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ISSUE 8 - SEPTEMBER 2023
Published by:
Ray Chan Editor - Rail Express
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As we’ve touched on in previous editions, the NSW Government is holding a review of the Sydney Metro network, as a result of continued malfunctions and disruptions along the tracks in recent months.
After being elected this year, Labor declared that the review was needed to give it guidance for this month’s budget.
There are now concerns that some components - such as the Sydney Metro West line that connects Sydney to Parramatta - may not go ahead as planned, with Premier Chris Minns alarmed at the cost blowout of the project, initially projected at $25 billion.
And this is despite the fact that tunnel boring operations are already in full swing for the tracks that will go through Sydney’s growing western suburbs.
Notwithstanding the impact on travel, growth, job creation and housing, the cancellation of such projects can only serve to erode the confidence of investors in current and future infrastructure initiatives and proposals.
If anything, such developments highlight the merit of collaborative contracting between asset owners and the companies they take on for their projects, a subject which we feature extensively in this issue.
Collaborative contracting focuses on value creation rather than simply minimising costs by awarding contracts to the cheapest tenderer or proponent.
It’s an approach to procurement that emphasises liaison, trust, and shared goals between parties involved in a contractual relationship, and is a departure from traditional adversarial or transactional models, where the focus is solely on achieving individual party objectives.
The arrangement encourages the contractor and project deliverer to work together to identify innovative solutions, optimise goals, and deliver added value to the project.
This approach promotes long-term thinking and considers factors beyond immediate costs,
such as quality, efficiency, and sustainability. Collaborative contracting allows for early involvement of the project builders, enabling them to contribute valuable insights and address potential issues proactively from the start.
And it encourages shared risk management, with all sides communicating to identify and address risks early in the life cycle. By doing so, they can develop strategies to mitigate or overcome challenges effectively.
In the case of Sydney Metro, such constant rapport between owner and assembler would have perhaps delivered warning signs of any sort of impending problems, be they equipment obsolescence, cost blowouts or train failures.
Also in the magazine, we look at the importance of diversity and inclusion in work practices. There are some enlightening accounts from rail infrastructure leaders on how and why every part of what we do as an industry can only benefit as we become more open and inclusive, no matter what the gender, age, disability or sexual proclivity.
As well, we cast an eye on recycling solutions as industry recognises the need to participate in a circular economy. Melbourne’s Metro Tunnel is using a recycled glass-concrete mix for its roof, Alstom’s rail manufacturing facility in WA is prioritising ecoconsciousness in its operations, and materials used in rail projects is being repurposed into products that benefit everyone.
To finish off, we commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Rail Industry Safety and Standards Board, the organisation dedicated to the interoperability and harmonisation of our rail networks.
The body does more than just produce standards and guidelines: it also coordinates rail industry events, carries out invaluable training programs, and serves as a secretariat for many indispensable rail industry bodies.
We trust you will enjoy the read.
ray.chan@primecreative.com.au
The new Inland Rail subsidiary and board has been quick off the mark in making a start on the recommendations from the recent review of the project by Dr Kerry Schott.
Infrastructure Minister Catherine King said the Government was delivering on its commitment to set Inland Rail up for success by separating its governance and delivery arrangements from the Australian Rail Track Corporation’s (ARTC’s) day-to-day operations.
The Government had issued a new interim Statement of Expectations to ARTC, which set objectives and expectations for ARTC and the future delivery of the interstate freight initiative.
In line with the Government’s response to Dr Schott’s review, ARTC established a new subsidiary – Inland Rail Pty Ltd – to govern the delivery of the project.
“The Australian Government is committed to ensuring Inland Rail Pty Ltd has the necessary expertise and independent oversight required to deliver on the Government’s objectives for Inland Rail,” King said.
Inland Rail Pty Ltd has its own dedicated board of directors appointed by the ARTC.
“The six-member board includes the Chair of ARTC as a non-executive director,” King said.
“The members of the new board have been chosen for their skills, qualifications, knowledge and experience, including in the delivery of nationally significant freight infrastructure projects.”
The board of Inland Rail Pty Ltd will be chaired by Robert Rust, with Louise Thurgood as the deputy chair. The three other board members are Erin Flaherty, James Cain and Vivienne King.
“Inland Rail is an important project to meet Australia’s growing freight requirements
and will improve road safety and help to decarbonise the economy,” King said.
“The focus is on completing the sections between Beveridge in Victoria and Parkes in NSW by 2027. When complete, the southern section of Inland Rail will increase resilience and improve supply chain productivity between Melbourne, Perth, Sydney, Newcastle, the Illawarra and Adelaide.
“I am confident in the direction provided by the Statement of Expectations and in the chosen Inland Rail Pty Ltd board members, who will bring valuable industry insights and expertise to ensure the Albanese Government delivers on its commitments to Inland Rail.”
The Government’s objectives for ARTC are:
• to provide safe, efficient and effective access to the interstate rail network
• to operate, manage, maintain and improve track infrastructure owned or controlled by ARTC
• to pursue a growth strategy for interstate rail and rail’s share of the interstate freight market and to foster a commercially viable Australian rail industry
• to implement the recommendations of the Review and deliver the Inland Rail project through its fully owned subsidiary.
Government requires that ARTC pursues these objectives with a focus on achieving efficiency and effectiveness and in accordance with commercially sound principles.
ARTC, primarily through its subsidiary, will deliver the Inland Rail project in an efficient, effective, economical and ethical manner to achieve value for money for public resources
With tracks already laid, hi-tech progress is continuing deep beneath Brisbane on the next critical phase of works in the Cross River Rail (CRR) twin tunnels.
About 180 workers are involved in the tunnel fit-out, which includes installing emergency walkways, pipes and hundreds of kilometres of cabling to ensure the safe and reliable operation of trains in the tunnels.
So far, work is underway on the 10 kilometres of emergency walkways, while 12km of pipes have been installed.
About 18km of feeder cables have been installed to date, which will provide communications coverage through the tunnels, including for mobile phone reception and train signalling equipment.
Hundreds more kilometres of electrical and high-speed fibre optic cables will also be installed, allowing equipment in the tunnels to be installed and operated remotely.
Meanwhile, work is also progressing well on the 16 cross passages that link the twin tunnels, with features such as lights, speakers, cameras, smoke detectors and emergency phones being installed. They connect CRR’s parallel train tunnels every 240 metres, and are important safety features that allow people to move from one tunnel to the other in the unlikely event of an emergency.
As the walkway and cable installation moves closer to completion, focus will shift to installation of the overhead electrical system that will supply power to the trains as they travel through the tunnels.
The majority of tunnel fit-out work is expected to be completed in early 2024, which will be followed by extensive testing and commissioning.
Transport minister Mark Bailey said while some people might not realise it’s even happening beneath their feet, the important work currently underway in the tunnels would ensure trains can operate reliably and safely.
“Building a new underground rail line is no simple task, and the efforts underway to bring all these complex systems together is a credit to the hundreds of workers involved,” he said.
“It’s always incredible to see just how much hi-tech progress is being made, and you can really start to get a sense of what Cross River Rail will look like once complete.
“It’s exciting to think that these tunnels will soon make it easier to get around on our rail network, including to our four new underground stations and the year-round station being built at Exhibition.”
The Queensland Government has committed an additional $14 million to the Direct Sunshine Coast Rail Line business case, affirming its support for the project.
It builds on an existing $6m in joint funding with the Federal Government, which will finalise the business case currently underway and commence necessary environmental investigations.
The project will work in tandem with the Sunshine Coast Public Transport project to make travelling by public transport to, from and within the Sunshine Coast region more convenient, affordable and reliable.
To support this Big Transport Build, the State Government is calling on local residents and commuters to have a say in the planning for four key transport projects:
• The Direct Sunshine Coast Rail Line
• Sunshine Motorway, Mooloolah River Interchange (MRI) Upgrade
• Kawana Motorway planning
• Sunshine Coast Public Transport project Transport minister Mark Bailey said the Sunshine Coast was one of the fastest growing regions in the state, which meant infrastructure needed to be built now and leading up to the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
“To get this right, we need to see a number of road, rail and transport projects working together to alleviate congestion and get Sunshine Coast locals home sooner,” he said.
“Now’s the time to get involved and help shape our bigger picture solution, so together we can continue making the coast a great place to live, work and visit, delivering better services for Queenslanders.”
Sunshine Coast Council mayor Mark Jamieson said it was important for the community to have a clear plan to address the road, rail and public transport needs of the region to enable residents to move around more efficiently and effectively.
“An integrated approach – which is reflected in the linkages between these four projects – shows how they complement each other, can operate seamlessly and can enhance the convenience and connectivity of the most heavily populated urban areas of the Sunshine Coast,” he said.
“Our Council continues to work with the Department of Transport and Main Roads to establish a high-quality public transport system that will reduce congestion, reduce our emissions, better respond to our adaption needs and provide significantly better connectivity between our communities and to the rest of south east Queensland.
“I strongly encourage all residents to take the opportunity to attend one of the information sessions or use the online engagement tool to provide views on these critical projects.”
Have your say: www.tmr.qld.gov.au/ directsunshinecoastrail
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The Western Australian Government will carry out a joint Government and industry feasibility study into recommissioning the Greenbushes to Bunbury Railway Line.
The Government, through the South West Development Commission, will allocate $3.3 million to conduct the research, which will be matched by Talison Lithium.
The study will be led by Talison, which operates one of the world’s most important lithium mines at Greenbushes.
The investigation will build on a previous high-level feasibility study that was completed in 2020. For the past 12 months Talison Lithium has been working with relevant stakeholders, investigating prospective models.
With demand for lithium continuing to rise globally and with production from Greenbushes expected to rise to more than two million tonnes in the coming years, both industry and Government determined it was appropriate to begin the next stage of studies.
Talison Lithium will work with rail network manager Arc Infrastructure and the State Government on a detailed assessment of the engineering requirements to bring the railway line back into operation.
There will also be a substantial community impact assessment, recognising that trains have not been seen on this line for over 15 years.
Around 1.5 million tonnes of lithium mineral concentrate are currently moved between the
Greenbushes lithium operation and Bunbury each year, equating to around 135 daily truck movements on the South Western Highway.
Over the next five years, the amount of lithium mineral concentrate moved by road from Greenbushes is expected to grow to 2.1 million tonnes each year, equating to more than 70,000 truck movements each year.
Recommissioning the Greenbushes train line and moving the lithium mineral concentrate by train would remove about 200 trucks movements from South Western Highway each day.
The study is expected to be completed in the second half of 2024. Study findings will determine the cost of reinstatement of the track, level crossings and new terminal facilities in the Greenbushes and Bunbury
areas, and a joint Talison Lithium/Arc Infrastructure/Government funding proposition.
Transport minister Rita Saffioti said the global demand for lithium continued to grow at a rapid pace, and that meant production would increase at mines like Greenbushes.
“In the next five years, we’re expecting the number of truck movements to and from the Greenbushes operation to increase to around 200 every day, which will further increase congestion on the road network,” she said.
“Whilst there are significant positives such as reducing congestion, cutting emissions and improving road safety, we need to understand in detail what would be required to recommission the train line and the associated costs.”
Western Australia’s CBH Group has entered into an agreement with CRRC Meishan to acquire 200 standard-gauge and 450 narrow-gauge grain hopper wagons, marking a significant investment in expanding the co-operative’s rail fleet as part of the ‘Path to 2033’ Strategy.
Based in Sichuan province, CRRC Meishan is one of China’s leading manufacturers of quality rail equipment, specialising in the building and distribution of rail cars and grain hopper wagons worldwide.
Due to the size of the order, the wagons will be delivered to CBH in seven tranches, beginning in September quarter of 2024, with the last tranche expected to be supplied and accepted by the June quarter of 2025.
CBH opened three competitive Request for Proposal (RFP) process in 2022 for the purchase of standard-gauge locomotives, narrow-gauge
locomotives and wagons, to expand and strengthen its current rail fleet, which consists of 25 locomotives and 572 wagons.
In December 2022, CBH entered into an agreement to purchase a further seven standard-gauge locomotives.
CBH chief executive officer Ben Macnamara said all three RFP processes have now been completed, marking a step to significantly expand the co-operative’s rail fleet.
“We are pleased to partner with CRRC Meishan, which is recognised internationally as a global leader in the design, manufacture and supply of quality grain hopper wagons,” he said.
“Our rail fleet is a key asset for the cooperative and expanding our existing train sets is a strategic priority that is critical for us to achieve CBH’s ‘Path to 2033’ strategy that aims to lift our monthly export capacity to three
million tonnes by 2033 or sooner. Expanding our wagon rolling stock, in conjunction with the expansion of our standard-gauge and narrow-gauge locomotive fleets, is a significant step to improve our outloading capability.
“By investing in our supply chain network, we are ensuring we can deliver tonnes to customers when needed and therefore return sustained value to Western Australian growers.”
CRRC Meishan board chairman Pan Shuping said the company was excited CBH had selected CRRC Meishan for the expansion of the wagon rolling stock fleet.
“The new hopper wagons will incorporate innovative designs to allow low wagon tare weight and quick discharge rate,” he said.
“CRRC Meishan is committed to working with CBH to bring reliable products for highly efficient operations.”
Since our first major rail commission in 1977, TBH has undertaken over 250 separate commissions on rail projects, including:
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A light rail connection between the industrial heartland of Green Square and Sydney city are among the key priorities in an updated access strategy and action plan.
The wide-ranging strategy provides a blueprint for delivering on community feedback calling on Sydney to be a city for walking and cycling with better public transport and fewer cars.
It includes a world-class green gateway to the city along Broadway, more space on streets for people walking, and better public transport connections.
Lord Mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore, said the last strategy was released in 2012, and in that time, George Street’s transformation from a traffic clogged arterial route to a destination in its own right had been remarkable.
“The light rail is more popular than ever, running along a world class boulevard that supports city businesses, and is a destination for locals and tourists to explore,” he said.
“This was made possible in part by the City’s $265 million investment in public domain improvements and the extension of pedestrianisation along the whole length of George Street.
“Reducing unnecessary traffic on our streets is paramount. With WestConnex built and the first Metro nearing completion there is a unique opportunity to reshape how we move around the city.
“Sydney needs to be a leader as we all adapt to our changing climate. Transport currently makes up around 20 per cent of total emissions so electrifying the buses that service our area, and getting more people onto trains and light rail, will help the City reach its goal of net zero emissions in our area by 2035.”
Among the key priorities for the City of Sydney to work on with the NSW Government:
• Transform Broadway into a green gateway, complete with a cycleway and light rail (feasibility to be confirmed)
• A light rail connection between Green Square and the city, with electric buses servicing the area now
• Accelerate the Metro West extension to give Green Square residents a station at Zetland by 2030
• Calm traffic on Park Street and widen footpaths to make space for trees and people
• Green Oxford and Flinders streets with more space for people, entertainment, dining, and light rail (feasibility to be confirmed)
• Continue building more bike and pedestrian friendly infrastructure
• Widen footpaths in areas where many people are walking – including the city centre, village centres and high streets
• Lower speed limits on our streets, with 30km/h maximum in the city centre and high activity areas.
“We’ve long advocated for many of the
transformative ideas in this strategy and now we have a new State Government we will reiterate our position so we can work together towards net zero,” Moore said.
“The State Government’s Metro project presents opportunities for the City to improve public spaces around the five stations opening in our area next year and support the expected growth in people working in the city in the future. Metro West provides the same opportunities around the Pyrmont and Hunter Street stations opening in 2030.
