This week, the ARA was delighted to join with Edith Cowan University (ECU) in announcing that ECU Engineering has taken a lead role in developing a railway engineering curriculum. The ARA and ECU have signed a formal agreement to develop a set of railway engineering units for inclusion in the Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) programs to address a state and national demand for graduates with railway engineering knowledge. 

This has been made possible with the amazing support of our industry partners, the Public Transport Authority (PTA), ARC Infrastructure and Rio Tinto. These partners will contribute their expertise and support throughout the build phase as well as when the units are being delivered to undergraduates and to those taking the units as courses outside a degree program. 

The ARA is committed to working with university partners on behalf of the rail industry to ensure we are developing the critical rail skills needed now and into the future as we face a retirement cliff in 2035.  

ECU Professor Daryoush Habibi and the academic team in the Engineering Faculty have collaborated with Candice Rhodes from Rio Tinto, Brian Appleby from PTA and Sam Crowford from ARC Infrastructure to bring this great initiative to life. 

Enrolment will be available from 2025 and will be offered in a hybrid mode.