Research, training & skills news
-
Rail Business UKTransPennine Express makes progress with driver training and staff recruitment
UK: TransPennine Express Managing Director Chris Jackson says good progress is being with tackling the operator’s backlog of driver training, which was a key issue behind the service reductions brought in with the December 2023 timetable. However, it will not be completed until next year. ‘This ...
-
In depthComment: Contrasting approaches to fixing things
The transport ministers of Britain and Germany are taking contrasting approaches to addressing the problems facing their railways. Dr Volker Wissing believes management reorganisation cannot solve DB’s problems, but his counterpart Louise Haigh is taking the opposite view with Labour’s rail reforms. Nick Kingsley suggests they could learn much from each other.
-
NewsBelt & Road railway training programme to be launched
CHINA: Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Beijing Jiaotong University and MTR Academy are to launch a Belt & Road Advanced Professional Development Programme in Railway Transport. This will combine the teaching and research capabilities of the two universities with MTR Corp’s practical experience. They plan to launch ...
-
NewsManufacturing skills centre to develop rail industry capabilities
AUSTRALIA: The development of local rolling stock manufacturing skills forms a central part of a A$7·1m Manufacturing Centre of Excellence training facility which is to be developed in Maryborough in Queensland. Announcing plans for the centre on August 28, the state government said it would provide ...
-
NewsPractical recommendations to support women in the rail sector
Source: ARTC AUSTRALASIA: The Australasian Railway Association has published a report designed to help the rail industry better understand what hinders the entry, retention and progression of women, with 10 practical recommendations. The Progressing gender equality in the Australasian rail sector: barriers and supportive practices report ...
-
Metro Report InternationalLogIKTram freight tram demonstrates urban distribution alternative
GERMANY: Small volumes of freight can be handled on urban rail networks using freight trams or similar vehicles, a research project conducted in Karlsruhe has concluded.
-
NewsVirtual reality added to short line training
USA: The Short Line Training Center has added three modules to its Learning Management System which make use of virtual reality for enhanced engagement, greater safety than live training and increased accessibility for railway operators. The courses cover Freight Car Familiarization, Locomotive Daily Inspection and Class ...
-
Rail Business UKRail Skills Academy to set young people up for careers in railway maintenance
UK: A Rail Skills Academy programme is being launched to help to combat the skills shortage and lack of diversity in the rail industry as part of the legacy programme for the East Kilbride Enhancement Project. The academy will be delivered by QTS Training on behalf ...
-
NewsAutomated wagon inspection to make rail freight more competitive
GERMANY: The Digital Inspection by Machine Intelligence project has been launched to automate and accelerate the manual wagon inspection process which need to be undertaken before an intermodal train can leave a terminal. The aim is to use sensors, cameras and AI to make wagon and ...
-
NewsFive opportunities to improve railway safety identified in short line assessments
USA: The Short Line Safety Institute has identified five areas of strength and five areas of opportunity through an analysis of the 20 railway Safety Culture Assessments it conducted last year. A frequency analysis identified strengths in the provision of PPE; employees feeling comfortable communicating safety ...
-
NewsKorail to maintain passenger trains in Bangladesh
BANGLADESH: Korea Railroad Corp has been awarded a three-year contract to maintain passenger rolling stock operated by Bangladesh Railway. The 4∙7bn won Bangladesh Passenger Car Operation & Maintenance Improvement Project contract is funded as an official development assistance scheme by the Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure ...
-
NewsPhilippines plans second Hybrid Electric Train prototype
PHILIPPINES: The Department of Transportation is to work with the Department of Science & Technology to develop a second prototype diesel-electric train.
-
Rail Business UKInnovation funding supports sustainable decommissioning of HS2 worksites
UK: HS2 Ltd is to work with SMEs Infinitive Group Ltd and Material Index as part of its efforts to sustainably ‘deconstruct’ worksites along the 225 km of high speed railway being built between London and the West Midlands. The two companies will work with the ...
-
Rail Business UKStudy aims to reduce tram-train cost and complexity
UK: The Institute of Railway Research at the University of Huddersfield is leading a study which brings together industry and academia to promote the benefits of the tram-train concept and address a lack of standardisation. The project aims to address ‘not only the engineering challenges associated ...
-
NewsUIC World Congress on High Speed Rail to be held in Beijing
CHINA: The International Union of Railways and China Railway have announced that the 12th World Congress on High Speed Rail will take place in Beijing on July 8-11 2025, with the theme of ‘High speed rail: innovation and development for a better life’. The event is ...
-
Metro Report InternationalSingapore metro operator co-develops diplomas to upskill staff
SINGAPORE: SMRT Trains and Nanyang Polytechnic have co-created two diplomas to support the development of talent for the transport sector. The 2½-year part-time Diploma in Engineering (Public Transport Operations) course which is to start in October is designed to upskill existing staff and provide opportunities for ...
-
Rail Business UKSheffield students scoop 2024 Railway Challenge
The Sheffield locomotive featured a see-through bodyshell. UK: A team of students from the University of Sheffield was the winner of the 13th Railway Challenge competition, organised by the Railway Division of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Aimed at engineering students and apprentices across the rail ...
-
Rail Business UKNorthern reviews recruitment process to better support neurodivergent candidates
UK: Train operator Northern has reviewed its recruitment processes with the aim of ensuring that applicants with neurodivergent conditions are better supported. Candidates with autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia and Tourette’s syndrome are now being given extra support, including: a step-by-step breakdown, including timings, ...
-
NewsMetro Academy enables rail recruits to hit the ground running
AUSTRALIA: A ‘state-of-the-art’ Metro Academy has been opened in Melbourne to train rail staff ready for the opening of the cross-city suburban rail Metro Tunnel at the end of 2025. The academy has classrooms, tracks and platform replicas, including station equipment, and will support the existing ...
-
Rail Business UKTrain operators highlight damage caused by abusive social media messages
UK: A campaign to raise awareness of the damaging effects of sending railway staff abusive social media messages has been launched by 15 train operators, with more expected to join. A short video shows a selection of offensive messages sent to customer contact staff and ...