IRSE NEWS

The latest edition of IRSE NEWS is now available – click here to view it (you will need to log-in).  You can also see all the recent editions on the “Recent Issues” page of the IRSE website. This month’s edition contains articles on:

§  A word with Markus Montigel, our President

§  Encouraging engineering – reinvigorating the S&T approach to STEM

§  Reducing the risk at automatic level crossings in Great Britain

§  The history of women in railway signalling and telecommunications

§  Collaboration brings the new Eurostar to Ashford International

§  Aerial ropeways: safety from the ground up (Swiss Section)

§  Younger Members’ Annual Seminar and Technical Visit: Homogenous transport systems

IRSE at Africa Rail 2018

12-13 June 2018

The IRSE Southern Africa Section is partnering with the Africa Rail 2018 event to be held in Johannesburg on 12-13 June. This annual conference brings together all railway stakeholders in Africa to network, share ideas and promote business interests. Key speakers from southern Africa governments and from industry will be participating. In 2018 the focus of the event is on skills development and, for the first time, the IRSE will be running a workshop at the conference, which will be geared to that theme. For more information, click here.  IRSE members can obtain discounted tickets for the conference.

Presidential Programme Technical Paper: “Command and Control 4.0”

13 June 2018, London

On 13^th June the first Presidential Programme Technical Paper of 2018-19 will be presented in London by Dr Josef Doppelbauer, Executive Director, European Union Agency for Railways.  It is combined event with the IET, as their annual London Network Railway Lecture.

Control, command and signalling are at the core of railway operations. With the capabilities provided by new technology in terms of computing power, sensors, and networking/connectivity, new possibilities arise. A scenario becomes likely whereby all modes are part of a single shared transport system, with journeys procured digitally in ways that best fits customer needs and preferences.

Dr Doppelbauer has 25 years of experience in key aspects of railway technology, and development of ERTMS. His international work experience includes roles in France, UK and Germany. In January 2015 took up his current position as Executive Director of the European Union Railway Agency.

This event will take place at the IET, Savoy Place, London starting at 19.00.  Refreshments will be available from 18.00.  Please note that this is a change of venue from that previously advertised, and that it is not our usual start time. Click here for more details. 

Live-streaming:  It’s best to attend in person… but if you cannot, we will be live-streaming the event.  The link to use to connect to the live-stream will be available on this webpage 2 hours before the event starts (ie at 17.00 UK time). If you would like to receive an email containing the link at about that time, please email your request to paula.persson@irse.org, with the heading “IRSE LIVE-STREAMING REQUEST”.  You will also be able to watch a video of the event afterwards if you cannot join us live. Local Sections (or some members of them) might like to arrange to watch the live-streaming as a group.

We will be using www.vimeo.com for the live-streaming – you may wish to check you can access vimeo videos before you are sent the specific link for the IRSE event.

Big data based railway health management and maintenance

29 June, Beijing

The IRSE’s China Section will host a technical workshop on “Big data based railway health management and maintenance” in Beijing Jiaotong University on 29th June. Prof. Tao Tang, who is the head of School of Electronic and Information Engineering in Beijing Jiaotong University and Director of Engineering and State Key lab of Rail Traffic Control and Safety, will be the Chair of the workshop. Official leaders from China Railway Corporation, researchers from China Academy of Railway Sciences, and some leaders from Chinese railway industry companies will also attend the workshop and give presentations.

This technical workshop is free to IRSE members and non-members, but places at this event are EXTREMELY limited – early registration is strongly recommended. To confirm your attendance, please register (including your name, institution, contact) to join us by emailing: irse_china@yeah.net.

Australasian Section Technical Meeting

20/21 July, Adelaide

The IRSE Australasian Section will be holding a Technical Meeting in Adelaide on 20 – 21 July 2018. The theme for the meeting will be “What’s next for Rail Technology?” Technical papers will be presented on Friday, with the Conference Dinner on Friday night. Technical Inspections will be conducted on Saturday and will include the new Adelaide Metro Train Control Centre at Dry Creek and the Advanced Train Management System (ATMS) Test Facility at the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) Project Office.

Visit the IRSE Australasia website for more information.

CBTC Conference – Call for papers

29/30 November, Toronto

The sell-out success of the IRSE's "CBTC and Beyond" conferences in Toronto in the last two years has led us to decide to hold the conference for a third year. We are now calling for papers for the 2018 event.

This year’s CBTC conference will be held on November 29th and 30th at Fairmont Royal York, in the heart of downtown Toronto.  We encourage you to attend this year, and right now we welcome proposals for papers and presentations on the following or related topics: 

§  Papers providing project updates, specifically (but not only) for Canadian CBTC projects currently being implemented or planned;

§  Papers related to the application of CBTC on LRT, and commuter rail transit systems;

§  Papers providing lessons learned in implementing CBTC in a brownfield environment;

§  Papers on actual CBTC revenue service operating and maintenance experience;

§  Papers looking to the future; what are the user business needs?  What research & development is currently underway on new/improved technologies to further improve operating performance while reducing life cycle costs?"

Please submit your abstract to ykimiagar@gfnet.com by September 28th.

Subscription renewals

We will soon be writing to all IRSE members with details of your subscription renewal for 2018-19. Subscriptions are due to be paid by 1^st July, and we very much hope that you will continue to be a member of the Institution.  Please pay your subscription promptly. 

There are various ways you can pay – online via the IRSE website, by credit or debit card, by bank transfer, or by cheque. For UK members we also strongly recommend that, if you have not already done so, you set up a Direct Debit so that we can collect your payment on time each year.