News up front

Labor targets Coalition over skills crisis

LABOR HAS CRITICISED THE Coalition over almost a billion dollars of unspent funding committed for vocational education and training programs, and its contribution to the skills shortage already felt by several industries, including rail.

The education department in October released its 2018/19 annual report revealing it had spent less than was budgeted for key programs including trade support loans ($68 million under), Australian Apprenticeships Centres ($51 million under) and apprenticeship incentives ($35 million under). The government underspent $214m in vocational education and training programs in the last financial year, contributing to a total $919m underspend since 2014. The result, the Opposition says, is 150,000 fewer Australians in apprenticeships now than in 2013. With a significant skills shortage already affecting the rail industry, an underspend on TAFE training is likely an unwelcome result when the pipeline for new work has never been bigger. Shadow education minister, Tanya Plibersek, accused the government of “[shortchanging] TAFE and training by $1bn despite the fact Australia is suffering a national shortage of tradies”.

“We’ve got the lowest number of apprentices and trainees in 10 years,” she said on October 23. “This is in the face of skills shortages right across Australia … three quarters of employers tell us that they can’t find the skilled staff they need.” Skills and employment minister, Michaelia Cash, rejected the attack, arguing the figures “represent underspends which come from demand-driven programs in vocational education and training”.

But according to Labor’s analysis of annual reports, the underspend has been persistent. Labor’s figures suggest the government spent $138m less than promised in 2014/15, $247 million less in 2015/16, $118 million less in 2016/17 and $202 million less in 2017/18.

“This is money that, year after year, is being underspent by the government. Money that is there, that is waiting, that’s in the bank ready to go and this government doesn’t have the wit to spend it,” Plibersek said.

Shadow education minister, Tanya Plibersek, says the government is not doing enough to address a shortage in new apprenticeships. Labor leader Anthony Albanese visiting apprentices in WA.

The same week Labor targeted the Coalition over the skills crisis, Victoria and NSW’s state governments both announced programs aimed at boosting TAFE figures.

The NSW government announced a new program to incentivise study at TAFE, by allowing students to receive recognition for what they have already learnt in high school. “We are incentivising high-achieving HSC students into our vocational education sector by giving them a head-start at TAFE NSW,” said Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education, Geoff Lee. “We will do this by mapping HSC units to vocational competencies and allowing eligible students to proceed straight to assessments.” HSC subjects that could qualify for these new TAFE pathways include mathematics, engineering studies, industrial technology and, software design and development.

Victoria, in turn, announced it would inject $500,000 for its Free TAFE courses to develop educational products and resources for Free TAFE students to have access to. The funding will also go towards additional modules for Free TAFE students to build their literacy, numeracy, digital and employability skills. In the 2019 budget, the federal government announced a $525m skills package – including towards the creation of 80,000 new apprenticeships – but it contained just $55m of new money and $463m in re allocations from the Skilling Australians Fund.

Inland Rail: EoIs open for Narrabri-North Star, sleepers deal Work underway on the Parkes to Narromine project.

THE AUSTRALIAN RAIL TRACK Corporation in October invited Expressions of Interest for a construction contract on the Narrabri to North Star section of Inland Rail, and another EoI to supply and deliver sleepers for the project as a whole.

The ARTC on October 11 invited suitable applicants to bid for the Narrabri to North Star project, which includes upgrading around 171 kilometres of existing rail track through the reconstruction of existing track, replacement of bridges and culverts, level crossings and crossing loops.

The other contract is to supply up to 1.44million sleepers to the Inland Rail project as a whole. “Inland Rail is already securing jobs for regional Australians. The benefits of Inland Rail will be felt far beyond the route as businesses come on board to build this essential link in our national supply chain,” ARTC Inland Rail chief executive, Richard Wankmuller, said.

Wankmuller noted the estimated $41.2 million spent so far into local businesses and the regional economy during the Parkes to Narromine construction work. Businesses engaged include services for concrete supply, transportation, fencing, earthmoving, drainage, electrical works, security and water bore drilling providers.

“Inland Rail is creating opportunities

for regions to connect to cities and businesses to markets. With a project of this size comes numerous prospects for people, businesses and communities to profit and prosper.”

Inland Rail is expected to create 16,000 jobs at the peak of its construction.

“This once-in-a generation project will complete the backbone of the national freight network by providing a transit time of 24 hours or less for freight trains between Melbourne and Brisbane via regional Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland,” Wankmuller said.

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Construction programme released for Parra Light Rail

CONSTRUCTION PLANS TO accommodate the Parramatta Light Rail in Parramatta’s CBD have been released.

Major construction will begin in June 2020, but from February 2020, Church Street between Macquarie to Market Streets will become a pedestrian-only zone. Mobile work sites and temporary hoardings will be established along Church Street during thistime. A micro-tunnelling machine will construct drainage beneath the street from Centenary Square to the Parramatta River, to reduce noise and impact compared to street-level works.

According to a government statement, “innovative technology and inventive engineering, has been developed to minimise impact on local businesses as much as possible.”

