Deal: Gilbert + Tobin has advised Transport for NSW on the engagement of Network Rail Consulting as the system integrator for deliverance of the government’s digital systems program.

Value: The system integrator engagement is part of an $880 million investment by the NSW government into the modernisation of the Sydney Trains network.

Area: Transport, Infrastructure, Government

Key players: Gilbert + Tobin’s technology and digital team, as led by Sheila McGregor, Lesley Sutton, Simon Burns and Alex Danne, has been supported by lawyers Jen Bradley and Nikhil Shah. The team partnered with the Transport for NSW legal team on all legal aspects of the project.

Deal significance: The engagement of Network Rail Consulting “is the first step towards delivering the government’s Digital Systems Program”, Gilbert + Tobin has outlined.

The role of the system integrator is “critical” in managing Transport for NSW’s collaboration with key partners, as well as assisting with procurement of supplier packages, according to the statement.

It comes after the 2018 announcement of the $880 million investment into technology improvements to modernise Sydney’s train network.

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A key component of the modernisation is the Digital Systems Program, part of the NSW government’s ‘More Trains, More Services’ agenda, the firm said.

'More Trains, More Services’ involves the replacement of trackside signaling equipment with European Train Control System Level 2 technology, implementation of automatic train operation to assist drivers and provide faster and consistent journey times, as well as the introduction of a traffic management system “for more effective management and service regulation across the network”, it explained.

Speaking on behalf of Gilbert + Tobin, partner Sheila McGregor said her team is “delighted to be assisting the [Transport for] NSW team on such an innovative project that will ultimately deliver more value and better transport solutions for the people of NSW”.

“We are able to draw on our understanding of emerging technology and our project experiences in advising on the implementation of digital systems to help structure this unique program,” she continued.

Procurement of other key packages as part of the program will continue through 2019, and services will come online in the early 2020s, according to the firm.