Informa Connect Australia is the nation’s leading event organiser. Our events comprise of large scale exhibitions, industry conferences and highly specialised corporate training. We are based in Sydney’s CBD and employ around fifty staff. We are part of the global Informa Group PLC, listed on the London Stock Exchange (INF).

Our portfolio comprises of events that are conceived within Informa and focus on industry needs that we have identified or through partnerships with industry associations and media titles.

Informa has proudly been working in partnership with the Australasian Railway Association since 2003 to deliver AusRAIL. 

We are the peak body for rail in Australasia, representing all sectors of the rail industry. We represent an array of rail organisations, including private and public, passenger and freight operators, track owners and managers, manufacturers of rolling stock, construction companies and all other organisations supplying and contributing to the Australasian rail sector.

We provide a coordinated and unified voice on relevant issues of national importance. The ARA engages political leaders at both the state and federal level in forward-looking discussions around industry potential. We bring about key policy reform to effectively enhance Australia’s productivity, economic and social prosperity, as well as its international competitiveness.

The ARA creates an avenue for industry to connect, knowledge-share and work together to achieve greater results for rail. As Australasia’s leading voice for rail, we facilitate, coordinate, promote and communicate on behalf of the industry. We work to create an environment for the rail industry to prosper; we want to ensure a better rail future for all.

The ARA promotes rail along with specific projects and initiatives. Policies are developed across a range of areas including safety, telecommunications, disability and infrastructure. The ARA meets with Ministers, shadow Ministers, senior departmental officials, key organisations and decision makers regularly to promote these policies and discuss other matters raised by members.

AusRAIL PLUS has been firmly established as THE major rail sector ‘business event’ for Australasia and the largest combined rail sector conference and exhibition within the Southern Hemisphere dating back to 2003!

The Australasian Railway Association with the continued support of major international event organiser, Informa and Australasian railway and engineering associations; RTSA, RTAA and IRSE (as well as a vast array of national and international rail, civil and engineering media), AusRAIL events continue to grow exponentially to suit the needs of the national and global rail sectors.

AusRAIL (even years) and AusRAIL PLUS (odd years) have been noted as forums that positively influence the rail sector both commercially and economically. AusRAIL PLUS 2021 will bring together around 450 – 500 exhibiting companies, up to 1200 conference attendees (including speakers), over 1500 exhibition stand staff and many thousands of visitors on the 30th November to the 2nd December for the first major face -to-face event for the rail sector in 12 months! It should not be missed!

Should your company be represented as a Sponsor and/or Exhibitor?

As the rail industry flourishes during this period of increased rail projects (as part of the federal and state governments economy boosting measures), it is more important than event that manufacturers, suppliers and service providers continue to build new and long-term relationships with their clients. With the Exhibition space for AusRAIL PLUS 2021 being close to 70% as at September 2020, it’s time to be proactive, rather than reactive and book your exhibition while space remains. Sponsorship opportunities will be launched in February 2021!

Watch 2019 Sponsor and Exhibitor feedback here 

Contact Deborah Bocock – Director, Sponsorship, Advertising and Exhibition Sales at: 

Deborah.bocock@informa.com.au
MBL: +61 (0)410689476 

Downer is the leading provider of integrated services in Australia and New Zealand. We design, build and sustain assets, infrastructure and facilities. We have over 100 years' rail experience providing end-to-end, innovative transport solutions.

Our capability spans all sectors, from rollingstock to infrastructure, and every project phase, from design and manufacture to through-life-support, fleet maintenance, operations and comprehensive overhaul of assets.

At John Holland, we find solutions to complex challenges and opportunities across a diverse range of sectors. Our integrated service offering extends from engineering to infrastructure, building and property development, while our depth and breadth of understanding means we can go further in serving the needs of our customers.

But just as important as our capabilities are our values. We think deeply about what we do and how it affects communities. By pushing boundaries and innovating, we gain trust through our actions; whatever the project, we’re in it for the long, long term.

Whether as a single cohesive team, or working with external partners that amplify our offering, we’ve found that delivery models that take a fully integrated approach create the most seamless outcomes for customers.

By nurturing relationships and immersing ourselves in the business of our customers, we build trust and understanding – a solid foundation on which to manage delivery expectations. It’s a tried and tested approach we’ve used extensively in Australia and New Zealand.

McConnell Dowell's rail capability is comprehensive. From the design and construction of every element of the rail system, to the provision of maintenance and renewal services for discerning asset owners, McConnell Dowell has the skills and experience to deliver safely, compliantly and with minimal network disruption.  

Rail Projects 

Successful rail projects demand a broad skillset and McConnell Dowell delivers every time. We apply our broad rail skills through all of the phases of a project, from feasibility studies and surveys, through outline and detailed designs to construction, testing and commissioning. 

Our strong project engineering, management and planning systems form the backbone of our multi-disciplinary approach. Critical interfaces are integrated, controlled and delivered through experienced project teams. Our integrated approach ensures compatibility of the systems, compliance with the project specification and coordination of delivery.  

Infrastructure Services 

Passenger, frieght and light rail asset owners and operators have benefitted from our infrastructure services that include greenfield track enhancements, existing line renewals and upgrades, ballast treatments and sleeper replacement. 

We have designed and built complete track systems or worked with our customer's design, managing the procurement and supply of all types of rail, sleepers, fastening and turnouts. Our experience covers all forms of trackwork; from ballasted to non-ballasted, including direct fixation and other slab track and embedded trackforms. 

