AUSTRALIA: Adani Mining has awarded Martinus Rail a A$220m contract for civil engineering work on the 1 067 mm gauge rail link to its controversial Carmichael coal mine in Queensland’s Galilee Basin.
Now 50% owned by Malaysia’s Gamuda group, Martinus Rail will construct the formation for an 86 km section of the route, together with nine river bridges and more than 200 culverts. The contract also covers one road bridge and 35 level crossings.
The company had previously been awarded a A$100m contract to supply trackwork for the entire 200 km rail link, setting up bases in Rockhampton and Townsville to support the project.
The civil works contract is expected to create about 600 jobs, according to Adani Mining CEO Lucas Dow. Announcing the contract award on April 21, he suggested that the work would help to support the local community as it ‘braces to withstand the economic shifts being brought about by the Covid-19 virus’.
Health & safety precautions had been put in place to prevent any spread of the coronavirus, he added, including social distancing, health screening and enhanced cleaning and hygiene practices. ‘We’re following all advice from Queensland Health and the federal government and doing all we can to keep our people and the community safe’, Dow explained.
