GOVERNMENT AND REGULATORY

Three business consortia bid for Sydney Metro project

Three short-listed construction consortia have been asked to bid for the contract to build Sydney Metro stage one, NSW Transport Minister David Campbell said. Mr Campbell said tenders for the PRI (Permanent Route Infrastructure) contract had been issued to the consortia, which is made up of leading national and international companies. “During construction the winning bidder will drill up to 4 kilometres per year beneath the city’s streets,” Mr Campbell said. “The NSW Government is delivering the transport step change to metro rail through the construction of Sydney Metro stage one Central to Rozelle.”

Construction starts on the $4.3 billion Regional Rail Link

The $4.3 billion Regional Rail Link project has marked a major milestone with the beginning of construction to commission platforms 15 and 16 at Melbourne’s Southern Cross Station. Victorian Premier John Brumby and Federal Infrastructure and Transport Minister Anthony Albanese were joined by Victorian Public Transport Minister Lynne Kosky at the station to mark the start of works. “The project will create up to 50 kilometres of new track between West Werribee and Southern Cross Station,” Mr Albanese said. The exact alignment of the Regional Rail Link is being finalised following a month long period of community consultation.

VIC Government signs off on 'better transport service'

The Victorian Government has signed contracts with Melbourne's new train and tram operators. Metro Trains Melbourne (MTM) and Keolis Downer EDI (KDR) have won contracts to run the city's transport services for the next eight years, with an option to renew for another seven years. The new operators will take over at the end of November. Premier Brumby says the impact will be immediate. "I'm confident both operators will deliver big improvements to what I would describe as the non-negotiables: I'm talking about punctuality, reliability, safety, first rate customer service and of course cleanliness," he said. In total, another 200 staff will be hired for the train system, half of them for customer service staff. Mr Lezala also said 22 new stations will be staffed.

Trackoff teaching resources sent to every school

Trackoff is Britain’s rail industry initiative to help educate children and teenagers about safe conduct on the railway. The website and resources have now been refreshed and updated, and a Trackoff DVD has been sent to over 30,000 primary and secondary schools across England, Scotland and Wales. The DVD contains a set of three new off-the-shelf and ready-to-use teaching packages covering safe behaviour to ensure a good journey, and the dangers and consequences of trespass, vandalism, and graffiti.

London Underground warned over Tube safety

Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) has called on London Underground (LU) to improve safety procedures after three Tube trains went through red signals. The incidents were all on the District line in the High Street Kensington area of west London. An ORR spokesman said, ''We have asked LU to look at the post-incident procedures it took which were not followed properly. We have asked them to make improvements.'' The first incident was at West Kensington on 23 February this year, the second at Earl's Court the following day and the third was on 17 March. LU safety director Mike Strzelecki said, "Safety is our top priority and LU has an excellent safety record. We work closely with the ORR to maintain this excellent record. We take this issue very seriously and are investigating thoroughly. We will respond to the ORR once those investigations have been completed."

Burlington Northern wants automatic-brakes rule eased

Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation, the largest US railroad, is pushing Congress to scale back a requirement for carriers to install automatic-braking systems on most of their tracks. “Heavy-handed legislation enacted last year would cost Fort Worth, Texas-based Burlington Northern almost $2 billion,” Chief Executive Officer Matt Rose said. Rose predicts revenue will fall about $3 billion this year from $18 billion in 2008 primarily because of lower fuel surcharges. “It’s in everybody’s best interest that we lower the cost of this installation tremendously and not just turn a tin ear to the railroads’ whining about this,” Rose said in an interview in Dallas. “This is one of those great examples of regulation gone awry where there will be unintended consequences.” Rose, citing the agency’s analysis, said the technology would have a $600 million benefit for the $10 billion in costs. He called the cost-benefit ratio “horrible".

