Four things we learnt at the World Tunnel Congress

With a 15-strong SYSTRA contingent from Australia, India, Italy, France and Spain in attendance, the event brought together the industries entire stakeholder network including engineering and construction professionals, suppliers, manufacturers, and government representatives.

Tim Brown, Executive Director – Tunnels, SYSTRA ANZ says, “The World Tunnelling Congress was an unbelievable event. It was a great opportunity for everyone in the industry to come together to celebrate such a significant milestone for the ITA-AITES over a week and share the latest insights and thought-leadership. The sheer size and scale of the event ensured an incredibly thought-provoking experience that shone a light on how significant this industry is to the future of our communities.”

In summarising his experience, Tim recounts 4 key lessons. These include:  

• Tunnelling for a better future, indeed:
  There was no better place to support the theme of this year’s event than Shenzhen. A city that has grown remarkably in only 20 years. Since late 2004 when the first line of their metro system opened, they have developed another 19 lines to support a population that has grown significantly in that same period. It demonstrates that anything is possible when the industry aligns towards common goals. It also showed how important tunnelling will continue to be in our major urban centres in Australia where populations are growing and the need to improve mobility and clean energy solutions are paramount.
  
• Access to remote locations:
  As a form of renewable energy supply, the pumped hydro space is going to become increasingly important in the energy transition. Typically located in remote or isolated locations, regionally based teams are going to be of upmost importance. Translating our considerable construction management experience in the transport tunnelling sector to providing delivery management services across areas such as development drill and blast works will require both local knowledge and an ability to provide experienced boots on the ground. Combining our track record in civil projects with our underground mining pedigree ensures that we are well positioned to form great partnerships with new clients whilst leveraging our teams experience to excel in an area that is a hybrid between conventional mining techniques and civil design requirements. As a proud mining engineer, it’s an area I am excited to get more involved in.
  
• There is more than one way to do things:
  Many of the problems faced in other regions are similar to the ones we have here. After listening to global experts share their thoughts and experiences, it is clear that there are often many solutions that are possible especially when you think outside the box. This makes the next point even more important.
  
• International Collaboration is so important to achieving success:
  Australia is not alone when it comes to facing infrastructure challenges, many other regions share similar pain points to us. There is a global pool of knowledge that will enable our local industry to solve the complex problems and challenges that lie ahead.

In bringing these lessons together, Tim acknowledges SYSTRA’s connected teams value and its ability to overcome and address each of these points.

He finishes, “SYSTRA’s global group that includes SYSTRA Bamser, SYSTRA SWS and SYSTRA Subterra have collaborated to solve some of the most complex infrastructure problems across all types of underground projects including transport, power, and water. With over 600 team members deeply specialised in tunnelling and underground structures we are a team who can provide our clients with unique and innovative solutions utilising our local expertise and global knowledge.”