A Rail Engineer at Vitruvius, Shania works across complex transport and rail projects throughout Aotearoa, combining strong technical capability with clear, practical delivery. Her experience spans rail and transport project management, design and design management, business and investment case development, traffic modelling and data analytics, and level crossing safety impact assessments. She applies these skills across the full project lifecycle, from early planning and optioneering through to stakeholder engagement and delivery. 

Shania has played key technical and leadership roles on major rail programmes nationwide. Her work includes leading the development of sustained annual renewal investment cases for both the Wellington and Auckland metro rail networks, supporting funding decisions and long‑term asset planning for some of New Zealand’s most critical transport infrastructure. She has also contributed to complex corridor planning and route protection projects in Auckland, including work on four‑tracking between Papakura and Pukekohe, where she authored transport assessments and assessments of environmental effects, drawing on her specialist knowledge of rail operations and level crossings. 

A recognised leading specialist in level crossing safety, Shania has been the lead assessor for over 100 level crossing safety impact assessments across the country, with all assessments endorsed by KiwiRail. Her ability to identify risk, apply the SFAIRP process, and translate technical safety requirements into clear, implementable recommendations has informed projects ranging from local road upgrades to nationally significant programmes such as City Rail Link and the Speed and Infrastructure Programme. 

Alongside her rail expertise, Shania has also led and contributed to geometric and safety design for road and intersection upgrades, speed management programmes, and active mode projects. Her work has included crash analysis, optioneering, scheme design, cost estimation, and stakeholder engagement, always with a focus on improving safety and outcomes for communities. Shania is currently providing project management and design services for Hutt City Council (HCC) on the Ava Rail Bridge Shared Use Path Replacement, and on Te Wai Takamori o Te Awa Kairangi (Riverlink). 

That technical capability was formally recognised when Shania achieved Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng) status at just 25 years old, an exceptional milestone that reflects her discipline, depth of knowledge, and commitment to continual improvement. 

In 2025, Shania’s contribution was further acknowledged when she was named Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transportation (CILT) Young Achiever of the Year, recognising both the impact she is already having across major transport programmes nationwide and her emerging leadership within the sector. Closer to home, she was also awarded Vitruvian of the Year, Vitruvius’ highest people award, following nomination by her colleagues just seven months after joining the business. True to form, Shania sees these achievements simply as doing her job well and supporting those around her, a humility that speaks volumes about her character. 

Beyond her technical expertise, Shania is someone people genuinely enjoy working with. She is generous with her time and knowledge, regularly mentoring younger engineers, sharing insights, and offering quiet support when it’s needed. Colleagues consistently describe her as approachable, kind, and willing to help, qualities that strengthen team culture as much as they improve project outcomes. 

We’re incredibly proud of the impact Shania is making within Vitruvius and across the transport sector. If that was 2025, we look forward with interest to what 2026 brings. 

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The Lower North Island Rail Integrated Mobility (LNIRIM) programme is a step-change for regional rail. At its heart is Tūhono, a fleet of 18 five-car battery-electric multiple unit (BEMU) trains, the first of their kind in the Southern Hemisphere. These trains will replace ageing diesel-hauled services on the Wairarapa and Manawatū lines, with the first units expected from 2028 and expanded services rolling out from 2030. Alstom has been selected to build and maintain the fleet. 

Beyond the trains themselves, LNIRIM funds the infrastructure that makes a frequent timetable possible. This includes new and extended passing loops, additional stabling in Wellington and Palmerston North, a new depot and stabling facility in Masterton, and selected station and track upgrades. Together, these works create operational flexibility to add services, recover from delays, and reliably meet peak demand.

In parallel, the Wellington Metro Substations Programme delivers the power capacity and resilience the network requires. The Government has committed $137.2 million to renew and upgrade substations across the metro network, many of which are 60–90 years old, specifically to improve reliability and enable future growth in services. This is the quiet, critical backbone for performance, stronger substations will reduce voltage sag, protect assets, and provide headroom for more trains.

The relationship is straightforward. LNIRIM adds new trains and timetable ambition, while the substations provide the electrical capacity and reliability to sustain the enhanced regional rail timetable, as well as timetable enhancements within the Wellington Metro Area for existing metro services.  

