Program

In 2025 – the conference program will be a three day event with over 120 speakers, 600 exhibitors, and six networking events.

PDF program available

NB: Please always refer to this website for the latest program information as changes may be made after publication.

The program for AusRAIL PLUS 2025 is being built. Stay updated with our mailing list for the latest information regarding AusRAIL PLUS 2025.

PRE-EVENT: Tuesday 25 November
1200-1800 Registration open Exhibition concourse, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre	1200-1700 Exhibitor bump in Note: The exhibition does not open until 0800 on Wednesday
1630-1830 Welcome drinks Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre Included networking event for registered conference delegates; guest tickets may be purchased View social program information

Wed 26 Nov
Thu 27 Nov
Fri 28 Nov

DAY ONE: Wednesday 26 November 2025


0630-1800	Registration open Exhibition concourse, MCEC
0630-1730	Speaker support open
0715-0830	Women in Rail breakfast Sponsored by McConnell Dowell Melbourne Room, MCEC Optional networking event at additional cost View social program information
0800-1800	AusRAIL PLUS exhibition open
0840-1030	Welcome and opening plenary session Plenary 2
0840-0850	Welcome to country & MC welcome Glenn Mintern \| AusRAIL PLUS 2025 MC
0850-0855	ARA welcome Lucio Di Bartolomeo \| Chair, Australasian Railway Association
0855-0910	Ministerial address Gabrielle Williams \| Minister for Transport MP, Victorian Government
0910-0930	Tracks to transformation: Australia’s opportunity in the global rail evolution Henri Poupart-Lafarge \| Global Chief Executive Officer, Alstom
0930-1010	PANEL: Victorian operators Panel facilitator Lauren Streifer \| Chief Executive Officer, PTAANZ Panellists Warwick Horsley \| Chief Executive Officer, V/Line Raymond O’Flaherty \| Chief Executive Officer, Metro Trains Melbourne Vincent Destot \| Chief Executive Officer, Yarra Trams (operated by Yarra Journey Makers)
1010-1030	Hitachi Rail
1000-1630	AusRAIL PLUS exhibition theatre presentations AusRAIL PLUS Jacobs Exhibition Theatre
1030-1115	Morning tea AusRAIL PLUS exhibition
1040-1100	First time attendees networking meet up AusRAIL PLUS exhibition
1115-1235	Plenary session Plenary 2
1115-1135	Infrastructure investment priorities for the Rail Industry Jim Betts \| Secretary, Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts
1135-1215	PANEL: Transforming the rail policy landscape Panel facilitator Caroline Wilkie \| Chief Executive Officer, Australasian Railway Association Panellists Sally Stannard \| Director General, Department of Transport and Main Roads Josh Murray \| Secretary, Transport for NSW Carolyn Walsh \| Chair, National Transport Commission Jim Betts \| Secretary, Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts
1215-1235	Rail priorities for the coming decade Doug Moss \| Chief Executive Officer, UGL
1235-1350	Lunch break AusRAIL PLUS exhibition
1350-1530	Concurrent sessions

	Innovation in construction and infrastructure	Digitalisation, AI and automation	Securing the Next Gen workforce	Signalling IRSE technical stream	Technical RTSA technical stream	Workshop Sponsored by NTC

