In an era of multi-modal infrastructure, it’s easy to overlook a simple truth: rail projects are different. They don’t just move people or freight, they operate as systems.
Tracks, structures, signalling, interfaces, control. Each element has to work with the others, safely and continuously. Delivering them requires more than capability. It requires a contractor that understands how every part connects.
Martinus isn’t a diversified tier one. It’s a rail contractor. And over the past decade, that distinction has shaped a very different approach to project delivery.
From brownfield freight upgrades in regional Victoria to complex corridor works on Inland Rail and station redevelopment in dense urban environments, Martinus has built a national reputation for integrated, government-grade delivery.
Its growth hasn’t been driven by acquisition or diversification, but by deepening technical capability, investing in disciplines that make or break major rail programs: systems, structures, stakeholder engagement, and seamless integration from design to delivery.
Nicolas Jaramillo, Engineering Manager at Martinus, said that focus has shaped a delivery culture where rail expertise isn’t siloed, it’s shared.
“Engineers walk the job with superintendents. Delivery leads work alongside systems specialists from day one. And lessons learned in one region are embedded in the next.
“It’s a model that scales without losing detail, because the people delivering the work are part of the thinking that shaped it.”
Now, with a national pipeline, a global footprint, and a growing role in station and network-scale programs, Martinus is entering a new phase – one where the skills of a rail specialist are being recognised not as niche, but as essential.
A decade in delivery
Over the past ten years, Martinus has shifted from subcontractor to national delivery partner, not by diversifying into new sectors, but by staying focused, and getting sharper.
That journey, from brownfield upgrades to full corridor programs, has been defined by a consistent principle: deliver differently, and back it up in delivery.
The early phase of that evolution began with a series of technically complex brownfield jobs for the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC), including the Gunnedah Yard Upgrade in 2014 and Kooragang Arrival Roads in 2016.
Both projects tested Martinus’ ability to deliver safely in live environments – managing access, coordinating across disciplines, and meeting operational constraints under pressure.
More than milestone jobs, they became proving grounds for the kind of integration and interface management that would later define Martinus’ project model.
That model took a step forward with the Murray Basin Rail Project in 2017, where Martinus delivered one of Victoria’s largest freight upgrades. The program spanned hundreds of kilometres and five concurrent work fronts, integrating civils, track, structures and signalling. It was also one of the first demonstrations of the company’s stakeholder-led delivery model: engaging locally, managing complex approvals, and achieving 38 per cent Indigenous participation over the life of the project, one of the strongest results in the state at the time.
That maturity was tested again in 2020 on the Carmichael Rail Network, a 210-kilometre freight line delivered through remote Queensland under a $580 million full Design and Construct (D&C) contract. The alignment crossed some of the most logistically and geotechnically challenging terrain in the country, calling for smart engineering, agile leadership and carefully staged delivery.
Martinus worked closely with the client to refine the rail alignment and reduce constructability risks, applying real-time problem solving across formation, structures and access.
The program also became a benchmark for Martinus’ mobile, cross-trained project teams, many of whom continue to lead major projects across the business today.
In 2021, Martinus was awarded the Rail Corridor Program on Inland Rail, delivered under an incentivised target cost model. It marked a shift: Martinus wasn’t just bidding for major government projects, it was being selected for them.
That trust was further reinforced in 2023 with the award of Stockinbingal to Parkes (S2P) and Albury to Illabo (A2I), two Inland Rail packages covering more than 350 kilometres of corridor upgrades. These weren’t construction-only jobs. They demanded full-spectrum delivery: managing freight and passenger interfaces, coordinating approvals across jurisdictions, embedding design within delivery, and operating within live, heavily scrutinised environments.
“They also signalled something else: that the market was recognising the value of a delivery model purpose-built for rail,” said Jaramillo. “Not retrofitted. Not bolted on. Designed from the ground up to handle the technical, regulatory and operational complexity of a working system.”
S2P, completed in early 2025, delivered upgrades across 170 kilometres of corridor, including works at Daroobalgie Loop, Lachlan River Bridge, Forbes Station and Wyndham Avenue. The project engaged 596 workers over its life, including 55 First Nations employees, and delivered more than $12 million in local spend through 129 local businesses. A further $427,400 was procured through First Nations suppliers. The team also included 60 women and 39 tradespeople, with 184 local residents employed along the alignment, 34 of whom identified as First Nations.
Jaramillo said: “These outcomes tell a deeper story. One of local participation, meaningful engagement, and a delivery model grounded in direct employment and regional investment.”
The work continued with the Albury to Illabo (A2I) package, awarded within the same program. Spanning 185 kilometres of brownfield corridor, A2I introduced a broader geographic footprint, dual delivery hubs in Albury and Wagga Wagga, and a more complex mix of works including track lowering, station bridge replacements, level crossing upgrades and re-signalling, all within live operating conditions.
With the project underway, Martinus is applying the same integrated model: aligning systems, engineering and stakeholder management from the outset.
Integration as mindset, not afterthought
In rail, complexity isn’t the exception. It’s the baseline. Every major program has overlapping agencies, compressed timelines, live networks and tight public scrutiny. Managing that complexity isn’t a side task – it’s central to delivery. And it’s where integration, done early and led from within, makes the difference.
Martinus recognised that rail projects aren’t just collections of structures or standalone assets, they are systems. Systems that clients, operators and end users rely on to function day in, day out. Even small rail projects are interventions into existing, highly complex environments.
These systems must be planned, delivered, and most importantly, integrated in a way that delivers on the intended end-user benefits. That means understanding how component, civil, structural, operational, digital, works together toward a shared objective.
“Bringing those components into service as a cohesive, functioning network is what defines systems integration,” said Jaramillo. “And it’s central to how Martinus delivers.
