Dear Readers
We are pleased to be supporting the 4th ASEAN Rail Summit which will take place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 9th to 10th January 2025.
The 4th ASEAN Rail Summit, themed "Global Tech Fusion, Rail Connects Nations", will grandly convene in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in January 9th - 10th 2025. Over 300 industry experts and decision-makers from railway government agencies, engineering planning, design, construction, and contracting units, owner enterprises, rolling stock, communication and signalling, electromechanical security equipment suppliers, investment and financing institutions, law firms, and consulting companies worldwide will gather to discuss opportunities for ASEAN's rail transit industry development, standardization, investment and financing prospects, construction projects, operation, and maintenance, jointly advancing the industry's construction and development in ASEAN.
For more information and to register to attend, visit: http://en.shine-consultant.com/prod_view.aspx?TypeId=11&Id=370&FId=t3:11:3#xn_c_prodv_565_wrap
Our Jobs of the Week this week are in Australia where we are looking for a Product Manager and Customer Service Officer to work in Sydney and a Senior Professional Electrical Engineer to work in Perth.
Best Regards
Rail Personnel
Rail News
10 December 2024. Australia. New METRONET line opens in Perth
The METRONET Ellenbrook Line officially opened on 8 December 2024, marking the biggest expansion of Perth’s rail network in more than 16 years. Delivered by the Western Australian Government with funding support from the Federal Government, the new line will connect tens of thousands of people in Perth’s growing north-eastern suburbs to the rail network for the first time. The 21km line includes five new stations at Morley, Noranda, Ballajura, Whiteman Park and Ellenbrook, and will tie in with the new Bayswater Station that opened earlier this year.
Source: Infrastructure Magazine
This week, GB Railfreight (GBRf), one of the UK’s leading transporters of consumer and business goods announced that its latest locomotive, the Class 99, will operate solely on electricity or renewable fuels such as HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil). The Class 99s are set to enter service in late 2025, marking a major milestone in sustainable rail freight transport. The Class 99 will be the first heavy-haul freight locomotive capable of transporting significant volumes at mainline speeds on both electrified and non-electrified sections of the UK rail network.
Source: Rail UK
10 December 2024. United States. Amtrak Breaks All-Time Ridership Record in 2024
Amtrak has set an all-time ridership record in Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24), welcoming 32.8 million rail passengers. This ridership record marks a 15% increase over the previous fiscal year. The surge in demand thus reflects the growing popularity of rail travel as an efficient and reliable mode of transport across the United States. In addition to the record ridership, Amtrak has committed to substantial investments in the nation’s rail infrastructure, with more than 4.5 billion USD allocated to major projects.
Source: Railway-News
10 December 2024. Canada. VIA Rail Canada announces tender for new cross country fleet
VIA Rail Canada has launched a Request for Qualification (RFQ) to replace its Long-Distance, Regional, and Remote (LDRR) fleet with new rolling stock, both locomotives and cars. The replacement of the pan-Canadian fleet was announced as part of the 2024 Federal Budget. It builds on the successful entry into service of VIA Rail’s new Corridor fleet. The new pan-Canadian rolling stock should be designed to meet accessibility standards, ensuring a seamless travel experience for all passengers, VIA said.
Source: Railway Technology
10 December 2024. Japan. Saitama New Urban Transit trainsets delivered
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has completed deliveries of the 2020 Series Automated Guideway Transit light metro trainsets for Saitama New Urban Transit Co’s New Shuttle Ina Line in Greater Tokyo. MHI supplied five six-car sets in 2015-20 to replace older vehicles and announced at the end of November that it had delivered a sixth set. Features of the latest generation cars include wheelchair spaces and enhanced ventilation and heating, as well as easier operation and maintenance based on the experience of AGT operators.
Source: Railway Gazette
9 December 2024. Malaysia. Penang Island LRT railway systems procurement launched
Tenders have been invited for a turnkey contract to supply and maintain the railway systems for the Mutiara (Pearl) light rail project on Penang Island. The planned 29 km ‘medium capacity’ line with 21 stations would run from Silicon Island in the south of Penang Island to Komtar in George Town and then across the Penang Strait to Penang Sentral in Butterworth. The national government took over responsibility for the project from the state of Penang early this year. It has appointed Mass Rapid Transit Corp to act as project developer and asset owner though dedicated subsidiary MRT Mutiara.
Source: Railway Gazette
9 December 2024. United Kingdom. FirstGroup finalises $636m deal with Hitachi and Angel Trains
Britain’s FirstGroup has finalised a £500m ($636.8m) agreement with Hitachi Rail and Angel Trains to lease 14 new five-car class 80X trains. The contract includes maintenance over a ten-year lease period, with the trains to be manufactured by Hitachi in County Durham. The new Hitachi trains will operate on the newly announced London to Carmarthen route and will add capacity to the East Coast mainline’s Hull trains and Lumo services. The investment aligns with FirstGroup’s strategic goal to grow its open-access capacity and ensure a homogenous fleet.
Source: Railway Technology
6 December 2024. United States. Stadler gains $500m contract for new train control system
Stadler has received a $500m contract from the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) in the US to deliver a new communication-based train control (CBTC) system. CBTC is a wireless system that enables precise real-time tracking of train locations, ensuring safe operations. The NOVA Pro train control system, which Stadler is implementing, will not only bolster safety but also support train operators in maintaining efficient operations, with a driver on board to manage the journey and respond to incidents.
