ARTC welcomes Toowoomba Inland Rail Summit proposal

The Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) has welcomed the announcement by the Toowoomba Regional Council it will host the inaugural Inland Rail Summit in Toowoomba by the end of 2022.

June 21, 2022

First train running on Inland Rail

Speaking at the Australian Local Government Association General Assembly 2022 in Canberra, Rebecca Pickering, Interim Chief Executive of Inland Rail, said the ARTC would put its full support behind the Inland Rail Summit.

“Delivering the inaugural Inland Rail Summit is an excellent initiative by Toowoomba Regional Council and its hosting partner Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise (TSBE),” Mrs Pickering said.

“To have so many stakeholders in the room at the same time to share their views is a wonderful opportunity for us as an organisation,” she said.

“Local government is the bedrock which underpins these communities, councillors are the local champions of development of regional Australia and see first-hand the opportunities and challenges Inland Rail will bring.

“We are working with local government right through the design and delivery process to ensure that Inland Rail is delivered to the highest standards and with minimum disruption to these communities.

“Inland Rail will bring a new wave of prosperity to regional Australia by the efficient transport of goods around the country or for export.”

Mrs Pickering said the timing of the announcement by Toowoomba Regional Council was particularly fitting as the theme of this year’s ALGA 2022 National General Assembly, where she met with LGA representatives from across the Inland Rail route, is ‘Partners in Progress’.

“Inland Rail is partnering with communities up and down its alignment to help them realise their vision for growth in each region. All three levels of government are involved in Inland Rail, working together to build a better future through targeted investment,” Mrs Pickering said.

“ARTC is also working towards a better freight future for the nation. Inland Rail is a long-term investment in the way freight moves around the nation. This project will benefit these communities for generations to come and in many cases bring a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change lives.”

The Toowoomba Regional Council made the announcement that the city would host the inaugural Inland Rail Summit at the ALGA 2022 event in Canberra, recognising the significant opportunity of having many of the 36 local government areas that are along the Inland Rail alignment attending the ALGA 2022 event.


June 21, 2022


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