System Engineering Project Report: Light Rail Conceptual Design

This report provides a detailed analysis of a system engineering project, specifically focusing on the conceptual design phase of the Gold Coast Light Rail system. The report begins with an introduction highlighting the importance of conceptual design in system engineering projects, particularly in public transportation, using the light railway system as an example. It then delves into stakeholder needs, identifying key requirements such as reducing street congestion, boosting the economy, creating a sustainable environment, and overall city development. The core of the report examines the conceptual design process, which is broken down into preliminary system design, detailed design, and system testing, evaluation, and optimization. The preliminary design phase includes specifications for trackways, rail systems, and functional analyses, including tracking vehicles and bridge construction. The detailed design phase emphasizes documentation, engineering design tools (like AutoCAD), and review processes. Finally, the report discusses system testing, evaluation, and optimization, covering electrical power supply, signaling, and the overall project timeline. It concludes by summarizing system requirements, ensuring passenger safety, environmental friendliness, cost-effectiveness, and seamless integration within existing infrastructure.

Running head: SYSTEM ENGINEERING PROJECT
System Engineering Project
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Table of Contents
1. Introduction:................................................................................................................................2
2. Stakeholder Needs:......................................................................................................................2
3. Conceptual Design Process:........................................................................................................3
3.1 Preliminary System Design:..................................................................................................3
3.2 Detailed Design:....................................................................................................................5
3.3 System Testing, Evaluation and Optimization:.....................................................................7
4. System Requirements:.................................................................................................................8
5. Conclusion:..................................................................................................................................8
6. References:................................................................................................................................10

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1. Introduction:
Conceptual design phase of any type of project is very much important so that the project
can be analyzed in a proper way (Wu et al. 2016). Conceptual designs are very much important
for system engineering projects so that it can be ensured that the project got completed in a
proper fashion.
One of the prior example of this type of system engineering project is the field of public
transportation is the light railway system. The light railway systems is a typical form of
transportation which mainly runs in the urban region (Huang et al. 2017). This type of
transportation system mainly powered by the overhead electrical wires and in the aspect of
capacity this type of transportation systems are medium in nature. These light rail systems are
mainly the advanced form of the previous street cars. Here, in Australia one of the important
light rail system is the Gold Coast Light Rail system. The main aim of this project was enhancing
the existing transportation facilities of the city. For this project also, the conceptual design phase
is very much important so that proper strategy for completion of the project can be taken. Thus,
in this report important aspects of the systems will be discussed. This report will be critically
analyzing the conceptual design phase of the Gold Coast light railway system.
2. Stakeholder Needs:
Assessment of the stakeholder needs is very much important for successful completion of
the project. In this way each of the requirements of the stakeholders can be satisfied in a proper
way (Jones, Harrison and Felps 2018). In the conceptual framework of the project it is important
to identify all the requirements of the stakeholders so that the project can be executed as per the
requirement of those. For this project there are several of ways through which the needs of the

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stakeholders can be identified. For this type of system engineering project it is important that
several of methods and techniques are utilized for election of the activities. Important needs of
the stakeholders due to which this project has been started are discussed in the following.
 One of the important needs of the stakeholder due to which this project started is
reducing the congestion in the streets.
 This project will help to boost the economy of the country which is another important
need from the end of the stakeholders.
 For creating a sustainable environment it is crucial to minimize the overall air pollution
and this is another need from the end of the stakeholders. Thus, this project is started in
this case.
 The stakeholders of this project is also looking for overall development of the city and it
is one of the important need for them. So, this light rail project has been started.
3. Conceptual Design Process:
The conceptual design phase for this project is important to successfully complete the
project. In this aspect, the conceptual design phase of the system are divided into some further
sections which are preliminary system design, detailed design and the review of the system. In
the following section all of these section are elaborated briefly.
3.1 Preliminary System Design:
In the preliminary system design phase some important aspects of the projects are
included which are the development and project specification, system specification, and material
and process specification (Georgiou et al. 2016). In this phase comprehensive research is done
before commencing to the project. In this phase track way and rail specification is prepared