“Green Square is currently underserviced by public transport. As well as calling for Metro West to extend there, we have reserved the Eastern Transit Corridor for a 4km light rail route to the city, connecting the 63,000 people expected to live in Green Square by 2036.
“More electric bus services also need to be rolled out now to support Australia’s most densely populated precinct.”
To help fund capital works projects, the City is advocating for changes to parking space levies to make them fairer and allow a greater proportion of funds to be spent where they are collected.
The Access Strategy and Action Plan
– Continuing the Vision is now on public exhibition for the community to have its say, and when endorsed, the City will continue working with the NSW Government to deliver the best for its communities.
The Australasian Railway Association (ARA) says the Sydney Metro West line to Parramatta must proceed as planned, as it would ultimately be more expensive to halt works already underway and severely impact Sydney’s growing western suburbs.
ARA chief executive Caroline Wilkie said stopping this once-in-a-century transport infrastructure project – which would double rail capacity between the two CBDs – would have negative impacts on the wider community.
At time of print, NSW Premier Chris Minns has refused to rule out cancelling or delaying the $25 billion project, which he doubted could be delivered at that cost.
Both the costs and timeline for the underground line have significantly blown out since it was first announced by the previous government in 2016.
After being elected this year, Labor announced it was commissioning an independent review into the entire Sydney Metro program, including the Metro West, before deciding how to proceed with September’s budget.
Wilkie said halting major projects like the Sydney Metro West line mid-construction, with tunnel boring already in full swing, would cost the NSW taxpayer more in the long run and have significant negative impacts on sustainable growth.
“This is a significant piece of transport infrastructure that will bring great benefits to
not only Western Sydney but the entire Sydney region in terms of jobs and housing creation,” she said.
“With an extra 420,000 people expected to move into the corridor between Greater Parramatta and Sydney by 2036, a Metro running every two minutes will significantly cut peakhour congestion and deliver a faster, safer service.
“Sydney Metro West will create tens of thousands of jobs during construction and, once complete, provide a vital connection for Western Sydney residents to major health, education and employment precincts, including the Sydney CBD.
“Stopping this project will leave residents of Western Sydney stranded from public transport. If you rip out the rail line, you leave residents with no possibility but to get in their cars and sit in traffic.
“At a time where we need to encourage
greater use of rail to reduce emissions and meet net-zero targets, this project is more important than ever. The NSW Government has estimated that the project is expected to create about 10,000 direct and 70,000 indirect jobs during construction.”
Wilkie said cancelling projects midconstruction also had significant ripple effect on the industry which lasts for years.
“Certainty is critical for industry. When projects get cancelled repeatedly you can’t get contractors to bid for projects. You lose capability in the market to deliver vital projects and you lose competitiveness,” she said.
Sydney Metro West is a new metro line with stations confirmed at Westmead, Parramatta, Sydney Olympic Park, North Strathfield, Burwood North, Five Dock, The Bays, Pyrmont and Hunter Street in the Sydney CBD.
The Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR) has welcomed the finalisation of proceedings against a rail safety worker in New South Wales who pleaded guilty to three charges relating to serious and repeated fatigue breaches of Rail Safety National Law (RSNL).
Earlier this year the individual was fined $50,000 for failing to adhere to fatigue management requirements when performing shifts as a protection officer on the rail network. The primary role of a protection officer is to ensure the safety of other workers.
On three separate occasions the individual completed day and night shifts almost “backto-back”, without the mandatory 11-hour break. Further, on two occasions he worked shifts longer than the maximum allowed 12 hours.
The ONRSR said this type of behaviour by workers, and in particular protection officers, can have the potential to endanger not only their own lives but those of other track workers reliant on them to ensure their safety while working in the rail corridor.
Section 56 of the RSNL outlines the duties of rail safety workers, including being the need to, when carrying out rail safety work:
(a) take reasonable care for his or her own safety
(b) take reasonable care that his or her acts or omissions do not adversely affect the safety of other persons
(c) comply, so far as the worker is reasonably able, with any reasonable instruction given by the rail transport operator to allow the operator to comply with this law.
The instruction the individual knowingly and deliberately breached was Transport for New South Wales’ fatigue management standard.
During the sentencing it was revealed that the individual had a history of being reprimanded for similar breaches of the standard on multiple occasions, dating back to 2015.
ONRSR acting chief executive Peter Doggett said the outcome sent a very clear message to rail safety workers about the importance of fatigue management.
Under the RSNL, all rail transport operators are required to have a fatigue management plan as part of the Safety Management System that underpins their accreditation to run railway operations, while individuals have a range of safety duties.
Test trains are now running through Melbourne’s Metro Tunnel.
In the first test, two trains – one in each of the twin nine-kilometre tunnels – were driven through the eastern entrance of the Metro Tunnel at South Yarra, stopping at Anzac Station.
The project will connect the busy Sunbury and Cranbourne/Pakenham lines via a new tunnel under the city, creating an end-to-end rail line from the north-west to the southeast, freeing up space in the City Loop to run more trains more often to growing suburbs like Werribee, Sunbury and Frankston.
This test phase marks the start of the Metro Tunnel’s next major trial period inside the new tunnels and stations, which will stretch well into 2024.
Over the coming months, the sevencarriage trains will run back-and-forth deep under the CBD and Yarra River, testing complex equipment and systems to ensure they are working seamlessly and safely.
Fundamentals – such as lining the trains up with the platforms – will be tested first, before the team gradually increases the complexity, from one train at low speed using minimal power through to multiple trains at greater speeds.
Everything from lifts, escalators, security systems, communications, lighting, plumbing, power and the Victorian-first platform screen doors will all be rigorously tested to ensure all systems are working together with Melbourne’s new fleet of bigger, better High Capacity Metro Trains.
This testing period will continue into next year before the project team moves on to the
running simulated timetabled services in a dress rehearsal to ensure everything is ready for a safe, reliable and efficient opening in 2025, allowing for an extra half a million peak hour passengers each week.
Premier Daniel Andrews said from a pencilled line on a map to trains in the tunnel, this project had been the biggest milestone on the Metro Tunnel to date, and a major step towards a better train network for Melbourne.
“Our Metro Tunnel will change the way Victorians travel across our city, our suburbs and our state, slashing travel times and creating a turn-up-and-go network for Melbourne,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Sunbury Line Upgrade is now complete.
connecting the line to the Metro Tunnel’s western entrance in Kensington after the tunnel’s eastern entrance in South Yarra was connected to the Cranbourne-Pakenham line in January.
During the rail occupation in late June and early July, workers built more than 300 metres of track to connect the Sunbury Line to the tracks at the western entrance, as well as installing and testing high-capacity signalling and power equipment.
The work completed means there are now 97 kilometres of continuous track from Melbourne’s north-west to south-east, via the new twin nine-kilometre rail tunnels under the city.
Work began on the Sunbury Line Upgrade in 2019 and included power and signalling upgrades and new substations along the line, platform extensions at eight stations, new wheelchair boarding pads and upgrades to train stabling at Sunbury, Calder Park and Watergardens.
This work complements other projects in the area, including seven level crossing removals to make the Sunbury Line boom gate-free by 2025.
The Gap Road level crossing was also removed while crews were working on the line – getting rid of Sunbury’s worst traffic bottleneck three years earlier than originally planned.
The Metro Tunnel will allow Sunbury Line passengers to travel all the way to Cranbourne or Pakenham without getting off the train, and access five new underground stations when the city-shaping project opens to the public.
The Victorian and Federal Governments have welcomed the start of major works at the Somerton intermodal freight terminal in Melbourne’s north, which will create jobs and take thousands of trucks off suburban roads.
executive officer Mishkel Maharaj was joined by ports and freight minister Melissa Horne at the site – a key hub in both the Labor Governments’ $58 million Port Rail Shuttle Network – for a sod-turning ceremony as ITC
on the $400m terminal, funded by significant private sector investment.
The Somerton terminal will increase efficiency as well as safety for producers, farmers, freight operators and exporters.
When at capacity, ITC expects the terminal to take 500,000 truck trips off Melbourne’s roads –equivalent to 454m truck kilometres.
Each year, it will also save 451m litres of fuel and reduce carbon emissions by about 189,000 tonnes.
The terminal is being built at the 45-hectare Austrak Business Park, with 400 jobs created during construction, including 90 ongoing fulltime roles at the facility and around 1500 indirect jobs being supported on an ongoing basis.
It follows the start of services between the SCT Logistics Interstate Freight Facility in Altona and the Port of Melbourne last month in a major milestone for the Port Rail Shuttle Network.
The network will enable trucks to deliver or pick up containers from hubs in outer metropolitan Melbourne instead of driving to the Port of Melbourne, which is in turn investing $125 million in new rail infrastructure to cater for these shuttle trains.
Improvements to the South Dynon Train Maintenance Facility will ensure the reliable operation of Victoria’s VLocity train fleet –increasing maintenance capacity and ensuring as much of the fleet as possible is available to deliver services.
A $322 million Stage 2 refurbishment, funded in the Victorian Budget 2023/24, will deliver additional heavy maintenance roads and train wash capacity to maintain more V/Line trains at the same time, while supporting up to 180 construction jobs at the peak of works, as well as additional ongoing maintenance jobs at the facility when the work is complete.
The project builds on the South Dynon Stage 1 upgrade project currently in its final stages, upgrading maintenance roads and site infrastructure and amenities at the site.
Since the introduction of a regional fare cap, in Victoria, V/Line has added more than 100 additional special services every month, and will shortly be consulting with customers as part of its review of bookings and
reservations policies for long-distance lines. The fare cap is continuing to be extremely popular with Victorians, with around five million trips taken on the V/Line network and more than $15m saved by passengers since the start of the cap.
This year’s budget invested $601m to build 23 new VLocity trains – supporting around 500 local jobs as well as a $219m investment for almost 200 additional weekend V/Line train services.
Public transport minister Ben Carroll said the Government had invested more than $9 billion into rolling stock and supporting infrastructure since 2014, supporting up to 10,000 local jobs directly and throughout the supply chain.
“We’re investing record amounts in public transport, building trains locally in Victoria and making our transport network more reliable and more affordable for regional Victorians,” Carroll said.
“Our massive investment of more than $9 billion in rolling stock and supporting
The Hamilton-Auckland train service Te Huia will no longer be travelling to The Strand in central Auckland, after twice failing to stop at a red light.
Instead, the train will stop just before the city at the suburb of Papakura, and passengers will need catch a bus if they want to travel further.
This follows a requirement from the rail regulator Waka Kotahi, which said KiwiRail needed to install ETCS (European Train Control System) technology on Te Huia if it is to operate within the Auckland metropolitan network.
The predictive safety system is used by Auckland metropolitan trains to slow trains approaching a red signal. Currently, it operates only on Auckland Transport trains, and only in the Auckland metro area.
The first incident involved Te Huia passing a stop signal near Penrose on the Auckland metro network, and the second when a Te Huia train, which was not carrying passengers at the time, overran a red signal just north of Hamilton.
KiwiRail executive general manager for operations, Paul Ashton, said an investigation into the first incident was nearing completion. An Electronic Train Protection (ETP) system on Te Huia has now been installed.
“ETP, though different from ETCS, offers an additional level of protection when Te Huia is in the Auckland metro network. ETP will activate the train’s braking system when it
passes a red signal in Auckland,” he said. “Waka Kotahi has said it wants ETCS installed in Te Huia, for operations in the Auckland metro network, which we plan to do in due course. But it will take more than 12 months to design, install and test ETCS on Te Huia’s locomotives.
“KiwiRail has an approved safety case for running Te Huia and we are working closely with the rail regulator to resolve their concerns.”
Waikato regional councillor and deputy chair of the Future Proof Public Transport Sub-committee, Angela Strange, said the outcome was disappointing considering recently released performance results that showed Te Huia was on track to meet twoyear patronage targets.
“Figures for April 2023 showed an average of 321 passengers each week day, reaching the year two one-way demand goal of 320 passengers per week day,” she said.
“It’s extremely frustrating that we are now back to stopping the service in Papakura.”
Railways across the world are already placing significant emphasis on reducing their emissions and are embracing the circular economy through comprehensive and challenging environmental and sustainability strategies.
While historically the primary focus has been on traction, with significant investments in electrification and more recently battery technologies and hydrogen fuel cells, there is now increased focus on the infrastructure itself.
As Unipart Group Australia Managing Director Mark Carling reminds us, it has become abundantly clear that if they are to meet their targets, railways must reduce the embodied carbon within their track infrastructure, over the full course of its operational life.
“We need to embrace circular economy principles and emerging technologies and make greater use of recycled materials, particularly plastics, when making design and procurement decisions,” Carling said.
Based on models of track-embodied carbon, rail, sleepers and reducing maintenance and renewal interventions are obvious targets.
Initiatives such as the ‘greening’ of rail steel production delivering longer life with lower carbon rails, and the use of under sleeper pads with concrete sleepers to mitigate ballast attrition and reduce the need for ballast maintenance and replacement during the asset lifetime, are all gaining momentum.
Railway sleepers, representing nearly 30 per cent of the embodied carbon in the track, also need significant attention, especially when they can require regular track maintenance interventions and several replacements during an asset lifetime.
“The continued use of hardwood timber, often with toxic creosote treatment, is also contrary to the Australian Prime Minister’s commitments, made at COP26 alongside more than 120 world leaders, to reverse deforestation and their replacement with high embodied carbon concrete is certainly not the best answer,” Carling said.
“A low embodied carbon composite railway sleeper made from recycled plastic and that is recyclable within a fully circular economy model, would be an obvious solution, and a great win.
“However, in a safety critical application within the infrastructure, safe and reliable performance is critical and there have been several false starts and notable failures, both in Australia and internationally, with polymer composite sleepers.”
William Mainwaring, the sleepers are made from a unique blend of recycled plastics, reinforced with glass fibre, and deliver outstanding performance over a very long service life, maintenance-free.
Sicut has become the dominant market leader in Europe and indeed the sole supplier of composite sleepers to major national railroads such as Network Rail in the UK and Deutsche Bahn in Germany. It is now establishing itself in a similar way in North America and other regions and has plans for a new plant in Australia.
“Sicut sleepers and bearers are manufactured almost entirely from recycled post-consumer and post-industrial plastics, reinforced by glass fibre, in state-of-the-art facilities in the UK and the US,” Mainwaring said.
“Sicut sleepers have been proven for use across track categories from heavy haul Class 1 freight in the USA to very high usage urban mass transit networks in Europe. Indeed, Sicut has installations in over 20 countries around the world, from the heat of the desert in the Middle East to the freezing cold in Scandinavia.
“Sicut’s independently verified Environmental Product Declarations evidence significant embodied carbon reductions, when compared to all alternative sleeper types; a reduction enhanced several times over by further evidence of very long Sicut sleeper service lives.
“Its use of recycled material and demonstrable and simple recyclability highlights its circularity,
recycled plastics, but they also deliver significant value to the railroads through greatly reduced maintenance and renewal interventions.”
In Australia and New Zealand, Sicut sleepers and bearers are available through Unipart Rail, as a part of the company’s broader infrastructurerelated product range, which also includes electrical and mechanical product supply solutions and innovative rail handling equipment.
“The Sicut composite sleepers and bearers fit our infrastructure range perfectly,” Carling said.
“Unipart excels at bringing innovative solutions to the market, and the Sicut product range is a truly game-changing sustainability innovation. It is more versatile and far longer lasting than timber and performs as well as concrete and much better than other composites available. Sicut is infinitely more sustainable than the traditional timber and concrete solutions”.
Unipart Rail Australia Composite Sleepers General Manager Anthony Sacca said that the company valued the strong relationship it had with the team at Sicut.
