Meet the team

These programs focus on providing safer, more efficient, and more accessible stations across New South Wales. For Claire, rail projects are gratifying to work on, because the engineering challenges they offer have relatable outcomes.

“I can see the problems, and I can see the difference it will make when these problems are solved,” she says. 

In a previous role, she worked on the new major upgrade to Redfern Station, which recently came online.

“It was just lovely to be able to create something that was better for the community. Our aim was – let's not just put something in here that's standard, off-the-shelf that will tick the boxes. Let's talk to people and see what they like and want they want.”

After graduating from university, Claire got her first engineering job working as a site engineer – the sole female alongside “300 big brothers” on an eight-storey commercial build in Dublin. Claire and her husband visited Australia for the first time on a round-the-world trip, and while here, she picked up contract work in the design office of the Westlink M7 project.

Five years later, she decided to make a permanent move down under. After first working on smaller projects such as rail sub-station upgrades, she eventually became the go-to rail specialist in her structural engineering team. For Claire, rail projects have an element commercial and residential builds lack – the constant operational needs of customers.

“It's a really unique environment in that your design is so driven from day one by the limitations in time and space for construction. The windows for construction are usually very small and short, and leave very little room for error.”

Currently reading: Classic Roald Dahl and Enid Blyton with the kids

Favourite holiday destination: Cascais, in Portugal

Get in touch: 0410 360 198, Claire.Doyle@aurecongroup.com

It’s an approach he applies to the Melbourne Metro project, where he provides operational advice to the Victorian Government and the Aurecon joint venture team.

Kevin’s belief is that you can create cost-effective solutions to provide the best customer experience while also achieving greater reliability for the network.

Safety is another priority. Kevin points to the 1999 Ladbroke Grove rail crash in London, where 31 people died. In the wake of that tragedy, training and competence management were improved, and signaling technology was upgraded. It’s part of a broader digital transformation that continues in rail systems around the world.

“One of the outcomes from that incident was the rollout of advanced train control systems. The enhanced safety of digital systems and train control systems have the potential to bring improvements to not only safety, but efficiency and reliability as well,” Kevin says.

Given his pragmatic approach, Kevin doesn’t romanticise diesel or steam engines as many trainspotters do, but instead has a soft spot for AC locos.

His reasons?

“They were quieter, they weren't smelly, and they were more comfortable.”

For Kevin Moloney, customer centric considerations always win out.

Currently reading: The Tao of Pooh, and The Te of Piglet by Benjamin Hoff

Favourite holiday destination: The beaches of Fiji – Likuliku, and Vomo Island (good for families)

Get in touch: 0424 947 907, Kevin.Moloney@aurecongroup.com

“Now, we focus on ensuring that not only all of the technical requirements are met, but also the way things are designed, organised, delivered, and the way construction is staged is not only acceptable but preferable to the end user, as well as our clients.”

James is putting his skills to good use on the major upgrade of Sydney’s Central Station. In particular, he’s been working on the rearrangement of the track to help provide more frequent and efficient passenger services.

“When things are really constrained you have a chance to really chew on the problem and try and come up with a useful solution – something that meets multiple objectives as opposed to just satisfying the standard requirements. It's about identifying what the most important and most significant things to try and achieve are, and then making sure you get those addressed.”

Technology is helping to bridge engineering expertise with community expectations. James experienced this first-hand recently while working on the concept design of a new maintenance facility.

“I was really surprised how effective a 3D rendering of the proposed works helped the public to understand and engage with the proposed design. It helped them provide really valuable feedback about how they would prefer things to be.”

Currently reading: The Big Picture: On the Origins of Life, Meaning, and the Universe Itself by Sean Carroll

Currently listening to: Freakonomics, Planet Money, and Radio Lab

Dream travel experience: Fly fishing in New Zealand

Get in touch: 02 9465 5408, James.Lennard@aurecongroup.com

“Power stations have very restricted access, whereas in train stations you have large numbers of the public coming within access of the electrical infrastructure on a daily basis which needs to be considered in the design.”

Through various traction power projects on the different rail networks, Renene has been a part of introducing best practice switchgear, remote switching, and modular buildings to reduce construction costs and time within the rail corridor.

These are examples, Renene says, of energy sector innovations that can readily be translated to rail.

“From an electrical engineering perspective, there are a lot of similarities. Electrons are still electrons.”

Currently reading: French Exit by Patrick deWitt

Favourite travel destination: Paris and Seville

Get in touch: 02 9465 5862, Renene.Windsor@aurecongroup.com