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| 1 | 3 February 2021 | 2nd Symposium on Railway Infrastructure and Engineering,
3rd February 2021, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Connectivity provided by rail transport will have significance impact on our social and economic lives. With the revival of the nation’s rail projects will undoubtedly propel our nation to the next stage of development and opportunity is not only limited to Malaysia but also in the region. This symposium is aimed at bringing together practitioners from railway industries, owners, operators, researchers and academia to share and promote research activities to support the new initiatives of expanding the rail network in Malaysia and promoting railway connectivity within the ASEAN region. It will provide a forum for exchange of ideas and opportunities to network with researchers, universities, practitioners and owners in the following areas: 1. Railways infrastructures 2. Safety and standards 3. Operation safety, reliability and maintainability 4. Social, environmental and economic issues 5. Education and training 6. Transportation and optimization of traffic control Program schedule
 Figure 1. Virtual Symposium Hall Figure 2. Officiating remarks by Minister of Transport, YB Datuk Seri Ir. Dr. Wee Ka Siong Figure 3. Keynote speech by YBhg Datuk Dr. Mohd Yusoff Sulaiman Figure 4. Keynote speech by YBhg Dato' Dr. Ir. Ts. Mohd Abdul Karim Bin Abdullah Figure 5. Speech delivered by the distinguished speakers in ZoomThis 2nd Symposium on Railway Infrastructure and Engineering was held on 3 February 2021 and it was jointly organised by UTAR Centre for Railway Infrastructure and Engineering (CRIE), Malaysia Rail Industry Corporation (MARIC) and Institute of Materials, Malaysia (IMM). It aims to bring together practitioners from railway industries, owners, operators, researchers and academia to share research outcomes and knowledge, and promote research activities to support the new initiatives of expanding the rail network in Malaysia and promoting railway connectivity within the ASEAN region. The symposium, held via Zoom, featured international and local experts from Malaysia, China, Hong Kong, Japan and Germany. It received very positive response with a record of more than 700 registered local and international participants attending the virtual symposium. The opening of the virtual symposium was graced by Minister of Transport Datuk Seri Ir Dr Wee Ka Siong. Later, UTAR President Ir Prof Dr Ewe Hong Tat has delivered his welcomed speech to all speakers and participants. 2 VIPs have delivered keynote speech in the symposium, they are President of Malaysia Rail Industry Corporation Datuk Dr Mohd Yusoff Sulaiman and President and Group CEO of Serba Dinamik Group Berhad Dato' Dr Ir Ts Mohd Abdul Karim bin Abdullah. The symposium was a great success and has been report in The Star and the sun daily newspaper (https://www.thesundaily.my/local/malaysia-to-rely-on-rail-network-to-drive-nation-s-aspirations-dr-wee-BM6482175). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | 2 December 2021 | 2021 Symposium on Rail Technology and Development, 2nd December 2021, MIGHT, Cyberjaya, Malaysia RAIL TED Symposium on Rail Technology and Development 2021 The RAIL TED Symposium on Rail Technology and Development 2021 which was jointly organised by the Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT), Malaysia Rail Industry Corporation (MARIC) and Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) on 2 December 2021, was held at MIGHT Partnership Hub, Cyberjaya. The event was supported by National Rail Centre of Excellence (NRCOE). The event schedule is as shown below:   Datuk Dr Mohd Yusoff Sulaiman (second from left), Dato’ Henry Sum Agong (third from left), Prof Ewe and the MARIC council members during the group photography sessionThemed, ‘Driving the Competitiveness of an Integrated, Affordable, Reliable and Smooth Urban Public Rail for First and Last Mile Mobility’, the international symposium highlighted technology and local business through a special programme comprising talk and showcases. This programme strives to support industrial development and promote the competitiveness of an integrated, affordable, reliable and smooth public transport for the benefit of the nation. The symposium aimed to showcase and exhibit Malaysian rail industry capabilities in design, engineering, constructions, operations and maintenance as well as highlight last miles connectivity through micron mobility in increasing passenger’s experience. Apart from that, it emphasised rail as an important component and key catalyst in Transit Oriented-Development and unveiled how different modes of rail complement and complete passenger travel experience. It also highlighted the relevance of digital transformation and ticketing systems in realising seamless journeys in urban rail public transport.  Dato’ Henry Sum Agong during the keynote sessionDeputy Minister of Transport Malaysia Dato’ Henry Sum Agong representing Minister of Transport Malaysia Datuk Seri Ir Dr Wee Ka Siong said during his keynote address, “I would like to congratulate MIGHT and UTAR for their commendable effort to continuously push Malaysia’s high technology agenda on the rail industry. I hope they will continue to have efforts to prosper the nation by adding value to the rail industry in Malaysia. This symposium is especially timely as the rail industry has recently experienced a re-awakening and is embraced with great enthusiasm among industry players and the general population alike in managing the day-to-day and embracing the economy social impact post-Covid-19.” He added, “The 12th Malaysia plan is anchored on three key terms, namely resetting the economy, strengthening security, well-being and inclusivity, and advancing sustainability. The plan focuses on completing the dots by having a complete system that achieves last-mile connectivity to ensure a sustainable ecosystem that coexists with other modes of transportation in transit-oriented development. At the same time, it must focus on local empowerment through localisation to secure local ownership for technology adoption as well as upholding our sustainable development goals.”  