NTRO provided an important two-week training program in road asset management for a delegation of visitors from South Asia, as part of the South Asia Regional Infrastructure Connectivity (SARIC) initiative.
SARIC is an Australian Government-funded program – supported by Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) - to deepen economic linkages between Australia and countries in South Asia.
Twenty-three senior infrastructure executives from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives and Nepal visited Melbourne for the training program in May-June 2024. One of the key planks of SARIC is providing short course training and networking opportunities.
The delegation also had multiple networking functions, including a dinner attended by senior Australian transport and infrastructure professionals, and infrastructure professionals from SARIC.
Training incorporated everything from the basics of what is a road pavement, to optimal maintenance programs for sealed and unsealed roads.
The short training course was aimed at ensuring the delegates are better equipped to tackle asset management of the road networks in their home countries.
The delegation was toured through NTRO’s state-of-the-art transport research laboratories in Port Melbourne, and field trips included visits to Transurban’s EastLink toll road traffic control centre and the Victorian Department of Transport and Planning.
Many of the delegation and their families were also given a tour through one of the world’s leading cricket venues, the Melbourne Cricket Ground – a visit which proved hugely popular among the delegates.
NTRO was honoured to be involved in the training. SARIC is delivered by the World Bank, IFC and Palladium.
