Carmichael Rail Network

Project Details:

The Carmichael Rail Network (CRN) is a 200km narrow gauge railway connecting Queensland’s Galilee Basin to existing rail infrastructure and the North Queensland Export Terminal – Australia’s most northerly coal export port.

At peak construction more than 1200 people working on the project. It involved building more than 22 bridges, including 17 over waterways, creating 460 culverts for drainage, and cut-and-fill earthworks.

McFadyen's Scope:

• Installation and backfilling of approximately 52,000 metres of culverts, including 750mm to 2200mm corrugated metal pipes (CMPs), delivered across multiple work fronts in a highly remote and logistically challenging environment.

• Backfill of all culverts with cement stablised sand

• Forming and shotcrete of headwalls to all CMP's

• Delivered in extreme and variable conditions, including harsh weather, flood-prone ground and limited site access due to its isolated location. Resourcing presented ongoing challenges, with crews and materials required to be carefully coordinated across long distances.