FANS

52.0dB(A)

435

739

6 FANS

52.8dB(A)

522

887

Noise levels and corresponding airflows from MFB fan trays.

POWER MANAGEMENT The company said stable and reliable power distribution access is key to all server enclosure installations.

“The MFB range of horizontal mount and vertical mount PDU’s (Power Distribution Units), can be defined in two categories – passive and active,” it said. “Our standard (passive) range of PDUs are available in 10, 15 and 32amp wiring configs with Aust IEC C13 and IEC C19 Outlets. The plugs are available as Aust, IEC or Screw lock fitted to a 2.5m lead by default.”

MFB’s Australian-made monitored (active) range of PDUs are available in a vertical format only – with single phase and three phase if required. The outlets for its active range are the same as those for its passive range of PDUs. “The Sentinel range has the ability to view power, temperature and humidity levels via a web browser, or receive SNMP based alarms when conditions exceed defined thresholds,” MFB said. “Furthermore – information on total amp draw, humidity and temperature are also displayed directly on the PDU.” The company stated that its standard range of PDUs and its custom range are manufactured in Australia in compliance with AS/NZS 3000:2018. On top of that, there are also no minimum order quantities for specials.

AIR MANAGEMENT Vertical integration of hardware systems is considered most cost effective, MFB pointed out.

“Server Cabinets are typically populated with more blade servers. This is where

34 | ISSUE 9 - OCTOBER 2021 | RAIL EXPRESS

airflow – or more importantly, the dispersion of hot air generated by multiple servers – becomes critical. MFB offers a range of fan trays, roof mounts and rack mounts designed to encourage good airflow within the enclosure. Additional air baffles can be fitted to a cabinet to encourage airflow over equipment ‘hot spots’, for example.”

The company offers optional extras including thermostats to regulate the fans.

This, it said, encourages a longer life cycle for fans. “Our Speed Controllers can also regulate the speed of the fan – and by reducing the speed can reduce noise, too.”

If a more direct precision cooling system is required, MFB exclusively uses the Seifert brand of air conditioning systems. From 320W to 6kW cooling systems with IP54 and IP56 systems available in mild steel and stainless-steel finish.

CABLE MANAGEMENT Cable Management is a key attribute to effective server cabinet installation.

“With increased equipment usage, unmanaged cabling can result in an enclosure covered in spaghetti. This becomes problematic when fault-finding and doing maintenance,” MFB stated.

“Good cable management not only saves times but reduces on-site labour costs.

MFB offers a large range of cable management systems, from 19” rack mount wire management trays, cable retaining hoop panels, to round, square and rectangle lacing rings – to sophisticated, full length vertical cable ducts typically designed for excessive cabling.”

SHELVING SOLUTIONS To further complement its enclosure range, MFB shelving is available in both static (fixed) format and a telescopic format – for regular, easier access.

“Our standard fixed shelves are load rated to 50kgs. Our heavy-duty shelves are load rated to 200kgs – with equipment evenly distributed. We also offer front-mountingonly cantilever shelves for smaller, lightweight equipment.”

For telescopic shelves and drawers, MFB uses the Accuride slide systems because of their smooth action under heavy loads, as well as superior features and extreme durability.

“A key feature of the MFB product range is its broad flexibility,” the company said.

“As a general rule, we have something to suit most applications. However, if your project requires something customised, we have our own in-house design centre to assist in the development process. We pride ourselves on accommodating our customers’ various needs.”

MFB offers a range of products to encourage proper airflow, including its Roof Mount Fan Tray.

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I S S U E 09 | O C T O B E R 2021

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

RAIL EXPRESS is compulsory reading and a vital tool for all people working in and around the rail sector.

Rail Express is Australia’s authoritative business to business rail publication.

Mission towards safety & productivity How one global company plans to bring innovative maintenance equipment to Australia - PAGE 22 Alltrack’s quality-used railway equipment

Innovative welding equipment from Holland

Keolis Downer focuses on the customer experience

PAGE 26

PAGE 30

PAGE 40

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Rolling Stock

Keeping rail on track, from concept to reality A NSW business has established itself as the country’s leading one-stop shop for rail plant maintenance services and railway equipment manufacture.

TORQUE RAIL KEY CAPABILITIES • 10t overhead crane • 75m multi-gauge test track (under construction).

• 1200m² state-of-the-art workshop facility.

• 900m² hard stand.

• Full machining workshop (Mackay).

• Fabrication/manufacturing facilities • Engineering and design.

• Small to large vehicle RRV (Road Rail Vehicle) conversions.

• Custom Builds to customer requirements.

• Custom construction plant conversions • General rail products.

Hi Rail fabrication being carried out at Torque Rail’s workshop.

