Ronnie Paulus

This month, LinkedIn reminded me of a significant milestone: my 2-year anniversary with Systra ANZ, which also marks five years with the Systra Group and the rail industry. It's fascinating to note that most people I’ve met in the railway industry have similar stories of how they got into the field - almost always, they say it was by coincidence. Many of us found our way here by chance, but what keeps us in the industry is a genuine passion for the work. It’s an industry that pulls you in and makes you want to stay for the long haul. One of the most enriching aspects of my career has been the opportunity to work in different countries across various continents. I've had the privilege of contributing to projects in multiple languages, navigating the entire V-cycle from the early design stages through to testing and commissioning, business readiness, and ultimately, revenue service. This global exposure has broadened my perspective and enhanced my understanding of how rail systems are developed and implemented in diverse environments. I’ve been fortunate to work with a wide range of train control and signalling systems, from conventional setups to Class B systems, to more advanced technologies like , ETCS (European Train Control System), and ATO (Automatic Train Operation). But my experience hasn’t been limited to signalling alone. I’ve also had the chance to learn about other railway subsystems, gaining insights into tracks, overhead contact systems, power supply, SCADA, Operations Control Centres (OCC), and even rolling stock, maintenance facilities, and depots. This comprehensive exposure has given me a holistic view of how each component integrates to create a functioning rail system. Finally, if you were to ask students today, "What industry do you want to work in?", you’d likely hear aspirations of joining sectors like aerospace, automotive, or aviation - industries that are perceived as cutting-edge and exciting. However, the railway industry is often overlooked, not because it lacks excitement or innovation, but simply because it’s not widely known or understood. The truth is, railways are far from boring. They are a vital and dynamic sector with a rich history and a important role in the future of sustainable transport. It's an industry full of opportunities and challenges, and I’m proud to be part of it.

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This recent paper of ours may be of interest on statewide transport modelling #transport #fastrail #strategictransport

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How to become a presenter at a RISSB MasterClass Webinar, another successful Investigate Rail Safety Course in Melbourne, and calls for Development Group members to review AS 7715 Train Detection and AS 7522 Access and Egress. These stories and more in this weeks e-newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gXehnYd5

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#WA Budget // Last Thursday, the Western Australian Government released its 2024-25 Budget, which included a total of $11.8 billion of transport related transport infrastructure projects over the next four years.   The key highlight for rail was an additional $254 million investment in the transformative METRONET project. It is expected that the Yanchep Rail Extension and the Morley-Ellenbrook Line will be completed this year, with a further three major rail projects expected to be delivered in 2025.   Completion of these five major METRONET rail projects will see the delivery of: ▪ 17 new train stations ▪ 61.5 kilometres of new tracks ▪ 5.5 kilometres of new elevated rail ▪ six hectares of new public open space, and ▪ the first east-west connecting rail between the Mandurah and Armadale Lines.   Also of relevance to rail is the investment of $116 million for Westport, including for early marine, civil and road works to transition container trade from Fremantle to Kwinana, unlocking future trade opportunities and economic capacity. This is in addition to the Federal Government's recent pledge of an additional $33.5 million towards the development of Westport as part of their 2024-25 Budget.   The Westport project is the linchpin for future trade growth in Western Australia. It includes planning a new port and the connected road, rail and logistics operations required to move container trade from Fremantle to Kwinana. #WA #rail #investment #majorprojects #metro

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#RailRemunerationPortal // The Australasian Railway Association (ARA) has partnered with REMSMART to launch the ARA Rail Remuneration Portal, an exclusive online platform designed to help ARA members (Class E and above) access critical remuneration data specific to the rail industry. With $154 billion in rail investment planned over the next 15 years, attracting and retaining top talent is more important than ever. The portal provides benchmarking and trend analysis for 490 rail roles, drawing on data from 60 participating organisations. Key benefits include:  ⦁ Benchmark salaries across the rail industry  ⦁ Ensure competitive remuneration for top talent  ⦁ Track remuneration trends to retain key personnel  ⦁ Filter by location, gender, generation, organisation size, or sector  ⦁ Assess benefits like short-term incentives and remote work payments  ⦁ Strategically align remuneration with industry trends Current ARA Members can get involved and join the next survey by contacting Fiona Love, ARA General Manager Workforce Development, at [email protected] to join the next survey.   Not an ARA Member? Learn more and apply here: ara.net.au/membership/ 👉 Find out more about ARA Rail Industry Remuneration Portal and download the brochure by visiting: https://lnkd.in/gXbx877r   #RailIndustry #WorkforcePlanning #RemunerationStrategy #ARA #REMSMART #InnovationInRail 

