Month: June 2019

Arcadis and Mott MacDonald Awarded Sydney Metro City & Southwest – Southwest Metro Design Services Contract

A $26 million contract has been awarded to help deliver the metro upgrade of the T3 Bankstown Line between Sydenham and Bankstown.

Metron T2M, a joint venture between Arcadis Australia Pacific Pty Ltd and Mott MacDonald Australia Pty Ltd, will deliver design services for the stations and the railway corridor between Marrickville and Punchbowl.

The metro upgrade means all 11 stations will be fully accessible, including:

• delivering lifts for the first time at Punchbowl, Wiley Park, Canterbury, Hurlstone Park and Dulwich Hill stations;
• configuring platforms to be level with train doors, removing the step up into the train which is common at many stations on the line.

Sydney Metro is Australia’s biggest public transport project, delivering 31 stations and 66 kilometres of new metro rail, revolutionising the way Australia’s biggest city travels.

Sydney Metro City & Southwest extends the metro rail 30 kilometres from the end of Sydney Metro Northwest at Chatswood under Sydney Harbour, through new CBD stations and south west to Bankstown.

Phil Kajewski, Managing Director Transportation Australia Pacific, Arcadis: ‘‘This is an incredibly important piece of the Sydney Metro project and we are very excited to help bring this to life. Being able to easily move around our cities is critical not only to the sustainable growth of our cities but to the quality of life of our citizens.

“Our scope of works includes the upgrade of nine train stations along the Bankstown line to enable them to accommodate the new fleet of single deck, frequently stopping, driver-less trains. Arcadis’ scope also includes the upgrade of the rail systems along the 14km corridor between stations,’‘ said Kajewski.

The T3 Bankstown Line creates a significant bottleneck for the existing rail network – it effectively slows down the network because of the way it merges with other railway lines close to the Sydney CBD.  By moving Bankstown Line services to the new standalone metro system, we can remove this bottleneck and provide more reliable journeys for customers from all across Sydney.

Community feedback helps shape Sydney Metro Bankstown Line upgrade. Following community feedback, there will be reduced closures of the Bankstown Line while it is being upgraded to Sydney Metro railway standards.

The heritage character of stations along the 122-year-old T3 Bankstown Line will also be retained following community feedback for the Sydenham to Bankstown section of Sydney Metro. Customers in Sydney’s south west can expect a world-class Sydney Metro service with more trains, faster travel times and easier access to stations.

Providing Independent Economic Analysis and Advice

What does sustainability mean to Frontier Economics?

Sustainability is the concept of doing more with less which fundamentally aligns to good economic principles. At Frontier Economics we are increasingly seeing the assessment of sustainability initiatives featuring in the economic advice that we give our clients.

We want our clients to have the best and most relevant advice on how they can make better investment choices. When it comes to sustainability this means that we can provide our clients with advice that uses a triple bottom line (economic, environmental and social) framework. In particular, we seek to robustly value impacts that may be challenging to value such as externalities or liveability impacts.

Why did you become an ISCA member?

We became a member because we saw that ISCA were good at pushing the envelope of sustainability within the infrastructure sector. A lot of the clients that we work with are similar to the organisations that ISCA work with on their sustainability ratings, so it was quite a logical decision for us to become members. We see clear opportunities to better value both the costs and benefits of sustainability, so we wanted to make sure that we work closely with a peak body that looks to improve the practice around making better infrastructure investments. 

How have you benefited from being part of the IS Community?

Businesses who are undertaking the IS Rating Scheme don’t get rewarded for business as usual. We see this as a great incentive to push industry to go further and continue to improve. We have seen the obvious benefits that the IS V1.1 and V1.2 have had on the IS community with the rating scheme now being widely mandated on state level infrastructure projects. This has allowed ISCA to really push the IS community and we are excited the inclusion of both a planning phase and economic theme in V2.0.

What notable projects are you currently working on?

