The co-founder and CEO of Parallel Systems, Matt Soule, will be a keynote speaker at the ARA Rail Freight Conference 2024, held from Tuesday, 9 April to Wednesday, 10 April in Sydney, along with several other additional speakers now confirmed.

Parallel Systems focuses on innovations that support a cleaner, more automated rail industry and is developing world-first battery-powered autonomous freight wagons, including a partnership with Arc Infrastructure in Perth.

Parallel Systems is driven by its mission to decarbonise freight and will achieve this by enabling railroads to open terminals for less and operate new transportation services alongside traditional freight trains.

Matt has extensive experience using advanced technologies to disrupt established industries. Previously, he spent 13 years at SpaceX in various roles, including Head of Avionics where he led a department of 300 people in the design and testing of space electronics. Prior to that, he held various engineering roles at Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin. Matt received a Master of Science in electrical engineering from University of Southern California, and a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from Northwestern University.

The ARA Rail Freight Conference is the only national conference dedicated to the rail freight sector. Bringing together senior executives from the rail freight and intermodal sectors, this two-day conference presents a crucial opportunity to stay informed on the latest developments and research in the industry.

Two site tours have been confirmed for Monday, 8 April, ahead of the conference – Botany Rail Line Duplication and Cabramatta Loop Project and the Moorebank Intermodal precinct.

Beyond the rail freight sector, this conference is open to community or council representatives keen on exploring the significant economic, social and environmental opportunities that rail freight can bring to their region.

The program will include presentations on:

  • Sustainability
  • Technology and innovation
  • Inland rail
  • Intermodal and ports
  • Supply chain
  • Operations
  • Safety
  • Skills

For more information and to view the detailed program and confirmed speakers, click here.

Spaces for the site tours are expected to fill up quickly so please ensure you have registered if you wish to attend.