What began as a humble provider of rail plant maintenance services has evolved into an institution in the Hunter Valley of NSW. Backed by 30 years’ experience in the industry, Torque Rail quickly broadened its focus to include aspects of leasing machinery, design, manufacture, testing, and rail certifications. This includes custom-made Hi Rail vehicles and products for small and large rail plant and road vehicles.

The capabilities extend from light to heavy manufacturing, certification and re-certification, up to general maintenance, repairs, and upgrades.

As a registered authority for approvals with all the various networks available within Australia, the company also prides itself on flexibility and ingenuity in engineering equipment to suit desired needs.

Torque Rail is spearheaded by rail business manager Bruce Durie and son Tim, who serves as rail operations manager. From their massive workshop on the site, they provide full turnkey

36 | ISSUE 9 - OCTOBER 2021 | RAIL EXPRESS

road-rail/Hi Rail vehicle and plant solutions, either built-to-spec or ready-made, including OEM parts and many which may never have been available to the market.

Simply put, Torque Rail can design, engineer, build and certify any rail product desired.

With the most reliable Hi Rail systems on the market, the business offers small, medium, and large road rail systems, earthmoving Hi Rail equipment, and crane and elevated work platform Hi Rail equipment.

All Torque Rail equipment is made to relevant Australian Standards which comply with any desired rail network within Australia, and are built tough to withstand the harsh Australian environment.

“All product ranges are included, designed, and built to the required Australian AS7500 series rail standards,” Bruce said.

“We provide all our customers with our highest quality of compliance, and pride ourselves with upholding the Australian standards as they should be.”

PRODUCT EXAMPLES Fail-to-Safe Brake: These brake units were made for installation on various road/rail vehicles as well as dedicated rail equipment.

“We equip vehicles with the Rail MA50000 fail safe brake kit, which complies with the current rail legislation and also AS7502,” Bruce said.

“The brake units are mounted to the periphery of rail wheels, and typically in pairs (left and right wheels) to provide a park brake and a fail-to-safe, emergency brake function.”

6.5t rail trailer: Torque Rail’s multi-gauge rail trailer has a GVM (Gross Vehicle Mass) of 6.5t and can carry a load of five tonnes to be utilised on rail.

The rail trailer construction consists of a steel frame body with checker plate deck and a centre well recessed centrally within the frame.

“The rail wheels are suitably sized to maintain clearance from the top of rail, with one axle fixed to the frame with the other pivoting to allow for track condition changes,” Bruce said.

“The trailer is fitted with a failsafe spring applied hydraulic release park brake to prevent ‘run-away’.

“The trailer is supplied with lighting and a drawbar which is suitable for the trailer with maximum payload.”

One of the conceptual in-house designs

by Torque Rail for manufacturing.

Hi-Rail Control Systems: Torque Rail has developed a variety of Hi-Rail control systems that can be installed as new, or retrofitted to any version of Hi-Rail equipment. The control systems are intended for installation on various road/rail vehicles: cars, trucks, excavators and many more.

“Vehicles can be equipped with or modified to utilise the Torque Rail control systems, as they meet all the requirements of AS7502 and provide the operators a user-friendly experience that can be adapted to control light, cameras, automatic functions and many more,” Bruce said.

MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR The Duries carry out maintenance and repair to the highest standards, with customer satisfaction being top priority.

“We deliver a nation-wide service network that relieves customers of any pressures with maximum efficiency,” Bruce said.

“With quality facilities around Australia coupled with mobile service capabilities that offer on-the-spot maintenance, repair, 10year builds and certification as per RIM (Rail Infrastructure Manufacturer) requirements, Torque Rail deliver unsurpassed and reliable through-life customer support.

“As a result, we can offer unprecedented through-life-cycle support to all customers – creating maximum convenience, value for money and service to rail organisations.”

RAIL CERTIFICATIONS Under the Rail Safety National Law 2012, railway networks around Australia have to fulfil a number of obligations around its overall management of road/rail vehicles.

Road/rail vehicles which are not operated by an accredited Rail Transport Operator (RTO) will have to operate under their desired Rail Networks Accreditation, and as such, there will be a responsibility to ensure that all vehicles are maintained in a safe condition for operation on rail infrastructure.

“All third party rolling stock operators

and contractors wishing to operate road/rail vehicles on rail infrastructure must manage the certification and recertification of their vehicles in order to be placed on their desired rail networks register,” Bruce said.

“To comply with AS7501, all operators and contractors must engage a Track Maintenance Vehicle Independent Competent Person (ICP) to carry out a variety of inspection and tests to ensure the vehicle meet the required rails infrastructure standards.”

Both Bruce and Tim are qualified ICP accreditors, allowing them to provide track maintenance vehicle registration for key areas around Australia.

