Hatch welcomes discussion on the future of light rail at the Australia-Canada Infrastructure Symposium in Sydney, Australia

The Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships and Infrastructure Partnerships Australia recently welcomed Hatch to its third Australia-Canada Infrastructure Symposium in Sydney, Australia. Focused specifically on the P3 model, this by-invitation-only gathering brought together senior public and private sector leaders from the two regions to explore strategic opportunities across the infrastructure market. 

Michael Schatz, global managing director of Infrastructure at Hatch, joined Mark Romoff, President and CEO for the Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships, David Quinn, CEO, Building Queensland, and George Zegarac, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Infrastructure for the Government of Ontario, on a panel focused on the future of light rail. Together, they spoke of the projects currently underway in both countries, a greater commitment to community engagement, and some of the lessons learned over the last few years. 

 

Overseeing more than $40 billion in transit projects across Canada, around $30 billion from within the light rail category, Michael was a welcomed panelist during the discussion. "At Hatch, we’re seeing rail and transit develop into one of the largest potential infrastructure investments made today. We are proud to be working with cities across the nation, including one of the largest transit infrastructure programs in our country’s history, where subway, LRT, and commuter rail projects are coming together across 31 municipalities to transform the way people live, work, and move." 

 

Driven by the development of emerging economies, urbanization, growth in prosperity, and shifting demographics, demand is escalating for more innovative solutions to transport than what has been done in the past. Forecasts predict global infrastructure spending to reach $9 trillion per year by 2025, and a total of $78 trillion over the next decade. 

 

Michael continued: “A new generation is looking for a more sustainable and efficient way of growth. As engineers and consultants, we're partnering with cities, agencies, contractors, and concessionaires in Canada and around the world to help build smarter cities for the future—cities that utilize stakeholder engagement, sustainability, effective delivery of projects and services, and new ways to deploy technology in order to maximize efficiency.”