Middle East Association of Railway Professionals
E-Newsletters June 2022 Issue 2022 Rail Safety Week
June 2022
Etihad Rail orders passenger fleet as construction continues north of Dubai CAF will supply diesel trains with a top speed of 200km/h. ETIHAD Rail has awarded CAF, Spain, a Dirhams 1.2bn ($US 326.7m) contract to design, manufacture, supply and maintain push-pull diesel passenger trains for the Etihad Rail project. Neither CAF nor Etihad Rail disclosed the number of trains included in the contract. The trains will meet European standards with a maximum speed of 200km/h, with capacity for more than 400 passengers. CAF said the base contract is worth more than €250m. The agreement was signed on June 23 by Mr Shadi Malak, CEO of Etihad Rail, and Mr Josu Imaz, CEO rolling stock at CAF, in the Sakamkam area, where the first station will be built in the heart of Fujairah city. The signing was witnessed by the chairman of Etihad Rail, Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Mr Suhail Mohamed Faraj Al Mazrouei, minister of energy and infrastructure, Mr Iñigo de Palacio, ambassador of Spain to the UAE, and officials from both sides. The development of passenger services is one of the three strategic projects of the National Railways Programme in the United Arab Emirates. Passenger trains will connect 11 cities and regions in the UAE from Al Sila to Fujairah, including Al Ruwais, Al Mirfa, Dubai, Sharjah, Al Dhaid, and Abu Dhabi. Rail is expected to reduce journey times by up to 40% compared with road. This includes a journey time of 50 minutes from Abu Dhabi to Dubai and from Dubai to Fujairah, and a 1h 10min journey time from Abu Dhabi to Al Ruwais. The journey from Abu Dhabi to Fujairah will take 1h 40min. The trains will be equipped to cope with the UAE’s harsh climate, and will provide amenities including infotainment systems, charging stations, and a food and beverage service. There will be ample legroom and an advanced air-conditioning system, with seating divided into first class, business class and economy. In February, Etihad Rail signed an agreement with First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) to finance passenger services, with a total value of Dirhams 1.99bn. First Abu Dhabi Bank will be the Certified Lead Arranger for the loan. PAGE 2
June 2022
Construction progress Before the signing, Nahyan visited the final package of Stage 2 of the UAE National Rail Network, which extends for 145km from Sharjah to Fujairah Port and Ras Al Khaimah, to review the progress of construction work. During the visit, which started in the Al Suyoh area in Sharjah and concluded in Sakamkam, Nahyan inspected key landmarks on the route, starting with the rail bridge in Al Suyoh, followed by a stop to visit the Al Bithnah bridge in Fujairah. He then travelled to visit tracklaying work in tunnels in Al Hajar Mountains in Fujairah. Stage 2 has 54 bridges and 20 wildlife crossing points, along with nine tunnels totalling 6.9km. This includes the longest freight tunnel in the Arab Gulf which runs for 1.8km. In November 2021, Etihad Rail completed excavation works for all tunnels on the route, two months ahead of schedule.
Two JVs picked for 28km of tunnels at Saudi Arabia’s Neom Neom, the company delivering Saudi Arabia’s major new economic hub and tourism destination of the same name, has awarded two contracts to drill and blast 28km of tunnels to facilitate Neom’s plan to put transport and services infrastructure below ground. Excavated by two joint ventures comprising Spanish, Chinese, Korean and Saudi companies, the separate tunnels will carry high-speed passenger and freight trains along parallel routes. The first contract was awarded to a consortium of FCC Construction of Spain, the China State Construction Engineering Corporation and the Shibh Al-Jazira Contracting Company. The second went to a team made up of two Korean companies, Samsung C&T and Hyundai Engineering and Construction, with the Saudi Archirodon Company. Neom said rock excavated for the tunnels would be processed for use in the tunnels’ concrete lining and other Neom projects. “The sheer scope and scale of the tunnelling work to be undertaken highlight the complexity and ambition of the project,” said Neom chief executive Nadhmi Al-Nasr. PAGE 3
June 2022
The Neom economic zone is located in Saudi Arabia’s northwest, on the coast of the Red Sea. It will seek investors in advanced manufacturing and other advanced business sectors as part of the country’s plan to diversify its economy. Neom will be home to “The Line”, billed as a car-free, zero-carbon city with 1 million inhabitants and no roads, laid out as a 170km-long belt with services and transport infrastructure built underground (see further reading).
