Inland Rail
| Inland Rail | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Status | Under construction |
| Termini | |
| Website | https://inlandrail.artc.com.au |
| Service | |
| Type | Freight |
| History | |
| Planned opening | 2025 |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 1,700 km (1,100 mi) |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
Inland Rail is a railway construction project extending from Melbourne to Acacia Ridge, Queensland along a route west of the mountainous Great Dividing Range. The project would see freight trains bypassing the busy Sydney metropolitan area, and instead through an inland route dedicated for freight trains. These trains would be able to be double-stacked, enabling more freight to be carried. 500 km of new track is to be built, along with 1200 km of track upgrades and improvements.[1]
Overview
In May 2009, preliminary analysis by the ARTC showed that the cheapest version of the inland railway would cost $2.8 billion to build and would allow freight to be moved from Melbourne to Brisbane in just over 27 hours. The analysis found that, if operating by 2020, the economic costs would outweigh the benefits by $1.1 billion, or $860 million if environmental gains were taken into account.[2]
In the 2017 Australian federal budget, the Federal Government earmarked $8.4 billion to build the line. [3]
The 1700km long Inland Railway (under construction) has about 300km of dual gauge.
The line has 3 tunnels at the Brisbane end, one of which is 6km long.
See also
References
- ^ "Project". Infrastructure Pipeline. Australia & New Zealand Infrastructure Pipeline. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
- ^ Mark Davis (7 May 2009). "Rail sums do not add up, says study". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 11 May 2009.
- ^ "$20 billion investment in rail". Minister for Infrastructure and Transport. 9 May 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2017.