“We’re looking forward to bringing the best capabilities of the two organisations together as more and more Australian and New Zealand customers use Sicut in their networks,” he said.
For more information:
anthony.sacca@unipart.com or visit: https://unipart.com.au/rail-construction-andmaintenance/
Plastic waste is being recycled into track sleepers, improving the sustainability of Australia’s rail infrastructure.Sicut sleepers have been proven for use across various track categories in the US and Europe.
Melbourne’s Metro Tunnel development is taking sustainability in the construction industry to the next level, with Australian-first research into alternatives for concrete focused on the circular economy.
Large construction projects use a lot of concrete and the manufacturing of cement, the main ingredient in concrete, produces greenhouse gas emissions.
By using recycled industrial by-products instead, the Metro Tunnel project has managed to reduce its cement use by more than 50 per cent, significantly reducing the carbon footprint.
Cross Yarra Partnership (CYP), which is completing the Metro Tunnel and stations contract, has now partnered with the University of Melbourne for innovative trials into the use of crushed recycled glass as a replacement for sand in structural concrete mix.
The use of crushed recycled glass, or ‘glass sand’, lowers the environmental impacts of concrete production, by reducing reliance on virgin sand – a raw material that is mostly mined
or taken from rivers –and diverting waste glass from landfill.
For the trial, vortex-processed glass sand was used to replace 25 per cent of the virgin sand used in the concrete mix to build temporary blinding slabs (suspended work platforms) at the State Library Station construction site at Latrobe.
Researchers believe it’s the first time a glass sand/concrete mix has been used in a higherstrength building application in Australia, and potentially the world.
Concrete mixes using glass sand in Australia have previously been limited to low grade applications such as footpaths.
The glass sand/concrete mix trial is currently only being used for temporary structures on the Metro Tunnel Project, which is standard protocol for trials at this level.
The glass is also considered non-compliant with existing guidelines for major infrastructure projects because of its higher alkali content.
The alkali content in the vortex glass sand can influence the potential for alkali-silica reaction (ASR) - a chemical reaction that can cause
significant expansion and trigger cracking in the concrete matrix.
However, washed waste glass has been found to reduce the ASR potential as it chemically interacts with cementitious products to form lowpermeable phases.
This decreases the pathways for moisture ingress into the concrete matrix and results in a more durable product.
CYP sustainability lead Mick Lo Monaco said the process starts with the collection of curbside waste glass which gets broken down at the recycling facility.
“Next, the particles are dried and smashed even smaller, using extreme whirlwinds at the processing plant. Then the product is screened to remove any remaining larger particles and impurities,” he said.
“What remains is ultra fine glass sand.”
University of Melbourne researchers are studying what processing glass this way does to its surface chemistry, particle size and shape, and how to optimise concrete mixes when glass is used instead of sand.
in place to have class process for large scale concrete production so that it can be used,” he said.
Lo Monaco said once durability performance can be proven, there was potential to increase the virgin sand replacement from 25 per cent to up to 80 per cent in future research, prompting further engagement with the relevant authorities to update standards to better accommodate recycled content.
“The next opportunity is to trial the mix in permanent minor structural elements for streetscaping around the new Metro Tunnel
glass as a sand replacement in the building environment in Australia, and the world.
“While high quality glass and larger pieces of broken glass are processed into new glass products, tiny pieces of contaminated broken glass - the fines - have previously had few end-uses and have been stockpiled or sent to landfill,” Lo Monaco said.
“At the same time, the concrete industry has been facing a shortage of virgin sand. Recycled glass fines (RGF) can be considered as a partial replacement to sand, due to
10 per cent by mass can be used as a sand replacement in concrete, fulfilling the Australian Standards fine aggregate requirement.
The light particles and organic contaminants proved to not cause any issues when this amount of glass is used, accelerating the potential uptake of RGF into the infrastructure and construction industries.
In addition to creating a new use for glass fines, the Department of Transport is likely to see a reduction in the costs of these construction products, as the unwashed glass will require less processing and may
The glass sand/concrete mix used at the State Library Station. The Metro Tunnel project has managed to reduce its cement use by more than 50 per cent.Commitment to sustainability on Queensland’s Cross River Rail (CRR) project has been recognised with one of its major works packages achieving the highest possible design rating.
CRR’s Tunnel and Stations works package has received certification of its ‘Leading’ Infrastructure Sustainability (IS) design rating from the Infrastructure Sustainability Council (ISC).
A ‘Leading’ rating exceeds the project’s target of an ‘Excellent’ rating, and as the highest possible category in the IS rating scheme, it demonstrates the project is achieving best practice in sustainability.
Some of the stand-out innovations that have led to the rating being awarded include:
• Using crushed recycled glass instead of natural quarry sand or gravel for civil works, such as embedding pipes or beneath pavements – a first for any rail project in Queensland and with the potential to see more than 10,000 tonnes of glass reused
• Station entrance designs that maximise natural ventilation with open, breezy spaces on surface levels and natural light shafts that permeate underground voids – all of which reduce energy demands for lighting and air conditioning but without compromising passenger comfort;
training legacy.
The project’s sustainability initiatives are
construction and operations to 2050, which is forecast to save over 39,800 tonnes of CO² emissions – the equivalent of removing over 8500 passenger vehicles off the road for a year.
CRR Delivery Authority chief executive Graeme Newton said while the rating was recognition of the project’s commitment to embrace sustainable and innovative construction solutions, it was also testimony to some uniquely Queensland design thinking.
“Our station entrances work like a series of giant indoor-outdoor rooms,” he said.
“They provide shade without shutting light out, they make the most of natural ventilation and they feel open and airy while still providing shelter from unexpected or adverse weather conditions”.
Newton said the station designs were a great example of how CRR would not only transform travel, but do so in a sustainable way.
“This project is setting a new standard for major infrastructure delivery, with innovative and best practice designs and construction,” he said.
“This recognition from the Infrastructure Sustainability Council really emphasises how CRR’s legacy will go beyond the immense public transport benefits, to include improved construction and training outcomes as well.”
Work materials from various rail projects around the country are being repurposed into
In Western Australia, banner mesh upcycled from METRONET projects is providing sustainable employment opportunities for
The public transport agency has partnered with WA-based company Loop Upcycling, Australia’s first corporate upcycling company, to repurpose banner mesh and provide the relevant training and upskilling.
Loop production manager Leuca Ziemons said what was fantastic about the project was that the banner mesh had been consistently provided, giving security of employment for participants.
Offering flexible employment pathways for participants, the initiative provides purpose and meaning to the community through an innovative and sustainable process.
The program supports many parts of the community, such as refugees, victims of domestic violence and people living with a disability.
Banner mesh is used on fencing to manage dust spilling from project sites into the community. It is upcycled into items such as tote bags and pencil cases, diverting more than five kilometres of material from landfill.
METRONET sustainability lead Callie Cummings said the initiative also supported the agency’s sustainability strategy.
“We’re always looking for opportunities to work more sustainably across our program of works and the partnership with Loop is one way we can do our part to divert materials
from landfill and support the WA waste strategy towards a more circular economy,” she said.
Meanwhile, Transdev, which provides uniforms to several thousand of its staff across Australia, has started a trial at its Sydney Light Rail and Sydney and Queensland bus operations with clean technology company BlockTexx.
BlockTexx operates Australia’s only commercial-scale textile recovery facility, which uses a patent pending chemical process to break down polyester-cotton blended fabrics.
The recovered cellulose can then be used to make textiles, paints, hydromulch, concrete and more.
The recovered polyester is used to make textiles and in injection moulding for playground equipment and even coat hangers.
Transdev chief executive Brian Brennan
sustainability, innovation and social enterprise. “Recycling old uniforms, which would otherwise be dumped, is much more sustainable,” he said.
“And using a more innovative process to recover higher-grade fibres with the help of a social enterprise with supported workers, just makes sense.
“We’ve already recycled 400kg from our Sydney tram team and hope to get even more from our Sydney and Brisbane bus teams.
“Transdev is always looking for smarter ways to be more sustainable, whether it’s decarbonising our transport fleets, working with compliant and ethical suppliers or recycling our uniforms.”
While the initial partnership is focused on three Transdev sites, Transdev also operates Sydney Harbour ferries, buses in Perth, trains and buses in Wellington, and buses in Auckland. The intention is to grow the partnership.
Transdev’s Ethan Reid and Chloe Scully with some of Transdev’s old uniforms that will be recycled in Brisbane.
Some of the products recycled from the METRONET banner mesh.
Large-scale projects can’t afford to be undertaken without meaningful communication between the asset owners and their contracted teams.
For these builds to be successful, all the parties involved will need to seek ‘bestfor-project’ approaches, not only in the technicalities of design and delivery, but also in how the parties collaborate to achieve goals.
It’s not just a matter of allocating contracts to tenderers and bidders who claim to be able to carry out the tasks at the lowest possible cost.
While collaborative contracting creates an opportunity for project owners, contractors and proponents to share in the risks associated with large infrastructure projects, they also reap the opportunities.
With appropriate levels of governance, such arrangements can deliver significant rewards in terms of greater efficiency, better project outcomes, and value for money.
Key elements to successfully develop, implement and deliver collaborative projects involve:
• Getting the costs right
• Documenting what risks are shared by proponents, and what risks the project owner wears
• Clearly demarcating the allocation of costs, and developing a framework that incentivises the commercial interests of the proponents towards the objectives of the project owner
• Alignment of team vision, behaviours, attitudes and objectives.
Degnan Constructions managing director Chris Degnan is a staunch supporter of the collaborative approach, where all parties recognise they need each other to proceed.
The company specialises in the delivery of rail infrastructure including stations, rail maintenance facilities, stabling facilities, power generation projects, operation and control facilities for rail operators and other forms of building and civil works for the transport infrastructure sector.
“Our projects are predominantly contracts directly with governments and governmentowned rail operators, so we see government as the one to lead collaborative contracting in its procurement model,” he said.
Degnan said there were many benefits to such arrangements, chief of which was the creation of greater transparency around risk and opportunities during the contract’s onboarding stage.
“A culture of trust is created within the delivery team, with the relationship between contractor and client focused on how to ensure the project is successful, knowing both parties must succeed together,” he said.
“This means transparency around costs, value-for-money decision-making and improving the onboarding of key subcontractors to contribute towards knowledge and skills needed for the delivery.
“A good example (of openness) would be, for example, starting with a lesson learnt from a previous project, being open about what has gone well and what hasn’t in the past, so that the future can be shaped with collective knowledge.
“This is why having a contractor and/or subcontractors on early in the design development can help projects succeed.
“Ethical practices are also improved when unexpected issues arise that perhaps were not contemplated by the contract. It’s important for both the contractor and client to commit to operating at a high standard if being truly collaborative.”
Degnan said collaboration also enabled innovation and ideas to be explored to improve the delivery or project outcome, while the relationship becomes both project-focused and team-focused.
“For successful outcomes, there needs to be open and transparent engagement around the project, scope, interfaces, performance objectives and expectations,” he said.
“For example, agreeing delivery strategy and timeframe, with appropriate time allocation to design development and planning prior to delivery starting.
“There has to be open discussion on risks, with agreement on who the appropriate owner is, and how it will be managed as a team.
“Governments are usually the decisionmakers, and they are typically dealing with
With the rail infrastructure sector booming in Australia, it is becoming increasingly important that all parties involved in projects, from owners to contractors, ensure they collaborate strongly to manage risk and realise value.
taxpayer funds. So how they want to spend those taxpayer funds is important.
“Government needs to consider what outcomes they want to see with that money going back into the community, and it has to be about value for money, training of people and skills development.”
Degnan warned that collaboration can break down when the project runs out of money and the client expects the contractor to carry the project.
“We don’t want the project to be in this position so open transparency around project budgets will help in finding solutions early in the delivery,” he said.
“The relationship must be adaptable to deal with issues, but importantly a collaborative model should be working to avoid such issues and flexibility is required for that to work successfully.
“The owner can’t be collaborative if it comes in at the 11th hour and it’s all for construction, for example, saying here’s a contract, can you get this built in six months’ time?
“A collaborative model brings the contractor into an early involvement phase, so the contractor can be part of the development of the project, understand it and can contribute to its success.”
Degnan also emphasised that collaborative contracting should not just be used for major infrastructure contracts.
“Small to medium enterprises are often more collaborative and bring significant ideas and knowledge to the table over big business,” he said.
“Collaborative contracting needs to be in place for all tiers of procurement to develop and grow capabilities of SMEs and move away the dominance of major international contractors in the infrastructure sector.”
For rail infrastructure group Martinus chief executive Treaven Martinus, collaborative contracting is more than just a contract model: it’s a mindset.
“Some projects lump everything into one huge package, so you’ve got your construction, your trains, your system, signalling, your own operation and maintenance, and sometimes clients wrap everything in together and then put that forward in the project,” he said.
“There’s a lot of collaboration that needs to happen on such projects and you have to have a mindset of aiming for the best results.
“You’ve got to look for common ground to get wins all the way through.
“If you want your projects to be a success, you need to collaborate.”
Martinus said the current conditions were obviously different than, say, 20 years ago, when there were less infrastructure projects in the market.
“You could say Government or big delivery
authorities were spoilt for choice, so therefore they just put out contracts and said “take it or leave it” and someone would always come in and take it,” he said.
“Whereas in the market that we’ve got now, there is a huge pipeline of infrastructure projects, which is fantastic. There’s capability to deliver that pipeline, but we need to engage with industry.
“Delivery partners must unlock that capability and capacity in the right way. If it’s not done collaboratively, you could end up with an onerous contract.
“A government agency is not going to get the best outcome if it contracts out to an EPCstyle or large multinational organisation that doesn’t have the experience here in Australia, which then subcontracts the packages into the market. Such models have been proven to be unsuccessful.
“There’ve been projects that have come into the market and then get sliced and diced by multinational contractors. There’s no collaborative contracting there but just trying to get as many people tendering for the scope of works as possible, coming down to the lowest cost denominator awarded to them ... and then if they fall over, they fall over.”
Martinus said the best outcome for the bigger and complex rail projects was to break them up into smaller sections so that more
specialist proponents could become involved and collaborate.
“The Victorian Level Crossing Removal Program was a good example of collaborative success between government and the alliances involved,” he said.
“That was one scenario where the owner could have just had one huge contract to deliver all of the removals.
“But the program decided to break it up into regions and have partners in each of them to then progressively deliver each one, so they had four different consortiums, and they broke it up into a number of projects.
“They have engaged with industry and had great results, and that’s collaborative contracting at its best.
“Make sure that it’s open and transparent to get the best from all parties instead of people having closed books.”
But there’s another aspect to consider.
According to assurance and advisory specialist PwC infrastructure partner Cameron Jaggers and behavioural assurance director Katy Waterhouse, while the commercial aspects of collaborative models often received intense scrutiny and evaluation, cultural and
behavioural alignment often had the greatest impact on performance.
“Culture plays a critical role in aligning behaviours of disparate groups of individuals towards a common goal and shared values and principles. Over recent years, sectors outside of engineering and construction have increased their focus on establishing, maintaining and improving cultural factors to drive performance,” they said.
“From our experience, cultural and behavioural alignment is critical for project owners to maximise value and deliver the project objectives in an efficient, effective and economical manner.
“However, for collaborative infrastructure projects, proponents rarely assess whether they’re actually ready to undertake a collaborative contract and/or monitor the level of alignment between the parties to the collaborative contract in the delivery phase.
“Obtaining full value from collaborative contracting arrangements relies as much on the attitudes and behaviours of the project team as it does on the individual performance of the proponents and/or their technical ability and knowledge.
