SMART's Director of Rail Logistics Andrew McCusker conducted a Rail Directions Workshop in March 2012. This is Andrew's introduction and outline of the workshop.

1. RAIL DIRECTIONS
WORKSHOP
Andrew McCusker
Director
Rail Logistics Division
SMART
19 March 2012

4. MTR’s AIMS
o 50 year horizon planning
o Authority at service delivery level
o Total customer focus + always improving
o Improve + innovate delivery systems
o Skilled + motivated people
o Capital invest within capability

5. MTR - UOW PARTNERSHIP
o 16 years: research + education
o Asset replacement modelling
o Limits: wheel set parameters + a/c motor drives
o Inhouse Maintenance Management course
o Supported MTR achieving aggressive goals
o Managing the change risks

6. UOW ENGINEERING
o CRC for Rail Innovation
o Rolling Stock Management
o Engineering Asset Management
o Centre for Geomechanics + Railway Engineering
o Life Cycle management of railway bridges
o Rail noise mitigation
o Non-destructive ballast
o Design: ballast, formation, track

7. WORKSHOP OUTCOMES 2010
o Rail’s future
o SMART’s strategic direction
o SMART’s value proposition
o Success factors: relevance; stakeholder management;
evidence of success; funding
o Research areas – Passenger movement; freight; supply
chain; intermodal; patronage studies; behaviour change;
high speed rail

8. 2012 WORKSHOP
DESIRED OUTCOMES
o Update on SMART Rail Logistics group
o Research streams: your feedback + input
o Industry + Govt priorities: Listen/ascertain
o Ensure compelling + relevant research
o Forge closer relationships

9. 5 RESEARCH STREAMS
o Improving customer service
o Systems considerations in asset investment
o Education + training for rail professionals
o Constraint modelling, enhance rail capacity
o Sensormatics

10. CONSTRAINT MODELLING
TO ENHANCE CAPACITY
o Develop modelling tools
o ‘What if’ scenario simulations
o Model logistic chains
o Network & facilities capacity

11. SENSORMATICS
o Networked sensors in field
o Capturing real-time data
o Monitoring + predicting
o UOW Landslip project
o Future use: bridges, viaducts, track

12. INDUSTRY CHALLENGES
o Capital funding priorities
o High Speed Rail
o Improving passenger/freight conflicts
o More from system + assets
o Capability loss: engineers + managers retiring
o Technology: productivity, resilience, intermodal
o Customer centric service + satisfaction

13. IMPROVING FREIGHT +
PASSENGER NETWORKS
o Opportunities exist in:
o Line capacity
o Port rail facilities
o Intermodal terminals
o Passenger transfer
o Train asset reliability
o Resource + skill modelling
o Resilience + vulnerability

15. IMPROVING CUSTOMER
SERVICE
o World best practice
o Gap analysis
o Build customer satisfaction models
o Implementing customer centric capability
o Capture + measure: needs + performance

17. TOTAL CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
Taxi Car Bike
Car
Bus

18. DELIVERING CUSTOMER VALUE
o Make rail services attractive
o Know customer priorities
o Build customer centric organisations
o Achieve best practice
o Be flexible, change + respond to needs
o Improve business efficiency
o Practical standards