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Professional Certificates (Railway Engineering)

Meeting the growing demand for skilled professionals in the railway industry, TUM Asia offers Professional Certificates through specialised course modules designed to address the evolving needs of the rail sector in Asia.

Learn from recognised experts in Railway Engineering and gain practical, industry-relevant knowledge to advance your career. Enhance your expertise and expand your network by connecting with like-minded professionals from around the world.

Highlights

Upgrade Your Skills and Learn from German Experts

Modules are taught by TUM professors and industry specialists, who travel from Germany to teach exclusively in Singapore.

Build Your Career Journey with Industry-focused Skills

Choose modules that align with your career goals, earn Professional Certificates, and stack them towards a Graduate Diploma or Master’s at your own pace.

German Engineering, Asian Relevance

Our lecturers collaborate with industry partners, incorporating real-world examples to enhance practical learning and immediate application in your work.

Expand Network, Build Global Connections

Connect with professionals worldwide, creating valuable collaborations and relationships that enhance your career opportunities.

Tailored Learning, Designed for Your Growth

Flexible modules designed to fit your career aspirations. Start with key modules, build your expertise over time, and strengthen your skills while achieving industry-recognised certifications. Stack towards a Graduate Diploma and, ultimately, a Master’s degree.

Who Should Attend

Individuals and professionals who are in the fields of transportation and railway engineering. Participants may choose relevant modules tailored to their area of work for skills training or professional upgrading.

Hear from Our Past Participants

“My experience at the TUM Asia has been truly transformative, both academically and personally. The university provides a dynamic environment that encourages critical thinking, creativity, and personal growth, particularly in the field of railway engineering. The professors are not only experts in their fields but also dedicated mentors who genuinely care about their students’ success. Their support and guidance have played a significant role in shaping my academic journey.

Thanks to the exceptional education and hands-on experiences I’ve gained at TUM Asia, especially in railway engineering, I feel confident and well-equipped for the professional world. I am deeply grateful for all the opportunities this institution has provided, and I highly recommend it to anyone seeking a challenging yet supportive academic environment”.

Certification

Participants will be awarded a Certificate of Attendance (Professional Certificate) for each completed module, issued by TUM Asia.

Attending the written examination is optional for those pursuing the Professional Certificate.
Participants who take the examination will receive a TUM Asia transcript with the corresponding grade.
A Certificate of Attendance will be issued to participants who meet the minimum attendance requirement of 75%.

Stack Your Modules to a Higher Qualification

Modules are stackable towards a Graduate Diploma in Railway Engineering. Participants who complete all six core modules will earn the Graduate Diploma, which can also be stacked towards a TUM’s Master of Science in Rail and Urban Transport.

The elective module of Rail Traffic Planning and Optimization can be taken in addition to the 6 Core modules. This module will be reflected as an additional module in the Transcript and Diploma Certificate.

Modules Available

Ballastless Track Systems

This module provides the requirements and procedures for ballastless track system design for high-speed and conventional mainline rail infrastructure, the special features of Metro and light rail systems, the train track interactions, the track lay-out and alignment for urban rail systems, the track cross section design including trackside equipment, the sources, propagation and effects of noise and vibrations, the measures to control and to counteract noise and vibration, the design of special floating slab tracks, the environmental impacts, the design of green tracks, the design and construction of tram-tracks, the embedded track systems. Metro and light rail, noise and vibration, floating slab track, embedded track, tram tracks, open tracks.

Public Transport Planning

This module will give an introduction to public transport planning. The module will start with a discussion about the advantages / disadvantages and the functional characteristics of transit modes and their capacity. The geometry and types of transit lines and transit networks are the following topics. How to organize transfers and increase the transit speed to improve the passenger convenience and the efficiency of the public transport network are also topics discussed in this module. The introduction to public transport scheduling is the last topic in this module. The objective of this module is to provide in-depth knowledge about the planning and organizing of public transport networks.

