The federal government’s progress on the Inland Rail project has been praised by the rail sector. Image: jbdodane
As Australia’s rail sector gears up for the upcoming AusRAIL PLUS 2015 conference in Melbourne on 24th to 26th November, the industry peak body the Australasian Railway Association (ARA) has had much to celebrate.
The ARA has applauded the federal government’s recent announcement that the services tender is now open for the Inland Rail project.
This project is a massive undertaking that the federal government has allocated $300 million to build and operate a railway corridor between Melbourne and Brisbane along a 1,700km route that’s expected to unclog main roads from traffic that consists of freight trucks.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Warren Truss said the Technical and Engineering Advisory Services tender is a vital link in delivering the project.
“Inland Rail is now very much in the planning and environmental approvals phase,” Mr Truss said.
Mr Truss said the company that is chosen to deliver Technical Advisory and Engineering Services for Inland Rail will provide a team of experts to guide the engineering requirements for the project.
According to Mr Truss, this will allow the Australian Rail Track Corporation to get on with the job that I’ve charged them with—getting Inland Rail shovel ready.
“A tender briefing will be held in Brisbane on Friday 13 November 2015 to give prospective applicants the opportunity to ask questions of the Inland Rail team,” he said.
ARA chief executive officer Danny Broad said the rail industry has long been calling for this vital project to gain momentum.
“To see progress in tendering for the company which is to deliver the technical specs and engineering services for the project is certainly encouraging,” Mr Broad said.
He said the Inland Rail project has the potential to unblock an infrastructure bottleneck that currently has Brisbane to Melbourne freight unnecessarily travelling through Sydney, congesting road and rail networks alike.
“The efficient movement of freight in Australia is crucial for our domestic economy and our ability to compete internationally. Rail is the most efficient, environmentally friendly, safe and cost effective mode of land transport,” Mr Broad said.
“Progress in tendering for the Inland Rail project is an important forward step for this key
infrastructure project, this project is critical in order to meet growing freight demands in eastern Australia.”
