How Victoria Department of Transport and Planning used AIM to optimise rail investment.
Client:
Victoria Department of Transport and Planning (DTP)
Location:
Victoria, Australia
Consulting Partner:
Probit (direct implementation and support) with supporting local partners AECOM, WSP
Asset Types:
Light rail, heavy rail, overhead wires
AIM Version Used:
AIM 4.0
Key Outcome:
Customisable asset modelling and scenario optimisation across rail infrastructure, supporting integrated, future-ready transport planning decision-making
The Department of Transport and Planning (DTP) serves as the central authority overseeing transport strategy, planning, and infrastructure across Victoria, Australia.
Its responsibilities span over 500 km of light rail and nearly 1,000 km of heavy rail, including overhead wire systems and integrated network infrastructure.
As a key enabler of the state’s economic growth and community wellbeing, DTP ensures that Victoria’s transport systems remain safe, sustainable, and strategically aligned with future urban and regional needs.
The challenge
The DTP needed to plan long-term investment across a complex and highly interconnected transport network , including hundreds of kilometres of light and heavy rail, overhead wiring, and associated infrastructure.
Each system had its own condition dynamics, maintenance strategies, and risk profiles, but investment decisions often needed to consider them together.
Existing tools lacked the flexibility to model multi-component assets accurately or test alternative funding and performance scenarios.
DTP required a solution that could unify its asset planning processes, support detailed scenario analysis, and help demonstrate long-term value in a transparent, auditable way.
Who worked on this project?
Probit worked directly with the Victoria Department of Transport and Planning to deploy AIM with support from trusted local constants from AECOM and WSP.
Probit’s team configured AIM to meet DTP’s specific modelling needs, including multi-component asset hierarchies and customised investment rules.
Ongoing collaboration included model refinement, data preparation, and training to embed AIM within DTP’s internal planning processes.
How was AIM used?
AIM was configured to support DTP’s complex asset base and investment planning requirements. Key applications included:
- Custom Model Implementation: AIM was tailored to accommodate DTP’s diverse infrastructure, with models developed for light rail, heavy rail, and overhead wire systems.
- Multi-Component Asset Modelling: The platform supported interrelated asset components, allowing risk and deterioration to be modelled at detailed levels and rolled up across systems.
- Scenario Constraints for Investment Strategy: AIM enabled DTP to run sophisticated “what-if” scenarios using objectives (e.g. minimise cost, maximise benefit) and constraints (e.g. budgets, performance targets, time windows).
- Optimisation Engine: AIM processed large-scale data to rapidly identify optimal investment strategies across assets and timeframes.
- Customisable Reporting: AIM supported DTP with flexible reporting tools and integration with Business Intelligence (BI) dashboards, Power BI, for internal and stakeholder communication.
The results
DTP’s implementation of AIM delivered key strategic outcomes:
- All business requirements were met, including performance, flexibility, and model transparency.
- High customisability allowed DTP to model specialised asset behaviours and apply complex rulesets across rail systems.
- Enhanced reporting facilitated the use of advanced BI dashboards, improving visibility of asset condition and future spend requirements.
AIM has become a core part of DTP’s infrastructure planning capability, supporting evidence-based decision-making in a politically and operationally demanding environment.
Dr Phil Jonkergouw
Managing Director, Probit
Technical insight
AIM’s technical deployment at DTP showcased its ability to model assets with multiple interdependent components, essential for complex rail systems.
The platform allowed DTP to define deterioration models, forecast lifecycle performance, and simulate maintenance strategies across multiple constraints.
AIM’s scenario engine processed vast datasets while its transparent modelling interface gave planners full control over formulas, rules, and parameter settings.
Custom reporting outputs and integration with BI dashboards ensured that strategic insights could be communicated effectively across internal teams and decision-makers.
What followed for DTP Victoria and AIM?
Following the success of its rail applications, DTP is planning to use AIM for new asset classes, including other transportation assets such as roads and heavy rail, marking an important expansion into cross-sector infrastructure planning.
Probit will continue to support DTP with data preparation, model refinement, and training to help the department fully embed AIM across its long-term strategic investment programme.
Be AIM’s next success story
Get in touch. Let’s discuss your asset investment optimisation and turn your story into another example of AIM in action