Experts from Ricardo’s renewable energy, sustainability and financial modelling practices will work alongside in-house rolling stock, signaling and electrification specialists to assess available and potential options for the DIT, ranging from infrastructure upgrades to new fleet procurement and the adoption of alternative signaling technologies.
The feasibility and technology study, to be submitted in Q3 2023, will underpin future investment decisions as the department strives to ensure rail operations support the Government of South Australia’s objective of net zero emissions by 2050.
Tom Koutsantonis, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Energy and Mining of the Government of South Australia, said, “The award of these contracts represents a great opportunity to assess the best options available globally and build a case for how these technologies can be best applied in South Australia, particularly as we transition away from diesel-powered services and explore other feasible possibilities.”
Michael Newman, Managing Director, Asia Pacific, for Ricardo's rail business, added, “Advising critical infrastructure on net-zero technologies and energy transition is central to Ricardo’s overarching mission.
“We are one of very few organizations with the scale and capability to support such technically challenging work in complex domains such as rail and transit. Our appointment by the DIT is an exciting milestone for our growing Australia business and we look forward to working with them to deliver a comprehensive appraisal of their future options,” Newman added.
Within the scope of the study are commuter routes including the Belair, Outer Harbor and Grange rail lines, each of which currently use diesel-powered rolling stock that are expected to reach end of-service-life in the next decade.
Throughout the report, Ricardo’s experts will undertake assessments against key criteria such as whole-of-life costs, feasibility, technological maturity and, through operational modelling simulation tools, the impact on existing service levels.