Parkes has established itself as the flagship city on the Inland Rail project, according to Inland Rail Chief Executive Officer Nick Miller.
Miller made the claim following a visit by Inland Rail executives to the Parkes Special Activation Precinct in New South Wales to review the freight and logistics facilities at the 4800-hectare site.
Coinciding with the visit, Inland Rail held an official company board meeting in Parkes, the first time the board has met in the town.
Inland Rail will connect Melbourne to Brisbane via Parkes, while the Trans-Australian Railway connects Sydney to Perth, via Port Augusta in South Australia and the Nullarbor Plain. The Parkes Special Activation Precinct sits on the only junction of Australia’s two rail spines.
Inland Rail expects every section between Beveridge and Parkes to be under construction in 2025 as it works toward a 2027 completion.
Construction began on the Stockinbingal to Parkes section of the project in March 2024.
Miller said there is no doubt that Parkes is the flagship town on the project right now.
“What we are seeing happening in Parkes, with the Special Activation Precinct, is just a taste of what is to come as Inland Rail gets built out further,” he said.
“The Parkes Special Activation Precinct is home to the National Logistics Hub which will become Australia’s largest inland freight and logistics centre.”
Miller said the Parkes Special Activation Precinct and Inland Rail complement each other to provide a compelling solution for sustainable growth in Australia.
“Australia’s growing population and an anticipated increase in domestic freight of more than 20 per cent by 2040 emphasise the importance of Inland Rail,” he said.
“Rail freight is 16 times more fuel-efficient than road freight and we will cut rail freight travel time between Melbourne and Brisbane by almost a third, from 33 hours to less than 24 hours.
“These compelling aspects of Inland Rail underline why it is such an important project.”