Inland Rail's Narromine to Narrabri section receives Australian Government approval

February 12, 2024

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The Australian Government’s approval will provide certainty to the allocated budget and timeline for the next phase of Inland Rail’s Narromine to Narrabri section.

Inland Rail’s Narromine to Narrabri project has received approval from the Australian Government Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

This Australian Government approval follows New South Wales Government approval and is a key step in the staged approach agreed to by the Australian Government in its response to the recommendations made by Dr. Kerry Schott for getting the delivery of Inland Rail back on track.

The approval will underpin the next stage of the design for the Narromine to Narrabri project, Inland Rail’s longest section of track comprising over 300kms of new track in mid-north-western New South Wales, helping provide more certainty that Inland Rail can be built to an agreed budget and time frame.

When constructed, the Narromine to Narrabri project will link the completed Parkes to Narromine and Narrabri to North Star Phase 1 projects, providing new freight capacity and improved connectivity to ports on the east coast and westwards via Parkes to Adelaide and Perth.

Moving forward, the Narromine to Narrabri project team will continue to engage with NSW and local government and the community as we undertake necessary activities to further inform the design of the Narromine to Narrabri project.

These activities include surveys and on-site investigations to help provide more certainty that Inland Rail can be built to an agreed budget and schedule.

“The Narromine to Narrabri project is Inland Rail’s longest stretch of new rail and is a key link in the future Inland Rail supply chain and less than 24-hour freight transit time for goods between Melbourne and Brisbane,” says Inland Rail Director Pre-Contracts Rob Storey.

“Now that we have a full suite of approval conditions, the survey and investigation activities are critical inputs to the next stage of design and securing the land needed for the Narromine to Narrabri project corridor,” says Inland Rail Director Pre-Contracts Rob Storey.

“Inland Rail acknowledges the important input from the community, local landowners and businesses during the approvals process and remains committed to working with stakeholders,” says Inland Rail Director Pre-Contracts Rob Storey.

“Inland Rail will support the shift of more goods onto rail, meaning faster, more reliable freight; safer, less congested roads; and fewer emissions,” says Inland Rail Director Pre-Contracts Rob Storey.

Inland Rail is committed to ensuring that the final design of the project addresses and appropriately mitigates potential impacts to environment and social amenity in accordance with the approvals of the Federal and NSW governments.

Major construction works are now complete for Inland Rail’s Narrabri to North Star Phase 1 project

Source: Inland Rail 2024

Image Source: Inland Rail 2024