New rail sidings to slash grain loading time

Two international firms have won contracts with Western Australia’s largest grain handler to build new grain rail sidings under plans by CBH Group to be exporting 3 million tonnes per month by 2033.

Work on the sidings, to be built in the Wheatbelt town of Konnongorring and Cranbrook in the Great Southern, will begin in April and take about 18 months to complete.

CBH on Friday awarded rail construction contracts for Cranbrook to British giant Laing O'Rourke and Konnongorring to Malaysian-headquartered Gamuda Group.

Laing O'Rourke’s scope will also include construction of a rapid rail loading facility.

CBH chief project delivery officer Sam Gliddon said the work would enable more efficient grain movement to port.

“Starting these rapid rail and outloading projects is a major achievement and a testament to the hard work many of our colleagues across all divisions at CBH have put in to get these projects designed, approved and under way,” he said.

“Improving the outloading capabilities of WA’s grain supply chain is a major focus for CBH, and we are proud to invest in fixed rail loading infrastructure alongside the WA and federal governments investment in new or extended rail sidings.”

Doubling of the Cranbrook siding to 2,000 metres and addition of a 6,600-tonne fix rail loader is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Konnongorring’s new siding, pencilled in for completion the back half of 2025, will turn the site from road transport alone to a rail-and-road hub.

That project will cut the 14-hour train loading time down to four hours.

Gamuda subsidiary DT Infrastructure will build two turnouts and catchpoints to link with a future loading facility housing two 1,500t over rail bins.

DT general manager Cormac Brady said the work would enhance the state’s supply chain.

CBH’s Broomehill rapid rail and outloading project is expected to be finished in mid-2024 and the Brookton siding extension was finished in August last year.

Those projects, and the new contracts awarded on Friday, are four of the 11 sidings CBH is upgrading under a $4 billion, 10-year network investment agenda.

Some $200 million has been invested by the state government through the agricultural supply chain improvement program.

Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said completion of the Brookton siding had already shown how big a difference the upgrades could make.

DT Infrastructure was formed when Gamuda acquired Australian Transport Projects from Downer EDI for $212 million in June last year.