Clients span the entire country, and have included the Assets Standard Authority (NSW), the Australian Rail Track Association (national), Metro (Melbourne), V/Line (Victoria), Keolis Downer/DPTI (South Australia), Arc Infrastructure/PTA (WA), TasRail (Tasmania, and John Holland (NSW).

TORQUE ENTERPRISES Torque Rail is part of Mackay (Queensland)based Torque Enterprises (TE), a company renowned for its extensive fabrication experience and Engine Rebuilds especially in the repair of heavy earthmoving and mining equipment.

Torque Rail clients can avail themselves to TE’s state-of-the-art machining shop, catering for all machining requirements with world class lathes and personnel who have more than 150 years combined industry knowledge.

TE also boasts an in-house team of engineering and product developers, who

can take ideas from thoughts to working prototypes (concept to reality) and provide all supporting documentation.

COPING WITH COVID Torque Rail’s clientele has remained strong even as COVID spreads its reach through various states, locking down NSW in the process.

“We have business from everywhere: from the backyard customer to Tier 1 contractors to various mid-sized contractors who probably worked for the Tier 1 companies,” Bruce said.

“We are dealing with customer bases which are quite large, down to the mum and dad companies with only one vehicle.

“At the moment I’m working on various big projects including as far away as Perth, and doing some certification track machines. And then on the other hand, we’ve got a backyard mum and dad business coming in with one vehicle requiring yearly certification to track.”

Bruce said Torque Rail boasted the most years of experience in the industry and serviced every state in Australia.

“Obviously, with lockdowns, things are a bit harder as we can’t travel, but we rely on contractors in other states, and even sometimes the opposition, to carry out the work for us,” he said.

“We just have to use whatever sources we can, even by working with the competitors, because the demand is still there and we have to satisfy it. Lucky in the rail industry we are all willing to help the customers out to the best of our ability.”

Inside the massive Torque Rail workshop in the Hunter Valley.

WWW.RAILEXPRESS.COM.AU | 37

Rolling stock

PANOLIN lubricants are used in the railway sector all over the world.

Keep things rolling with PANOLIN Leading lubricants manufacturer the PANOLIN Group has released a series of high-performing products specially made with the environment in mind.

With high ambient and equipment temperatures the norm in rolling stock, it is vital to have high-performance lubricants in place. Indeed, they play a major role in the railway industry for the reliable operation of vehicles and for infrastructure.

The railway sector places a heavy demand on such fluids and oils, which are used not only for vehicles and equipment, but also railway construction and ongoing rail track maintenance and repair.

As well as stringent performance requirements, lubricants used in the

PANOLIN’s ECLs are manufactured using saturated synthetic esters.

38 | ISSUE 9 - OCTOBER 2021 | RAIL EXPRESS

railway industry are often required to be environmentally-friendly due to the possibility of a lubricant leaking or spilling into sensitive areas, including land and waterways.

And that’s why Environmentally Considerate Lubricants (ECLs) – also known as bio-fluids — are so much in demand in the operation of railways. However, not all biodegradable products offer high performance lubrication while protecting the environment.

In today’s very competitive world, most industries share the same objectives when it comes to ECLs: • To increase performance • To reduce costs (by protecting equipment and by extended life span or drain intervals) • To protect the environment • To reduce carbon emissions SELECTING A HIGH PERFORMANCE ECL ECLs are manufactured using a variety of base oils, including polyglycols (PAG), Poly Alpha Olefins (PAO) or synthetic hydrocarbons (SHC), triglycerides (vegetable oils) and synthetic esters (saturated and unsaturated).

The type of base oil used will directly affect the performance characteristics and life span of a lubricant.

One of the leading manufacturers in ECLs is the PANOLIN Group, a full range lubricants supplier with its core competence in the high performing product since 1983 – amounting to 38 years of experience.

As PANOLIN International’s regional business development manager for Asia Pacific, Harry Gettings, points out, PANOLIN supports the railway sector vigorously in meeting its high-performance lubricants requirement, cost reduction, sustainability and carbon reduction challenges.

“PANOLIN’s high performance ECLs are manufactured using saturated synthetic esters, selected for their high performance capabilities and matched with PANOLIN’s industry leading additive technology, developed over nearly 40 years of ECL experience,” he said.

The PANOLIN Group is an independent family-owned company with headquarters and production facility in Switzerland.

The company was established in 1949

by Bernhard Lämmle, and operates internationally with fully owned subsidiaries and long-term distribution partners.

Gettings said that in industries such as the railways sector, PANOLIN is a statement of advanced technology, environmental responsibility and, most importantly, safety.

