Engineer Jay Nathella always dreamed of setting up his own business. Five years ago, he finally made it happen.
He started Alcarail as a small company providing infrastructure delivery management services in Victoria. It has since grown to ten times its original size, with employees spread across Australia, New Zealand and beyond.
“As well as Victoria, we’ve been in Western Australia for the past three years,” said Nathella.
“We are now setting up an office in Brisbane, and we’re trying to negotiate a project in New South Wales as well as in New Zealand.
“We’ve also got our office in India supporting us, and our plan is to expand into the Middle East and the United Kingdom from next year.”
As well as growing its geographical footprint, Alcarail has expanded its services to include project engineering, construction management, system integration, signalling and communication installation, and testing and commissioning management.
In 2023, Alcarail extended its offering to rail systems design as well as signalling and communications design, systems engineering, and safety assurance.
Today, the company operates as a full end-to-end delivery solution in engineering, construction and management, combining hands-on delivery experience with smart, integrated solutions for major rail and infrastructure projects.
It has successfully delivered major signalling projects including the Gippsland Line Upgrade in Victoria and the Armadale Line Upgrade in Perth.
Nathella is particularly proud of delivering the Armadale Line Upgrade on time, on budget, with minimal defects – an outstanding accomplishment for a project of this size and complexity.
“That was a huge win for us,” he said. “Our work was very well recognised by the Armadale Line Upgrade Alliance (ALUA).”
He said one of the keys to Alcarail’s success is its strong relationships, built on collaboration and trust.
“Mutual trust and work ethics are so important – with our people, partners and clients,” he said. “Trust allows people to open up and be honest when they are struggling, and that really strengthens the relationship and allows for great collaboration. When there’s no trust, that’s when problems start.”
Innovation is another major value that Alcarail is built on, with the company investing heavily in artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics.
Nathella has set up a sister company to Alcarail, Alca Automation, which specialises in innovative rail solutions. The company has developed projects such as Gravity AI for rail construction, and Alca-bot, a train maintenance robot that allows for performance and condition monitoring to be carried out on the train at any time.
Other products include a robot on wheels that can lift objects as heavy as seven tonnes and can be used for moving rail, pipes and other heavy objects in tunnels, for example.
“Innovation is something that’s very important to us and we’ve been investing a lot in research and development over the past year,” Nathella said.
Despite the success of Alcarail and achievements over the course of a long career delivering rail projects for major companies, Nathella remains humble.
When pressed more about himself and his accomplishments, he instead defers to a ‘thank you’ card sent from ALUA, which consists of Acciona, BMD, WSP, the Office of Major Transport Infrastructure Delivery (OMTID) and the Public Transport Authority (PTA). The card was full of heartfelt messages of gratitude to Alcarail.
“No matter how big the business gets, I want to stay a company that has authenticity and heart,” he said.
“I want to make a difference in the rail industry through our people-first approach, standing as proof that values-led engineering delivers both performance and purpose.”
Nathella is also keen to talk about Alcarail’s incoming Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Marc Hamameh.
Nathella and Hamameh go way back – in fact, Hamameh recruited Nathella to join the rail industry when he was a fresh graduate, 15 years ago.
“Marc was my boss, and I learned everything from him,” he said.
“Now it’s a real full circle moment because I’ve grown to the level where I have my own business and he has come to work with us.
“I have huge respect for him, and he has the same values as me, so I’m very excited about where we are going to take Alcarail in the future.”
A new journey
Hamameh said that when he first met Nathella, he struck him as very sharp, with a rare blend of technical skills and curiosity.
“He was working on one of my projects in New Zealand and was instrumental in solving some of the issues that came up during that project,” he said. “A couple of years later, I inherited another project in South Australia and I was looking to hire some people, so I called up Jay and asked him if he wanted to move to Adelaide and step up into a new, challenging role.
“I knew he was smart and able for the job and it was very important for me to see him advancing his career, so I mentored him through his journey.”
Hamameh said it’s very rewarding to see how his friend and colleague’s career has grown over the years, and he’s excited to come on board as CEO of Alcarail.
“We’ve stayed in touch over the years and when I saw the opportunity at Alcarail, we started to seriously talk about me joining the company,” he said. “I’ve spent years working for very large rail organisations, I wanted to experience something new.
“I was looking for the opportunity to work for an agile business where decisions can be made quickly, and we can bring in innovation to directly shape an outcome.”