The first stage of Parramatta Light Rail will connect Westmead to Carlingford via the Parramatta CBD and Camellia over a 12-kilometre route.

Augmented reality and digital 3D technology is being used to map underground utility services, which will provide real-time updates to inform construction planning.

Transport for NSW says it will commence a construction “grace period” from November to February each year to ensure that local

business owners, diners and shoppers do not experience constant construction works during the busy warmer months.

TfNSW also says it will work with local businesses to deliver activities and events to attract more people to the Parramatta CBD.

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Moving Australia’s Economy

Seven stations chosen, procurement begins for Sydney Metro West

NSW premier, Gladys Berejiklian, and transport minister, Andrew Constance, announcing the project route.

PROCUREMENT HAS FORMALLY begun for major contracts to deliver Sydney Metro West, after seven station locations were confirmed by the state government. Work will commence at t he Bays Precinct where the major tunnelling will originate. Starting next year, two years behind schedule, early work will include site surveys, investigations and road relocation. Tunnel boring machines are not expected to start digging until 2022. The NSW government announced this week that it was initiating the procurement process, searching for suppliers capable of building more than 50 kilometres of new metro railway tunnels connecting the Parramatta CBD with the Sydney central CBD. This is likely to be the biggest tunnelling contract awarded in Australian history, for the longest railway tunnels ever built in Australia.

The metro is expected to reduce the travel time between Parramatta and the Sydney CBD to around 20 minutes. The seven confirmed metro station locations are Westmead, Parramatta, Sydney Olympic Park (a second station), North Strathfield, Burwood North, Five Dock and the Bays Precinct. A map published this month by the state government is still investigating the feasibility of a metro station in Pyrmont, a potential detour to an additional station at Rydalmere, and the location of another Sydney CBD metro station. The map shows Clyde as a site for stabling and maintenance of the line’s rollingstock, and a service facility at Silverwater.

“The Western Sydney Metro will fundamentally change how we get around our city for generations to come, connecting Greater Parramatta and the Sydney CBD with fast, safe and reliable metro rail,” said NSW premier, Gladys Berejiklian. “We’ve successfully delivered the North West Metro Line early and $1 billion under budget, the next line from Chatswood to Sydenham and Bankstown is on track to open in 2024, and now the next Metro project is underway.”

With the T1 Western Line and the T9 Northern Line expected to reach capacity within the next decade, the government says it needs to fast-track the necessary infrastructure projects.

“Western Sydney Metro will more than double the existing rail capacity between Greater Parramatta and the Sydney CBD,” state transport minister, Andrew Constance said. A week after the initial announcement Contstance called on the federal government to “cough up” funding for the project, which has an estimated cost of “upwards of $20 billion”. His justification for this was the need for the line to eventually connect to Sydney Metro Greater West, which will provide a link to the future airport at Western Sydney.

“While we can build it alone – we have proven this already – there comes a time when we will need our friends in Canberra to make a contribution to metro trains in Sydney,” he was quoted by Fairfax.

“We’re putting in billions of dollars worth of infrastructure around the new Western Sydney Airport. The feds want the infrastructure open before the airport. So on that basis, I believe they need to cough up, and cough up a lot.”

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Victoria awards $542m crossing removal and station build

A $542.4 MILLION CONTRACT HAS been awarded for the removal of four level crossings and the build of two new stations in Melbourne’s inner north, the Victorian government announced in October.

Under the contract, John Holland and Kellogg Brown & Root will form an alliance with Metro Trains Melbourne to remove level crossings at Bell Street, Munro Street, Reynard Street and Moreland Road, and build two modern stations at Coburg and Moreland. The JH/KBR combination has so far removed six crossings and built Frankston Station under the Victorian government’s level crossing removal program. The team is currently removing the level crossing at High Street, Reservoir, and building the new Reservoir Station.

“The contracts are now signed and our hardworking team will get on with the job of removing these four dangerous and congested level crossings in Melbourne’s north,” transport infrastructure minister, Jacinta Allan, said. According to a government statement, Bell Street is the busiest east-west arterial road in Melbourne’s north, frustrating more than 40,000 drivers held up at the level crossing each weekday. Removing the four crossings will enable trains to run more frequently on the Upfield line once the Metro Tunnel is complete. As part of the North East Link Project, the government is working to free up traffic and take vehicles off local roads in Melbourne’s north by 2027. “It is not just locals who want this level crossing gone. People from right across Melbourne get frustrated every time they travel through the northern suburbs and get stuck here,” said Allan. The two new stations will be connected to

Geotechnical works underway at Bell Street ahead of the crossing’s removal.

other transport offerings, will be more readily accessible, with a landscaped civic plaza and 132 new bike parking spaces.

“Investigative works and service relocations will now ramp up in preparation for major construction next year. The level crossings will be gone in late 2020 and the open space ready for locals to enjoy in 2021,” the government said.

