Cash injection tipped to put inland rail into overdrive

It is hoped Scott Morrison’s decision to put the inland rail project on the fast track will shave years off the completion date.

Scott Morrison will accelerate 15 priority projects, including the ambitious inland rail project, as part of its $72 billion infrastructure investment to kickstart job growth. Picture: AAP

It is hoped Scott Morrison’s decision to put the inland rail project on the fast track will shave years off the completion date.

The $10bn interstate freight project, which was scheduled to deliver 1700km of track by 2025, will receive a commonwealth cash injection to speed up construction as part of the government’s $72bn infrastructure investment to kickstart job growth.

The project, from Melbourne to Brisbane, has been split into 13 sections, with construction of the first tranche — the 103km Parkes to Narromine project — expected to be completed this year. Parkes Shire Council mayor Ken Keith welcomed the investment on Monday, telling the ABC the fast-tracking would hopefully cut a year or two off the project.

“The Parkes leg ... of the new railway line is nearing completion,” he said. “It is well under way, but it is a transformational project and it is great to have the Prime Minister announcing a fast-tracking of the inland rail because the full benefit of inland rail will be seen when it connects Melbourne and Brisbane ports to the central west and right through regional Australia.”

Mr Keith said the project would change the way freight moved across the country. Work on the next stage — the 188km line from Narrabri to North Star in northern NSW — is expected to start late this year. The 11 other sections are in the design stage. It is understood three companies have been short-listed for the next project.

The NSW, Victorian and Queensland governments have signed on to the project, but Queensland Transport Minister Mark Bailey said the federal government needed to rectify some issues with the route through his state.