He said Alcarail’s potential is clear, and he’s keen to help steer the business into the future.
“Alcarail has the right mix of technical credibility, an excellent reputation for delivery, and serious potential for growth.
“It also has passion, integrity, and willingness to push boundaries. I knew it was the right time for me to build something new with Jay.”
Hamameh echoed Nathella’s beliefs about the values of innovation, trust and collaboration.
“These aren’t just buzzwords,” he said. “They are defined by how we show up for our customers and for each other.”
His vision for Alcarail is to position the business as a trusted partner of choice for rail system integration and technology in Australia, New Zealand and hopefully beyond.
“I want to build on our existing technical foundations and invest in the people to expand our capabilities,” he said.
“We also want to expand our involvement in digital systems, cyber security, AI and intelligent infrastructure.
“What I envisage for Alcarail is to be recognised not only for what we deliver, but how we deliver it – through collaboration, reliability and innovation.”
People first
Both Nathella and Hamameh said that Alcarail genuinely cares about its people and works hard to foster a culture where everyone feels valued.
Despite being a busy company director, Nathella goes out of his way to connect with employees at all levels of the business.
“I don’t see differentiation between the leadership team and the working team, we are all valued the same – we just have different responsibilities,” he said. “From day one, I’ve said I want everyone to be treated equally and with the same respect.”
He wants to help all his team to grow their careers, supporting them to take on new challenges.
“I love seeing people’s growth,” he said. “I’m happy to take on young engineers and interns, and I will listen to everyone’s ideas and allow everyone to contribute. If you have big ambitions, you’ll get big opportunities.”
Hamameh’s approach to leadership is similar.
“I’m proud of setting high standards, but I always support my teams to achieve them,” he said. “Leadership is not about being the loudest voice – it’s about enabling the team to succeed. I want the team to feel empowered and trusted, and I hope they see me as someone approachable who listens.”
Project Engineer Bhuvana Kunamneni has been with Alcarail for more than three years and said she’s learned a lot in that time.
“Jay took me on when I was a fresh graduate with zero knowledge of the rail industry,” she said. “I have a civil engineering background, so I never thought I would end up in rail, but I love it.
“I started out working on the Gippsland Line Upgrade as a site engineer, then I became a project engineer, and now I’m leading one of the teams performing the works on-site. The career growth at Alcarail is fantastic.”
Kunamneni said Nathella has been a supportive employer, encouraging her to take on new challenges.
“He’s always open to us trying new things and pushing us to get involved with different types of projects and teams,” she said. “Despite my on-site role, he gave me the opportunity to work closely with the design teams for several months.
“This not only grows our skills but helps us to figure out where we’re happiest and most comfortable.”
Kunamneni added that Nathella calls her weekly to check in.
“He asks how I am, whether I need any help from him or the company – he even personally helped me with getting my visa organised,” she said. “From my perspective, he’s really down to earth and looks after his employees very well.”
“Alcarail is a great place to work – a place where people can grow, contribute and belong.”
What Alcarail’s customers had to say
Martin Beales
Rail Manager – West (Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia), McConnell Dowell
“Alcarail, led by Jay, has demonstrated dependable delivery performance.
“The team consistently exhibits accountability, professional discipline, and pragmatic problem-solving.
“Across all stages of the engagement, they have honoured commitments, communicated proactively with stakeholders, and maintained workmanship to specification.
“On the strength of these outcomes, we look forward to continuing our relationship on future projects.”
Jeff Tyloo
Alliance Manager, Armadale Line Upgrade Alliance
“Working with Alcarail on the Armadale Line Upgrade Alliance has been an exceptional experience.
“The Alcarail team brings a rare combination of deep technical expertise, collaboration, and reliability – qualities that truly set them apart in the rail industry.
“From design through delivery, they’ve demonstrated a strong commitment to quality, proactive communication, and a genuine partnership mindset.
“Alcarail’s professionalism and ability to integrate seamlessly within a complex project environment make them a trusted partner we look forward to working with again.”
Anthony Hodge
General Manager of Rail and Technology Systems, UGL Proprietary Limited
“Alcarail has been a reliable and dependable partner across our complex systems projects.
“Their team integrated seamlessly with ours, demonstrating strong technical capability and a genuine commitment to delivering high quality outcomes and getting the job done right.
“What stood out most was their responsiveness and ability to adapt quickly to project needs while maintaining a high standard of quality and collaboration.
“Their contribution has been a key part of delivering a successful outcome for the project.”
