Contracts awarded for Broomehill rapid rail and outloading project

The CBH Group has awarded Martinus Rail and Aerison key contracts for the Broomehill rapid rail and outloading project.

Australian-owned and operated Martinus Rail is a rail infrastructure and systems specialist, who will be responsible for the rail siding construction at Broomehill.

ASX listed industrial engineering, design and construction services company Aerison will be responsible for constructing the new fixed rail loading facility at Broomehill, significantly enhancing the loading of wagons.

Construction is scheduled to commence in March 2023, with works starting on site establishment, fencing, clearing and earthworks.

The project is expected to be complete in the first quarter of the 2024 calendar year.

Broomehill is the second of 11 rail siding extension projects at sites across CBH’s network to begin construction this year, funded in partnership with the Western Australian and Commonwealth Governments under Package 1 of the Agricultural Supply Chain Improvements (ASCI) Program.

Broomehill is the first of these projects to include a new fixed rail loading design (by Australian bulk storage and handling manufacturers Kotzur), which consists of four 1,100 tonne V-bottom silos, a 500 tonne per hour auger pit, 500 tonne per hour elevator with drag conveyors, a 1,500 tonne per hour elevator to load trains, and state-of-the-art control room.

The rail siding works will consist of over 2 kilometres of track being laid adjacent to the mainline, enabling the loading of a 60 wagon train.

CBH Group Chief Executive Officer Ben Macnamara said the Broomehill rapid rail and outloading project will deliver supply chain benefits and increase value for WA growers through greater network efficiency.

“Once complete, we expect Broomehill to add almost 100,000 tonnes to our monthly export capacity, thanks to a significant increase in rail outloading capability,” Mr Macnamara said.

“Bigger trains will be able to be loaded in less than half the time, and with a rail passing loop being built, we will be able to run additional train sets in the Albany Zone.

“This provides greater flexibility within our supply chain, meaning more grain on rail, reducing road transport costs and freeing up road resources for upcountry sites. Safety will be improved, and there are also environmental benefits with putting more grain on rail.”

“We are pleased to award the contracts to Martinus and Aerison, two highly-regarded Australian companies who are leaders in their respective fields.”

The award of the Broomehill contracts follows the awarding of contracts for the Brookton rapid rail and outloading project in January 2023 and demonstrates another significant step forward in the development of critical supply chain and infrastructure improvements for the WA grains industry.

“It is exciting to start construction on another rapid rail and outloading project this year,” Mr Macnamara said.

“Improving the outloading capabilities of Western Australia’s grain supply chain is a major focus for CBH, and we are proud to invest alongside the Government’s rail siding projects with rapid rail loading infrastructure to ensure longer trains can be loaded faster and get to port more efficiently.

“Two record harvests in a row highlights the need to continually improve the network to ensure we can move more tonnes to port to meet market demand.

“Improving our outloading infrastructure, especially through rail upgrades, is critical for us to achieve CBH’s strategic objective of exporting at a peak of 3 million tonnes per month by 2033, and we are doing this as quickly and efficiently as possible.”