Construction of the 12 Inland Rail sites in Victoria can proceed after the announcement that John Holland has been chosen to deliver this second tranche of sites.
The infrastructure, building, rail and transport business headquartered in Melbourne will create eight sites from Beveridge to Albury—including Benalla, Euroa, Wandong, Hume Freeway-Tallarook, and Seymour—and three sites at Broadford.
Bridge replacement and track lowering will be part of the $470-million contract for the project, which is part of the move to create a line capable of a double-stacked freight train line from Brisbane to Melbourne with links to Perth and Adelaide at Parkes in regional NSW.
The Euroa and Benalla railway station precincts will also be redeveloped to make them safer and more accessible for passengers with new platforms, pedestrian underpasses and more parking.
Planning for the second tranche has begun with construction scheduled for early 2025 and an estimated completion date in 2027, according to Inland Rail chief executive Nick Miller.
“This is a major step forward for the Inland Rail project in Victoria with all 12 sites now under contract,” Miller said.
“Tranche 1 sites at Glenrowan, Wangaratta, Seymour are progressing well, and Barnawartha North is completed.
“John Holland is currently carrying out early works and site investigations before kicking off Tranche 2 construction early in the new year.”
John Holland is also part of the consortium that is working on the Melbourne Metro Tunnel Project. As well, the company delivered the Inland Rail Narrabri to North Star Phase 1 in 2023 and the North East Rail Line Upgrade in 2021.
More than $80 million has been spent in regional Victoria to date as part of the Inland Rail project with 264 businesses and more than 1120 people employed.
The entire project will cost $31 billion and will deliver 1700km of line.
It is a significant milestone for a project that came under review for budget blowouts and inefficient planning during a major infrastructure review process.
