DCN December Edition 2019

WORD FROM THE MINISTER
Inland Rail:
a national celebration
With the first section of greenfield track already open, Deputy Prime Minister Michael
McCormack recaps what was an important year for Inland Rail
CHRISTMAS IS ALMOST UPON US.
It is a time to pause, celebrate and reflect
on the year’s achievements. But this
Christmas, we can look a lot further back
as we approach the 100th anniversary
of the founding of The National Party
of Australia on 22 January 2020. With
uninterrupted representation in the
Australian Parliament, our party has
achieved much in that time. We’ve fought
passionately for the things we believe in.
We’re passionate about promoting vital
infrastructure across regional Australia and
connecting the regions to the rest of the
country. We’ve always done that. In 1970,
we delivered standard gauge rail between
Sydney and Perth and February is the 50th
anniversary of that achievement. We’re
very proud of our party’s role in delivering
standard gauge from east to west. Today, we
are just as pleased with of our role in building
Inland Rail from north to south and 2019
was a tremendous year for Inland Rail.
A SIGNIFICANT MILESTONE
In August, a significant milestone was
reached with the opening of the first
section of greenfield track – the North
West Connection – with the first trains
already running on this track. The North
West Connection is a 5.3km greenfield rail
track joining the existing Broken Hill Line
to the existing rail track south of Henry
Parkes Way, near Parkes in the Central
West of New South Wales, significantly
increasing the efficiency of trains heading
across Australia.
Inland Rail will help cater to the growing
demand for domestic inter-capital freight
and will provide regional businesses and
farmers with new opportunities to grow
their exports by helping them transport
their produce to market when and where
it is required. By mid-next year, the North
West Connection is scheduled to link up
with the rest of the Parkes to Narromine
section of Inland Rail, which we started
building a year ago.
BENEFITS FOR FREIGHT
The North West Connection is vital for our
freight industry and we will see markedly
improved travel times and capacity for
multiple train movements throughout
the intersecting network, which means,
when Inland Rail is fully operational,
more productive supply chains operating
across Australia. Initial modelling from the
CSIRO indicates an average transport cost
saving of $76 per tonne can be achieved by
shifting specific agricultural supply chains
from road to rail and this CSIRO study is
now being extended right along the route.
BENEFITS FOR THE REGIONS
In October, the Parkes Logistics Terminal
opened. Terminals play a vital role in
the consolidation, storage and transfer
of freight between rail and road — our
terminals are critical to our supply chain
network, ensuring that truck, train, ship
and plane are connected and keeping our
nation running. Parkes is at the centre of
this future connectivity, as we’ve already
seen with the North West Connection
This once-in-a-generation project will transform
the way freight is moved around our great country.
opening up freight supply chains as far
reaching as Perth.
Make no mistake, the regions form
Australia’s economic backbone. They grow
the crops, farm the stock, harness the
energy and help keep some of our most
precious cultural heritage alive. Without the
regions, Australians living in the cities could
never have the lifestyle they enjoy today.
Michael McCormack, Deputy Prime Minister
and minister for infrastructure
So it’s good news that our strong economic
management allows us to invest in projects
with a regional focus, such as Inland Rail.
INFRASTRUCTURE PIPELINE
Inland Rail is a centrepiece of the Liberal
and Nationals government’s $100bn
infrastructure pipeline. This once-ina-generation
project will transform the
way freight is moved around our great
country. It will support 16,000 jobs during
construction and provide a $16bn boost to
our national economy over the long-term.
As individual sections are completed
and added to the national network,
regional producers will have earlier access
to the national capability of Inland Rail.
Today, The Nationals’ 100 year-old
commitment to the regions is stronger
than ever. We have championed
connecting the regions to the rest of the
country from the start. And that’s exactly
what we’re doing.
I would like to wish everyone across this
great nation a happy and festive Christmas
and safe and prosperous New Year.
Image supplied
8 December 2019
thedcn.com.au