AusRAIL PLUS 2009: ‘doing more with less’

By Jennifer Perry

The Australasian Railway Assocation’s (ARA) chief executive Bryan Nye said that the conference is the major industry event of the year.
“If you’re going to go to nothing else, then go to AusRAIL – that’s where you’ll find everything you possibly can about the rail industry,” Nye said.
The event will provide a forum for senior executives to discuss future policy, investment and the latest technological advancements in the rail sector.
This year’s theme of ‘doing more with less’ invites delegates to reflect and share knowledge about efficient and effective ways to meet the challenge of growing the industry with limited capital available.
Nye told Rail Express that there are a number of important issues that will be discussed at AusRAIL, explaining that the Sydney freight corridor is the industry’s number one priority.
“We have to get the Melbourne-Sydney, Sydney-Brisbane major freight corridor up and running – otherwise the reliability of rail will continue to be jeopardised,” Nye said.
“The conflict is that freight trains have to compete with the passenger network and any passenger train has priority over a freight train.
“However the Sydney passenger network is absolutely at capacity so the challenge is if it is at capacity how can we add more freight on to it?”
With the Federal Government having provided $15 million in funding to ARTC and the Transport Infrastructure Development Corporation (TIDC) for the planning options of the first stage of the Southern Sydney freight line, Nye said that $840 million has also been earmarked and announced for the corridor’s first stage.
Just as important as having the infrastructure in place is the need for the industry to update rollingstock; the average age of a locomotive in Australia is 35 years old.
“However there are currently no major plans to invest in new rollingstock for the intermodal corridors as the major operators aren’t getting the rate of return they require to enable them to make that investment – there’s not the incentive there at the moment,” Nye said.
Other key issues that Nye said will be discussed at the conference include the lack of harmonisation in rail operations around Australia and the need for the industry to work together.
“Part of the culture in rail is that things are still done differently in different states,” he said.
“Take a passenger car in Queensland for example, compared to the same passenger car in NSW – they’re made by the same people yet they have 652 differences between the two because people think they’re different.
“The costs go up, the situation becomes more complex, the reliability of the carriages gets worse and we don’t get the best rollingstock.”
Safety is also an ongoing issue for rail, with the industry having a high incidence of workplace injuries.
“We are aiming for zero harm, and at the same time I keep saying that there is no competition when it comes to safety,” Nye said.
AusRAIL PLUS is an opportunity for everyone that’s associated with the industry to be informed on what is happening in rail and what is being done to address the many challenges facing the industry.
The conference will also provide an incredible range of networking opportunities.
“The great social program includes two key events on the rail industry calendar – the RTAA Yellow Tie Dinner and the AusRAIL Gala Dinner, featuring industry awards for excellence, and what promises to be a fantastic performance from the South Australian Opera,” Nye said.
To enquire about AusRAIL PLUS 2009 please contact our Customer Service Department on: +61 (0)2 9080 4307
or email: registration@informa.com.au
or visit: www.ausrail.com