“At Martinus, integration has evolved into a core discipline that’s embedded from the start, not differed to handover. It reduces delivery risk by ensuring that the decisions made during design are grounded in operational and construction reality, ensuring the project is shovel-ready, where interfaces are resolved, systems are aligned, and the scope is genuinely ready to move into delivery.”
On complex rail programs, trying to resolve integration issues during construction is a shortcut to cost overruns, schedule pressure and handover risk.
That principle shapes how projects are scoped, planned and delivered. From early design development to long-term operational considerations, Martinus aligns its model around the railway as it functions, not just the site as it’s built. That means early systems input, proactive risk mapping, and a deliberate effort to eliminate the disconnects between civils, track, signalling and commissioning.
“Being exclusively rail-focused, our approach puts integration front and centre from day one,” said Jaramillo. “It helps different teams working on individual components of projects to stay aligned to a common goal.
“It’s what allows us to deliver safe, reliable, and sustainable rail assets, and not just hand over a finished scope. Integration influences every stage of our delivery strategy.”
Too often, Jaramillo said, systems integration is ill-defined, ill-conceived, and poorly aligned to project objectives. That model creates disconnects, misaligned timelines, and risks that ripple through commissioning.
“Martinus takes a different approach: it needs to be owned, and driven as a key tenant of project delivery. Because on a live railway, integration isn’t a downstream task. It’s the spine of the project.”
That mindset is critical in station environments where the interface between transport and people is immediate: trains, passengers, vehicles and precinct users converging in dense, time-sensitive conditions.
In Auckland in 2020, Martinus was engaged by the Link Alliance to deliver a complex systems scope within Britomart, the city’s busiest commuter station. Part of the City Rail Link (CRL) program, the work was carried out under live operating conditions in one of the most constrained underground corridors in New Zealand. It involved protection works, demolition, temporary track, reinstallation, staging and close coordination with multiple delivery partners.
The project was delivered safely, ahead of schedule and under budget. In its formal performance review, City Rail Link Limited commended Martinus for its collaborative approach, effective risk management, and strong planning and interface coordination.
Back in Australia, in 2024, the relocation of Loganlea Station in South East Queensland marked another step in Martinus’ expanding station delivery portfolio. Awarded by the Department of Transport and Main Roads, the $173 million project involves the complete rebuild and relocation of a major suburban interchange within a dense, high-traffic corridor.
Loganlea combines above and below rail works, a new concourse, and a package of accessibility, safety and integration upgrades. The design connects directly with Logan Hospital, nearby schools and local precincts, and is built to support long-term growth along the Logan to Gold Coast corridor, part of Queensland’s broader Olympic-linked transport investment.
Construction is now underway, with Martinus delivering works in a live urban environment and coordinating with transport authorities, community stakeholders and precinct users. The project reflects a broader shift from corridor delivery into more complex, passenger-facing infrastructure where integration is not just a technical requirement, but a key factor in public experience.
Just months later, Martinus secured Southwest Metro Package 4 (SWM4) in Sydney, a complex brownfield program within Australia’s largest public transport project. SWM4 further demonstrated the company’s capacity to deliver multidisciplinary rail infrastructure in constrained, high-pressure settings.
“Our projects benefit from an engineering-first mindset and focusing on systems integration by shifting away from traditional discipline-led design to one that is interface-led and user-centred and outcome focused,” Jaramillo said.
Across other active programs, Martinus is also leading early engagement across federal, state and local authorities to support the design of three regional station footbridges. While technically complex, these structures are as much about community connection as they are about transport access: linking precincts, improving safety, and enhancing public amenity across the rail corridor. Working closely with government stakeholders and local communities, the company said it is helping to shape design outcomes that reflect operational needs, local identity, and long-term precinct planning.
Nichole Darke, Design Manager at Martinus, said early engagement in design gives the company the opportunity to shape solutions that will be accepted by the asset owners and celebrated by the community.
“By working closely with government and community stakeholders from the outset, we’re able to anticipate operational impacts and manage interface risks while creating an enhanced user experience that promotes connectivity, community and safety.
“As a rail-specific contractor, we are able to design footbridges that integrate with the rail corridor and strengthen the sensitive and unique railway heritage character of the townships to increase their legibility, strengthening connectivity whilst providing for safety and sustainability.
“What these projects share isn’t just scope or scale – it’s a delivery model where integration is treated as a discipline, not a milestone. Embedded early, it shapes decisions, reduces risk, and holds projects together as they grow in complexity.”
Building for what comes next
The next chapter of Australia’s rail build won’t be simple. Projects are becoming denser, more politicised, and more interface-heavy. Timelines are tightening. Expectations are rising. And with greater public and government visibility, delivery partners are being judged not just on what they build, but how they deliver, and how consistently.
That’s why the delivery model matters.
“Martinus hasn’t grown by branching out. It has grown by building in,” said Jaramillo. “Deeper integration, earlier collaboration, and a delivery strategy that reflects how modern rail infrastructure actually operates. Live environments. Mixed corridors. Competing priorities.
“In that reality, the difference between delivering a scope and enabling a system often comes down to who leads the work. Not just on paper, but on the ground.
“What stands out isn’t just what Martinus builds. It’s how.”
By owning the integration challenge early and holding key delivery capabilities in-house, the company has shown that complex rail projects don’t need to be overcomplicated, they just need to be owned, end to end, by teams who understand the system they’re delivering.
This isn’t a case study in growth. It’s a shift in what major rail delivery can look like in Australia: locally grounded, technically integrated, and built around the reality of how people, places and systems connect.
From track and stations to signalling and stakeholders, Martinus now plays a different role, not just a rail builder, but a partner in the public programs that shape how Australia moves.
