Of rails, master plans and millimetre work
Property development at DSW21
Status: 13.03.24
How do our rails actually get to where they are needed and who says where they are needed anyway? Why does DSW21 not only deal with buses and light rail, but also with "property development"? And what does one question have to do with the other?
A little tip: "engineering" plays a pretty important role here.
According to the Duden dictionary, engineers are "technicians trained at a university or technical college". Sounds simple. But it's not at all. That becomes clear when you look at the variety of specialisms. Our colleagues come from the fields of electrical and mechanical engineering, environmental engineering, surveying and civil engineering.
It is the latter that have a lot to do with the initial questions from above.
To ensure that our light rail systems can continue to run in, through and under Dortmund, we need a safe rail network - of course. Keeping it fit in the long term involves a lot of work.
Our colleagues from the transport infrastructure planning department are responsible for this. The team of civil and surveying engineers, technicians and technical draughtsmen not only has an eye for the rails and track bed. They also keep an eye on the surrounding area: From the overhead line for the power supply to the stop for barrier-free access. And that both above and below ground.
Our "planning engineers" are the focal point and organise "their" projects from A to Z. From the initial planning of upcoming projects, through the implementation of approval and tendering procedures, the quality inspection of track systems at manufacturers, the laying of tracks with millimetre precision, to the final approval after completion of all work in the project - they are always actively involved and the interface between internal and external project participants. Their everyday life is somewhere between desk and construction site, paragraphs and "tamping machine" (which offers more high-tech than its name suggests - perhaps we'll show it in one of our video formats soon).
It's a bit like a model railway as a child - just as much fun with planning and technology, only much bigger. And with a little more responsibility. Ultimately, our colleagues ensure that our light rail vehicles run safely.
In order for this to succeed, every civil or surveying engineer, regardless of whether they are a recent graduate or have many years of professional experience, undergoes at least one year of intensive training with their colleagues before their first really big "own" project is due. After all, you don't learn how to plan a rail network with all the trimmings for public transport at university. You learn it "hands on", with internal and external further training and with a team of friendly colleagues who have an open ear for every question.
At some point, however, you look at the first completed project and are happy, just like when you were a child, that everything fits and the railway makes its first round on its new route.
Fancy something new?
If you are interested in becoming part of our planning team, you are in luck. We are currently looking for reinforcement. Click here for the job advertisement.
But wait - what about property development? We'll reveal that in another post. Civil engineers also play a role here. With the same degree - but with completely different tasks.