Landowners along the Narromine to Narrabri segment of the Inland Rail project have been invited to supply suitable building materials including rock, gravel and soil for its construction.
The Australian Rail Track Corporation – delivering Inland Rail for the Commonwealth Government – will pay an extraction fee per tonne to local landholders for supplying the right materials, according to required quality specifications, and the ARTC will also rehabilitate pits and cover them with topsoil.
“It is estimated that the Narromine to Narrabri segment of the Inland Rail project will need to import in excess of 3 million cubic metres of fill material,” infrastructure minister Michael McCormack said on January 17.
“This provides an excellent opportunity for local landholders to experience the shared benefits of the Inland Rail, even before the 1,700-kilometre track is completed and carrying double-stacked trains to move more produce into domestic and international markets, at a lower freight cost.”
Inland Rail’s Narromine to Narrabri project director Duncan Mitchell said materials would need to be tested before their suitability for supply can be confirmed, and testing will require geotechnical work and appropriate permission from landowners.
“The ARTC will review all submissions and contact landowners to discuss the next steps and answer any questions related to investigations,” Mitchell said.
“This is just the start of the kinds of opportunities people will see from Inland Rail in the area and we want as many people as possible to get in touch to let us know what they have.”
The ARTC said the ideal location of borrow pits containing suitable material would be within 25 kilometres of the Narromine to Narrabri study area.
Competent rock – which can be used to make ballast – will also be considered from sites up to 50 kilometres away.
Narromine to Narrabri is the longest project of Inland Rail, comprising roughly 300 kilometres of new track.