Institution news
A high-speed rail link between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore was proposed in the late 1990s, but due to high costs the proposal was shelved. However the fire that created that dream was rekindled in 2013 - the Kuala Lumpur–Singapore High Speed Rail (HSR) project.
It is the world’s top strategic infrastructure project for which planning began in 2010 with a planned completion in 2026, spanning a network length of 350km, capable of speeds up to 320km/hr.
The need for Malaysia's engineers to educate themselves on the immense subject of rail engineering has become very clear. To aid this, the Mechanical Engineers Malaysia Branch (IMechE), in collaboration with the Institution of Engineers’ Engineering Education Technical Division of IEM (E2TD) and Engineers Australia Malaysia Chapter (EAMC), organised a CPD talk series in Octobe, entitled ‘High Speed Railway – Educate Ourselves on Rail Engineering’ chaired by Prof Dr Ir Vinesh Thiruchelvam. The 88-strong audience came from a variety of backgrounds but with just one common objective - to gain insights into rail engineering and its common practices.
The first two speakers, Ms. Winnie Wong and Mr. Stephane Mortier, from MyHSR Corp. Sdn Bhd. MyHSR, the company entrusted to deliver the Kuala Lumpur–Singapore High Speed Rail (HSR) project through to completion. They introduced the project background, project structure, the chronology of events that led to the bilateral agreement signed in 2016 and well as the progress of the project so far. They went on to discussing the project challenges and opportunities. This generated so much audience interest that the event chairman had quite a tough time to draw the morning session to a close.
The afternoon continued with a session by Mr. Thomas Baake (E-MAS Sdn. Bhd) and Ir. Dr. Alvin Yap (Asia Pacific University), speaking on the 'Railway Maintenance System on the KLIA Express (ERL Maintenance)'. The session by Mr. Baake was very technical, delving into aspects of rail maintenance that would not be known unless one was a rail engineer in the company. Ir. Dr. Alvin spoke about a project intended to harvest wind energy using the induced wind of a moving train. This is in line with efforts by the Malaysian government to promote innovation in the development of green technology and promote sustainability in business practices, under the National Green Technology Policy. This project was a collaboration between Asia Pacific University (APU) and E-MAS Sdn. Bhd.
The general public may have probably been aware of and may have experienced travelling onboard an MRT system. However in light of the emergence of the highly anticipated HSR between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, Ir. Leo Mak Sek Man (Director of Systems, MMC-Gamuda), made his session about the similarities and differences of the railway systems between the MRT and a high speed rail. The session covered both systems in terms on their planning, design, technical challenges, infrastructure requirements, testing, commissioning and passenger service operations. This gave the attendees the opportunity to grasp the full range of railway technologies, from monorail to high speed rail.
The final session, conducted by Mr, Thomas Dorfner (VP Asia Pacific, Getzner), gave a technical brief into vibration isolation for railway systems using technologically advanced elastomers. The importance of elasticity in railway superstructures may not have been be immediately apparent to the attendees without rail background but as the various case studies used were discussed in depth, it was clear that without elasticity, it would be impossible to guarantee the safety of a locomotive travelling at any speed, what more at speeds exceeding 350km/hr.
The seminar was planned to be a very interactive, Q&A type of session in order to allow the audience to clarify any doubts or seek information directly from the experts involved in the rail industry. The session concluded at 4.30pm but based on the seemingly endless private discussions that the several attendees continued to have with the speakers over their tea, it is very evident that the objective of the one day seminar has been achieved and that the attendees have gotten what they came for!