AUSTRALIA’s High Speed Rail Authority (HSRA) has appointed a partnership led by SNCF Group subsidiary Keolis as business, operations and maintenance adviser (Boma) for the proposed 194km Sydney - Newcastle 320km/h high-speed line. The value of the contract has not been disclosed.
Keolis will spearhead the Boma role, working with its parent company French National Railways (SNCF) and French specialist certification firm Certifer. According to Keolis, the partnership will act as HSRA’s shadow operator and maintainer, helping to ensure that operational, maintenance and customer requirements are taken into account during the two-year development phase, ahead of construction starting in 2028.
During the development phase the partnership will focus on detailed design, planning and approvals work, procurement, delivery planning, and further refinement of the project’s scope, cost, schedule and risks to inform a future Australian government investment decision.
“Our role is to help ensure Australia benefits from lessons learned across some of the world's most successful high speed rail systems, while developing an approach tailored to Australian communities and passengers," says Keolis group CEO, Frédéric Van Heems.
Delivery partner
Keolis’ appointment comes shortly after HSRA awarded Bechtel the role of delivery partner for the high-speed line’s development phase. Bechtel says its extensive global rail experience, including working on Sydney Metro and the newly completed Western Sydney Airport, were instrumental in securing the contract, the value of which again has not been disclosed.
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