Presentation 1

Lachlan Prescott is Fortescue’s Principal Rail Engineer, leading engineering governance, asset integrity, risk and assurance across rail infrastructure, rolling stock and energy operations. A Chartered Professional Engineer and Certified Associate in Asset Management, he has more than 12 years’ experience across the Queensland and Pilbara heavy-haul rail sectors, spanning track asset management, wheel–rail interface, lateral stability, rail grinding, capital assurance and engineering standards

His presentation will outline Fortescue’s development of Continuous Assurance for the material risk of rail infrastructure failure. The program converts operational data into frequent, automated tests of whether critical controls are functioning as intended, moving assurance beyond periodic manual checks. Drawing on maintenance, inspection, defect, restriction and condition-monitoring systems, it tests controls across track defect detection and response, rail stability, structural integrity, grinding and asset-protection systems. Deficiencies are classified against agreed thresholds, presented through dashboards and escalated to accountable control and risk owners. The presentation will discuss the engineering work required to translate standards, failure mode analysis and control intent into reliable data tests and how the resulting feedback loop supports earlier intervention and continuous improvement of the control environment.

Presentation 2

Andrei Khaidurov is a Chartered Professional Senior Track Engineer with over 11 years of heavy haul rail industry experience in asset management and construction with a career a focus on rail stress management, formally chairing Aurizon’s committee of competence in rail stress. Andrei’s career has spanned across Queensland’s Central Coal Network and multiple networks in the Pilbara.

Andrei will present Fortescue’s journey in Static Destressing – an innovative method of destressing rail that doesn’t involve cutting rail, which is currently under trial on the network. Compared to traditional methods, static destressing offers reduced track possession time, a significant reduction in execution cost, a safer execution methodology and it removes the burdens of welding rail. The new approach, while simple in its concept, has the potential to deliver substantial value across rail maintenance activities.