Inland Rail has demonstrated its commitment to sustainability by salvaging an impressive 20,000 tonnes of steel from its recently completed Narrabri to North Star Phase 1 project, to store for future use. In addition, Inland Rail is donating surplus steel and other materials to construction projects in New South Wales and Queensland, and to local community groups.
These initiatives exemplify Inland Rail’s overarching dedication to sustainability throughout the project. By repurposing materials, the project not only extends the lifespan of these resources but also significantly reduces emissions that would have resulted from the production of new components. Importantly, these efforts contribute to minimising the environmental impact by diverting materials from landfill.
Inland Rail’s director of health, safety and environment, Stephen Jones, said the team is completely committed to building a sustainable future by prioritising reduction, reuse and recycling initiatives.
“Those of us working on Inland Rail have always recognised our responsibility to design and deliver this significant freight infrastructure program as sustainably as possible,” said Jones. “Striking the right balance between cost, schedule, design and benefits remains a challenge but also creates exciting opportunities to think and act differently.”
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As part of the enhancement works on Narrabri to North Star Phase 1, the project involved the demolition and reconstruction of some pre-existing bridges to make way for new bridges capable of accommodating double-stacked trains.
Inland Rail repurposed the majority of materials from the demolished bridges – including five steel spans from the old Croppa Creek bridge, which were successfully integrated into other Australian Rail Track Corporation bridge projects in Newcastle.
Additionally, the recycled steel was used to construct an access platform for a bridge project along the Nerang River in the Gold Coast and in other projects in Brisbane.
Principal contractor Trans4m also donated rail ‘jewellery’ – the pins connecting sections of track – to the local Moree Men’s Shed, where members are utilising the pins to create hat and coat racks.
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