At its meeting in Sydney on 28 November hosted by Transport for NSW, the Australasian Centre for Rail Innovation (ACRI) Board noted a range of achievements during the 2017 calendar year:
- Completion and release of the Rail Industry Stakeholder Survey
- Completion of research into human factor responses to active ‘expect trains’ level crossing signage
- Commencement of the 2017/20 ACRI research tranche and the 15 projects currently in delivery or early commencement stages
- Participation in the successful application to establish the ARC Training Centre for Advanced Technologies in Rail Track Infrastructure at the University of Wollongong
- Participation in the successful application to establish the iMOVE Cooperative Research Centre
- Active involvement in research conferences, including sponsorship of the 25th International Symposium on Dynamics of Vehicles on Roads and Tracks in RockhamptonThe Board also welcomed during 2017:
- Rubim De Moura as the incoming ACRI Board member representing Fortescue Mining and acknowledged the active contribution across board and research planning of Bela Felsner
- Philip Campbell as the incoming ACRI Board member representing ARTC and wished Tim Ryan all the best for his impending March 2018 retirement from a career of significant impact to the rail industry
- Stuart Harrison as the Board representative for new ACRI participant Roy Hill and Michael Bailey as the incoming ACRI Board member representing BHP
- Vicki Brown as a new independent director, who had led the establishment of ACRI until her retirement in July
- Andrew Meier as ACRI Executive Director/Chief Executive and Dr Ankie Larsson as the ACRI Project Manager
ACRI thanks its participants for shaping ACRI’s research activity during 2017 and looks forward to continuing to inform Australasian rail industry efficiency, safety and competitiveness in 2018.