Photo: Member for Parkes speaks on the release of the Inland Rail independent report in April 2023
Tuesday, 6 February 2024
Federal Member for Parkes Mark Coulton welcomes news that the Inland Rail’s Narromine to Narrabri (N2N) project has received environmental approval from the Australian Government.
The approval is a key step to getting the Inland Rail project back on track following an independent review of the project, led by Dr Kerry Schott.
“I am pleased to learn that the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water has approved this project under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999,” Mr Coulton said.
“This is a great project, but there has been a lot of uncertainty and unnecessary delay due to the actions of the Labor Government.
“While this approval for the N2N project is a positive step, I continue to question the Government’s commitment and understanding of the Inland Rail project. The Schott report reinforced that there is a need for this project to be completed.
“The New South Wales Government approved the N2N project 12 months ago; there has been no need to drag this out for as long as the Government has.
“The Inland Rail as a project includes 13 stages, some of which are already completed in my electorate. The completed sections – Parkes to Narromine and Narrabri to Moree – have already created hundreds of jobs, increased productivity and lifted freight efficiency for farmers.”
“It is vital the N2N project commences work as soon as possible so that the positive impacts on my electorate are not lost.
“I will always defend the work that has already been done on the Inland Rail project; all those involved should be proud of what they’ve achieved.
“I again urge the Government to signal its commitment to this magnificent piece of infrastructure and provide certainty to residents in the Narromine to Narrabri section.
“It’s time to get on with the job.”
The N2N project will be Inland Rail’s longest stretch of new rail and is a key link in the future Inland Rail supply chain. When constructed, N2N will link the completed Parkes to Narromine and Narrabri to North Star Phase 1 projects, providing new freight capacity and improved connectivity to ports on the east coast and westwards.
