Construction on CBH Group’s Cranbrook site is expected to commence in April. Source: CBH Group

RAIL siding upgrades at CBH Group sites are continuing to roll out with projects at Cranbrook and Konnongorring to start construction in April.

The works are part of the $200 million Agricultural Supply Chain Improvements Program.

It comes after CBH Group awarded construction contracts for the two projects to Laing O’Rourke (Cranbrook) and DT Infrastructure (Konnongorring).

ASCI is jointly funded by the State and Commonwealth Governments to deliver supply chain efficiencies through rail freight infrastructure upgrades.

Package 1 of the program includes $68M to upgrade 11 rail sidings at CBH Group grain receival sites, with additional investment from CBH.

Upgrades at the Cranbrook site include extending the length of the rail siding to allow 60-wagon trains to be loaded off the main line in four hours.

CBH will also install a fixed rail loading facility at the site.

The infrastructure upgrades are expected to increase the site’s monthly grain export capacity by 164,000 tonnes.

At the Konnongorring site, the rail siding upgrade and extension is expected to contribute to reducing loading times for a 52-wagon train from 14 hours to around four hours.

The works will transform Konnongorring from being a predominantly road-based transport site to a rail and road site.

The Konnongorring upgrades are due to be finished by the end of the year and the Cranbrook project in the third quarter of 2025.

WA Government transport minister Rita Saffioti said the projects will make a significant difference to the grain freight network in the state.

“Our government is committed to building the capacity and efficiency of the State’s rail freight network through the ASCI program and I’m really pleased to see the project gaining momentum with the roll-out of rail siding upgrades at Cranbrook and Konnongorring,” Ms Saffioti said.

Minister for Transport Rita Saffioti with CBH Group CEO Ben Macnamara. Source: Rita Saffioti

“These two projects will have a transformative impact on both our grain export capacity and community amenity, allowing hundreds of thousands more tonnes of grain to get to port and command the best prices for our growers, while taking more trucks off our roads.”

Ms Saffioti said the Brookton site was the first of the ASCI rail siding projects to be completed in August last year.

She said the project wrapped ahead of schedule, with the upgrades doubling the amount of grain loaded onto wagons in less than half the previous time.

“The completed Brookton rail siding upgrade has shown what an incredible difference these improvements make to the efficient loading, handling and transport of grain.

“As more of these projects come online, they will further increase the capacity of our rail freight network to accommodate the State’s increased grain production.”

Work on upgrading the Broomehill site is entering its final stages and when complete, will also streamline grain handling and loading by cutting hours off loading times for larger wagon trains.

Source: WA Government