Early work is about to start to pave the way for removal of two railway level crossings and improved safety at key locations along the Inland Rail project corridor near Parkes and Illabo in regional New South Wales.
The Albanese Labor Government is investing $280 million and the Minns Labor Government is contributing $70 million in the project, which will improve road and rail safety while allowing freight to be delivered faster and more reliably.
The Australian Government contribution is part of a broader $450 million commitment to grade-separating Inland Rail interfaces with roads across NSW.
Level crossings on the Newell Highway at Tichborne and on the Olympic Highway at Harris Gates will be removed and replaced using grade separation as either overpasses or underpasses.
Geotechnical investigations, biodiversity studies and Aboriginal cultural heritage surveys of the Tichborne site and surrounds will begin on Wednesday 12 February.
Work is due to be carried out on weekdays from 7am to 6pm until the end of March, weather permitting, with intermittent changed traffic conditions in place on the Newell Highway including stop/slow traffic movements.
The geotechnical investigations at the Tichborne site will be followed by similar work at the Harris Gates intersection in coming months.
Quotes attributable to Federal Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Minister Catherine King:
"We are working in partnership with the NSW Government to remove rail level crossings by building bridges to separate road and rail along the Inland Rail route in the state.
"Australia's investment in Inland Rail is critical to help us move more freight as our population grows.
"Inland Rail can reduce our transport emissions and make our roads safer, and we are prioritising delivery of the sections between Beveridge and Parkes in line with our independent review of the project, which was handed down in mid-2023."
Quotes attributable to NSW Regional Transport and Roads Minister Jenny Aitchison:
"This investment will improve safety at two key intersections on the Inland Rail route while realising the projects potential to expedite the movement of freight on our road and rail networks.
"Crashes at level crossings have the potential to cause major trauma and even fatalities, which have devastating impacts on families and local communities.
"By grade separating road and rail we will eliminate the potential of incident at these two locations while paving the way for faster freight movements and business benefits for regional NSW."
Quotes attributable to Senator for NSW Deborah O'Neill:
"The development of Inland Rail will be a boost for regional NSW, creating thousands of jobs and better connecting our cities, helping to move goods between Melbourne and Brisbane via inland NSW efficiently.
"Once these works are complete, there will be capacity for double-stacked train movements up to 1.8 kilometres long.
"Inland Rail is an investment in better connecting regional business, manufacturers and producers to national and global markets while enhancing national freight and supply chains networks."