PANOLIN HLP SYNTH HYDRAULIC FLUID Without a doubt, PANOLIN’s most successful and well-known ECL is HLP SYNTH, which has led the way for decades.

“The London Eye, Panama Canal, Niagara Falls and the Eiffel Tower are just a few of the famous examples that rely on HLP SYNTH

for long lasting high performance and safety,” Gettings said.

“HLP SYNTH is also used by many of the world’s largest railway companies and is the preferred and approved ECL of famous Austrian OEM, Plasser & Theurer.”

The worldwide-established product is formulated on the basis of saturated synthetic esters and enables a service life that is five to 10 times longer, compared to mineral based hydraulic oils. This not only protects the environment, but also the operators’ wallet.

“Reducing costs as well as increasing reliability and sustainability is a neverending issue in rail technology and all other industries,” Gettings said.

Two of the HLP SYNTH grades — HLP SYNTH 32 and HLP SYNTH 46 — have also been included in the Bosch Rexroth Fluid Rating List 90245, a barometer of hydraulic fluid efficiency. These two are the only ECLs on the approved products list, indicating the outstanding performance of the PANOLIN products, especially in terms of their longevity and excellent wear protection. In addition

to HLP SYNTH, the company has released PANOLIN SPRINT, now available worldwide.

“PANOLIN SPRINT extends the PANOLIN HLP SYNTH product concept and provides customers with a cost-effective introduction to the use of high-performance bio-hydraulic fluids,” Gettings said.

“While PANOLIN HLP SYNTH is designed for a long service life, PANOLIN SPRINT is designed for the same use, but for a shorter running time.

“This advantage is strengthened by its compatibility with the established PANOLIN HLP SYNTH. This special feature makes an upgrade possible at any time.

“In summary, HLP SYNTH can give up to 10 times the life span of mineral-based conventional hydraulic fluids and in certain cases, can be used as a ‘fill for life’ hydraulic fluid. SPRINT, on the other hand, is a more economical alternative, when such a long service life is not required. SPRINT offers the high performance of a premium grade, conventional mineral-based hydraulic fluid, but also offers the advantage of being an ECL.”

• Since 1932 – Australian owned, Australian made • Australia’s largest rolling stock suspension component manufacturer • Decades of experience in manufacturing and supplying the highest quality rubber product • Specialising in OEM & OEM replacement components for freight, passenger and light rail applications: • • • • •

Primary suspension Secondary suspension Engine & transmission components Bogie components Platform gap fillers

www.mackayrubber.com.au 1300020374 info@mackayrubber.com.au

FULL RANGE OF LUBRICATION NEEDS PANOLIN offers a full range of ECLs to cover most of the rail industry requirements: • Hydraulic oils • Gear oils • Low SAPS diesel engine oils • Chain and cable lubricant • EP universal grease • EP fluid grease OTHER SERVICES PANOLIN offers expert technical support and advice worldwide.

The company is happy to provide advice on selecting the right product for specific applications, seal compatibility, flushing procedures and miscibility.

In Australia, Imperial Oils & Chemical is the authorised PANOLIN distributor, renowned for its many years of supporting the Australian rail industry with timely product supply and after-sales technical service.

The business prides itself in its ability to source and supply the best product for its customers and its markets.

MAJOR PROJECTS/INFRASTRUCTURE

Putting people first to deliver better train services in Adelaide Approaching a year since Keolis Downer won the right to manage Adelaide Metro train services, managing director Robert Tatton-Jones reflects upon progress to date.

Soon after taking over as managing director of Keolis Downer Adelaide, Robert Tatton-Jones made clear his agenda for a reinvigorated customer experience. “[It is] not very often you are given the opportunity to work on a rail environment where you can play a pivotal role in improving customer service and safety and really make a difference to the day-to-day lives of people who live in a city like Adelaide,” he told Rail Express in late 2020.

Since taking over operations of the Adelaide rail network on 31 January this year, TattonJones has had the chance to reflect. He believes solid progress has already been made. To briefly recap, Tatton-Jones previously headed up operations at Yarra Trams in Melbourne. Keolis Downer appointed him to run Adelaide Metro train services after the company won the right to manage the city’s heavy rail network from the South Australian government.

HOW HAS THE COMPANY IMPROVED CUSTOMER SERVICE? “The focus for us since day-one has been around the passenger experience. We continue

The passenger experience on Adelaide Metro train services has been a key focus.

40 | ISSUE 9 - OCTOBER 2021 | RAIL EXPRESS

to be led by our guiding principle of ‘thinking like a passenger,” he said.

“We have made a very clear decision to look at things from the perspective of what a passenger would want from a new operator in the early days of taking on a rail network.”

A passenger, he said, wants a service that is clean, reliable and in which they feel safe.

