SMART Rail Logistics Division

The SMART Rail Logistics Division is part of the SMART Infrastructure Facility. Its purpose is to research and champion the role of rail as an integral component of the broader transport network in Australia.

The SMART Rail Logistics Division is focussed on pushing new research boundaries and developing a rich inter-disciplinary fabric to ensure Australia is well placed to be more efficient and resilient in its logistics task of freight and people.

The New South Wales Government, through RailCorp, has provided $10 million towards the establishment of the centre. SMART is in the process of recruiting a Rail Logistics Professor to provide national leadership of the Rail Logistics Division. Click to download an information package for this position.

Rail strategy workshop identified research themes

SMART convened a strategy workshop to explore the issues and research gaps concerning rail and broader transport and logistics tasks in Australia in November 2010.  The high level workshop included key industry, academic and government executives.

The workshop concluded that rail needs be better integrated with other transport modes and have a much stronger customer focus.

The workshop also acknowledged that while rail has been historically significant, connecting the cities to the country, it has lacked critical development and investment to allow for modernisation which has resulted in rail infrastructure that has not grown in parallel with the country.

As a result, rail has seen its relevance diminish significantly since the 1950s, and it has been replaced by road due to a lack of timing and capacity. Rail freight on the east coast has fallen to 19% of the total freight market and will continue to slide without crucial change.

Importantly, the workshop agreed that transport in Australia is interlinked, with all modes dependent on the others in some form.  Despite this a distinct silo mentality is present amongst transport modes, indeed within modes (ie rail freight and passenger rail) and this hinders the ability of policymakers to provide interlinked and intermodal infrastructure solutions.

The workshop findings will help inform the future directions of the SMART Rail Logistics Division.

Downloads

Rail Logistics Professor information package (March 2011)

SMART rail roundtable identifies future research directions (November 2010)

Premier announces SMART Rail Institute (10 July 2009)