More than a dozen senior executives from Australia’s leading rail organisations have converged on CQU Rockhampton.

The visitors were in the city to attend a quarterly meeting of the Development Group that assists the executive of the Australasian Railway Association (ARA) with strategic planning issues. The ARA is the political voice for the rail sector in Australia and New Zealand.

New ARA chief executive officer Bryan Nye led the visit, which was designed to promote an understanding of the innovative research programs being run by Rail CRC (the Cooperative Research Centre for Railway Engineering and Technologies), headquartered at Central Queensland University Rockhampton Campus.

The visitors also gained an insight into the Centre for Railway Engineering, which is a designated CQU research centre, and inspected local Queensland Rail facilities.

The ARA represents the interests of both private and government rail operators (freight, passenger, tourist and heritage): track owners, manufacturers of locomotives, rolling stock, signalling and communications: equipment suppliers; maintenance and construction companies; freight forwarders, investment banks, lawyers, IT and service providers, consultants and both major rail unions.

The visiting group included representatives of organisations including: Alstom Australia, Barclay Mowlem Construction, United Goninan, Interfleet Technology, Rail Infrastructure Corporation, and Queensland Rail. ENDS For details call Bryan Nye (ARA) via 0400 007 951 or Professor Dudley Roach (Rail CRC) on 0419 651 623 or via 4930 9597.

Caption: New ARA chief executive officer Bryan Nye (right) visits Rail CRC (the Cooperative Research Centre for Railway Engineering and Technologies), headquartered at Central Queensland University Rockhampton Campus, in the company of Rail CRC chief executive officer Professor Dudley Roach.