The Western Parkland City: As the third city of Sydney, over one million additional people are expected to move into the Western Parkland City (the South Creek Catchment) over the next forty years. This urbanisation will place major pressure on the health of the local environment and waterways. It will pose significant challenges in meeting a much higher community demand for water services in one of the hottest, driest and flattest parts of Greater Sydney. In the face of challenges such as climate change, increased community expectation around liveability and concerns around affordability, the challenge is to ensure the provision of key services in a way that generates the greatest benefit to the community.

Against this backdrop, Frontier Economics was engaged by Infrastructure NSW to develop a strategic options business case that considers the value of integrating land use and water cycle management in achieving the NSW Government’s economic, social and environmental objectives for the Western Parkland City. This landmark piece of work found that adopting integrated land use and water cycle management strategies would best deliver the Government’s vision and provided significant economic value to the community in the form of reduced future costs of water, wastewater and energy infrastructure, improved health outcomes from access to open space and reduced urban heat, and improved environmental outcomes.  The study involved innovative techniques to value reduced burden of heat and inactivity-related disease and mortality, increased access to active and passive recreation opportunities, reduced upstream bulk water and downstream wastewater costs and improved waterway health.

However, unlocking these benefits requires significant infrastructure investment. To ensure a set of efficient, equitable, dependable and transparent mechanisms are available to fund the investments integral to the vision for a cool, green and liveable Western Parkland City, Frontier Economics is undertaking an analysis of funding options and enablers for investment in water, open space, urban canopy and other related aspects of urban design. This review involved assessing which parties contribute to the need for and benefit from these investments in the Western Parkland City and the resulting distribution of the costs and benefits across the local, State and Australian communities.

Resilience Guidelines: We have been working on a project with Infrastructure NSW to embed resilience to natural hazards in the planning of infrastructure.  One lesson learnt from this project is the benefit we have seen from being clear early in the project as to whether certain resilience issues are a primary problem for the investment being considered, or, are they problems that need to be monitored over time with solutions potentially found at a later date. This relates to the idea of moving our perception of infrastructure investment as being a binary, one shot decision to invest or not invest. Instead, making a series of staged investment choices over time can be a much better strategy in the face of uncertainty. 

Through our work with Infrastructure NSW on this project, we have found that considerations of climate risks need to be made at appropriate points during the project development if you are going to adequately incorporate resilience into your solution. We worked alongside NSW Treasury to develop a scheme similar to the IS guidelines with a focus on being both practical and project specific.

Liveability and water: We have been working with Water Services Association of Australia to look at valuing the health benefits of creating more liveable communities through the process of water investments. Some questions we have been asking during this project have been:

• What are the benefits of creating water-centric communities?
• How can we value impacts such as increased access to green space, better air quality, increased active recreation, potentially improved productivity.
• Going beyond quantification to consider practical approaches to reducing the funding gap in integrated water catchment management.

This report can be accessed here.

What does the future hold for Frontier Economics?

In the last month we turned 20 years old. A key factor in reaching this milestone has been consistency over time. Every client we had in our first year who still exist are still our clients today. The foundational value that underpins this is that we want to continue to provide robust independent economic analysis for our clients. This increasingly means working on projects which we refer to as “urban economics” – where multiple sectors are considered holistically.

Going forward, we are keen to be involved in a range of infrastructure projects and hope to work closely with clients, and ISCA, to use economics to inform better investments.

At Frontier Economics we believe that good economics underpins good infrastructure investment. The fact ISCA have included an economic theme in the IS rating v2.0 illustrates that they too desire for infrastructure investment to be underpinned by a clear economic rationale.

If you think that Frontier Economics can assist you then please contact Ben Mason (ben.mason@frontier-economics.com.au) or Elly Davis (elly.davis@frontier-economics.com.au).

Senior Sustainability Consultant

Due to continued growth, Cardno’s Water & Environment team is currently seeking a highly motivated and experienced Senior Sustainability Consultant to join our busy team in Melbourne CBD.

Over the last few years Cardno has continued to establish its footprint within the sustainability sector by delivering excellent and complex environmental and sustainability solutions to private clients, governments and communities across Australia, the Pacific and South-east Asia.

Focusing on construction management, land development and infrastructure projects, we have not only led some of the most significant sustainable and social projects, but also have strong involvement with the Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia through Working Groups and development of V2.0.

