REVEALED: The business opportunities coming up in the billion dollar PPP Inland Rail leg

There are plenty of opportunities for local businesses to get involved with the PPP leg of Inland Rail. Here’s what will be required:

Thousands of jobs for Queenslanders will be up for grabs as part of the Queensland public-private partnership (PPP) section of the Inland Rail project, an information session for local and indigenous businesses has heard.

At Gatton on Tuesday, local and indigenous business representatives were given presentations from the Australian Rail Track Corporation and short-listed consortia Capstone, G2Konnect and Regionerate Rail, who are bidding to build the section of Inland Rail from outside Toowoomba at Gowrie to Kagaru near Beaudesert section as part of a PPP.

ARTC Inland Rail director of planning, communication and stakeholder engagement Rebecca Pickering said over 200 people attended the session with many Queensland businesses already benefiting from the Inland Rail project.

“Queensland will be the largest beneficiary of Inland Rail with an estimated 12,000 jobs created from construction and a $7.8 billion boost in Queensland Gross State Product,” Mrs Pickering said.

“Three world-class consortia have been short-listed to bid on the construction of the PPP section, and we expect opportunities for Queensland businesses will dramatically increase when the successful proponent is announced later in the year,” she said.

“The successful contractor will need the support of local businesses in various ways when construction starts.

“The information session … is the first opportunity for the local business community to hear first-hand from the short-listed companies about their requirements for the project and what kinds of work will be coming down the pipeline.

Mrs Pickering said the Inland Rail project team is committed to using local suppliers and labour where possible.

“The PPP section has already generated jobs associated with the geotechnical investigations, cultural heritage surveys and environmental impact assessments and there are many more opportunities to come for local businesses,” she said.

Inland Rail Gowrie to Helidon flyover.

“It’s not just construction work available, there are also opportunities with Inland Rail in administration, technical jobs and support services such as transportation drivers, electricians, traffic control, steel fixing, environmental and rehabilitation work, signage, security and hospitality and accommodation providers too.”

ARTC will name its preferred consortia this year with the final contract to be signed in 2022 with the consortium that delivers the best proposal.

WHAT WILL BE NEEDED TO BUILD PPP:

■ SERVICES:

Clearing and grubbing

Concreting

Earthworks

Electrical

Environmental and rehabilitation

Plumbing and drainage

Road construction, maintenance

Steel fixing

Survey

Testing

Track removal and installation

Traffic management

Transport

■ GOODS:

Fences and gates

Geotextiles

ICT equipment

Noise walls

Personal protective equipment

Quarry materials (e.g. ballast, capping)

Reinforced concrete products

(culverts, decks, girders, panels, pipes, pits etc.)

Signage

Site offices, equipment, furniture

■ EQUIPMENT:

Containers

Cranes

Equipment (i.e. compressors, floodlights, generators etc.)

Plant (compactors, earthmovers, excavators, graders, rollers, scrapers)

Temporary fencing and hoarding

Tracklaying and surfacing machinery

Water trucks

Welding machines