2023 - Transport Beyond Certainty

2023 International Technical Conference

Transport Beyond Certainty

More than 80 presentations across all modes of transport, international speakers, and presentations on everything from how we could travel to Mars to a wealth of knowledge on sustainable pavements.

That was the NTRO International Technical Conference in Melbourne. It delivered an impressive array of knowledge across road, rail, ports and airports to nearly 200 delegates from as far afield as India and China.

Wednesday, October 25th 2023

Day 1 began with a close examination of how we will put human life on Mars and its logistics, plus some important demographic transport insights.

Professor Gordon Cable AM, from Australian National University, presented The Road To Mars - Why It Won't Be Easy, as one of the keynote speakers.

Demographics, map and data expert Simon Kuestenmacher gave some insight into important transport trends, while there were also keynotes from Melissa Radke (Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator), Dr Erik Denneman (Puma Bitumen) on biogenic bitumen, and Paul Younis (Secretary, Victorian Department of Transport and Planning).

Stream sessions on New and Emerging Materials and a look at automated vehicle progress from the Centre for Connected and Automated Vehicles (CCAT) – led by CCAT Executive Director Rahila David - also featured throughout Day 1.

Day 1 - Wednesday October 25th 2023
08:00 - 09:00 REGISTRATION
9:00	Welcome Address: Michael Caltabiano, Chief Executive Officer (NTRO)
	Keynote 1: The Road to Mars: Why it won't be easy Professor Gordon Cable AM, Professor of Space Medicine (Australian National University College of Health and Medicine)
	Keynote 2: Demographic Shifts - The Future of Transport in Australia Simon Kuestenmacher, Director (The Demographics Group)
10:15	Panel Q&A Michael Caltabiano, Chief Executive Officer (NTRO)
10:15 - 10:40 MORNING TEA
10:40	Introduction to Technical Plenary - Next Generation Transport and Materials Michael Caltabiano CEO (NTRO)
	Speaker 1: ...But what about culture? Melissa Radke, Senior Manager Strategic Policy (Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator)
	Speaker 2: Biogenic Bitumen: The Journey to Net Zero Dr. Erik Denneman (Puma Bitumen)
	Speaker 3: Planning Australia’s Greenfield, Regenerative Port Patrick Seares (Westport)
	Speaker 4: Long Term Agility for Corporate Success Dr. Stas Krupenia PhD (Scania)
	Panel Q&A Michael Caltabiano, Chief Executive Officer (NTRO)
12:45	Speaker 4: Department Secretary Address Paul Younis (Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) Victoria)
12:45 - 13:30 LUNCH

Technical Sessions
	STREAM 1 - NEW & EMERGING MATERIALS (1) Chair - Stuart Dack (AustStab)	STREAM 2 - DRIVERS OF INNOVATION Chair - Neil Scales OBE	CCAT SHOWCASE (A NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE) Chair - Rahila David (CCAT)
13:30	Mats Wendel (Peab Asfalt AB) Sustainable asphalt practices	Dr Mike Shackleton (NTRO) Involving the community in developing and implementing transport policy	Rahila David (CCAT) Intro to CCAT
	Allen Browne (Hiway Group / Hiway stabilisers) HiTex™ Retexturization of flushed seals	Fredrik Pehrsson (Codo Consultancy) Derisking Future Transport Innovation in a digitalised World	Michael Hopkins (National Transport Commission) Regulating for an uncertain future
	Dr Chrysoula Pandelidi (NTRO) Methods for assessing microplastics release from recycled plastics-modified asphalt	Dr Elliot Fishman (Institute for Sensible Transport) Electric vehicle charging: Understanding the factors for identifying high-demand locations.	Amit Trivedi & Nicholas Brook (TMR) Cooperative and highly automated driving (CHAD) pilot
	Dr Negin Zhalehjoo (NTRO) Laboratory characterisation of stabilised recycled material blends	Dr David Lacey (FSG – Geotechnics + Foundations) & Nicholas Lancashire (TMR) Risk in perspective - Rockfall protection systems	Morgan Avera (Transurban) The pathway to the commercial application of autonomous trucks
14:45	Amir Shahkolahi (Global Synthetics) Sustainable solution for construction of pavements over expansive subgrades	John Esnouf (NTRO) & and Trevor Distin (COLAS Australia Group) Benefits of forward moving aggregate spreading for sprayed sealing	Rahila David (Moderator) & Speakers Panel Discussion
14:45-15:00	Session Q&A	Session Q&A

