Inland rail supporting regional manufacturing

The continuing construction of the ambitious Inland Rail project linking Melbourne and Brisbane continues to provide benefits to regional manufacturers, with the letting of a $67 million contract for culverts to be manufactured in Tamworth, NSW.

According to the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) the Narrabri to North Star (N2NS) section of Inland Rail is fostering relationships with regional Australian companies.

The 5,100 culverts to be manufactured by Holcim in Tamworth are to be used alongside 116,396 concrete sleepers from Mittagong, 224,939 sleepers from Wagga Wagga and 2,474 165-metre long lengths of steel from Whyalla in South Australia.

Holcim, which operates the Humes factory in Tamworth, won an earlier, $10 million contract for culverts on the Parkes to Narromine section of the railway.

The culverts consist of concrete pipes and boxes, which help manage water flow underneath the track and assist with drainage. Holcim will make around 9,400 concrete products for the N2NS project.

Holcim ANZ CEO George Agriogiannis said innovation and sustainability underpin delivery for Inland Rail.

“Holcim has already delivered more than 22,000 tonnes of carbon neutral culverts for Inland Rail, saving more than 7,000 tonnes of carbon emissions.”

Inland Rail CEO Richard Wankmuller the Narrabri to North Star section of the project is well underway with more than 300 people working on the project to date.

“Inland Rail has spent more than $10.5 million with 101 local business in the N2NS alignment, but contracts are not just limited to those nearby towns.

“Right here in Tamworth culverts are being built and transported to the project alignment.”

Wankmuller said an accommodation camp was opened last month in Moree to cater for workers and there were dozens of tenders currently being advertised for the project through construction partners.

“Companies across regional Australia with the right skillset are bidding and winning these contracts. There are many more opportunities to come as we still have 11 project sections to be built.”

Picture: ARTC

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