The Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) has engaged InterLink to manage the relocation of various utilities, including sewer infrastructure, a wastewater pipeline and telecommunications cabling, within the Inland Rail alignment in Queensland.
The $18 million funding agreement between ARTC and InterLink will support the development of the intermodal terminal at Charlton, outside Toowoomba.
The Inland Rail project is Australia’s largest freight rail infrastructure project and will consist of over 1700 kilometers of rail connecting Melbourne and Brisbane via regional Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.
InterLinkSQ will provide the link between the existing Western Queensland regional freight rail network and the Inland Rail, providing a more efficient pathway to and from markets for regional business.
The agreement was reached after discussions with stakeholders found that the Inland Rail would need to move existing utility assets during construction. InterLinkSQ were required to build over these assets in order to connect to the Queensland West Moreton line.
ARTC Inland Rail Delivery Director Northern Ed Matthews said the agreement was a practical decision which would ultimately benefit all involved.
“InterLinkSQ was set to start works well ahead of Inland Rail and it made little sense for the utilities, which were located adjacent to each other, to be disturbed a second time a few years apart when Inland Rail started its works,” he said.
“This will result in less impact and duplication of works in the longer term … it is a win-win situation.”
Newlands Civil Construction Pty Ltd has been engaged as the head contractor to undertake the relocation works which are expected to start within the next few months.
Matthews added that major construction will not start until statutory approvals have been received from the Queensland and Australian governments, however, this project was a good example of the preliminary works that can be undertaken.
The project is expected to create 32 direct jobs and an additional 26 indirect jobs over the 12-month construction period.
Member for Groom Garth Hamilton said the economic opportunities would benefit businesses of all sizes during the construction of Inland Rail.
“Inland Rail will be a catalyst to establish new businesses in our region in industries such as manufacturing and processing which will result in new jobs and real growth. The work at InterLink SQ is the first concrete construction step of many for Inland Rail in the Toowoomba Region,” Hamilton said.
Construction on the Inland Rail Project commenced in 2018 and is anticipated to be completed in 2027.
For more information on the Inland Rail project, click here.
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