APTA recognizes four systems with 2022 Rail Safety and Security Excellence Awards Rail systems in Miami, Washington, D.C., New Orleans and Vancouver, British Columbia, earned accolades for their innovative and proactive safety and security initiatives. The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) recognized its 2022 Rail Safety and Security Excellence Awards on June 7 at the association’s annual rail conference, which is being held in San Diego, Calif. The awards recognize transit providers who have implemented “innovative and proactive safety and security programs.” APTA says its Rail Safety and Security Excellence Awards “help to build the industry by benchmarking successful initiatives so other systems can implement and fine-tune their programs based on the findings of their peers.” APTA explains nominations for the awards are evaluated on four criteria: effectiveness, benefit level, innovation and transferability. The top honor is the Gold Award, which is presented to organizations with the best example of a safety or security program. A Certificate of Merit is given to organizations in recognition of exceptional achievement in safety or security. The New Orleans Regional Transit Authority earned a Certificate of Merit in Safety and Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority earned a Certificate of Merit in Security. The Gold Award in safety went to the British Columbia Rapid Transit Company in Vancouver, British Columbia, for its Zero Harm initiative that has resulted in reduced lost time incidents, improved reporting and better accountability.
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June 2022
The Gold Award in security went to Miami-Dade County Department of Transportation and Public Works, Miami-Dade Transit, which has reduced crime on its system by 30 percent in part by working closely with its partners in the Miami Police Department. “Each and every day, our rail professionals closely work together to provide safe, efficient and comfortable transportation to all Americans. The industry constantly seeks new avenues of addressing security and safety needs, implementing fixes and sharing the results with their colleagues across the country. I want to congratulate those being honored for their contributions to the industry,” said APTA President and CEO Paul P. Skoutelas. “Their work provides the bulwark that makes public transportation more efficient and safer for their passengers, employees, and communities nationwide.”
2022 Rail Safety Week Stand back. Look up. Stay Rail Safe 8-14 August 2022 Working together on rail safety is very important. Over the last six years there has been on average 83 fatalities on the Australian rail network, with 71 of these people taking their own life. As well, annually there are almost as many attempted suicides as suicides, around 27 injuries at level crossings or because of trespass and around 1,880 level crossing and trespass near hits. Rail Safety Week is an annual community awareness week held in Australia & New Zealand, designed to engage the community in safe rail practices. During Rail Safety Week, rail operators, police, government & community organisation’s unite by organizing activities such as media events, safety demonstrations, webinars & virtual events, along with engaging schools & community groups to raise awareness of the importance of rail safety.
