The future of rail research in Australia was on the agenda this week (Thursday) when leaders from the Australian rail industry converged on Rockhampton (CQU's Capricornia College) for a board meeting of Rail CRC, the Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Railway Engineering and Technologies.

The leaders included CEO’s and senior managers of the Australasian Railway Association (ARA), QR, Pacific National, RailCorp and Australian Rail Track Corporation.

The meeting also included senior research academics from Australia’s major universities, which are partners in Rail CRC including Central Queensland University, Monash University, University of South Australia, University of Wollongong, Queensland University of Technology and University of Queensland.

Funded under the Federal Government’s Cooperative Research Centres Program, which joins industry and universities to advance Australian industry through increased research and development efforts, Rail CRC has been working since 2001 to increase the rail industry’s efficiency, safety and operations through collaborative rail research.

The major item for discussion on the agenda will be the future of rail research in Australia, with the railway industry currently working on an application for combined industry, university and government funding of a new rail research centre after funding for the current Rail CRC concludes in June 2008.

According to Rail CRC Chairman, and former Queensland Rail CEO, Mr Vince O’Rourke AM, Rail CRC has already achieved significant success developing a number of new leading edge technologies, including a new safer brake technology, OZ-ECP to deliver longer, faster trains, new scheduling software ScheduleMiser to enhance network capacity, as well as new postgraduate education courses to increase the skills base in an industry facing a dire skills shortage.

“Rail CRC has received strong support from the rail industry for this application, and we are calling for the Federal Government’s support for a new Rail CRC beyond 2008 - the only transport-related CRC in the program’s 15 year history”.

With its headquarters at CQU in Rockhampton, Rail CRC is also one of very few Cooperative Research Centres around Australia based in a regional location, with the majority of the 71 centres based in capital cities.

“Considering the fact Australia’s freight transport task is expected to double in the next 10 to 15 years, we believe it is imperative that a strong rail research program continues into the future to ensure a bright future for the Australian rail industry,” Mr O’Rourke said.