The latest employment figures from Inland Rail’s Stockinbingal to Parkes section illustrate how many people it takes to deliver a major rail project like Inland Rail.
Major works at the Daroobalgie Loop, Lachlan River Bridge, Forbes Station and Wyndham Avenue have now been completed and the number of people needed on site has reduced, reflecting the progress made.
With major works now completed on the section and only a few weeks of minor works remaining, February’s verified figures show it took 596 people to complete major works between Stockinbingal and Parkes.
This figure is the total number of people directly employed by contractor Martinus Rail working in the rail corridor to deliver the project.
From July 2023 to February 2025, Inland Rail from Stockinbingal to Parkes has led to:
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596 people employed, of whom 55 are First Nations
184 local residents employed, of whom 34 are First Nations
60 women employed
39 tradespeople employed
129 local businesses engaged
$12.2 million spent with local businesses
$427,400 spent with First Nations businesses Australia-wide
Stephen Jones, Inland Rail Executive Director Program Health, Safety, Environment and Sustainability, said they had been able to complete major works on the Stockinbingal to Parkes section thanks to the workers and businesses.
“We have a stated goal of delivering Inland Rail south of Parkes by 2027 so it is important to be able to finish major works on S2P, and we can only be as successful as the teams on the ground putting in the hard yards," he said.
“It is demanding work to upgrade rail infrastructure - it requires accuracy, safety and physical effort, often in testing conditions and sometimes while wearing hot and heavy protective equipment.
“I would like to express my gratitude to the many locals who have worked on S2P, some of whom have joined the industry through the Inland Rail Skills Academy.
“The skills which have enabled these local workers to deliver S2P safely and on time will also be of enormous benefit on other parts of Inland Rail when they go into the construction phase later this year."
Construction begins in the Albury to Illabo and Illabo to Stockinbingal sections of the project later this year.
