Industry, Government & Academia – A Relationship Paradigm Fit for the Future of Transport Infrastructure Assets

Abstract

By 2031 the population of NSW is expected to increase by 2 million. Almost 80% of growth will occur within the Sydney metropolitan area. This will place increased pressure on our transport infrastructure as customer demands for an effective and integrated transport system in and around Sydney grows.The context for our unprecedented program of infrastructure build is clearly set. So too, is the imperative to develop our asset base responsibly to ensure we establish and maintain a legacy network that can serve the City and the State for generations to come - ensuring Sydney continues to be a great place to live, work and do business. The imperative to work smarter, to learn and to harness and deploy the knowledge and experience gained across the globe to our projects and our assets is set.The Asset Standards Authority was created as part of the reform of the metropolitan rail system and has evolved to become a primary assurance vehicle providing technical and governance expertise and advice across Transport for NSW (TfNSW) as well as providing linkages to and access for industry. With a clear focus on ‘whole of life’ multi-mode transport infrastructure, the asset standards authority has led an unprecedented program of engagement centred on competency and capability development across the supply chain. In concert with this, the authority has developed focused relationships with global academia and R&D entities - providing the ‘asset-owners’ perspective and drawing on the considerable intellect that the relationship offers.The paper will describe the early evolution of the ASA's role as an enabler of asset-focused concepts and knowledge, innovation and R&D as part of a broader Industry Engagement task. It will draw on our experiences to date including industry acceptance and readiness and provide insight into our future direction geared towards incorporating the ‘knowledge business’ as BAU.