The Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) has officially opened its Inland Rail Narrabri, NSW, shopfront and office, marking a significant milestone for the Narromine to Narrabri project.
ARTC Inland Rail Interim Chief Executive Rebecca Pickering said opening a home base in Narrabri is just the beginning for project delivery in the region.
“The new Narrabri office will be a shopfront for the community to bolster our project engagement offering and space for both ARTC and our contractors to work from,” she said.
“As Inland Rail continues construction in New South Wales, we are focused on working with regional communities to create both short term and long-lasting economic opportunities for local people and businesses.
“Last year we appointed Acciona CPB Joint Venture (ACACPB) as the preferred proponent to deliver the civil works component for the Narromine to Narrabri section.
“We will need a large local workforce to support this part of the project with an estimated 7500 workers needed in New South Wales at the peak of construction in 2023-24.
“Further to the civil works contractor, we appointed Martinus Rail to deliver the 570-kilometre rail corridor component of the project from Narromine in NSW to Gowrie in Queensland.
“Both ACACBP and Martinus will now seek partnerships with businesses to support the delivery of the 306-kilometre greenfield N2N section and we are calling on businesses to register their interest in the project.”
Pickering said plenty of local suppliers supported the Narrabri office fit out and ARTC is looking to recruit locals with skills in office administration, office support and related disciplines services.
“The new Narrabri office engaged skilled local businesses including Country Electrical, GCJ Glass, Damien Chiplin Plumbing and Beau Hansen Tiling.
“The space will cater for up to 10 people who are working on the planning and construction of Inland Rail.
“As the project continues to progress we look forward to working closely with local governments along the alignment.”
Federal Member for Parkes Mark Coulton said the Narromine to Narrabri section of Inland Rail is the biggest section of new track in NSW and will require the most skilled workers and suppliers for the project in the state.
“There is no other infrastructure project in Australia like Inland Rail,” he said.
“The economic opportunities this will bring along the Narromine to Narrabri alignment are enormous, providing the chance for local people and businesses to be involved in this once-in-a-generation project.
“This new office signals an exciting turning point for this part of the project, which will only ramp up from here.”
Inland Rail has already generated more than 2600 jobs across New South Wales with the delivery of the Parkes to Narromine section and construction on the Narrabri to North Star section currently underway.
The Narrabri office is located at 85 Maitland St, Narrabri.
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