Arc Infrastructure has executed an agreement with the Western Australian Government to deliver grain rail upgrades to the Midland Railway track (MR) between Mingenew and Carnamah.
The agreement is part of the State Government’s Agricultural Supply Chain Improvements (ASCI) program which aids in upgrading various rail networks across the state.
It finalises a $45 million commitment by the state and federal governments, alongside a $22 million contribution from Arc Infrastructure.
The agreement enables the upgrade of the MR track to move forward to the delivery phase and has allowed order placements for long lead materials.
The upgrade will involve replacing timber sleepers with concrete and steel along approximately 77 kilometres of track, and the replacement of 96 kilometres of rail.
Upgrades will increase the line from 16 Tonne Axle Load (TAL) to 19 TAL and deliver a more productive and resilient freight rail infrastructure network for the benefit of Western Australian growers.
CBH Group is the sole customer of the line, which is used throughout the year to transport grain to Geraldton Port.
Nathan Speed, Acting Chief Executive Officer of Arc Infrastructure said Arc and CBH have agreed on a construction methodology that will see large sections of the track closed for several months during construction.
“Combined with Arc delivering the work with its internal teams, this methodology reduces the overall project cost by over $30 million, enabling a more efficient spend of ASCI funding.
“The parties will work together to ensure that movement of grain is optimised across the network ahead of and during construction outages.”
Construction is expected to commence in mid-2026.