INDUSTRY

RTSA publishes August NSW Newsletter

The Railway Technical Society of Australasia (RTSA) has released the latest edition of the NSW newsletter, including the following articles:

• Postponed meeting to 7 October
• Message from the new chair
• RTSA Dinner - 6 August
• Enter the RTSA tube video competition
• The 2009 committee
• Point of view
• August meeting notes
• RTSA dinner presentation

ARA fortnightly update

The Australasian Railway Association (ARA) has released its latest fortnightly update. This issue includes:

• Rolling stock outline standards published
• Access & egress standards released for open view
• Summary of RISSB meeting
• ARA welcomes Senate Inquiry into Funding Public Passenger Transport

AAR reports rail traffic continues slight improvement

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) has reported that rail traffic continues to show slight improvement with rail carloadings at their highest level since early March. For the week ended 22 August 2009, US Railroads reported originating 279,478 cars, down 16.1% compared with the same week in 2008. Regionally, carloadings were down 14.2% in the West and 18.9% in the East.

ACCIDENTS

Mount Isa-Townsville line closed following freight train derailment

Queensland Rail (QR) crews have commenced recovery operations on the site of a freight train derailment near Mount Isa. On 26 August, two empty tankers at the rear of a 43-wagon freight train derailed about four kilometres east of Mount Isa. The two-person crew were not injured. Executive General Manager of QR Network, Michael Carter, said QR crews have assessed the damage and rail safety officers are investigating the cause of the derailment. “We’ve brought in all available resources from the Mount Isa and Cloncurry region for the recovery effort,” Mr Carter said. The track closure has not affected freight and passenger services east of Mount Isa.

Police end inquiry into fatal Canton train-car crash

Police have completed the investigation into the 9 July fatal crash involving five youths killed in a Ford Fusion that was speeding along Hannan Road, north of Van Born, where the driver tried to beat an Amtrak passenger train. All five were killed instantly. The conclusion tells a similar story as to what investigators knew at the time of the crash. "It was tragically poor judgment," said Sgt. James Harrison of the Canton Police Department. The driver of the Ford Fusion, Daniel Broughton of Woodhaven, was traveling northbound on Hannan Road from Van Born, at a speed of approximately 70 mph and as the car he was driving approached the rail road tracks. It is believed Broughton only slowed at the railroad tracks to navigate the turn from the safety gates being lowered. "There was no intent to look or stop," Harrison said.

RAIB investigates Liverpool derailment

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) has released a bulletin focusing on a passenger train derailment that took place at Broad Green, Liverpool on 11 June 2009. The rear coach of a two-car passenger train derailed as it was running at speed along a double track railway. The train was a class 142 ‘Pacer’ and was carrying 36 passengers and two crew members at the time. The rear axle of the train derailed towards, and the train partially obstructed, the other line. The RAIB has decided not to conduct a full investigation. This is because the RAIB does not believe that such an investigation would lead to the identification of any further significant lessons that would improve the safety of the railways or prevent railway accidents and incidents beyond that which an industry formal investigation identifies.

Death toll in Turkey's train crash rises to five

The death toll from a train crash in northwestern Turkey on 27 August rose to five, the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet Daily News has reported. Another 21 were injured when a passenger train collided with a construction vehicle trying to cross tracks at around 6pm in Bozuyuk town of Bilecik province, said the report. The train was travelling from central Eskisehir province to the largest Turkish city of Istanbul, about 250 km from the Bozuyuk district. Several carriages of the train derailed, while the victims were crushed to death between the first carriage and the engine as the train rammed into the mechanical earthmover, said the report. The operator of the mechanical earthmover, among the injured, was in critical condition, the report quoted an official from the railway directorate as saying.

Deadly train crash hits Cameroon

At least five people have been killed and more than 275 others injured in a train crash near Cameroon's capital, Yaounde. Officials said that a passenger train carrying about 1,000 people derailed north of the city. Rescuers are searching for survivors and say the death toll could rise. On 27 August a fuel train derailed south of Yaounde, killing at least one person and starting a blaze that took four hours to put out. "These two days have been very unfortunate for our national railway carrier," said Communications Minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary. He said the passenger train had come from the northern town of Ngaoundere. Eleven wagons carrying diesel fuel and petrol were destroyed in the blaze. The government has set up inquiries into both incidents, national media reported.