International Transportation (68) 1 | 2016 23 Deutsche Bahn in Down-Under The role of DB Engineering & Consulting in the Canberra-light rail project Public transport, public-private partnership, tramway, infrastructure DB Engineering & Consulting, formerly DB International, has been involved in small projects in Australia for roughly one and a half years. In February 2016, the international planning and consultancy company of DB AG and its local partners were awarded a contract for a light rail project in Canberra, the capital of Australia. In addition to the planning and construction of the 12-kilometer-long line, the main focus is on operation and maintenance over the tendered period of 20 years. Author: Robert Wagner T he idea of a rail line through the heart of the Australian capital, Canberra, is not new: Already the city planner and architect Walter Burley Griin, who planned the city from scratch in 1912, envisioned a public rail system. He reserved adequate space in the middle of the arterial roads so that the rail system could be added at a later time. His declared goal at the time was to plan the perfect city of the future, which, in his opinion, included an eicient local rail system. Exactly 100 years later, in 2012, the ruling labor party of the time made the construction of a light rail system a campaign promise and was conirmed in oice. Equipped with this mandate, an inter-municipal association was founded and commissioned with the planning of the project in preparation for tendering. Following this, the Capital Metro Agency assumed its work on behalf of the provincial government and developed a project framework, which was approved by the government in September 2014. Shortly after, potential bidder consortia were requested to register for the tender. From the initial expression of interest to the awarding of the contract The business model developed by the Capital Metro Agency is based on a publicprivate partnership (PPP) approach that allows the relatively small Australian Capital Territory (ACT) to build the irst light rail line in Canberra without having to make a large initial investment. To keep the tendering costs low for the industry, the process started with a shortlisting phase. During this phase, only a few tender details were made available, and the documents to be submitted by the applicants focused less on technical solutions than on the ability to implement the project. Four consortia participated in this shortlisting phase, the two best of which were permitted to take part in the actual tendering process. Figure 1: Light-rail corridor fitted into the existing tree-lined boulevard Visualization: Canberra Metro Light Rail BEST PRACTICE International Transportation (68) 1 | 2016 24 BEST PRACTICE Light Rail a) ACTivate Consortium (including Keolis Downer, Downer EDI Works and Bombardier, among others) b) Canberra Metro Consortium (including John Holland, Paciic Partnerships, CAF, DB International (DB Engineering & Consulting since April 2016) and Leighton Contractors, among others) After the two preferred bidders were announced in March 2015, the actual tender preparation phase began. The Canberra Metro Consortium divided the overall project into two sub-projects: The Design & Construction (D&C) team focused on preparing the documents required for the planning and construction of the line, stops, depot and all related components. The Operation & Maintenance (O&M) team was responsible for the planning and operation phase. To ensure the necessary coordination between the two teams, the Canberra Metro Consortium worked together at the same location. By consulting with each other on a regular basis, the O&M and D&C teams reined the inal designs developed by the inter-municipal association Capital Metro Agency. A large team of experts from all consortium partners worked on preparing the technical and inancial aspects of the tender up to the submission date in October 2015. The biggest challenge was to develop a solution that was not only technically and architecturally appealing, but also functional, cost-efective and hence competitive, as well as taking care to integrate existing green areas as shown in figure 1. In August 2015, the consortium presented the inanciers of the PPP project their “light” construction drawings in order to have the planning approved and secure funding. In the inal step, the inancing costs were incorporated into the inal tender and submitted to the Capital Metro Agency. In its inal presentation in mid-October 2015 in Canberra, the consortium made its case for the chosen technical approach and its own expertise. Following a thorough evaluation of both tenders, it was announced in a press conference in Canberra on February 1, 2016, that Canberra Metro had been chosen as the winner of the tender. Since then, both parties have been working on the inal contractual details. The contract is scheduled to be signed at the end of May. Construction is to start as early as the end of June to ensure that operation can commence in the second half of 2018. The project - background information and facts about the light rail line in Canberra In the UK and America, a distinction is made between tram and light rail: Tram corresponds most closely to what is known in Germany as the “Straßenbahn”, which shares its space with other road users such as cars and pedestrians. In contrast, a light rail system normally has a separate infrastructure, which allows for higher speeds and safer operation. Due to the presence of the reserved corridors, Canberra made the right decision to opt for the light rail system. A large section of the line will run down the center of Northborne Avenue arterial road (see figure 2). The two-year construction phase is to begin in June 2016. Operation is to start in the fourth quarter of 2018 - initially for 20 years, but with the option for an additional ive years. If one considers the current situation in Canberra, numerous arguments