More inland railway proposals put forward: Anderson

<p>There is more than one proposal for an inland freight railway behind Australia’s east coast, federal transport minister John Anderson confirmed this morning (Wednesday, July 21).</p> <p>The Everald Compton-inspired Australian inland rail expressway, which aims to link up East Coast cities on line running between Melbourne and Brisbane, and eventually to Darwin, is well known but Mr Anderson revealed that there are other proposals.</p> <p>He declined to name the other groups involved or whether they proposed to use the same route suggested by Mr Compton’s Australian transport and Energy Corridor group.</p> <p>"I think it’s their role to show their hands," he said.</p> <p>As part of the Federal Government’s negotiations with its New South Wales counterpart on the interstate track lease, a corridor north of Werris Creek has been reserved should an inland rail project go ahead, he said.</p> <p>"It should be essentially driven by the private sector and I say amen to that," Mr Anderson said.</p> <p>The government would show no favouritism to any one project and in any case, has very little information so far that will enable it to decide.</p> <p>" No detailed business plans from any of these groups have been put before me," he said.</p> <br />