The first section of the new track on the Inland Rail North-West Connection has been completed and freight trains will run on the line from October.
The North-West Connection will link Inland Rail to the interstate east-west line from Sydney to Perth providing another connection for the freight industry.
The North-West Connection joins the existing Broken Hill Line to the existing rail track south of Henry Parkes Way with 5.3km of greenfield rail track, significantly increasing the efficiency of trains heading across Australia.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack and Minister for Regional Services, Decentralisation and Local Government Mark Coulton were onsite in Parkes, New South Wales, on Friday to inspect the Inland Rail North-West Connection that will streamline freight movements across Australia.
Mr. McCormack said Inland Rial is one of the centerpieces of the Federal Government’s $100 billion infrastructure pipeline.
“The North-West Connection is so important for our freight industry. We will see markedly improved travel times and enhanced capacity for multiple train movements up, down and along the intersecting network, which means, when Inland Rail is fully operational, more productive supply chains carrying our food, furnishings and resources across Australia,” Mr. McCormack said.
Inland Rial is a multi-year project however the build schedule allows for parts of the project to be released into the national network as they are completed.
The Federal Government has committed up to $9.3 billion to Inland Rail which will aim to change the way freight moves across the eastern seaboard.
Minister for Regional Services, Decentralisation and Local Government Mark Coulton said large-scale projects such as Inland Rail were incredibly important to regional Australia.
“Inland Rail is making a real contribution to communities like Parkes, by creating jobs for locals, injecting investment into the local economy and taking trucks off local roads,” Mr. Coulton said.
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