CONSTRUCTION is set to begin on the first Inland Rail sites in Victoria with a $200 million contract having been awarded to construction company McConnell Dowell.

The Australian Rail Track Corporation said construction in the first tranche of Inland Rail works involves upgrading existing infrastructure.

It will focus on the Seymour Avenel Road bridge in Seymore, the Murray Valley Highway in Barnawartha North, the Wangaratta Station Precinct in Wangaratta and the Beaconsfield Parade precinct in Glenrowan.

The new contract also covers the delivery of corridor-wide works including signalling works, track slews and overhead utilities works.

Ed Walker, ARTC Victoria and South Australia projects general manager, said beginning construction on the Inland Rail in Victoria is a crucial step the infrastructure project.

“McConnell Dowell has already carried out initial design and preparatory works at four sites on the existing North East Rail Line to enable Inland Rail double-stacked freight trains to run between Beveridge and Albury,” Mr Walker said.

“Now they have been confirmed as the construction contractor for sites in the first tranche, they will get on with the job of building the designs they have been developing.”

Mr Walker said ARTC engaged McConnell Dowell based on the company’s experience across multimillion-dollar projects including rails, bridges, railway stations and roads.

“The award of this construction contract follows all primary planning and environmental approvals for Inland Rail in Victoria being obtained at the end of September, which means we can get on with delivering Inland Rail.”

McConnell Dowell T2A project manager Tom Foley said the first tranche of Inland Rail in Victoria is expected to bring tens of millions of dollars of new investment into towns in North East Victoria.

“Our team has worked night and day with the ARTC Inland Rail team over the past two years to make this vision a reality, we are very much looking forward to getting boots on the ground and building infrastructure that will change the way that freight moves around Australia for our future generations.”

Planned construction is reportedly on track to start toward the end of this year.