More than 3,000 people will attend the rail industry's largest ever AusRAIL next month, with over 120 exhibitors and an impressive lineup of more than 100 local and international speakers, including world champion surfer Layne Beachley AO.
The Australasian Railway Association (ARA) announced Ms Beachley AO will be keynote speaker at the exhibition, to be held at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre from 25-27 November.
Ms Beachley AO is one of the world's most successful surfers and a passionate advocate for mental resilience, equality and the environment, and will share valuable insights on leadership, purpose and peak performance.
The AusRAIL 2024 conference will welcome industry and government leaders from Australia and across the world and feature four social events, panel discussions and several workshops. It will also be the first time that the conference will feature nine concurrent sessions to choose from.
ARA CEO Caroline Wilkie said this year's AusRAIL will be the largest ever held and a major highlight on the rail industry calendar.
"This year's AusRAIL program is our most extensive ever and will cover all of the important issues facing our industry – addressing workforce gaps, improving sustainability performance, getting more freight on rail and delivering a first-class rail network for passengers," Ms Wilkie said.
"This is the largest event in the Asia Pacific region for rail professionals. Organised by the industry, for the industry, AusRAIL 2024 also provides unparalleled networking opportunities and invaluable insights."
Other speakers at the AusRAIL 2024 conference include:
- Sally Stannard | Director General, Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads
- Tim Parker | Chief Executive Officer, High Speed Rail Authority
- Phil Mumford | Chief Executive Officer, GoldlinQ
- Daniel Williams | Chief Executive Officer, Metro Trains Sydney
- Natalie Pelham | Chief Executive Officer, ONRSR
- Jacqui Walters | National Rail Manufacturing Advocate, Department of Industry, Science and Resources
- Carolyn Walsh | Chair and Commissioner, National Transport Commission
- Wayne Johnson | Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, ARTC
- Kat Stapleton | Chief Executive Officer, Queensland Rail
- Graeme Newton | Chief Executive Officer, Cross River Rail Delivery Authority
The conference program will feature a "fireside chat" with Ms Wilkie and Frankie Carroll, Chief Executive Officer, Suburban Rail Loop Authority, as well as several discussion panels on public transport, signalling, productivity, safety and future skills.
Due to the high demand for tickets to the social functions, AusRAIL 2024 delegates, sponsors and exhibitors receive priority access to book tickets to AusRAIL social events.
Priority ticket bookings will apply to the Sunset Soiree on Monday 25 November, Women in Rail Breakfast on Tuesday 26 November and Yellow Dinner on Wednesday 27 November and remain open until Friday 11 October. After this, bookings will open to ARA member organisations on Monday 14 October 2024 and to non-members on Monday 11 November 2024, pending availability.
AusRAIL 2024 includes two site tours, offering behind-the-scenes access to the Gold Coast Light Rail Depot Tour and the Queensland Train Manufacturing Program (QTMP). These tours are restricted to registered AusRAIL delegates, and have limited capacity, so early registration is essential.
The inaugural AusRAIL 2024 TrackSAFE Charity Golf Day, taking place at RACV Royal Pines Resort, Gold Coast, is now open to registered ARA members. Expressions of interest will be processed on a first-come, first-in basis and space is limited to two tickets per member organisation.
Full registration includes access to conference sessions and the exhibition, including morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea on conference days and exhibition networking drinks on Tuesday 26 November.
ARA members will receive member pricing on registration rates and social function tickets and a $400 discount applies to all registrations prior to 25 October.