We are experts at managing rail occupations or closures too. Through detailed planning and diligent execution, out skilled teams always ensure the timely completion and safe handback of the renewed asset to train operations.  

Plant Services 

Our rail plant fleet includes Hi-Rail Excavators, Hi-Rail Ultrasonic Vehicles, Tampers, Regulators, Flashbutt Welders, Matisa Track and resleepering machines, Speno Rail Grinding Machines, ballast cleaners, locos and wagons. 

Our rail plant is managed and supported by a team of highly mobile, flexible and competent operators, fitters, electricians, supervisors and work crews. 

We also have a comprehensive training regime to guarantee the accreditation and safety of our employees and the local environment and communities in which we work. 

Hitachi Rail is a fully integrated, global provider of rail solutions across rolling stock, signalling, operation, service & maintenance, digital technology and turnkey solutions. With a presence in 38 countries across six continents and over 12,000 employees, our mission is to contribute to society through the continuous development of superior rail transport solutions.

We are proud of our global achievements, from our world‑famous ‘bullet trains’, to our signalling solutions and turnkey projects, state‑of‑the-art traffic management and digital solutions. Drawing on the wider Hitachi Group’s market-leading technology and research-and-development capabilities, we strive for industry‑leading innovations and solutions that deliver value for customers and sustainable railway systems that benefit wider society.

With coverage spanning across 23 locations throughout Australia and a team of more than 700 people, Progress Rail serves as a leader in rolling stock and infrastructure solutions for Australia and the Southeast Asian markets.

ROLLING STOCK
Progress Rail has powered and supplied Australia with the majority of its current fleet. Whether traversing rugged terrain or withstanding desert sands, Progress Rail delivers with EMD® locomotives to meet all key applications. This includes our EMD® SD70ACe/lci locomotive for heavy iron ore and coal hauling, the new EMD® GT46ACe Gen II standard gauge locomotive for intermodal and heavy haul operations, and our latest EMD® GT46CUACe Gen III locomotive, which represents the most powerful narrow gauge diesel locomotive available on the market to date. For lighter axle load applications, the EMD22L locomotive features an advanced control system for improved diagnostics and performance.

MAINTENANCE SOLUTIONS
With 14 facilities located throughout Australia, the Progress Rail team is ready to serve our customers with above rail solutions by providing full contract maintenance services. Additionally, five facilities have the capability to provide full locomotive overhauls, repowers and upgrades, as well as major component overhauls, including engines, traction motors and alternators, radiator fans and auxiliary motors, bogies and wheelsets. Our overhaul capabilities include not only EMD® OEM equipment and components but also other OEM locomotive, engine and traction motor components. For those in the mining industry, our team is able to perform electrical rotating overhauls supporting mining trucks and fixed plant equipment. Progress Rail provides parts distribution support with our centre based in Redbank, Queensland. We also provide 24/7 support to our customers through our Fleet Control Centre based in Cardiff, New South Wales.

INFRASTRUCTURE
Progress Rail’s Infrastructure team has significant below-rail solutions through our rail switch and crossing design and manufacturing facility based in Revesby, New South Wales. In Perth, our team provides asset protection and signal technology, with the capability to handle design, installation and monitoring needs. Our Infrastructure team also supplies rail welding equipment and services, as well as Maintenance-of-Way (MOW) equipment for maintaining in-country railways.

Wabtec is a leading global provider of equipment, systems, digital solutions, and
value-added services for marine, mining and rail. Drawing on over
150 years of experience, we are leading the way in safety, efficiency,
reliability, innovation, and productivity. Whether it’s freight rail, passenger rail,
mining, industrial, or marine, our expertise, technologies, and people –
together – are accelerating the future of sustainable transportation.

With a heritage that draws on more than 160 years’ experience and a diverse group of vertically integrated businesses, Laing O’Rourke has helped forge cities, communities and economies.

Laing O’Rourke is currently delivering some of Australia’s most exciting projects across the transport, building construction, defence, airports, mining, civil and social infrastructure sectors. 

The business has demonstrated a commitment to driving real change across the industry to ensure both men and women can access rewarding and challenging careers for a number of years. 

In 2020, Laing O’Rourke was awarded the prestigious Workplace Gender Equality Agency’s (WGEA) Employer of Choice for Gender Equality (EOCGE) citation.

Phoenix is the local supplier and engineering service provider for STRAIL Level Crossing Systems for road, pedestrian and maintenance vehicle level crossings in Australia and New Zealand over the last 30 years. In addition the new STRAILway polymer sleeper for track and turnout applications is part of the services and solutions provided to the railway industry.

Kraiburg STRAIL's aim is to provide premium quality level crossing sysems and a partner in rail, and now polymer sleepers. For more than 50 years, Kraiburg STRAIL have been specialising in track-related solutions. More than 70,000 level crossing systems have already been installed worldwide in over 50 countries.

Our rubber product range uses recycled secondary raw materials with a hot vulcanisation production process to permanently bond the surface of virgin rubber with the recycled rubber and mineral compound. This results in precisely moulded, electrically isolated, durable, wear-resistant, fire and UV ozone resistant elements.

Further the products can be fully recycled at the end of their service life and repurposed. This has allowed Kraiburg STRAIL to attain certification for our energy and environmental management system in accordance with DIN EN ISO 50001 and DIN EN ISO 14001.

