Inland Rail has spent over $100 million on local business on the Beveridge to Albury (B2A) project, delivering major economic benefits to local suppliers and communities in regional Victoria.
Since October 2022, Inland Rail and partner McConnell Dowell have spent $118m with 303 local Victorian suppliers to carry out work on the first four construction sites at Wangaratta, Glenrowan, Barnawartha North and Seymour-Avenel Road.
Local workers have also taken up employment opportunities on the first tranche of the project with 1279 (96 per cent) of the 1330 jobs to date acquired by local residents.
Victorian businesses are now winning early work on Tranche 2 of the B2A project. 22 local businesses have won contracts worth almost $1m and employed 156 locals.
Inland Rail Tranche 2 construction partner John Holland recently held a series of meet the contractor events in Broadford, Euroa and Benalla to engage with local businesses and outline the range of services they are looking to contract on the second phase of the project in Victoria.
More than 120 business attended as John Holland outlined the types of services it’s looking to engage, including labour, quarry material, industrial consumables, plant and equipment, non-destructive digging, road sweeping, CCTV inspection survey, and waste management.
Inland Rail is a nation building project that will transform how goods are moved around Australia, first connecting Beveridge to Narromine, New South Wales, by 2027 before later connecting to Kagaru, Queensland.
In Victoria, Inland Rail work will be carried out at 12 project sites between Beveridge and Albury to enable double-stacked freight trains to pass safely and ensure everyday products can be delivered faster and more reliably around Australia.
Inland Rail Delivery Director B2A, Ed Walker, said, “We are determined see local and First Nations businesses win contracts on the Inland Rail project and maximise the economic benefit in communities along the alignment.
“We’re investing in regional Victorian communities and the capabilities of local businesses.
“Local suppliers are invaluable. They have local knowledge and understanding and can tap into the community expertise and talent we need to complete the project.
“More communities and businesses are set to benefit when we roll out the second tranche of the project in Benalla, Euroa, Wandong, Hume Freeway – Tallarook & Seymour and Broadford.”
