The ARA hosted the first instalment of its Sustainability Webinar Series on Monday, discussing the importance of resilience to the industry’s future.  

The rail industry has been affected by increasing extreme weather events as our climate changes, disrupting passenger and freight services and impacting supply chains.  

There is currently no consistent national approach to transport network resilience across the sector and, as climate change impacts increase, collaboration will be essential to address this critical issue.  

Arup Global Resilience and Adaptation Lead Kaitlin Shilling called for systems approach, rather than a focus on single assets.  

The recently released National Climate Risk Assessment released earlier this year confirmed hazard concern levels for infrastructure were expected to be consistent to 2050 (generally medium, with a high level of concern for bushfire and cyclones), but without action would rise in the years following  

The ARA Sustainability Guide recommends organisations develop a climate risk assessment that includes a focus on hazard identification, exposure assessment and vulnerability assessment to ensure they are ready to tackle these challenges. Having the right data to inform this work will also be essential.  

US rail operator Amtrack has adopted this approach as part of its planning to mitigate the impacts of chronic flooding and other climate risks across its networks.   

It has used GIS mapping to forecast future scenarios, quantifying potential flood levels at specific locations. This has informed the assessment of its exposure risk based on the geolocation of its assets.  

Sustainability Director Kara Oldhouser said Amtrack uses a number of criticality metrics when assessing the resilience of its assets including costs, downtime and service impact.   

These metrics are helping Amtrack prioritise projects as part of its climate ready capital program, with the aim of improving the network’s ability to withstand weather events, minimise disruptions and prevent costly repairs after an event.  

The growing impact of climate change on businesses was also recognised by Western Program Alliance Sustainability Manager Bo Christensen.  

The program has delivered a range of sustainability measures as part of the Mt Derrimut Road level crossing removal project in Victoria to reduce the heat island effect of the infrastructure.  

The program completed a climate change risk assessment and urban heat island evaluation and design mapping to develop an innovative, sustainable design.  

Solar panels were installed on bus shelter rooftops to power the site, while a cool seal car park, shaded areas, green roof and green space all reduce heat impacts.  

These approaches create a more sustainable outcome for the local community and enhance the customer experience for rail users in the area.  

Kaitlin, Kara and Bo all emphasised the importance of collaboration to drive systems-wide approaches, while moving forward with improvements on individual networks or projects where possible.   

The ARA has recently established a Resilience Working Group for rail industry organisations with responsibility for critical infrastructure assets. The working group will explore opportunities for nationally consistent approaches to support the resilience of the rail network.  

The ARA has developed the Sustainability Webinar Series in partnership with Arup to outline the key learnings identified in the ARA Sustainability Guide.  

Future webinar dates