Dear Readers
Happy New Year!!
We are pleased to be supporting the upcoming 14th annual Heavy Hail Rail Conference which will take place from 26-27 March 2025 at the Crown Perth, Western Australia.
Bringing together a cross section of major players for quality networking and collaboration, Heavy Haul Rail 2025 will explore challenges, opportunities, and priorities both locally and internationally across the heavy haul industry. The technical streams return showcasing new ideas and developments in maintenance & asset management, technology & safety to ensure safe, and reliable operations. Heavy Haul Rail 2025 will be co-located once again with Rail Turnouts and Rail Signalling.
For more information and to register to attend, please visit: https://www.informa.com.au/event/conference/transport-logistics/heavy-haul-rail/
And we have 4x exciting Jobs of the Week this week. In Sydney, Australia we are looking for a Commercial Operations Manager and a Customer Service Officer. In Taiwan, we are looking for a CAD Operator and Admin Interpreters.
There is high demand for candidates with experience working on High Speed Rail projects, particularly for projects in India and the United Arab Emirates. If you have experience working on High Speed Rail projects, please send your CV to renee@railpersonnel.com.
Best Regards
Rail Personnel
Rail News
7 January 2025. United States. California’s high-speed rail program advances
The Railhead will act as a hub for receiving materials needed to build the high-speed rail track, including temporary freight tracks. California’s high-speed rail program has entered a new phase with the initiation of the Railhead Project in Kern County, marking the transition to construction. This project is pivotal for the state’s high-speed rail program as it prepares for the next stages leading to operational readiness.
Source: Railway Technology
7 January 2025. China. World’s Fastest High-Speed Train Unveiled in China
On 29 December, the CR450 train model was officially unveiled in Beijing, introducing what is now recognized as the world’s fastest high-speed train. The CR450 models have been manufactured by CRRC to be operated by China Railway High-speed (CRH). The CR450 trains reached a maximum speed of 453 km/h during testing and are designed to operate commercially at 400 km/h. This is a notable increase from the CR400 Fuxing high-speed train, which currently operates at a maximum speed of 350 km/h.
Source: Railway News
7 January 2025. Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh City joins the Metro club
Ho Chi Minh City’s 19·7 km metro Line 1 opened for commercial service at 10.00 on December 22 with free travel for 30 days. The southwest-to-northeast line runs from the Ben Thanh market in the city center to the densely populated suburb of Suoi Tien, serving 14 stations. Only 2·6 km and three stations are underground, while the remaining 17·1 km and 11 stations have been built on an elevated alignment. Maximum speed is 110 km/h on the elevated section and 80 km/h in the tunnels.
Source: Metro Report International
7 January 2025. United Kingdom. Transpennine Route Enhancements Revealed
During the festive season, significant enhancements were made across multiple sites on the TransPennine route, bringing passengers closer to faster, greener, and more reliable journeys between Manchester and York. In Leeds, a dedicated team of 100 TRU engineers replaced the Osmondthorpe Lane railway bridge. The new 200-tonne structure was moved into place using a self-propelled modular transport (SPMT) vehicle.
Source: Railway Technology Magazine
7 January 2025. Saudi Arabia. Orange Line launch completes Riyadh metro openings
The last of the six metro lines in Riyadh opened on January 5 when services began on Line 3, the Orange Line. An initial five stations have opened at Jeddah Road, Tuwaiq, Al Dawh, Harun Al Rashid Road, and An Naseem. A number of intermediate stations and an eastern extension are to follow in the coming weeks. The Orange Line will be the longest on the network, running 41·1 km from Jeddah Road in the west to Prince Saad bin Abdulrahman Al-Awwal in the east and including 11 km of tunnels when fully open.
Source: Metro Report International
6 January 2025. United Kingdom. Tricky tunnel track upgrade completes on West Coast Main Line
Engineers have completed a complex track renewal through a narrow Victorian railway tunnel to improve West Coast Main Line journeys for passengers and freight. Network Rail and its contractors Balfour Beatty, Atkins, and TSO, started work on New Year’s Eve to replace 400 metres of the railway line through Northchurch Tunnel between Berkhamsted and Tring. Three tunnels take the West Coast Main Line’s four tracks underground on this section of one of Europe’s busiest mixed-use passenger and freight rail routes.