“Alignment at this level forms a strong basis
for shared project priorities and objectives, a genuine commitment to the integrated ‘one team’ approach, and shared ownership to solve problems together that may affect the delivery of the project.”
The PwC team said unfortunately, despite starting out with good intentions, all relationships can easily go sour – and collaborative contracting relationships are no exception.
“Even if the relationship doesn’t fail spectacularly but just limps along, it’s a wasted opportunity that leaves a great deal of unrealised value,” they said.
“The root causes of troubled relationships stem from cultural misalignment resulting in incongruent behaviours and sub-optimal project outcomes.
“One of the challenges in auditing projects being delivered through a collaborative contracting arrangement is to establish a unique and separate project culture from each of the proponents.
“This can be complex and difficult as individuals need to take off their ‘corporate badges’ and adopt new common values and beliefs of the project.
“Adopting a pure collaborative approach will challenge individuals to feel comfortable about sharing designs and other commercial
For successful outcomes, there needs to be open and transparent engagement around the project, scope, interfaces, performance objectives and expectations.
and intellectual property, but this level of openness and transparency will be required to build the trust that’s essential to a successful collaboration.”
Jagger and Waterhouse said that when there’s trust and a ‘no blame’ culture, proponents are more likely to feel confident to take risks, and more likely to be comfortable enough to raise difficult issues and identify opportunities for improvement.
“Developing a method to monitor the effectiveness of the establishment, implementation and maintenance of a collaborative culture is important so that proponents can measure the degree of alignment of the project team,” they said.
“At the very beginning of the project, all proponents need to invest time and energy in articulating shared behavioural goals and desired ways of working so that these can be embedded through the partnership.
“However, if there is no monitoring, reinforcement and evaluation of the level of alignment between the proponents on the project, then there is no way of knowing whether or not the proponents are maximising the benefit of delivering the project using a collaborative contracting arrangement and/or understanding how to improve and optimise the level of cultural and behavioural alignment of the project team.”
A behavioural maturity assessment framework can provide insights into the degree of alignment between the project team, pinpoint the areas needing improvement and provide a baseline to measure progress against throughout the project.
and can get early warning signals of suboptimal project performance.
This level of intelligence provides tangible evidence that will guide proponents to focus on the areas of highest importance for driving project performance and delivering successful project outcomes.
Jagger and Waterhouse said that articulating shared desired behaviours was an essential start, but more needed to happen to make sure that all the valuable cultural and behavioural work that everyone has invested in at the outset doesn’t get lost along the way once the project is in full swing.
“The behaviours need to be translated into relatable actions and embedded in practice. So, the next step is to objectively assess whether the desired behaviours are being demonstrated by all the parties involved, and to intervene where change is needed,” they said.
“Cooperative behaviours underpinning collaborations with other organisations may be difficult for each party in the collaborative contract to assess objectively or consistently.
“It’s also likely that proponents in the collaboration will be at different levels of maturity in terms of their culture, behaviours and understanding of what makes a good alliance tick.”
Another critical factor for an effective and harmonious alliance is every participant being clear about the part they need to play.
“When roles and responsibilities are clear,
and skills aren’t unnecessarily siloed. A collaborative arrangement offers opportunities to recognise and appreciate other skill sets and capabilities and to identify opportunities for greater integration, career progression or growth into new collaborative projects.
“A useful approach is to engage a trusted reviewer to assess the level of collaboration using a consistent, standardised behavioural assurance framework.
“Measuring the level of congruence between the parties to a collaborative contracting arrangement provides useful insights into the health and the level of value being extracted from the arrangement. Using a behavioural assurance framework, scores for each underlying behavioural factor can be determined and aggregated to provide a maturity rating.”
Degnan said that when it came to cultural behaviour, reflection through the delivery process was important, with participants needing to continually check if project stages were progressing as planned or envisaged.
“Bring the team together through social interactions and focus on worthwhile causes the project could support through its delivery,” he said.
“We need human behaviours and team culture to be built around the project; what benefits the project will benefit the end user, which is often the wider or select community groups for government contracts.”
It may seem obvious, but there can be dramatic differences in how people experience cities during the day and night.
A vibrant train station can turn into an eerie, foreboding place under the cloak of darkness. Rarely are cities designed to accommodate the needs of people at night, or account for the lived experiences of marginalised communities.
To make cities more inclusive, safe and sustainable, designers and engineers Hoa Yang, Morgan Foster and Jane Gillespie at sustainability specialist Arup have been carrying out research to understand how lighting affects perceptions of safety in train stations at night for women and girls.
Speaking at the recent Conference on Railway Excellence, Arup senior lighting designer Yang presented the extensive research conducted alongside Monash University’s XYX Lab and Plan International on the design features that contribute to feelings of safety among females in Melbourne.
“Using crowdsourced data from Plan International’s Free to Be campaign, more than 900 safe and unsafe night-time experiences from women and girls in Melbourne formed the basis of how we might start to understand the relationship between light and perceptions of safety,” she said.
“Unfortunately, not all city designs provide equal access to encourage full, multi-modal participation in hours of darkness. Being marginalised in society, whether through gender, ethnicity, class, age, sexuality, or ability, can limit and hinder one’s ability to feel safe and comfortably navigate public spaces at night.
“A lively setting in a town square to one person can be daunting and exclusionary to another.”
Yang said night-time lighting has the power to transform spatial equity.
“Providing the appropriate atmospheres from
light and increased visibility in public spaces can facilitate more crowds and regular use of the space,” she said.
Three key outcomes from the study were that:
1. Brighter is not always better. Once illuminance levels pass a certain threshold, perceptions of safety start to decrease. This contradicts the basis for Australian lighting standards and signals more research needs to be performed into gendered experiences with light.
2. Consistent and layered lighting is important to create an atmosphere of safety. The interaction of light with physical elements such as vegetation, different coloured and textured surfaces, and the size of the space, can all influence a person’s perception of brightness and safety. The preliminary findings from the study suggest that a holistic approach considering a person’s experience in the environment due to aspects of reflectivity, specularity (angular distribution of reflected light), glare, contrast, passive surveillance and escape routes, will present a design ethos that moves beyond compliance, towards one that considers inclusivity for women, girls and other vulnerable groups at night.
3. Quality over quantity. Warmer colour temperatures and high colour rendering was present in spaces where perceptions of safety were high. With the development of LED smart lighting technologies, there is increased opportunity for designers to customise lighting designs and incorporate stakeholder participation into the design process, although potential negative impacts on people with colour deficient eye sight should be taken into account.
As specialists in the built environment, Arup developed the night-time vulnerability assessment (NVA) – an evidence-based methodology to measure the social, physical and atmospheric qualities that work together to affect perceptions of safety after dark.
“The NVA brings together criminology, risk and resilience, urban design, architecture, lighting, advanced digital data collection and analysis of existing site conditions,” Yang said.
“The assessment combines the technical components of lighting design, prospect and refuge theory, incident statistics and CPTED (crime prevention through environmental design) with human experience through digital data capture and analysis to reveal detailed user perceptions of a night time experience.
“The NVA is intended to sit alongside night-time community engagement programs to better inform how light and the urban environment shapes perceptions of safety, embedding evidence based technical design solutions to meet community needs.”
An exploratory NVA analysis of an Australian train station found that compliance to lighting standards at stations should consider a wider set of technical and design parameters in order to promote perceptions of safety after dark.
The NVA was applied to infrastructure in an Australian context for the first time in 2022 as an exploratory study to understand how the NVA can influence future station lighting design.
“Whilst it was not the aim of this exploratory study to investigate whether good lighting design can reduce actual incidents of crime, a higher perception of safety in a particular area can contribute to increased
Would you feel safe using a train station at night? Research shows that lighting effects are often not factored in when designing infrastructure.A train station can look unsafe when shrouded by darkness.
patronage and hence passive surveillance, which acts as a deterrent for potential offenders,” Yang said.
The measured sites were categorised into four typologies for analysis: main streets, carparks, station pathways, and station platforms. Data for each typology was aggregated and averaged, then compared to the baseline safe profile as developed through research by Arup with Monash University and Plan International.
It was found that the existing lighting provisions at main streets were generally consistent with a safe perception of space. However, the other typologies were found to be unsatisfactory compared to the NVA baseline profile.
Carparks had satisfactory uniformity levels, but extremely high vertical and horizontal illuminance levels and low average luminance, which creates an uncomfortable, over-lit environment.
Station pathways had CCT and CRI levels lower than the baseline profile, likely due to the use of dated lighting technologies.
There were also high levels of vertical illuminance, uniformity, and luminance on station pathways, indicating that these areas could appear very bright.
Station platforms were found to have an even greater average illumination level, a significant overcompensation for vertical illuminance and facial luminance, and relatively low CRI levels.
“These conditions could produce a harsh atmosphere that is not consistent with a high perception of safety. However, in certain circumstances, it is noted that providing a lighting profile exceeding the baseline profile may be required for rail operational purposes,” Yang said.
“There were also sharp lighting changes between station areas, which could cause visual discomfort and reduce a person’s ability to assess their surroundings, due to the need for eyes to constantly readjust to the varying levels of brightness.
“The unbalanced approach may lead to an uncomfortable journey experience through the station precinct and is likely to cause changes in movement behaviour due to decreased visual acuity and perception of safety.”
In short, the experiences of safety and comfort in urban spaces are affected
“At night, the presence of electric light ties all these layers together through the provision of sight,” Yang said.
“In creating spaces for everyone to enjoy and feel safe, the consideration and design of how we experience the night are just as important as designing for the daytime.
“Too often, designing for the night-time experience is reduced to a simple on/off approach with little consideration to the different people, activities, materiality, built forms and connecting pathways through and around the space.
“While we spend 50 per cent of our time in darkness, lighting standards rarely address or consider how technical specifications of lighting interact with the urban environment to create atmospheres of fear and comfort for the people who use the space.
“Our research has found that understanding local marginalised groups’ needs through a holistic lens of the wider urban context is crucial in developing inherently inclusive urban spaces.
“If not appropriately considered, this can significantly impact people’s mobility habits and feelings of personal amenity –
Compliance lighting without holistic consideration to the night time brightness journey can result in sharp lighting changes and unbalanced visual experiences between different areas.Across Australia and New Zealand, John Holland has a proud history as a leading building, infrastructure, rail and transport business.
In the rail industry John Holland prides itself on being a leading provider of end-toend rail and transport solutions, from design and construction, testing and commissioning – right through to operating and maintaining completed, world-class transport systems.
It’s the John Holland team’s focus, which extends beyond delivering city-shaping rail projects for their clients, that sets them apart. They are committed to delivering on their purpose of ‘transforming lives’ for the communities they work in, and developing a strong pipeline of talent to support a bright future for the rail industry.
At John Holland, while it’s important to us to deliver strongly for our clients, we’re committed to going beyond that to create employment opportunities within the communities we work and support local suppliers and community groups.
For me, it’s really important that our people feel they belong, can learn and grow with us and be their best self on the job.
industry, is facing a skills shortage. We need to think differently about creating a strong pipeline for our industry through embracing and fully utilising the skills and capabilities of people from the communities we work in.
Our diversity, equity and inclusion work is focused on ensuring our people reflect the communities we work in.
It includes supporting gender equality, First Nations Peoples, LGBTI+, cultural and linguistic diversity, generational diversity, people with a disability, and neurodiversity within our workforce.
We have a number of programs and partnerships in place with organisations that support people from these groups through apprenticeships, traineeships and employment opportunities.
Then once they join our team, we have policies in place to ensure that everyone feels supported to be themselves.
In 2020 John Holland was awarded Bronze Tier Status with the Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI), which is the national benchmark on LGBTI+ workplace inclusion.
In March this year John Holland received the experiencing family and domestic violence. We also have a flexible working policy that helps our people make time for what matters most to them.
We introduced a Multicultural Leave Exchange Policy, which supports our people to swap public holidays for days that are culturally significant to them.
We know this policy is well-used by our employees from diverse backgrounds, which includes 20 per cent of our workforce that speak a second language, and also people that exchange public holidays for other personal beliefs.
We’re proud that we’re growing the number of women in our rail and transport business.
Women now make up 34 per cent of our apprentices, while 29 per cent of our current graduates are women, and we’ve just increased
Creating employment opportunities for people from disadvantaged backgrounds, and developing an inclusive work environment that supports employees to build successful careers, are just some of the ways John Holland is creating and fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace.Steve Butcher, Executive General Manager – Rail and Transport, John Holland. An inclusive environment at John Holland ensures everyone can be themselves and people feel they belong.
on that for our 2024 intake, with women making up 59 per cent of the cohort.
It’s an ongoing journey and we recognised that we weren’t doing enough to encourage women to take up a trade in the rail industry.
To address this issue, we needed to navigate a number of factors, including prevailing gender stereotypes, entrenched attitudes, safe working conditions and a lack of awareness about the types of skills required in the rail industry and fulfilling career opportunities.
This required a multi-disciplinary response, including a review of our employee experience (parental leave, career pathways, flexible working practices and more), audits of our workplaces, design and roll out of diversity, equity and inclusion training for our current workforce and much more.
In addition to this work, a key part of our solution to the gender imbalance was an employee-led awareness building campaign to promote careers in the rail industry for more diverse and under-represented groups.
With the support and engagement of both technical leaders and apprentices in our business, we proactively reached out to deliver presentations articulating the opportunity for tradespeople in the rail industry.
We gathered a mix of trade-qualified male managers, female managers and female apprentices to have career conversations facilitated by leading training institutions.
Almost without exception, audiences were surprised to learn that trades like electrotechnology and mechanic were highly valued skills in the rail industry, outside of more traditional settings.
This response provided further evidence that an awareness building campaign was needed and added weight to the concept of ’you can’t be what you can’t see.’
Across John Holland, we’re committed to recognising First Nations Peoples and working towards reconciliation.
Last year we spent more than $156 million with more than 128 Indigenous suppliers and we’re committed to how we can grow this, and continue to support the employment of First Nations Peoples through key partnerships with community organisations.
One of these partnerships is with the Fitzroy Stars Football and Netball Club, an Aboriginal community organisation based in Melbourne’s inner-northern suburbs.
Established in 1973, they are one of only two First Nations football and netball clubs in Victoria.
The club relies heavily on government
three players or members into roles across our Rail Network Alliance and North Western Program Alliance projects and our Rail Services business.
The ‘John Holland Round’ at the Stars last home and away fixture of the season in August also gave us the opportunity to get to know more about the club and players when our people went along to cheer on the Stars.
We also have a proud partnership with the Clontarf Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation that supports First Nations boys finish school and gain meaningful employment.
We have shown them first-hand some of the opportunities available in the rail industry.
After getting an introduction to our industry, some of these students have been eager to find out more, completing work experience as well.
In Western Australia, our team is committed to supporting the First Nations community through a number of initiatives.
On the Eliwana Railway Integrated Package project, John Holland exceeded its required spend with First Nations businesses.
First Nations employees, and the Eliwana project team commissioned Yamatji-WhadjukBallardong woman, artist and John Holland employee, Marcia McGuire, to create artwork for various initiatives including, high visibility shirts for the project team and art displayed on the projects NTC machines.
Marcia was also recently commissioned to do a piece for our Sydney office reception area and does artwork for tenders.
I’ve been in the rail industry for more than 40 years, and for a long time the industry has been made up of people that look like me.
But that’s not the reality of the communities we operate in, and I’m really excited about the work we’re doing to create opportunities for everyone in our community.
Importantly, we want to ensure that we have an inclusive environment where everyone can be themselves and people feel they belong at John Holland.
For us, this is a much greater purpose. It’s about being embedded in the community.
I’m looking forward to how we can continue our journey.
