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CGC Projects in Focus - Inland Railway

Over the next few months, CGC will be highlighting and providing commentary on major projects across New South Wales and Queensland in our blog series - CGC Projects in Focus. These projects have a national and state-significance and will generate countless job opportunities.

Inland railway development project

Our first project in focus is, the Inland Railway. Traversing the mountainous Great Dividing Range, this project will connect Melbourne and Brisbane and enable freight to be transported up the east coast in less than 24 hours. Construction on the railway began in 2018 and is estimated to be completed in 2024/2025. 

The background

When complete, the Inland Railway will be 1,700km from end to end and the project represents the largest rail infrastructure project ever undertaken in Australia. It's estimated that the project will help boost the Australian economy by up to $16 billion and generate 16,000 jobs across the country.

Due to the projects size and scale, the Australian Government has committed $9.3 billion for the Australian Rail Track Corporation to develop and build Inland Rail. Further funds will be provided through PPP (private sector partnerships).

The build

Although the project is the overall responsibility of Australian Transport and Energy Corridor Limited (of which the Australian Rail Track Corporation is a part), the railway is being constructed in sectors, with different companies and organisations involved in the building of each.

There are many architectural and engineering challenges involved in completing the project. For example, part of the Queensland Gowrie to Helidon sector, involves boring a 6.38km-long tunnel through the Toowoomba Range. Once complete, it will be the largest diameter diesel freight tunnel in the Southern Hemisphere.

70% of Inland Rail will be made up of existing rail infrastructure, with an aim to utilise 1,100km of existing infrastructure in order to make the best use of the available land and funds.

The line will be standard gauge, except where it shares the alignment with the narrow gauge of Queensland, in which case the track will be dual gauge. Isolated sections of the line will be built with dual gauge sleepers to facilitate a conversion to dual gauge later.

Overall, it is estimated that the Inland Railway project will require 262,000 tonnes of steel and 745,000 cubic metres of concrete to build - the equivalent of five Sydney Harbour Bridges!

The opportunity

At CGC Recruitment, our highly-motivated team of experienced consultants specialise in the engineering, construction and infrastructure sectors. We help  our clients throughout Australia deliver major projects like this by bringing in the best candidates and talent.

Job opportunities of the Inland Railway project

If you’re looking for your next career opportunity, you can register with CGC today. Simply complete our online registration, which takes just 30 seconds. Or if you’re looking for something in particular, contact us or search our jobs.

If you’re looking for the right team member, get in touch with CGC and one of our experienced consultants will be happy to help.

To be involved in projects or to attract candidates that are changing and improving Australia’s infrastructure, just like Inland Rail, connect with CGC today.