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June 2022
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RAIL SOLUTIONS ASIA 2022 – CONFERENCE PROGRAMME Wednesday June 22nd 9.30 PROJECTS & PLANNING SESSION Conference papers presented by Asian Railway Operators on the subject of Projects and Planning, giving detailed information about upcoming projects on urban and mainline rail systems. CHAIRPERSON
Rodrigo Bulario, VP for Railway Operations
Andrea Mellind Madrid Operations Head LRT Line 1 - Cavite Extension Project
JADPhil & Assoc
Philippines
Manila LRMC
Philippines
Panji Bismantoko
Railway Maintenance Division Head MRT Jakarta Indonesia MRT Jakarta – lessons learnt from first 3 years of operations and upcoming projects
Le Khang
Deputy Director of International Cooperation, Vietnam Railways Vietnam Science & Technology Department Opportunities for Cooperation and Participation in Railway Projects in Vietnam
Pilar Skall
Director Mobility & Transport Financing solutions for the railway industry
KfW IPEX-Bank
Germany
12.00 ROLLING STOCK WORKSHOP CHAIRPERSON
Dirk Wimmer, General Manager
Dirk Wimmer,
General Manager Dinghan SMART Germany Reduction of Life Cycle Costs. How to improve energy efficiency & lower maintenance costs
Ashkan Motaman
Project Controller Trapeze Group Driver Advisory System (DAS): Lead the way to sustainable rail by saving energy, reducing cost and improving performance
Chelvam Rengasamy
Consultant, Bus Devel, Rolling Stock Projects SMH RAIL Malaysia Rolling Stock MRO – A Key driver for sustainability of the local rail industry in Malaysia
Session Chairman
AROA Member Open Forum
Dinghan SMART
Australia
14.45 PERMANENT WAY WORKSHOP Chairpersons
Dieter Schluck, Managing Director – CEO Hannes Saurug Managing Director – CSO
voestalpine Railway Systems Asia voestalpine Railway Systems Asia
Hannes Saurug
Managing Director – CSO voestalpine Railway Systems Asia Life cycle optimization in railway infrastructures - How to improve railway system performance
Ferdy Wijsman
Vice President – Customer Management Asia voestalpine Railway Systems Asia Assuring rolling stock performance by applying effective monitoring technology
Liam Turbet
Technical Manager Delkor Rail The importance of track resilience in relation to noise & vibration, plus load on components and substructure
Session Chairman
AROA Member Open Forum
Australia
AROA Member Open Forum 8 Asian Railway Operators have sent Senior Managers, with relevant expertise, to attend each of the four Specialised Workshops. They have been contacted ahead of the event and asked to supply a short list of current and relevant topics for discussion. The session chairmen will use these topics to lead an open forum between the operators, suppliers and other delegates.
Thursday June 23rd 10.15 EDUCATION & TRAINING SESSION Chairperson
Marcelo Bumenfeld, Assistant Professor
Birmingham BCRRE
UK
Ir. Azman Senin
Director, Asia Rail Centre UniKL Progress in talent development for the rail industry in Asia
Tamil Iniyan
Business Development Director Asian Rail Academy Malaysia Up-skilling & re-skilling the workforce to deliver growth in the railway industry
Session Chairman
AROA Member Open Forum
Malaysia
12.00 SIGNALLING & COMMUNICATIONS WORKSHOP Chairperson
Joachim Janle, Dir Product Bus, Transportation Thales Deutschland
Joachim Janle
Director Product Business, Transportation Thales Deutschland Eulynx – Interfacing Axle Counters with the Era of intelligent Railways
Arne Kloosterman
Managing Director, Westermo Asia Westermo Singapore Network Communication solutions for rolling stock and trackside applications
Dipl.-Ing. Hendrik Holz Director Sales Funkwerk Systems Migration of Terminals from GSM-R towards FRMCS Session Chairman
Germany
Germany
AROA Member Open Forum
14.45 OPERATIONS & MAINTENANCE WORKSHOP Chairperson
Frank Hesse, Managing Director, ASEAN
Trapeze Group
Malaysia
Satpal Bamrah
EAM solution expert Trapeze Group Australia How to Improve Rail Asset Effectiveness and Reliability Using Asset Management
Philipp Goetz
MD, Railway Operations Specialist Rail Systems Eng. Malaysia ATO on mainline and requirements and benefits for Asian Mainline Operators
Gavin Panter
Business Development Director (International) Resonate UK Luminate – A Traffic Management System delivering safe, sustainable and efficient Train Operation solutions
Session Chairman AROA Member Open Forum
CONFERENCE SILVER SPONSORS
TRAPEZE GROUP
VOESTALPINE RAILWAY SYSTEMS