Vitruvius is contributing on both sides of this “capacity and service” equation. For the Metro Substations Programme, we are providing civil design services including site access upgrades, building formation and retaining wall design, site security fencing, drainage and flood protection improvements, and new ducting to enable incoming and outgoing power and fibre connections. On the LNIRIM yard upgrades, we have recently been appointed Lead Consultant for the Masterton and Palmerston North facilities. Here, we are coordinating the multi-disciplinary design of stabling, servicing, and operational layouts that will accommodate the Tūhono fleet and support the uplifted timetable. These facilities are pivotal to reliable day-to-day operations and rapid turnarounds between peaks. 

Together, these programmes will deliver cleaner trains, more dependable power, and the infrastructure to run more services more often on the NIMT and Wairarapa lines. The result is better access to jobs and education, stronger inter-regional links, and a network that can grow with demand rather than be constrained by it. That is the promise of Tūhono — to connect and unite communities — and it is a promise Vitruvius is proud to help make real. 

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The week of 11 – 17 August 2025 saw two major rail calendar events coincide in New Zealand – these being Rail Safety Week and the Conference on Railway Excellence (CORE). Both of these events are extremely important to Vitruvius, as they promote safety and technical excellence, which are both intrinsic to our DNA.

Those active in the Rail Sector will be well aware of the importance of Rail Safety Week, an annual nationwide campaign run by the wonderful team at TrackSAFE NZ. This year the campaign slogan was ‘Stay off, Stay safe. Tracks are for trains’. The focus was highlighting the critical risks associated with trespass within the rail corridor. All too often, pedestrians venture into restricted areas of the rail corridor to save time. It is not only extremely risky to do so but is also illegal. The only place pedestrians should be entering the rail corridor is at a designated crossing point, where there are controls in place to mitigate hazards from trains.

Vitruvius supported the campaign across the motu, with our teams in Wellington, Tauranga and Auckland handing out flyers to raise awareness about these risks and encourage better behaviour regarding best practice for pedestrians around the rail corridor. Recent TrackSAFE research indicates that almost half of surveyed participants admit to walking across railway tracks outside designated crossing areas. Last year alone these were 642 recorded trespass incidents, resulting in 60 near misses with trains. These sobering statistics highlight the obvious need for increased awareness and drive home the reasons for doing what we do.

In addition to Rail Safety week, the sector also came together in Tāmaki Makaurau on 13 and 14 August where more than 400 delegates gathered for the annual CORE Conference, hosted by our good friends at the Railway Technical Society of Australasia (RTSA). The conference was well attended by both Kiwis and Aussies alike, with some really insightful technical presentations. It was a fantastic chance for some of the industry’s brightest rail minds to come together and discuss the future of this critical transport mode. It was also really interesting to see some of the similarities (and differences) in the way we work here in New Zealand compared with Australia.

A highlight for us was seeing our very own Simon Cave present on the European Train Control System (ETCS) Digital Integration, focusing on how developing a digital twin can improve project outcomes by removing unknowns and giving design and construction teams unimpeded access into the virtual rail corridor.

This was the first time CORE has been hosted in New Zealand in 15 years – and at a time when focus on technical rail expertise is really important for our future – reinforcing the conference theme ‘Kaitiaki – Guarding the Future’. A great example of some of the challenges faced by skills shortage in the New Zealand rail industry can be seen in a recent paper released by the Australasian Railway Association (ARA) here.

We finished out the week feeling inspired by the passion and effort put into these two events and it really highlighted just how important the rail network is to our country.

If anyone wants to learn more about Rail Safety Week, please visit the TrackSAFE NZ Website here. We’re also really looking forward to attending next years CORE Event which will be held in Adelaide.

Over and out!

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As an incredibly high regarded and nationally sought after Track Designer, Bryce has played a key role in some of our most significant projects. Over the past decade, he was track design lead and designer for the reference alignment of the Auckland City Rail Link (CRL), upgrades to the North Auckland Line, the realignment of Tunnel 21 on the Main North Line (MNL), Wellington Metro Upgrade Programme (WMUP) 6A, and many many more. His expertise of technical delivery through challenging complexities whilst adhering to national standards (that he was one of the original contributors to) have made a huge impact on both Vitruvius and these project outcomes. 

In the early days, Bryce took on some real hands-on challenges – one particularly telling moment was wearing brand-new Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) into the Otira Tunnel for a night of measuring coal and cleaning. A bold choice, in hindsight as the PPE was blackened by coal and ruined!

 1.                                    2.

