At the Roads Australia Leaders’ Lunch in Sydney, Inland Rail CEO, Nick Miller, discussed the nation-building project, saying that it will be well worth the wait – comparable to previous major rail projects in Australian history.
Mr Miller said that history has shown that Australian rail mega-projects take time to deliver, referencing the completion of the standard gauge line from Alice Springs to Darwin, where the initial announcement of the line was made in 1983, but the first trains did not run on the line until 2004.
Since 2019, Inland Rail has employed nearly 5,500 people and spent almost $440 million with more than 600 local business on the Inland Rail alignment, including nearly $44 million with First Nations-owned businesses, boosting opportunities in regional towns including both Moree and Parkes.
Mr Miller told roundtable delegates that Inland Rail continues to make strong progress on the ground, with construction progressing well in Victoria and New South Wales and planning approvals moving forward in Queensland.
“Shifting more goods onto rail will mean faster, more reliable freight; safer, less congested roads and fewer emissions, with Inland Rail taking tens of thousands of trucks off roads each year when complete,” Mr Miller said.
“Regional communities are already experiencing an economic boost from job creation, supply of goods and services and local spend during construction.”
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