Benefits begin to flow from inland rail project






With work accelerating on the 10-year, multi billion dollar Inland Rail project, benefits are beginning to flow through to local businesses and railway suppliers.

The new 1,700km line, which will link Brisbane and Melbourne via regional centres, has called for expressions of interest for a number of major inputs including a requirement for sleepers for the project.

New EOIs call for the delivery of more than 1.44 million sleepers and for the construction of the the Narrabri to North Star section of Inland Rail.

Earlier procurements included a $31 million contract to supply steel rail with the initial 6,000-tonne batch of steel rolling off the production line in late May.

The steel delivery has an innovative new rail design and was made by Liberty in Whyalla, South Australia.

Inland Rail is the largest freight rail infrastructure project underway, with the first train expected to operate in 2024/25.

The first section of trackwork near Parkes, which will link Inland Rail and the interstate east-west line from Sydney to Perth, was completed in August.

This is part of the Parkes to Narromine section now under construction by the Australian Rail Track Cororation.

ARTC Inland Rail Chief Executive Richard Wankmuller said: “The Parkes to Narromine section of Inland Rail is now 10 months into full construction and the economic benefits can already been clearly seen in Parkes and surrounding regions.

“Inland Rail construction is injecting significant dollars into local businesses and the regional economy with $41.2 million spent so far.”

Around the Central West region of NSW, businesses are providing concrete supply, transportation, fencing, earthmoving, drainage, electrical works, security and water bore drilling services.

Industry briefings are being held to provide an update to the construction industry on Inland Rail with the final of three sessions to be held in Sydney tomorrow (Thursday, 17 October).

Picture: ARTC/Parkes trackwork

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