Long-awaited rail detailed
The Federal Government has made a $594 million budget commitment to an inland rail network running from Brisbane to Melbourne.
In what proponents say will be a major boost for Australian business, Treasurer Scott Morrison announced money for rail land acquisition in the budget he handed down this week.
The Inland Railway Advisory Group has lobbied for the project for years, and says the announcement is “a breakthrough of some significance”.
Spokesperson Everald Compton said with bipartisan support, the track could actually go ahead.
“I believe that that rail track can be up and going five years from now if governments are serious about it, but allowing for the fact that bureaucracy will hold it up, we may be talking about 10 [years],” he told the ABC.
“I'm pleased it's finally been recognised that Australia has to have good freight railways that will serve rural Australia, give them efficient low-cost transport to ports and to markets in Australia.
“It'll be better on the environment, but it'll mean that whereas you've got 2,000 truck drivers, you can have a train that's only got a couple of staff on it and therefore reduce the freight costs for anyone doing business in Australia.
“It's a very significant step forward and it's been worth waiting to have. There's a long way to go, we've got to carry it on then up to Gladstone, and up to Townsville and across through Mt Isa to Tenant Creek where it'll meet the Adelaide-Darwin railway.”