THE Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) has awarded Martinus, Australia, a contract to deliver the Rail Corridor Programme, which covers 574.5km of the Inland Rail project including the largest greenfield sections. Martinus will be responsible for laying track, ballast and sleepers as well as installing level crossings between Narromine and Moree in New South Wales (NSW), and North Star, NSW, to Gowrie, Queensland.

Inland Rail interim CEO, Ms Rebecca Pickering, said the contract was another milestone for Inland Rail, which will be a catalyst for regional employment and economic opportunity.

“Martinus will now work closely with the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) to develop strategies to manage the supply and logistics for large quantities of long-lead time construction materials,” she says. “These materials will include almost a million concrete sleepers, approximately 80,000 tonnes of steel rail and 1.7 million tonnes of ballast.

“The work will involve the delivery of above-ground works, which includes track construction, rail welding, transportation of materials, and the installation and commissioning of level crossings.

Pickering says the Rail Corridor Programme is a key component of the broader works within the Border - Gowrie, North Star - Border, Narromine - Narrabri and part of the Narrabri - North Star sections of Inland Rail.

A feature on Australia’s big-spending rail construction boom appears in the December issue of IRJ.

For detailed data on rail projects around the world, subscribe to IRJ Pro.