• Figure 1: Otira Tunnel
• Figure 2: Kaimai Tunnel – Brattice Door

A unique project was the challenge of designing a brattice door (something he previously had never heard of) for the Kaimai Tunnel Portal, overseeing its manufacture and installation.  This involved not only getting up to speed with the purpose and function of the specialised ventilation door but also overseeing its manufacture and installation. What started as an unfamiliar concept quickly became another challenge he took in his stride – and he nailed it.

One of Bryce’s most rewarding experiences has been his key role in the Kaikōura Earthquake recovery. Being part of the team leading the reconstruction and seeing the transformation firsthand remains a career highlight. His contributions included track realignment design for affected areas and spatial assessments for all tunnels along the route – critical work that helped restore this vital transport corridor. 

Tunnel 18 MNL (Kaikoura)

Bryce’s contribution to the growth of Vitruvius through culture, systems and processes has strongly contributed to where we are now. In 2020, Bryce became the first-ever recipient of the Vitruvian of the Year award, voted on by his peers to honour those who exemplify our company values. In 2024, he was again recognised as runner-up – a testament to his continued impact and leadership within our team. 

Congratulations, Bryce! Your dedication and expertise have helped shape Vitruvius, and we’re grateful for the past ten years. We look forward to many more.

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The Making Space for Water (MS4W) programme is Auckland Council’s response to the extreme storms of early 2023, which led to local and national emergencies, claimed six lives and forced the evacuation of over 7,000 homes. Unprecedented rainfall overwhelmed the stormwater network, leaving many unprepared for the resulting floods.

As part of MS4W, Vitruvius is proud to partner with Healthy Waters to deliver the Overland Flow Path Management (OLFP) initiative, one of seven key projects aimed at improving Auckland’s resilience to heavy rainfall and extreme weather events.

This initiative focuses on ensuring overland flow paths function effectively to reduce flood risks. The work is carried out at both a catchment level (capital works) and an individual property scale, helping water flow safely through neighbourhoods and minimising damage to homes and infrastructure.

Key components of the initiative include:

• Field assessments and a new app to identify and report blockages.
• Community engagement to educate residents on their responsibilities.
• Compliance measures to ensure overland flow paths remain clear and effective.

Both Merci and Albert from Vitruvius are providing the day-to-day project management expertise with Vitruvius also presenting an on the ground assessment team playing a vital role in shaping a flood resilient Tāmaki Makaurau. We’re proud to support this work, which will shape how the city manages stormwater now and into the future.

Photo from left to right Daniel Cho – Civil Engineer, Merci Martin – Civil Engineer, Marc Porter – Civil Engineer, Matthew Sheppard – Senior Civil Engineer, and William Wang – Senior Project Engineer.

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Vitruvius is proud to have supported Auckland Transport (AT) in delivering the Wiri Depot upgrade project which went into use in November 2024.

The 550m new depot is the main maintenance and stabling facility for Auckland Transports new Electric Multiple Units (EMUs) trains. The project features 10 brand-new stabling roads built by John Holland between October 2023 – November 2024, where Neil Mason acted as the Engineer to Contract, with Henry Watson managing the day-to-day as the Engineer’s Representative.

The entire depot was built up from scratch, covering a number of disciplines containing earthworks, drainage, track, OLE, lighting, signalling, CSR, E&B.

The depot is a crucial part of infrastructure for AT, serving as the hub for the new fleet for the City Rail Link (CRL). Each train visits the depot at least once a month for maintenance, undergoing minor inspections every 1,000 kilometres. As mileage increases, the inspections become progressively more comprehensive, ensuring the fleet remains in peak condition.

Wiri also marks the starting point of the new Third Main Line to be completed by 2025. This additional line will enable freight trains to operate independently of commuter servicers, reducing congestion and facilitating faster, more efficient train journeys.

It was an incredible project to be a part of, being able to watch the depot being built from the ground up.

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Meet Rowan Schwynn, our new Senior Principal – Transport Planner who joined Vitruvius’s Wellington office in June 2024. Rowan’s career spans over 20 years, and nowadays he specialises in public transport planning.

From an early age, Rowan had a passion for the environment which prompted him to study Resource and Environmental Science at Waikato. Soon after graduating, like many of his contemporaries, he had ‘itchy feet’ and his sense of adventure took him abroad, living and working in the UK, America, and Australia. It was in the UK where he first found his calling in transport, where public transport became the perfect synergy between his passion for sustainability and his growing expertise in transport planning.

