The Australian Rail Track Corporation is advancing plans to deliver the Inland Rail in Queensland, announcing the appointment of a director to establish a public private partnership to build three key sections of the railway.
ARTC appointed Tony Lubofsky to direct it through a public private partnership for construction of challenging sections of track involving tunneling at Toowoomba.
A commercial partner will help deliver 120 kilometres of track in three sections: Gowrie to Helidon; Helidon to Calvert; and Calvert to Kagaru.
Mr Lubofsky will determine the scope of the PPP, including the funding model.
The privat operator is yet to be selected. Bu typically, the construction phase of PPP rail projects is funded by the private sector, and government makes ongoing payments of a fixed sum throughout a set period which usually lasts around 30 years, covering both maintenance costs and return on capital investment.
In last year’s Federal Budget government committed $9 billion to the project, which will link Melbourne and Brisbane port with a fast, heavy haul railway to cut freight costs and reduce pressure on the existing transport network.
The preferred bidder on the Queensland PPP is expected to be announced at the end of 2019.
ARTC, a government-owned entity which is building the rest of the 1700km track under its own steam, aims to complete the entire project by 2025.
Inland Rail chief executive Peter Winder said Mr Lubofsky brought valuable experience to a challenging role.
“Tony has led the delivery of five successful PPP projects in the health and education sectors, and joins us from Public Transport Victoria where he was the project director for the Metropolitan Train and Tram Refranchising project.”
“This is a critical role for putting in place systems, structures and procurement enabling ARTC to partner with the private sector in delivering the 126km, technically challenging section between Gowrie and Kagaru, which requires tunnelling through the Toowoomba, Teviot and Little Liverpool ranges.”