Inland Rail Public Private Partnership one step closer
Three world-class consortia have been invited by the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) to submit proposals for the section of Inland Rail from Gowrie outside Toowoomba to Kagaru near Beaudesert in Queensland, to be delivered as a Public Private Partnership (PPP).
November 10, 2020
Capstone, G2K Connect and Regionerate Rail are now entering a Request for Proposal (RFP) phase to determine which consortium will win the contract for this section of Inland Rail including the 6.2km tunnel through the Toowoomba Range – the longest diesel freight rail tunnel in the Southern Hemisphere.
Inland Rail CEO Richard Wankmuller said it was an important milestone for the Inland Rail project.
“The RFP process will enable ARTC to leverage the considerable global engineering expertise required to deliver innovative design solutions and efficient construction methods for this technically challenging terrain,” he said.
“The PPP will deliver the 128 kilometres from Gowrie to Kagaru and will include construction of three tunnels and numerous viaducts, bridges and crossing loops.
“The geology and topography of this section, mostly located within protected corridors, poses many challenges which have required us to undertake a lot of site investigations to obtain a better understanding of the conditions and inform the final design,” Mr Wankmuller said.
“The PPP process will draw on the private sector’s experience and innovation to deliver the world-class engineering solution required to traverse the Great Dividing Range”, he said.
“This is the type of challenge that excites multi-national contractors, engineers and financiers. This is the type of iconic project that consortia will use to showcase their credentials when pursuing future contracts.
“The PPP section has already generated jobs associated with the geotechnical investigations, cultural heritage surveys and environmental impact assessments.
“More than $1 billion in contracts have been awarded to companies working on Inland Rail to date,” he said.
“ARTC aims to award a contract in 2022 to the group that delivers the best proposal.
“This will come at an important time as our national economy continues to rebuild,” he said.
For more information please visit the website.
Capstone comprises CPB Contractors, Ghella, UGL, DIF, Pacific Partnerships
G2Konnect comprises Acciona, Ferrovial, Cintra, Macquarie
Regionerate Rail comprises Clough, GS Engineering and Construction, Webuild (formerly Salini Impregilo), Lendlease Services Pty Ltd, Plenary Group
ENDS
Media contact: Alexandria Bernard 0438 656 755
Image: Visualisation of Murphys Creek viaduct.
November 10, 2020