1350-1410	Autonomous mobile robots for rail construction Jay Nathella \| Director, Alcarail Muthu Vangaliappan \| Engineering Manager, Alcarail	Next generation digital train radio system	Flexibility on track: Implementing Next Rail’s flexible work model for industry success Amin Mangat \| People Manager, John Holland Group Regina Wootton \| Project Director, Beerburrum to Nambour Rail Upgrade (B2N) Project, John Holland Group	Open signalling and its role in ensuring the successful delivery of ETCS Level 2 across Australia Yash Mehta \| Signalling Systems Engineer Manager, Quantum Rail Pty Ltd Francisco Parrilla \| Innovation & Solution Manager, Indra Australia Pty Ltd	Can a diesel be Net Zero? Frank Szanto\| Technical Director – Rolling Stock, Jacobs	Reforming Australia’s rail system through the National Rail Action Plan Join the National Transport Commission as they discuss the latest updates on the landmark reforms being delivered through the National Rail Action Plan. The historic program of national rail reform is changing how rail works in Australia by reducing differences across networks and taking a coordinated, national approach to drive interoperability, safety and productivity. Hear from the team on the work being done to introduce the first mandatory rail standards, ensure the interoperability of digital train control technologies and to deliver more consistent and harmonised operating rules and processes.
1410-1430	Are we ready yet? Mark Whitty \| Senior Manager Operational Readiness, Sydney Metro	Beating the ROI conundrum: How the Cross River Rail Delivery Authority has unlocked ‘next level’ value from its 3D digital twin Russell Vine \| General Manager Strategic Communications and Engagement, Cross River Rail Delivery Authority	Ideation to implementation: Transforming rail workforce development ARA Workforce Development Team \| Australasian Railway Association	Integrated real time signalling as a service Bhanuteja Vaddineni \| Senior ICC Specification Engineer, Alstom	Coping with railway change
1430-1450	Model citizens: What happens when you can give everyone access to the model? Chris McKinnon \| Immersive Technology Solutions – Industry Lead, KBR	Revolutionising tram driver’s cabs with AI: Current status and promising applications David Flynn \| Accessibility and User Centric Design Manager – Next Generation Tram Project, Victorian Department of Transport and Planning	Start ’em young – Work experience and internships as pathways to diversity in rail Brandon Fisher \| Product Engineering Manager, Siemens Mobility	Revolutionising signalling networks across Australia and New Zealand Fabiana Sanches-Scaglione \| Project Director Perth HCS, Alstom	Lesson learnt from rail system CBTC commissioning
1450-1510	Bridging legacy and modern: Cost-effective ETCS migration minimising fleet disruption Jordan Oustambasidis \| National Engineering Manager – TCS, UGL	Rail cyber security: Stopping the next rail breach Ben Greaney \| Senior Cyber Security Specialist, Egis Group	Presentation to be announced	Case study of mixed mode signalling: An exploration of Melbourne’s Metro Tunnel Project Thomas Hooymans \| Urban Engineering Director, Alstom	Using interoperability methods to allow a replacement onboard safety system to work with existing signaling safety systems Mark Wood \| Chief Technology Officer, 4ai Systems
1510-1530	Benefits and challenges of alternative materials to reduce supply chain risk in the rail industry Georgia Gosse \| Manager Sustainability, Queensland Rail	Ideation, incubation and industrialisation: The pursuit for 100% service availability in the age of digital Andrew Mudford \| Vice President, Digital Transformation & Advisory, Hitachi	National Rail Workforce Plan: Securing the next generation Carly Grigg \| Industry Engagement Manager – Rail, Industry Skills Australia	Achieving interoperability of disparate digital signalling systems Aaron Fraser \| Engineering Director – Systems & Software, Wabtec	Presentation to be announced
1530-1615	Afternoon tea AusRAIL PLUS exhibition
1615-1735	Concurrent sessions

	Project lessons	Rolling stock	Freight and heavy haul	Track RTAA technical stream	Track/electrical PWI technical stream	Digitalisation, AI and automation

