AUSTRALIA: A groundbreaking ceremony in Glenrowan on February 1 marked start of main construction works for the section of the 1 700 km Melbourne - Brisbane Inland Rail freight corridor in the state of Victoria.
The Inland Rail route will follow the existing North East Rail Line which was upgraded in 2021, and will require Australian Rail Track Corp to undertake work at 12 sites to enable the operation of double-stack trains.
Contractor McConnell Dowell has commenced preliminary works at four of the sites, and the rest are currently at the reference design stage.
By the end of December a total of 58 service and supply contracts worth A$269·1m had been awarded to local businesses for the Victorian section of the project.
‘Over the next four years, Inland Rail is set to deliver vital local stimulus and support hundreds of Victorian jobs’, said the project’s Interim Chief Executive Rebecca Pickering. ‘Construction activity will bring opportunities for businesses to participate in delivering the work, but there will also be a positive flow-on effect for motels, retailers, cafes and restaurants through to a range of service providers who will reap the benefits of the project.’