Whilst overseas he was involved in many innovative and high-profile transport projects, including England’s national traffic control centre and the new Sydney Metro rail network.  More recently he has worked on bus stop planning and stop design for the new Golden Mile project in Wellington that is about to get underway. Rowan is equally adept working on smaller optimisation opportunities in order to come up with fit-for-purpose solutions that make a small but important difference for public transport users. For example, he advises on bus network planning, intelligent transport systems and bus hub improvements.  Rowan is more than happy to share his experience, including his learnings on how to make a true difference in a constrained budget environment.

With Rowan now on board with Vitruvius, we are proud to be able to offer a full suite of public transport advisory services that can help projects of all sizes, including:

• Strategic transport planning (including business cases)
• Public transport network design and optimisation
• Scheduling and timetabling
• Public transport infrastructure design

Rowan’s skills add to the core transport capability in the business, including transport planning and strategy, design and delivery.  Team members have experience in all of the components of the transport lifecycle, including business cases, performance frameworks, procurement design, traffic engineering (civil and digital design), project management, Engineer to Contract and lessons learned reviews.  We even have road pricing and tolling experience, which is highly relevant in the current financially constrained market.

Transport planning is the science of understanding how people and goods move through spaces and how these movements shape—and are shaped by—the environments in which they occur. In essence, transport planning forms a critical link in how we interact and access the world around us. Whether you’re driving on a road, catching a train, taking a bus or boarding a plane, you’ve benefited from the work of a transport planner.

At the core of Rowan’s approach are three key strengths: critical thinking, adaptability, and a commitment to continual learning. Good transport planning, as Rowan puts it, is the foundation of successful transport projects – projects that enable cities to grow, economies to thrive, and enabling meaningful connections between people and their surroundings.. As a passionate advocate and frequent user of public transport, Rowan’s deep commitment to this field is both professional and personal.

Rowan Schwynn,  Senior Principal -Transport Planner

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We would like to congratulate KiwiRail on the reopening of the important Dublin Street / Auckland Street intersection as well as the road and rail level crossing located to the west of this intersection in Picton. The crossing and intersection had been previously closed for over 12 months to enable access changes that had been previously required by the former IREX project.  Following the Government’s decision on IREX earlier this year, both the crossing and intersection was identified as needing to be reinstated as soon as possible.

Vitruvius is proud to have played a crucial role in helping KiwiRail reopen the crossing and intersection.  We delivered a complete end to end design and support package for KiwiRail for the crossing. This included leading the detailed road / rail designs, civil design inputs, project management, construction supervision as well as contract administration to 3910.  Our project work also included collaborating closely with Marlborough District Council, Marlborough Roads and NZTA.

For the community, the reopening of the crossing and intersection has already improved traffic and people movements for the Picton Ferry Terminal as well as for local residents. Local businesses, which had been struggling during the closure, have also welcomed the reopening of these important transport connections.

KiwiRail Project Manager Doug Carter recently told Stuff.co.nz that the reopening of the intersection marked the near-completion of KiwiRail’s efforts to wind down the ferry project. He expressed satisfaction at seeing the “closed” signs removed, noting that the crew had worked long and hard to complete the project ahead of schedule.

The outcome of the Dublin Street project is a fantastic example of our team’s expertise and capability as well as demonstrating our commitment to always ensuring success for our clients.

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We are proud to put the spotlight on Karly Shields, a dedicated mum and Chartered Professional Civil Engineer based remotely in Tairāwhiti, Gisborne. Karly has been a valued member of the Vitruvius team for three years and in early 2024 she returned to her hometown of Gisborne with her young family.

Karly moved away from the region for university in Christchurch and after completing her Civil Engineering degree, she worked in Wellington, London and Tauranga before the opportunity to move into the homestead she grew up in presented itself. Vitruvius were fully supportive of the move and welcomed the opportunity to connect into one of the most remote regions in the North Island.

Gisborne has had its fair share of challenges over the last couple of years including the devastation caused by Cyclone Gabrielle in February 2023 followed by a further extreme rain event in June 2023. This was the perfect opportunity for Vitruvius to provide local support and considering three other team members in the Tauranga office (including myself) are from Gisborne, there was a particularly keen interest in seeing the region bounce back and flourish.

One of the challenges for Gisborne is its ability to attract skilled engineers, mostly due to its remoteness. Karly being a Chartered Professional Engineer specialising in Three Water Infrastructure Design brings much needed skills with experience in not only engineering design, but leading, procuring and providing contract administration and construction supervision on projects.