Datuk Yusof Sulaiman extending his appreciation Datuk Dr Mohd Yusoff Sulaiman, President of Malaysia Rail Industry Corporation (MARIC) said, “In order to be competitive, we need to have high capabilities, high competencies and high connectedness and look at the rail industry development on the same page so that we can work together for the betterment of the country. The future success of our rail sector must be by design, not by accident. It has to be structured and systematic. MARIC supports truly aligned with the government’s 12th Malaysia plan of public transportation which focuses on four categories; last connectivity to port, transit-oriented development, micron mobility and Putrajaya monorail. These plans will be essential in growing local capabilities and will enable more export activities of our end-to-end rail systems. We can do more and overcome many challenges and I believe under the leadership and stewardship of the ministry of transport, we will continue to grow strength by strength. I hope participants will learn new things, make new friends and make a pledge to help the country, to make the rail sector development as successful as it can be and make Malaysia on par with the other countries’ rail giants,” as he welcomed the participants.  Prof Ewe delivering his speechUTAR President Ir Prof Dr Ewe Hong Tat remarked, “Today will indeed be an interesting day and one that I hope will bring new ideas, interactive discussions and possible avenues for further research and development in rail technology and its development in the country. With the coming together of all such expertise and exhibits, this symposium will hopefully be a catalyst to encourage further interests among youths and students to study rail engineering and technology so that the nation can progress even faster for an integrated national rail network. It is also important that interdisciplinary research continue to be conducted in railway infrastructure, traction power, railway structure design, maintenance and condition monitoring, railway asset management, socio-economic issues, materials for vibration and noise control, sustainable energy and environmental issues to ensure progress and sustainability. This symposium will be a launchpad and a great platform for all participants and speakers to network and to keep abreast of the latest inventions, resources, and developments in the rail industry.” The symposium continued with a series of presentations by Serba Dinamik Holdings Berhad Dato’ Dr Ir Ts Mohd Abdul Karim Abdullah with his presentation titled, “Rail Service Transformation Calls for Digital Transformation”, Railway Assets Corporation (RAC) Adam Abu Hanipah with his presentation titled, “Transit-Oriented Development” and NRCOE Hasry Harun with his presentation titled, “Rail Industry Standards Towards Year 2030”. Apart from that, China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) presented a virtual presentation on “Last Mile Connectivity & Micron Mobility” and Perbadanan Putrajaya Ts Ir Muhammad Masrizal bin Saad presented on “The Plan in Revitalising Putrajaya with a Train System”.       Exhibition tour CRIE Chairperson Dr Chua Kein Huat (middle) and Prof Ewe (second from right) at the exhibition boothEstablished on 14 June 2017, CRIE is responsible for expanding the technology and human capital development of railway infrastructure and engineering in Malaysia. CRIE conducted its first and second symposium on railway infrastructure and engineering in 2018 and 2021 respectively. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | 14 December 2021 | Dr. Chua Kein Huat is appointed as Energy Advisor for Tan Chong Motor Assemblies Sdn Bhd UTAR Lee Kong Chian Faculty of Engineering and Science (LKC FES) academic Dr Chua Kein Huat has been appointed as the Energy Advisor for Tan Chong Motor Assemblies Sdn Bhd (TCMA Sdn Bhd) from 1 November 2021 until 31 December 2022. His duties at TCMA Sdn Bhd include providing advice on strategies and initiatives that improve energy efficiency and energy waste reduction; establishing energy management system in planning, developing, implementing, and reviewing the energy conservation measures; exploring alternatives for green energy resources and new technologies that can enhance the energy efficiency and reduce carbon footprint. In brief, Dr Chua will extend his support to the TCMA Energy Management team to improve the energy efficiency of the plants and reduce the carbon footprint in line with the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) which is to become a carbon-neutral nation by 2050. UTAR congratulates Dr Chua on this significant appointment and wishes him even greater successes and achievements in the years ahead.  Dr Chua (right) receiving the appointment letter from TCMA Sdn Bhd General Manager Robin Chong Siong Lek Dr Chua visited the car assembly production line | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||