STRAILastic’s core aim is to provide premium quality rail noise attenuation and vibration products, as well as light rail track systems. Since establishing the business in 1947, STRAILastic has become a world leader in the design, manufacturing and understanding of the benefits of vulcanised rubber products due to its flexibility in design, durability, and ease of installation and reduced maintenance costs.
The basic component for our rubber product range comprises 70% recycled secondary raw materials where the hot vulcanisation production process permanently bonds the surface of virgin rubber with the recycled rubber and mineral compound. This results in precisely moulded, electrically isolated, durable, wear-resistant, fire and UV ozone resistant elements.
Furthermore the products can be fully recycled at the end of their service life and repurposed. This has allowed STRAILastic to attain certification for our energy and environmental management system in accordance with DIN EN ISO 50001 and DIN EN ISO 14001.

Founded in 1935, Holland has been a leader in progressive and comprehensive solutions spanning the rail industry for 85 years. It’s not one product, service or solution that does it all but a continuing dedication to client service and building lasting relationships that address real-world problems with unique solutions. We employ a diverse, talented and innovative workforce of nearly 1200 employees who are committed to providing the best solutions and service. With multiple facilities and job sites across North America and welding equipment in over 36 countries, we are strategically located to provide our customers with the best products and services as quickly as possible.

Holland is known across North America as the premier provider of flash-butt welding services. We engineer, build and operate a fleet of over 200 mobile welding trucks – the largest in the world. Our state-of-the-art MobileWelders® house Holland designed and manufactured welders and control systems. Our proprietary Intelliweld™ control system allows us to make more welds than anyone else while maintaining 98% equipment uptime and 99% weld quality conformance. With over 250,000 flash-butt welds annually in North American alone, Holland equipment and employees have performed over 30,000,000 flash-butt welds.

Luminator Technology Group offers a fully integrated, cost effective and reliable suite of world-class rail technology solutions. Luminator's best-in-class passenger information systems, communications, video surveillance and entertainment solutions are designed to deliver exceptional efficiency and value for our customers.

Luminator Technology Group (previously operating in the rail market as Axion Technologies), delivers a global portfolio through well-known and well-established regional organisations. We are a global company with a local-enterprise approach
and commitment to customer care. Luminator has solutions deployed in over 50,000 railcars worldwide across all major suppliers. In addition, Luminator supplies Stationary Passenger Information Display Solutions for train concourses and platforms to support the ever increasing need for information by the traveling public. Our state-of-the-art displays and operating systems have been deployed across many of the world’s largest rail operators.

SPENO Rail Maintenance Australia Pty. Ltd. (SRMA) is a subsidiary of the SPENO International Group (Switzerland), also consisting of NSKK (Japan), and MECNAFER and A.S.I (Italy). The SPENO International Group of companies are considered world leaders in the field of rail maintenance, technology, diagnostics, rectification, design, and innovation.

Speno’s involvement in Australia began in 1969 when the first ‘grinding train’ commenced operation in the Pilbara, North West Australia. Since then, SRMA has developed and grown dramatically from providing only rail grinding activities to also providing ultrasonic rail flaw testing and track measurement systems. Working closely with their customers to develop the best strategies to suit individual rail needs to prolong rail life and quality, the company focus is to safely, and consistently lead innovation in the key areas of specialist track maintenance technologies and service provision, customized to deliver cost effective solutions that meet and exceed our client’s expectations. With contracts in rail testing and grinding extending to major mining, resource and rail infrastructure companies such as BHP, Rio Tinto, Roy Hill, PTA, ARC Infrastructure, Sydney Trains, ARTC, MTM, GWA and Aveng Rail, with a significant presence throughout Australia (WA, NT, NSW, VIC) and South Africa. SRMA are constantly expanding, evolving and improving, and questioning “how can we be better, do better?”.

All SRMA bespoke machines operated and maintained Australia wide are designed, manufactured, and assembled in Western Australia, with the majority of parts also stocked within the country. This along with SRMA’s BVQI accreditation and compliance with ISO9001:2015 Quality Management Systems, guarantees the customer a reliable Australian based and operated high-quality service and product. In addition, SRMA is an accredited ‘Rolling Stock Operator’ with the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator and complies with Australian Rail Safety National Law.

Autech Rail Australia is a Swiss company subsidiary. Since 2016, Autech Rail Australia has been considered one of the best-renowned companies in the field of rail maintenance in Australia.  For more than 30 years, the group as a whole has also been a backbone of international rail business. For generations it has been doing pioneering work as a reliable partner in the field of track maintenance for municipal, industrial, private and state railways. Our innovative spirit is reflected in both our machinery and our day-to-day work of finding the best solutions for our customers.

In more than thirty years, Liebherr-Australia Pty Ltd have proven themselves to be a reliable partner for their customers. Liebherr-Australia supplies and supports a comprehensive range of Liebherr earthmoving equipment including wheel loaders, crawler loaders, dozers, material handlers, as well as a large range of wheeled, crawler and rail excavators. Support services are underpinned by a significant parts inventory and distribution infrastructure for all products. Proven worldwide, Liebherr is at the forefront of engineering and design.

Project i-TRACE is fundamentally all about building systemic resilience in our supply chain operations so there is no better time than right now to “get moving” and lay those critical foundations for the digitalisation journey ahead.  