Diversity spans more than just gender: it includes age, background, abilities, race, religion, sexuality and circumstance.
I’ve come to realise that rail is in my blood. My grandfather and uncle gave their entire working lives to the industry, with Pop sharing his felt experience of comraderie in the sector, which is truly unique.
But my professional career didn’t start in rail. I was one of only two females in my civil engineering class at the University of Newcastle and we didn’t spend much time leaning about it.
When I moved into the workforce I started in the water industry, gaining engineering and project management experience before swinging in to rail over a decade ago. I can honestly say that the rail industry has hooked me, having returned this year after three years in local and state government sectors.
Reflecting on my time in the rail industry, I recall starting to hear the word ‘diversity’ over a decade ago. Like many, my first tangible experiences with it were primarily focused on gender diversity.
I was the only female project manager on the team. I am proud to have held badges of “first female” and the “youngest” in roles throughout my career to date, most recently the appointment to Managing Director at Swietelsky Rail Australia (SRA): the first female and youngest ever appointed to the role, and the first female managing director of any international subsidiary of Swietelsky.
But genuine and encompassing diversity spans more dimensions than just gender.
I acknowledge that I write this through my lens, which is that of an Anglo-Celtic Australian female person without a disability, civil engineer, project manager, leader and now managing director within the Australian rail industry.
But we all need to share and talk about our own experiences with diversity in order to see change happen.
In this piece I share examples that, at face value, may be considered light.
This is intentional. There are other examples with much greater depth and worse impact (not all from the rail industry), but many of the
focus, ongoing active conversation, and constructive action.
The positive is that diversity is easily measured. We either have it in our workplaces, our teams, our industry, or we don’t.
If we already have it, taking actions to create a more inclusive culture can help us keep it. If we want to improve diversity in our industry, we need to set it up for success by taking action to identify, listen, understand and remove the barriers standing it its way.
At SRA, I am proud of our facts.
First Nations people represent 33 per cent of our executive leadership team and 11 per cent of our workforce.
Females represent 33 per cent of our executive leadership team, 25 per cent of our senior leadership team and 14 per cent of our workforce (up from 5 per cent in December 2022).
The SRA team comprises of five different nationalities, represent 10 different cultural backgrounds and our age distribution is evenly spread across the workforce.
But these are only the facts. Inclusion is where the action happens.
It’s the action we take to break down barriers to diversity and create a workplace where every individual feels included in work life. Barriers can be real or perceived. Some that you consider to be obvious now, may not have been so obvious at the time.
Sharing some of my lived examples, I have
even available in workplace catalogues.
In my experience, the most powerful tools to remove barriers and create inclusivity are language, education, flexibility, vulnerability, respect and kindness.
The language we use has a commanding influence on our workplace culture. They say that people don’t necessarily remember the words spoken, but they remember the way it made them feel.
This is so true for me, although occasionally the words do stick with me for some time. Our written language can have the same impact.
The simplest language action to create inclusive workplaces is to remove gender badging. Referring to team members as “admin girls” is a classic example here. In some workplaces it may be acceptable and in others it may not.
But if we don’t ask the question, and if impacted people don’t feel comfortable raising the issue, then someone lives in ignorant bliss, others continuously suffer, and no one makes constructive change.
Have you ever looked around the meeting table and expected the female present to take notes, regardless of her role? Or to get the coffee order? Have you ever been that female? I have.
Empathy doesn’t always come naturally. For most of us, it’s not easy to see the world through the lens of others. Realising that you need to, is a great first step.
Strategies that work for me include forcing myself to stop and think, training my brain to consider alternative views and perspectives before acting. Another is simply talking to people, asking questions and listening hard to help educate my thinking and then making informed decisions.
At the end of the day, we are all different. That is what makes us unique. When we harness and embrace that difference, we are able to tap into true diversity of thought, which has been proven to benefit the bottom line.
Genuine inclusive workplaces will provide flexibility. At SRA, we have created a flexibility framework that removes barriers associated with geographical location, family commitments (parental, carer etc), volunteering, time needed to recharge the batteries and more.
I am exceptionally passionate about flexibility in the workplace at all levels, and I am proud to lead by example. Our head office in Maitland is three hours’ drive from my family home.
When I joined SRA, so many industry colleagues from Newcastle all asked me, “So you’re moving back here now?”.
No. Work is a thing you do, not a place you go. I am passionate about visible leadership, and I do travel often, but we love where we live, and I wouldn’t change it for anything. Family first. Always.
This works in different ways for different
roles within our business. We have other staff that reside up to four hours away. Staff have access to flexible hours to prioritise their family first. This can include modified shift times to cover for school pick up/drop off, flexibility to attend school assemblies, caring for an elderly relative, medical appointments, and many more variations.
Workplace flexibility policy options are
useless if the team aren’t aware of them. They need to be communicated regularly and staff educated on what options are available to them.
If someone has a flexible work arrangement in place, we should be encouraging them to live it and do so openly. Not a secretive individual arrangement behind closed doors and not shared or offered to others, and not one that creates the feeling of guilt to the recipient.
Education is an effective inclusive tool to break down perceived barriers. Education to enable work cultures to embrace and understand the differences people can bring. It can also empower the next generation with information about career options.
For example, we now know that the best time to educate young females about STEM careers and their possibilities are Years 6, 7, and 8, before they start to choose their first high school electives. You can’t be what you can’t see. The sooner they see it, the sooner they can contemplate being it.
Vulnerability is an absolute superpower when it comes to inclusion in the workplace. My experience within the rail industry has shown me that vulnerability has historically been viewed as a weakness, not a strength. But the tide is turning.
No one person has all the answers. Vulnerability is about being conscious of this and having the confidence and safe surroundings to wear it on your sleeve. It is about being comfortable to ask questions when you don’t know something, put your hand up
To improve diversity in the industry, action must be taken to identify, listen, understand andremove the barriers standing it its way. The SRA team comprises five different nationalities, representing 10 different cultural backgrounds.
for help when you need it, being willing to hear feedback, to listen even when the truth hurts, take ownership and make positive change.
It is being comfortable to rethink these perspectives when new information becomes available. It is totally okay to change your mind after considering new information.
Underpinning everything is respect and kindness. To act respectfully towards others and with genuine kindness when you do.
Throughout my career I have often been the sole female in the room at many levels. Specifically, I remember being the sole female project manager in a room for a two-day course run by an external facilitator.
Throughout the first day, the facilitator continually referred to the project managers as “gentlemen”. Now, if this happens today, I have the courage to speak up respectfully in the moment to inform the facilitator that there are female project managers present. But back then, I was a young project manager new to the industry and didn’t have the courage to speak up at the time.
At the end of the first day, one of my male mentors who was present, spoke up for me, talking privately with the facilitator before the next morning.
When the facilitator realised how their choice of language was impacting me, they were open to the feedback, apologetic and took accountability for their mistake.
They owned their own bias openly in front of
the room at the start of day two. The facilitator showed vulnerability in their acknowledgement and made ongoing positive change to their language for future events.
I had the courage to thank them at the end of day two to show my appreciation and we discussed past experiences and commitment to change. And as you read this you are probably assuming the facilitator was male, however she was also female.
Belonging is the outcome - it is the end game.
The outcome of a genuinely inclusive culture is a sense of belonging within team members. They experience a high level of psychological safety, are comfortable to speak up to raise issues and ask questions, and their contributions are heard and valued.
If I had this sense of belonging in my earlier example, I would have felt supported and comfortable to raise the issue myself.
The most effective strategy for me to push through challenges I have faced throughout my career is to surround myself with a network of incredible mentors (male and female) and professional connections. Ones that share the similar values but with different thoughts, perspectives, and ideas. I experience a sense of belonging within these networks in the same way we can achieve belonging in our workplaces.
My experience as a leader within the Australian rail industry has shown me that we are working together to remove both
perceived and real barriers to our success in this space, and we are seeing improvement. In particular, the positive growth of female participation in our industry now at 24 per cent, up from 17 per cent in 2016. We must keep going.
A thought to wrap up … I am certain that if 15 years ago, it was suggested we should start paying both mums and dads between 12 to 26 weeks paid parental leave regardless of primary and secondary carer duties, it would have been considered crazy talk.
Yet here we are today and the best organisations in our industry are implementing policies enabling exactly that, smashing this barrier to pieces.
Take your mind to 15 years from now: what barriers to diversity do we currently have that we will look back on and say that they should have been obvious to us today?
I know that when my Pop told me of the comraderie in rail, he did so from his perspective. My ideal version of our industry’s future is one where everyone in it feels that same sense of acceptance and belonging, no matter the minority or majority they represent. When we no longer need the label of “first” to describe role appointments.
When we listen and celebrate what is both common and different, we become wiser and more inclusive, and every part of what we do as an industry and within our business is better.
Manco Rail has played a big part in the NSW Government’s Sydney Rail Repair Plan – the biggest coordinated program of rail maintenance ever undertaken in the city.
The blitz was in response to the recent interim recommendations made by the expert panel conducting the Sydney Trains Review. It made 12 recommendations for restoring reliability to the network after a series of disastrous failures that left thousands of passengers stranded without trains.
The review found a huge maintenance backlog had led to equipment failures causing major shut-downs – equipment that should have been inspected, repaired, refurbished or replaced but wasn’t because maintenance crews could not get anywhere near sufficient access to the track.
Sydney Trains has now mapped out a massive maintenance program to take place every weekend for the next year or more.
It is designed to perform several years’ worth of normal maintenance works in that time by pouring huge resources and numbers of additional crews into the task.
As part of the works, Sydney Trains’ Plant Hire and Construction Services division secured the supply of elevated work platforms from Manco Rail Hire to support the rectification of 75 per cent of the identified defects within the program’s high-priority areas in the first 12 months.
The hi-rail plant hire equipment has so far been used between Town Hall to Wynyard stations.
As Manco Australia general manager Jaclyn Vanderent tells Rail Express, the collaboration clearly demonstrated the business’ commitment to delivering exceptional service and maintaining the highest standards in the industry.
“As a subsidiary of Manco Engineering Pty Ltd, a company with a legacy since 1973, we have specialised in the design and manufacture of top-quality products specifically crafted for hi-rail electrification construction and maintenance,” she said.
“Our dedication to innovation has established us as a leading figure in the industry, wit the company consistently introducing new ideas and advancements over the past five decades.
“Rest assured, our range of Manco Rail
Equipment adheres to the highest safety standards, including Australian Rail Safety standards, Workcover guidelines, design regulations, and the statutory requirements of each State and Territory.
“Moreover, our equipment fully complies with AS7502 and AS1418:10, ensuring complete regulatory compliance.”
Vanderent said customers who used Manco Rail Hire for their rail equipment needs gained access to several compelling benefits:
• Experience and expertise: With over five decades of experience in the rail industry, Manco possesses a deep understanding of the unique requirements and challenges involved in rail projects. The expertise allows the company to provide tailored solutions and expert guidance to clients.
• High-quality products: Manco takes great pride in designing and manufacturing top-quality products that meet the highest industry standards. The commitment to quality ensures that equipment is reliable, durable, and capable of withstanding the demands of rail construction and maintenance.
• Innovation: The company has a strong focus on innovation and constantly strives to develop new and improved products. By staying at the forefront of industry advancements, it can provide clients with cutting-edge equipment that enhances
efficiency, safety, and productivity.
• Compliance and safety: Safety is paramount in the rail industry, and the company prioritises it in everything it does. Manco Rail equipment complies with the highest safety standards, ensuring that clients can rely on it meeting all safety requirements.
• Comprehensive solutions: Manco offers a wide range of rail equipment, catering to various construction and maintenance needs. Whether you require equipment for hi-rail electrification, track maintenance, or any other aspect of rail projects, it has the solutions to meet all requirements.
• Customer-focused approach: Manco Rail Hire prioritises clients’ satisfaction. It strives to build strong, long-lasting relationships by providing exceptional service, prompt assistance, and personalised attention to clients’ unique needs. The dedicated team is always ready to support you throughout the project lifecycle.
“By choosing Manco Rail Hire, you select a trusted partner with a proven track record in the industry,” Vanderent said.
“Experience the benefits of our expertise, high-quality products, innovation, compliance, comprehensive solutions, and customer-focused approach.
“Trust us to be your reliable source for all your rail equipment needs.”
Manco Rail Hire continues to be regarded as one of the prime equipment suppliers for numerous esteemed projects within the rail industry across New Zealand and Australia.One of the Manco trucks used for the job.
Leading rail manufacturer Alstom Australia was awarded the $1.3 billion, 10-year contract by the WA Government in December 2019 and is currently building the C-series for the Public Transport Authority of Western Australia at the purpose-built Railcar Manufacturing and Maintenance Facility in Bellevue, Perth.
Alstom Project Director Fabrice Ponti said the company was delighted to celebrate its second year of manufacturing at the Bellevue site and incredibly humbled by its contribution to revitalising Perth’s rail industry.
“We take great pride in Bellevue’s role as one of Australia’s most advanced train manufacturing facilities, as well as the development of our 150-strong highly skilled local workforce,” he said.
The new C-Series trains are a monumental addition to the region, providing a significant boost to the WA economy and kickstarting a new era in local rail manufacturing.
“The locally manufactured trains contain 50 per cent local materials and content and have
train’s performance such as traction and braking, stability and ride comfort, power consumption, passenger information system and smooth interaction with signalling are being assessed as part of the dynamic testing phase,” Ponti said.
“This will ensure the trains will efficiently and safely transport the expected 103,000 passengers daily.”
Historically, Alstom has not had its own manufacturing site in WA.
METRONET - WA’s agency responsible for its rail network - built the new Bellevue manufacturing site, which Alstom fitted out in accordance with its railcar manufacturing processes.
This fit-out includes elevated platform workstations, custom-built specialist equipment, and jigs for the assembly and fitting activity of parts and components.
A bogie workshop with specialised wheel press, load test bench and turn tables was also
a local workforce and commence production of the first C-Series train at a time when interstate travel was not permitted,” Ponti said.
“The broader Alstom team worked together remotely to share knowledge and expertise to guide the Bellevue-based team to get the workspace set up and manufacturing started.”
Public transport, by any mode, is considered a significant contributor to reducing carbon emissions, particularly considering the alternative if all public transport users choose to travel by private vehicle.
Travel by rail, however, is highly energyefficient compared to other modes of transport such as road or air.
There is a growing emphasis on adopting sustainable practices and technologies to reduce the sector’s environmental impact and promote more sustainable and efficient transportation systems.
Alstom has a global commitment towards sustainable mobility and strongly advocates for the decarbonisation of transport to create more environmentally friendly transport systems.
“As a global leader in rail, Alstom has a responsibility to reduce our environmental impact. We are committed to supporting carbon neutrality in transport by implementing ecoconscious practices, design and technology into every aspect of our operations, contributing to our company’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050,” Ponti said.
Eco-design is considered throughout every stage of the manufacturing process. Recyclable materials are selected where possible, and trains are designed with energy efficiency in mind while considering environmental impacts at each phase of the building process.
This aligns with Alstom’s global commitment to supporting carbon neutrality.
At the Bellevue manufacturing site, recycling and waste reduction is prominent throughout the facility’s operations, with a culture of eco-consciousness common among employees and stakeholders.
Alstom has been working with the Eastern Metropolitan Regional Council (EMRC), a progressive and innovative regional local government specialist in waste management and resource recovery.
The EMRC represents five-member councils including the Town of Bassendean, the City of Bayswater, the City of Kalamunda, the Shire of Mundaring and the City of Swan, providing sustainable waste management services with a focus on resource recovery and environmental performance.
