OneSteel rail connecting country communities
Whyalla Steel playing its part for Inland project
Many people wouldn’t even know what Illabo and Stockinbingal are and what they have in common with Whyalla … unless, perhaps, you produce and dispatch rail at the OneSteel South Australian steelworks.
Illabo and Stockinbingal are delightfully named New South Wales rural towns that will soon be connected, literally, with rail produced at the OneSteel Manufacturing Pty Ltd (Administrators Appointed) (OneSteel) Whyalla steelworks.
OneSteel recently delivered the first of seven campaigns (shipments) of rail to this section of the multi-billion dollar Inland Rail project that will eventually see a new freight corridor connecting Melbourne and Brisbane. Eight rail-pair wagons carrying 800 tonnes of rail were sent to the Illabo site late last year, with a total of around 5500 tonnes eventually required to complete this 39km section of track.
This is a critical infrastructure project that will significantly improve rail freight movements across the east coast of Australia and OneSteel is proud to play a part in delivering this iconic project.
Ashleigh Williams
This was not only a complex operation with the 27.5m lengths needing to be loaded into rail pairs (two wagons joined together and designed to flex to accommodate the long lengths of rail), it was also an exercise in precise logistics and planning to meet a critical 36-hour main line shutdown to allow for the special rail delivery.
Transports Project Lead, Noel Goldsworthy said the logistical exercise involved working closely with Rail Plant operations, our transport contractors and the end user.
“One hundred per cent, the successful delivery of this first campaign of rail can be attributed to a complete team effort on-site in Whyalla and with various external partners,” Noel said.
“We have built a reputation of successfully delivering to these sort of complex and time-critical projects and it is that experience that came to the fore again.”
Head of Sales and Marketing Ashleigh Williams paid tribute to everyone involved in the first delivery for what he described as a “significant and high profile” project.
“This is a critical infrastructure project that will significantly improve rail freight movements across the east coast of Australia and OneSteel is proud to play a part in delivering this iconic project,” Ashleigh said.
“Supply has been carefully and thoroughly planned with our partners John Holland, Inland Rail and Pacific National and they were very happy with the first delivery.
“We will now repeat the exercise another seven times in 2026 to different sites until we deliver the full amount of rail that will complete this important section of the Inland Rail project.”
The first rail train left Whyalla in early December, stabling at the NSW town of Parkes before proceeding overnight to the Illabo site for strict 6am access for delivery and unloading, in preparation for on-site welding.
The Melbourne to Brisbane Inland Rail project is an Australian Government initiative that aims to upgrade and construct a 1600km freight railway that will link Melbourne and Brisbane with 70 per cent of the rail using existing rail corridors while 500km of new rail will be built.
Main Picture and bottom right: Work being undertaken to lay rail from Illabo to Stockinbingal. Top right: A map showing the rail line route that will connect the two communities.
