Every section of Inland Rail in NSW now approved

Every NSW section of the Inland Rail is now approved.

That's the latest from the Australian Rail Track Corporation and its team constructing the 1600km freight rail line connecting Melbourne to Brisbane via regional Victoria, NSW and Queensland.

The Narrabri to North Star Phase 2 (N2NS Phase 2) section has received Australian Government approval - at just 15km it marks a significant milestone for the Inland Rail project with all NSW sections of the line now formally approved.

The N2NS Phase 2 project was assessed by the Australian Government under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

With primary regulatory approvals in place, Inland Rail will continue to work with the design services contractor, joint venture partners Arcadis BG&E, to progress the design of the N2NS Phase 2 project.

It includes the upgrade of about 12km of existing rail track and formation across the Gwydir Valley floodplain, north of Moree, and the construction of 1.6km of greenfield rail track to bypass the existing Camurra Hairpin and a new 1.3km spur to maintain connection to the Weemelah line.

Phase 1 works were completed in 2023.

Inland Rail is taking a staged delivery approach, with sections between Beveridge in Victoria and Narromine in NSW already under construction or completed, on track ready for double-stacked operations by 2027.

The entire Inland Rail route has been divided into 12 sections, with construction on the first section taking place in Parkes on the Parkes to Narromine (P2N) line, officially beginning on 13 December, 2018 and was completed and became operational in September 2020.

The 170-km Stockinbingal to Parkes section, in the south and takes in Forbes, began in September 2023 and was completed in January this year, marking the third of 12 Inland Rail sections to become fully operational.

Future decisions on the construction of Inland Rail north of Narromine are a matter of consideration for the Australian Government.