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How can we get the best out of active transport? This is a terrific report in its scope and content. Well done to Austroads, Dr. Elliot Fishman and coauthors, and everyone involved. I’m particularly pleased to see behaviour programs thoroughly described and justified. Infrastructure alone can only ever be a partial solution. It’s great to see a holistic and comprehensive approach. While it doesn’t actually refer to “systems thinking” it definitely demonstrates many of its attributes. The best outcomes will be achieved by a combination of integrated high value programs. I’d make three comments: 1. The note for the hatched area on Figure 7.4 is unnecessary and distracting. Even if a “Combination of high volumes and low speeds are very rare”, such locations still need to be managed. After spending 6 weeks in inner Melbourne, I’ve found many such locations. This figure also raises the issue about what is meant by speed - speed limit, travel speed, 85%, maximum, or something else? 2. The report touches on processes but only barely. A fundamental flaw in providing for, promoting and maximising active transport is the substandard transport planning processes and project planning. For instance, the Metronet projects in Perth had behaviour change programs to maximise active transport and patronage in the cost-benefit justification. But the programs were deleted because they were ‘operational’ not projects costs. Active transport projects and programs need to be normalised in transport planning. 3. People are important. Professionals and others involved need to be capable (skilled, knowledgeable, experienced), be motivated and have good attitudes. This report provides a very good basis for the ‘knowledge’ part. Unfortunately, I’ve had far too many conversations with people involved in transport decisions who are ignorant, skeptical and blatantly antagonistic on the basis of personal opinion. So professional development is essential, in transport and beyond. Craig Wooldridge Michelle Prior Helen Ginbey

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In response to the recent Four Corners program "Road Gold" I wrote an article on toll roads which Engineers Australia kindly published. It is linked below. In this article I argue that toll roads are not only inequitable, but also inefficient. Our urban freeway networks are neither cheap nor "busting congestion". In fact, congestion is worsening. Transport policy needs to change in Australia. #Transportation #TransportPlanning #Australia #TransportEconomics https://lnkd.in/gu33PAQA

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How would you like it if a coworker of yours attends a conference and tells you in detail afterwards how it went, with their commentary as value-add? This is just what you get in this episode where I analyse and comment on two presentations from the recent Urban Rail 2024 conference in Brisbane. Both presentations were about exciting ETCS projects, curiously both outside Europe. Find out about: * Why I think that the most exciting ETCS projects right now evolve in Sydney and Delhi, of all places. * How it comes that Australian city railways have an uncommon choice of signalling technologies, CBTC versus ETCS. * What ETCS "Hybrid Level 3" is and what benefits it can bring to a railway. And much more. Find the audio version here (or on popular podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts and Spotify): https://lnkd.in/g4FCX8XE Or watch the video version here: https://lnkd.in/gJQwCTfh   #RailwayConversationsWithDocFrank #podcast #etcs #docfrankrailservices

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#FederalBudget // Last night saw the Australian Government and the ARTC commit to a substantial investment of more than $1 billion, dedicated to improving the resilience and reliability of our critical national rail infrastructure. In recent years we have seen a dramatic increase in the frequency and severity of weather events, resulting in unprecedented flooding and washouts of critical rail infrastructure.  These disruptions can cripple our national supply chains, causing significant economic damage and shortages of essential goods that communities rely on across Australia. For the past two years the ARA has worked with its rail freight members and stakeholders to advocate for increased investment in our national rail network, which in some places is more than 100 years old. The $540 million of funding from the Australian Government, combined with ARTC’s own investment of $500 million, will ensure that our critical rail infrastructure will be more resilient to future weather events and provide the reliability needed to transport essential goods to communities and businesses when they need it most. I commend both the Australian Government and the ARTC for this substantial commitment to improving the vital rail infrastructure that keeps Australia moving. ARA media release: https://lnkd.in/eXRcMtfp

