IRSE NEWS is taking a break in August, but we will be back in September with a bumper edition, with papers and articles on

• Cyber-security
• Level crossing developments in Japan
• Chinese Signalling Principles
• Research on “closer running”

We welcome letters for publication in IRSE NEWS, whether you are initiating a new discussion topic or are responding to a published article. Write to the editor by email at irsenews@irse.org.

27 July 2016 was a day of special significance for IRSE members in Thailand, as it marked the inauguration of the new Thailand Section, joining the global IRSE community. The ceremony was held at Kasetsart University, Bangkok, in the Faculty of Engineering, and was sponsored by Bombardier and KURAIL (Kasetsart University Rail Engineering Center).

The event was arranged through a collaboration of the IRSE Thailand Section committee, chaired by Dr Wichai Siwakosit, and KURAIL. The event attracted over 70 representatives and distinguished guests from the Thai rail industry, including the State Railway of Thailand, Bangkok Mass Transit System, Bombardier, Siemens, Marubeni and Toshiba Joint Venture and many more. The IRSE President, Charles Page, attended the event and participated in the opening ceremony.

For more information about the Thailand Section, click here.

The formation of a new Section of the IRSE, in China, was approved by the IRSE’s Council in July.  This is the result of much work by IRSE members and colleagues in Beijing and elsewhere, and marks a further step in the internationalisation of the Institution.  Congratulations to all those involved.

There will be a formal ceremony in Beijing to mark the inauguration of the China Section on Tuesday 11th October, as part of the IRSE Convention, and further information about the China Section will be published in IRSE NEWS in due course.

The IRSE now has 19 Sections worldwide, three new ones this year – France, Thailand and now China.

The first Technical Paper in the 2016-17 Presidential Programme series will be presented in Hong Kong on 26th August.  The Paper and Presentation is by Philip Wong, General Manager (Technical & Engineering Services) of the MTR Corporation Ltd, who is also a member of the IRSE’s governing Council.  The title of the Paper is “The Evolution of Signalling Technologies in Hong Kong”.

The Paper will describe the evolution of Signalling technologies in Hong Kong, from Mechanical Signalling through Colour Light Signalling, Speed Code track circuits, Solid State Interlocking, to Distance-To-Go (DTG), Computer Based Interlocking, and Communication Based Train Control (CBTC).

The Paper will provide technical details the latest CBTC technology which has been adopted in the replacement of Signalling systems being implemented on eight existing metro lines since 2013.   It will also describe the Chinese Train Control System (CTCS) technology to be adopted in the Express Rail Link connecting between Hong Kong and Mainland China.

Click here for more details. The paper will be published in the October edition of IRSE NEWS.

You aren’t quite out of time to book – but you need to get on with it!  The programme and booking forms can be downloaded from the IRSE website – click here to do so.  There is also a dedicated Convention webpage on the website to keep you up to date with advice and information about the event (including the latest information about applying for a visa).  You can also read more about the Convention and what Beijing is like as a place to visit in this month’s IRSE NEWS.

To mark the 20th anniversary of the establishment of Signet Solutions Ltd (which provides S&T training services for the rail industry), the company and the IRSE have jointly established a new Exam Award.

The new IRSE-Signet Award is to be presented annually to the candidate in the IRSE Exam who attains the highest marks in any single module.  The Award takes the form of the Signet emblem mounted on an engraved plinth, together with funding to enable the winner to attend the Annual Convention in the year following their Exam success.

For the 2015 Exam, the candidate with the highest marks in a single module was Rob Taylor-Rose, who works for Network Rail in the UK, and who achieved outstanding results in Module 1.  Rob and his wife Lauren were guests at Signet’s 20th Anniversary celebrations on 19th July in Derby (UK), at which Andy Knight, Managing Director of Signet Solutions, presented Rob with the Award.

We need more responses to our request last month for views about the IRSE website.  Please take just 10 minutes of your time to complete our online survey so that we have a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the present arrangements, which will help us in planning a complete re-design of the website.  The survey can be found at:

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/NJB8KL2

During the summer we are implementing our new membership and licensing database, aiming to “go live” in early September. Please bear with us during the change, which will involve staff undertaking training as well as commissioning the new system itself.  We will put information on Twitter and the homepage of the IRSE website when the commissioning dates are confirmed.

We are piloting a new “Knowledge Base” for IRSE members.  This is a database containing abstracts of technical papers produced by the IRSE, with links to the actual papers.  At present it contains papers published in IRSE NEWS in 2014, 2015 and 2016, and the majority of papers presented at ASPECT 2015.  The intention is to expand the collection to include earlier papers, papers published at other IRSE events and by Local Sections.  We also want to include important non-IRSE papers that are available on the web.

The database is fully searchable, and papers are categorised into themes (“interlockings”, “safety and security” etc) so that papers on a common theme can be readily found. 

The Knowledge Base is accessible via the IRSE website.  To do so, log-in on the IRSE website, select the “Knowledge” tab, navigate to the “Knowledge Base” page, and click on the link on that page.  You do not need an additional password to get into the system. Note that you cannot access the Knowledge Base page unless you log-in on the IRSE website first.

The Knowledge Base has been tested with current versions of the following browsers: Internet Explorer; Microsoft Edge; Firefox; Chrome; Opera; Safari.

We are keen to receive your feedback on this pilot system, to understand how useful it will be for you, how easy you find it to use, and problems you encounter, and your suggestions for improvements.  Feedback should be sent to Francis How (francis.how@irse.org).

If you are, you may be able to help us!  Many of our members are applying for Engineering Council registration via the IRSE (CEng, IEng, EngTech).  This is really good news, but we need to widen our pool of assessors/interviewers to deal with the growing number of applications.  This is a very practical way that you could help with the professional development of others.

The Registration interviews for which we need more interviewers are conducted in the IRSE offices in London, so ideally you should live within a reasonable travelling distance.  All assessors/interviewers will be given training and we are planning to schedule a training session in September (additional sessions may be provided if needed). 

Registration with the Engineering Council substantially enhances an individual’s professional status and if you feel you could spare some time to volunteer for this important process, please contact the Membership & Registration Manager, Christine White (christine.white@irse.org).

The UK events programme for 2016-17 is now published and available on the IRSE website.  Go to the United Kingdom page (under the “Near You” tab), and follow the link to the UK Programme.  Or click here to view the Programme directly.  This programme will be updated as and when further details of events are available.

The Minor Railways Section will be holding a technical workshop at Signet Solutions Ltd in Derby, on the 3rd and 4th September.  This workshop follows on from the previous successful workshops held by the Section since 2010 and is open to and aimed at individuals involved with signalling maintenance in the minor railways sector. 

Click here for more details.