New route for rail proposed

Map of the proposed inland rail routes.

By ALENA HIGGINS

AN IDEA by Warwick Chamber of Commerce and Industry to steer the proposed Melbourne-Brisbane inland rail route closer to home has been heard by Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss.
Maranoa MP Bruce Scott met with Mr Truss, who is also Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, on 2 September to discuss the ambitious project, which is currently projected to travel via Yelarbon, Inglewood and Millmerran.
“I met with the Warwick Chamber of Commerce last month and we discussed possible routes by taking advantage of existing infrastructure in the Southern Downs and I was able to highlight these to the Deputy Prime Minister,” Mr Scott said.
“This project will bring huge benefits to our industries as it will increase capacity, reliability and reduce the time it takes to move freight from the Port of Brisbane, through NSW, to Melbourne.”
Warwick Chamber of Commerce and Industry vice president Jason Gard said the organisation was “very excited” to hear Mr Scott had taken up the idea with Mr Truss.
“The reason we are advocating for this is twofold,” he said.
“One is to allow access to grain freight and grain handling facilities planned for Allora and any other freight needs of this region, but the other point we believe is that… we can’t see State Government maintaining the track if it is bypassed by a new line and we are fearful Warwick will lose the track we have in the future.”
Mr Gard said extending the route just 20 kilometers to the Warwick line and then utlising the already existing corridor would “speed up the process” as there would be “no approvals needed to purchase land”.
Currently the proposed route crosses a “very broad expanse of flood plain” along the lower Condamine River and “cropping land”, he said.
“(The Warwick line) would need to be upgraded extensively to inland rail specifications but there is evidence you can put dual gauges on one line and another track on the inside of them.”
The Coalition has said it is committed to delivering the inland rail over the next 10 years and has earmarked $300 million from the 2014-15 budget, with extensions over the next four years.