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Designing a transport journey to achieve equal access takes commitment from many, which the team working to deliver Cross River Rail on Yuggera and Turrbal Country in Brisbane, Australia, has achieved by implementing an extensive co-design process. This process involved a deep engagement process with a diverse reference group to ensure that complex needs are met – from vision and hearing impairment to accessibility and mobility requirements – and that the journey from beyond the station to inside the carriage is seamless. The outcomes have resulted in a Toolkit: Embedding Accessibility Co-design in the Delivery of Public Transport Infrastructure, developed in collaboration with the Cross River Rail Delivery Authority and The Hopkins Centre: Research for Rehabilitation and Resilience. As Hassell’s Tanya Golitschenko explains, “The Toolkit centres on three key pillars of the co-design process – developing a thorough framework, a consistent process and measured outcomes. Understanding these three pillars can guide any organisation or team looking to deliver an inclusive project or space through co-design.” 🔗 Take a closer look at the toolkit: https://lnkd.in/gX7aWp5B 🔗 Learn more about Cross River Rail: https://lnkd.in/e5iwAYHe #CrossRiverRail #DiversityEquityInclusion #CoDesign #NothingAboutUsWithoutUs #Brisbane2032

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I am lost. Really. My old colleague John Nuttall pointed out to me that Transport for NSW have ensured that “completing the loop” with Sydney Metro is impossible ( without significant retrospective investment into power systems) Without nerding you all out and Jo Haylen , the SM WSA trains will be wider than SM NW/C&SW trains and they will run on 25kVac, not 1500Vdc. As they have a different supplier, the train control system might not be compatible either. So we have a GOA4 solution with different control and power systems? Are you kidding me? Different Trains Different Kinetic Envelopes Different Power Requirements Different TCS Different Operators Different Suppliers Different Contractors NSW Government Procurement Policy GONE MAD I am putting my ‘cue in the rack’ advocating for a Metro System for Liverpool City Council - pipedream with these constraints. Honestly I am flabbergasted at the “rail people” in Transport for NSW that have allowed this . Homogenisation within Procurement can be achieved without breaching probity and governance. In fairness not @Jo Haylen fault here but can be repaired. Perhaps get John Nuttall out of retirement.

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High Speed Rail, State Commuter Networks, Freight and Interoperability - Connect the pieces and understand the full picture. Last night I was afforded the privilege to sit on a panel session with highly respected industry leaders at a community evening in Sydney’s Inner West to discuss High Speed Rail in Australia. Many topics were raised during the course of the evening, all interesting and lively, however one item that drew a lot of debate was that of “High Speed Rail facilitating the movement of freight”. Such was the liveliness of the discussion that it drove me to reflect on topic further. Without doubt, the environmental benefits to be obtained through successfully migrating freight from road to rail are both clear and important, and to that end, the introduction of High-Speed Rail has a vital role to play. However, this is not through the direct carrying of heavy haul vehicles on its network, but rather through the easement of passenger movement on what are effectively capacity constrained commuter networks carrying long distance traveler’s. Across the Eastern Seaboard of Australia there are a number of very critical activities currently being played out, each one of which has a key role to play in delivering better outcomes for the carriage of freight and its migration from road to rail. Inland Rail with its program of works to facilitate the faster movement of inter-state freight, the roll-out of digital train control systems throughout the state networks to improve capacity (including most importantly on those “shared corridors”), and finally the establishment of interoperable working between and through the various network, currently being driven by the NTC. Each and every one of those four distinct programs of work and activities have equal importance, and when put together, they provide an integrated transport solution for both our passenger and freight needs into the future. Progress is being made with respect to Inland Rail and the digital train control roll-out by the various States. Likewise, the work being done by the National Transport Commission, working with the below and above ground Operators is also making good progress, and promises to resolve an issue that has eluded the Australian rail industry for decades. We mustn’t however lose sight of the fact that without the delivery of a High-Speed Rail Network (at a Regional and National level along the Eastern Seaboard), the true potential of the other programs will not be fully realised. A truly integrated and successful transport solution is no more complex than putting together a jigsaw puzzle, without all the pieces in place, the picture is incomplete.

