By R.Vikneswaran
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 22 (Bernama) -- Even with major upcoming rail projects on the line, Malaysia has yet to meet the dire need for qualified manpower to take on the challenge.
According to rail recruitment specialist Rail Personnel, there is a shortage of skilled workers and white-collar personnel in the development of current rail projects, namely the High Speed Rail (HSR) linking Kuala Lumpur with Singapore and the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) network.
Its director, Paul Spencer, said that for now, rail operators were merely "surviving" with the limited qualified human capital by importing trained professionals from overseas as a stopgap measure.
"However, (if this is not quickly remedied) they will face more serious problems in finding engineers and skilled workers for the upcoming MRT 2 and HSR projects.
"There are two main reasons for the shortage. The first is that there are no courses or training offered in railway studies at (Malaysian) higher institutions. Secondly, Malaysians who are actually trained and experienced (in rail technology) are working abroad because of the higher salary," he told Bernama at the Rail Business Asia (RBA) 2014 here, recently.
Rail Personnel recruits engineers and professionals of all disciplines of rail industry and was set up in Malaysia over a year ago.
A PROBLEM COSTLY TO IGNORE
According to Paul, the lack of skilled workers might also result in the late completion of rail projects.
"Besides that, the cost for such projects would increase because of the need to bring in foreign expertise and pay them a higher salary", the Australian said.
Meanwhile, the Land Public Transport Commission chairman, Tan Sri Syed Hamid Syed Jaafar Albar said the Malaysian rail industry had tremendous potential for growth.
The country is expected to spend up to RM160 billion on rail development projects by 2020.
"MRT and HSR are not the last of the rail development projects. There are plans for more development in the future such as LRT 3, MRT 2 and Trans-Asian railway", Syed Hamid said to reporters after officiating the conference at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.
RAILWAY SIGNALLING
The establishment of the Institution of Railway Signal Engineers (IRSE) in Malaysia last year was a positive step towards meeting the needs of local industry players in the signalling and telecommunications fields.
Railway signaling is one of the units in the rail industry that plays a pivotal role in enhancing the safety of the passengers and avoiding mishaps.
It is also considered the central nerve system of any rail infrastructure as it drives the whole system. It is software and hardware based and interfaces everything with each other, including the operator and driver.
Given the many upcoming rail projects in Malaysia, having numerous local specialists in railway signaling is a need that cannot be ignored.
THE NEED FOR PROPER SIGNALLING
The IRSE (Malaysia) Secretary Aniket Mukhopadhyay said in Malaysia, the braking distance of its rail systems extended to as far as one kilometre.
Without a proper signaling system, a rail driver would not be able to judge when to brake simply by looking at the track conditions.
"Trains move as fast as 400kmph in Spain and Japan. At that speed, it is impossible for the driver to gauge when to brake, simply by looking onto the tracks.
"So it is the signalling system that tells the driver whether there is an oncoming train or blockades, derailment or whether the routes are set properly. It's a very complex system", he explained.
He said as the world moved on to the more modern forms of signalling, there would only be virtual signals, such as that used in the current Light Rail Transit (LRT) systems.
"Everything is virtual and usually there is enough sensors and signal detectors that is communicating to the network", he added.
Aniket said that rail was the only mode of transportation that required no steering.
"A driver would only need to accelerate and brake, and when he has to do so is communicated to the driver through the signalling system", he said.
On the IRSE, Aniket said its main objective was to develop such professionals of the industry and grade their competence.
The institution is established in the United Kingdom in 1912 but launched in Malaysia last year by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
"The IRSE is an international NGO that helps develops the knowledge and competence of our members in the science and practice of signalling and telecommunications engineering within the industry, as well as to maintain high standards of knowledge and competence within the profession", he said.
-- BERNAMA
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 22 (Bernama) -- Even with major upcoming rail projects on the line, Malaysia has yet to meet the dire need for qualified manpower to take on the challenge.
According to rail recruitment specialist Rail Personnel, there is a shortage of skilled workers and white-collar personnel in the development of current rail projects, namely the High Speed Rail (HSR) linking Kuala Lumpur with Singapore and the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) network.
Its director, Paul Spencer, said that for now, rail operators were merely "surviving" with the limited qualified human capital by importing trained professionals from overseas as a stopgap measure.
"However, (if this is not quickly remedied) they will face more serious problems in finding engineers and skilled workers for the upcoming MRT 2 and HSR projects.
"There are two main reasons for the shortage. The first is that there are no courses or training offered in railway studies at (Malaysian) higher institutions. Secondly, Malaysians who are actually trained and experienced (in rail technology) are working abroad because of the higher salary," he told Bernama at the Rail Business Asia (RBA) 2014 here, recently.
Rail Personnel recruits engineers and professionals of all disciplines of rail industry and was set up in Malaysia over a year ago.
A PROBLEM COSTLY TO IGNORE
According to Paul, the lack of skilled workers might also result in the late completion of rail projects.
"Besides that, the cost for such projects would increase because of the need to bring in foreign expertise and pay them a higher salary", the Australian said.
Meanwhile, the Land Public Transport Commission chairman, Tan Sri Syed Hamid Syed Jaafar Albar said the Malaysian rail industry had tremendous potential for growth.
The country is expected to spend up to RM160 billion on rail development projects by 2020.
"MRT and HSR are not the last of the rail development projects. There are plans for more development in the future such as LRT 3, MRT 2 and Trans-Asian railway", Syed Hamid said to reporters after officiating the conference at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.
RAILWAY SIGNALLING
The establishment of the Institution of Railway Signal Engineers (IRSE) in Malaysia last year was a positive step towards meeting the needs of local industry players in the signalling and telecommunications fields.
Railway signaling is one of the units in the rail industry that plays a pivotal role in enhancing the safety of the passengers and avoiding mishaps.
It is also considered the central nerve system of any rail infrastructure as it drives the whole system. It is software and hardware based and interfaces everything with each other, including the operator and driver.
Given the many upcoming rail projects in Malaysia, having numerous local specialists in railway signaling is a need that cannot be ignored.
THE NEED FOR PROPER SIGNALLING
The IRSE (Malaysia) Secretary Aniket Mukhopadhyay said in Malaysia, the braking distance of its rail systems extended to as far as one kilometre.
Without a proper signaling system, a rail driver would not be able to judge when to brake simply by looking at the track conditions.
"Trains move as fast as 400kmph in Spain and Japan. At that speed, it is impossible for the driver to gauge when to brake, simply by looking onto the tracks.
"So it is the signalling system that tells the driver whether there is an oncoming train or blockades, derailment or whether the routes are set properly. It's a very complex system", he explained.
He said as the world moved on to the more modern forms of signalling, there would only be virtual signals, such as that used in the current Light Rail Transit (LRT) systems.
"Everything is virtual and usually there is enough sensors and signal detectors that is communicating to the network", he added.
Aniket said that rail was the only mode of transportation that required no steering.
"A driver would only need to accelerate and brake, and when he has to do so is communicated to the driver through the signalling system", he said.
On the IRSE, Aniket said its main objective was to develop such professionals of the industry and grade their competence.
The institution is established in the United Kingdom in 1912 but launched in Malaysia last year by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
"The IRSE is an international NGO that helps develops the knowledge and competence of our members in the science and practice of signalling and telecommunications engineering within the industry, as well as to maintain high standards of knowledge and competence within the profession", he said.
-- BERNAMA
