Inland Rail

[ozbob]

The Guardian --> Inland Rail 'is not stalled', boss insists, amid concerns Labor wavering on $31bn project

The boss of the Inland Rail freight link has insisted the trouble-plagued line "is not stalled", as he hit back at industry concerns over the government's lack of commitment to the second half of the overbudget megaproject.

Nick Miller, Inland Rail's CEO, also criticised negative media coverage of the line's progress, amid questions of the utility of the project if only the initial Melbourne-to Parkes-phase – which the government has committed funding to – comes to fruition but already-constructed parts of the northern section up to Brisbane, such as between Narromine and North Star, remain disconnected.

Envisioned as a freight rail link capable of running double-stacked freight trains between Melbourne and Brisbane in 24 hours, the Inland Rail project has attracted criticism from experts and regional communities over the planned track alignment in light of flood risk, port access and other environmental concerns. ...

[ozbob]

https://x.com/RailExpressNews/status/1779658449619693952

[ozbob]

Rail Express --> Inland Rail set to transform freight movement

Chief Executive Officer of Inland Rail, Nick Miller, has told the Roads Australia Leaders' Lunch in Sydney that the Inland Rail link between Melbourne and Brisbane is a transformative, nation-building project that will bring benefits worth the wait, comparable with previous major national rail projects in Australian history.

Miller said history has shown that Australian rail mega-projects take time to deliver, referencing the completion of the standard gauge line from Alice Springs to Darwin, where the initial announcement of the line was made in 1983, but the first trains did not run on the line until 2004.

Having completed his first six months as Chief Executive Officer of Inland Rail, Miller told roundtable delegates that Inland Rail continues to make strong progress on the ground, with construction progressing well in Victoria and New South Wales and planning approvals moving forward in Queensland. ...

[ozbob]

Herald Sun --> Construction contracts have been inked for all 12 Victorian sites for the $31bn Inland Rail Project $

All Victorian contracts for a 1700km national freight rail line have been inked, with the state's portion of the mega project set to be finished within three years.

The $31 billion Inland Rail project would allow for double-stacked freight trains to move goods from Brisbane to Melbourne, getting products onto shelves quicker and more reliably.

Construction giant John Holland has been awarded the $470 million contract for the remaining eight project sites in Victoria, including to build rail bridges and lower existing tracks under roads.

It includes sites in Benalla and Euroa where railway station precincts will get major upgrades and new carparking, as well as in Wandong, Broadford, and near Tallarook and Seymour. ...

[ozbob]

Rail Express --> Inland Rail on track with approval

In an important step for regional NSW, the NSW Government has approved the Illabo to Stockinbingal section of the 1,600-kilometre Inland Rail project between Brisbane and Melbourne.


The Critical State Significant Infrastructure (CSSI) project was approved by the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, meaning the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) is closer to beginning construction in late 2024. As Critical State Significant Infrastructure, the project is deemed to be essential to the State's economy and society. ...

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[ozbob]

This has been raised before.

The Australian --> Consortium proposes 60km tunnel to take Inland Rail freight direct to port $

A consortium wants to overhaul the Queensland leg of the Inland Rail line in a bid to get the troubled project back on track and its final leg to the Brisbane port finished before the 2032 Olympics.

The revamped proposal, which is being considered by the Queensland government, comes after concerns the mooted 1600km freight line would not make it into the state.

It promises to solve two unresolved issues that have plagued the project – a cost-effective engineering solution down the steep Toowoomba range, west of Brisbane, and getting freight to the port through the fast-growing capital's congested suburbs.

National Trunk Rail's PortConnex proposes to run battery-powered, automated locomotives from Gowrie, near Toowoomba, to a proposed Inland Rail intermodal terminal at Ebenezer, near Ipswich. From there, freight would be moved by an automated, battery-powered shuttle directly to the port via a $7.2bn 60km tunnel. ...

[SurfRail]

This is Everald playing choo choo again I gather?

Not sure how industry is going to go for 3 transhipments just within Queensland - 2 x rail and 1 x road.