15:00 - 15:30 AFTERNOON TEA

Technical Sessions
	STREAM 1 - NEW & EMERGING MATERIALS (2) Chair - Kevin Reid (NZTA)	STREAM 2 - NEXT GENERATION RESEARCHERS Chair - Carlos Rial (AfPA)	CCAT SHOWCASE (A BROADER PERSPECTIVE) Chair - Rahila David (CCAT)
15:30	Brook Hall (NTRO) Recycled and Replacement Materials Market Analysis	Paul Davies (Austroads) Skills to serve the roads sector into the future	Steve Cratchley (Suncorp Group) Insurance impacts for vehicle automation
	Mark Bondietti (Western Australian Local Government Association) Christine Howland (NTRO) Local Government guideline for sustainable road construction practices in Western Australia	Arjoon Jesudasan (SPARC Hub - Monash University) A novel approach to evaluating unbound granular pavement rutting with the incorporation of climatic effects: insights from a New Zealand case study - CAPTIF	Rahila David (Presenter & Moderator) Steven Cratchley (Suncorp Group) Ben Haddock (Arup) Rebecca Hamilton (Road Safety Commission WA) Learnings from the CCAT International Outreach - – Overview and Delegate Panel
	Sean Dorahy (Transport for NSW) A road agency case study towards greater reclaimed asphalt pavement usage in NSW	Georgia O'Connor (NTRO) Towards more Sustainable Road Tunnels in Australia and New Zealand: Recommendations for Practitioners
	Dr. Javad Yaghoubi (NTRO) Development of A Technical Specification for Processed Solid Organic Waste for Road Infrastructure Applications	Havisanth Erasanayagam (SPARC Hub - Monash University) Towards a better understanding of unsealed road corrugation formation: an innovative modelling framework
16:45	Dr James Grenfell (NTRO) New Materials for a recycled future - Recycled paint and Carbon Black	Dr Arooran Sounthararajah (SPARC Hub - Monash University) A new approach to maximise the benefits of current intelligent compaction technology for asphalt compaction
16:45-17:00	Session Q&A	Session Q&A

17:00-18:00 - Cocktail Drinks Networking Event - Conference Venue

Thursday, October 26th 2023

Day 2 took a look at sustainability in the ports and airport sectors, how best practice is being applied across the world’s ports and airports - and what is happening locally in a presentation by 20+ year industry veteran Jason Sprott.

Other topics on the agenda included a presentation on a fast and accurate pavement distress detection method from Dr Yuanhao Guo from China’s RoadMainT Co Ltd, and NTRO’s Johan Cronje discussing how we can measure, manage and monitor airport runway and pavement condition with far less downtime.

The stream sessions delved into technical aspects such as pavement performance modelling, sustainability – including important sessions on infrastructure vulnerability and road design incorporating bushfire resilience, zero emission energy and optimised motorway design. Road Beyond Certainty, led by NTRO Executive Director, Roads, Jeff Doyle, featured fascinating views on future road building and the journey to net zero.

A rail workshop – Rail Beyond Certainty - featured a robot able to carry out rail-related tasks in a safer, more effective manner, while Italian company MERMEC provided interesting discussion on infrastructure measurement for rail.

Day 2 - Thursday, October 26th 2023
08:00 - 09:00 REGISTRATION
9:00	Session introduction - Chair Michael Caltabiano
	Speaker 1: Is Innovation in Transport an oxymoron? Some experiences from the UKPaul Campion (TRL)
	Speaker 2: Infrastructure support for an automated public transport Prof. Michael Ortgiese PhD (DLR)
	Speaker 3: Addressing uncertainty in the safety assurance of machine learning for automotive applicationsProf. Dr. Simon Burton (Fraunhofer IKS)
	Speaker 4: Sustainability in the Port & Airport sectors: the great acceleration…and what lies ahead Jason Sprott (NTRO)
10:45	Panel Q&A
10:45-11:15 MORNING TEA

Technical Sessions
	STREAM 1 - ASSET ASSURANCE (1) Chair - Nick Marinelli (South West Gateway Alliance)	STREAM 2 - TECHNOLOGY & DATA Chair - Pamela Henderson (TfNSW)
11:15	Johan Cronjé (NTRO) iPAVe on Western Australia airports	Dr. Clarissa Han (NTRO) Optimising road network operations through new technologies & digitalisation
	Dr Burt Look OAM (FSG - Geotechnics + Foundations) Past successes constrains the implementation of current geotechnology testing in earthworks design & construction assurance	Dr. Yuanhao Guo (RoadMainT Co., Ltd.) αCrack: A fast and accurate pavement distress detection method based on deep grid segmentation
	Jinjiang Zhong (Logan City Council) Adopting deep learning/computer vision in Road Asset Management	Dr. Tim Martin (NTRO) Updated Austroads road deterioration models
12:15	Dr. Robert Kochhan (NTRO) Electric Vehicle Fires and Road Infrastructure	Tim Cross & David Rawlinson (WSP) Smart Use of Machine Learning for Pavement Asset Management
12:15-12:30	Session Q&A	Session Q&A

