ARA Urban Rail 2012

May 8th-9th, InterContinental Melbourne, The Rialto

The Australian rail industry is well aware that innovative action needs to be taken to drive customer loyalty of urban services and provide consistently enjoyable and comfortable journeys for its passengers.

The Australasian Railway Association’s (ARA) 4th annual Urban Rail conference will explore practical and inventive ways to build better relationships with passengers and improve the customer experience of rail travel.

Program highlights include:

LEADERSHIP DEBATE: Where are we heading? The future direction of urban rail services in Australia and NZ
In this session our panelists will share their views on what’s in store for urban rail by identifying the challenges facing operators as demand increases as well as debate the value of a multimodal approach to light and heavy passenger rail operations and how the industry should measuring its performance – Does customer satisfaction trump operating “on-time services” as a performance indicator? What are the other key indicators of success?

Panelists:
Michel Masson, CEO, Yarra Trams
Jonathan Metcalfe, CEO, Veolia Transdev Australasia 
Peter Doggett, Executive Director Public Transport Services and Rail Commissioner, Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure SA
David George, CEO, CRC for Rail Innovation
Dr Deborah Hume, GM Passenger, KiwiRail 

INTERNATIONAL CASE STUDY: Developing transit-oriented communities in Portland, Oregon
Portland Oregon has resisted the urban sprawl by embracing transit-oriented communities. With the aim of ensuring the complete transit experience, high frequency services matter. In this session Deputy Director of Planning and Development of the Oregon Metro John Williams will outline the transit-oriented developments in the region and key opportunity sites at transit stations and examine the successes and lessons learnt throughout the introduction of Portland’s transit-oriented communities.

CASE STUDY: Insights into the current rollout of communications infrastructure in the NY subway system
New York has the largest subway system in the world by number of underground stations, which provides effective and quick transport around New York City for over 1.6 billion passengers each year.
The first communications connections for the New York subway were rolled out in September 2011, and within the next few months stations with famous names such as Times Square and Rockefeller Centre – both in the centre of downtown Manhattan – are scheduled to ‘go live’. Broadcast Australia's Director of Strategy and Corporate Development, Brett Savill, will present a case-study on the rollout of communications infrastructure in the New York subway through the BAI Group subsidiary, Transit Wireless.

The journey begins before boarding the train – The role of rail stations in improving the customer experience
We will be joined by Hassell Principal Peter Morley who will ways of creating train stations that are both functional and enjoyable spaces for the travelling public before the architect behind the transformation of world-renowned St Pancras Station in London, Alastair Lansley CBE, delivers a case study on the design factors considered for the project and how it has changed rail travel in Britain.

Driving passenger loyalty through great customer service
Last year, Queensland Rail became the first rail public transport company in the world to be certified in the International Customer Service Standard (ICSS). In this case study Drew Brock, Acting General Manager Customer Experience of QR will share his insights into how customers view their relationship with QR and what key strategies were implemented to achieve recognition as a world-leader in customer service.

Light Rail
Urban Rail 2012 will also look at the role light rail plays in improving the passenger’s door-to-door journey. Delegates will hear the operator’s perspective from Yarra Trams CEO Michel Masson who will explain the importance of knowing the needs of your commuters to improve the passenger experience and light rail as part of an integrated transport network. We will also be joined byJeff Goodling, Major Project Executive from Parsons Brinckerhoff who will discuss planning for light rail - what are the considerations?

To see the full agenda or to book your place at Urban Rail 2012 please visit:www.informa.com.au/urbanrail
Email: cs@informa.com.au
May 8th-9th, InterContinental Melbourne The Rialto