The Federal Government has consolidated Inland Rail, confirming construction will be completed between Beveridge in Victoria and Parkes in New South Wales by the end of 2027.
The decision follows independent cost assurance work by ACIL Allen, which found the full Melbourne to Brisbane Inland Rail project would now cost more than $45 billion.
The Government says the revised estimate is more than three times the current budget allocation, with the full project unable to be delivered until at least 2036.
Works north of Parkes will now focus on preserving the rail corridor and protecting sites for future Inland Rail intermodal terminals in Queensland.
The Government says completing the Beveridge to Parkes section will allow double-stacked freight trains to travel between Melbourne and Perth via Parkes.
The Inland Rail decision was announced alongside a further $1.75 billion investment in Australia’s freight rail network and a $55 million incentive program to move more freight by rail and sea.
The additional funding builds on the Government’s existing $1.04 billion commitment to upgrade the Australian Rail Track Corporation network, bringing total investment under the Network Investment Program to almost $2.8 billion.
“The Albanese Government’s $1.75 billion investment in the ARTC network will shift more freight onto rail and protect this network for decades to come,” Catherine King, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, says.
The works will include track renewal, passing loop extensions and signalling upgrades across the East Coast network. The Government says these upgrades will help remove speed restrictions, improve transit times, support larger trains and improve reliability and safety.
Resilience upgrades will also be delivered in high-risk flood-prone sections of the network, particularly along the East-West Corridor, which has experienced several multi-week closures over the past decade following heavy rainfall in central Australia.
The Government will also establish the Transport Resilience And Capacity Kickstart pilot program, known as TRACK, to support more fuel-efficient freight movements across Australia.
A coordinator will be established within ARTC to identify and implement rail operational improvements in partnership with other rail infrastructure managers.
“This is critical funding that follows decades of underinvestment in the network by the former Coalition Government,” Catherine says.
“The 2023 independent review found major deficiencies in the governance and delivery of Inland Rail by the Liberals and Nationals,” Catherine says. “We are taking sensible decisions to realign the future of Inland Rail and build a safe, efficient and reliable network for the future.”
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