Freight Rail, Inland Rail, NSW, Rail industry news (Australia, New Zealand), Victoria

Key Inland Rail leaders visit Stockinbingal to Parkes project

The leadership team at Inland Rail conducted site visits to the Lachlan River Bridge, Forbes Station, Wyndham Avenue, and the Daroobalgie Crossing Loop, while 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.

Inland Rail Chief Operating Officer Mike Zambelli said it was fantastic to visit the Stockinbingal to Parkes sites.

“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,” he said.

“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.”

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.

Treaven Martinus, Martinus CEO and Founder discussed the progress of the major project.

“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,” he said.

“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.”

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.