“A number of the initiatives we have sought to implement in the first phase of the transition is to enhance those elements,” he said.

“We have ensured more of an on-train presence with security and customer-facing staff.”

New training has been rolled out across the organisation to equip team members in delivering a customer-centric experience.

“We have also implemented digital tools that enable our staff to be better informed about the network and provide live updates to passengers during disruptions.”

Members of the executive also make a point of getting out onto the rail network regularly to speak with travellers about their experiences and identify areas of improvement.

“We looked at the way in which we provide services. Performance since we took over has been high and we continue to meet all our KPIs set by the state government,” he said.

“We have also implemented an even more rigorous cleaning schedule, protecting our passengers as best as possible during the pandemic through the use of fogging technologies onboard and completing on commitments to deep clean all stations and rolling stock in the first six months of operating the network.

“For that, we have had feedback from passengers about the cleanliness of our network and trains. Now we have made those foundational changes, it is about how we make it even better going forwards.”

HOW HAVE MANAGEMENT CHANGES AND THE MOVE FROM PUBLIC TO PRIVATE AFFECTED STAFF? “I made the decision early on that the way to deal with any anxiety was to be as open and available as we could be at all levels,” TattonJones said.

“We wanted to make sure all the executives were out on the network meeting and engaging with staff, answering questions, listening to concerns and ensuring they felt supported through transition. Fundamentally, we were, and still are, a railway family despite change in management.

“Yes, there were areas that could be improved but that wasn’t a reflection of the individuals, more about working together to drive continued improvements and establish the best path to achieving that.”

There was an effort made to encourage two-way communication from the beginning.

“We wanted to keep the railway family mindset at the forefront and instil a strong company culture of care from the get-go,” he said.

“We have continued our efforts since transition by rolling out significant training across the business, which has focused on a number of key themes including customer service, cultural awareness and other health and safety related topics.”

CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES Tatton-Jones said South Australia had been less affected by the pandemic during 2021 compared with other states, notably with shorter lockdowns.

“That has had an effect in terms of our need to be flexible but in the grand scheme of things, we have probably seen smaller impact on passenger numbers compared to other states,” he said.

Meanwhile new investment is set to bring positives, with the state government upgrading the Gawler Line. As part of that upgrade the government has ordered twelve new electric trains that are due to be delivered over the course of the next twelve months.

“These state government assets are sure to contribute further to a quality experience for Adelaide Metro customers,” Tatton-Jones said.

MENTAL HEALTH There has also been early focus on the mental wellbeing of employees.

Keolis Downer has been active in promoting mental health within their workforce this year,

committed to training frontline staff in mental health first aid. This was partially a reflection that the rail workplace is one where staff can be exposed to tragedy.

As part of TrackSafe Foundation’s Rail R U OK? Day, Keolis Downer Adelaide established a wellbeing hub on its intranet with many different resources available relating to mental health, emphasising that it’s a topic for more than just one day – it is something of constant importance.

Tatton-Jones said this was something they continued to encourage.

“We have to be proactive and get staff talking about mental health, feeling comfortable to have meaningful conversations and equipping them with tools to deal with things that could happen,” he said. “Rail is one of the few industries that has its own focused R U OK? Day and alongside other initiatives we committed to training some of our staff in mental health first aid.

“It is something that Keolis Downer have committed to nationally and it is definitely something we encourage our local staff to get

involved in. Without a doubt, it is something we have put at the forefront of our minds when we talk about the overall safety of our staff.”

Keolis Downer Adelaide managing director Robert Tatton-Jones.

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Industry Associations

Rail contributes only six per cent of transport emissions resulting from fuel combustion and electricity use.

New strategy to build on rail’s sustainability focus As Australia moves towards a net zero future, there is an opportunity for the rail industry to further support sustainable development.

ARA CEO Caroline Wilkie.

The launch of the ARA’s Sustainability Strategy in September is a timely reflection of the growing focus on sustainable development in both the rail industry and infrastructure more broadly.

The release of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Report in August

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highlighted the importance of urgent action globally, finding climate change was intensifying and required a strong approach to sustained emissions reductions.

The rail industry has long advocated for transport solutions that support sustainable outcomes.

Passenger rail delivers significant sustainability benefits, with every commuter train taking 578 cars off the road. Beyond the benefits of reduced congestion and emissions, effective rail connections as part of an integrated transport network support increased mobility, accessibility and connection in communities.

In the freight sector, a short haul freight train to our ports takes 41 B-Double trucks off the road and delivers significant safety and health benefits to the community.

These are important benefits supporting the need for greater use of the rail in the community.

As Australia moves towards a net zero future, there is an opportunity for the rail industry to further support sustainable development.

