overview

Around the world, advances in rail signalling are transforming rail networks to enhance safety, efficiency, reliability and capacity. In Australia, the last 18 months have seen major developments in digital signalling and understanding the role, integration and management of signalling systems is key to maximising the record investment in rail projects underway across Australia.

The 2026 Rail Signalling Workshop builds on this momentum, offering a practical and intensive one-day event in Perth this April. Designed for professionals across the rail industry, this workshop will provide the latest insights, case studies, and fundamental technical knowledge to help you navigate the evolving landscape of rail signalling.

It will address the changes, challenges and opportunities by placing them into a practical context and perspective.

Topics to be addressed include:

• Introduction to history and evolution of signalling solutions
• The benefits and challenges of upgrading signalling systems
• Digital signalling interoperability
• Future trends
  

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  COURSE FACILITATOR:
  Dr Frank Heibel
  A chartered professional electrical engineer with international experience in railway signalling since 1991, Frank is recognised as one of Australia’s leading independent experts on modern high-capacity signalling. Having managed significant projects across Australia introducing modern communications based in-cab signalling, as well as several technical lead roles for modern Automatic Train Control, including ERTMS/ETCS and CBTC, he applies his project, technical and business experience to his mission of disseminate signalling knowledge and insights for signalling and non-signalling people alike.

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  SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER:
  Stephen Lemon
  Executive Director Rail Systems & Operations Reform, National Transport Commission
  A senior engineer and people leader with almost 40 years’ public and private rail sector experience in Australia and the UK specialising in technology strategy for signalling and train control systems, Stephen joins us to provide an update on the NTC’s delivery, alongside governments and industry, of the National Rail Action Plan (NRAP). With Infrastructure and Transport Ministers having recently mandated ETCS standards for digital signalling along the National Network for Interoperability, there’s never been a more exciting time to be part of the conversation.

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  SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER:
  Montserrat Elbas Yagüe, Solution Architect, SIEMENS Mobility

  A highly accomplished Senior Railway Engineer with extensive expertise in system engineering, project management, and CBI software development for complex international projects, Montserrat’s work spans conventional signaling, ETCS, and CBTC systems, showcasing her deep commitment to advancing railway technology. She joins us to discuss how Signalling X and EULYNX enhance railway efficiency through cloud-based systems, standardised interfaces, reduced costs, and improved interoperability. They enable digitalization, streamline operations, foster innovation, and ensure cybersecurity, creating scalable, future-proof solutions that simplify maintenance, accelerate deployment, and support a unified, modernised railway infrastructure.

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  SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER:
  Rodrigo Alvarez, Principal Consultant – SYSTRA ANZ

  Rodrigo has been involved in the design and deployment of telecommunications systems in the railway sector for over 20 years and in Europe, the UK and Australia. His comprehensive experience extends to both wireless (radio) and fixed communications systems, as well as the integration of advanced railway signalling systems and mission critical applications. He joins us to provide an update on the future of radio communications in railways – FRMCS. FRMCS will provide a critical stepping stone to an innovative future with European railway operators envisioning a migration plan that will see FRMCS replacing GSM-R by 2035 and in WA, the Public Transport Authority beginning the migration process to deliver the new mobile radio communications network scheduled to be progressively entered into service from 2025.

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  PANELIST:
  Joe McGinlay, Manager, Rail Systems, Rio Tinto

  The Australian Heavy Haul Rail Awards (AHHRA) 2025 ‘Industry Champion’, joins us in for an expert panel discussion to address the intersection between signalling and rail turnouts – some of the most vital components of railway systems, working together to ensure the safety and efficiency of rail networks. Joe is a seasoned rail systems engineering leader with a career that began in the early 90s on a mechanical section of single line with passing loops, where the simplicity of early systems helped shape his practical, hands-on approach to engineering. Over the decades, he has held diverse roles including Maintenance Engineer, Project Engineer, Asset Manager, and Engineering Manager, consistently focusing on safety, reliability and standardisation. As Manager Rail Systems at Rio Tinto, Joe continues to champion collaborative engineering practices and system of systems thinking on the world’s first autonomous heavy haul network.

  This exclusive panel session will bring together attendees from both the Rail Turnouts Workshop and the Rail Signalling Workshop for a combined audience experience like no other.

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  2025 Photo Gallery