AUSRAIL PLUS 2019
AusRAIL PLUS 2019 – looking ahead ARA CEO, Danny Broad, outline’s the Association’s agenda at AusRAIL PLUS 2019.
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ELCOME TO SYDNEY FOR AusRAIL PLUS 2019, the largest rail conference and exhibition in the southern hemisphere including more exhibitors, speakers, visitors and delegates than any AusRAIL in the past. This year’s conference theme of “Delivering Growth; Creating Opportunity; Embracing Technology”, focusses on some of the key strategic priorities of the rail sectors in Australia and New Zealand, and of the ARA itself. We have designed a programme that explores many of the most salient challenges, developments and topics that we now face: • The Making Cities Liveable session focuses on some of the key urban rail projects underway, intended to dramatically enhance passenger transport options in three large cities, as governments re-discover the benefits of urban rail renewal, • The Connecting Our Regions session explores the economic and social benefits of large intercity rail projects. We look at Inland Rail, as well as current thinking on advancing the emerging pipeline of faster rail projects and looking ahead at the possibilities for East Coast High Speed Rail, • We examine emerging key issues facing the rail workforce - the need to address critical skills shortages as well as examine the workforce implications of technological change and other far reaching change-initiatives., • We look more closely at how we can better harness the technological changes now sweeping through industry to ensure we can work cohesively as an industry, and • We will have sessions examining project financing, working with customers, and we will again feature
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ISSUE 9 2019 | RAIL EXPRESS
our initiatives to grow and encourage the next generation in our industry, reflecting the growing skills, passion and creativity of our younger cohorts. During our Young Rail Professionals Pitching Competition, five finalists will present their ground breaking ideas to the conference audience and the judging panel. The judges feedback coupled with the audience scores collected via the event app will determine the winner who will receive a trip to InnoTrans 2020 in Berlin including return airfares, accommodation and entry fees. Becoming a finalist this year was an achievement in itself, with a record 48 entries. The Future Leaders Program, aiming to create and retain great leaders is a six-month program that brings together emerging leaders to both network and work in groups to develop projects that would benefit the rail industry. Two groups will gain the opportunity to pitch their project to delegates to determine the winning project. For the first time, the ARA’s Young Leaders Advisory Board (Y-LAB) will also participate in the AusRAIL program after their establishment earlier this year. Y-LAB brings together eight individuals from across the industry to harness the ideas of young talent and consider issues, projects and priorities on the ARA Board agenda by reporting to the ARA Board to provide the younger generations position, proposals and/or advice. Our Women in Rail Pilot Mentoring Program will also conclude with a ceremony at the conference. This program has mentored a pilot group over the past six months intending to support, guide and retain women within the rail industry. Feedback received from participants has been overwhelmingly
Around 1,000 delegates are expected to take part in the three day conference. AusRAIL 2019 will be Danny Broad’s last as the CEO of the Australasian Railway Association. He will stay on as the ARA’s next chairman.
More than 400 exhibitors have stands at the AusRAIL PLUS 2019 exhibition.
www.railexpress.com.au
