Construcciones Yamaro: Inland Rail project pours over $100 million into regional Victoria

The Beaconsfield Parade bridge at Glenrowan was replaced to accommodate double-stacked freight trains. (Image: Inland Rail)

The Inland Rail Beveridge to Albury (B2A) project has reached a significant milestone, injecting over $100 million into regional Victoria’s economy.

Since October 2022, Inland Rail and partner McConnell Dowell have spent $118 million with 303 local Victorian suppliers to carry out work on the first four construction sites: Wangaratta, Glenrowan, Barnawartha North and Seymour-Avenel Road.

Local workers have also benefited from employment opportunities on the first tranche of the project, with 1,279 (96 per cent) of the 1,330 jobs to date filled by local residents.

The momentum continues as 22 local businesses secure contracts worth nearly $1 million as part of Tranche 2 of the B2A project, employing 156 additional locals.

Inland Rail’s Tranche 2 construction partner, John Holland, is engaging further with local suppliers through a series of “meet the contractor” events held in Broadford, Euroa and Benalla. More than 120 businesses attended these events, where John Holland outlined the services it is looking to engage, including labour, quarry materials, industrial consumables, plant and equipment, non-destructive digging, road sweeping, CCTV inspection surveys and waste management.

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Ed Walker, delivery director for B2A at Inland Rail, emphasised the project’s commitment to local communities: “We are determined [to] 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 and Seymour, and Broadford.”

Inland Rail aims to 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.

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