INGENIEUR
Malaysia sorely lacks local exper tise
and professionals in electrical train systems
engineering with wide knowledge/skill gap
covering train traction power system, train control
and signalling and operational software integration
system.
However, for rail-road infrastructure, Malaysian
civil engineering professionals can design and
engineer complex rail-road civil structures, such as
the elevated guide ways and underground tunnels
for these electric-based railway system.
This article provides a comprehensive systems
view of Malaysia’s current electric railways
infrastructure as the backdrop for the proposed
capacity building framework in producing future
academically-qualified electrical and railway
engineering professionals to address the current
deficiency in this field.
As part of the recently-launched 11th Malaysia
Plan (2016-2020), there is thus urgent need
for railway industry stakeholders (from the
Government/Ministry level to railway asset owners
and train operating companies to professional
engineering institutions and engineering
consultancies) to take stock of Malaysia’s
deficiency of local professional expertise in this
field. And, as the way forward, to take those
major initiatives for capacity building of railway
professionals as contained in the proposed
framework of this article with the first priority
focusing on electrical and railway engineering.
The initiatives are:
• Government to nominate a well-established
local university (which has a synergistic
linkage with the local electricity utility
company, (TNB)) to setup a Railway
Engineering Centre (REC) as part of its
education and research programme under
the 11th Malaysia Plan framework with
the necessary Government funding for the
setting up of this REC.
• The nominated University to enter into a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with
University of Birmingham Centre of Railway
Education Research, UK (BCRER) on a
“twinning programme” basis for the setting
up of the REC: This MoU should outline the
objectives, deliverables, and timeline for
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the REC.
• For a start, the nominated-university REC
and BCRER to develop and roll-out on a
“twinning programme” basis, a four-year
BSc Undergraduate course in Electrical
& Railway Engineering following the
BCRER programme model commencing
as early as September 2016 (Year 1) so
that the first pioneering batch (say, about
40) of young engineers in Electrical &
Railway Engineering can graduate into the
Malaysian railway industry by 2020.
• In parallel, specific MoUs will also need to
be executed between REC and the other
stakeholders of the Malaysian railway
industry as identified earlier.
• As part of the proposed capacity building
framework, IEM to seriously consider
forming a Sub-division of Electrical Railways
under its Electrical Technical Division and
another Sub-division of Rail-Road under its
Civil/Structure Technical Division.
REFERENCE
[1] More Engineers Needed For Train Industry,
Bernama Report, The Sun, Nov 20, 2013.
[2] Gamuda on Track with MRT Project, StarBiz
Week, The Star, Dec 15, 2012.
[3] IEM Technical Talk The Inched Role of
Traction Power System In the Electrical
Power Engineering Profession for Malaysia’s
Electric Based Railway Public Transportation
Infrastructure Projects, Ir. Dr. Amir Basha
Ismail, September 30, 2014.
[4] Simulation Assessment of the Existing KTMB
Klang Valley 25 kV Traction Power System
Adequacy to Support the New 6-Car Train
With Shorter Headway Commuter Service,
A.B.Ismail et. al,. International Conference
Electrical Power Engineering and Application,
Nov 2014, Trans Tech Periodicals, Trans Tech
Publications, Switzerland.
N.B. Pictures of trains in this article are licensed under CC BYSA 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons by User:Two hundred percent.