Maud Leruste Returns to Lead Operational Planning

Based out of our Sydney office, Maud returns having previously worked for SYSTRA from 2009 through to 2019 which included a relocation from Paris to Sydney in 2014.

“We are thrilled to welcome Maud back to our business,” says Rob Scarbro, Director – Systems, SYSTRA. He adds, “Maud will play a crucial role in helping us strengthen our position as the Systems Integrator of choice across the Australian and New Zealand markets.

“She will offer our existing clients outstanding technical expertise where she specialises in rail operations planning, with a particular emphasis on operational modelling. She will also play a key role in helping us win work and grow our team.”

At a time when significant upgrades to our rail network are set to be rolled out as well as major investment in High-Speed Rail, Maud’s expertise in complex rail systems including the integration of ETCS and CBTC will be crucial to helping our clients navigate what will be a unique period of change.

“There is so much opportunity ahead for the ANZ market with the rail system in both regions undergoing significant change,” says Maud.

She adds, “Operational Planning will be important to the success of these projects in that we will be working closely with our Integration team to ensure the systems and technologies achieve their desired objectives. I’m excited to be back, working closely with our clients across the full lifecycle of projects to ensure interoperable networks are achieved.”

Within the Operational Modelling space, Maud believes that with these exciting projects in the pipeline, there is a lot of room for us to push the boundaries of innovation, using data and technology to achieve safety and productivity benefits across the industry.

She says, “I’m looking forward to being at the forefront of that change, upholding our core values of bold leadership, excellence and connected teams to make this period of change one of great benefit to our clients and the community.”  

To find out more about Maud’s experience and expertise, please click here.

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.