Source: Rail UK
3 January 2025. Saudi Arabia. BATIC’s Amnco Wins Security Contract for Haramain High-Speed Railway
The contract covers 24/7 industrial security and patrols along the railway. TIC Investment and Logistics’ subsidiary Arabian Security and Safety Services Company (Amnco) has secured a security contract for the Haramain High-Speed Railway from Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Transport and Logistics Services. The contract, valued at SR96.2m ($25.5m), aims to enhance the security of the passenger railway connecting the Mecca and Medina provinces in western Saudi Arabia.
Source: Railway Technology
2 January 2025. Thailand. Siemens Mobility and Partners Secure Rail Contracts in Thailand
Siemens Mobility, in collaboration with consortium partners Bozankaya and ST Engineering Urban Solutions (Thailand) Ltd., has secured several significant rail contracts in Thailand. These projects aim to modernize Bangkok’s Metropolitan Rapid Transit (MRT) system, expand intercity rail connectivity in Northern Thailand, and contribute to the efficiency, capacity, and sustainability of the country’s transport network.
Source: Railway News
Job of the Week
Commercial Operations Manager, Sydney, Australia
Job ID#: 14950
Discipline: Commercial
Language: English
Job Description:
Our client is a global railway infrastructure equipment and technology company looking for a Commercial Operations Manager—Asia Pacific to, in conjunction with the MD, Asia Pacific, be responsible for overall commercial sales and commercial operations of the company's operations in the Asia Pacific Region as defined by the Management team regional boundaries.
KEY AREAS OF ACTIVITY AND RESPONSIBILITY
Leadership & Team Development:
- Lead, coach, and mentor a high-performing commercial operations team.
- Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement within the team.
- Promote cross-functional collaboration between sales, logistics, finance, and customer service teams.
Sales Strategy & Management:
- Develop and implement effective sales strategies to drive business growth.
- Lead and manage the sales team, setting clear goals, performance targets, and KPIs.
- Collaborate with marketing and product teams to align sales strategies with market trends and customer needs.
- Build and maintain strong relationships with key customers, partners, and stakeholders.
- Develop a network of Lobbyists, Technical Consultants & Engineers throughout Asia Pacific Rail Network, including follow up, coordination, evaluation, commercial and technical support.
- Benchmark of the competing products and systems and coordinate with Group Technical Managers
Logistics & Supply Chain:
- Oversee the end-to-end supply chain operations, ensuring timely and efficient delivery of products/services.
- Optimize logistics processes to reduce costs while maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction.
- Collaborate with procurement and warehouse teams to manage inventory levels and streamline operations.
Contracts & Negotiations:
- Lead contract negotiations with key suppliers, customers, and partners, ensuring favorable terms.
- Ensure compliance with legal requirements and contractual obligations.
- Review and manage all commercial agreements, ensuring alignment with business objectives and risk mitigation.
Job Requirements:
- University degree in Engineering, Manufacturing or Commerce from a recognised tertiary institution
- Post graduate qualification in Management from a recognised 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: David Hyland (davidh@railpersonnel.com)
Admin Interpreters, Taoyuan, Taiwan
Job ID#: 14935
Discipline: Administration
Position Type: Contract
Language: Mandarin
Job Description:
Our client provides engineering services for projects involving energy, environmental, steel structure and industrial machinery projects.
They are seeking Admin Interpreter (2) to work on-site and they should have an understanding of construction-related terminology. This is a 2-month contract with immediate start required.
Job Requirements:
Relevant experience in translation / interpreting as gained in construction environments.
Contact: Patricia Hsiao (patricia@railpersonnel.com)
CAD Operator, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Job ID#: 14996
Discipline: Permanent Way
Language: English and Japanese
Job Description:
Our client is seeking a CAD Operator with ability to draw railway/transportation track alignment.
Employment period: 1 year from February (possibility of extension)
Work location: Kaohsiung (from March or April, until then, worked in Taipei)
Job Requirements:
Candidates should have relevant experience in drawing railway / transportation track alignment.
Candidates must be able to speak English or Japanese.
Contact: Patricia Hsiao (patricia@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 and be confident to coordinate the Warehouse and Dispatch activities to ensure timely deliveries.
This role is based in Sydney, Australia.
Responsible for:
* Field standard customer inquiries.
* 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 of customers with 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:
Skills need to include:
* Formal qualifications or Industry experience in Sales
* Management & Operating skills in integrated Business Systems (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)
