Inland Rail Finally Funded

11 May 2017

AFTER 16 YEARS – FINALLY IT IS FUNDED

Councillor Graeme Scheu, Mayor of Goondiwindi Regional Council is ecstatic to learn from the Budget release on Tuesday night that finally the Inland Rail will be funded. The funding of this vital infrastructure will create an enormous benefit to Goondiwindi and Balonne regions, areas that provide in excess of $800m dollars of agricultural product to export alone.

Mayor Scheu at the monument for the symbolic driving of the first spike for the inland rail in 2001

“It has been a long wait,” Councillor Scheu explained today.  I remember the day that the former Mayor of Goondiwindi Alderman Tom Sullivan drove the peg and planted the tree on November 5, 2001. Ironically, the Deputy Prime Minister at the time was John Anderson who has also been a longtime advocate and more recently Chair of the Implementation Committee.

Hon Bruce Scott MO, Everald Crompton AM Chairman ARIE,  Paul Neville, John Anderson, Deputy Prime Minister at the time, photographed in 2001

Both the former Waggamba Shire Council and the former Goondiwindi Town Council prior to amalgamation have been long time supporters of the project and have always advocated the line needs to enter Queensland as close as possible to the town of Goondiwindi but obviously not go through town. There are a number of purpose built rail facilities immediately to the east of Goondiwindi.  This rich agricultural region needs a form of connection to the point (a feeder line) where the Inland Rail joins the existing South West Rail. This is why we have made representation to both the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) and Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce on his recent visit.

“There is still plenty of work to be done with the alignment,” Cr Scheu said ‘but the thing is we now need to get on with it and make a decision at this Queensland end’.  Currently, ARTC have a designated seven kilometre exploration zone where the rail will cross into Queensland.  The zone extends from the Wagner’s Quarry on the Macintyre River back seven kilometres to the west.

Goondiwindi Regional Council have pushed for the consideration of the utilization of the forest north of Whetstone in preference to the existing southwest rail close to Inglewood.  “Obviously, this depends on the investigations still underway with the four potential models left on the eastern end of the corridor” Councillor Scheu said.  “And finally, for the Inland Rail to capitalize fully on the potential there needs to be a direct access into the Port of Brisbane.

It is definitely the best news the town of Goondiwindi has received for a long time and we are now at the stage where all levels of government, Federal, State and Local need a collaborative approach to ensure the best decisions are made as soon as possible with this vital piece of Infrastructure. Rail freight is our future.

For further information, please contact:

Councillor Graeme Scheu
Mayor
Goondiwindi Regional Council
Mobile: 0427 718 877
Email: gscheu@grc.qld.gov.au