The contract to supply the steel rail for the first section of the Melbourne to Brisbane Inland Rail has been awarded, marking another major milestone for the project.
Liberty OneSteel Whyalla Steelworks has secured the $20 million contract, and the company will be producing the rail that is required to build the Parkes to Narromine section.
According to Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Darren Chester, this contract is significant with Australian-produced steel rail providing a direct investment into the local economy as well as securing local jobs.
“Liberty OneSteel Whyalla Steelworks will soon start rolling the approximately 14,000 tonnes of steel rail required for the Parkes to Narromine section of the Inland Rail.
“This order is the first of approximately 262,000 tonnes of steel needed to build Inland Rail – which is equivalent to five Sydney Harbour Bridges,” Mr Chester said.
Minister for Finance Mathias Cormann said that this project will enable more freight to move by rail which will reduce the number of heavy vehicles running through the road network.
“Inland Rail will complete the spine of the national freight network between Melbourne and Brisbane, and allow a transit time of less than 24 hours,” Mr Cormann said.
Each steel rail will weigh approximately 60 kilograms per metre, and it will be able to accommodate double-stack trains with up to 1,800 metres in length that travels at 115kph and with about a 30-tonne axle load.
The Parkes to Narromine section of Inland Rail was declared a critical infrastructure for New South Wales, with the entire project a priority project by Infrastructure Australia.
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Source: Minister for Infrastructure and Transport
