Rockhampton’s Austrak has been selected to fill a contract worth more than $82 million to supply concrete sleepers to Adani Australia for the Carmichael mine project’s rail line.

The deal will see Austrak triple its workforce to more than 80 and generate up to 30 supply chain jobs, and provide job security for the two-year life of the contract.

Adani Australia head of country and chief executive Jeyakumar Janakaraj said the $16.5 billion Carmichael project in Central Queensland would generate 10,000 direct and indirect jobs.

“Adani promised that regional Queenslanders would benefit from our project – and here’s the proof that we honour our promises and we care about regional Queenslanders,” Mr Janakaraj said.

“This is another step in Adani’s plan to build a long-term future with regional Queensland.

“While others are looking for ways out, we are looking to the future.”

Mr Janakaraj said Austrak would supply more than 730,000 concrete sleepers for the construction of Adani’s 388-kms standard gauge rail line from the mine in central western Queensland to the company’s bulk coal handling port at Abbot Point near Bowen.

Adani recently signed a $74 million contract with OneSteel in Whyalla for the supply of about 54,000 tonnes of railway tracks – almost 800km of steel if laid end to end.

“This is an even bigger contract to a company that is situated in regional Queensland and employs local people,” Mr Janakaraj said.

“The Carmichael project will open Galilee Basin’s high energy, low emission coal field to other miners. hat means more jobs in regional Queensland.”

The news comes as Aurizon reveals its plans for a  staged closure of its Rockhampton rollingstock workshop by late 2018.

A total of 181 employees at the workshops may be impacted, according to Aurizon. It said up to 40 affected employees were expected to have the opportunity for redeployment to Aurizon’s Jilalan facility.

All 10 apprenticeships at the Rockhampton facility, if not completed before closure, will be completed at other facilities.

Member for Rockhampton and Minister for Rural Economic Development Bill Byrne said the State Government had sought and received an assurance from Aurizon that all entitlements would be paid to workers affected by its decision to close the railway workshops in Rockhampton.