Anic Associates offer a comprehensive range of engineering services to support all facets of rail transport operations. Our Services include:
"Turnkey" Rollingstock Engineering Design (New Rollingstock)
We are the preferred "design house" for some of the key rail operators today. We offer a full range of engineering design services, from initial specification formulation to sign-off and customer handover
Our designs comply with all relevant Australian and major international rail standards, including the AAR Standard. Our design expertise covers:
We follow a rigorous process to ensure that the final product is safe and "fit-for-intended purpose". Our designs are fully tested to the latest rollingstock standards, ensuring that full operational safety is achieved.
Using our "Vehicle Design Module", all designs are assessed for the wheel/rail interface, dynamic performance and track infrastructure response, to ensure that the most optimal design is developed, even before the detailed engineering phase is started. This approach saves time and cost and ensures that designs are developede in the quickest possible time.
All of our designs equal or exceed current industry efficiency benchmarks. We achieve this by applying our knowledge and expertise, to ensure that our designs provide our clients with the most efficient rail operations possible.
Client satisfaction is the key. Our clients have invested $AUD54 million over the last 10 years, ordering rollingstock assets to our designs. These assets are fully accredited and providing our clients with the required rate-of-return on their investment.
Asset Re-engineering & Enhancement
We provide rail vehicle re-engineering and enhancement services, to ensure current assets meet future operating requirements.
Some of our project examples include vehicle conversions, for better asset utilisation, increasing vehicle end load rating, for longer train consist lengths or increasing axleoad capacity, for greater operating efficiency.
Our expert knowledge can provide unique solutions, to ensure that any future operational demand projection is met with more efficient and better utilised fleet.
Standards & Specification Development
Anic Associates have been closely involved with the development of rollingstock standards. Our knowledge and expertise is ideally placed to provide the required level of detail to develop standards that meet stakeholder requirements, while at the same time maximise operational safety.
We have just completed the Chairmanship of the CRC for Crashworthiness project. The objective of this project was to provide research outcomes into crash energy management systems that will underpin the development of more effective safety standards related to train collisions.
We have also developed vehicle/infrastructure interface standards for the next generation of DMU's, for regional passenger transport in Victoria (the "Wide Body DMU" concept). The study quantified the reduction in safety margins (related to the wide body operation) and identification of critical interface standards required to enable the operation of the "wider body" DMU in the future.
Rollingstock Testing & Accreditation (Notified Body Services)
Anic Associates provide full testing and accreditation (Notified Body) services. Our testing services include:
The results of these tests form the basis for accreditation by rail safety regulators.
We also offer Notified Body services for accreditation/ type certification, during the rollingstock delivery phase. Our services ensure that vehicles comply with Tender specifications, before final acceptance.
Safety Investigations
We offer services associated with safety investigations within the rail sector. Some of the safety investigations we have been involved in include:
Project Management
Anic Associates offer a comprehensive project management services, to ensure that projects are delivered on budget, on time and at the required quality level.
Our proven project management skills have been developed by successfully delivering some of the most high value capital investment project in rollingstock, including:
Project Value
"CQKY" build- AUD 2.5 million
"CQMY" build- AUD 10.0 million
"VHKY" build- AUD 1.0 million
"CGAY" build- AUD 15.4 million
"CGDY" build- AUD 7.2 million
"CQWY" build- AUD 18.2 million
"Vlocity DMU" build- AUD 192 million
"ASPB"-Comeng/Hitachi Cars- AUD 2.7 million
"Fixed Train Radio"-Comeng Cars- AUD 6.2 million
All these system are in operational service and meeting operational requirements.
We recognize the importance of risk assessment and place great emphasis on developing project specific risk matrices. These project risk matrices is continually re-assessed during the life of the project and acts as an early warning system related to issues that may cause cost over runs, project delays, or quality issues.
Communication is a critical activity in our project management approach. We ensure that all critical stakeholders have the required information to ensure project success.
Expert Witness
We are one of the rare organisations in Australia to be recognised by the Federal Court of Australia as experts in the rail transport sector. Our depth of knowledge and years of experience in the rail sector was critical in this decision.
An example of our expert knoweldge is providing advice on aspects of ore car design for iron ore operations in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.
Rollingstock Strategy Development
We offer asset strategy development that ensures that rollingstock fleets meet short, medium and long term demand projections. We asses current operations and future demand predictions, to determine the "operational gap" over the long term. In this we assess:
Our strategy development approach offers our clients a holistic approach to rail transport operations and provide a path to sustainable operations over the long term.