TWO Inland Rail projects approved by the New South Wales government have now been referred to the federal government.
The Australian Rail Track Corporation said the NSW government approved the Narromine to Narrabri project and the North Star to the New South Wales/Queensland Border project.
ARTC said both projects have now been referred to the Australian government’s Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, which will consider the projects under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
“Construction of the new Inland Rail track connecting Narromine to Narrabri will only proceed once environmental approval is granted,” ARTC said.
“The Narromine to Narrabri project comprises 306 kilometres of new track, and it is the longest section of the Inland Rail alignment.”
Similarly, construction of the new track connecting North Star to the NSW/Queensland border will only proceed once the Australian government has granted its approval.
“The North Star to NSW/Queensland Border project consists of upgrading approximately 27 kilometres of non-operational rail corridor and constructing 12 kilometres of new track,” ARTC said.
“This includes approximately 30 kilometres in NSW and nine kilometres in Queensland.
“While the NSW section of the project has received state approval, the nine-kilometre section of rail in Queensland will be considered as part of the environmental approvals by Queensland’s Coordinator General.”
ARTC said several documents and reports related to each project have been published, following the release of the environmental impact statements in 2020 (North Star to border) and 2021 (Narromine to Narrabri).
The documents for the Narromine to Narrabri section of rail provided details on the route selection project process, potential hydrology and flooding impacts of the project.
