Austrak: News

THE NEW AUSTRAK SLEEPER FACTORY AT BOMEN, NEAR WAGGA WAGGA IN MID-WESTERN NSW IS GETTING CLOSER TO COMPLETION.

With the first production run due in early June, the factory is on target to start production of 1 million sleepers required for the Australian Rail Track Corporation's Melbourne to Sydney corridor upgrade. An additional 250,000 sleepers for the ARTC are being made in Austrak's existing facility at Geelong, Victoria. Production of these started in February.

Project Manager, Ian Graf, has had to contend with unseasonal rains arriving during a critical concrete pour, but is pleased for the local region as this rain has been a long time coming.

The 180m long factory will house eight 'beds' for the production of pre-stressed concrete sleepers. The beds contain four sleeper wide long moulds, shaped like a giant Kit Kat upside down which, when filled with pre-stressing wire and then concrete, are steam-cured and emerge from the factory to be cut to length and have their rail clip fastenings installed.

At full production, the Bomen factory is expected to produce about 2,500 sleepers per day, which will be stockpiled adjacent to the factory for further curing before shipping by rail and road to the upgrade sites on the North South rail corridor.

The entire construction project and fitout of the production area is being filmed for Time Lapse photography, which Austrak will use to market their products and services to potential customers in Australia and overseas.

When completed, the site will contain the 50m x 200m production facility, an on-site batch mixing concrete plant, a steam production plant, offices and accommodation for the staff, of whom about 60 are expected to be employed locally, greatly assisting the local region.

The Bomen factory emphasises Austrak's commitment to sustainability and environmental principles. Not only are Pre-Stressed Concrete Sleepers more environmentally friendly than their timber counterparts, due to their longevity and non-reliance on valuable timber forrest reserves, the factory will re-use all the waste water from the cutting and curing processes in the batch-mixing plant, greatly reducing demand on a scarce resource - water.

Even the production facilities themselves have been recycled, once forming the core of Austrak's Tennant Creek plant, built for the Alice Springs to Darwin Rail project a few years ago.

27-03-2007 - WAGGA WAGGA CONCRETE SLEEPER FACTORY UNDERWAY

The new concrete sleeper factory at Wagga Wagga which will supply one million concrete sleepers for Australian Rail Track Corporations Ltd's (ARTC) concrete re sleepering of the interstate rail line between Sydney and Melbourne, is proceeding on schedule and will have its first production on 6 June." David Marchant Chief Executive of ARTC said today.

The new factory is being built on the Bomen industrial estate by Austrak a fully owned subsidiary of Laing O'Rourke.

"This new factory is a key factor in enabling ARTC to go forward with our Melbourne to Sydney rail upgrade investment program "Mr Marchant said.

"The new concrete sleeper factory being built in Wagga will be the largest sleeper plant in Australia." said Austrak's General Manager." David Priddle.

"It is a large investment and commitment to the Wagga district and will employ about 60 staff when it becomes operational in June this year." Mr Priddle said.

After the first production of concrete sleepers from the new Austrak Wagga factory in June the sleepers will then need to cure for 4 weeks before they can be laid on the track.

ARTC entered into a contract worth over $100 million with Austrak last November for the supply of 1,250,000 concrete sleepers and fasteners to be fully delivered by 2008.

" Concrete resleepering is an important part of ARTC's current $2 billion North South investment program to upgrade the interstate rail network from Melbourne to Brisbane to improve transit times, reliability and capacity on the interstate network.

Transit times are estimated to reduce Melbourne - Sydney by two and a half hours from 13 hours 10 minutes to 10 hours 40 minutes for 1500 superfreighters and to 11 hours 30 minutes for 1800 metre superfreighters." Mr Marchant said.

ARTC has recently made significant investments in Wagga Wagga with the establishment of new ARTC Management Offices and provisioning centre precinct at Station St and the construction of the new $17 million rail bridge across the Murrumbidgee at Wagga Wagga.

Contact David Marchant ARTC 0419 733 201 or Prue Regan 02 8259 0716
Mark Walker Laing O'Rourke 02 9855 1600

19-03-2007 - BOMEN FACTORY OPERATIONAL BY JUNE

The $100 million project to build a new concrete sleeper factory at Bomen is going full steam ahead and by June 6 the first of 1.25 million sleepers to be made at the factory should be rolling off the production line.

The Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) is replacing the sleepers on the Sydney to Melbourne rail line with Austrak constructing a purpose built factory in Wagga to meet the task.

Austrak general manager David Priddle said the construction schedule was on track and the new facility would be the largest of its kind in Australia.

"It is a large investment and commitment to the Wagga district and will employ about 60 staff when it becomes operational in June this year," he said.

ARTC entered into a contract worth more than $100 million with Austrak last November for the supply of 1,250,000 concrete sleepers and fasteners to be fully delivered by 2008, said ARTC chief executive David Marchant.

"This new factory is a key factor in enabling ARTC to go forward with our Melbourne to Sydney rail upgrade investment program," he said.