Over the past few months, Karly has been actively building relationships with the Gisborne District Council (GDC) which has resulted in her leading and delivering a number of three waters projects in the area.

We are proud to put the spotlight on Karly Shields, a dedicated mum and Civil Engineer based remotely in Tairāwhiti, Gisborne. Karly has been a valued member of the Vitruvius team for three years and in early 2024 she returned to her hometown of Gisborne with her young family. 

Over the past few months, Karly has been actively nurturing relationships with the Gisborne District Council (GDC) which has resulted in her leading and delivering a number of three waters projects in the area. This isolated region has had its fair share of challenges over the last couple of years including the devastation caused by Cyclone Gabrielle in February 2023 followed by a further extreme rain event in June 2023.  

While our work hasn’t been directly related to the repair and resilience clean-up work, Karly’s local presence and support have been crucial for the GDC. Our pipeline of work is expected to increase into FY25.  

Here are some of the key projects Karly has been leading;

• FY25 Water Main Renewals Karly is handling the preliminary and detailed design for the renewal of 7 separate sections of Asbestos Cement watermains throughout Gisborne. The total length of renewals and realignment is approximately 1.5 km
• Shelley Road Stormwater Karly is conducting assessments, optioneering and preliminary designs to address significant flooding issues on Shelley Road. Stage 1 of this project has received funding for construction with Vitruvius currently preparing for the detailed design and MSQA support.
• Graham Road Stormwater Upgrade Peer Review The GDC has sought Vitruvius’ expertise to peer review a $2M stormwater upgrade project. Karly and team are evaluation the cost effectiveness of the proposed solutions and considering alternative options.

Vitruvius is a relationship-based company and Karly’s proactive approach to building strong relationships and delivering well has laid a solid foundation for Vitruvius in the region. We are committed to strengthening our presence in Gisborne and the broader East Coast region, and our building our track record and reputation with other council organisations over the next few years.

Karly Shields, Civil Engineer

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Earlier this year, KiwiRail’s Future Rail team brought Vitruvius on board to spearhead the Digital Integration workstream for their ETCS Level 2 Programme in Wellington. This will be the first ETCS Level 2 installation in New Zealand, which promises to significantly increase the capacity of services in the metro area by removing lineside signals and reducing train headway.

We clinched this role thanks to several key factors:

• Our proven track record in working with KiwiRail’s Digital Engineering team and understanding of their digital requirements
• Our knowledge of the Wellington Metro Area through working in the Wellington Region for over 15 years
• Our relationship-based model – ensuring we work within the clients organisation and tailoration of numerous rail features, turnout Point of Switch (POS), track alignment change, level crossing, platform, axle counter – just to name a few..) in order to carry out the detailed design of the system.

The integration project in itself is significant in scale. The ETCS Programme covers the entire Wellington Electrified Area (WEA) – approximately 105km of rail corridor. The programme is still in the early stages of procurement, however, the Vitruvius scope of work requires early involvement focussed on de-risking the design, estimation and construction phases of the works by developing a digital twin of the rail corridor. The ETCS System will require sthe installation of lineside infrastructure throughout the network in the form of new Combined Services Route (CSR) ducting, balises and cabling, as well as radio network upgrades to facilitate Global System for Mobile Communications-Rail (GSM-R) communication.  This means needing to access nearly every part of the corridor during the physical works. Ensuring we have a detailed representation of KiwiRail’s existing infrastructure ready for interrogation prior to the design commencing will ensure that key risks are identified and mitigated early, and that scope can be detailed thoroughly, ensuring there are no surprises once the build commences.  

Furthermore, ETCS L2 system requires a detailed understanding of the exact location of numerous rail features (turnout Point of Switch (POS), track alignment change, level crossing, platform, axle counter – just to name a few..) in order to carry out the detailed design of the system. The integration project we are embarking on is endeavouring to digitise all of this information and ensure it can be used by the successful supplier for the system design. 

The digital twin project will firstly focus on the installation of a master survey control network for the WEA, before ‘filling in the blanks’ of areas where we do not currently possess point cloud survey data. Once we have the entire WEA scanned, the focus will turn to the extraction of the key model features, including the required asset data.   

The potential for what this data can be used for from an asset management perspective are significant and extends beyond the scope of the ETCS Programme. It is a really exciting time for the Wellington Metro and we are privileged to be involved. 

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