The Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) marked the occasion with a community event in Glenrowan, welcoming construction in Victoria after a thorough planning, engagement, and design process.
Connecting Melbourne and Brisbane via regional Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland, Inland Rail is Australia's largest freight rail infrastructure project and will better connect businesses, manufacturers and producers to national and global markets and create new opportunities for Australian industries and regional communities.
Victoria is expected to benefit significantly from Inland Rail with freight efficiencies and investment opportunities expected to boost the state's potential output by $6 billion over the first 50 years of operation.
Businesses in Victoria are already benefiting from Inland Rail. As at December 2022, 58 contracts at a value of $269.1 million had been committed to Victorian businesses for services and supplies on the Victorian section of the project.
Inland Rail follows along the existing North East Rail Line that was upgraded in 2021. To enable double stacked trains ARTC must upgrade existing infrastructure at 12 sites:
| Broadford-Wandong Road bridge, Wandong | Hume Highway bridge, Seymour |
| Hamilton Street bridge, Broadford | Anderson Street bridge, Euroa |
| Short Street bridge, Broadford | Benalla Station Approach Road, Benalla |
| Marchbanks Road bridge, Broadford | Beaconsfield Parade bridge, Glenrowan |
| Hume Highway bridge, Tallarook | Wangaratta Station Precinct, Wangaratta |
| Seymour-Avenel Road bridge, Seymour | Murray Valley Highway, Barnawartha North |
McConnell Dowell, the appointed contractor on the first four projects at Seymour, Barnawartha North, Glenrowan and Wangaratta, has commenced preliminary site works and will move into major construction in coming weeks. The remaining projects are currently in the reference design stage.
Inland Rail has already completed the Parkes to Narromine section in New South Wales with major construction works also underway on the Narrabri to North Star section in the state.
Rebecca Pickering, Interim Chief Executive Inland Rail said:
'Inland Rail is a nation-building project, supporting jobs and economic opportunities in regional communities and improving Australia's freight network.
'Over the next four years, Inland Rail is set to deliver vital local stimulus and support hundreds of Victorian jobs.
Construction activity will bring opportunities for businesses to participate in delivering the work, but there will also be a positive flow-on effect for motels, retailers, cafes and restaurants through to a range of service providers who will reap the benefits of the project.
'ARTC remains committed to meaningful and respectful consultation with the communities along the alignment as we continue through delivery activities for these sites.
'We acknowledge the construction activity will disrupt local communities close to our projects and we thank them for their patience and understanding as we deliver this important project'.