1615-1635	Presentation to be announced	Maximising local content in Victoria’s rolling stock projects: Approach, experience and lessons learned Christopher Wong \| Executive Director Industry and Local Content, Department of Transport and Planning	The future of freight and third-party access Anjum Khan\| Director, Freight & Third Party Access, V/Line Corporation	Thermal stress management using optimal mix of standard and ZLR fasteners on bridges Sebastian Ocampo Duque \| Rail Engineer, Aecom Maneesh Gupta \| Technical Director and WA Team Leader – Rail, Aecom	Rail depots of the future Martin Lock \| Principal Railway Transportation Consultant, GHD	Eyes on the rails: How augmented reality could transform train driving Anirudhha Chatterjee \| Senior Engineer, Arup
1635-1655	MaaS as a catalyst for sustainable mobility: Insights from Deutsche Telekom’s GoodRide Project Silas Wong \| APAC Business Manager, Siemens Mobility	Transforming the rail industry to outrun: a case study on introducing Australia’s first-ever locally manufactured three-level traction converter technology that optimises energy efficiency Pradip Savaliya \| Product Manager, ABB Australia Stuart Gurney \| Senior Sales Engineer Traction – ANZ, ABB Australia	Planning Freight Services on an Increasingly Busy Shared Rail Network Michael Simpson \| Senior Rail Timetable Developer, Victorian Department of Transport and Planning	Railway track health monitoring using advanced technologies Dr Mohammad Siahkouhi \| Researcher, Western Sydney University	Modern analysis of the wheel/rail Interface in junction work Darcy Carroll \| Engineering Manager, Vossloh Australia	Getting on track with rail cybersecurity: Defending the integrity of operational rail systems through design Matthew Hogg \| Cybersecurity Consultant, GHD
1655-1715	Innovative design management: Insights from Sydney and Canberra light rail projects	Rail First Beata Lipman \| Chief Executive Officer, Rail First	Introduction to the EVO Locomotive UGL	Tamping automation to bridge workforce gap Fabian Hansmann\| Head of Marketing, Plasser & Theurer Jochen Nowotny \| Chief Executive Officer, Track Machines Connected	Innovations in the operational shared environment of light rail systems Dianne Banks \| Head of Engineering, Civil and Structural Systems, Yarra Trams	Signal change: Leveraging AI to win in the rail tender landscape Steve Gerlach \| Ai Catalyst, Aurora Marketing
1715-1735	Modern methods of construction in rail infrastructure station projects: A case study of Union Station, Level Crossing Removal Program, Victoria Andrew Hancock \| Program Director, Jacobs Engineering	Greener tracks ahead: The battery advantage Carla Garvie \| Commercial Director, Alstom	Hydrogen powered regenerative braking for heavy haul locomotives	The development of visual inspection: Past, present & future Ellen Cohen \| Assistant Product Marketing Manager, Siemens Mobility	Enhancing urban and suburban railway mass transit systems with advanced 25 kV AC FACTS electrification systems Alexandre Lagarde \| Technical Business Development, GE Vernova	Bridging the gap: Aligning IT and operations with Enterprise Asset Management
1830-2230	Yellow Dinner *Sponsored by ALSTOM* Melbourne Room, MCEC Optional networking event at additional cost View social program information

DAY TWO: Thursday 27 November 2025


0730-1800	Registration open Exhibition concourse, MCEC
0730-1600	Speaker support open
0800-1730	AusRAIL PLUS exhibition open
0850-1030	Plenary session Plenary 2
0850-0555	MC welcome to day two Glenn Mintern \| AusRAIL PLUS 2025 MC
0855-0930	Navigating economic instability: What’s ahead for rail investment in Australia and the world Paul Bloxham \| Chief Economist, New Zealand and Global Commodities, HSBC
0930-0950	Will Tieppo \| Deputy Secretary, Network Design and Integration, Victorian Department of Transport and Planning
0950-1030	PANEL: Sustaining the future of rail freight Panel facilitator Georgia Nicholls \| General Manager – Rail Freight and Heavy Haul, Australasian Railway Association Panellists Brett Grehan \| Chief Executive Officer, Pacific National Hon Melissa Horne MP \| Minister for Ports and Freight, Victorian Government Geoff Smith \| Managing Director, The SCT Group
1000-1610	AusRAIL PLUS exhibition theatre presentations AusRAIL PLUS Jacobs Exhibition Theatre
1030-1115	Morning tea AusRAIL PLUS exhibition
1115-1235	Plenary session Plenary 2
1115-1135	People, planet, performance: The new global benchmark for urban rail Antoine Colas \| Global Chief Executive Officer, Transdev
1135-1215	PANEL: Rail safety Panel facilitator Carolyn Walsh \| Chair, National Transport Commission Panellists Alan Fedda \| Chief Executive Officer, RISSB Natalie Pelham \| Chief Executive Officer, ONRSR Gini Welch \| National Manager Rail Safety Regulation, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency Huw Bridges\| Chief Safety Officer, Transdev Australia & New Zealand
1215-1235	Global insights on the rail supply chain Darren Leigh \| Group Chief Executive Officer, Unipart
1235-1400	Lunch break AusRAIL PLUS exhibition
1400-1600	Concurrent sessions

