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Gold Coast-based private construction company ADCO has been awarded a $120 million state government contract to build a new rail maintenance building at Ormeau to support maintenance of a new train fleet being built in the regional Queensland city of Maryborough.
The purpose-built facility, which will comprise 20,000sqm, will be located on a 66ha site earmarked for a planned rail yards precinct adjacent to the Gold Coast rail line on Goldmine Road.
ADCO, one of Australia’s largest private builders with a presence in the commercial, government, infrastructure and military sectors, last year completed construction of the Brisbane Metro Depot which is described as the country’s largest and most advanced electric bus depot, ahead of the introduction of Brisbane’s Metro services.
ADCO's managing director Neil Harding says the company is proud to have been selected as the "builder of choice to deliver the Queensland Train Manufacturing Program buildings package".
"This significant project adds to our expanding rail sector portfolio and builds on our recent success in delivering complex infrastructure projects," says Harding.
"We look forward to developing the Ormeau rail maintenance building, which will support the growing passenger train fleet.”
The new maintenance facility at Ormeau on the northern Gold Coast will support a fleet of 65 new six-car passenger trains that are being built by Downer EDI (ASX: DOW), which was awarded the $4.6 billion contract in 2023.
All 65 trains will be built at the Torbanlea train manufacturing facility, just north of Maryborough, in partnership with Korea’s Hyundai Rotem Company.
The contract marks a return of local train manufacturing for the suburban network to Queensland more than a decade after the former government controversially chose to build its existing New Generation Rollingstock in India.
The new Australian-made trains, which will deliver advanced functionality to cater for the new Cross River Rail link in Brisbane, are expected to be delivered ahead of the 2032 Olympics.
The Queensland Government says the rail maintenance facility on the Gold Coast will play a key role in supporting the growth of Queensland’s public transport network in the lead up to the Games.
Minister for Manufacturing Dale Last says the project is critical in servicing the growing number of trains being built in Queensland.
“The Crisafulli Government is delivering the support and new opportunities Queensland’s manufacturing sector has been calling for,” says Last.
“We need to make sure the system can meet the growth of our train network across South-East Queensland over the next decade, including visitors and athletes during the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
“This purpose-built rail facility is an important piece of the puzzle for the Queensland Train Manufacturing Program and will support the maintenance of the expanded fleet of trains being built right here in Queensland.”
The Ormeau facility will support 100 jobs during construction and 140 when operational. Earthworks are currently under way with construction on the rail facility building set to start later this year and completed in 2026.
State Member for Coomera Michael Crandon says the project is a win for the Gold Coast community and will provide jobs for locals well beyond the construction phase.
“More than 100 jobs including several apprenticeships and cadetships will be supported during construction of the rail maintenance building alone,” says Crandon.
“I am pleased to see this contract awarded to a builder with a proud history of construction across the Gold Coast and beyond.
“Projects like these create purposeful job opportunities for locals and are an important training tool for young people learning their trade as an apprentice.”
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