Project i-TRACE encompasses a range of initiatives to standardise the way the rail industry will Identify, Capture and Share data and information about critical components and assets, and the important activities around Maintenance, Logistics and Asset Management.   

Locally and globally the Rail community is aligned on this journey. 

GS1 is a neutral, not-for-profit organisation that develops and maintains the most widely used global standards for identification and efficient business communication.

We are best known for the barcode, named by the BBC as one of “the 50 things that made the world economy”.

GS1 standards and services support lifecycle management through effective maintenance, repair, overhaul (MRO) processes of assets and components across physical and digital value chains in the rail sector. With local Member Organisations in 114 countries, 1.5 million user companies and 6 billion transactions every day, GS1 standards create a common language that supports systems and processes in 25 sectors across the globe.

Harrybilt Engineering is a family owned, Ballarat based manufacturing business. Starting out as a small engineering company in 1985, the team have developed significant experience in the rail industry. Their products can be found throughout Australia as well as New Zealand, Malaysia and America.

Their reputation has led them to become the supplier of choice all over Australia and internationally for Road Rail Trucks, Excavators and Trailers, along with Rail Maintenance Attachments and Work Tools.

Rock Bags, flexible gabion solution for erosion management.

Bluemont Kyowa Rock Bags are engineered specifically for erosion and scour protection use on:

• Bridges & Culverts: rail & road,
• Rail embankment stabilisation,
• Civil works; roads, pylons, road cutting stabilisation,
• Ports and offshore submarine cables & pipes, wharfs, piers, jetties,
• Scouring, table drains, river banks, beaches and inland waterways.

Recent projects include: Wamberal Beach, (Central Coast, NSW) a major
port upgrade in New Zealand, including physical model testing at the Water
Research Laboratory UNSW.

We are providers of total vegetation management services and have undertaken and successfully completed many projects within the railway industry over the past 35 years. Many of these projects included complete turnkey vegetation services such as;  

• Development of Vegetation Management strategies and plans 
• Vegetation inspection and data collection 
• Vegetation and weed control including trimming, herbicide and removal 
• Arboricultural Risk Assessment and Risk Management Services 
• Level Crossing Line of Sight Survey and standards compliance 
• Stakeholder negotiations to obtain all statutory approvals necessary for vegetation works 
• Provision and implementation of HSEQ Management Systems 

ETS has emerged as Australia’s largest vegetation management company with over 900 field personnel over a large range of locations and situations throughout Australia. In order to address the variable range of locations, ETS has developed specialist equipment, skilled personnel, and specialist knowledge and skills.  

Our contracts range from $5m to $50m per annum in value, and our history has been renewals and rollovers of existing contracts, and the regular winning of new contracts. Today we turnover in excess of $150m per annum in this sector. 

Our long association with the Rail, Power, and Infrastructure Industry has proven us to understand the risks that vegetation poses to public safety, assets, and the risk of initiating bushfires. This working knowledge of the system and regulatory requirements coupled with our established vegetation management systems & processes give us confidence in providing the required performance guarantee to our Clients.  

Protecting the safety of all those who travel and work on railway systems worldwide. 

The IRSE is the professional institution for all those engaged in or associated with railway signalling and telecommunications, train control, traffic management and allied professions.

The Institution was formed in 1912, and has its headquarters in London, UK. It, and its members, are active worldwide, with 50% of its membership outside the UK.

The Institution aims to advance the science and practice of train control and communications engineering within the industry, and to maintain high standards of knowledge and competence within the profession. The overriding purpose in doing this is for the public benefit, to help ensure the safe and efficient movement of people and freight by rail.

The Railway Technical Society of Australasia (RTSA) is a Technical Society of Engineering Australia and a Technical Group of Engineering New Zealand formed to further the interests of the railway industry at large and its individual participants. The RTSA is a non-profit organization and was established in 1997 for the purpose of promoting the co-operation of academic, industrial, commercial and governmental organizations in relation to the practice and advancement of railway technology and management in Australasia.

RTSA is linked in to specialist railway libraries and the network provides the opportunity to share and disseminate knowledge.  RTSA has its own newsletter embedded in Australasia’s foremost Track & Signal magazine, and all our members can enjoy the full Track & Signal experience including leading articles from industry leaders.

RTSA’s activities strongly encourage learning and excellence in practice so we provide a large number of awards and scholarships annually. We reach into our potential membership by conducting sessions where we put University Students and Industry Representatives into a congenial atmosphere. The students are able to ask all those questions they have been afraid to ask and get answers from real practitioners.

On learning, RTSA has over 60 chapter led sessions around Australasia every year where members and guests can listen to emerging and exciting technical innovation. We also conduct field visits, called STORE, where we investigate, on the ground, what is happening in a part of the industry. Recent STORE’s include Light Rail and North America Rail.

There’s plenty of things to do and discuss with like-minded colleagues in an industry that is rolling out the latest technology.

Rail Express is Australasia’s authoritative business to business rail publication. Reaching key decision makers across the rail sector via a monthly magazine and website updated daily, Rail Express provides uniquely extensive and comprehensive balanced coverage of breaking news and trends in key areas such as infrastructure, investment, government policy, regulatory issues and technical innovation.

Infrastructure is an industry-leading magazine that brings together asset owners, statutory bodies, consulting engineers and first-tier contractors to explore the biggest news and issues across the infrastructure industry.