Joining Cardno means being part of something more than the average engineering firm. Following Cardno’s vision, we strive to find new ways to protect, conserve and enhance our physical, social, economic and cultural environments, while responsibly managing the resources and ecosystems on which future generations depend.

As a candidate with sophisticated years of experience, you’ll be instrumental to the business success by providing complex and specialist advise, managing projects, and promoting Cardno’s sustainability and construction environmental management services.

The role

Your responsibilities will include –

• Contribute to proposal preparation and business development activities alongside our APAC Environment and Suitability Director
• Contribute in the delivery of industry-best practice sustainability outcomes for our industry partners in the transport, water, mining, ports, marine, oil and gas, and renewable energy sectors
• Working with our committed sustainability consultants to deliver on existing project commitments
• Lead, manage and/or review projects and project teams to ensure work output is of a technically high standard, complies with quality management systems, and activities are commercially viable for the business
• Provide specialist technical input, advice and review into feasibility studies and complex technical applications
• Develop strong working relationships to internal and external peers and stakeholders

Ideally you will possess –

• Appropriate Tertiary qualification
• Infrastructure Sustainability Accredited Professional (ISAP) including experience in IS rating delivery
• Proven project management experience
• Demonstrated knowledge in multiple fields of environmental science
• Thorough knowledge of relevant standards and legislation
• An ability to demonstrate originality and ingenuity for devising practical and economic solutions to problems
• Strong interpersonal and negotiation skills
• Ability to work within a multi-disciplinary team
• Strong commercial acumen
• Flexibility to travel
• Leadership skills

Why join Cardno?
Cardno offers meaningful opportunities for each individual member of our team to grow, make an impact and leave a legacy for local communities, globally.

By joining Cardno, you will be part of an environment where you can collaborate with leading experts from diverse backgrounds, access development programs to achieve your career goals, and be challenged to take a global outlook.

At Cardno, we take care of the people that keep our business, clients and communities thriving. We offer benefits and initiatives to enhance your health and wellbeing, including parental leave, purchased leave and flexible working arrangements.

About Cardno
We are a global provider of integrated professional services which enrich the physical and social environment for the communities in which we live and work. Our team of multidisciplinary specialists has more than 70 years’ experience in designing, developing and delivering sustainable projects and community advancement programs.

Notice to recruitment agencies: Please note that Cardno does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters or recruitment agencies.

To apply click here

Collaboration | ISCA and Christchurch City Council Sign Memorandum of Understanding

Christchurch City Council recognises that climate change is having a critical and significant impact on their environment. This is echoed through the commitments and actions taken by the Council to provide leadership on climate change such as:  setting a carbon neutral by 2030 goal; joining the Compact of Mayors for Energy and Climate; new sustainable procurement requirements, and the revision of its climate smart strategy in 2019.

On the 23^rd May the Council declared a Climate Emergency, a similar and necessary approach taken by world leading local governments. With climate change leadership a publicly announced strategic priority, Christchurch City Council is making it clear that business as usual is no longer an acceptable solution.

In another bold move, the first of its kind across Australia and New Zealand, the Council signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia (ISCA) to measure, monitor and report on the Council carbon load across its infrastructure asset portfolio.
Councillor Sara Templeton, Chair of the Climate Change Working Group, attended ISCA’s #ConnectNZ Infrastructure Sustainability Summit in Auckland in May, executing the MOU with Ainsley Simpson, ISCA CEO.

As part of a panel on climate and carbon, Councillor Templeton confirmed the weight of Council’s commitment, noting “that going forward Councillors will review all decisions with an additional lens of climate risk – a bold and essential step that reflects the scale and speed of change needed.”

The MOU sets out a collaborative pathway with Council as well as actions to support the Council’s infrastructure supply chain in making this rapid transition. Mrs Simpson commended Council for already updating their procurement policy to include sustainability as a priority. Deployment of ISCA tools provides the next step to begin recording a baseline and consistently measuring progress towards carbon neutrality.

