INDUSTRY BENCHMARK: Infrastructure Partnerships Australia has awarded the “2024 Operator and Service Provider Excellence Award” to ACCIONA and its partners in the ALTRAC Light Rail consortium.

ACCIONA and its ALTRAC Light Rail partners received the recognition for their outstanding work in the operation and maintenance of the Sydney Light Rail during the annual awards ceremony organized by Infrastructure Partnerships Australia (IPA), the country’s leading forum in the infrastructure sector. These awards aim to acknowledge innovation and excellence across Australia’s public and private infrastructure industries.

During the ceremony, ACCIONA and its partners were honored with the “2024 Operator and Service Provider Excellence Award” for their exemplary management of the Sydney Light Rail’s operations and maintenance.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

The Sydney Light Rail, inaugurated in December 2019, provides a safe and sustainable transport alternative that addresses the needs of the city’s growing population. As one of the flagship initiatives in Sydney’s long-term transport strategy, the light rail plays a vital role in reducing congestion and connecting key educational, sporting, entertainment, and healthcare hubs with the Central Business District (CBD) and Circular Quay.

ACCIONA began working on the project in 2014, alongside its partners in the ALTRAC consortium, as part of a public-private partnership (PPP) with the Government of New South Wales. The project encompassed the design, construction, financing, operation, and maintenance—through 2036—of a 12-km dual-track light rail line, as well as the ongoing operation of 25 km of infrastructure, which includes the new section and an existing 13-km line.

The new light rail network features 19 stops, a tunnel section, a bridge, control center facilities, depots for light rail vehicles, maintenance facilities, substations, support buildings along the route, and newly developed pedestrian areas.

The project earned the Infrastructure Sustainability (IS) Design Rating, awarded by the Infrastructure Sustainability Council of Australia, achieving the highest score in the Innovation category and an overall rating well above the required threshold.

Among the project’s most notable sustainability and innovation achievements are:

• The HESOP regenerative braking system, which recovers nearly 100% of the energy generated during braking and reuses it for auxiliary systems or resells it to power producers.

• A geothermal air-conditioning system, which saves an average of 12.6 tons of carbon emissions annually compared to conventional systems.