"Concrete resleepering is an important part of ARTC's current $2 billion north-south investment program to upgrade the interstate rail network from Melbourne to Brisbane to improve transit times, reliability and capacity on the interstate network.

"Transit times are estimated to reduce Melbourne-Sydney by two and a half hours from 13 hours 10 minutes to 10 hours 40 minutes for 1500 metre superfreighters and to 11 hours 30 minutes for 1800 metre superfreighters."

After the first production of concrete sleepers from the new facility the sleepers will then need to cure for four weeks before they can be laid on the track.

30-11-2006 - AUSTRAK AND QR SIGN CONCRETE SLEEPER SUPPLY ALLIANCE

AUSTRAK HOLDS SIGNING CEREMONY WITH QR IN ROCKHAMPTON.

Queensland Rails' CEO, Bob Scheuber and the Executive Chairman of Laing O'Rourke Australia, Andrew Wilson took part in a signing ceremony at Austrak's Rockhampton factory to acknowledge the new relationship between QR and Austrak known as the Concrete Sleeper Supply Alliance.

The event, on Thursday 30 November 2006, marks Austrak's first alliance-style contract and an innovative solution for the provision of concrete sleepers, by Queensland Rail (QR) forming an alliance with a supplier.

The concrete sleeper supply alliance, which is for five years with an option for a further five years contract, includes the planning, production, stockpiling and load-out of sleepers from the Austrak manufacturing plant in Rockhampton. The contract, which also includes Austrak's innovative timber replacement sleeper, will supply all the narrow gauge sleepers for QR's needs within the State of Queensland - both main line and suburban.

"QR is Austrak's longest term customer, with the first contract in 1983 for a factory in Mackay and virtually a continuous relationship ever since," said Austrak's General Manager David Priddle.

"Austrak has made 5.7 million sleepers for QR over a period of 23 years and this alliance represents a maturing of our relationship, providing a platform from which innovation and sharing of success will be the new standards."

The Austrak/QR alliance is an open book arrangement which means that the entire alliance team is aware of all issues and has a say in the decision making. The alliance has formed a Leadership Team whose role is to steer the relationship and drive outcomes.

11-11-2006 - AUSTRAK WINS TOP EMPLOYER AWARD

AUSTRAK ACKNOWLEDGED FOR INITIATIVE AND COMMITMENT IN ENGAGING WITH INDIGENOUS PEOPLE AT ITS FACTORIES IN THE NORTHERN TERRITORY.

Announced at a special event in Darwin, Austrak won the Top Employer award at the Northern Land Council's 2006 Employer Excellence Awards.

Judges of the awards were looking for projects, companies and individuals who have made a significant difference to the lives of Indigenous people by going above and beyond the legislated or expected minimum. The Top Employer award was made to a company or business which, in the opinion of the judges, had made a difference by showing outstanding initiative and commitment in engagement with Indigenous people.

Austrak was nominated for the work it had done to maximise the training and employment of indigenous people in its two Northern Territory factories.

"Austrak were mentioned and shortlisted for virtually every award on the night," said David Priddle, Austrak's General Manager

"My congratulations go out to all who did the hard yards and won this award for the company."

The award, which is a 1.5m high aboriginal hardwood branch painted carving of a Brolga is on display in Austrak's reception area at the Moorooka office.

28-09-2006 - NEW SLEEPER FACTORY IN WAGGA WAGGA

THE AUSTRALIAN RAIL TRACK CORPORATION (ARTC) HAS SIGNED THE CONTRACT WITH AUSTRAK TO SUPPLY THE SLEEPERS FOR THE SYDNEY TO MELBOURNE RAIL UPGRADE.

The contract involves the supply of a minimum of 1.25 million sleepers and fasteners for its $2 billion North South rail upgrade project, which will be delivered over the next three years.

To meet the demand, Austrak will be manufacturing approximately 250,000 concrete sleepers from their Geelong factory, with the balance being manufactured from a new factory to be built at Wagga Wagga.

Austrak General Manager, Piers Brogan, said the award of this contract was strategically important to the business.

"We've now entered the New South Wales market with the award of this contract, and are delighted to be part of the team that will deliver this significant piece of infrastructure. Securing this contract also ensures we are ideally positioned for future contracts in the region," Piers said.

At a cost of $11.5 million, the new Wagga Wagga Factory will comprise an enclosed building 230m x 26m, 8 pre-stressing beds, 175m long each 4 sleepers wide, and a stockpile/loading area with a gantry crane of 400 x 20m. Approximately 60 people will be employed locally, for the six days/week, 24 hour operation.

"This will be the tenth factory that Austrak has built in Australia in the last 25 years, which included the hugely successful sleeper factories at Katherine and Tennant Creek for the Alice Springs to Darwin Railway project. We have a proven business model for constructing a factory, manufacturing sleepers, and then recruiting our employees from the local area and developing their skill base," Piers said.

Concrete sleeper deliveries from the Geelong factory are planned to start in February 2007, ad the Wagga Wagga factory is scheduled to start manufacturing in July 2007. This contract will be completed by April 2009.