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The $1.4 Billion Alice To Darwin Railway is ready for action
ADELAIDE - Engineering firm KBR (Kellogg Brown & Root) will celebrate a major milestone in Australia's - and its own - engineering history today, when the first freight train leaves Adelaide and heads for Darwin.
KBR's Australian-based Infrastructure division, with the backing of parent company Halliburton, established Asia Pacific Transport (APT), the private sector consortium that won the contract to design, build and operate the railway for 50 years before transferring it back to public ownership. Mr Dave Lesar, chairman, president and CEO of Halliburton will officially launch the first freight train on behalf of the APT consortium, representing the private sector, along with Mr Nick Minchin (on behalf of Prime Minister Howard), Mr Mike Rann and Ms Clare Martin.
KBR led the delicate financial negotiations between the three governments, the financial backers and the consortium that saw the private sector contribute about 60 per cent of the project cost ($850 million of the $1.4 billion project). The deal won two international finance awards.
The firm also contributed its resources and expertise to lead the design and project management of the construction of the Alice Springs to Darwin railway.
"Brilliant engineering design, water-tight project management and outstanding performance from the construction crews have been critical to the success of what has been accurately described as one of Australia's greatest infrastructure projects," said Andrew Fletcher, senior vice-president of KBR Infrastructure.
Mr Fletcher paid tribute to the contribution of the APT consortium members and more than 1300 people involved in the construction.
"It has been a fantastic team effort from which helped us complete the railway five months ahead of schedule - an impressive feat given the formidable challenges of distance, climate and terrain," he said.
"The Alice to Darwin Railway has inspired many great innovations, for example, clever, modular bridge designs by KBR's engineers which enabled 93 bridges to be built at an average of one bridge a week.
"The logistics of managing a significant workforce in a harsh environment, placing more than 25,000 orders for goods and services, and synchronising the movement of millions of tonnes of earth, sleepers and rails have called for great precision. We're proud that the expertise to achieve projects of this magnitude is Australian."
KBR is also a major shareholder of FreightLink, the APT entity responsible for establishing and managing freight trade for the line, which has already won significant freight contracts.
"Opening this landbridge to Asia will create exciting opportunities domestically and internationally, boosting both economic development and trade," Mr Fletcher said. "This is a long-term project, and KBR is certainly in it for the long haul."
KBR is a division of energy services company Halliburton. Founded in 1919, Halliburton is one of the world's largest providers of products and services to the petroleum and energy industries. The company serves its customers with a broad range of products and services through its Energy Services Group and Engineering and Construction Group business segments. The company's Web site can be accessed at www.halliburton.com.
Contact
Sonia Green
sonia.green@halliburton.com
KBR
Public Relations
(p) 61.8.8301.1442
Contact
Patrice Mingo
patrice.mingo@halliburton.com
KBR
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(p) 713.753.3011
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(p) 866.308.5239
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