The employment and business boost of the ongoing Inland Rail project has been revealed for regional Victorians
As a national project, Inland Rail has been revealed to have more of an impact than just in the rail freight sector.
Alongside transforming how goods will be moved around Australia, the economical and employment sides have been revealed.
Since October 2022, more than $25 million has been spent with 128 local Victorian suppliers.
Inland Rail has contracted local business to provide earthworks, accommodation and catering, environmental consultancy, cultural heritage services, equipment hire, electrical services, workforce training, labour hire, office supplies, PPE supply, precast concrete products, signalling equipment supply and equipment hire.
Local construction workers are also snapping up employment opportunities on the project in Victoria with 397 (90 per cent) of the 438 jobs offered to date acquired by local Victorian residents.
Carpenters, concreters, electricians, welders, linesman, riggers, steel fixers, track workers, traffic controllers, engineers, plant operators, surveyors, signal technicians, arborists and truck drivers are in demand on the project.
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.
Albury-based contractor HC Civil is one of the local companies to win work on the Inland Rail project. It provides civil engineering services and has expanded its business to 10 employees to meet growing demand.
“Having a large infrastructure project within an hour of where we live is a massive opportunity for us to invest in local people and in our business,” HC Civil managing director Brenton Simpson says.
“We have 10 employees, machines and earthmoving equipment employed on the Inland Rail sites at Glenrowan, Barnawartha North and Wangaratta.
“This project has given us the opportunity to invest in our business, invest in people, invest in gear, invest in training and staff.
“We would directly support eight to 10 businesses in the Wangaratta and Albury region and it’s important we continue to do so, to support local jobs.”
ARTC Victoria and South Australia projects general manager Ed Walker says HC Civil is one of many local businesses to have won contracts on the Inland Rail project.
“We encourage more local businesses to look for and win supplier contracts on the project,” Walker says.
“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.”