Innovative steel for Inland Rail track

Innovative steel delivered for Inland Rail

Infrastructure minister and leader of the Nationals Michael McCormack says innovative rail steel designed and manufactured in South Australia for Inland Rail demonstrates the far-reaching opportunities presented by the project.

A$31 MILLION CONTRACT WILL see 6,000 tonnes of rail delivered to the Narrabri to North Star section of Inland Rail from the Whyalla steelworks in South Australia.

The rail, designed specifically for Inland Rail, is set to improve the performance of faster, more efficient double-stacked trains, supporting speeds of up to 115 kilometres per hour along the alignment.

Minister McCormack said the contract was consistent with the Coalition’s commitment to grow regional economies.

“Inland Rail is a catalyst for local jobs well beyond the Melbourne to Brisbane alignment,” McCormack said. “We know that our local manufacturers have the skills and creativity to be competitive. That is why Inland Rail has chosen top-quality, Australian-made steel to build this transformational project — because we know towns like Whyalla produce world-class products.”

Finance minister Mathias Cormann said large-scale infrastructure like Inland Rail presented key opportunities to drive job creation and regional growth.

“The Government’s pro-growth agenda is about creating jobs and stimulating local development. Inland Rail is a critical part of the Government’s plan for a stronger economy,” Cormann said.

“We know that the nation’s success is

The steel used for the Inland Rail project is made domestically.

underpinned by the hard work and aspiration of everyday Australians, but we also know that we need to ensure our industries … remain internationally competitive.

“That’s why we’re building transformational infrastructure projects such as Inland Rail to build economic resilience and strength, building on Australia’s reputation as leaders of innovative manufacturing and design.”

Federal member for Grey Rowan Ramsey said the contract was great news for Whyalla. “Whyalla has a long and proud history of manufacturing rail steel for our rail network, including a $20 million contract to supply 14,000 tonnes of rail for the Parkes to Narromine section of Inland Rail,” Ramsey said.

“Manufacturing is the predominant industry in Whyalla with more than 23,000 people in the town and its surrounds reliant on the iron and steel industry. Contracts such as this, for Inland Rail, make a real difference in the lives of Whyalla locals.

“Even 10 jobs staying in Whyalla because of Inland Rail is a huge win for the town, and with approximately 262,000 tonnes of steel needed to build Inland Rail — the equivalent to five Sydney Harbour Bridges — I have upmost confidence in the steel plant’s capacity to continue to deliver the high standard required for Inland Rail.”

Inland Rail CEO Richard Wankmuller welcomed the opportunity to support local industry.

“Whyalla is a big part of Australia’s rail history and their steel underpins thousands of kilometres of ARTC’s existing network around Australia, including the first section of Inland Rail from Parkes to Narromine,” Wankmuller said.

“We are preparing for the next stage of construction on Inland Rail on the Narrabri to North Star section following federal and state government project and associated approvals. This high-quality steel … will be used for reconstruction of the existing track, construction of a new section of rail line at Camurra and level crossing works, among other things.”

Wankmuller noted the cross section of the specially-designed rail had been optimised for the wheel-rail interface anticipated along the Inland Rail route.

“In order to deliver its full benefits, Inland Rail needs to provide a safe and fast alignment, and the modified rail cross-section profile accommodates this by improving the performance of the wheel-rail interface,” he said. “The new profile has been developed to reduce rail wear and reduce maintenance costs, and lessens the requirement for rail grinding on commissioning of the track.”

The new profile has been incorporated into the publicly available suite of ARTC Track Standards and from now on is the new norm for all tangent track across ARTC’s 6500km Interstate Network, Wankmuller said.

The rail is set to improve performance for doublestacked trains.

“Inland Rail is a catalyst for local jobs well beyond the Melbourne to Brisbane alignment, ”