12:30-13:30 LUNCH

Technical Sessions
	STREAM 1 - ASSET ASSURANCE (2) Chair - Alan Martin (DTP)	STREAM 2 - AGILE TRANSPORT FUTURES Chair - Ian Webb (CCAT)
13:30	Lalinda Karunaratne (Main Roads Western Australia) Systematic approach to validating and improving pavement performance model for network-wide long-term investment decision-making making	Marshall Arokia (Greenwood Engineering A/S) Experiences from Traffic Speed Deflectometer (TSD) measurements on airport pavements.
	Georgia O'Connor (NTRO) Understanding infrastructure vulnerability due to climate change	Amit Trivedi (TMR) Lines, Signs, Traffic lights and HD maps – Government’s role in enabling the deployment of Connected and Automated Vehicles
	Heng Zhao (RoadMainT Co., Ltd.) Research on decision-making technology for pavement maintenance based on long-term pavement performance observation for 15 years.	Prof Colin Cole (Central Queensland University) Zero emission energy storage options for long-haul road vehicles
	Melissa Lyons (NTRO) Impact of bushfire on infrastructure and a framework to incorporate bushfire resilience in road design	Nicholas Brook (TMR) Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS): Lessons from Queensland's deployment of C-ITS
14:45	Roberto Caporusso (MERMEC) Train and Railway Condition Monitoring: What and Why	Dr. Hendrik Zurlinden (NTRO) Optimised motorway design and operation as a contribution to Vision Zero
14:45-15:00	Session Q&A	Session Q&A

15:00-15:30 AFTERNOON TEA

Workshops
	ROADS BEYOND CERTAINTY	RAIL BEYOND CERTAINTY
15:30-17:00	The Future of Roads Jeff Doyle, Executive Director of Roads (NTRO)	Rail Beyond Certainty Natalie Loughborough, Executive Director of Rail (NTRO) & Paul Bennett, Ronny Kutadinata, Timothy Farnworth (University of Newcastle) Carousel drop in session
	Journey to Net Zero from a Transurban Perspective - What Needs to Happen Liz Waller (Transurban)
	Building Roads: What are we doing now and what will we be doing in the coming years Jill Boag (Leed)
	Data Collection & Analysis: State-of-the-art Technology, the Source of Truth Richard Wix (NTRO)
	Panel Q&A Jeff Doyle (NTRO)

18:30-Late - NTRO Gala Dinner & Awards Night - Cargo Hall, South Wharf

Friday, October 27th 2023

The final day saw a change of gears - a scene-setting workshop called What Lies Beyond.

It was a choose-your-own-adventure styled workshop, looking at future uncertainties in transport and brainstorming ways to meet these challenges.

An excellent turnout of delegates worked in small groups, led by facilitators Monash University Associate Professors Alexa Delbosc and Joshua Newman, and NTRO’s Sarah Zhang, Jaimi Harrison and Danielle Garton. The session was opened, and the conference closed, by NTRO Chief Research Officer Dr Mike Shackleton.

Day 3 - Friday October 27th 2023
08:00 - 09:00 REGISTRATION
09:30-10:30	Networking Brunch
10:30-10:35	Conference Day 3 Welcome: Dr Mike Shackleton, Chief Research Officer (NTRO)
10:35-12:35	WHAT LIES BEYOND Scene-setting workshop on the future uncertainties in transport A/Prof Alexa Delbosc & A/Prof Joshua Newman (Monash University) and Jaimi Harrison & Sarah Zhang (NTRO)

12:35-12:45	Conference Day 3 Closing - NTRO Chief Research Officer, Dr Mike Shackleton
Conference Close
12:45 Onwards	Venue, Refreshments + Lab Tours Available

2023 GALA & NATIONAL TRANSPORT RESEARCH AWARDS

Award Winners

SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE AWARDZimar Abdul Majeed (RMIT)

Finding a use for waste material byproduct for infrastructure under massive loading and with difficult in situ conditions

LOCAL GOVERNMENT INNOVATION AWARDLogan City Council (Jinjiang Zhong)

Cutting edge work with artificial intelligence in road asset management.

LIFETIME CONTRIBUTION AWARDLance Midgley

Recognised for his extraordinary contribution to the pavements industry, he is considered a legend by peers and those he's taught along the way.

RESEARCH RISING STAR AWARDClifford Tse (Downer) & Dr Chrysoula Pandelidi (NTRO)

The judges could not separate the joint winners for their outstanding research under the age of 35.

Clifford won for his work in the development of Trackguard.

Chrysoula won the award for her outstanding work in biogenic binders.

RESEARCH INDUSTRY PARTNERSHIP AWARDMornington Peninsula Shire, Real Time Traffic, Corben Consulting & NTRO

Innovative work in evaluating cost effective roundabouts shows the power of local government working together with researchers and industry for optimum results.

Transport Beyond Certainty

2023 Photo Gallery