Source: Railway Technology
6 December 2024. Egypt. Egyptian National Railways orders ‘state-of-the-art’ track maintenance fleet
Plasser & Theurer has signed a contract to supply a fleet of track maintenance machines to Egyptian National Railways. Announcing the order on December 4, Plasser & Theurer said the significant investment in of ‘state-of-the-art’ machines would enable ENR to increase the safety, efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the entire network, reducing maintenance costs and increasing the service life of track.
Source: Railway Gazette
Jobs of the Week
Product Manager, Sydney, Australia
Job ID#: 14951
Discipline: Permanent Way
Language: English
Job Description:
Our client is a global railway infrastructure equipment and technology company and they are looking for a Product Manager to be based in Sydney, Australia.
The Product Manager Welding will be responsible for providing market oversight & support on all Business Unit products with a focus on central APAC, Southeast Asia and ANZ, including India and China as required.
KEY AREAS OF ACTIVITY AND RESPONSIBILITY
1. Define and implement market & product strategy for ATW and EQC products in the APAC region
- Define and execute the product strategy for the region, aligned with global business objectives and tailored to regional market demands.
- Conduct market research and competitive analysis to identify new product opportunities and areas for improvement within the product portfolio.
- Collaborate with regional leadership and global product teams to ensure product roadmaps meet both local and global business goals.
- Provide product leadership & coordination of Technical Support team in Australia, Indonesia & Thailand to create customer centricity and opportunity management through technical engagement.
- Develop and implement Perfect Weld (i-weld), finalize homologation, and commercialize HFP, Auto seal, and launch auto aligning.
2. Cross-functional Leadership:
- Lead cross-functional teams including technical engineering, sales, and marketing to develop and launch Welding and Equipment products.
- Drive collaboration between engineering and product teams to ensure technical resources are aligned with product goals and timelines.
- Provide leadership between customer-facing sales, technical departments, and customers to ensure full customer satisfaction, including point of contact for specific customers.
- Foster strong relationships with key stakeholders, ensuring alignment on product direction and business priorities.
- Improve footprint performance for VCP, including efficiency in transportation and supply chain improvements within current group manufacturing capability.
3. Customer and Market Insights:
- Serve as the regional expert on customer needs, market trends, and competitive landscape, providing insights that shape product development.
- Work directly with customers, partners, and the sales team to gather feedback and ensure products meet user requirements.
- Drive ATW & EQC sales through a redefined supply chain, opportunity creation, strategy, and implementation in all markets of responsibility, including potential for partnerships/distributors.
- Where appropriate develop new business models for ATW, drawing upon full APAC models to penetrate underserved markets with potential supply routes in opportunity markets.
- Market monitoring, reporting, and strategic targeting of the ATW market to increase market share.
- Train, develop, and support market support for the customer-facing sales team.
Job Requirements:
- University Degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, or Commerce from a recognized tertiary institution.
- Post-graduate qualification in Management from a recognized tertiary institution.
- Proven experience and success over a number of years in a similar role.
- Proven people management skills with demonstrated ability to lead a team at all levels of management and employees.
- Excellent skills in strategic planning implementation and execution of business plans to ensure the continued success of the company in the Asia Pacific region.
- Proven track record in successful business growth and ensuring concession planning.
- Ability and track record in achieving all Stakeholder expectations
Contact: Jackie Hendry (jackie@railpersonnel.com)
Customer Service Officer, Sydney, Australia
Job ID#: 14977
Discipline: Administration
Position Type: Permanent
Language: English
Duration: Permanent
Job Description:
Our client is seeking a Customer Service Officer to ensure the timely processing and entry of customer orders and quotations. Be confident to co-ordinate the Warehouse and Dispatch activities to ensure timely deliveries.
Responsible for:
* Field standard customer enquiries.
* Maintain ERP system for quotes, sales and purchases.
* Provide assistance as an additional resource for the Quality Management Systems.
* Maintain control of Inventory checks/stock control, in collaboration with Warehouse/Logistics.
* Assist in the support to customers of up-to-date delivery schedules.
* Monitoring freight costs against actual.
* Provide a backup to logistics leaders during their absence.
* Prepare and issue supplier purchaser orders from the ERP System to support the supply of factored items and services for customer orders.
Job Requirements:
* Formal qualifications or Industry experience in Sales
* Management & Operating skills of integrated Business System (ERP) within the sales department.
* Good communication and negotiation skills.
* Understanding of logistic and warehouse processes.
* Understanding of purchasing and procurement processes.
Contact: Renee Wade (renee@railpersonnel.com)
Senior Professional Electrical Engineer, Perth, Australia
Job ID#: 14956
Discipline: Electrical
Language: English
Job Description:
Our client is an engineering consultancy and they are looking for a Senior Professional Electrical Engineer.
This position can be based in Perth or Melbourne.
As a senior professional electrical engineer, and a senior member of the team, you will conduct technical reporting and analysis tasks, on-site testing and commissioning activities along with project management and client interfacing. Your engineering and project experience will be key to assist the client to deliver the following as part of collaborative team against relevant Australian and International standards:
- Earthing system design, analysis and compliance assessments.
- Lightning protection system design, analysis and compliance assessments.
- Low frequency interference studies.
- Protection grading studies and HV power system load flow investigations and analysis.
- Knowledge of Australian standards relating to high voltage and electrical installations.
- Prepare and review quality deliverables consistent with client expectations
- Manage projects and work packages to achieve quality, budgetary and programme expectations
- Assist the management team with business development and maintaining client relationships
- Assist and mentor less experienced team members
Job Requirements:
- Bachelor of Electrical Engineering Degree (or higher)
- Holds Australian Citizenship or Permanent Residency
- Current drivers licence
- Minimum five to ten two years (post graduation) experience within high voltage design and commissioning fields
Contact: Renee Wade (renee@railpersonnel.com)
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