In his first public speech as Chief Executive Officer of Inland Rail, Nick Miller has told the Australasian Railway Association Rail Freight Conference in Sydney that Inland Rail is on track to deliver strong progress in 2024, as it seeks to complete the Beveridge to Parkes sections by 2027, in line with the recommendations of the independent review into Inland Rail.
Having recently completed successful possession works on the Beveridge to Albury project in Victoria and the Stockinbingal to Parkes section in New South Wales, Miller told conference delegates that Inland Rail was making strong progress towards to completing the Beveridge to Parkes sections by 2027.
Miller said Inland Rail environmental approvals in New South Wales were also progressing well, with the New South Wales government in the final stages of the approvals process for the Albury to Illabo and Illabo to Stockinbingal sections in southern New South Wales with the Australian Government having approved the Narromine to Narrabri section in February.
“Inland Rail is one of the biggest infrastructure projects ever undertaken by the Australian Government, it is a critical part of the transport supply chain and the economic development of Australia and is needed to keep pace with the freight demands of our growing population,” he said.
“Like all major projects Inland Rail has had its share of setbacks and challenges, and I dare say there are more to come in the years ahead.
“However, let’s make one thing clear, Inland Rail is not a ‘stalled project’, we are making strong progress on the ground, two sections have already been completed in New South Wales, work is well underway on a third, and we should receive two more major environmental approvals in the coming months.
“More importantly, we are also delivering significant benefits for regional communities, last month we saw the first GrainCorp. train travel on the upgraded Narrabri to North Star line, picking up canola at Croppa Creek and taking it all the way down to the Port of Newcastle for global export.
“This is what Inland Rail is all about, opening up new opportunities for our critical primary producers in rural and regional Australia, allowing them to take get their products to domestic and international markets quickly and cost effectively.”
In Queensland, Miller told the conference that Inland Rail was hopeful of finalising the Environmental Impact Statement for the Border to Gowrie section with the Queensland Co-Ordinator General in the coming months.
With construction moving ahead in New South Wales and Victoria, Miller said Inland Rail was already delivering substantial direct benefits to rural and regional communities during construction, noting that over $420 million has been spent with over 530 local businesses on the alignment, with some $42 million spent with nearly 30 First Nations businesses.
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