Newly released figures from Inland Rail show that spending with local companies on the Inland Rail alignment has surged past $500 million at the end of October, delivering a major boost to regional economies and communities.
With construction powering ahead in the Beveridge to Albury (B2A) section in Victoria and commencing in Stockinbingal to Parkes in New South Wales, Inland Rail has spent over $100 million with local companies over the last year alone.
In 2025 regional businesses will further benefit from Inland Rail construction, with Tranche 2 works starting in the B2A section and construction also beginning in Albury to Illabo and Illabo to Stockinbingal.
“We are proud to have passed the $500 million milestone supporting local businesses as we deliver Inland Rail across Victoria and New South Wales, construction is bringing benefits to regional communities, with local content key to the program’s success,” Stephen Jones, Inland Rail executive director program health, safety, environment and sustainability, said.
“Inland Rail has worked extremely hard to engage with local businesses and help to bring them on board as suppliers, and these latest figures demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach.
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“A major focus of Inland Rail has been to build skills in communities along the alignment, so local communities can participate and benefit from in this once-in-a-generation project and others in the future.”
Inland Rail has now spent over $508 million with nearly 800 local companies on the Inland Rail alignment since construction started in 2018, with $47 million spent with thirty-seven First Nations businesses in regional Australia.
Inland Rail has also continued to be a major jobs provider in regional Australia, with the project providing nearly 6,500 jobs at end-October, with just over half of these jobs being filled by local residents and nearly 480 First Nations workers employed.