The 2020 Reshaping Infrastructure report

developed by the Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia (ISCA), ClimateWorks Australia and the Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council confirmed the transport sector could make an important contribution to Australia’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions.

While rail contributes only six per cent of transport emissions resulting from fuel combustion and electricity use, there are opportunities for rail to join with the transport sector to deliver improved outcomes across the asset lifecycle, particularly when considering design and construction.

Reshaping Infrastructure estimated transport construction contributed about half of infrastructure’s total annual construction emissions and a third of enabled emissions.

Pleasingly, the report identified key rail projects were already implementing measures to minimise emissions.

Sydney Metro is a good example, with measures such as the sourcing of low impact materials, the development of a power purchase agreement, the adoption of sustainable design features for its trains and stations and enabling increased public

transport use all applied to the project.

To further embed sustainability principles across the asset lifecycle, consideration of sustainability measures that can be implemented must begin in the planning and procurement stages of any project.

The release of Infrastructure Australia’s sustainability principles earlier this year is an important step towards achieving this outcome.

The clear outline of the organisation’s approach to sustainability provides a good foundation for the infrastructure sector when considering future projects.

As the ARA implements its Sustainability Strategy, it will be progressing the rail industry’s dialogue on six key sustainability themes.

We have already commenced engaging with industry and the wider infrastructure sector to help lead the conversation on sustainability in a coordinated way.

Those conversations have been productive and will continue over time to support outcomes that appropriately consider the broader role infrastructure must play in our daily lives.

Strong collaboration across many industries will be required to make a significant and

positive impact and we are committed to being part of this collective effort.

The ARA will also focus on the importance of supporting the community and workforce to participant, develop and prosper in the community.

This builds on our long term focus to champion the development of strong, long term and diverse careers in rail, and the provision of infrastructure that connects communities and provides accessible services for all.

With the release of the IPCC Report in August and COP 26 to be held later this year, energy and carbon will remain a strong focus as we implement our strategy.

The ARA is already a strong supporter of research and innovation that supports the development of low carbon technologies.

We plan to further engage with industry organisations on their own contributions to supporting a move to zero carbon across the supply chain, and work towards establishing best practice approaches to support their progress.

As COVID-19 restrictions ease, we will continue to advocate for a return to rail to support environmentally sustainable growth in our cities and towns.

Assessing opportunities to advocate for guidance and information on broader environmental issues will be part of this.

The ARA’s Rail Supply Chain Report, released earlier this year, also highlighted the importance of promoting circular economy outcomes in the community.

There are some good initiatives led by industry already in place to promote circular economy objectives, such as Victoria’s Recycled First and Ecologiq program.

We will continue to raise awareness of the importance of this and explore further opportunities for industry to develop new streams of waste end-market creation and stimulation.

As recent bushfires and the pandemic have shown, the resilience of our infrastructure is a crucial consideration for new projects, as well as the ongoing management of existing assets.

This continues to be a focus as we support the consideration of sustainability principles as part of planning and procurement processes.

The intrinsic benefits of rail already support sustainable development in our communities.

As we progress the ARA’s sustainability strategy, we look forward to building on the industry’s contribution to support the nation’s long-term growth.

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Industry Associations

Don’t box us in – industry needs room to move The protection and preservation of industrial lands are fundamental to the future operating capabilities of the supply chains.

Australia’s urban areas are growing, and so is the industry’s urban freight task. The future looks bright to some – new homes, increased amenity, and everything from your shoes to the kitchen sink will soon be able to be ordered and delivered online if it’s not already. But there is a storm on the horizon. And it takes the shape of a poorly planned, overdeveloped city brought to its knees by an inability to deliver its essential supply chain functions.

Australia’s national freight task is estimated to be 725 billion tonne-km, increasing by over four-fold in the last 45 years. Between 2018 and 2040, it is forecast to increase by 25 per cent to 962 billion tonne-km, meaning planning now will determine how that task is met.

The preservation of industrial land supply and locations is fundamental to the future horizon that communities look towards.

However, tension between industry and government over the protection of industrial lands is not a new argument. ALC has long advocated for the preservation of freight corridors and industrial land, resulting in the development and adoption of National Urban Freight Planning Principles. These principles were endorsed by the Infrastructure Transport Ministers Meeting earlier this year. These principles form part of the National Freight and Supply Chain Strategy and are integral to ensure government planning properly considers the continuous movement of freight as our cities grow.

However, these principles are not mandatory and industry regularly finds itself in a position of defending the use of the very land it uses to service those communities surrounding it. As recently exhibited by the Industrial Lands Policy Review by the Greater Sydney Commission on whether the current ‘Retain and Manage’ policy for industrial lands should be changed to permit rezoning and more ‘flexible use’ of industrial lands. This would potentially allow residential and other non-industrial services

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ALC CEO Brad Williams

“The assured supply of industrial land, close to population centres and separated from residences, is essential to managing the cost of moving freight and the efficiency and productivity of supply chains.”

