Proceedings 2002/2003 - IRSE

126
AUSTRALASIAN SECTION
to address and how to test, but lack the vital
information – the acceptable limits of interference.
MTE (Connex) had to convince the Department of
Infrastructure’s Safety Regulator that the new train is
not importing additional risk to the system. AMTL in
its Engineering Authority role became the expert
adviser to MTE.
Mr Petra Brueggemann-Ratzlaff, Siemens – “The
Train Delivery Experience”.
Siemens was awarded a contract for the delivery
of 62 three-car Metro units for Bayside Trains (now
M>Train) in March 2000.
Additional orders were awarded to them for the
delivery of 59 trams and the maintenance of these
trams and the new three-car train units for 15 years.
The trains are mostly built in Vienna with the
assembly completed in Melbourne with components
supplied by Australian sub-suppliers.
The final commissioning and delivery will start in
February 2003, ending in February 2005.
The Melbourne project was a quite different
experience for Siemens, in that rolling stock was
usually built to customers’ engineering specification,
whereas National Express Group Australia (NEGA)
was an operator and they were mainly concerned in
the functionality of the cars for passengers and
driver.
National Express set the functionality target
requirements for the contract specification and the
detailed engineering of how to fulfil these was very
much left to Siemens.
A further interesting aspect was National Express
introduced a very rigorous process, essentially
allowing the drivers to design their own workplace.
This is where the most time/effort was spent in the
direct Siemens/client design interface.
Panel Session: Chaired by Mr Keith Walker. “The
Commercial Railway – Which is the best model?”
Panel: Mr D Carden, Mr P Huth, Mr N Grady.
Mr Gary Josh spoke in appreciation of all speakers
who contributed to the meeting.
Saturday 9th November
The technical inspections were visits to view both
new trainsets for the Melbourne metropolitan
service.
The first was to Bayswater, where an Alstom train,
appearing to be virtually completed, was stabled in
the in the yard.
The Siemens type was located in the old Victorian
Railway Newport Workshop.
The members examined both trains with enthusiasm
and discussed the different visible aspects of
each.
We adjourned to the Victorian Motor Yacht Club
for lunch, which completed the Melbourne meeting.
Thank you is extended to the following for their
assistance in providing advertisements for the
technical papers through the year:
Alstom Australia Ltd
Connell Wagner
QR, Queensland Rail Consulting Services
Siemens Ltd
TMG International
Union Switch & Signal Pty Ltd
Westinghouse Signals Australia
Local meetings were held as follows:
NSW:
20th June, joint meeting with RTSA, Railtable –
Alex Wardrop.
23rd July, NSW Dark Territory Indications – Kevin
Julian/Richard Stepniewski.
29th August, joint meeting RTSA/PWI, PWI (1)
Paper – Mark Harris; (2) Signalling Under the Alliance
at Blacktown – Chris Miller.
17th September, Australian Signalling – Peter
Symons.
21st November, speaker, Chief Engineer, New York
Transit, Mysore Nagaraja.
5th December, Paper on Communications, followed
by a light supper and social.
QLD:
6th March, speaker (1) George Nikandros – Risky
Business, speaker (2) Ken Karrasch – A Candidate’s
Retrospective of Sitting the IRSE Exam.
MEMBERSHIP
The Australasian Section membership as of 31st
December 2002 was 393.
FINANCE
The audited balance sheet for the year ending 31st
December 2002 shows that the financial position of
the Section has been maintained.
The Committee wishes to thank members for their
support of the Australasian Section during the year
and looks forward to the continuing attendance at all