Infrastructure is integrated across print and online and covers the latest in road, rail, airports, ports, utility and urban infrastructure.

Every issue of Infrastructure features thought-leading content from senior figures and the most experienced players in the infrastructure space. These experts look at major projects, developments, policy, technologies, equipment, processes and the significant factors impacting Australia’s infrastructure now and in the future.

Infrastructure is Australia’s most powerful and widely-read communication tool for the infrastructure industry.

LINMAG Australia Pty Ltd provides rail-track maintenance services using cutting edge Linsinger Rail Milling technology.

LINMAG performs superior quality, environmentally friendly, rail head re-profiling and defect removal services for new or worn rails.

The Linsinger method has many advantages resulting in the delivery of processed track being as good as new, or even better with very favourable cost/benefits.

The TrackSAFE Foundation was established by the Australian rail industry to reduce near collisions, injuries and fatalities on the rail network resulting from suicide, reckless behaviour and human error. By doing so, TrackSAFE aims to create a better workplace for rail employees.   

At TrackSAFE we recognise that the responsibility of rail safety extends beyond rail organisations to educational and community service groups, governments, road user groups and the broader community.

The Centre for Rail publishes analysis and a weekly compilation of news briefs, covering all aspects of the rail, heavy haul and wider transport industry. It is a comprehensive source of rail market intelligence, with more than 30 per cent of content translated from non-English sources. The breadth of our coverage means you won’t need any other news sources to monitor competitors and stay informed about the latest developments in the wider rail sector.

Inland Rail is a fast freight backbone that will transform how we move goods around Australia, generating opportunities for our regions and our economy, now and well into the future. 

Spanning 1,700km and comprising 13 individual projects, Inland Rail is the missing link in our national freight network, providing transit times of less than 24 hours for freight trains between Melbourne and Brisbane via regional Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. 

The Australian Government is delivering Inland Rail through the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC), in partnership with the private sector, with local knowledge and insights from landowners, businesses and communities. 

ARTC is a vital part of Australia’s transport supply chain and the economic development of Australia. Our principal business is to manage more than 8,500km of track across New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and Victoria.

4Tel is a software and hardware engineering firm based in Newcastle, Australia. While we have the industry experience to work in the Defence, emergency services, telecommunications and transport sectors, we have evolved to specialise in rail systems to the extent that we now provide rail technology and services to companies domestically and internationally. Our systems are formally designed to an appropriate safety standard for a given application, and come with rail type-approvals where needed. 

Uptake turns mountains of data into actionable insights.

With Uptake’s ability to easily integrate and ingest data, 1.3 million industrial machines monitored, 2.4 billion hours of machine learning, and failure data from 800+ asset types, our products can optimize asset performance for rail operations, plus many more across the Industrial world.

Trapeze focuses on providing technologies that move the world’s people each and every day. Rail authorities and operators around the world partner with Trapeze to implement tailor-made solutions for rail, that help solve their daily challenges and provide the best service to their customers. Bringing rail experts (yours and ours) together through long-term partnerships, we combine industry experience with innovative technology solutions, that automate many of the complex processes of a rail organization, providing for the most optimal use of your resources and allowing you to do more with less. With our only purpose being in people transport, our focus is on the growth of the industry through the provision of technology that grows with the transport market and based on feedback from hundreds of transport authorities and operators. Our 360 degree integration solution suite supports rail departments in simulation, long and short term planning, rostering, workforce management, day of operations, maintenance, asset management and intelligent in vehicle and on-street solutions.

Trapeze Group is proud to be part of Modaxo, a global collective of technology businesses, singularly focused on the technologies that support people transportation.

Agonics helps rail networks unlock their digital future

An Australian owned company with experience across the globe, we combine decades of rail domain knowledge with sophisticated at scale LiDAR and imagery capture, processing and analysis. 

Our purpose is to empower our clients with data and tools that make it easier to meet engineering and regulatory compliance obligations.

Our key strengths lie in proven technologies, workflows and processes supported by extensive experience in translating complex rail engineering requirements into working solutions and services.

Suha Anzar is the Program Engineer Design at Sydney Trains, contributing to the planning, development, and coordination of design projects for capital and maintenance work programs.

Commencing as a Graduate Engineer at Sydney Trains in 2018, Suha has come to appreciate and enjoy working for the rail sector to improve the experience of daily commuters, occasional travelers and freight movements.

She completed her Civil Engineering degree from University of Technology Sydney in 2017 and has experience working in the public and private sector With the introduction of the Opal card in late 2012, customers’ travel experience has improved a great deal. The Opal card has made it possible to simply tap and ride, with the integration of automatic top-ups reducing the need for queuing for a ticket. To provide even greater convenience to customers and reduce fare evasion, I am proposing “carefree commuting” a solution where the Opal card use is extended and
integrated with automatic detection of fare evasion.  

This concept will minimise:  

- Customers missing their service due to not being able to tap on in time for the
oncoming train  

- Having a cluster of customers (congestion) around tap on/tap off points (to pay the fare) especially during peak travel hours  

- Unmindful tap on/tap off particularly in the elderly demographic  

- Loss of millions of dollars caused by fare evasions.