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which is crucial for this project. It also included specification regarding transition among the
tracks and the supporting structures. This project will also derive some important aspects from
the normal trains. Like the normal trains this system will be also guided through the railway
tracks. Important controls of the vehicle will be at the hand of the driver where he/she can
accelerate and can stop the vehicle as per the requirement. CCTV cameras will be installed
throughout the tracks and in the vehicles for tracking all the vehicles and for ensuring safety of
the passengers. In this aspect functional capability is also an important part of preliminary
design. The functional analysis and preliminary design criteria is discussed in the following
section.
3.1.1 Functional Analysis:
For this project the functions are divided into two parts. In the following section these
functions are discussed.
 Tracking of the Vehicles: For this project as the vehicle Flexity 2 tram will be utilized.
This tram has been chosen by the deep analysis of 51R1 grooved rail profile as it was
matching the preferred profile of wheel. Here, rubber boot system will be provided to the
rails. In this way the rail can be separated from the track slab concrete. The rubber boot
system will also help reduce the noise and the vibration from the rail system. This will
make the rail system environment friendly.
 Bridge Construction: For the execution of this project total four bridges need to be
constructed. First bridge is the Smith Street Viaduct which is approximately 370m long.
Pre-stressed concrete girders will be used for forming this bridge. Nerang River Bridge
is the second bridge which will be over the Nerang River. This bridge is 380m long and
in this case also pre-stressed concrete girders will be utilized. Third bridge is the

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MacIntosh North and the fourth bridge is the South Bridge. Both of the bridge will be
carrying the alignment over the Nerang River at two of the different location. The length
for the bridges are 32m and 43m respectively. Precast concrete deck will be used here.
3.1.2 Preliminary Design:
Conceptual design of the project also includes some of the functional characteristics
which includes average traveler number, travelling speed etc (Hong et al. 2019). This project is
highly sustainable in nature as emission CO2 is very much less in this case. Also, it has been
assessed that designed trackform can provide 40 years of service. Important security software
will be also provided for both of the passengers and the drivers for providing safety and for
management of the incidents.
3.2 Detailed Design:
The detailed design of the project must be having a team approach so that each of the
steps in the different types of phases can be handled properly. For this step expertise in technical
engineering and non-technical support is required. The assigned engineers of this project will be
performing design of the project and construction sites will be established. Here, mitigation
strategies will be developed by considering the impacts of construction activities. Marketing of
the project must be done appropriately and safety of the workers must be ensured (Turner and
Lecoeuvre 2017). Also, as this project is sustainable in nature it must be cost effective in nature
while the time for the construction also must be reduced. Different studies will be also
undertaken so that safety of the vehicles and the passengers can be ensured. For the detailed
design three criteria is very much important which are documentation, engineering design tools
and techniques and feedback and review of the design.

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3.2.1 Documentation:
For completion of the documentation part for this project will be completed electronically
in different of volumes (Mooney et al. 2017). Adobe professional will be utilized for creation of
the documentation part. Documents will include schedules, reports, presentation and analysis.
3.2.2 Engineering Design Technologies:
In this project different types of engineering drawings need to be prepared before
execution of this project. In this aspect AutoCad map can be utilized for performing these
engineering drawings (Leach, Lockhart and Tilleson 2019). Important designs which need to be
prepared are the trackway design and rail route design. Apart AutoCad for designing different of
components of the project 12D modeler tools will be used. The rail routes will be based on
existing corridor of the roads. Thus, it is important to identify the main impact of the program on
the road corridor. Also, the designing of the rails include tracks, storm water drainage and roads.
12D model will be very much effective in this case for the designing purposes.
3.2.3 Review and Feedback of the Design:
In the review section of the design conceptual designs review is quite important. This is
done at the end of the conceptual designing. System design is also done in this aspect and it is
done at the beginning of the preliminary design and software and equipment design is also done
here which is performed at the detailed design development. The feedback regarding the project
is taken from the end of public and the stakeholders regarding working hours, project
construction and disruption made to the existing traffic. The management plan for social impact
designed and researched after the completion of the concept design. As per the review and

