Inland Rail Project

Value

engineering

on

a

priority

rail

project

SMEC’s engineering, geotechnical and construction capability and specialist support have played a key role in the current delivery of Inland Rail and for rail infrastructure projects and maintenance well into the future. The construction of the largest A$10 billion freight rail project in Australia, networked between Melbourne and Brisbane, spanning more than 1,700km and comprised of 12 individual projects over a 10-year delivery schedule.

The vastness of the alignment presents a range of challenges which need to be addressed to ensure the successful completion of the 12 projects. Australia’s varied terrain, geotechnical conditions, and geographical scale makes the Inland Rail one of the great engineering challenges in a generation. The delivery of a project of this scale requires highly skilled technical experts across almost every discipline, from environmental scientists to rail track specialists.

Location

Australia

Client

Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC)

Year

2016 – ongoing

Expertise

Rail & Metro Freight Rail Transport Planning & Advisory Geotechnics

This project is, in many respects, unprecedented in its size and scale… Our teams have been pushed to challenge the boundaries of what is technically possible and even what has been established as industry practice. Through this process, we’ve been able to innovate and develop solutions that, in addition to delivering exceptional value for Inland Rail, can also benefit the wider industry.”

— Catherine Das Gupta, Manager – Rail (QLD/NT)

Drawing on our global portfolio of interconnected skills and subject matter experts

SMEC, in a joint venture with Arup, is providing technical and advisory services on the project, drawing on our global portfolio of interconnected skills and subject matter experts.

SMEC in collaboration with Arup are providing engineering and technical advisory through specialist support across the various disciplines that make up the delivery of the railway system. A full-time core team of almost 50 experienced engineers is based in Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) Brisbane office, supported by a wider group of nearly 150 Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). This has developed a highly collaborative structure between the joint venture partners and our client, enabling a team environment in which innovation is able to be fostered and capitalised upon.

In addition to providing program-wide and project-specific advisory services, our team has also developed a range of technical strategies and documents including standard design drawings, program requirements specifications and social performance reporting framework. As the program moves forward into the next phase, the team has also undertaken optimisation reviews across several projects to ensure the client is receiving value for money solutions.

Supporting economic growth

Inland Rail supports economic growth for Australia through creating a reliable freight link between Brisbane and Melbourne with transit times of less than 24 hours that is cost effective whilst ensuring efficient movement of goods across Australia’s vast east coast.

Improved infrastructure and an effective national freight operation will not only provide supply chain benefits but will also lift Australia’s global competitiveness whilst delivering substantial cost savings for local producers. SMEC’s engineering, geotechnical and construction capability and specialist support have played a key role in the current delivery of Inland Rail and for rail infrastructure projects and maintenance well into the future.