INDEPENDENT REVIEW ANNOUNCED FOR INLAND RAIL

The Federal Government has announced an independent review, led by Dr Kerry Schott AO, into the Inland Rail project, in keeping with its election commitment to take a close look at the planning, governance and delivery of Inland Rail.

The review will consider the process for selecting the Inland Rail route, including stakeholder consultation, and assess the project’s scope, schedule and cost. The review will also assess options for the new Inland Rail intermodal terminals to be built in Melbourne and Brisbane, and improving rail links to the ports in these cities.

Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Catherine King, said the review will give the government a clear-eyed view on what the problems are and the way forward.

Inland Rail is an important part of building additional capability and capacity to increase the resilience of Australia’s freight supply chain and meet the growing freight task, which is forecast to grow by up to 35 per cent by 2040.

Federal Minister for Finance, Katy Gallagher, said it is important to consider expert advice on critical issues of safety, delivery scope, cost and schedule as the government continues to look to deliver this significant investment in the national freight network.

The independent review is expected to be completed by early 2023, with the government intending to release the findings of the review once they have been considered.

The Federal Government has also released the Final Report of the Independent International Panel of Experts for Flood Studies (the Panel) of Inland Rail in Queensland.

The Final Report can be accessed at inlandrail.gov.au/independentflood-panel.