INLAND RAIL: Hope alive for Southern Downs route

COSTS for proposed route soar suggesting there is still a chance for the contentious project to pass through our region.

Australian Rail Track Corporation ARTC Inland Rail Information Session: Gowrie to Helidon draft Terms of Reference at Toowoomba Library, Monday, May 22, 2017. Picture: Kevin Farmer

DESPITE a proposed route for the contentious inland rail project being handed down last year, it appears there's still a chance a route more beneficial to the Southern Downs region could be considered.

The current proposed route will cross into Queensland west of Goondiwindi, travelling west to Inglewood before heading north east to pass Millmerran, Pittsworth and Wellcamp Airport before circling around north of Toowoomba to head east to Brisbane.

This route crosses 1000s of hectares of prime agricultural land that is also prone to unpredictable flooding and Southern Darling Downs Inland Rail Community Consultative Committee member Gary Hayes said the route brings no benefit to the Southern Downs.

"The proposed routes through the Southern Downs were deemed to be too expensive," he said.

"But once engineering solutions for the proposed route are finalised I'm confident they'll come up more expensive than the other options.

"There's a lot the ARTC didn't take into account in front of the Senate Estimates hearings and it's going to cost."

Mr Hayes the floodplain route threw up a lot of issues.

"If something goes wrong or gets washed out, then there needs to be access to the line," he said.

"ARTC says they'll build a bitumen road alongside the line in certain area, but this throws up more problems.

"This is land somebody owns for a start, and this infrastructure will also make an impact on flood-water flows."

Mr Hayes said things like rail crossings would also add further cost.

"The routes through the Southern Downs have been there for years, they're flood-proofed already to an extent and the crossings are already in place," he said.

"And then if land is resumed or acquired the waste of prime agricultural land will be horrendous - there's an awful lot the ARTC still needs to consider."

A Courier Mail article from January 6, 2018 stated national farming body Agforce as saying the proposed route would cause flooding on some of the state's most valuable agricultural land and that farmers were certain to fight the proposal in the Environment Court once the resumption notices land in their letter boxes.

The article went on to say Southern Downs mayor Tracy Dobie was echoing the anger of constituents, loudly pointing out that the entire project could be built far more cheaply if the ARTC simply followed an existing, state-owned rail corridor.

Yesterday Cr Dobie said she felt there was still an opportunity for the Southern Downs.

"We were originally told we'd missed out on the route coming through the region due to cost," she said.

"But it appears the engineering solutions required for the proposed route have changed, possibly making that option a whole lot more expensive."

Late last year, Member for Maranoa, David Littleproud - backed by several National Party MPs - blasted the proposal following Senate Estimate hearings.

Mr Littleproud said the ARTC had got the proposed Queensland route wrong, and his word carries significantly more weight after his recent elevation as Minister for Agriculture.

Mr Littleproud's close colleague, Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, is also the newly appointed Infrastructure Minister who has carriage of the project.

At the time Mr Littleproud said the Minister, Darren Chester's decision was predicated on cost.

"Senate Estimates hearings have shown there is a significant risk to the cost of the proposed corridor in that there could be a significant blow-out," Mr Littleproud said.

Yesterday Mr Littleproud said the work being done on finding and costing a suitable engineering solution was currently under way and was expected by July.

"There are people in that region who have concerns about the proposed track who we need to bring comfort to," he said.

"If everything stays as it is at the moment then this (Millmerran) corridor will be the one used.

"However as ARTC CEO John Fullerton said if the costs become prohibitive then they will re-explore options for the rail corridor."