The Logan and Gold Coast Faster Rail project marks a significant step in transforming South East Queensland’s transport future. At the heart of the project is a powerhouse team from UGL, working in close collaboration with partners in the ActivUs Alliance.
For three of our key team members — Alan Buttery, Fiona Howkins, and Andy Ivett — this project is more than a job. It’s the culmination of decades of engineering experience, a deep connection to the rail network, and a shared passion for innovation.
Alan Buttery
“I walked the whole South East Queensland electrified network during weekend possessions over my time spent at Queensland Rail,” says Alan Buttery, now design manager at UGL. “So when I was asked to assist with the tender, I already knew the project area like the back of my hand.”
During the tender phase for the Logan and Gold Coast Faster Rail project, Alan led the traction power and earthing and bonding components— two critical disciplines within the broader rail systems package. Now his scope has expanded to include overhead line equipment, low voltage power, and electromagnetic compatibility, giving him oversight of an even larger, more integrated design team.
Alan’s passion for electrical engineering began with Dick Smith’s ‘Funway into Electronics’ kits in the 1980s, and his career has since spanned power stations, electrical utilities, and rail.
“Now that we’ve won the job, I’ll be ensuring the team has all the resources it requires to deliver an elegant, integrated design,” he says. “It’s going to be a fun project.”
Fiona Howkins
As principal signalling engineer, Fiona Howkins brings six years of experience at UGL and a strong background in major infrastructure projects like Cross River Rail and the Country Regional Network mobilisation.
For the Logan and Gold Coast Faster Rail project, Fiona led the development of the technical design and testing strategy during the tender phase and supported the full Rail Systems Package — from traction and signalling to telecommunications — during early works.
“In my usual role as a principles tester, I’m trained to spot issues,” she explains. “So, during the tender, I played devil’s advocate to help uncover problems early and develop smarter solutions.” Fiona thrives on the challenge of complex projects and the opportunity to collaborate across disciplines.
“I love the interfaces,” she says. “You learn so much from working with other teams — track, overheads, civil — and finding solutions that keep everyone moving forward.”
Andy Ivett
Andy is an engineer with 30 years' hands-on experience working on complex electrical and control systems projects across the civil infrastructure (transport, road and rail tunnels), offshore oil and gas, marine, steel and pharmaceutical manufacturing sectors, within Australia and the UK. From steel mills to tunnels and major transport projects across Australia, Andy Ivett, Engineering Manager – Rail Systems, has seen it all.
“I came out for a one-year secondment in 1996 and never left,” Andy shares. During the tender for the Logan and Gold Coast Faster Rail project, Andy served as Design Engineering Manager for Rail Systems, overseeing the Electrical, and Telecommunication components. He was responsible for both the technical design and the design budget estimate — a critical role that sets the foundation for what the team will be delivering over the next five years.
Now, Andy leads UGL’s Rail Systems engineering scope for the project, managing and overseeing everything from 25kV HV to Extra Low Voltage Telecommunications equipment. The systems include Traction Power, Overhead Wiring, Station & Corridor low voltage distribution and Telecommunications Systems such as CCTV, Public Address, Passenger Information, Cyber Security and EMC.
“What makes this project unique is the alliance approach,” shares Andy. “We’re working as one team with CPB Contractors, Acciona, WSP, and SMEC, in partnership with the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) and Queensland Rail (QR). We are supported by our specialist sub-consultants and CIMIC Group's EIC Activities. Having TMR and QR representatives embedded into the design team means design decisions can be discussed with the end user during the design process. Collaboration is everything.”
Andy’s team is responsible for the Electrical and Telecoms design across eight suburban stations and 20km of rail duplication, bringing together systems that power, protect, and connect.
UGL and CPB Contractors, as part of the ActivUs Alliance, have been awarded the design and pre-construction contract for the main works package on the Logan and Gold Coast Faster Rail project.
The Logan and Gold Coast Faster Rail (LGC) is essential infrastructure that will unlock additional train services to meet growing travel demand between Brisbane and the Gold Coast, Australia's third and sixth largest cities.
The project will double the tracks from two to four, along the 20km project corridor between Kuraby and Beenleigh, increasing the rail network capacity, improving train service reliability and reducing waiting time at stations.
Behind every kilometre of track, every signal, and every substation are engineers like Alan, Fiona, and Andy keeping Queensland’s future on track.