	Strategic partnerships and innovation	Asset and lifecycle management	Passenger experience	Rail safety (technical)	End-to-end sustainable transport

1400-1420	Driving change at the heart of South East Queensland’s once in a generation rail upgrade Cross River Rail Delivery Authority	Digital transformation of rail infrastructure: The shift to predictive and prescriptive maintenance John Smith \| Chief Executive Officer, Voestalpine Signaling UK Ltd	East Japan Railway Company’s passenger-centric approach to delivering safer, high-performing, and smarter railway operations on legacy infrastructure Shunzo Miyake\| Senior Executive Officer, Director General of International Affairs Headquarters, East Japan Railway Company	National rail safety regulators update Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator	Decarbonisation of regional passenger rail in Victoria Andreas Rey \| Manager Sustainability Program, V/Line Corporation
1420-1440	Enhancing collaboration between defence and rail industries for Australian industry development Anita Kretschmann \| Procurement, Supply Chain & Planning Director, Alstom Australia and New Zealand	Rethinking rail maintenance: How Downer is cutting waste, carbon, and complexity Melodi Gokalp \| Program Manager – NSW Projects & Contract Delivery, Downer Joel Forbes \| Senior Project Manager, Downer	Best practices from SNCF: the case study of Line L (Paris region) Philippe Mouly \| Managing Director of Line L, SNCF	Safety insights from ONRSR’s activity Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator	Leveraging alternative funding models to decarbonise rail Tristan Anderson \| Executive Advisor – Transport & Energy, GHD
1440-1500	Advancing level crossing safety assessments through desktop methodologies Finbar Holland \| Director, Agonics	From data to action: Transforming existing rail systems into predictive maintenance powerhouses David Khoo \| Program Manager, DT Infrastructure Kieran Sager \| Asset Insights Manager, V/Line Corporation	From awareness to action: How experiential training transforms inclusive transport design Ben Harrington \| Training Officer, Travellers Aid Jodie Bateman \| Project officer – Training Programs, Travellers Aid	RISSB update Speaker to be announced	Meeting the needs of the future: Delivering a decarbonisation rail solution Chris Myatt\| GM Decabonisation & Freight Engineering, Downer EDI Rail Pty Ltd
1500-1520	The case for a national approach to rail condition monitoring Ibrahim Fazah\| Co-Founder and Director, Mobility Futures John Garrad \| Chief Executive, Transport Asset Management	The acquisition of land for major infrastructure projects Andrew Dangerfield \| Property Acquisition Manager, Inland Rail	The Elizabeth Line experience: Where customer service meets city transformation Patrick Verwer\| Chief Executive Officer, Go-Ahead Group Rail	Safety on heavy rail and management of climate risks – The Dubai experience David Franks \| Managing Director, Keolis-MHI Dubai	Advancing sustainability: Metro Trains Melbourne’s circular economy strategy and pioneering initiatives Felice Wong\| Sustainability Manager, Metro Trains Melbourne
1520-1540	Implementing creative strategies in Victorian rail projects: insights from engaging First Nations and local artists Charmaine Kasselman\| Project Manager – Legacy Artwork Program (Metro Tunnel), Arup Jeffrey Hamilton \| Communications Manager, Public Transport Authority of Western Australia	Beyond static documents: SIM technology transforming rail communications asset management Samuel Gibson\| Senior Communications Engineer, Public Transport Authority of Western Australia Jeffrey Hamilton \| Communications Manager, Public Transport Authority of Western Australia	Station amenities database Shani Davies \| Program Manager, Metro Trains Melbourne Michael Jewell \| General Manager, Metro Trains Melbourne	Believe the hype? Using artificial intelligence for rail safety assurance John Slowey \| Principal – Safety Assurance, Think Systems	Climate risk management: From information to action Troy Harrison \| Manager Environment Strategy, Queensland Rail
1540-1600	Rail hubs – Evolution or revolution? Anne Shiu \| Principal – Transportation Operational Integration, Jacobs	Data driven approach for track maintenance Jinliang Lester Lim \| Head of Digital Services Asia Pacific, Siemens Mobility	Delivering Victoria’s new public transport ticketing system Susan Palmer-Cannon \| Executive Director Train & Tram Projects, Department of Transport and Planning Daniela McMurray \| Director Technical, Department of Transport and Planning	Presentation to be announced	Embodied emissions study plus sustainability and durability optimised materials specification and design on an Australian transport infrastructure project Jonathon Dyson \| Associate Technical Director – Durability, Arcadis Alyssa Spencer \| Senior Sustainability Consultant, Arcadis
1600-1800	Exhibition networking drinks AusRAIL PLUS 2025 exhibition Included networking event for registered conference delegates and exhibitors; guest tickets may be purchased View social program information
1815-2115	Flavours of Melbourne Street Party South Wharf NEW for 2025 – optional networking event at additional cost View social program information

