Two level crossing removal contracts awarded
JOHN Holland has been awarded a $170 million contract to remove two level crossings in Melbourne in alliance with Kellogg Brown and Root (KBR), Metro Trains and the Level Crossing Removal Authority.
The North West Program Alliance will initially remove the level crossings at Camp Road in Campbellfield and Skye Road in Frankston. This will involve lowering the rail under Camp Road and building a rail bridge over Skye Road. The alliance will then start planning works for the removal of other level crossings in Melbourne’s north-west as part of the additional works package.
Chief executive officer Joe Barr said the level crossing removals would deliver “significant safety improvements to the community to relieve prolonged traffic congestion and provide a more efficient public transport network”.
Construction for the first two level crossings is scheduled to start in coming months and be completed in 2018.
Sydney Trains to upgrade telecomms
SYDNEY Trains is upgrading its telecommunication with a package from equipment and software company Ciena which will support efforts to improve speed and reliability on the network and provide a reliable data network.
Ciena’s 6500 Packet-Optical Platform will help improve services across the system with a faster, low-latency and reliable data network which will support critical passenger safety measures that ensure trains operate at safe distances.
Key points of the upgrade include:
A spokesperson for Sydney Trains said passenger safety was a key focus for the organisation.
“Ciena’s 6500 Packet Optical Platform satisfies these elements of our operations, addressing all the requirements we need to upgrade our system in one solution,” the spokesperson said.
Queensland joins national safety regulator
THE Australasian Railway Association (ARA) has congratulated the Queensland Government on joining the National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR).
“Queensland joining ONRSR is an important step in the establishment of a national rail safety regulator – something the rail industry has called for over the past decade,” Danny Broad, chief executive officer of the ARA, said.
“It is great for industry to have ONRSR as the rail safety regulator in all Australian states and territories.
However, after more than a decade of discussion there is one missing piece of the jigsaw.
The ARA said a national regulator must be just that and called on Victoria to move from the current service level agreement to join ONRSR. “In doing so, Victoria needs to bring light rail and all tourism and heritage operations under ONRSR, not the Victorian safety regulator,” Mr Broad said.
“ARA members want a truly national rail safety regulator without any additional cost of regulation.
“It is critical Victoria follow all other jurisdictions and join ONRSR to maximise the efficiency and effectiveness of ONRSR.”
Alstom delivers the 200th Coradia Polyvalent
TRAIN manufacturer Alstom has celebrated the delivery of the 200th Coradia Polyvalent train, which went to the Grand Est region in France.
At Alstom’s manufacturing plant at Reichshoffen, Alsace, France, the celebration drew together Philippe Richert, president of the Grand Est region; former minister Mathias Emmerich, executive vice-president of performance for SNCF Mobilités; and Jean-Baptiste Eyméoud, president of Alstom in France. The 200th train delivered to Grand Est was one of 34 trains ordered to date by the region.
After three years of operation, the total number of Coradia Polyvalent trains delivered to date has travelled more than 27 million kilometres, with a level of reliability that surpasses the benchmark set by SNCF. The 30 Grand Est Regiolis trains currently in commercial operation have travelled more than five million kilometres.
Since 2009, the Grand Est region has ordered 34 Regiolis trains worth more than €300 million ($447m): 24 suburban trains (TER Alsace) and 10 regional trains (TER Lorraine). By 1 January 2018 this fleet will be extended by 19 more trains of the same type, called Coradia Liner.
JOHN Holland has been awarded a $170 million contract to remove two level crossings in Melbourne in alliance with Kellogg Brown and Root (KBR), Metro Trains and the Level Crossing Removal Authority.
The North West Program Alliance will initially remove the level crossings at Camp Road in Campbellfield and Skye Road in Frankston. This will involve lowering the rail under Camp Road and building a rail bridge over Skye Road. The alliance will then start planning works for the removal of other level crossings in Melbourne’s north-west as part of the additional works package.
Chief executive officer Joe Barr said the level crossing removals would deliver “significant safety improvements to the community to relieve prolonged traffic congestion and provide a more efficient public transport network”.
Construction for the first two level crossings is scheduled to start in coming months and be completed in 2018.
Sydney Trains to upgrade telecomms
SYDNEY Trains is upgrading its telecommunication with a package from equipment and software company Ciena which will support efforts to improve speed and reliability on the network and provide a reliable data network.
Ciena’s 6500 Packet-Optical Platform will help improve services across the system with a faster, low-latency and reliable data network which will support critical passenger safety measures that ensure trains operate at safe distances.
Key points of the upgrade include:
- By investing in both 100G transport and Optical Transport Network (OTN) switching solutions, Sydney Trains fulfils its focus on building a network that enhances support of customer safety and critical train operations.
- Sydney Trains has various sites along its network that have different traffic requirements. The flexibility of Ciena’s 6500 Packet Optical Platform supports these end-to-end services and various system configurations, including deployments over long distances and fibre types such as aerial.
- This network upgrade aids Sydney Trains to transition from an SDH legacy network and lays the foundation required to support future high-capacity service requirements.
A spokesperson for Sydney Trains said passenger safety was a key focus for the organisation.
“Ciena’s 6500 Packet Optical Platform satisfies these elements of our operations, addressing all the requirements we need to upgrade our system in one solution,” the spokesperson said.
Queensland joins national safety regulator
THE Australasian Railway Association (ARA) has congratulated the Queensland Government on joining the National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR).
“Queensland joining ONRSR is an important step in the establishment of a national rail safety regulator – something the rail industry has called for over the past decade,” Danny Broad, chief executive officer of the ARA, said.
“It is great for industry to have ONRSR as the rail safety regulator in all Australian states and territories.
However, after more than a decade of discussion there is one missing piece of the jigsaw.
The ARA said a national regulator must be just that and called on Victoria to move from the current service level agreement to join ONRSR. “In doing so, Victoria needs to bring light rail and all tourism and heritage operations under ONRSR, not the Victorian safety regulator,” Mr Broad said.
“ARA members want a truly national rail safety regulator without any additional cost of regulation.
“It is critical Victoria follow all other jurisdictions and join ONRSR to maximise the efficiency and effectiveness of ONRSR.”
Alstom delivers the 200th Coradia Polyvalent
TRAIN manufacturer Alstom has celebrated the delivery of the 200th Coradia Polyvalent train, which went to the Grand Est region in France.
At Alstom’s manufacturing plant at Reichshoffen, Alsace, France, the celebration drew together Philippe Richert, president of the Grand Est region; former minister Mathias Emmerich, executive vice-president of performance for SNCF Mobilités; and Jean-Baptiste Eyméoud, president of Alstom in France. The 200th train delivered to Grand Est was one of 34 trains ordered to date by the region.
After three years of operation, the total number of Coradia Polyvalent trains delivered to date has travelled more than 27 million kilometres, with a level of reliability that surpasses the benchmark set by SNCF. The 30 Grand Est Regiolis trains currently in commercial operation have travelled more than five million kilometres.
Since 2009, the Grand Est region has ordered 34 Regiolis trains worth more than €300 million ($447m): 24 suburban trains (TER Alsace) and 10 regional trains (TER Lorraine). By 1 January 2018 this fleet will be extended by 19 more trains of the same type, called Coradia Liner.