Data is arguably the ultimate source of information within modern day environments such as industry 4.0. Traditionally, routine inspections as part of a technical maintenance plan (TMP) have been conducted on a manual and time-interval basis, for example every 6 months or 10,000km, whichever comes first. Front-line and subject matter experts (SME) spend much of their time conducting engineering and maintenance work in accordance with TMPs, which have been formulated according to design failures (e.g. Failure Mode and Effects Analysis). However,
with increased demands for safer and more reliable rail transport and limited maintenance capacity, the rail industry faces a monumental challenge with current maintenance practices to ensure quality of service and safety. As such, a distributed artificial intelligence (AI) approach is instrumental in modernising the TMP to ensure safe and reliable rail services.

There are approximately 2000 operational locomotives within Australia providing the backbone for all Australian’s to build the nation they desire. These great assets have an extremely long design life that not only makes them an engineering marvel, but also a long-term reliable asset. Currently the average age of a locomotive asset in Australia is approximately 12 years and this number is increasing as assets are run for longer. 

The national fleet of locomotives provides significant environmental benefits for supply chains throughout the Nation in comparison to other transport methods. However, this environmental benefit is not been taken full advantage of by continuing to use older assets. Upgrading older locomotives to take full advantage of the latest fuel-efficient technology would not only reduce the environmental emissions it would also reduce the running cost to the rail operator with fuel
reductions.   

I’m proposing a cost-effective, practical, proactive solution to Ss8 (M24 x 165) Screw Spike failures in turnouts due to fatigue. The issue observed in turnouts occurs where Ss8 screws back out of the ferrule and fail through fatigue and can only be found by physically touching each screw. This is concerning as it can give a false impression of safely tied track when visually inspecting turnouts. The Ss8 are used in some of the most demanding areas in rail networks (turnouts), therefore increasing the strength is a prudent, practical and proactive change. The cost of remediation works when an Ss8 part has failed in track is significant not just financially but also in terms of risk to the
travelling public. Repairs can range from core drilling and removing the ferrule and broken screw to replacing entire sleepers/bearers.  

In 2018 the ARA engaged BIS Oxford Economics to quantify the extent of the predicted rail workforce gap as the rail pipeline in Australia continues to grow. It is a major issue surrounding
our industry; an industry that has large potential, variety and variability. How can we ensure we have a talented, diverse and sustainable workforce in our industry that enables us the capacity to deliver the pipeline of work projected? How can we achieve this when only approximately 13% of engineering students are female, and there are very limited rail-specific, structured educational paths in Australia?  

I strongly believe we need to continue to develop our industry from the ground up and key to this is to help school students understand and have clear sight of what opportunities are available for them in the rail industry. Through real life examples, interaction with the rail industry, and data capturing and analysis allowing the ARA and partners to adequately distribute funds, early engagement of students can be achieved resulting in a strong and sustainable work force in the Rail industry. Rail Ready does all these things.  

Railroads need to become even more instrumented. Already, trackside devices monitor acoustic signatures and heat and wheel impact at most North American and many European railroads. RFID tags, read by fixed infrastructure along the wayside, help identify rail cars, while wireless networks and video systems provide monitoring of assets in rail yards. But new business models and practices are also coming into use. Passengers can be charged based on actual usage. Maintenance can be initiated based on accurate need predictions, rather than regulated schedules. And advanced cameras and video systems can provide better security for passengers, rolling stock and freight. 

Rail networks are one of the industry's earliest examples of an interconnected system, but vast
opportunities exist for improvement today. 

The year 2020 has undoubtedly been a challenging year for all of us. It has changed the way nearly everything is being done. With the start of the bushfires of Black Summer, to the floods that followed to the global pandemic, this year has changed many of our lives. It has brought new ways of looking at traditional problems. In such challenging times, it is widely accepted that commuter/passengers are greatly inconvenienced. It is reported that even minor delays have consequences that take hours to clear out. Such disruptions especially inconvenience passengers who travel daily from regional hubs to the city. There are times when I have been stranded in the city or have arrived home late due to services being unable to run or delayed. And figuring out what options are available to get to the destination in such situations has always been, in my experience, a hassle.  

Across the NSW network hundreds of closures are installed every year. These closures are installed during “possessions” of the track either at night time or on special weekends. traditionally they are 6-15m long and require a track/welding team, a signals team and a hirail excavator to install. Often they are installed while trains are still running on the track next to them. But what if we had a small train that could install these closures? The “Closure Train” would be comprised of a loco and a carriage. The loco would have a portable flashbutt welder in it to do the welds, and the carriage behind it would be an empty shell with a gantry mounted on the inside that can pick up the old rail and place the new rail down.

Cities now represent our home; more than half of the world’s population are city dwellers and by 2030 this is set to double; yet conversely in 20 years we will see only a 5% increase in infrastructure to support this growth. As congestion increases the management of movement will take centre stage. Big Data promised to deliver this, but data only becomes information when it has value and value is derived from a private entity or governments economic choice in paying to use and/or support a city’s public transport system. Big Data promised to deliver this, but data only becomes information when it has value and value is derived from a private entity or governments
economic choice in paying to use and/or support a city’s public transport system.  

Timothy is a Graduate at Transport for NSW currently undertaking a placement in external communications. He graduated from the University of Newcastle with honours in psychology. During his studies he was the Vice-President of the Psychology Society, taught philosophy and
statistics, volunteered for the Cerebral Palsy Alliance, advocated for the student body on school committees, and undertook scholarship funded research. His involvement in research was focussed around group behaviour and led to employment as a Research Assistant at the Newcastle – Oxford Research Centre for Conflict and Cohesion. This work also saw him present at several international conferences in the field of social psychology. On the weekend he enjoys surfing, bushwalking, and reading the Saturday Paper.  

