Inland Rail has issued an update on the Narrabri to North Star Phase 2 section of the major freight rail project.
Its planned field investigations and surveys are now complete, except for one site north of Moree. Starting from 13 October, it will carry out geotechnical investigations in the rail corridor at Skinners Creek to better understand ground conditions.
Crews will be on-site for about a week, drilling boreholes and conducting ground surveys. This data will help shape the engineering design for the rail bridge and surrounding infrastructure.
This quarter, Inland Rail’s consulting geologists and surveyors will be analysing and reporting on all the data already gathered during this year’s field investigations. The information will be used in the new year to refine the design of the whole Phase 2 alignment.
Meanwhile the Environmental Impact Statement and associated documents for this section are close to being finalised.
Inland Rail said it is working closely with the New South Wales Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI) and will shortly submit everything to the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces for approval.
It expects a decision in the coming weeks. Once that has been submitted, the planning proposal will be referred to the Australian Government for review under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act 1999.
In June, Inland Rail appointed engineering consultants ArcB Design JV, comprising Arcadis and BG&E, to deliver design services for 23 kilometres of alignment between Tapscott Road, Moree and Camurra.
The contract includes the Narrabri to North Star Phase 2 section (Alice Street to Camurra) and the Narrabri to North Star Phase 1 Tapscott Road to Alice Street segment. The eight kilometre Phase 1 segment was descoped from overall Phase 1 construction project completed in 2023.
Initial focus for the designers will be on the Tapscott Road to Alice Street segment before work on Phase 2 starts, subject to environmental approvals.
Inland Rail is a 1600-kilometre freight railway that will connect Melbourne and Brisbane via regional Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.
.png){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
