McCormack welcomes Inland Rail tenders

REGIONAL companies will have the opportunity to be a part of history with tenders now open for the Parkes-to-Narromine section of the Inland Rail between Melbourne and Brisbane.

Registrations of Interest are being called for the 107-kilometre section of the Inland Rail project, which will include a new 5.3-kilometre greenfield corridor connection.

The Nationals’ Member for Riverina and Small Business Minister, Michael McCormack, said the Inland Rail project was “a vital link for regional and rural businesses to get their products to market”.

“There are more than 15,000 small businesses in the Riverina and Central West, with around a third of them being farmers,” Mr McCormack said.

“Parkes is the place where the north-south and the east-west rail lines intersect in Australia.

“And the area produces so much – it’s very much the heart of Australia’s agricultural sector.

“I’m proud to say the Government is getting on with the job to grow the economy in regional Australia.”

The Mayor of Parkes, Councillor Ken Keith OAM, said it was “wonderful to see this iconic project commencing”.

“The Inland Rail will mean a boon for regional economies like Parkes and Narromine, with many local jobs predicted to be generated as a result of the construction phase of the project,” Cr Keith said.

“Once the Parkes-to-Narromine section is complete we believe it will be a catalyst for investment in our region.”

The project involves upgrading and reconstructing sections of the existing track; construction, track and civil works for the new connection corridor; upgrading, relocating and consolidating existing level crossings; potential relocation or protection of utility services; and ancillary works such as flood immunity, stormwater, draining and fencing improvements.

Interested companies, that satisfy the evaluation criteria, can submit a Registration of Interest (ROI) document via the TenderLink website: www.tenderlink.com/inlandrail/.

Enquiries about the ROI should be addressed to mbircontracts@artc.com.au or via TenderLink.

ROI submissions close 22 September 2017.