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Melbourne – Brisbane Inland Rail Alignment Study

New South Wales, Australia

Client: Australian Rail Track Corporation

Parsons Brinckerhoff Role: Geographic Information Systems

Melbourne – Brisbane Inland Rail Alignment Study
In 2008, the Australian Government commissioned the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) to identify the economic benefits and likely success of a new multi-billion-dollar inland railway between Melbourne and Brisbane.
The existing Melbourne-Brisbane rail line runs north-south along the coastline via Sydney. It is thought that an inland route through the central west of New South Wales could slash the time it takes to move freight by rail from Melbourne to Brisbane, making rail transport more competitive on this corridor and shifting freight from road to rail.
Parsons Brinckerhoff provided geospatial services for this study to:
– support capex and opex modelling on the critical path and assist in determining the best alignment for the rail corridor;
– assess 150 potential route options comprising more than 4,000 miles (7,000 kilometers) of track, taking into account economic, engineering and environmental constraints.
Parsons Brinckerhoff established a centralized geographic information system (GIS) database to assess the options for seamless data transmission across three state jurisdictions. The database became the information portal for design, infrastructure, environmental, topographic and economic data. Parsons Brinckerhoff also developed automated analysis and modelling tools to assess the vast number of route options and quantify constraints on multiple routes within the database. The results of the GIS analysis were extracted, formatted and distributed to the project team to guide planners. Outputs were then costed by applying sample treatments to prioritize the most viable alignment options. This automated systematic approach was innovative and cost-effective. The benefits included:
? transparent assessment methodology and a repeatable, transparent process. Route options were able to be quickly reassessed as they evolved throughout the project;
? the ability to manage vast amounts of data, ensuring that the project team and subconsultants, who were located in multiple offices, were using the latest data.
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Parsons Brinckerhoff works with clients from local, private, state and federal institutions to understand their business needs and provide professional technical advice on how to best plan, implement and use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology and location information, and apply GIS Asset Management. GIS helps to reduce information overload by bringing key information sources together and providing analytical tools to support planning and decision-making.

Parsons Brinckerhoff’s GIS experts provide services for a wide range of clients, with specialties in the integrated management of spatial technology to meet complex challenges for total project delivery. GIS focuses on providing cost-effective solutions to projects through data consolidation and integration, quality assurance, risk management and visualization of spatial information. Aspects of this include strategic consulting, system design, implementation and operational GIS for data storage, processing, modelling, analysis, extraction and reporting, mapping and web-based distribution.

Parsons Brinckerhoff’s GIS Asset Management experts specialize in designing and implementing best-practice, whole-of-life solutions to improve business process, asset performance, minimise risk and maximise return on investment. Our strength is in developing asset management systems and support services integrated with GIS technology to support our clients in a range of utilities and transport market sectors. Our systems are backed by key experts with extensive experience in providing timely, accurate and accessible asset information for projects at all stages.

The techniques that we employ in developing GIS strategies are technology-independent and flexible in their application, ensuring that our products and services suit the client’s size and needs.  Our GIS solutions include:

  • Desktop, mobile and web-based GIS and spatial data analysis
  • Database design, administration and management
  • Application development
  • Asset management

With experience on providing integrated spatial solutions to large infrastructure developments, we can work with our clients throughout the entire life cycle of a project. We continue to develop innovative solutions and products that shape and define best practice in the Geospatial Industry.