<p>Commonwealth transport minister John Anderson will aim to settle the interstate track lease issue with the New South Wales government by the end of July, according to the Inland rail pioneer Everald Compton.</p> <p>Mr Compton said he and Mr Anderson had a two-hour meeting in Canberra on Monday (June 2) to discuss the future of the Australian Inland Rail Expressway from Melbourne to Darwin.</p> <p>The meeting followed Mr Compton’s decision last week to run against Mr Anderson in his seat of Gwydir at the next federal election over the lack of progress on the rail project.</p> <p>However, the two have agreed to bury the hatchet until at least the end of July while Mr Anderson attempts to secure a deal for NSW interstate tracks – one of the key issues if taking Mr Compton’s inland rail project further.</p> <p>"He asked to have two more months to try and come to an agreement with the NSW Government by July 30," Mr Compton said.</p> <p>"I have agreed to cooperate with him until July 30."</p> <p>Mr Compton said Mr Anderson had also agreed to make the inland rail a priority rather than an option, if an agreement was reached.</p> <p>"If they can’t resolve that (interstate track agreement) then we are going to have to find some other means of getting the railway up," Mr Compton said.</p> <p>The issue of competing for the seat of Gwydir at the next election was not mentioned at the meeting, Mr Compton said. </p> <br />
