Rail Project On Track

More than 500 people will soon be working on the new train maintenance centre at Wulkuraka, west of Brisbane, being delivered by Laing O’Rourke for Bombardier as part of the Queensland Government’s New Generation Rolling Stock (NGRS) project.

Transport Minister, the Hon. Scott Emerson MP has toured the project – part of the largest single investment in public transport in Queensland – to view the first installation of rail track into the facility.

In a statement, Mr Emerson said:

"This project is now employing hundreds of people and, once complete, will provide 150 full-time ongoing positions,” Minister Emerson said.

“The project will also provide more than 1,500 indirect opportunities for contractors and other businesses, creating even more jobs for the Ipswich region.”

The NGRS facility was featured on November’s G20 agenda, showcased by the Queensland University of Technology as leading-edge Digital Engineering, which is Laing O’Rourke’s application of Building Information Modelling techniques.

Engineering and construction data is captured in a live, integrated and interactive model – which can be viewed here as an animated flythrough.

Construction is nearing the halfway mark, with more than 300 tonnes of steel installed at the site, almost five kilometres of pipework laid and the structural frame of the centre due to be completed next month.

The wider NGRS project includes purchasing 75 new six-car trains, maintenance of the trains for 30 years, and construction of the purpose-built maintenance centre.

Laing O’Rourke Northern Region Director Darren Weir said construction of the maintenance centre was progressing smoothly.

“To date we’ve completed more than 250,000 hours of work on site, and we’re tracking well towards safely delivering on time and to budget.

“Laing O’Rourke is proud to play a key role in increasing the capacity and reliability of rail services to meet growing demand in Queensland,” Darren said.