Alstom’s timber waste from the Bellevue site is taken to the EMRC’s Hazelmere Resource Recovery Park.
As it complies with the EMRC’s standards for acceptable, clean and untreated timber, it is recycled into raw material that can be used to produce animal bedding.
The Hazelmere facility is also conveniently located only minutes away from the Bellevue facility, greatly reducing transport time and emissions linked to transporting waste.
“Reducing our environmental impact by recycling cardboard, paper, glass, plastic containers and metal and sending it to the Veolia Welshpool Recycling Centre and Treatment Facility underpins everything we do in our daily operations at the Bellevue site,” Ponti said.
BRINGING LOCAL
Alstom employs around 150 people at the Bellevue facility, with up to 85 in production roles.
“Recruiting skilled production workers with rail manufacturing experience during the peak of COVID was a considerable challenge,” Ponti said.
“To overcome this, we developed the skills needed locally and created ongoing employment opportunities in the process.”
Alstom set about creating a new generation of skilled railway manufacturing professionals in WA by fast-tracking training and skills development programs through partnerships with the local TAFE and other training organisations.
Once recruited, Alstom’s Bellevue team of production employees attended an internal training program of up to four weeks in duration, depending on their proposed job.
This provided an opportunity to learn about Alstom and gain knowledge of the products and manufacturing processes specific to the METRONET WA Railcar Program.
Trainers used company videos on manufacturing systems and procedures to assist the learning and skill development of new employees. Virtual Reality 3D display technologies were made available to trainees to help visualise assembling components inside the railcars.
As par t of a local employment initiative, Alstom collaborated with the North Metropolitan TAFE to establish a pre-employment traineeship program for young Aboriginal people.
The program was available to 15 local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students who were provided with an introduction to the rail manufacturing industry.
The course focused on electrical and mechanical topics and students were paid employees of Alstom during the 10-week course.
Aside from the accredited training and guaranteed income for 10 weeks, participants received personal protective equipment and valuable on-the-job, hands-on experience with the Bellevue production team.
Upon completion of the Program, three graduates were given the opportunity to join Alstom as part of a three-year apprenticeship on the METRONET WA Railcar Program, with the view to becoming permanent, longterm employees on completion of their apprenticeships. Students also gain formal qualifications by studying a four-year Certificate III in Engineering – Mechanical Fitting at the same time.
“We are excited to grow the Alstom family and support the next generation of skilled rail manufacturing employees in the region with career development and full-time employment opportunities across a variety of roles,” Ponti said.
The C-series train will be a modern design with higher passenger capacity than the A-series and B-series trains.
Each set will be six cars long with a driver cab at either end and additional doors on each side to improve passenger flow and reduce dwell times at stations.
It is expected these new railcars will travel around 220,000km a year.
They have the ability to travel at speeds of up to 130kph and have a service life of 35 years.
As a company that was mandated back in the 1970s to solve chronic traffic congestion in Hong Kong, MTR Corporation has continually expanded its railway network that facilitated the rapid growth of the city into the modern metropolis that it is today.
With the opening of the South Island Land in 2016, MTR connects communities across all 18 districts in Hong Kong and carries more than four million passengers a day.
Following its early success, MTR started taking its expertise in railway operations abroad over 20 years ago, exporting tested delivery models and deploying expert resources to manage railway networks in the United Kingdom, Sweden, Mainland China, Macao and Australia.
As a recognised world-class operator of sustainable rail transport services carrying more than 3.2 billion annual passenger journeys worldwide, MTR’s purpose is to “Keep Cities Moving”.
And MTR indeed keeps cities moving, connecting people and communities.
MTR Australia’s Executive General Manager, Peter Munro, tells Rail Express that with more than 50,000 staff globally, the company is devoted to providing ‘passenger-centric’ services and making their journeys more convenient and pleasant.
“As an international brand headquartered in Hong Kong, MTR has been steadily developing its business and helping communities to grow in Mainland China, Europe, and Australia,” he said.
“Around 15 years ago when we first set our sights on the Australian rail market, we immediately recognised the need for more efficient public transport services to facilitate sustainable development of the cities with the projected high population growth.
“Working together initially with the
Victorian Government and later the New South Wales Government along with trusted partners, our railway services support the sustainable growth and development for both Sydney and Melbourne.
“We firmly believe that successful railway services are underpinned by local knowledge and awareness hence MTR’s international hubs are managed and led by local staff.
“Moreover, MTR’s model also strikes a careful balance by introducing MTR global technical expertise where appropriate.
“This was especially the case when we successfully introduced the first fully automatic unattended train operations in Australia back in 2019 through the Sydney Metro North West Project.”
Sydney Metro Northwest – the first fully automatic train operations in Australia
As Australia’s largest rail project and first fully automated operating railway, MTR invested in and led the delivery of Sydney Metro Northwest, and later the Trains and Systems and Systems Integration of the City and Southwest Project.
“Initially, the team encountered some technical challenges, such as establishing the first operational and maintenance procedures
for the new train operations, the adoption of new technologies and systems interfaces issues,” Munro said.
“Several commissioning and operations experts were also mobilised from Hong Kong to share experience and knowledge to local staff to ensure the project was delivered on time in 2019.
“Since opening, the Sydney Metro Northwest service delivery has consistently been maintained at 99 per cent with Australia’s highest customer satisfaction rating at 98 per cent.
“In April 2023, the Sydney Metro Northwest Line won the Operator and Service Provider Excellence in the Australian infrastructure sector category in the National Infrastructure Awards.”
Recognitions
• Sydney Metro Northwest – Operator and Service Provider Excellence category at the Australian National Infrastructure Awards 2023
• Sydney Metro Northwest – Infrastructure Project of the Year at the Australian National Infrastructure Awards 2020
• Sydney Metro City and Southwest Augmentation – Government Partnership Excellence category at the Australian National Infrastructure Awards 2020
MTR is applying global expertise to deliver railway services and keep cities moving globally and in Australia.
• Sydney Metro Northwest (Northwest Rapid Transit consortium) – A Government Partnership Excellence category at the Australian National Infrastructure Awards 2015
Elizabeth Line – award-winning metro service Halfway across the globe in the UK, MTR began operating the East and West Operating section of the Elizabeth Line in 2015.
With the completion of the Central Operating Section, the Elizabeth Line, named in honour of the late Queen Elizabeth II, was fully opened for passenger service on 24 May last year.
The project was one of the most complex projects undertaken in the UK with a mixed brownfield and greenfield environment along the 100 km route length and 41 stations.
This east-west line dramatically increased overall passenger capacity in London’s railway network.
“In just one year, we’ve carried over 150 million journeys, with around 600,000 journeys now being made each weekday,” Munro said.
“This cements the Elizabeth line as the busiest railway line in the UK.
“The Elizabeth line is also the highestrated transport mode within the Transport For London family, and sees some of the lowest customer complaints across the UK rail industry.
a world-class passenger experience and achieve internationally recognised high standards of safety, reliability, and quality and customer service.”
• Modern Railways and the Institute of Rail Operators: Golden Whistle Award - Best On Time Performance 2021
• National Railway Heritage Award for Operational Enhancement 2021
• National Transport Awards: Apprenticeship
BQF Excellence Awards: Excellence in Community Engagement 2020
• MTREL won National Transport Awards – Rail Operator of the Year 2019
MTR Nordic – improving operational performance
Since taking over the operations of Stockholm Metro in 2009, MTR has steadily improved its operational performance – punctuality improved from 93 per cent in 2010 to 98 per cent in 2022, and customer satisfaction from 78
operations to commuter rail (Pendeltåg), regional train (Mälartåg) and our first high speed open access intercity service (MTRX), becoming the largest rail operator by passenger volume and the largest rolling stock maintenance company by vehicles maintained in Sweden,” Munro said.
Recognitions
• Best railway operator in Sweden for six consecutive years in Swedish Quality Index survey
• In Sweden, MTR Tunnelbanan has been awarded the prestigious Swedish Quality Award twice for its long-term, systematic approach in introducing various quality improvements to the network
• MTRX has been voted Sweden’s best train company six years in a row by the Swedish Quality Index and has also been the most punctual operator of all trains and airlines on the Stockholm-Gottenburg route for five years in a row (2017-2021).
Metro Trains Melbourne
“As Australia’s largest private railway operator, MTR – along with our partners – has improved the journeys of our customers in Melbourne for 15 years,” Munro said.
“Partnering with the Victorian Government, MTR has elevated on-time running from the low 80s to consistently exceed 90 per cent during Victoria’s Big Build, the largest period of network improvement and expansion in the state’s history.
“As a vertically integrated operator, MTM provides unique expertise in the Victorian Big Build in supporting the successful delivery of
“Such a large and complex program requires extensive coordination across the railway, with MTM providing significant leadership along with our alliance and government partners to ensure that the volume of works delivered can achieve record breaking levels, while our passengers experience the minimum inconvenience during this period.”
Munro said that MTM was also committed to a culturally diverse and inclusive
achieved in gender equality across the operation. More than 500 female drivers have been recruited and the number is rising, an industry-leading achievement.
MTM also made global headlines with the safety campaign “Dumb Ways to Die”, to improve safety of passengers in Melbourne around trains.
The campaign has had millions of views globally and has made a world-wide impact on
partnered with both the public and private sector to provide practical solutions to their most complex problems.
As one of Australia’s largest privately owned, independent consultancy with an international footprint, TBH provides specialist project management services including planning and scheduling, cost and risk management, project management and strategic delivery advice.
TBH principal Ali Dibaj spoke with Rail Express about how an Integrated Target Schedule (ITS) works.
“Throughout my career, I have had the opportunity of working on the delivery of a diverse range of complex rail projects in various countries and states within Australia, including my home state of NSW,” he said.
“Imagine that a rail project is like a complex jigsaw puzzle, with numerous pieces that need to fit together perfectly to create the final picture.
“The puzzle-solver is a tool that helps to meticulously examine each piece, identify its unique characteristics, and strategically place it in the right position to gradually reveal the complete and coherent image.
“The development of an ITS follows a systematic approach that begins with defining configuration states. These configuration states serve as key milestones, dividing the project into distinct phases, each with specific objectives and deliverables.”
Alongside the configuration states, so-called stage gates are established to support and monitor progress throughout the project.
At each stage gate, precise entry and exit criteria are defined, outlining the essential requirements that must be met to progress from one Gate to the next.
The number of stage gates required can be determined based on each configuration state and the specific products involved.
“This comprehensive framework, coupled with progressive assurance, ensures that the project team maintains a clear and cohesive
plan while also providing a single source of truth for evaluating and validating each phase’s successful completion before moving forward,” Dibaj said.
“An integral part of this process is progressive assurance, as it entails ongoing monitoring, validation, and adjustment at each stage to ensure quality and compliance with project requirements.
“In the rail industry, progressive assurance refers to a systematic and continuous process of monitoring, evaluating, and validating the progress and quality of a rail project at various stages of its development. It involves ensuring that each phase meets predefined criteria before proceeding to the next stage.”
Dibaj said that the success of progressive assurance is determined by the deliverables meeting the criteria for that particular gate. These deliverables necessitate careful identification and planning within the project schedule.
“People who have worked on rail projects know that in the rail industry, projects are frequently delivered by multiple delivery partners and contractors, each responsible for specific aspects of the project,” Dibaj said.
“Coordinating and integrating these diverse schedules can pose significant challenges, potentially leading to misalignments, delays, inefficiencies, and ultimately significant cost overruns.
“Here, the ITS emerges as a crucial tool to tackle this issue. ITS acts as a unifying force, skilfully integrating individual schedules from each partner into a single comprehensive map.
“By aligning all activities and milestones within the ITS, stakeholders gain a clear and unified view of the project’s progress, allowing for effective communication, coordination, and timely decision-making.
“ITS enables all delivery partners to work in harmony towards the common goal of achieving a successful Day 1 operation, streamlining the project’s execution, and ensuring a cohesive rail system.
“Throughout my past experiences, I have
witnessed firsthand how many projects’ poor planning, program pressure, and insufficient time for system assurance documentation led to challenges.
“Additionally, a lack of understanding of stakeholders’ requirements and a skewed Go/ No-Go process further compounded the issues.
“The consequences were far-reaching, affecting construction and test footprints and introducing significant safety risks during daily state changes between construction and testing phases.”
Dibaj said that TBH’s extensive experience in the rail industry and its skilled experts have used these tools, process and frameworks when faced with seemingly impossible projects.
Utilising the tool’s collaborative and integrated approach, the company has effectively rescued projects that appeared doomed to fail.
The application of knowledge from similar projects, coupled with the use of the ITS framework, has enabled TBH to identify critical issues, streamline processes, and bring the project back on track.
“This not only ensures timely delivery, but also results in substantial cost savings,”
Many of the recurring themes leading to project delays and cost overruns can be mitigated by correctly utilising a tool called Integrated Target Schedule.TBH principal Ali Dibaj. ITS acts as a unifying force, skilfully integrating individual schedules from each project partner into a single comprehensive map.
Leaders from government, transport, education, skills, and unions joined with international experts in Melbourne recently to tackle the chronic workforce shortage in Australia’s rail industry.
With a $155 billion national pipeline of rail modernisation projects over the next 15 years, the first Future Rail Skills Forum heard that for Australia to attract the 70,000 more people rail needs, the industry must become more attractive to women and young people.
Rail will also need more people with digital skills – with key digital roles expected to grow in the rail sector by 54 per cent over the next five years, as the technology pivots from mechanical to digital.
Identifying how to attract diverse and younger workers, and develop the digital skills needed now and into the future, was a key topic for the forum, hosted by the National Transport Commission (NTC) and the Australasian Railway Association.
The forum heard that long hours, high stress and a chronic lack of diversity would not work with prospective employees, who are looking for more flexibility and positive work cultures.
Internationally, efforts to address skills gaps and workforce shortage have helped avoid significant cost over-runs on major
rail workforce (and only 11 per cent in rail freight). The rail industry also remains highly fragmented with the skills of the existing 165,000 people working in rail not recognised across borders.
The NTC’s research through its National Rail Skills Hub has found that only 11 percent of current enrolments in rail-related training are women; but there are positive signs that rail organisations who take diversity seriously are getting much better results.
Jacobs, for example, has lifted female leadership in its Australian operations through piloting programs for emerging women leaders, introducing flexible working toolkits and continuing to analyse and remedy the gender pay gap annually.
Women in rail who have shared their experience with the National Rail Skills Hub said they were attracted by the flexibility their jobs provide, the opportunities they get to use and grow their skills.
Skills and training minister Brendan O’Connor said rail could run on an old business model that starts with locking out half the workforce.
“Rail needs more young people, women, people of diverse backgrounds, and a diversity of thinking,” he said.
current and future requirements.
“The ARA looks forward to working closely with the NTC to continue to support a strong and diverse rail workforce for the future,”
“In the past we struggled to get people to apply for jobs and now we’re finding people are coming to us because of our culture.”
Somoud Al Masri, sales operations, Jacobs
“I had no idea that rail was so exciting and innovative .. there are so many opportunities to
Kawtar Hadjadj, rail consultant, Systra ve found a real sense of purpose working in rail. There are so many rail infrastructure
Donna Daly, human factors specialist, Arup
“What I love about rail is the diversity of opportunities, the support of the training
Renae Carter, transformation delivery manager,
When Scott Fogarty was a child, he dreamed of being a translator.
Now, he is using his voice to advocate for positive change as a senior adviser, Inclusion and Diversity for Aboriginal Programs, at Victoria’s Suburban Rail Loop Authority (SRLA).
A proud Bidjara man whose people are from Barcaldine in central-west Queensland, Fogarty grew up in Brisbane before swapping sunny skies for Melbourne’s unpredictable weather in 2018.
