Inland Rail has been recognised by the Infrastructure Sustainability Council with an ‘Excellent’ As Built rating for the Narrabri to North Star Phase 1 project.
The commendation was presented to Andrew Aitken, Inland Rail Principal Sustainability Advisor, at the Infrastructure Sustainability Council (ISC) annual Certification Dinner event at Linseed House at The Grounds of Alexandria in Sydney on Tuesday night.
The Narrabri to North Star Phase 1 project impressed the Sustainability Council with several key achievements along its 176 kilometres of upgraded track, which makes it the longest linear infrastructure project certified by the ISC.
Among the upgrades were improvements to seven bridges and increased safety at 57 level crossings, with 10 passive level crossings upgraded to active with bells, lights, and boom gates installed at the crossings.
The Narrabri to North Star Phase 1 upgrades deliver a more efficient and reliable railway for local producers, boosting resilience against extreme weather events, with the track withstanding the worst flood in a decade to hit Moree in 2022.
During construction the project made use of a new steel rail shape developed by Australian steel manufacturer Liberty Primary Steel for Inland Rail that improves contact between a train’s wheels and the tracks.
This improved profile reduces the need for minor revisions in the form of steel grinding that takes place in the commissioning stage, which is where the new rails are tested, and reduces the safety risk of critical hot work after installation.
Stephen Jones, Inland Rail Executive Director of Health, Safety, Environment and Sustainability, said it was an honour for to collect this certificate on behalf of Inland Rail in front of its peers across the infrastructure industry.
“The ‘Excellent’ As Built rating demonstrates the levels of commitment to sustainability we hold dear at Inland Rail where a team of professionals dedicate themselves to achieving excellence in this key field,” he said.
“The Narrabri to North Star project is yet another example of Inland Rail’s ongoing commitment to sustainability, innovation, and industry leadership.”
The Narrabri to North Star Phase 1 project also reused earthworks which supported the rails, sleepers and ballast, significantly reducing the volume of new earth required.
The Sustainability Council panel also noted that the environmental offsets originally secured for the Narrabri to North Star Phase 1 project far exceeded its final impact, leading to an 86 per cent improvement in ecological values and demonstrating the project’s commitment to minimising environmental effects.
It was not just the environment which benefited from Inland Rail’s hard work: more than $246.4 million was spent with 137 local businesses during construction, including more than $9.4 million spent with First Nations businesses.
More than 2000 people worked on the project, including 678 locals of whom 185 were First Nations residents.
The Narrabri to North Star Phase 1 project is the second Inland Rail project to receive an ISC commendation, following on from last year’s ‘Excellent’ Design rating for the Stockinbingal to Parkes project.
And in 2020 Inland Rail exceeded its sustainability targets on the first completed section of the railway project between Parkes and Narromine with the redeployment of more than 98 per cent of the existing steel rail track and recycling nearly 47,000 timber sleepers.
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