The construction on the 1,700 km Inland Rail project was officially launched at Parkes, in New South Wales.
The contractor INLink, a joint venture between Fulton Hogan and BMD Constructions, will construct the first 5.3 km of new rail for Inland Rail and will upgrade 98 km of existing corridors between Parkes to Narromine, in NSW, which is one of 13 distinct projects that completes Inland Rail.
“The sod-turn for Inland Rail is a significant, momentous occasion and it’s fitting to celebrate it at the site where the first greenfields section of Inland Rail will be built. When Inland Rail is operational, Parkes will be an important hub with double stacked, 1800 metre trains connecting west to Perth and Adelaide and along the east coast between Melbourne and Brisbane,” said John Fullerton, the CEO of Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC), that is responsible for the delivery and operation of Inland Rail.
Inland Rail will include approximately 1100 km of major upgrades and enhancements to existing track and construction of 600 km of new track.
The corridor will complete the spine of the national freight rail network, offering less than 24-hour transit time between Melbourne to Brisbane with 98% reliability.
The total construction cost for Inland Rail is estimated at AUD 10.9 billion (USD 7.86 billion). AUD 9.3 billion (USD 6.7 billion) has been committed by the Australian Government and the additional funds will come from a partnership with the private sector.
First train is expected to run in 2025.
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