The Inland Rail is a project of national significance connecting Melbourne and Brisbane via regional Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland and will involve a complex program of works. It is expected that when it is complete, it will better connect producers to markets and create new business opportunities.
However, the project is also expected to significantly impact on infrastructure and disrupt roads and property accesses within the local councils it passes through. Due to this impact, the project will require councils to review a large number of documents, assessments, reports, and approvals in short timeframes. There is also the possibility that additional project work will be required by councils to upgrade adjacent infrastructure to be delivered in conjunction with the Inland Rail Project.
GenEng Solutions has been working with Lockyer Valley Regional Council (LVRC) and Goondiwindi Regional Council (GRC) to provide technical advice; review preliminary and detailed design drawings submitted by ARTC (the Inland Rail developers); attend meetings with Council and developers; and liaise with other Council Departments and relevant State authorities. We are currently providing feedback for the Master Inland Rail Development Agreement (MIRDA) on behalf of GRC and providing ongoing support and coordination of information to and from Council.
The LVRC rail section is part of a PPP arrangement (a public/private partnership) which has a different delivery model to the GRC section. The oversite of the LVRC section requires dealing with the entity selected for planning and delivery of the project.
This is an ongoing service with the next stage of the process anticipated to be the review of plans and drawings submitted by contractors.
APPROACH
Although this project has been under way for two years, the magnitude of the scheme means that it is still in its early days. In the delivery of this liaison for the Councils we assist in an advisory role, determining what information needs to be disseminated to the Councils, attending formal meetings where required, providing background information, and drafting initial responses on behalf of Council. We also provide technical reviews of all documentation, preparing and providing summaries of these documents. Where requested by GRC, we have reviewed and provided responses to the draft Environmental Impact Statement, coordinating the activities of other specialist consultants and the presentation of draft-form response documents. In a number of instances, we also drafted the information and responses to legal documents, providing feedback and coordinating others to prepare direct submissions to the office of the Coordinator General and a submission to an Independent Review.
CHALLENGES
Due to the size of this project, there are many things that need to be taken into consideration. Consequently, this has become far more than a technical review. We are helping the Councils assess the long-term consequences of the project in terms of additional maintenance burdens, depreciation of new infrastructure and budgetary impacts. Our engagement requires support of Council in their negotiation of new infrastructure provided in Council’s networks and the resulting maintenance obligations.
The Councils’ obligations as stakeholders in the Inland Rail Project requires timely response to matters raised for Councils’ input. This work constitutes a large increase on the normal workload particularly on Council’s infrastructure teams. Our role includes resourcing much of this additional workload to assist Council in meeting their project obligations. A key aspect of our support to the Councils is the high importance based on the project’s confidentiality requirements.
OUTCOMES
This is a long-term and ongoing project.