Starting out his career as a social worker, he says he fell into human resources after accepting a secondment opportunity to manage Aboriginal employment programs – which quickly became a passion.
At SRL, Fogarty plays an important role in helping deliver programs to support pathways into employment for Aboriginal people.
“My role includes attracting Aboriginal talent across all levels of experience, age, skills, and abilities – ensuring we have a strong representation of Aboriginal people helping deliver the project,” he said.
Fogarty’s role includes building understanding across the organisation of the needs of Aboriginal staff to set them up for success, and providing cultural guidance
significant impact.
“I wanted to join SRL to be a part of a major city-shaping project and to challenge myself,” he said. “This role is an opportunity to be involved in the project early on to build a strong, sustainable and thriving Aboriginal workforce.”
Set to graduate with a Master of Human Resource Management at the end of this year, Fogarty has also been awarded the Indigenous Student Academic Achievement Award from RMIT University, recognising his excellence in business and law.
with more than 12,000 hours worked to date by Indigenous Victorians.
During this first phase of works, around 14 per cent of total hours is being undertaken by apprentices, trainees or cadets, with opportunities for women, Aboriginal and disadvantaged Victorians.
“I love the people I work with who are dedicated, driven and smart – and who are committed to the success of the project and champion the importance of inclusion and diversity,” he said.
Transport for NSW’s Customer Journey Coordinators (Trains) are playing a big part in enhancing passenger journeys and preparing the new Sydney Metro City & Southwest for its
As part of the rigorous testing and commissioning program currently underway deep below the city, the coordinators manually operate the new trains through an extensive list of checks to ensure they are ready for
A total of 14 coordinators, out of the 31 currently working on the Metro North West Line, are supporting testing and commissioning activities in the new city section between
Once testing and commissioning is complete, the coordinators involved in the testing program resume their primary role, which involves assisting passengers on the
Metro North West Line. A typical day for a Customer Journey Coordinator may include assisting passengers with onboard passenger services, walking through metro trains during travel to address any issues and providing support to station staff.
A coordinator for trains is skilled in operating a metro train should there be an instance where a train needs to be manually controlled in order to move it to the nearest safe location.
To become a qualified Customer Journey Coordinator (Trains), staff first become a Customer Journey Coordinator (Stations), followed by an intensive program of theory and practical training.
Sydney Metro operator Metro Trains Sydney is currently recruiting for various positions. Prospective applicants can go to Seek.com.au and search “Metro Trains Sydney”.
The RISSB is literally the standard-bearer for the Australian rail industry.
The seed for its inception was planted in the late 1990s, when the governments of the day initiated a number of rail reforms, including the establishment of the Defined Interstate Rail Network, otherwise known as the DIRN.
With differing operating systems and standards in each state, it was recognised that greater rail harmonisation was needed to facilitate investment in making the interstate freight businesses more efficient.
At about the same time, third party access was granted to the Australian rail networks which ultimately led to private and public above-rail operators sharing access to the DIRN.
A body called the Code Management Company (CMC) was established in 2003
to facilitate the development of national rail standards, reflecting its primary role as the publisher of the DIRN Codes of Practice and then later as the producer of accredited Standards for the Australian rail industry.
Four years later in 2007, the CMC became known as RISSB, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Rail Express speaks to RISSB chief executive Damien White about the achievements of the organisation over the past two decades – and its evolution into an independent memberbased organisation that works hand in hand with the Australian and New Zealand rail industry to provide the essential tools rail organisations need to improve safety, drive harmonisation and interoperability, lower costs and enhance productivity.
“During a period of increased investment in
rail and greater focus on safety, productivity and sustainability, RISSB has experienced unprecedented growth, establishing itself as a leader in co-ordinating industry, promoting interoperability and harmonisation, and championing safety,” White said.
Interoperability in rail is a term used to mean the possibility of uninterrupted movement of trains from differing states across their borders.
“Decades ago, there were no national standards and each state had its own rail system,” White said.
“In those times, if crossing into states was needed, trains might change locomotives at the border, they might change drivers. The rail businesses were unique to each state built up over 150 plus years, and there were no consistent track gauges and standards nor consistent safe working rules.
“Then, over time, as interstate connections and freight movement between the states increased, problems with the complicated, convoluted and inefficient system were recognised, leading to a greater focus on investment in the harmonisation of these rail systems, and ultimately the formation of the RISSB.
“We help drive interoperability by improving harmonisation, operational efficiency and safety for rail owners, operators and suppliers.
“Over the years this has taken the form of the development and release of Standards, Codes of Practice, Guidelines and Rules and, in more recent times, it has also included RISSB taking a leading role in the Federal Government’s National Rail Action Plan.
“We’re also taking the first steps towards an integrated national rolling stock registration scheme with the creation of a national rolling stock register.”
RISSB has a range of publications designed to support interoperability, such as:
• AS 7450 Rail Systems interoperability and its complementary Guideline - Rail Systems Interoperability
• AS 7666 Train protection and control interoperability
• The Australian Network Rules and Procedures (ANRP) and complementary National Rules Framework and Australian Harmonised Network Rules (AHNR).
RISSB has also commissioned reports to support the introduction of new signalling and technologies in the rail network, such as:
• Assessment of interoperability issues from the proposed introduction of new train control systems
• Interoperability impact plan
• National framework for rail interoperability.
White said the legacy of a fragmented rail system was driving a national reform agenda and highlighting the need to standardise systems, processes and equipment to improve safety, increase productivity and create efficiencies across the railway.
“Everything that RISSB does is designed to drive harmonisation within the Australian rail industry,” he said.
“For every Standard we write, we follow a process (which is accredited by Standards Australia) drawing in industry expertise in firstly identifying the Standard as a priority for the industry, and then working up the content within it.
“That means we facilitate subject matter experts from railways right around the country, and often around the world, coming together to discuss best practice, innovation, incident history, debate differences, and arrive at an outcome that is accepted by industry.
“When those Standards are published and adopted, not only do they provide rail companies with essential tools, but they provide a common underpinning across those companies so that they work effectively together.”
RISSB is delivering 12 projects over three
National Rail Action Plan, including developing publications that address legacy and emerging industry issues such as radio communications; heating, ventilation and air-conditioning; energy storage, including batteries; noise; and wheel sets.
“RISSB boasts a catalogue of around 250 products available for industry use,” White said.
“RISSB projects span and support such sectors as infrastructure, rolling stock, train control systems, operations, safety, construction and supply chains, and we take a whole-ofsystem view to take into account interface issues that exist between them.”
Indeed, RISSB is perhaps best known for its role in developing the various Standards and Guidelines that ensure the rail networks function in as much harmony as possible.
“Our publications improve safety, reduce costs and increase productivity and efficiency, and underpin the rail safety accreditation process,” White said.
“RISSB has been accredited by Standards Australia, the peak non-government standards body in Australia, as the only recognised organisation to develop Standards Australiabranded Standards for the Australian and New Zealand rail industry.
“Industry is involved by proposing, helping to select and providing subject matter expertise in developing them. In this partnership, RISSB balances input from both a technical and business perspective, actively encouraging input from all organisations, including governments, and all levels within those organisations.”
Apart from passenger rail, RISSB is also developing Standards for both the heavy rail and burgeoning light rail industry in Australia and New Zealand.
“RISSB products are recognised as industry good practice, developed by industry,” White said.
“Australia’s chosen to go down the path of not having a prescriptive regulatory regime,
is any less a priority. We’ve got different operating environments, different service patterns, the nature of our operations are different around the country and that means you need different solutions to deliver safe outcomes in different places.
“If you look to other railways around the world where there’s more prescriptive standards regimes, they don’t get better outcomes.
“In Australia, we have operators who are best placed to make decisions for their own operations.
“But for other issues where there’s value in national consistency, for example in infrastructure and rolling stock maintenance standards, manufacturing standards for rollingstock and components, and for operational interoperability, then we’ve got standards that deliver those outcomes as well.”
“There are other functions RISSB performs, such as analysis of incident data for the rail industry,” White said.
“We developed the Australian Rail Risk Model (ARRM): an objective quantitative tool that provides rail organisations with a deep, robust and comprehensive picture of safety risk.
“The organisation has also taken over the administration and updating of the Australian Level Crossing Assessment Model (ALCAM) on behalf of the National ALCAM Committee providing rich data for the analysis of level crossing risks.
“And we provide the Culture Hub Survey to help rail companies assess the strengths and weaknesses of their organisational culture.” ARRM, ALCAM and the Culture Hub Survey provide industry with tools that can drive safety reform.
Industry involvement in ARRM continues to grow with the addition of more organisations and more users within organisations each year.
“These three systems combine to provide a powerful suite of resources for our industry,”
The rail industry is no stranger to the many events run by RISSB, another string to its bow. The body offers a range of events and programs addressing the future challenges of the rail industry and supporting the development of rail professionals, including young professionals.
RISSB’s events and programs include the annual two-day Rail Safety Conference, a Technology and Innovation Conference, both of which attract speakers and attendees from right across the globe, a range of industry forums, as well as the Horizons Program (for young operations and technical professionals).
“These provide an opportunity for members to share and gain knowledge and expand their network,” White said.
The Horizons Program is for young professionals and:
• Provides a forum for knowledge sharing and learning focused on technology and innovation
• Extends the participant’s professional network on a national scale both within and outside the rail industry
• Provides participants with the skills to drive and manage change
• Encourages young professionals to provide technical input into RISSB’s and the rail industry’s future
• Gives attendees the chance to meet and hear from CEOs and senior executives from within and external to the rail industry.
Meanwhile, the training program has been expanded, with an emphasis on delivering training to support industry adoption of the RISSB publications.
RISSB courses focus on addressing key industry issues and include e-learning modules, innovative blended learning, and face-to-face courses on safety-critical communications, protection officer safety-critical communications, derailment investigations, risk management, rail safety worker obligations, and rail safety incidents investigations.
RISSB co-ordinates meetings of key industry groups including the Safety Managers Group, SPAD/LRTAE Group, Human Factors Managers Group, the Chief Medical Officers Council, Fatigue Risk Management Group, and the National Track Worker Safety Forum.
“RISSB members are actively involved in developing the agenda for these meetings and driving change in industry,” White said. “RISSB’s secretarial co-ordination and facilitation ensures industry is sharing best practice,
learning from each other, driving innovation and reducing procurement and other costs.
“The co-ordinated industry meetings bring together industry, ONRSR, ARA, ATSB and other key industry stakeholders to resolve issues and develop agreed ways forward.”
While various publications can be purchased by non-members, RISSB members have complete access to all the resources.
“By being a RISSB member, you are not only helping move the rail industry forward, but also contributing to the development and delivery of RISSB’s annual Work Plan to help industry manage risk and progress major projects focused on harmonisation and interoperability,” White said.
The membership includes:
• Passenger operators
• Freight operators
• Contractors
• Network managers and owners
• Suppliers and manufacturers
• Consultants
• Academia
White, who came on board as CEO a year ago, is impressed at the leaps and bounds that RISSB has made in the past 20 years.
“Clearly industry has appreciated the role that we play. We’ve grown from less than 20 members in the first 10 years to over 160 today,” he said.
“There has been unprecedented growth, not only in our products and services, but growth in engagement with industry and governments, and growth as a driven and dynamic organisation.
“RISSB has supported its members and the broader rail community by continuing to focus on its core business (the production of Standards, guidelines, Codes of Practice and rules), and identifying opportunities for RISSB to deliver projects supporting government policy that industry can implement.
“We continue to be guided by our work plan, which is informed directly by members and also influenced by the rail safety regulator and government priorities.
“And that’s another value proposition of RISSB membership: members get the chance to determine the work that we do – to address industry’s most pressing issues.”
White said it was encouraging that the Federal Government was intent on making harmonisation a priority, a goal of the recentlyappointed rail industry advocate.
“There’s a very big pay-off if we get it right, in terms of improving productivity and for rail to be an enabler of decarbonisation,” he said.
“As we move forward, the main strategy is to make a conscious effort to help industry implement RISSB products.
“So we will be taking a very conscious decision to not only create the products, but also make ourselves available to help industry realise the benefits.”
Our country’s supply chains are intricate systems that drive economic prosperity and support social well-being.
As we witness increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather events, it becomes evident that disruptions to supply chains are becoming more frequent and widespread.
They have far-reaching consequences on the entire supply chain network.
They can result in prolonged road closures, rail disruptions, isolation of regional communities, and shortages of essential goods, which could lead to inflated prices, empty shelves in supermarkets and an increased cost of living.
It is clear that extreme climate events are forecast to continue, and therefore to achieve supply chain resilience, Australia needs to ensure alternative routes and all transport tools and methods become available.
The supply chain system is complex and resilience cannot be achieved by focussing on only one isolated part of these highly interdependent systems.
The National Freight and Supply Chain Strategy (NFSCS) represents a pivotal step towards enhancing the efficiency of supply chains through a collaborative national approach.
By prioritising freight network performance, connectivity, and resilience, this strategy acknowledges the interdependence of various stakeholders and the need for a national approach to freight – one that transcends borders and transport modes that can create the environment to deliver significant productivity, safety and environmental reforms.
Australia’s first NFSCS was released in 2019, setting goals and targets and outlining the delivery of a nationally coordinated and wellplanned freight system up to 2024.
The need for a coordinated national approach to freight becomes even more crucial in light of the evolving challenges Australia has faced in recent years, such as the global pandemic, geopolitical uncertainties impacting international trade, devastating bushfires in 2020, and frequent extreme weather events.
On June 9, 2023, the Infrastructure and Transport Ministers’ Meeting (ITMM) agreed to bring forward the review of the NFSCS by 12 months to this calendar year to incorporate the lessons learnt.
A successfully implemented NFSCS will enable a more efficient and adaptable system that can mitigate the impacts of severe weather events, safeguard the continuity of essential goods and services, and minimize disruptions to the economy and communities.
The absence of a single, overarching national approach to identifying and addressing gaps and emerging issues in the freight transport context poses a significant risk to Australia achieving supply chain resilience.
Currently, different states, territories and local governments prioritise the delivery of different ‘essential’ types of cargo and commodity groups during emergencies.
They also employ a diversity of approaches to measure risks like flooding and prioritise different modes of transport based on geography and economic development history.
To enhance the opportunity to create supply chain resilience, it is imperative to establish a cohesive national framework that promotes collaboration and coordination across all jurisdictions.
This framework should ensure consistency in emergency response strategies and facilitate effective and consistent communications and resource allocations.
In order to effectively tackle the operational challenges presented by severe weather events, it is imperative to implement improved transport hazard warning systems and response readiness measures, and to share this information with all parties involved in the logistics chain operations.
This entails consistent and reliable communications between all relevant stakeholders (e.g. retailers, freight owners (manufacturers), freight logistics and freight transport operators) across multiple mediums of communication.
For example:
a. Establishment of a dedicated disaster hotline or communication channel that ensures timely advice reaches critical stakeholders.
b. It is crucial to coordinate and mobilise alternative freight transport systems, including rail, sea, and air, to alleviate pressure on secondary roads and detour routes. This collaborative effort will help prevent supply shortages and address any potential freight congestion resulting from severe weather events.
This demand places a significant burden on the workforce, leading to mental health and wellbeing issues, such as burnout, and a slower return to work.
The impacts of such crises also reverberate across the entire supply chain, with personnel facing increased pressure to ensure community support and safety.
The COVID pandemic exemplified how supply chains managed to hold together when individuals went “the extra mile” to keep communities adequately supported.
