Arup will head a team playing a key role in defining the future high speed rail network in Australia.
The company will lead head-up a team including SYSTRA to plan the proposed network operation of the rail system that will run along the eastern seaboard between Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney and Brisbane.
Their initial focus will be on the operations and maintenance requirements for the first stage between Sydney and Newcastle in NSW for a business case currently underway. The business case will determine important elements of the network, including proposed corridor alignment, station locations, fleet, cost estimate and construction timeframes.
The contract for Network Rail Operations Planning was awarded to the Arup-led team after a competitive tender process by the High Speed Rail Authority. Sydney to Newcastle is the busiest intercity rail line in Australia with 14.9 million passengers annually.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for Arup to bring our extensive global experience and dedication to sustainable development to this project and help shape the future of transport on Australia’s east coast,” Arup’s Australasia Transport Leader Alex Borg said.
Established in France, engineering global group SYSTRA has been around for 67 years in railway design and construction and has eight offices across Australasia.
Jean-Philippe Lavallee, Operations and Maintenance Director at SYSTRA said, “We look forward to leveraging of our global expertise gained through worldwide high-speed rail projects, finely completed with our local knowledge and on-the-ground expertise, to define a sustainable, attractive, performant, and cost-efficient high-speed rail transportation system.”
About the author
Desi Corbett
Desi is the Editor of Concrete in Australia and at the helm of our magazine for 8 years. She was behind the Institute's weekly news bulletins from 2016-2021 and is now writing our focused news items. Desi has been an engineering news and features journalist/editor across all disciplines since 2013 - part of a 30-year career writing for a wide range of industries.