Australia’s High Speed Rail Authority has appointed a partnership led by Keolis as its Business, Operations & Maintenance Adviser for the development phase of the high-speed rail project connecting Newcastle to Sydney. This collaboration includes Keolis, the French national railway SNCF, and Certifer, a specialist in safety, assurance, and certification.

The partnership is poised to leverage their collective experience with high-speed rail services such as France’s TGV, Eurostar, Ouigo in France and Spain, and Morocco’s Al Boraq, as well as their advisory roles in emerging programs like Alto in Canada and California High Speed Rail.

The High Speed Rail Authority is spearheading the development of a 320 km/h line intended to link Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, and various regional communities along the east coast. The initial stage of the project is planned to run from the new Western Sydney Airport to Newcastle, with stops at Parramatta, Sydney Central, Central Coast, and Lake Macquarie.

Over a two-year period, the Keolis-led team will work as the shadow operator and maintainer for the High Speed Rail Authority, ensuring that operational, maintenance, and customer needs are integrated into the development phase. This process aims to advance detailed design, planning, and approvals, refining the project’s scope, cost, schedule, and risk assessment to guide future government investment decisions.

Keolis Group CEO Frédéric Van Heems stated on July 23, ‘Australia has an extraordinary opportunity to create a high-speed rail network that will transform connectivity between cities and regions for generations to come. Our role is to help ensure Australia benefits from lessons learned across some of the world’s most successful high-speed rail systems, while developing an approach tailored to Australian communities and passengers.’

Keolis already operates the Gold Coast trams, Newcastle light rail, bus, and ferry services, and more than 1,300 buses across Australia. It also provides customer and maintenance services for trains in Adelaide. Australia & New Zealand CEO David Franks highlighted the company’s nearly two decades of involvement in Australia’s public transport sector, stating that the appointment offers a chance to ‘combine that local operational experience with global high-speed rail expertise to help develop a railway that Australians will be proud of.’