GOVERNMENT AND REGULATORY

Wahgunyah-Wangaratta crossing upgrade

Acting Minister for Public Transport Tim Pallas has announced the completion of a $260,000 upgrade to the railway level crossing on the Wahgunyah-Wangaratta Road (Three Chain Road), Bowser, significantly improving safety for motorists and rail passengers. Mr Pallas said the crossing had been upgraded to boost its safety features as part of the Victorian Government’s commitment to improve safety at level crossings across Victoria. “The Wahgunyah-Wangaratta Road crossing previously had flashing lights and bells and now features boom barriers, brighter flashing lights and electronic bells, making it safer for motorists, heavy vehicle drivers and train passengers,” Mr Pallas said.

Land bought for coal rail link

The Queensland government has acquired the land it needs to connect two major coal rail networks in central and northern Queensland. The previously privately-owned properties were needed to complete the proposed corridor for the "Northern Missing Link" between the Goonyella and Newlands systems to give exporters more flexibility in getting coal to port. Minister for Transport John Mickel has also announced Leighton Contractors as QR’s preferred construction partner for the Northern Missing Link Alliance. “The 69 kilometre Northern Missing Link will provide a vital connection between the Goonyella and Newlands rail systems in Queensland’s northern Bowen Basin coalfields,” Mr Mickel said.

Cranbourne train and stabling upgrade

Works to relocate signalling and cables have started as part of a project to upgrade Cranbourne Railway Station and construct a new train storage area, Minister for Public Transport Lynne Kosky announced. Ms Kosky said the start of stage one of the works at Cranbourne also signalled a significant step forward on the Dandenong Rail Corridor Project.

ORR launches track access option policy

The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) has published its policy on the way in which it will assess track access option applications. An access option is a contract reserving rights of access to a railway facility for a period of years at some point in the future. By obtaining an access option, potential investors in railway facilities will do so in the knowledge that they have rights securing:

• capacity underpinning their investment; and
• that this capacity can be used by its designated train operator once the works are complete.

The development of the East London Line and Crossrail are two examples of where track access options securing future rights have been sought by those developing the schemes.

Facelift for Lara station

Work will begin next week on a $700,000 upgrade of Lara railway station. Minister for Public Transport Lynne Kosky said the upgrade would provide train passengers with an improved waiting area, new toilet facilities and a station kiosk. “The facelift will complement the new Lara Parkway facility, which was completed late last year,” Ms Kosky said.

INDUSTRY

New signalling for Hunter Valley

New signalling on the Ulan rail link in the Hunter Valley will deliver major time savings for export coal trains using the link and provide coal producers with greater capacity for the movement of coal to the Port of Newcastle. Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) said that the first two stages of the new Centralised Train Control (CTC) system on the Ulan line between Muswellbrook and Kerrabee would be commissioned this week. ARTC Chief Executive Officer David Marchant said the project represents significant value to both train operators and coal producers in the Hunter Valley. “Both will benefit from improved cycle times, more efficient asset utilisation and increased capacity on the route,” Mr Marchant said.

Slovenian Railways orders locomotives

Slovenian Railways (Slovenske Zelenice SZ) has exercised an option from its 2004 supply contract and placed an order for 12 Eurosprinter type locomotives with Siemens Mobility worth 48 million Euros. In a ceremony attended by Radovan Žerjav, Slovenian Minister of Transport, both Tomaz Schara, General Director of Slovenian Railways, and Franz Geiger, Member of the Board at Siemens AG Österreich, signed a contract in Ljubljana involving an option for another eight locomotives. The SZ 541 type locomotives just ordered come with three-system capability, which means they can be operated not only in Austria, Germany, Hungary and Slovenia but also in Italy and Croatia. Its 6,000 kW rating makes it equally suitable for heavy freight traffic and for fast passenger service.

CN fails to meet service obligations

The Canadian Transportation Agency has found that the Canadian National Railway Company (CN) has failed to meet its level of service obligations to the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) and five other shippers for services provided for crop year 2006-2007. The ruling also recognises that CN has revised its grain product programs for 2007-2008 in an effort to improve service levels and address shortfalls. In its decision, the Agency voiced concerns over this year's continuing service shortfalls but found that it had insufficient information to rule on crop year 2007-2008 at this time. Therefore, it has ordered CN and the six shippers to file service information for the period August 2007 to April 2008. The Agency will be able to make a final determination on the adequacy of CN's service to grain shippers once it has all the necessary information.

ACCIDENTS

Inadequate procedures caused accidents

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has determined the probable causes of two Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Metrorail accidents that resulted in three employee fatalities, and called on WMATA to tighten rules governing wayside worker safety. The Safety Board found that the WMATA Metrorail right-of-way rules and procedures did not provide adequate safeguards to protect wayside personnel from approaching trains, did not ensure that train operators were aware of wayside work being performed, and did not adequately provide for reduced train speeds through work areas. "The safety provisions that are in place are understandably geared to the thousands of the daily Metro commuters," NTSB Chairman Mark Rosenker said. "However, we also need to make sure that the same attention to safety is established for employees who service and maintain the track, signals, and railcars for the Metro system."