“It has been great to get going with the project that we know the local community has been looking forward to for a long time,” said Sarah Roche, GrainCorp’s regional manager for Southern New South Wales. “Most of the preliminary earth works have been completed and we are transitioning to the construction of the rail sidings and overhead rail bins. We have already completed over 7,500 man hours of work.
“Each component on site must be carefully engineered to ensure they all work together and deliver the designed outcomes. Fabrication of the steelwork and silos is in full swing, trusses for conveyors have already been delivered to site and piling for footings is under way.”
The upgrade of the grain receival and train loading facility is expected to improve train loading times by 80%, allow for a 24-hour turnaround time to port, increase competitiveness for local grain and deliver a A$10 per tonne benefit to growers.
Roche said safety during the whole process is a priority and that GrainCorp appreciates local residents staying clear of the work zone.
“Council continues to be committed to making the project a success in partnership with GrainCorp,” said Anthony McMahon, general manager of Hilltops Council. “We have worked with GrainCorp to facilitate safer ways for trucks to enter the site and are pleased with how the construction is being managed.”
The multi-million-dollar upgrade was previously announced in December 2015 as part of the Australian government’s National Stronger Regions Fund (NSRF).
This continues to be the latest in a series of upgrades for GrainCorp. In November 2016, GrainCorp partnered with the Australian New South Wales (NSW) government to deliver a A$4.7 million upgrade to a major grain handling facility in Burren Junction, northern NSW. The completed site rail loading times will be reduced by 70% as a result of the upgrade, which will deliver faster cycle times to port with a freight saving of over A$6 per tonne, GrainCorp said.
GrainCorp’s Tocumwal site also was relaunched as part of the company’s regeneration project. The A$3 million upgrade included the extension of the rail siding from a 10-wagon, 150-meter siding to a full 40-wagon unit train (640-meter) siding. The traffic flow of the site also was substantially redesigned – improving turnaround times. The site has a 120,000 tonne capacity.
