Brazil 
Canada 
Chile 
China 
Columbia 
Denmark 
France 
India 
Indonesia 
Ireland 
Italy 
Malaysia 
Norway 
New Zealand 
Panama 
Peru 
Poland 
Portugal 
Saudi Arabia 
Singapore 
South Korea 
Spain 
Sweden 
Taiwan 
Thailand 
United Kingdom 
United States 
Vietnam 
Arup will lead a team with partners SYSTRA to plan the proposed network operation of high-speed rail in Australia.
The team will play a key role in defining the high-speed rail product and network concept for a planned future system between Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney, and Brisbane, with initial focus on the operations and maintenance requirements for the first stage between Sydney and Newcastle, for which a business case is currently underway.
Arup and SYSTRA have been at the forefront of high-speed and faster rail development globally for more than 40 years. The firms bring extensive international experience in high-speed operations and maintenance blended with local rail planning expertise to the project.
Alex Borg, Australasia Transport Leader at Arup, said, “High-speed rail opens up a wealth of benefits for the communities it connects, providing a sustainable transport link for residents, workers, and visitors, and unlocking the potential for social and economic growth. This is a tremendous opportunity for Arup to bring our extensive global experience and dedication to sustainable development to this project and help shape the future of transport on Australia’s east coast.”
Jean-Philippe Lavallee, Operations and Maintenance Director at SYSTRA said, “SYSTRA is delighted to contribute to define Australia’s vision for a more connected and sustainable future. We look forward to leveraging of our global expertise gained through worldwide high-speed rail projects, finely completed with our local knowledge and on-the-ground expertise, to define a sustainable, attractive, performant, and cost-efficient high-speed rail transportation system.”
The contract for Network Rail Operations Planning was awarded to the Arup-led team after a competitive tender process by the High Speed Rail Authority, as part of their work to deliver the Sydney to Newcastle Business Case. With 14.9 million passengers annually, Sydney to Newcastle is the busiest intercity rail line in Australia. The business case will determine important elements of the network, including proposed corridor alignment, station locations, fleet, cost estimate and construction timeframes.
**ENDS**
About Arup
Dedicated to sustainable development, Arup is a collective of designers, consultants and experts working globally. Founded to be humane and excellent, we collaborate with our clients and partners using imagination, technology, and rigour to shape a better world.
As an independent firm, with a trust structure, Arup has no external investors. The Australasia Region encompasses Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia, with a 3000-strong team providing consultancy services to government, corporate and community-based clients.
About SYSTRA
SYSTRA is a global leader in transportation engineering and mobility solutions with over 11,000 transport professionals across the globe. Headquartered in France, the company operates in over 80 countries worldwide. SYSTRA’s expertise spans a wide range of areas within the transportation sector. We utilise our expertise centres across the world to advise, design and build new mobility to make SYSTRA the signature team for transportation solutions.
For the 400 strong team located in Australia and New Zealand, we utilise our connected teams to bring this expertise to our local clients. We work with a partnership mindset, working closely with our clients to co-create the mobility solutions of tomorrow.