Arc Infrastructure is pleased to have executed an agreement with the State Government to deliver grain rail upgrades to the Midland Railway (MR) between Mingenew and Carnamah as part of the Agricultural Supply Chain Improvements (ASCI) program.
The execution of the funding agreement finalises a $45 million commitment by the State and Federal Governments, alongside a $22 million contribution from Arc Infrastructure. The agreement enables the project to move forward to the delivery phase and has allowed order placements for long lead materials.
The upgrade will see timber sleepers replaced by concrete and steel along approximately 77km of track, and replacement of 96km of rail with minimum 41kg rail. Upgrades will increase the line from 16 Tonne Axle Load (TAL) to 19 TAL and deliver a more productive and resilient freight rail infrastructure network for the benefit of WA growers.
Acting Chief Executive Officer Nathan Speed said Arc’s internal team will deliver the works to achieve significant cost savings.
“Arc and CBH have agreed a construction methodology that will see large sections of the track closed for several months during construction.
“Combined with Arc delivering the work with its internal teams, this methodology reduces the overall project cost by over $30 million, enabling a more efficient spend of ASCI funding.
“Arc is also pleased to contribute $22 million towards the upgrade project, in addition to making over $30 million of cost savings through Arc’s internal delivery methodology.
“The parties will work together to ensure that movement of grain is optimised across the network ahead of and during construction outages,” Mr Speed said.
CBH Group is the sole customer on the line which is used throughout the year to transport grain to Geraldton Port. Construction is expected to commence in mid-2026.
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