Rhomberg Sersa's revitalised International Work Exchange Programme has kicked off in earnest with two staff from Rhomberg Sersa Australia moving to Europe for a 12 month stint.
Daniel Beatty and his partner Michaela Beirne have just touched down in Germany to commence work on the Stuttgart 21 Rail Project.
However their plans for their European adventure began over 12 months ago.
Daniel had spent two years working on the Brisbane Cross River Rail project in Australia when he began considering a move to Europe. He expressed an interest in the reinvigorated International Work Exchange Programme but was cautious about spending so much time away from his partner, Michaela.
However Rhomberg Sersa proposed a solution - that she join him. As a qualified Civil Engineer and with over four years’ experience working in the rail industry under her belt, Michaela was a perfect fit for the Rhomberg Sersa Australia Major Projects division in her own right. She joined the team and fast forward 12 months, the couple packed up their lives and bags in Australia and jetted across the world to Europe.
The couple decided to take the opportunity to do some travelling on their way to their new home and spent two weeks exploring Italy. During the whirlwind stopover, they manage to tick off a many of the best known tourist sites including the Colleseum, Trevi Fountain and Vatican in Rome, Leaning Tour of Pisa and Pompei while also enjoying a wine tour through the Tuscany region and a boat cruise up the Almafi coastline. Their trip culminated in Naples, where the city was still showered in blue streamers in the aftermath of celebrations from Napoli winning the Serie A League title.
With their Italy adventures behind them, they touched down in Germany to commence work on the Stuttgart 21 Rail Project and are now acclimatising to the German way of life.
Daniel and Michaela are now part of the team at Rhomberg Bahntechnik GmbH who are working on the major rail project along with ED Züblin AG and the DB Bahnbau Group. The project scope includes the slab track construction on two sections directly at the new underground main station of the state capital and between the airport and the Neckar River. The project value is €142million and will see the construction of 41.4 kilometres of slab track as well as 72 switches, two crossings and various other infrastructure works.
"The language barrier is real and driving a manual car on the other side of the road has definitely taken some adjusting to," said Daniel.
"However we are embracing the experience and enjoying our time thus far. Obvious differences aside, there are also a lot of similarities that can be seen to project life in Australia, none more so than the famous Rhomberg Sersa culture. You can see straight away that the project is full of genuinely good people with a shared passion for producing a high-quality product and an eagerness to share information with the objective of continuous improvement.
"I’m confident we are going to take a lot away from our time here."
Daniel and Michaela will have extended stopovers on two more projects to come as well as visits to the Rhomberg Sersa offices in Bregenz, Vienna and Copenhagen on the horizon.
"The next 12-months promises to be exciting and full of new experiences and opportunities to learn and grow, both professionally and personally. Throw in the extra travel and sightseeing activities that we have planned for our spare time and its truly going to be a once in a lifetime opportunity," Daniel added.