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feedbacks gathered some changes are also initiated in the project plan. Also, in this phase it is
important to measure the technical performance parameter so that specific requirements can be
ensured.
3.3 System Testing, Evaluation and Optimization:
3.3.1 System Testing:
In this step testing of the system and commissioning is done. In the aspect of system
testing for the light rail system the important testing which need to be done are the electrical
power supply, signaling, ticketing systems, traffic light and the information screens at the
stations (Su et al. 2017). In the first step of testing the overhead wires will be powered up. In the
next stage of the testing purpose traffic signals will be tested. In the following testing stages the
trams will be stared in the track very slowly.
3.3.2 Evaluation:
For completion of the whole project the total allotted time is 8 years. The designing phase
of the system must be completed within 3 years of time period. If this project gets successfully
tested then it will result development of best practice safety control measures and it will also
develop important regulator standards. Detailed safety procedures is also delivered around the
lock out tag out, permit receipt and permit to work. These will be ensuring that all the activities
in the hazard zone regarding the project are controlled properly and accounted safely. In this way
the project will be complete without wasting any valuable time.
3.3.2 Optimization:
In the aspects of engineering design procedures optimization plays an important role.
Optimization is the process of creating the best solution for a particular type of design problem.

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In this aspect proper study is carried out so that it can be ensured any of the components will be
never failed during the lifespan of them. Optimized solution for the system is gained when the
system faces all the major challenges in the project and develops a perfect solution for those
challenges. Major challenges that has been faced regarding this project are the highways and
motorways, state roads and the local roads.
4. System Requirements:
To meet all the needs of the stakeholders it is very much important that the system fulfils
some of the important requirements. In the following section these requirements are discussed
briefly.
 The developed system must be safe for the passengers and for the peoples who are using
the streets.
 Light railway system must be environment friendly that it extracts least CO2 in the
environment.
 This system should be cost effective and will produce less noise.
 The light railway system will run in the streets without causing any type of issues in the
system.
5. Conclusion:
From the above discussion it can be concluded that conceptual design phase is very much
important for the system engineering projects as it helps to successfully complete the projects.
For assessing the importance of the conceptual framework in this case a particular case study has
been chosen of the light railway which is related with public transportation. The chosen case
study in this context was Gold Coast light railway system. In this context, this report has briefly

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discussed about the light rail system of gold coast. The following section of this report has
discussed about important needs of the stakeholders so that the project can be completed in an
appropriate manner. In the next section of this report conceptual design process of this light rail
system in Australia has been evaluated briefly. In this section preliminary system design,
detailed design and testing of the system is done. System requirement for the system has been
evaluated in the further section of this report.

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6. References:
Georgiou, G.S., Christodoulides, P., Kalogirou, S.A., Florides, G.A. and Lazari, L., 2016, June.
A preliminary design of an intelligent system for the optimal utilization of renewable energy
sources in buildings. In The 26th International Ocean and Polar Engineering Conference.
International Society of Offshore and Polar Engineers.
Hong, K., Sun, Y., He, J., Lei, Y. and Yang, L., 2019. Preliminary design of a robotic system for
kinaesthetic training of surgical tasks. The Journal of Engineering, 2019(14), pp.490-494.
Huang, R., Moudon, A.V., Zhou, C., Stewart, O.T. and Saelens, B.E., 2017. Light rail leads to
more walking around station areas. Journal of transport & health, 6, pp.201-208.
Jones, T.M., Harrison, J.S. and Felps, W., 2018. How applying instrumental stakeholder theory
can provide sustainable competitive advantage. Academy of Management Review, 43(3), pp.371-
391.
Leach, J., Lockhart, S. and Tilleson, E., 2019. AutoCAD 2020 Instructor. Sdc Publications.
Mooney, H., Carlson, J., Downing, K. and Tschirhart, L., 2017. Documentation in the Middle:
Active Phase Project Documentation for Inclusive and Effective Team-Based Research.
Su, S., Barton, M., An, M., Perry, V., Liμ, C., Jiaμ, J. and Panneton, B., 2017. Visual analytics
ecology for complex system testing. In Visualization in Practice 2017 Workshop at IEEE
Visualization.
Turner, J.R. and Lecoeuvre, L., 2017. Marketing by, for and of the project: project marketing by
three types of organizations. International Journal of Managing Projects in Business.

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Wu, Y., Bai, Y., Song, Y., Huang, Q., Zhao, Z. and Hu, L., 2016. Development strategy and
conceptual design of China lead-based research reactor. Annals of Nuclear Energy, 87, pp.511-
516.