Following the public exhibition of the Illabo to Stockinbingal Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for 42 days from September 2022, the NSW Department of Planning and Environment requested Inland Rail prepare a Response to Submissions Report.
The report is an overview of all the submissions received as part of the Environment Impact Statement public exhibition process and written responses from Inland Rail. It includes an analysis of the issues raised and actions Inland Rail has taken since exhibition to address those issues.
Whilst preparing the response to the EIS submissions, further investigations have been completed including additional geotechnical investigations, flooding modelling, and flora and fauna surveys. The results of these are incorporated into the Response to Submissions Report.
The Department will consider the Response to Submissions Report in its assessment of the Illabo to Stockinbingal project. Following state government approvals, the project would then require Commonwealth approval under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
The 39km Illabo to Stockinbingal section of Inland Rail will create a new direct route from east of Illabo tracking north to Stockinbingal in New South Wales. The route will bypass the townships of Cootamundra and Bethungra and the winding, steep section of track known as the Bethungra Spiral on the Main South line-opening up a more efficient way to transport freight.
Melvyn Maylin, Inland Rail Director of Program Delivery for Albury to Parkes, said:
"We thank the community for reviewing the EIS and its technical reports, and for providing submissions. We acknowledge the information is technical, but it's important the community understands the potential impacts of Inland Rail and what we're doing to address them."
To view the Response to Submissions Report, visit the Major Projects website.
Image caption: Aerial view of Cootamundra, NSW
