Australia’s Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Michael McCormack and Victorian Minister for Public Transport Jacinta Allan have signed a bilateral agreement in relation to Inland Rail, making Victoria the first state to sign up to the Inland Rail project.
The agreement includes a commitment to negotiate a new long-term lease with the Australian Rail Track Corporation and to support the extension of the corridor to accommodate any changes to the North East Rail Line alignment required to support the delivery of Inland Rail.
“I’m pleased to reach agreement with Victoria, the first state to get behind Inland Rail which will improve freight travel times for local farmers and producers and support thousands of jobs,” McCormack said.
Now an agreement on Inland Rail has been reached, fund for the USD 1.34 billion Regional Rail Revival program will begin to be delivered to Victoria. The works will be delivered under the Regional Rail Revival Program that will provide an upgrade to every regional passenger rail line in Victoria. Planning and defining the scope of works has already begun to ensure these projects meet the transport needs of passengers and regional communities, and the Victorian and Australian Governments reaching agreement on the first stage of works, with some work already underway.
On completion, the Inland Rail Project will create a direct rail freight connection capable of moving double stacked freight containers on a 1,700-km route will link Melbourne and Brisbane via regional Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. The route uses the existing interstate line from Melbourne, Victoria to Illabo, New South Wales, which will be enhanced to accommodate double-stacked trains allowing them to carry up to twice as many containers.
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