The High Speed Rail Authority (HSRA) has appointed a partnership led by transport operator Keolis as its Business, Operations and Maintenance Adviser (BOMA) for the Newcastle to Sydney High Speed Rail project.

Keolis, alongside SNCF and CERTIFER, will help to embed operational, maintenance and customer considerations into the development of Australia’s first high-speed rail line.

This includes aspects from service planning and customer experience through to maintenance strategy and operational readiness.

The partnership will act as HSRA’s shadow operator and maintainer, embedding an operator-led approach into the design and development of the railway.

“This will help ensure the system is not only engineered effectively, but is also designed to be practical, efficient and customer-focused in operation,” Keolis said in a statement.

As a global public transport operator with almost 20 years of experience in Australia, Keolis will provide overall leadership and transport integration guidance to the High Speed Rail Authority.

French transport operator SNCF will offer direct experience from more than four decades of high-speed rail operations, while CERTIFER will contribute specialist railway safety, assurance and certification capability.

Together, the partnership brings more than four decades of experience from operating and optimising established high-speed rail services, including France’s TGV network, Eurostar, Morocco’s Al Boraq and OUIGO services in France and Spain.

The team also brings current advisory and development experience from emerging high-speed rail programs, including Alto in Canada and California High Speed Rail.

David Franks, Chief Executive Officer for Keolis Australia and New Zealand, said Keolis is proud to be part of this nation-shaping project, supporting the High Speed Rail Authority to develop a railway that is designed with the passenger and operator in mind from day one.

“Keolis has been part of Australia’s public transport landscape for almost 20 years, delivering services for millions of passengers every year.

“This appointment gives us the opportunity to combine that local operational experience with global high speed rail expertise to help develop a railway that Australians will be proud of.”