Key Inland Rail leaders visit Stockinbingal to Parkes project
Key members of the new Inland Rail leadership team embarked on a tour of the Inland Rail alignment from Albury to Parkes, including visits to sites across the Stockinbingal to Parkes section of track last week.
Piling works at Wyndham Avenue, Forbes, March 2024.
The team conducted site visits to the Lachlan River Bridge, Forbes Station, Wyndham Avenue, and the Daroobalgie Crossing Loop, whilst taking the opportunity to meet with on-the-ground teams and key stakeholders in the Central West and surrounds, including Forbes Shire Council.
The Stockinbingal to Parkes project area spans from just north of the rail junction in Stockinbingal to just south of Goobang Junction in Parkes, New South Wales. Martinus is the head contractor for the current works.
The 170km project includes upgrades along the existing rail corridor and building new supporting infrastructure to provide sufficient height and width clearance to support the safe running of double-stacked freight trains.
Construction works have significantly advanced with the 88-hour ‘super possession’ in March this year, allowing teams to undertake substantial works at Daroobalgie and Forbes.
Of the nine sites comprising the Stockinbingal to Parkes project, both the Caragabal and Bribbaree Yards are now complete, while three continue to progress ahead of schedule. Inland Rail and Martinus teams are now preparing for the next major possession window in September, with the project well on track for completion in 2027.
To date, 114 local residents have worked on the Albury to Illabo and Stockinbingal to Parkes enhancement project, 22 of whom are local First Nations people. 63 local businesses have supplied to the project, with $2.9 million spent with local businesses.
Mike Zambelli, Inland Rail Chief Operating Officer, said:
“It was fantastic to visit the Stockinbingal to Parkes sites, meet our teams on the ground, and to see firsthand the strong progress Inland Rail is making in regional New South Wales.
“Inland Rail is a nation building project that will transform how goods are moved around Australia and is already delivering significant benefits for local communities.
“We’d like to thank the community in Forbes for their patience and understanding as we get on with the job of building Inland Rail from Beveridge to Parkes by 2027.”
Treaven Martinus, Martinus CEO and Founder, said:
“I’m super pleased with the impressive progress our team has made to date. Already we are ahead of schedule having worked on five of nine sites, with the majority of works completed in two possessions.
“This achievement highlights our commitment to excellence and efficiency in large-scale rail projects and underscores our capability as a leading head contractor.
“Our success stems from a collaborative partnership with Inland Rail, as we continue working closely with their teams.”
