Vaile to start scoping study for inland rail route

The next step in planning for the Melbourne-Brisbane inland rail link had been taken, the office of transport minister Mark Vaile revealed today (Friday, June 15). As expected, Parkes is to be the pivot and the Federal Government will commission a $15m engineering and scoping study to determine track alignment. &#8220Last year, the North-South Rail Corridor Study identified four possible corridors for the inland railway," Mr Vaile told the New South Wales Nationals conference in Singleton. &#8220It concluded that the most cost-effective option was what it called the ‘far western sub-corridor’, which would involve building the railway through Parkes and western NSW. &#8220The Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) will now carry out a detailed engineering, land and environmental study to determine the best alignment for the line generally within this sub-corridor. &#8220The study will prove up the alignment so it can be taken through the statutory planning and approval process and then into detailed engineering design and construction. &#8220The study will also scope the project’s capital cost to within plus or minus 20%, and put together a development and delivery timetable. &#8220In general terms, it is possible that land acquisition will begin as early as 2010, with construction starting in 2014. The line will be completed by 2019. &#8220The study will tell us exactly where the line should go and how much it is likely to cost. It will provide the Government with a basis for evaluating private sector financing for the project because it cannot go ahead without private sector funding. &#8220Australia needs an inland railway from Melbourne to Brisbane. Our strong economic growth means that the amount of freight on our transport system is forecast to double by 2020. The coastal route will become hopelessly congested unless we go ahead with our visionary plan. &#8220The inland railway will increase rail’s share of the freight between Melbourne and Brisbane from 30% to about 73%. It will also reduce the growth in the number of trucks on our roads, because every double-stacked container train is equivalent to 276 semi-trailers.&#8221 &#8220The railway will also benefit regional NSW, because it will slash freight rates for bulk commodities such as grain, chilled meat and cotton."

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