Research, training & skills news
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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.
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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, ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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NewsUnreal experience at InnoTrans 2024
INNOTRANS: The integration of photorealistic computer-generated images created using the Unreal Engine into rail training simulators is to be showcased by Corys at InnoTrans 2024. The company says this marks ’a significant advance that will make train driver training more attractive and effective’. An advanced scene ...
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Rail Business UKBig Rail Diversity Challenge seeks to drive change
UK: Companies from across the UK’s rail industry came together at Newark Showground on June 19 to take part in this year’s Big Rail Diversity Challenge.
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Metro Report InternationalVirtual reality tramway safety training tool launched
UK: A virtual reality tool designed to provide hazard awareness training for people who will be working on or near tram tracks has been developed by the Light Rail Safety & Standards Board in partnership with tram simulator specialist Avansim and industry association UKTram. The Virtual ...
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NewsAlstom signs talent development and R&D agreement
HUNGARY: Alstom and the University of Miskolc are to co-operate to bring practical training and theoretical knowledge closer together, support talent development and undertake R&D to support the production of steel structures in Hungary. ‘Today’s biggest challenge for production companies is to secure well-educated specialists and ...
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NewsFRA studies the behaviour of very long freight trains
USA: The Federal Railroad Administration has produced three reports into the safety and performance of trains more than 7 500 ft (2 286 m) in length. Testing found that air brake systems performed largely as expected when in a controlled environment, but FRA says further testing ...
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Rail Business UKRailway Engineering Degree Apprenticeship launched
UK: A Railway Engineering Degree Apprenticeship has been launched by a partnership of the University of South Wales, the Welsh government, Coleg Y Cymoedd and Transport for Wales. The four-year programme includes work-based learning while studying part-time for a BSc (Hons) Railway Engineering (Electromechanical Systems & Electronics) ...
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NewsMoU to develop rail infrastructure skills in India
INDIA: Track machine supplier Plasser India and the Ministry of Railways-funded Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya University in Vadodara have signed a memorandum of understanding. The MoU will see the partners collaborate in research, teaching and training to deepen students’ understanding of scientific, technical and management topics relevant ...