John Holland Group has been chosen to deliver early commencement works and early delivery activities for the remaining eight Inland Rail sites in Victoria.
Announced by the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC), the section – known as the Beveridge to Albury – Tranche 2 section – will be subject to site investigations such as geotechnical investigations, ground water monitoring, and additional surveys by John Holland.
Furthermore, the Australian construction firm will also progress design work at Benalla, Euroa, Wandong, Hume Freeway, Tallarook, Seymour, and three sites in Broadford on the existing North East rail line to allow for the safe passage of double-stacked freight trains, with Inland Rail Program Delivery Director for Beveridge to Albury, Ed Walker, saying the announcement was an indicative of Inland Rail “getting on” with delivering the project.
“We’ve selected John Holland based on their experience delivering major civil and rail projects including Inland Rail Narrabri to North Star Phase 1 last year and the North East Rail Line Upgrade (NERL) in 2021. John Holland are also responsible for delivering Melbourne’s Metro Tunnel Project and Sydney Metro,” said Walker.
“Over the coming weeks local communities will see the John Holland team on Tranche 2 sites carrying out early works for new bridges, track lowers and station modifications.”
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John Holland Executive General Manager, Steve Butcher, said this was an exciting project that would transform how goods were moved around Australia.
“We know that expanding the nation’s rail freight network creates safer and less congested roads and minimises carbon emissions,” Butcher said.
“Projects like these also create jobs and allows us to work with local businesses, leaving a positive legacy for regional communities.”
Inland Rail is set to appoint a construction partner for the remaining Victorian sites in mid-2024, with major construction commencing in early-2025 and project completion in 2027.
The “nation-building” $31.4 billion project currently stands at Australia’s largest infrastructure project, and aims to allow the safer transportation of double-stacked freight trains to optimise the delivery of everyday goods and products around Australia.