File photo courtesy of ARTC.
Relevant industries are now assessing their capacity to build the Inland Rail freight project, connecting Brisbane to Melbourne via regional south east Queensland, inland New South Wales and rural Victoria.
Over 400 representatives from Australian and international construction and rail companies, consultants and suppliers recently attended briefings in Sydney and Brisbane.
Those attending now have the opportunity to consider what specific skills and experience they can bring to the project.
Through these briefings, industry now has greater insight into the specifications to be delivered for the Inland Rail project, such as of axle loads, transit times, speeds and size of the trains.
The Australian Government has so far committed $300 million for Inland Rail to conduct detailed corridor planning, environmental assessments, community consultation, and commencing land acquisition.
The new freight link is expected to offer a competitive service to road freight as transit times between the capital cities will be under 24 hours.
Australian Rail Track Corporation chief executive officer John Fullerton said freight volumes between Brisbane and Melbourne are forecast to triple by 2050, based on 2010 figures.
Consultation with industry will continue until the end of the year, with services briefings for planning approvals, reference design, geotechnical and surveying, as well as environmental impact assessments, expected in the first half of 2015.