The current method for measuring the thickness of contact wire instructs a certified worker to use a traditional micrometer. Being a handheld device, this requires the planning of an electrical isolation, track possession and elevated work platform. With less frequent maintenance windows and a increase rate of wear with more passenger services, contact wire measurements cannot be taken at an acceptable frequency using this method.

Doing extensive market research, no commercial solutions were found to meet Sydney Train’s requirements. Hence, I endeavoured to develop our own solution, the OWL Micrometer.

Not rail track fatigue. Fatigue in the rail industry from continuing to design, construct, operate and maintain railways in the same way. There is increasing talk about higher demand for railways and delivery of new railways, but it is not to coming with much talk about being innovative and impactful with the solution. Rail being an industry largely made up of engineers, it is surprising that we are not really living up to our broader industry’s reputation as innovators. The feeling of rail fatigue makes it more difficult to attract bright innovative young engineers to the industry or gaining their interest from a young school age and it also doesn’t help with retaining brilliant engineers who have innovative ideas. 

This idea is about taking the existing alignment with the significant history of railways in Australia to a new place by branching out to the Digital Twin. The idea is to take rail a new place that can be open to innovations and show case what rail could be.  

Thales works closely with state and local governments as well as transport operators worldwide to meet the challenges of rapid urbanisation and the changing demand for mobility. Our integrated expertise in voice and data communications, command and control, rail signalling and security underpins safe, efficient, sustainable and more connected journeys for passengers and freight.

In Australia, Thales is a key player in the largest transport infrastructure drive in our history. We are actively involved in several landmark projects such as Sydney Metro and Parramatta Light Rail, leveraging a total workforce of 3,700 people, including a dedicated team of more than 180 transportation specialists. Our local expertise is backed by a global workforce of 64,000 employees across 52 countries, including 8,000 transport specialists worldwide. 

No matter how challenging the project, we’ll get you and your passengers where you need to be, safely – whatever it takes.

To help promote a positive perception of rail and highlight the benefits of the industry, my idea is to create an advertisement campaign that explicitly showcases how rail is continuing to enhance our communities and everyday lives, as well as outlining the impactful careers that can be found in this line of work. The advertisements would comprise of two key elements:   
1) Before-and-after photos of recent rail upgrades, showcasing the place of rail as a modern and positive part of the community, and highlighting the benefits to safety, access, visual amenity and functionality. An example may be newly removed level crossings – an issue that has been met with public backlash, but that produced a safer and more useable public space at completion. These before-and-afters are a concise and direct way of evidencing these benefits to the community.   
2) Stark, bold text asking the question “Are you interested in?...”, followed by a list of careers that contributed to the work. This would resonate with those studying or interested in these fields, highlight the demand for these jobs and their role in rebuilding the economy, and appeal to a desire to make a tangible, positive impact in their work. This can be broken down further into discipline-specific advertisements to be aimed at university and school groups; students often lack specificity and direction in career goals and would therefore find real-world examples inspiring.
The advertisements can be marketed digitally on rail authority social media, as well as distributed to train stations, universities and schools as physical posters to reach a broad range of the community. To-the-point, directed advertising would be effective in reaching those who wouldn’t normally be interested in rail based information, providing them a new perspective and encouraging rail careers and education.

A fun and interactive way to educate the public about the railway industry is to develop an Australia & NZ train logistics game, titled Locogistics. This idea rides on the back of viral mobile games such as 'Dumb Ways To Die'. The core aim of the game is to be engaging and passively educate the player about the railway industry and the large variety of trains, technologies and infrastructure in use.  
In Locogistics, the player controls the movement of trains around a network trying to keep up with ever increasing demand. There are several game modes, including:
- Passenger (your local suburban network! e.g. Sydney/Melbourne/Brisbane/Auckland)
- Heavy Haul (e.g Hunter Valley, Central QLD, Pilbara)
- Regional/freight (many locations, combination of commuter and goods transport)  
Each new game starts slowly, allowing players to understand how to navigate trains around each network, and as the game progresses demand increases. To help keep up with demand, players unlock more advanced technology (such as improved trains, signalling, track structure, electrification, commuter services) which demonstrates how innovative and complex a railway network is and how much effort goes into the industry nationwide.  
Mock gameplay images of Locogistics are shown in the Example Gameplay document below. In this demonstration, the player has loaded their train with passengers and is moving them to their destination. Development of the actual game would aim for a cartoon look and feel which would appeal to a broader audience.
Through it’s entertaining gameplay, Locogistics will improve community understanding of how railways function and the abundance of opportunities the industry provides.

