Building a fast freight backbone to transform how goods are moved around Australia.
Inland Rail is a once-in-a-generation project that will enhance supply chains and complete the backbone of the national freight network by providing for a transit time of 24 hours or less for freight trains between Melbourne and Brisbane via regional Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.
Key information
- Location:
- Australia
- Date started:
- 2019
- Completion date:
- 2026
- Client type:
- Infrastructure
- Main services:
- Controls and performance, cost and commercial management, programme management, programme strategy and set-up
Transforming freight
The Inland Rail project will transform the way freight is moved around Australia, connecting regional towns to commercial markets more efficiently, driving substantial cost savings for producers and consumers, and delivering significant economic benefits.
Comprising 13 individual projects and spanning more than 1,700km, Inland Rail is the largest freight rail infrastructure project in Australia and one of the most significant infrastructure projects in the world.
It will take 262,000 tonnes of steel and 745,000 cubic metres of concrete to build and will include the largest diameter diesel freight tunnel in the Southern Hemisphere.
Economic benefits
At the peak of construction, Inland Rail will create more than 16,000 direct and indirect jobs, and an additional 700 ongoing jobs will be created once it is operational.
The project will revitalise regional economies and boost Australia’s GDP by AUS$16bn during project delivery and the first 50 years of operation.
The Australian Government has committed AUS$9.3bn for Australia Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) to develop and build Inland Rail and additional funds will come from a partnership with the private sector.
An integrated team
We were appointed by ARTC as programme management office (PMO) provider, to enhance project and programme controls, governance processes and to support effective decision-making. We are operating in a large integrated team environment with ARTC to provide a PMO offering for the entire Inland Rail programme.
We developed the ‘Inland Rail way’, working closely with the ARTC team. This focuses on creating an environment of continuous improvement, active engagement and a dynamic approach to project innovation.