Risk-e Business Delivers Three-Team Inland Rail Exercise Across NSW and Victoria
Risk-e Business recently partnered with the NSW and Victorian Inland Rail Delivery Teams to run a dynamic exercise that tested capability across three teams simultaneously - with the Crisis Management Team (CMT) activated and operating over both state scenarios.
This multi-stream design created a realistic, fast-moving environment where tactical response, operational coordination, and strategic crisis leadership were all exercised in parallel - exactly how complex incidents unfold in the real world.
A true "whole-system" stress test
The exercise challenged teams not just within their own lanes, but across the handoffs and dependencies that matter most during high-consequence events. While the NSW and Victorian teams worked through state-based operational scenarios, the CMT tracked escalating impacts, ensured consistent enterprise messaging, and exercised decision thresholds for activation, escalation, and assurance.
Realistic, high-consequence scenarios
Both state teams worked through credible, time-compressed scenarios designed around Inland Rail's risk environment and protocols:
- Victorian stream: a biosecurity incident involving suspected fire ant contamination during corridor earthworks, with escalating regulatory, community and media pressure requiring rapid containment decisions, stakeholder coordination and public information management
- NSW stream: a major rail corridor safety incident requiring immediate life-safety response, complex notification pathways, evidence preservation, regulator engagement, and sensitive external communications — all while maintaining operational control in challenging conditions
Both scenarios navigated the full arc from initial detection through escalation, multi-agency coordination, and recovery considerations.
Capability, confidence, and shared learning
A key strength was the highly engaged participation across functions and levels. The simultaneous exercise format sharpened decision-making discipline and reinforced the value of clear triggers, robust escalation pathways, and confident leadership under uncertainty. It was also great to see Inland Rail including principal contractors.
Proud to support Inland Rail
Risk-e Business is proud to support Inland Rail in building resilient, confident teams who can respond effectively to complex, multi-jurisdictional challenges. This exercise demonstrated Inland Rail's continued commitment to safety, biosecurity, operational readiness and crisis leadership.