Brad Williams, ALC CEO on current industrial zoned lands in Greater Sydney. ALC CEO Brad Williams believes the protection and preservation of industrial lands in markets both nationally and local are fundamental to the future operating capabilities of the supply chains.

“The assured supply of industrial land, close to population centres and separated from residences, is essential to managing the cost of moving freight and the efficiency and productivity of supply chains,” Williams said.

“Long-term thinking and common sense is needed to avoid poor planning decisions that will allow encroachment of residential areas on industrial lands, placing pressure on critical supply chains,” he said.

Land use planning and development approvals that inadequately consider noise, vibrations, and other amenity impacts of freight facilities can ultimately see inappropriate zoning, placing industrial areas and transport corridors next to residential land use. In addition, further restrictions are sometimes imposed such as delivery curfews, areas of operation and vehicle types further dampen productivity of the sector, decreasing economic competitiveness and increasing costs.

As a result, increased congestion in our cities restricts efficient access to freight facilities and impacts the predictability of deliveries. Lastmile delivery is already growing at a rapid pace

servicing consumer demand in metropolitan areas. Growth in business to customer, justin-time and on-demand delivery, driven by the continued rise in e-commerce and home delivery services, are resulting in increased pressure on kerb-side space and growing interaction between vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists.

Poor land use planning is contributing to congestion in our fast-growing cities.

Congestion impacts liveability and the economy. Australian congestion costs equalled $19 billion in 2016 and are expected to rise to $39 billion annually by 2031. The cost of congestion is lost productivity to business and individuals, environmental and health concerns from emissions through impacts on air quality and noise generation, safety for pedestrians and cyclists, impact on footfall in retail precincts, impact on public space available to community.

If we take a common sense and long-term approach through adherence and application of the National Planning Principles we can avoid some problems we are seeing now but we can also contribute to increasing the liveability of our cities. Getting the process right today and educating the community of the need to co-exist with the supply chain who provide our food, groceries and consumer goods in a timely and efficient manner, might mean that storm brewing on the horizon doesn’t eventuate.

Industry Associations

New Horizons for industry’s best in 2022 The Horizons Program helps young technical professionals in the rail sector grow their skills, such as critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, communication, and collaboration.

This year, Horizons Program 3.0 participants attended more than 80 presentations and 16 workshops delivered by technical and industry executives, and heard from 25 CEOs or chairs of transport-related organisations.

Rail organisations throughout Australia and New Zealand are being encouraged to learn, network and grow their way through an immersive seven-month development program developed exclusively by the Rail Industry Safety and Standards Board for industry.

RISSB’s Horizons Program helps young technical professionals (aged 35 and under) grow their 21st century skills — such as critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, communication, and collaboration — alongside other handpicked leaders from industry who are on a similar journey.

The dynamic program features presentations on key technologies, interactive workshops, panel discussions with industry leaders, and group projects and presentations, delivered in both virtual and face-to-face forums.

This year, Horizons Program 3.0 participants attended more than 80 presentations and 16 workshops delivered by technical and industry executives, and heard from 25 CEOs or chairs of transportrelated organisations. And with a total of 65 participants, there was plenty of opportunity for networking with other young professionals.

In 2022, Horizons Program 4.0 will continue

to be run as a smart and sustainable program that offers opportunities like no other.

In 2022, attendees will be able to: • Meet CEOs, COOs and senior managers of major transport-related organisations located throughout Australia • Hear first-hand from industry leaders who are either developing or implementing new technologies • Develop stronger networks by meeting and working with peers from right across Australia • Learn about innovation and new technology • Develop their leadership potential • Learn how to collaborate, communicate and influence • Assist RISSB and ultimately the rail industry to more broadly drive value in safety and productivity.

Since the program’s inception two years ago, more than 160 people from about 50 companies have participated. Program attendees have come from passenger operators, freight operators, track managers, consultants, constructors, manufacturers, ONRSR, ATSB, the National Transport Commission, various Government departments and the tertiary sector.

As said by one Horizons graduate, the Horizons Program offers “… a fantastic

opportunity to network with the next generation of railway technical, safety management lead and operational experts and industry leaders. We’ve had a unique opportunity to view some of the latest technology and projects in the Australian rail industry and learn some valuable lessons from a wide range of industry and experts.”

The positive sentiment was echoed by another participant, who said there was quite simply no other program like it in industry, possibly even globally.