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Kudos to the National Transport Commission. Just alone with this map defining the National Network for Interoperability in Australia, they have achieved more to progress this topic in the last 12 months than what the entire industry did in the 15 years prior. There also appears a much clearer vision how to achieve that interoperability technically by the use of the European Train Control System (ETCS). The people already championing ETCS back in 2009 as the "obvious" solution for Australia will surely have their told-you-so moment, but in fairness to what happened in those years it needed (and to some extent still needs) a solution with ETCS that is scalable enough to meet the capacity needs of our major cities and is affordable for the railways in between. And that solution did simply not exist until rather recently. If history has shown one thing is that adopting ETCS as it was back then just because "it works in Europe" was way too simplistic. I'm confident we can do better now with some newer features of ETCS that can facilitate the needs of all effected railways in Australia being met. Happy to help where needed... #australia #railways #etcs #interoperability #docfrankrailservices

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Its Wayback Wednesday ! With the current press and the establishment of the High Speed Rail Authority in 2023, the team have taken a look back at one of the most critical pieces of rail infrastructure on the northern outskirts of Sydney. The current rail bridge at Brooklyn north of Sydney traverses the Hawkesbury River and carries the Main North Railway Line. The bridge was one of the key network assets that connected the state capitals Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney & Brisbane and was a major engineering achievement at that time. Work commenced on the bridge in 1939 but wasn't completed until 1946. The bridge was positioned upstream of the original bridge and consists of 8 spans and piers sunk to depths of 180+ft. Construction of the bridge spans were completed on the northern side of Long Island, placed onto barges and then floated to the correct locations adjacent the piers at high-tide. The original railway bridge to the east was constructed in 1889 and the original concrete and sandstone pylons from this bridge are still present to this day and were at the time sunk to record depths of 150+ft below the high-water mark. Both current and former bridges have State Heritage Listing and were added to the State Heritage Register in 1999. #conveyancing #property #insurance #history #environment #environmentalrisk #landuse #propertydevelopment #planning #research #waybackwednesday #duediligence #climateresilience #infrastructure #landuseplanning #lending #historymatters #spatialfinance #rail #railinfrastructure #newsouthwales PEXA Land Insight

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New steps towards success

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The Victoria State Government (Victorian Government)'s plan for a new rail line, Melbourne Metro 2, aims to enhance connectivity with stations in Fishermans Bend. When asked for comment for a recent article by Patrick Hatch and Kieran Rooney in The Age, Linda Norman of the Fishermans Bend Business Forum welcomed the news, though emphasised the need for swift action and definitive timelines to dispel uncertainty. This clarity is essential for advancing plans among developers and institutions like the University of Melbourne, which has faced delays in its campus expansion due to transport challenges. Linda highlighted developers' frustration, calling for concrete plans and funding commitments. “Clarity on timelines is essential for moving forward,” she noted. Despite additional bus services, promised tram lines have not been delivered, further stalling development and investment in the precinct. According to BCI Central, Fishermans Bend has $3.4 billion worth of proposed and ongoing projects, yet a lack of public transport is stalling development. Guy Naselli, Vice-President of the Fishermans Bend Business Forum and Managing Director of NSL Property Group, emphasised that businesses are delaying investments due to poor connectivity with Melbourne. “Public transport is crucial for decisions on investment and development,” he said. Read The Age article below. #urbanrenewal #publictransport #infrastructure #urbanplanning #community #developer #train #investment #funding #melbourne #melbournenews #melbournerealestate Mary Barry David Hamilton

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How can we decarbonise the transport sector when electrification will only take us so far? In this opinion piece by published in The Australian, our Australasia Transport Leader, Alex Borg makes it clear that the transport industry cannot rely on electrification alone to achieve its net zero goals. He summarises the findings from our recent submission to the Australian Government’s Transport and Infrastructure Net Zero Consultation Roadmap, which underscore a critical reality: to effectively decarbonise harder-to-abate sectors such as aviation, rail freight, and shipping within the necessary timeframe, we must invest now in technologies that support hydrogen and low carbon liquid fuels. Other key insights include: • Electrification is a vital step, but not a complete solution. • Hydrogen and low carbon liquid fuels are essential for sectors where electrification is not feasible. • Immediate investment in these technologies, as well as coordinated planning across Government and industry, are crucial for meeting our net zero targets. “We must not be deterred by the challenges of scaling up alternative fuel technologies. We need to create the economic and technical conditions for hydrogen and low carbon liquid fuels to become commercially attractive if we are to reach net zero by 2050,” says Alex. Read the full article here: https://bit.ly/47miySA #TransportDecarbonisation #NetZero

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