It is imperative that steps be taken to ensure uninterrupted freight delivery in Australia’s export, domestic and import supply chains.Hermione Parsons, Chief Executive Officer, Australian Logistics Council.
Nevertheless, the disproportionate reliance on the transport and logistics sector during crises leaves fewer personnel to handle essential logistics tasks, further straining supply chains.
To address these challenges more effectively, the government should broaden its support programs beyond transport operators and logistics professionals.
Empowering and upskilling the entire community to respond efficiently and extending training and authorisation oof personnel beyond the traditional roles will create a more resilient response network and ensure a betterprepared approach to severe weather events.
To achieve this, investing in comprehensive training and certification programs for community members is crucial. This will establish a cohesive response network capable of mitigating the strain on operators, alleviating the burden on supply chains, and promoting overall preparedness and efficiency in handling critical situations.
By distributing responsibilities and support more evenly, we can safeguard critical infrastructure and ensure a more effective response during times of crisis.
Scenario planning and accurate data analytics play a crucial role in guiding investment decisions and ensuring infrastructure resilience for future events.
At the core of this process lies the need for comprehensive national data, encompassing hazard and disaster risks, as well as information on road assets and networks.
Currently, the availability of hazard and risk data is fragmented, lacking coordination and standardization across states, territories, local government and various organisations.
This results in multiple formats and limited accessibility, undermining effective coordination of place-based and network-level planning, as well as response and recovery efforts. Insufficient evidence regarding the scale of risks, their impacts, and the costs associated with addressing them further exacerbates these challenges.
Consequently, there is a tendency towards reactive responses instead of proactive measures to mitigate both short- and long-term risks to infrastructure networks. To enable informed decisions on risk reduction options and approaches, it is important to standardise and share data regarding disasters, hazards, highlighting the interdependency of assets, transport modes and networks.
Effective urban and regional land use planning is required across Australia’s 537 jurisdictions.
Land use planning plays a vital role in ensuring the efficiency, productivity, sustainability, and resilience of supply chains and freight logistics, but Australia falls short in this capability.
The availability of land in the right locations, and access to essential infrastructure such as roads, rail and multimodal transport facilities is required to achieve freight efficiency and manage the cost of transporting freight.
It is imperative to adopt a long-term perspective and avoid poor planning decisions that limit the effectiveness of our supply chain systems.
The findings of targeted university research most recently conducted by QUT in 2022, unequivocally revealed that not one of Australia’s urban planning undergraduate or post-graduate courses accredited by the Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) contains any formal education about supply chains, freight logistics, freight transport, and import/ export/domestic trade operations, and therefore the likelihood of such professionals being able to create supply chain efficiency, productivity, resilience, and sustainability is limited.
These land use planning courses do however all focus on social planning, transit transport, active transport (bicycle riding and walking) and amenity - the enjoyment of space.
The research clearly shows a major gap exists in awareness and deep knowledge about the fundamental economic driver supporting our society’s way of life – i.e., supply chains and freight logistics.
Without effective supply chain policy and planning the cost-of-living increases, as do the number of trucks, truck drivers, emissions, and fuel.
It is essential this gap is overcome to
support the competitiveness of our import, export and domestic supply chains.
Establishing a comprehensive understanding of the supply chain and freight logistics complexities is essential to inform land use and infrastructure planning, allowing us to develop a proactive approach to mitigate potential disruptions and ensure the continuity of critical supply chains, even in the face of severe weather challenges.
The rebuilding of infrastructure in the aftermath of a disaster provides a valuable opportunity to not only restore functionality but also to enhance the overall resilience of the affected communities.
Investing in infrastructure betterment allows us to reduce risks and vulnerabilities associated with future disasters, providing continuous levels of service, reducing risks and economic impacts and reducing future repair and maintenance costs.
This requires looking beyond substituting like-for-like infrastructure assets – which given the severity of Australia’s 2023 floods, cannot be afforded.
Instead, pursuing a mature understanding of supply chain and freight logistics systems and upgrading and integrating our freight transport infrastructure (as modes within one system) is both an important opportunity and need.
With a mature understanding of supply chains and their interdependencies, plans can be developed to incorporate disaster risk considerations, anticipate future needs, adopt advanced technologies, and utilise sustainable and high-performance materials in prioritised road networks.
Such measures contribute to longterm functionality, promote holistic risk management, and create a stronger foundation for a sustainable future.
We are forging ahead with our work to turn the tide on female participation in the rail industry and create a more sustainable, thriving workforce by empowering women at every level of industry.
Our vision is for an inclusive and diverse industry without barriers and for rail to be a preferred employer of choice for women.
The new strategy, led by the ARA’s Women in Rail Committee, includes some exciting new programs to support this goal.
While rail is by no means the only industry in Australia which needs to improve its gender diversity – mining, finance and construction are also heavily male-dominated, for example – its long-term viability depends upon it.
While there is much more to do, there has been good progress in recent years, with women representing only 17 per cent of the rail workforce in 2016.
At the time, the ARA identified that women faced a number of barriers in participating in rail, such as a lack of awareness, inflexible rostering and a lack of visible female role models.
findings to inform its first national strategy and accompanying action plan with the goal of improving gender diversity in the Australasian rail industry.
Much has been achieved since then, with female participation in the industry now reaching 24 per cent on average across the country, but the journey is far from over. At the current rate of progress, it is projected to take until 2049 to achieve gender parity.
It is well known that diverse teams drive performance, innovation and solutions that better meet the needs of the community.
Beyond the significant benefits of a more diverse and inclusive workplace, the reality is that the rail industry must increase female participation to meet its future workforce needs.
With a 70,000-worker skills gap in the industry, attracting and retaining women to
The ARA has launched several initiatives to address gender parity, including The Gender Diversity Resources Guide to assist organisations to reach gender parity sooner.
In the guide, the ARA has included several best practice resources that are free and available online.
Many have been developed by the Australian Government’s Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA), which has a diagnostic tool to help analyse the status of gender equality and pinpoint gender equality gaps within an organisation.
Other initiatives include our highly popular programs and events, including diversity training, our Women in Rail mentoring program, the AusRAIL Women in Rail Breakfast and the ARA’s Women in Rail lunches.
The ARA is also showcasing the benefits of building a career in rail in our workforce campaign, Work in Rail, featuring the lived experience of women in the industry.
The ARA Gender Diversity Report, released in March last year, found that females hold on average 24 per cent of managerial positions in the rail industry, with increases in female representation across most management categories since 2018-19.
Almost 90 per cent of respondents have formal policies or strategies in place that specifically support gender diversity and 14 per cent of respondents indicated that they have set targets to increase female representation on their governing bodies.
Attracting females into rail apprenticeships or rail training and attracting skilled or qualified female candidates were key challenges reported by participating organisations.
The effect of the COVID pandemic was also evident, with 79 per cent of respondents having formal policies or strategies for flexible working arrangements, a five per cent increase in the
The Australasian Railway Association has developed a new national Women in Rail strategy.Caroline Wilkie, Chief Executive Officer, Australasian Railway Association. Attracting females into rail apprenticeships and attracting skilled female candidates are among the challenges faced by industry.
past two years and above the Workplace Gender Equality Agency’s (WGEA) national average.
Governments are also more attuned to the benefits of increasing gender diversity and have implemented a range of measures, particularly targets, to try to achieve this.
The Victorian Government is utilising procurement as a lever to bring about gender equality, with the inclusion of female targets for industry to meet.
It is creating training and employment opportunities for women through government procurement on building, infrastructure, civil engineering and any other capital works projects.
It is seeking to increase the targets and requirements in the Building Equality Policy (BEP) to create a more gender-inclusive industry.
Women now make up almost half of team members at the Victorian Department of Transport and Planning.
The Department wants more women to join and stay in transport through initiatives like its Women in Transport program, which offers undergraduate scholarships, mentoring, a Male Allies program and targets for gender diversity.
The Victorian Government also has a Women in Construction Strategy. Women make up only two per cent of the workers in Australian construction.
Transport for NSW has gender equity measures with a target of 40 per cent female
for NSW implemented measures including a requirement for at least 50 per cent of senior executive and senior manager interview shortlists comprising of female candidates.
Gender-balanced recruitment panels for senior executive and senior manager roles are also required.
As a result, Transport for NSW has increased female representation in leadership roles 3.4 per cent, from 32.4 per cent in June 2020 to 35.8 per cent in June 2021.
This exceeded its target of 34 per cent for the period.
It now has strong female representation across all levels of management, with 67 per cent of direct reports to the Secretary and 57.8 per cent of direct reports to the executive team being women.
In addition, more than 50 per cent of trainee train drivers are now women for the first time, while 47 per cent of VET cadets, graduates and scholars, and 43 per cent of entry level engineering and ICT program participants are female, providing a strong pipeline for future leaders.
Efforts are also underway in industry organisations with specific training programs, cadetships and career pathways for women, gender neutral parental leave and flexible working options.
ARA’s new Women in Rail Strategy follows a workshop held with industry in May, providing an opportunity for participants to reflect on previous work done to support women in rail and to provide insights into diversity, participation and inclusion in the industry. Participants actively contributed their ideas and perspectives towards shaping the vision, initiatives, and projects of the new strategy. Participants summarised what an ideal rail industry would look like for women: e industry without barriers for chieving an equal 50 per cent representation of women at all levels of management within the industry that prioritises and maintains an inclusive and supportive environment that attracts the best and brightest talent by fostering an inclusive work environment ransforming the industry to a point where a “Women in Rail Committee” is no longer needed because inclusivity is ingrained quality on boards and in senior
Participants also identified projects, events, or initiatives that enabled an ideal rail industry
Diversity training was one of the suggested initiatives following a very positive response to training delivered by the ARA in partnership with the Diversity Council of Australia in 2022.
The ARA is now exploring a series of diversity and cultural awareness online workshops to assist rail organisations in cultivating an inclusive and welcoming workplace culture, enhance communication and teamwork, increase cultural competence, and offer ‘other’ tools to improve diversity in the rail workforce.
One of the key initiatives of the new strategy is the delivery of a comprehensive diversity research report to enhance gender diversity across all facets of the industry, from attracting women to rail, ensuring retention, and fostering continuous development of women into leadership roles, management positions, and other non-management roles.
Scholarships were also identified as a way to provide opportunities for women in ARA member organisations who would benefit from attending these programs but would not otherwise have the opportunity.
It is proposed that scholarships vary in the types of professional development they offer to enable women of different levels of experience in the industry to be supported.
Overall, the strategy’s key actions were categorised into four themes:
Industry Knowledge: Measure successes and understand the issues
Organisational Impact: Encourage inclusive and respectful workplaces
Professional Development: Grow capacity and capability of women in rail
Promote Rail to Women: Increase female participation in rail
Other initiatives also included displaying best practices and celebrating companies that are actively improving gender equality, showcasing outstanding accomplishments of women in rail through recognition and awards, encouraging members to engage with young females studying engineering, promoting the rail industry at schools and universities and facilitating a woman in rail sponsorship program.
With a strong $154 billion pipeline of investment over the next 15 years, it is more important than ever that the industry increases its female workforce to ensure a sustainable future for rail.
There are so many opportunities for women to build rich and rewarding careers in rail during this once-in-a-lifetime transformation of the industry.
The ARA will continue to work closely with industry and government across the country to close the gender gap and support a thriving industry that is inclusive and diverse.
Australian-owned and operated company
Martinus Rail has been awarded a $403.5 million contract to design and construct enhancement works on the Stockinbingal to Parkes (S2P) and Albury to Illabo (A2I) sections of the interstate freight project.
This is a key milestone towards Inland Rail being completed between Beveridge in Victoria and Parkes in NSW by 2027, as per the recommendations of the independent review of the project published in April.
The enhancement works to be conducted by Martinus Rail will ultimately enable double-stacked freight trains to run between Albury and Parkes and will include bridge upgrades and track lowering works to create the required height and width clearances.
In addition, station precincts in Albury, Wagga Wagga and Forbes will be enhanced and an additional crossing loop will be constructed at Daroobalgie.
Initial works are expected to start on the S2P section before the end of the year with works on the A2I section expected to commence by mid-2024, pending final environmental and planning approvals.
Enhancement works on the S2P and A2I sections follow on from the successful completion of the Parkes to Narromine section of Inland Rail, which was completed in 2020. These will enable double stacked trains to travel from Beveridge to Narromine by 2027.
Martinus chief operating officer, Ryan Baden, said the Martinus team had created “some fantastic design solutions” which would leave long term benefits for these regional communities.
“This key infrastructure project will enable us to further invest in our people and their futures. Long term, it secures our vision of providing abundant opportunities for training and upskilling to address the skill-shortage across the industry and future-proof our business,” he said.
“As an Australian owned and operated business, Martinus Rail thanks thank Inland Rail for entrusting us to undertake these works with the support from the local community. We look forward to celebrating many project milestones together over the next few years.”
Sydney Metro has awarded property developer Mulpha the contract to develop a site at Norwest for the new Norwest Metro Station, which is set to deliver up to 52,000
square metres of new commercial office space, short-term accommodation, and retail opportunities.
The works will include three multilevel tower forms stretching from 13 to 21 storeys above two mixed-use podiums. The new buildings will benefit from seamless access to the station, which will be located adjacent to the site.
Set to become the central civic gateway for the emerging Norwest Town Centre, the towers will integrate business, education, and retail uses, along with a vibrant pedestrian plaza with access to community spaces and retail offering food, beverage, and convenience shopping.
When complete, Sydney’s northwest will have access to a unique, vibrant, and sustainable precinct where people will want to visit, work and play.
Sydney Metro and Landcom will work closely with Mulpha to ensure the Norwest site development meets all planning requirements and delivers on its full potential.
Sydney Metro and Landcom continue to work together on the long-term planning and development of government-owned land surrounding the stations along the Metro North West Line as part of the Sydney Metro Northwest Places program to create diverse, well-designed places for local communities.
AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY
Canberra Light Rail
extensive public consultation process, the NCA has concluded the Stage 2A works are consistent with the National Capital Plan requirements.
The NCA considered of a variety of different criteria, such as the quality of the public realm, community amenity, environment, heritage, and landscape values.
Other issues raised by the community during the consultation process have been referred to the ACT Government.
The ACT Government, as the project builder and owner, will consider and decide on matters relating to transport mode selection, alternative options, and project costs.
New Midland Station
The sod has been turned on Western Australia’s METRONET project that will deliver a state-of-the-art train station in the heart of Midland to meet the needs of the local community.
The development aims to build a modern, three-platform station between Helena and Cale streets, bringing it closer to the heart of Midland’s town centre and improving connectivity to the Midland Gate Shopping Centre and Midland Health Campus.
The New Midland Station will include a 12-stand bus interchange, a multi-storey car park with more than 800 parking bays, and secure bike parking – servicing communities in both Midland and the
Initial work will concentrate on building the car park, which has necessitated the closure of the western end of the station’s existing passenger car park.
The car park on Railway Parade to the east of Helena Street will also close to facilitate construction of the new station.
Once rail services are moved to the new station – expected to occur in early 2025 – the existing 55-year-old station will be decommissioned and demolished.
Preliminary designs for the new station were released earlier this year, showing a contemporary facility that reflects local Noongar culture, the industrial backdrop of the Midland Railway Workshops, and the
National Capital Authority (NCA), has granted works approval to extend the light rail network in Canberra from its current southern terminus at Alinga Street to a new stop at Commonwealth Park.
After careful consideration and an
The $330 million New Midland Station project is jointly funded by the Australian and Western Australian Governments and will be built by the Midland Junction Alliance (McConnell Dowell Constructors, Georgiou Group, Arcadis Australia Pacific and BG&E).
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