The transformed Wangaratta railway station has been officially opened today, marking the completion of major works on Inland Rail's Beveridge to Albury (B2A) Tranche 1 project.
Inland Rail - which will run double-stacked freight trains via regional Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland - will cut rail freight travel time between Melbourne and Brisbane to less than 24 hours.
At Wangaratta, modifications of the station precinct and the replacement of the adjacent Green Street bridge were required to allow sufficient clearance for double-stacked freight trains.
Together with construction partner, McConnell Dowell, Inland Rail transformed the station by:
relocating the east track to form a new west track
adding a new western platform
removing two footbridges and replacing them with a single pedestrian underpass
lowering the tracks under Green Street bridge and
replacing the Green Street bridge on the same alignment.
Wangaratta station is now more accessible with a new western carpark, better connected with new pathways, lifts, ramps and stairs and safer with the installation of 35 security cameras.
In addition, Inland Rail also lowered the tracks under the Murray Valley Highway at Barnawartha North and replaced bridges over the rail line at Glenrowan and Seymour-Avenel Road.
Wangaratta station is the centrepiece of the B2A Tranche 1 project, which also involved upgrading sections of the 262 km of existing rail between Beveridge and Albury.
Tranche 2, which will complete the Victorian section of Inland Rail, is already underway.
Work on B2A Tranche 1 has delivered significant benefits for local communities and businesses in regional Victoria.
Almost 1,650 people were employed on the project, including 59 First Nations people, 124 women, 39 apprentices, and 176 young adults under the age of 25.
1,578 workers were residents from across the region and 488 were from Wangaratta.
346 local businesses (10 of which were First Nations-owned) secured contracts worth $161.3 million on the project.
Of this, $18 million was invested across 43 Wangaratta businesses, that were engaged to deliver everything from electrical services, plumbing and traffic management to precast concrete products, equipment hire, accommodation and catering.
Quotes attributable to Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Minister Catherine King:
"Inland Rail will transform the way we're able to move freight across Australia; it's essential infrastructure that will help us keep pace with our nation's population growth.
"The project is now well on the way, with the opening of the Wangaratta station and the completion of the first of two tranches on the Beveridge to Albury section.
"Almost 1,650 people were employed on this project, and injected $18 million in Wangaratta businesses.
"Inland Rail is projected to carry 70% domestic use goods, which means we'll be able to get food from our growers to our suppliers to our homes in rapid speed."
Quotes attributable to Inland Rail CEO Nick Miller:
"The opening of the Wangaratta railway station precinct and the completion of B2A Tranche 1 is an exciting milestone for the whole project.
"We are another step closer to running double-stacked freight trains from Melbourne to Brisbane.
"The high numbers of local workers and businesses engaged on the project is a terrific result and it's something we want to replicate all the way to Brisbane.
"We're determined this project leaves a legacy in the towns it touches, and not just new railway infrastructure.
"We want to expose local workers to new opportunities, boost skills and develop and expand capabilities of businesses so they can grow and thrive after we're gone.
"All levels of government worked closely with local communities to build important new infrastructure that will benefit Australia for decades."
Quotes attributable to Federal Labor Senator for Victoria Lisa Darmanin:
"It's full steam ahead for Inland Rail, and the opening of the new Wangaratta Station is a significant milestone for both the community and this essential infrastructure project."
"This is a national project with genuine local benefits for the Wangaratta community - workers, businesses and transport users alike."