Rail Transport and Rail Planning

This module introduces the general requirements and procedures for rail infrastructure planning based on the running behaviour and the performance of rail vehicles. The module is discussing the specific wheel-rail interface, the effective forces guiding the wheel sets (equivalent conicity), the determination and evaluation of track quality, the requirements for designing track alignment and layout, the tools to determine cant and cant deficiency, the procedures to design transition elements, the tilting train technology, the operational demands and respective track arrangements for passenger, freight and operational stations. Requirements to ensure passenger comfort and safety are introduced. Train-track interaction, track quality, safety, passenger comfort and wear, station layout, cross-section design.

Rolling Stock

This module covers the wheel-rail interaction, running behaviour in curves and straight track, propulsion systems diesel, electricity AC and DC, energy efficiency including regenerative braking, running gear and vehicle construction, including primary and secondary suspension devices, wheelsets, bogie frames and body shells relevant norms and design rules, tendering procedure and homologation process, safety issues as collision safety derailment safety, fire safety, environmental aspects as external and internal noise, particle emission, space consumption, reliability, availability, maintainability, diagnosis systems and their environment and benefit. Wheel-rail interaction, bogie frames/suspension, EMU and DMM, risk analysis and safety, environmental issues.

Trackworks

This module provides an understanding of the forces acting between vehicle and track, the load distribution within the track superstructure into the substructure (Earthworks or civil structure) as well as the environmental impacts on the track performance, the respective general requirements for the design and the construction of rail infrastructure. In addition, this module will cover the rail track engineering required for the track design, the construction, the maintenance and the renewal of tracks for a variety of rail infrastructures (conventional and high speed). Conceptual design and structural performance of conventional and ballastless track systems will be discussed too. Track loading (static and dynamic impacts), track maintenance, environmental impacts, track stability.

Train Control and Signalling Systems

This module introduces to the students to train control and signalling systems. The benefits and challenges of techniques used will be analysed. Turnout, signals, and all track based equipment, facilities, electronic interlocking and train control systems will be covered too. Risk analysis and assessment of electronic systems and management of train scheduling and transport risk will be discussed.

Rail Traffic Planning and Optimization (Elective Module)

The module provides an introduction to rail traffic planning and management. It introduces key processes and techniques for infrastructure optimization, capacity planning, robust timetabling, as well delay management and disruption handling. In the course students will learn about the interdependency between infrastructure, supply planning, timetabling, and traffic management and how it affects the performance of rail systems. Concepts to improve the stability and punctuality of rail traffic will be discussed and control strategies for optimizing both metro and major rail systems are presented. The objective of the course is to familiarize students with key problems in planning and organizing rail traffic, and to gain hands-on experience in applying state-of-the-art methods and solution approaches for railway timetabling, capacity planning, and traffic management.

Each module consists of 45 teaching hours.

Schedule

Module	Date
RE101: Rail Transport and Rail Planning	4th quarter of 2025
RE102: Trackworks	3 – 7 Mar 2025 & 10 – 14 Mar 2025
RE103: Ballastless Track Systems	17 – 21 Mar 2025 & 24 – 28 Mar 2025
RE201: Public Transport Planning	13 – 16 May 2025 & 19 – 23 May 2025
RE202: Train Control and Signalling Systems	1 – 4 Apr 2025 & 7 – 11 Apr 2025
RE203: Rolling Stock	18 – 29 Aug 2025
Rail Traffic Planning & Optimization	9 – 20 June 2025

Professors

Mr. Mahesh Hariharan

Dr. rer. nat. Andreas Kaldenbach

Dr. Michael Leining

Dr.-Ing. Andreas Rau

Dr.-Ing. Bernhard Lechner

Prof. Dr.-Ing Markus Hecht

Fees

The fee for each participant per module is SGD 2,398 (GST inclusive).

Registration closes one week prior to the module start date. Payment must be completed before the module begins.

Preferential Pricing

For a limited time, TUM Asia offers preferential pricing for multiple module or group sign-ups*:

2 modules: 10% discount
3 modules: 15% discount
4 or more modules: 20% discount

*Companies can combine module choices for group discounts. For instance, if two employees from the same organisation each sign up for 2 modules (totaling 4), a 20% discount applies. Discounts are valid only if all modules are paid for together in a single invoice. Contact us to learn more.

Alumni Course Credits

TUM and TUM Asia alumni can apply their alumni course credits of SGD 1,500 to cover up to 50% of the module fees. Terms and conditions apply.