With nearly three decades of experience in the rail industry, Paul Hawthorne brings a blend of frontline expertise, strategic leadership and operational understanding to his new role as Executive General Manager Rail at engineering and construction company DT Infrastructure (DTI).

We sat down with Hawthorne to talk about his journey, his vision for DTI, and his thoughts on the future of rail in Australia.

Hawthorne didn’t grow up knowing he wanted to be in the rail industry, but since starting out as a track worker almost 30 years ago, he’s never looked back.

“I was soon bitten by the rail bug,” he said. “You form such a bond with the people you work with in this industry.

“As clichéd as it sounds, it’s like a family – especially when there’s a failure, or things don’t go to plan on site; everyone rolls their sleeves up and digs in until trains are running again.”

Over the years, Hawthorne has worked across many disciplines within the rail industry – from high-speed to conventional rail and heavy haul.

He’s spent time in engineering, maintenance, asset management and managing major projects, with experience across British, European and Australian railways.

His career has spanned high-profile companies such as Network Rail, HS1, Swietelsky Rail Australia, Rio Tinto and Laing O’Rourke.

“Importantly, each of those organisations had strong cultures in continuous improvement, which has instilled in me a mindset of never accepting the status quo and always looking for better ways to do things,” he said.

“I’ve had the privilege of working alongside some incredibly bright and knowledgeable people – not just senior project leaders, but engineers, machine operators and people from all different fields within rail, who’ve helped shaped me into the leader I am today.”

Hawthorne brings a strong focus on developing people to his new role as Executive General Manager Rail at DTI.

“I benefited enormously from being mentored early on in my career, so I want to create that same opportunity for others,” he said.

“I want to encourage people to be curious, ask questions, be ambitious, not being afraid to fail, and most importantly, to feel supported as they grow.”

He believes one of DTI’s greatest strengths is its people.

“There’s an incredible level of energy and enthusiasm at DTI that’s matched by a genuine desire to invest in people through a structured, long-term approach in both professional and personal growth,” he said.

“Across the rail industry – I think now more than ever – there are decades of experience and knowledge that we risk losing soon.

“This reinforces the need to continually develop our people and focus on how we attract people into engineering and construction trades.”

He said attracting, developing and retaining the people needed to deliver the pipeline of work ahead continues to be one of the major challenges facing the rail industry.

“DTI is committed to being an employer of choice,” he said. “We’re addressing this through structured career pathways, university partnerships, learning and development programs, and partnerships with organisations such as the Australasian Railway Association (ARA).”

Increasing gender diversity is also a priority for DTI.

“We’re proud to be involved in the ARA Women in Rail Mentoring and Future Leader programs but also understand there’s more to do to in fostering a more diverse rail workforce,” Hawthorne added.

DTI’s Social Impact division is another major focus, with a strong commitment to social procurement, environmental sustainability, diversity and inclusion, and First Nations participation.

“All of these initiatives are critical not just to growing the industry, but to support a workforce that is engaged, capable and proud of what they do.”

Hawthorne said DTI provides a “truly national” rail offering, delivering projects of differing sizes and scales all over Australia, across both metropolitan and regional areas.

“With recent successes such as the Waurn Ponds Duplication project in Victoria and METRONET in Perth, Sydney Metro stations and the Queensland Train Manufacturing Program, we are reinforcing our standing as a trusted rail delivery partner,” he said.

“We own an extensive rail plant fleet and pride ourselves on listening to our clients’ needs and being engaged early to help provide certainty in program and cost and optimal whole-of-life solutions.

“We combine experienced track, civil and overhead wiring capabilities with our rail systems teams, which specialise in signalling and communications design, installation and commissioning, to provide an in-house turnkey offering.”

Hawthorne believes that DTI’s ability to integrate projects sets the company apart.

“We manage projects so that construction is always supported by a progressive assurance approach, using our in-house Systems Engineering and Safety Assurance (SESA) teams.”

With Hawthorne at the helm, DTI plans to build on its existing capabilities and expand to create sustained growth.

“Our ambition is to provide services across a range of project types with various levels of complexity and scope, including maintenance and renewals projects where we are improving reliability and network resilience,” he explained.

“Other focus areas for us are multidisciplinary projects that tackle system obsolescence, constructing maintenance depots for the new train fleets being introduced across Australia, and major rail infrastructure projects that elevate cities and communities.”

Hawthorne said DTI wants to continue to trend as early adopters of technology and innovation, using systems that help it to make better informed, consistent decisions.

“We don’t want to remove people from the process, but to understand where artificial intelligence can add value at each stage of the project lifecycle and act as a decision support tool to enhance existing knowledge and skills,” he said.

“We are also keen to develop and enhance our rail plant capabilities. We understand that track access time is a precious commodity, and that as an industry, we should continually strive for safer and more efficient methods of working.

“We’re exploring partnerships with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and clients, with the goal of introducing rail plant that can increase productivity, reduce carbon emissions, and improve safety of people and plant interfaces through automation.”

Having spent a large portion of his career in high-speed rail, Hawthorne hopes it will become a reality in Australia soon.

“High-speed rail is close to my heart, and I’ve seen first-hand how it can influence regeneration in regions and support economic growth,” he said.

“However, interoperability and harmonisation are front of mind right now, which will make implementing technology, procurement and project delivery more streamlined.

“We’re already seeing European Train Control Systems (ETCS) and Communications-based Train Control (CBTC) systems being introduced in Australia, which are key to developing a more homogenised rail industry.”

Sharing his advice for the next generation of rail leaders, Hawthorne said it’s important to be curious and ask questions.

“Be prepared to step outside your comfort zone,” he said. “Build resilience – there’ll be some challenges along the way.

“I also think it is important to be patient; your career is a marathon, not a sprint. I’m sure a few people who know me will laugh at me saying this as patience is still something I’m working on!

“In essence, learn your craft, build your experience, and don’t rush your train journey.”

He said he was lucky to have been guided by a mentor early on in his career.

“My mentor pushed me outside of my comfort zone, which helped me to grow, and they’ve had a huge influence on the path I’ve taken since.

“Having a mentor wasn’t planned – I was in the right place at the right time – but it’s something I’d encourage anyone to have early in their career, no matter what level you are or the role you’re in.”