Upgrades to 29 kilometres of the Narrabri to North Star section of the Inland Rail are now complete, in time for NSW grain harvesters.
The section is part of the Narrabri to North Star Phase one project, which includes upgrading approximately 171 kilometres of track within the existing rail corridor.
Trans4m Rail, a joint venture between contractors John Holland and SEE Civil, was announced in November 2020 as the principal contractor for phase one works.
Acting Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Barnaby Joyce said the completion of the section would allow traders such as GrainCorp, Arrow, CHS Broadbent and Louis Dreyfus to haul freight through the area.
“The completion of prioritised work along the Narrabri to North Star section will ensure producers can get their products to market and make the most of these bumper prices,” he said.
ARTC Inland Rail Interim Chief Executive Rebecca Pickering said that the opening of the track marks a major milestone in the construction of the Narrabri to North Star section.
“The collaboration between ARTC Inland Rail and our contracting partner Trans4m has seen approximately 29 kilometres of track upgraded, 48,012 sleepers laid and 1118 culverts installed,” she said.
More than 700 people worked on the construction of Inland Rail between Narrabri and North Star since September 2020.
Inland Rail will support 7500 jobs in New South Wales at the peak of construction and boost Gross State Product by an estimated $3.4 billion over construction and the first 50 years of operation.
ARTC is continuing the work to deliver the Narrabri to North Star Phase one project with its contracting partners, north and south of the active section of track.
In the next stage, between Camurra and North Star, construction is underway as stripping of the old track continues, along with earthworks, lime stabilisation and rail bridge demolition and construction works.
Construction between North Narrabri and Bellata will commence in April 2022.
Inland Rail is a 1700-kilometre freight rail line directly connecting Melbourne and Brisbane via regional Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.
It will build on existing regional and rural rail connections that provide access to the ports of Melbourne, Port Kembla, Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth via Parkes.
For more information on Inland Rail’s construction and progress, click here.
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