Locations announced for three new Gold Coast stations

QUEENSLAND’S NEW CROSS RIVER Rail minister, Kate Jones, announced three new station locations on the Gold Coast line on October 9. The state government announced Pimpama station will be located off the Old Pacific Highway, Helensvale North station will be next to Mangrove Jack Park off Hope Island Road, and Merrimac station will be situated on Gooding Drive, roughly 750 metres east of the Pacific Motorway and Gooding Drive Interchange. Jones said the additional capacity provided by projects like Cross River Rail was helping facilitate the addition of stations like those named. “The Gold Coast is growing fast and the Palaszczuk Government is building the infrastructure needed to support this growth,” Jones said. “More than 120 jobs will be created during construction of these train stations – infrastructure that will help Gold Coasters get from A to B faster and more efficiently.”

Assistant tourism industry development minister, Meaghan Scanlon, said the new stations would help connect communities with greater access to a convenient rail service.

“We’re building these stations because we know public transport makes a real impact on people’s lives,” Scanlon said. “This is a down payment on the future of the Gold Coast. “Announcing the station locations is an important milestone and marks the beginning of the next phase of work needed to complete these stations.” Construction is targeted to begin in 2020/21, but prior to that the government will need to acquire the land for each station, finalise the station designs,

The indicative location of Merrimac station, one of the three to be added to the Gold Coast line.

and then go to tender for procurement ofconstruction partners. According to the Queensland government, public consultation will begin immediately. It expects all three stations to be completed in three years and operational ahead of the commissioning of Cross River Rail.

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WA launches Metronet Trade Training Centre

WESTERN AUSTRALIA IS INVESTING $1.25 million towards a Metronet Trade T raining Centre to equip locals with the skills needed to build Metronet railcars.

Midland TAFE will become a specialist Metronet Trade Training Centre next year. The $1.25 million will go towards new fabrication training equipment, and the redevelopment of workshops to provide the specific technical and support skills required for railcar manufacturing and Metronet maintenance. The TAFE is three kilometres from the site of the new Metronet Bellevue Assembly Facility where the new C-Series railcars will be commissioned under a contract for which Alstom Transport Australia was announced as preferred bidder earlier this year.

Tenders recently opened for the contract to build the Metronet Bellevue railcar depot where Metronet’s railcars will be built and maintained, according to state transport minister, Rita Saffioti.

“The Metronet Trade Training Centre is part of a new hub of railcar manufacturing in Midland, which will allow us to deliver on our commitment to build at least 50 per cent of all METRONET railcars locally in WA,” Saffioti said. “Midland TAFE will provide worldclass training to meet the demand of our Metronet program in courses including engineering, metal fabrication, instrumentation and electrotechnology,” education and training minister, Sue Ellery added.

Local students will also receive a 50 per cent reduction in fees for certain Metronet TAFE courses, including in civil construction and plant operations, as part The Metronet Trade Training Centre will train workers to build the state’s next fleet of railcars.

of a “lower fees, local skills” policy that will reduc e TAFE fees for 34 high priority courses. “We will continue to work with stakeholders to ensure the training needs of our Metronet rail projects are met,” Ellery said.

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Contractors sought to rejuvenate North Auckland Line

NEW ZEALAND STATE-OWNED operator KiwiRail has begun surveying the rail corridor for upgrades to the North Auckland line, and says it is seeking local contractors to conduct the work.

Survey teams began gathering detailed ground and asset information towards designing bridge replacements and planning essential tunnel maintenance in mid-October, with an expected completion date before the end of November.

“Northland’s railway lines are underused at the moment because of their condition. The NAL is around 100 years old, is currently mothballed north of Kauri (above Whangarei) and the whole line has been in a state of ‘managed decline’ until its future was determined. The survey work is a major step in turning that around,” KiwiRail chief operating officer for capital projects, David Gordon, said. KiwiRail can conduct the work thanks to almost $95 million in funding from the Provincial Growth Fund.

KiwiRail intends to hire consultant for the bridge replacement and tunnel works in early December. “Where possible, we want to use local firms for the work. There will be a mix of larger and smaller jobs making up the overall programme of works, so we wanted to ensure the local industry was aware of the opportunities not just for large companies, but also for smaller scale contractors,” Gordon said.

“We have ensured that where possible the work is broken into bite-sized pieces suitable for smaller contractors.” The much-needed maintenance can commence thanks to a $94.8 million investment toward the North Auckland Line by the government from the Provincial Growth Fund. KiwiRail provided an industry briefing for Nort hland contracting and construction companies about future work opportunities in October. The briefing session in Whangarei was attended by more than 40 people.

“Working in the rail corridor brings with it special safety requirements that are different from working on roads and other civil construction activity. At yesterday’s session we provided information about those requirements and the support we can provide to ensure contractors qualify,” Gordon said.

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John Holland has driven positive change in Australia for 70 years, as the nation’s leading rail, property and infrastructure company. We work with government and industry to deliver safe, sustainable, and efficient transport solutions that make our cities smaller, and our communities more connected. In 2019, we led the delivery of Australia’s most significant transport projects, including the construction and operation of: - Our capital’s first major public transport infrastructure project, Canberra Metro. - Australia’s first fully automated passenger railway, Sydney Metro Northwest. With an integrated team of experts who can construct, maintain and operate transport networks, John Holland is creating people-centred transport solutions that move Australia forward.