The Rail CRC (Cooperative Research Centre for Railway Engineering and Technologies) is reaching new milestones as it enters 2003.

Rail CRC provides the Australian railway industry with its first truly national focus for rail research and consultancy services. It has been operating since July, 2001 and is headquartered at CQU.

Among the latest milestones is a more functional version of the Rail CRC web site, which is ready for access in the new year (via www.crcrail.com.au) The new site has the behind the scenes infrastructure in place which among other things will enable the CRC’s intended focus on industry skills development.

The web will become the staging point for continuing professional development modules for railway signaling and telecommunications engineers and technologists.

Materials are also being gathered for similar courses in railway civil engineering and rollingstock engineering, which will also be delivered via the web site.

Meanwhile, CRC members will also have coded access to secure sites that store research information which will drive improvements in productivity.

The Rail CRC is currently giving its industry members ground-floor input into its next set of funded research projects.

Industry members are being invited to submit what they see as the most critical issues needing solution.

Of the projects already approved, those under way include ‘Ballast-Formation-Track Interaction and Effective Use of Recycled Ballast Stabilized with Geosynthetics’.

The main objectives of this project are to evaluate the geotechnical properties of fresh and recycled ballast and to achieve technological advancement of rail track design, while minimising maintenance costs, theoretically and experimentally.

This project started on 1 February 2002 under a Rail CRC fund. At present, one postdoctoral fellow, two postgraduate students and three undergraduate students are working on this project at the University of Wollongong.

Major project activities have been: (a) To conduct a critical review of the relevant information. (b) To upgrade the large-scale equipment and perform many introductory laboratory tests to examine the fresh and recycled ballast properties, and to study the role of geosynthetics in ballast behaviour. (c) To conduct preliminary numerical analysis of track response under cyclic loads, incorporating ballast degradation, fouling and retarded drainage. Another project to get under way is ‘Determination of Train/Track Health and Speed Restriction Decision Support Systems’, under the leadership of Associate Professor Peter Wolfs from Central Queensland University.

A significant review of technologies associated with the concept of a smart train has been completed, with a focus on this project area.

Rail CRC research projects are grouped into the following themes: ‘Smart train’ Intelligent Systems; Innovative/Automated Track Maintenance and Upgrading Technologies; Optimal Traffic Control and Scheduling; IT Systems and Standards for Rail Management; New Materials, Systems and Components for Railways; Industry Skills Development (Education and Training); The projects are running at six Australian universities. Each project is managed by an industry-based steering committee and chaired by a senior representative from the railway industry.

Rail CRC’s mission is to deliver decision-making tools, knowledge and technologies necessary to address industry needs for the effective rail management, operation, maintenance and development of the rail industry.

Participation in the Rail CRC has a range of benefits, including access to research results and products and the opportunity to share assets.

For details: email railcrc@cqu.edu.au website www.crcrail.com.au phone +61 (0)7 4930 9597 or fax +61 (0)7 4923 2161