If you would like more information about the program or to find out your candidate’s suitability for the program, please contact Phil Allan at RISSB via email pallan@rissb.com.au.

The Horizons Program is aimed at technical professionals aged 35 and under who have been identified as high potential leaders and is open to any individual in the rail industry.

Undertaking the program requires a seven-month commitment to attend all presentations and forums and participate in all online and face-to-face group activities.

All nominations must put forward by a manager who will act as both a RISSB contact and leadership mentor. Individual nominations will not be accepted.

For more information about the program, visit https://www.rissb.com.au/horizons-program/.

WWW.RAILEXPRESS.COM.AU | 45

Contracts in brief

C R E D I T: H A L L C O N T R A CT I N G

Keep up to date with the latest contracts, EOIs, and tenders announced this month

Hall Contracting has been awarded the early works construction contract for the Beerburrum to Nambour Rail Upgrade.

QUEENSLAND Beerburrum to Nambour contract awarded SUNSHINE Coast company Hall Contracting has been awarded the early works construction contract for the jointly funded Beerburrum to Nambour Rail Upgrade.

Deputy Prime Minister and infrastructure minister Barnaby Joyce said the project was a reminder of the federal government’s record nationwide $110 billion infrastructure investment.

“Investing in B2N is also about creating jobs and supporting the Sunshine Coast and Queensland’s economic recovery,” he said.

“It’s the first time in history that the Federal Government is funding this stretch of rail, where we’re contributing 70 per cent. We’re also funding 80 per cent of the Bruce Highway upgrades. The Sunshine Coast deserves this level of support.”

Works would start early next year on the upgrade, one of several projects planned to improve the freight and passenger connection between Brisbane and Cairns.

At Landsborough, an additional park ‘n’ ride facility with about 300 parking spaces will be built on the eastern side of the station, removing the need for people to drive across the level crossing to park.

46 | ISSUE 9 - O CTO B E R 2021 | RAIL EXPRESS

Landsborough Station will also benefit from the construction of a new bus interchange.

Stage one will also realign a onekilometre section of Steve Irwin Way between Nursery Road and Moffatt Road, allowing duplication of the rail line and smoothing of the curves through this section.

The early works will pave the way for the major construction works to deliver rail duplication between Beerburrum and Beerwah, three new road-over-rail bridges and expansion of the park ‘n’ ride facility at Beerburrum.

Early works are expected to start in early 2022 and be completed by 2023, weather and construction conditions permitting.

Stage one construction is expected to be completed by 2025, weather and construction conditions permitting.

The Australian and Queensland governments have committed $550.8 million towards the B2N project, with the Australian government providing $390 million and the Queensland government providing $160.8 million.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA Roads over rail at Port Hedland Port Hedland road and rail improvements are underway, with the first contract awarded for two ‘road-over-rail’ bridge projects and Stage 1 works beginning.

The contract has been awarded for the $31.48 million project at Buttweld Road to the Highway Construction-Albem Operations Joint Venture.

Highway Construction is a quality accredited mid-tier construction company with strong design and construct experience in urban and regional areas in Australia.

Over the past three decades the company has successfully delivered more than 40 major projects for the WA State Government Road Authority, Main Roads WA, making it by number of projects the

most frequently awarded supplier of transportation infrastructure in the state.

It enjoys a long-term partnership with Queensland bridge construction specialist, Albem Operations.

Stage 1 of the Port Hedland projects will be fully funded by BHP and delivered by the Western Australian Government through Main Roads WA, and Stage 2 is funded by BHP, Federal Government and the Western Australian Government The bridge at Buttweld Road is part of an estimated $68 million package of works split into three phases: 1. Construction of a 34-metre-long bridge over BHP’s rail line south of Buttweld Road bridge (Stage 1).

2. Closure of Powell Road and construction of traffic roundabouts at the Dalton and Hamilton roads intersections, with the roundabouts to be built either side of the rail line and complement the ‘road-overrail’ bridges by removing access over the rail crossing (Stage 1).

3. Construction of a 31-metre-long ‘roadover-rail’ bridge on the Port Hedland Airport Deviation at the Nelson Point main level crossing on Great Northern Highway (Stage 2).

Main Roads will manage the works with total funding for the road-over-rail projects provided by BHP ($45.26 million), the Federal Government ($18.2 million) and the Western Australian Government ($4.54 million).

WA Premier, Mark McGowan, said the three rail crossings carry a total of 6000 vehicles per day, and providing bridges not only removed the risk of accidents, but eliminated the need for people to wait in their vehicles while long freight trains pass by.

BHP Western Australia Iron Ore asset president Brandon Craig said the funding package would improve safety at level rail crossings and provide jobs to the local community while allowing travel around Port Hedland to become more efficient.

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