can be made in favor of the light rail project. Currently, public transport only accounts for a very small part of the overall traic volume. Even at peak times the outdated buses with their unappealing timetables are hardly operating to capacity. Private transport, on the other hand, enjoys great popularity. Based on this fact, the Capital Metro Authority formulated the main objective of the project: The light rail system is to encourage inhabitants to leave the car at home more often and instead use the public transport system. In addition to revitalizing the inner city and reducing CO 2 emissions, the main objective is to attract investments in the largely run-down buildings along Northborne Avenue. Another argument: The city is growing relatively quickly at a rate of 3 % per year. While there are about 390,000 people living in the capital today, in 2050 there will be about 600,000. To avoid a daily traic chaos - as it occurs 300 km away in Sydney - from the outset, an eicient public transport system is required. In the last phase of the project, the 12-kilometer-long line is to connect the rapidly growing Gungahlin suburb with Canberra’s city center in 24 minutes (figure 3). Twelve Urbos 100 vehicles of the Spanish manufacturer CAT will operate during peak times every six minutes between the 13 stops. Two backup vehicles will ensure the necessary operational lexibility. The 33-meter-long trains with 66 seats can trans- Figure 2: Light rail operating on Northborne Avenue Visualization: Canberra Metro International Transportation (68) 1 | 2016 25 Light Rail BEST PRACTICE port up to 207 passengers each, and Canberra’s enthusiastic cyclists have also been taken into account: Four bicycle spaces per train as well as bicycle stands at the most important stations are part of the concept, which is supposed to encourage Canberra’s inhabitants to switch to using the public transport system. A unique feature will be various paintjobs - depending on the current season - to promote special events such as the tulip blooming season (see igure-4). In the near future, the line is to be extended by 3.2 kilometers and connect the city center with Russel, Canberra’s oice and business district. This option was a requirement of the initial tender. Another option is the extension to Canberra’s airport, which is about three kilometers away from Russel. Furthermore, a triangular route is to link Russel with the government district in the south via the city center. The Capital Metro Agency is convinced that only a single network consisting of multiple lines can be operated eiciently, and that therefore the extensions need to be realized as soon as possible after the completion of the irst phase. Role of DB Engineering & Consulting and outlook The DB Engineering & Consulting team, formerly DB International, has been at the side of John Holland and the other consortium partners right from the beginning of the shortlisting phase. After the announcement of the success of this irst phase, a team consisting of eight experts was put together, which contributed signiicantly to the preparation of the tender in both the D&C and O&M teams. Of particular interest was DB Engineering & Consulting’s expertise in planning and operating light rail systems, since the other partners only had limited experience in this area. In addition to the direct employees of DB Engineering & Consulting, a DB Arriva operations manager in charge of operating Stockholm’s light rail system traveled regularly to Sydney to contribute his practical experience. In addition, various experts based in Germany contributed to the project, especially with regards to the development of timetables, turnaround cycles and shift plans. Now that it has been announced that the Canberra Metro Consortium won the tender, preparations are underway to implement the project. DB Engineering & Consulting will serve as the key partner for the Operation / Maintenance joint venture consisting of John Holland and Paciic Partnerships. The main objective is to ensure that the operating expertise of DB Group is incorporated in the joint venture as early as possible to lay the foundation for safe and reliable operation. To ensure this, a small team on site and in Germany will monitor the construction drawings phase from the start of the construction phase in June 2016 and propose changes where necessary. DB experts will also assist the O&M joint venture in obtaining the necessary safety certiications. For the DB team, the really critical phase will begin with the preparation for operation, which is scheduled for July 2018. Numerous management positions at the operator joint venture are to be illed, at least temporarily, by DB employees to ensure a smooth start of operations and subsequent knowledge transfer over the irst few years. Driver training and vehicle acceptance are only two examples of the extensive responsibilities that DB will assume during this phase. There may even be further opportunities for DB Group to get involved in Australia in the future: The existing bus network in Canberra will have to be adapted to the new conditions to ensure that certain routes do not compete with the new light rail lines, but rather serve as feeder lines, and that convenient connections encourage passengers to start using the public transport system again. Even a potential takeover of bus operations from the current state operator has been discussed. Canberra is not the only city in Australia that is planning such a privatization of operator services in public transport - plenty of potential for DB to expand its commitment in Down Under. ■ Robert Wagner Branch Manager Australia & New-Zealand, DB Engineering & Consulting, North Sydney (AU) robert.ro.wagner@deutschebahn.com Figure 4: CAF vehicle with seasonal paintjob Visualization: Canberra Metro Figure 3: Route map and stop location from Gungahlin at the north to Alinga Street in the Canberra city center Source: R. Wagner/ Google Maps