The Australian Logistics Council says the decision to deliver the Gowrie-Kagaru section of Inland Rail via a public private partnership (PPP) supports a significant private sector appetite for the work involved.
The Australian Rail Track Corporation recently invited Registrations of Interest for parties looking to be involved with the PPP to deliver 130 kilometres of new dual gauge track (including around 9 kilometres of tunnels) between Gowrie and Kagaru in South East Queensland, as part of the massive Inland Rail project.
Australian Logistics Council interim chief executive Lachlan Benson on October 4 welcomed the news.
“The Gowrie to Kagaru section of the route will be an especially intricate aspect of the Inland Rail, involving 8.9 kilometres of major tunnelling, which will see the largest diameter diesel freight tunnel in the Southern Hemisphere constructed through the Toowoomba Ranges,” Benson said.
“ALC has consistently supported the use of PPPs in the delivery of major infrastructure projects, and the involvement of the private sector together with the Federal Government and the Australian Rail Track Corporation in the construction of Inland Rail is especially welcome.”
Benson said a recent conference hosted by the ALC and the Australasian Railway Association in Parkes showed an enormous appetite among private companies and investors to be a part of the project.
“Partnering with the private sector will help to drive innovations in terms of project delivery, and support further investment in other much-needed freight infrastructure along the route,” he said.
“This includes investment in intermodal terminals, as well as the ultimate delivery of a dedicated freight rail connection from the Inland Rail route right through to the Port of Brisbane.”
The ALC says Inland Rail will be critical to help Australia meet its growing freight task, by alleviating congestion on road transport.