She further commented that “We are looking forward to working with Council to help increase awareness and the use of tools that can help the city reach its zero net emissions goals. Using the IS Materials Calculator will help drive and deliver measurable improvements from infrastructure.” Infrastructure enabling transportation and waste management inherently have high emissions profiles.

Suppliers can find out more about ISCA’s tools through an online program. For more information contact training@isca.org.au.

The Number One Challenge For Aurecon’s New Global Rail Leader

Global engineering and infrastructure advisory firm Aurecon has appointed rail infrastructure delivery specialist Becky Wood as its new Global Service Leader, Rail & Mass Transit.

Becky will set the direction for this growth market and drive its capabilities forward as the team pursues major projects, particularly in Asia, and completes its current pipeline, including Auckland City Rail Link, Gold Coast Light Rail, Mauritius Metro Express light rail, Melbourne Metro, and several Sydney Metro projects such as Sydenham Station Junction.

Coming from a finance rather than a traditional engineering background, Becky believes that understanding the future of rail requires a ‘systems thinking’ perspective.

“For me, railways can be complex systems so understanding the future needs of passengers, freight and connectivity in general is all about data and how we make sense of it,” Becky said.

“We need to understand what the vast amount of information we collect about the sector is telling us, so we can focus innovation on where it will be most meaningful for safer, more efficient, more accessible and better-connected railway systems.

“Our number one challenge is to better understand that data and what it suggests needs to evolve in our thinking about rail, allowing us to develop new ways to move people and goods, to imagine through virtual reality how our stations could look before they are built and to collect information that could improve safety outcomes.

“And of course, what’s central to really understanding the data is drawing on the breadth of expertise across the rail business to make sense of it.  In short, a lot of this is about people, and that’s partly why I enjoy our sector so much.”
The Asia Pacific region leads globally in railway investment with expected investment increasing from USD$557 billion to nearly USD$900 billion per year by 2025.

Becky joins Aurecon from Transport for NSW where she was the Executive Director, Fleet Program Delivery, responsible for the AUD$6 billion program of new heavy rail rolling stock and ferry vessels for the State.  In 2018, Becky was named one of the top 50 public sector women in NSW.
Rail is in Becky’s blood.  Her grandfather and great-grandfather built tank locomotives in the North of England that were shipped far and wide.  While those steam trains are a world away from the energy efficient driverless trains used today, the inspiration to explore the industry from the global perspective has stayed with her.

“My interest in the rail sector has always gone way beyond the rolling stock and fixed infrastructure; for me it’s about communities and what rail can do to connect people and move people and goods around in a safer, more efficient, more accessible and more enjoyable way.  Rail can be transformational in terms of both urban and regional liveability and connectivity, and can bring a positive impact to people from all walks of life. That’s why it’s such an exciting industry to be part of,” Becky said.

Becky is an experienced rail delivery professional, having managed a range of complex and significant major rail programs with past roles including Director Rail Major Projects and Growth for the UK’s Department for Transport where she was the government sponsor for the £15 billion Crossrail Project and played lead roles on the Thameslink, Intercity Express and national network electrification programs.  She has also led a range of major station upgrades and international and technical rail matters for government.

“There are so many opportunities to unlock capacity, even within our older rail systems, but that requires considering those opportunities from multiple angles and through all phases of work. From fleets to signalling systems, and to fixed infrastructure, and from design right through to operations,” Becky said.

“Opportunities in design particularly interest me. I was fortunate to have been seconded earlier in my career into the role of Deputy Director for the UK’s Department for Transport for the London Olympics and Paralympics and it was during this time that I really came to understand with those athletes, particularly the Paralympic athletes, the role that smart transport design can play in bringing communities together and making our cities accessible to all.”

Aurecon’s Managing Director, Infrastructure Ben Stapleton said he was delighted to have Becky on board.

“Becky joins us at an exciting time for our Rail team.  We are experiencing significant growth in this sector and are expanding our capabilities rapidly in Asia to meet client demand.  Becky will help to bring a diversity of thought and the power of her perspective from working in the public sector will be a great asset,” Ben said.

“She brings a financial and economic lens that will consider all aspects of the industry from sustainability to safety and from freight to passenger and how we can design to meet these challenges.”