The Federal Government’s shock decision to axe plans for the Melbourne to Brisbane Inland Rail have left regional communities and businesses reeling.
And many grey nomads, who had previously expressed excitement at the prospect of there being far fewer trucks on the roads, are also expressing disappointment.
The $45 billion project which would have seen 1,600-kilometre freight line established through regional Victoria, NSW and Queensland, will now go no further north than Parkes.
It is only a few months ago that there was optimism expressed about the progress of the rail corridor, with major construction being completed on the Stockinbingal to Parkes section.
Construction work on the Inland Rail project will not extend beyond Parkes. PIC: Inland Rail
It was seen as a major step towards delivering Inland Rail from Beveridge to Parkes, with that 170-kilometre stretch taking double-stacked freight trains, each of which has the potential to replace roughly 110 B-double truck movements.
The Government says work will press ahead on that section and it will still be completed by the end of next year.
The chief benefit of Inland Rail was always said to be taking trucks off the main Sydney-Brisbane-Melbourne coastal roads, by moving some of that freight over to rail. Inland Rail will also help to take road freight off the other north-south routes such as the Newell Highway and the New England Highway, as well as the smaller country roads.
However, Infrastructure Minister, Catherine King, said an independent assessment of Inland Rail conducted by ACIL Allen estimated the cost of delivering the project in full now exceeded $45 billion — more than three times the current budget allocation.
She said the government was ‘taking sensible decisions to realign the future of Inland Rail and build a safe, efficient and reliable network for the future’.
Queensland Treasurer, David Janetzki, disagreed with the decision, telling the ABC that the move represented a ‘lost opportunity’ for regional Queensland.
“We’ve seen how fragile supply chains are in the globe right now, and we should be investing more into them, not abandoning them,” he said.
Parkes Mayor Neil Westcott, said the decision left regional communities feeling like they were ‘second class’.
“We see projects of such substance being completed in the Newcastle, Sydney, Wollongong area, and yet we can’t complete ones that are underway that have such enormous productivity benefits to the nation,” he told the ABC.
And veteran traveller, Jeremy Mark, said the axing of the project was disappointing on many levels.
“Of course, shifting huge amounts of freight by rail rather than road is far more environmentally friendly and, presumably, it would also be far more cost effective,” he said. “And, from a grey nomad perspective, it certainly would be more relaxing to have fewer of those big trucks to contend with on country roads.”
An Inland Rail representative previously told the Grey Nomads that around four billion tonnes of freight is currently moved across Australia annually, representing around 163 tonnes of freight for every person.
“With 1,800m long double-stacked trains travelling at speeds of up to 115km/h, each train using Inland Rail is designed to carry the equivalent freight volume of 110 B-double trucks, reducing congestion and creating capacity for our major east coast highways and regional roads,” the representative said. “Inland Rail will cut rail freight travel time between Melbourne and Brisbane by almost a third, from 33 hours to less than 24 hours, making it competitive with road.”
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big mistake we need rail to c road traffic
Definitely Australia needs an inland rail for freight & efficient passenger transport all the way to Queensland. What our forefathers built as a rail network was necessary then & more necessary now to safely & efficiently transport freight in a more environmentally sustainable way. With. new electric/ diesel trains it’s a no brained. Look at how Europe efficiently transports people & heavy freight today across multiple countries in snow, ice & heat because there was a will by governments to invest in the future. Europe has the most brilliant train system for freight & passengers. Get with 21st century technology all Australian governments of all persuasions. Build infrastructure that will last beyond this century if well maintained. Trains & freight transport by rail will also create jobs across our nation. Railway towns & centres will come to life as people decentralise to our beautiful regional centres across Australia. Bring the trains, brings the jobs , brings the people & all necessary services. This builds a stronger economy for all Australians. Build rail!!!!
When the Labour government first come into power they had some doctor to do an independent assessment, resulting in wanting to terminate inland rail at Ebenezer, isolating it from the Sydney-Brisbane interstate line and access to the Brisbane Port. Now they want to terminate the line at Parkes. The government pay big money to these independent organisations, and the results are always the same, they don’t benefit the Australian public in general. I have seen the difference since I moved to Wodonga in Victoria in 2010, when we came here you seen Semis, B-Doubles and Truck & dog trailers on the Hume, now you have B-Triples, Road Trains and next phase will be B-Qauds and Road trains with 3 and 4 Trailers. This will be an opportunity greatly missed and a big mistake by the government, and also shows the government is not really interested in climate change policy and reducing emisions or trying to keep freight costs down for consumers, businesses and farmers.
The government should wake up and stop pouring money into the pockets of these so called independent assessors who do not act in the best interests of the Australian public and the big picture for the future of how we transport freight within Australia.
I totally disagree with the governments decision to shelve Parkes to Brisbane section. God knows what our roads will be like to drive on in ten years, its bad enough now.