To promote the rail industry, I would publish a series of articles in industry magazines based on the contention that the rail industry has been the solution to Australia’s manufacturing demise. The following is an example.  
How Rail Has Put Australia’s Manufacturing Industry Back on Track  
With 70 years of Australian car manufacturing coming to an end in the second half of 2017, Australia’s manufacturing industry took a massive step backwards. However, through the rapid growth of the rail industry, Australia’s manufacturing industry is once again flourishing.
Thousands of workers with highly valuable skill sets were left unemployed when car manufacturing ceased. Some workers successfully found jobs in similar roles however, a big portion were forced to take jobs in low skilled roles, with their talents being wasted.
Australia’s rail industry is rapidly growing and there has been a migration of workers with a background in vehicle manufacturing making their way into the rail industry. Their skills are no longer being wasted and workers who were previously left unemployed, have finally found jobs that utilize their skillsets.
This growth can be accelerated by giving factories that were previously used for car manufacturing a new lease on life as factories that support the rail industry. These factories could be used to manufacture rolling stock, track componentry, signalling equipment and so much more. With governments continually pushing for more Australian made products, the rail industry is an area where this can easily be improved.
In a vast country like Australia, rail is a massive industry with huge benefits to the economy. It is already employing a huge number of people and has helped the country recover from a manufacturing slump. With several large projects on the horizon, rail can continue to grow Australia’s manufacturing prowess.

Opening the Door to Rail – A Sustainable Corridor to our Cities

The rail industry is a diverse collection of organisations, individuals and innovations that come together to provide safe and sustainable transport for freight and passengers. People in the industry are more likely to understand the benefits of rail because we have had the opportunity to step through the “Door” of rail and see the amazing work that goes into designing, building and maintaining the rail networks around the country.

My proposal to promote the benefits of rail to my peers, parliamentarians and the general public would be to Open the Door to Rail for them through a virtual exhibit of the innovation, sustainability and safety benefits of rail.

Within the rail industry there is currently wonderful technology being developed that allows simulation of train driving, track and train maintenance which could be used to give the wider public and politicians the opportunity to see the technology and innovation that goes into designing, building and maintaining trains and rail infrastructure. As a virtual exhibit, people would have the chance to see what it’s like behind the driver’s door on a train and simulate driving a train, see some of the technology that runs so reliably that passengers rarely even know it exists and even have a walkthrough of some of the state of the art rail depots that are around the country.

In addition to showcasing the technology and innovation of the rail industry, the virtual exhibit would also display the safety and sustainability benefits of the railway industry. The virtual showcase would highlight the benefits of rail to everyone interested in an accessible, engaging and positive way. Different groups could engage with the showcase in their own way – allowing individuals to explore the industry as they desired.

HYT ENGINEERING COMPANY PVT. LTD. Established in 1977, engaged in manufacturing SPMs for rolling stock maintenance, has 95 % market share in Indian railways. 

We also undertake turnkey infrastructure railway projects like automatic wheel shop. 

Under the guidance of our MD, Mr Bhojraj Teli, we are known for design excellence, innovation & customer centric attitude. Equipped with Industry 4.0 our products are SMART, Economical & Eco-friendly. 

Having a facility of 16000 Sqm. in Pune, India & with 700 manpower, HYT has supplied over 700 machines like CNC wheel lathes to the Railways, Metros, PSU’s and Private sector. 

Orders from Gabon, Ghana and South Africa & establishment of our 100% subsidiary in Italy are few of our recent achievements.

Focusing on manufacturing of high-end equipment, CRRC is a diversified and multinational supplier providing solutions for high-end equipment system. Quality and experience enable us to keep pace with billions of people, and nearly 10,000 after-sales personnel serve in 107 countries and regions worldwide. 

CRRC has reached the world’s advanced level in the field of rail transit equipment and regarded as the “top student” in the international market through its product reliability and advanced technology.  

Visit the works underway as part of the Central Station Metro $995 million contract awarded to Laing O’Rourke to deliver the new Sydney Metro platforms under Central Station as well as the landmark Central Walk – a new underground pedestrian concourse to help customers get around Sydney’s busiest railway station.  

To learn more, visit the Laing O'Rourke Exhibition Booth 

Intelligent Fabrication: Robotic automation and rail testing capability 

University of Wollongong (UOW)'s Facility for Intelligent Fabrication (FIF) Lab 

This virtual tour will showcase the industrial robotic automation as well as the rail testing capability at the University of Wollongong (UOW). The Facility for Intelligent Fabrication (FIF) at UOW is setup to engage with industry partners to carry out research and assist in developing practical industrial automated solutions. The FIF has partnered with Downer, University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Antoun Civil, ERT Pty Ltd and the Australian Government Cooperative

Research Centre Projects (CRC-P) to develop the technologies required for High Output, Low Cost Embedded Rail Track. Attendees viewing this virtual tour will discover the industrial robotics capability. Attendees will also learn about the cyclic load rail testing facility – a one of a kind facility for accelerated load testing.  

 The Rail Operations Centre – commonly known as the ROC – is the operational nerve-centre of the NSW rail network. 

Over 80 per cent of rail operations are managed from the ROC, including city and regional customer services, and multiple freight trains that cross our network. 

The ROC is a state-of-the-art and fit-for-purpose facility, designed with the specific needs of our people in mind so they can deliver safe, reliable, customer-focused, and efficient rail services for our customers. 

The control room (operational) floor boasts a visual display screen that is over 30 metres long,
allowing operators to view the entire network at a glance or multiple images at once. It provides a spacious working environment with cutting edge technology, special lighting for night shift workers and ergonomic workstation design.

The integration of the ROC into our network helps us meet the growing demands of our state's
population - with an additional one million people expected to be living in Sydney by 2024. 

Before the ROC, our operational teams worked in silos. Now, our decision-makers are co-located - working side by side and sharing information in real-time 24/7 to produce the best outcomes for our customers.