Major construction underway on Inland Rail Narrabri to North Star NSW

The Narrabri to North Star section of the Inland Rail is progressing well as major construction gets underway, with works expected to provide hundreds of job opportunities for locals. 

“It's an exciting day to see the major construction begin on this Narrabri to North Star section of the Inland Rail, particularly for the local workers involved in the project. 

“The construction of Inland Rail from Narrabri to North Star will directly employ 500 people, with many others to follow for sub-contractors and businesses in the area. These works will bring economic stimulus to the regional communities of Narrabri, Bellata, Moree and North Star,” Federal Member for Parkes and Minister for Regional Health, Regional Communications and Local Government Mark Coulton said. 

Over the past few months, Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) along with its construction partners have been engaging with the local community to ensure that the local workforce is benefitting from the Inland Rail works. 

Minister Coulton added: “Today, I met with locals who have taken the opportunity to get involved with Inland Rail and work on the delivery of a major piece of infrastructure that will provide long-term benefits for our region.” 

The Inland Rail development is delivering a 1,700-kilometre freight rail line that will directly connect Melbourne and Brisbane via regional Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. Once completed, this rail line will provide industries with a reliable as well as cost-effective freight transport option. 

“Inland Rail is undoubtedly a game changer, regional Australian who live and work locally need world-class transport and logistics to get their products to market, and the Australian Government has delivered. 

“For some, Inland Rail will be a once-in-a-generation opportunity, at the peak of construction more than 21,500 people will work on Inland Rail and I know many locals will be proud to look back in the years to come and say they were part of it,” Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack said. 

Project alignment (source: Australian Rail Track Corporation)

Inland Rail is one of the key initiatives under the Australian Government's $110 billion infrastructure pipeline which will deliver major road and rail upgrade projects to improve connectivity of regional communities to domestic and international markets. 

“The investment we make in Inland Rail is an investment in supply chains, the Australian economy and the workforce that will drive our recovery. 

“Inland Rail's fast, reliable and cost-competitive freight will increase the safety and efficiency of the national freight network and ensure Australian businesses remain globally competitive – once complete Inland Rail will deliver cost savings for all Australians who rely on freight for the food they eat, the clothes they wear and the furnishings in their homes and offices,” Finance Minister Simon Birmingham said. 

The Narrabri to North Star section of Inland Rail will include upgrading 184.5 kilometres of existing rail corridor as well as build 1.7 kilometres of new track near Moree in New South Wales. 

The project is going to be delivered in two phases, namely: 

• Phase 1 – Narrabri to North Star: upgrading 171 kilometres of track along the existing corridor 
• Phase 2 – Moree to Camurra: upgrading 11.8 kilometres of track crossing the Mehi-Gwydir floodplain and building 1.7 kilometres of new track at Camurra, north of Moree 

On October 2020, Trans4m Rail was awarded the contract to deliver Phase 1 of the Narrabri to North Star section. Trans4m Rail is comprised of John Holland and SEE Civil, with Rhomberg Rail Australia as an exclusive subcontractor delivery partner. 

To date, the following have been delivered on site of the $700 million Phase 1 project: 

• 341,225 concrete sleepers, each weighing 231 kilograms 
• 116,396 concrete sleepers from Mittagong 
• 224,939 sleepers from Wagga Wagga 
• 2,472 165-metre-long lengths of steel from Whyalla 

Source: Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development; Australian Government – Inland Rail; Australian Rail Track Corporation; Trans4m Rail