DAY THREE: Friday 28 November 2025


0700-0800	AusRAIL PLUS 2025 run and walk Departing from MCEC – further details to be announced
0800-1530	Registration open Exhibition concourse, MCEC
0800-1600	AusRAIL PLUS exhibition open
0845-1030	Plenary session Plenary 2
0845-0850	MC welcome to day three Glenn Mintern \| AusRAIL PLUS 2025 MC
0850-0900	ARA address Caroline Wilkie \| Chief Executive Officer, Australasian Railway Association
0900-0920	Ministerial address
0920-0940	Alain Ribat \| Managing Director Transilien, SNCF Voyages
0940-1000	Hiba Fares \| Chairwoman, RATP Dev
1000-1030	Building diversity in rail: The ‘Build Like a Girl’ model Jo Farrell \| Director, Build Like A Girl
1000-1450	AusRAIL PLUS exhibition theatre presentations Sponsored by Jacobs AusRAIL PLUS Jacobs Exhibition Theatre
1030-1115	Morning tea AusRAIL PLUS exhibition
1115-1235	Plenary session Plenary 2
1115-1135	Ministerial address
1135-1155	Sara Elkady \| Global Head of Strategy, Digitalisation and Innovation, Siemens Mobility
1155-1235	PANEL: First Nations community engagement in major rail projects Panellists Sharon Gray \| Group Manager, Diversity, Indigenous and Social Inclusion, CPB Contractors Ashley Garlett \| Aboriginal Engagement Lead, Alstom Australia and New Zealand
1235-1400	Lunch break AusRAIL PLUS exhibition
1400-1530	Plenary session Plenary 2
1400-1440	PANEL: Ten trends shaping the future of public transport Panel facilitator Yvette Mihelic \| Director, Customer Experience, John Holland Group Panellists Matt Longland \| Chief Executive, Sydney Trains Deborah Hume \| Deputy Director-General, Translink
1440-1510	Presentation to be announced
1510-1515	Conference close Caroline Wilkie \| Chief Executive Officer, Australasian Railway Association
1515-1600	Closing drinks to farewell AusRAIL PLUS 2025 MCEC NEW for 2025 – included networking event for registered conference delegates View social program information

Build your network

AusRAIL attracts key industry leaders and decision makers from across Australia, New Zealand and beyond. Join us to meet with representatives of leading rail organisations and build your network.

Connect with people from across the rail industry. Attendees will include representatives from the following sectors:

Passenger rail operators
Freight rail operators
Heavy haul operators
Rollingstock manufacturers
Contractors
Rail industry suppliers
Consultants
Government and industry representatives

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