Carbon-neutral concrete being poured at Dubbo’s new rail maintenance centre is reducing carbon dioxide equivalent emissions by up to 5,000 tonnes through offset programs.
Member for the Dubbo electorate Dugald Saunders said Holcim, the first Australian-owned Climate Active Certified concrete supplier, is offsetting carbon on about 9000 cubic metres of its ready-mix concrete being used at the Mindyarra Rail Maintenance Centre in Dubbo.
“The NSW Government is serious about reducing its environmental footprint, so to have Australian-first initiatives trialled in a regional centre like Dubbo is huge,” Mr Saunders said.
“We’re committed to making sure our infrastructure is sustainable, both in the design of the new bi-mode trains and the process of building the new facilities to maintain the trains – and we hope we can roll out similar initiatives across other regional projects.
“Using carbon-neutral concrete for this project is equivalent to taking more than 920 cars off the road for a year, or the total energy usage of over 700 Australian homes for all heating, cooling, cooking and lighting for a year.”
The NSW Government’s $2.8 billion Regional Rail Project will replace NSW TrainLink’s ageing XPT, XPLORER and Endeavour trains with 29 new trains that will be tested, maintained and serviced at the Mindyarra Maintenance Centre.
“This first-of-its-kind project is a huge boost for the region, creating around 200 jobs during construction of the facility and 50 permanent roles once in operation, as well as using concrete produced locally from sands and materials sourced from businesses in the Dubbo area,” Mr Saunders said.
“On top of the carbon-neutral concrete being used, the centre will generate at least 95 per cent of its low-voltage power needs from onsite solar panels, and install onsite small batteries to power the maintenance centre from solar at night.
“Using solar energy on projects like this builds on the NSW Government’s vision for net-zero emissions by 2050.
“The facility will also house a 100,000-litre rainwater and bore water tank, and will use 90 per cent of its water from captured rainwater, bore water and recycled water, reducing demands on potable water supply for the Dubbo area.”
Holcim CEO George Agriogiannis said innovative, sustainable solutions are supporting the NSW Government to deliver green infrastructure.
“Our ready-mix concrete Environmental Product Declaration is an Australian first, creating transparency and confidence about carbon reductions across the supply chain,” Mr Agriogiannis said.
“We’re continuing to innovate to create more options to make construction projects greener.”
The new bi-mode trains will provide improved safety, accessibility, facilities and reliability for customers who travel from many NSW regional centres to Sydney, as well as Canberra, Melbourne and Brisbane.
The first new trains are expected to be running from 2023, with the full fleet coming into service progressively.
Bi-mode is a diesel-electric hybrid, which will allow the fleet to run on overhead power when operating on the electrified section of the train network.
For more information about the Regional Rail Project visit: www.transport.nsw.gov.au/projects/current-projects/regional-rail