Inland Rail has said it is looking forward to working closely with the New South Wales Farmers’ Association (NSWFA) at its Annual Conference in Sydney, as works begin on the Stockinbingal to Parkes and Albury to Illabo lines.
Inland Rail Director of Program Delivery for Albury to Parkes, Melvyn Maylin, said that Inland Rail’s close partnership with the NSWFA demonstrates its shared commitment to listening and understanding different perspectives.
“We will continue to collaborate to ensure mutually beneficial solutions that enable the safe and efficient delivery of Inland Rail for the benefit of regional Australia,” Mr Maylin said.
“We look forward to continuing to work closely with NSWFA and local communities as construction starts on Stockinbingal to Parkes later this year.”
Initial works are expected to start on the Stockinbingal to Parkes section before the end of 2023, with works on the Albury to Illabo section expected to commence by mid-2024, pending final environmental and planning approvals.
In a key milestone for Inland Rail, Martinus Rail was awarded a $403.5 million contract to design and construct enhancement works on the Stockinbingal to Parkes and Albury to Illabo sections of Inland Rail.
Enhancement works on the Stockinbingal to Parkes and Albury to Illabo sections follow on from the successful completion of the Parkes to Narromine section of Inland Rail, which was completed in 2020.
In line with the recommendations of the Inland Rail Review, Inland Rail is aiming to complete the entire Beveridge to Parkes sections of the project by 2027, enabling double stacked trains to travel from Beveridge to Narromine.
The NSWFA and Inland Rail have already worked together to develop an information pack for New South Wales property owners, which addresses how Inland Rail is dealing with fencing standards, property acquisitions, land access requirements, and complaints management processes.
