OPERATOR & SERVICE PROVIDER EXCELLENCE AWARD FINALISTS 2020

This category recognises excellence in the delivery of services or management of operations of a major infrastructure asset.

Sponsored by

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CANBERRA METRO CONSORTIUM: ABERDEEN INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS, CAF, CPB CONTRACTORS, DB ENGINEERING & CONSULTING, JOHN HOLLAND GROUP, MITSUBISHI CORPORATION, MUFG, PACIFIC PARTNERSHIPS, UGL

The Canberra Light Rail Stage One project involved the finance, design, construction, operations and maintenance of a 12-kilometre light rail route from Gungahlin in Canberra’s north to its Civic precinct. There are 13 stops along the Stage One route, with services every six minutes during peak periods and every 10-15 minutes off-peak. The Canberra Metro Consortium comprised CIMIC Group companies Pacific Partnerships, CPB Contractors and UGL, along with John Holland, Mitsubishi Corporation and Aberdeen, while CAF supplied, and now maintains the light rail vehicles.

Operational services commenced in April 2019, with UGL and John Holland providing operations and maintenance services for 20 years. The project has exceeded patronage forecasts, provides a reliable and efficient link between Canberra’s growing northern suburbs and main commercial district, and represents the first stage in the ACT Government’s 25-year plan for a city-wide light rail network. The judges shortlisted Canberra Light Rail for its success in providing Canberra’s first light rail connection, and the positive momentum this creates for future stages of the light rail network. The judges noted its delivery as the first transport Public Private Partnership in the ACT, its seamless rollout and outstanding customer satisfaction results.

THE PONDS ON-DEMAND BUS SERVICE

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BUSWAYS, VIA

The Ponds On-Demand Bus Service, operated by Cooee Busways, provides a first and last-mile transport solution, enhancing community access to Sydney Metro and Sydney Trains services and increasing public transport ridership. Bus operator Busways was selected to run the on-demand bus service, with Via as the technology platform enabling a fully dynamic bus service, rather than a rigid system of fixed routes and schedules. The service includes six small buses which operate from 5 am until 9 pm on weekdays. The service has achieved positive outcomes, providing around 500 rides per day to commuters on average, with an average utilisation rate of 9.4 passengers per vehicle per driving hour, which is the highest utilisation rate in the world for a paid on-demand public transport service. The judges shortlisted the Ponds On-Demand Bus service for its integration with other services such as the Opal Payment system and fixed line public transport services. The Judges noted the service’s collaborative approach with government and industry, which placed user experience at the core of its service offering.

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PLENARY SCHOOLS CONSORTIUM: DELTA FM, PLENARY GROUP, WATPAC

The $1.52 billion Queensland Schools Project is a key element of the Queensland Government’s plan for education in Queensland by catering to growing education demand in the state.

Procured as a Public Private Partnership, in 2013 the Queensland Department of Education contracted the Plenary Schools Consortium to finance, design, construct, commission and maintain eight new primary schools and two new secondary schools, for southeast Queensland’s highest growth areas. The first package of schools opened at the start of the 2015 academic year, and the tenth and final school, Spring Mountain State School, welcomed its first students at the start of the 2019 academic year. Combined, the schools provide places for more than 10,000 new students and employ more than 650 staff. The judges shortlisted the Queensland Schools project for the industry-leading abatement of quarterly service payments, which represent outstanding operational performance for educational assets of this nature. The judges also noted the positive outcomes achieved in the standard of education and learning outcomes, which has been enabled through the long-term O&M contract of the schools to Plenary Schools.

AUSTRALIA’S FIRST MOTORCYCLE TRAFFIC RESPONSE UNIT FOR OPEN ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE

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GATEWAY MOTORWAY SERVICES

Australia’s first Motorcycle Traffic Response Unit, delivered by Gateway Motorway Services, is a Traffic Incident Management Service deployed along the 64 kilometres of motorway, which includes 81 bridges – one of which is the 1.6 kilometre Gateway Bridge in Brisbane. The Motorcycle Unit consists of ex-police motorcycles being deployed upon the open road network to respond to traffic incidents that occur within peak periods that consist of congested traffic queues. The motorcycles possess the advantage of being small enough to safely attend the scene via the use of carriageway shoulders and lane filtering manoeuvres. This enables incidents to be resolved quickly and safely, as well as improving road user compliance with posted speed limits. The judges shortlisted Gateway Motorway Services for its innovative design and integration into the existing motorway structure. The judges noted the project had achieved a strong performance, attending over 150 incidents in its first six months of operation, and significantly reducing incident response times and improving user satisfaction by up to 300 per cent.