The Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) has named Regionerate Rail – a consortium comprising Plenary Group, Clough, GS Engineering & Construction, Webuild and Service Stream – as preferred bidder for the development of the Gowrie to Kagaru section, which runs through Queensland. The contract is worth more than AU$5bn (£2.8bn) for the design and construct elements, of which approximately AU$2bn is attributable to Webuild.
The section between Gowrie and Kagaru will be approximately 128km of new and upgraded rail track through the most geographically challenging section of the 1,700km rail line between Brisbane in Queensland and Melbourne in Victoria. It will include a 6.2km tunnel through the Great Dividing Range, the largest-diameter freight tunnel in the southern hemisphere.
The public-private partnership (PPP) contract will also include a 25-year maintenance phase after the completion of the section between Gowrie to Kagaru.
ARTC Inland Rail interim chief executive Rebecca Pickering said the decision to select Regionerate Rail followed a two-year process with the best of international expertise competing to be part of the project. “This landmark agreement is huge for Inland Rail and puts billions of dollars in stimulus, jobs and long-term economic growth on the table for Queensland – through construction, Inland Rail is expected to support more than 11,800 jobs and deliver a $7.8 billion boost to the state’s economy during construction and the over the forward operations,” she said.
“This is an important step. Regionerate Rail have been able to leverage their own considerable engineering expertise to produce truly innovative design and construction methods for this technically challenging project. I am looking forward to seeing their solution become a reality. This project is a game-changer for the way we will deliver freight around the nation and during the past two years we have been reminded time and time again how important our future supply chains are.”
“For us, Australia is one of the most strategic markets in the world, given the opportunities that it offers in sustainable mobility and renewable energy,” said Webuild Chief Executive Officer, Pietro Salini. “We are proud of Webuild’s involvement in Inland Rail, especially on the most technically complex section of the project.”
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