From the Editor

Issue 10 - November 2021

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Ray Chan

Editor - Rail Express

Welcome to our November edition of Rail Express

THERE has been unanimous support for Infrastructure Australia’s 2021 Australian Infrastructure Plan, which calls for concerted action to pursue productivity-enhancing reform across the country.

The Plan provides us with a 15-year road map to drive economic growth, maintain and enhance standard of living and improve the resilience and sustainability of essential infrastructure.

The release of the report was particularly timely, in the wake of lockdown-enforced activities such as walking and biking. We have an opportunity now to maximise the use of mass transit solutions such as rail, as part of sustainable transport planning.

Indeed, a key theme of the Plan focused on the challenges posed by COVID, and the need to re-think Australia’s infrastructure to deal with the current environment of change, uncertainty and risk.

It also highlighted the growing trends in digitalisation, and how vital it is to harness technology and innovation in infrastructure to drive new industries.

The onus is on policymakers is to get the reforms rolling. While the flesh is willing, the spirit needs to be as resolute.

Public and private sectors need to work together to implement measures to meet the recommendations, with eyes firmly on the target of improving the way we plan, deliver and regulate excellence in infrastructure.

An important part of achieving these goals, of course, is the workforce in the rail sector.

Even through the chaos inflicted by the pandemic, rail projects across the region are booming and progress continues unabated. The need for skilled staff across related industries remains at a high.

There’s no denying that freight workers are considered essential, a status endorsed by the Federal and State Governments.

And it’s a privilege taken seriously. Since the outbreak of the coronavirus, strict preventative measures have been put in place to protect workers and the local communities in which they operate. Ultimately, these measures have kept goods moving across the nation to ensure shelves remain stocked for Australians.

This edition looks at how various companies are managing the workforce and working with authorities to understand and mitigate the impacts of the coronavirus to guide their decision-making.

It puts the spotlight on strategies designed to attract staff and also to retain them in a productive and safe place. It emphasises the importance of having a well-organised integrated structure in place to ensure workers are operating in efficient unison to deliver smooth running on the tracks.

There’s plenty of other interesting articles as well, of course, including a feature on signalling technologies and the regular contributions from our rail industry partners.

And we are sure you will find our cover story on Siemens Mobility’s progressive and sustainability-minded Inspiro metro trains an informative and enjoyable read.