Gowrie to Kagaru projects 2022 in review

We're at the end of 2022 already – a truly busy year for the three Gowrie to Kagaru Inland Rail projects.

Aerial view of the existing railway line, Old Laidley Forest Hill Road, Queensland.

We thank the community for your valued feedback and patience as our projects continue along their environmental approval pathways. Your feedback will ensure we deliver the best and safest possible design solutions for the railway line.

It’s been a year of extreme rain events, major milestones, the Independent International Panel of Experts for Flood Studies Report, and opportunities to show how we’re listening to and acting on community feedback.

The rain events have been devastating across many communities and we acknowledge the hardships that the floods have brought. We’d like to reassure you that in designing Inland Rail, we’re committed to avoiding any adverse additional drainage and flooding impacts to those already experienced.

The Independent International Panel of Experts for Flood Studies final report released in October found ARTC’s modelling framework adheres to national guidelines and industry best practice and is fit-for-purpose for this stage of each project’s design life cycle. We have also committed to implementing all recommendations made by the flood panel. Our Assessment and management of flooding and hydrology in Queensland fact sheet includes detail on our flood impact modelling, and how we plan to mitigate potential flood impacts through detailed design.

Major milestones include the announcement of Regionerate Rail as the preferred bidder for the Gowrie to Kagaru Public Private Partnership (PPP), the release of the revised reference design for the Calvert to Kagaru project and progress on the environmental approvals process for the Gowrie to Helidon and Helidon to Calvert projects.

The project team is also evolving – after nearly five years at the helm, our Director PPP Tony Lubofsky is said goodbye this December. We wish Tony the best in his new endeavours. Ashley Mason is the new Delivery Director for the section.

Christmas office closure

Our offices will be closed from 12 noon Friday 23 December 2022 to Tuesday 3 January 2023. For enquiries during this time, please call 1800 732 761.

Look ahead to 2023

We will continue our engagement with project communities and stakeholders as we prepare to submit the revised draft EISs for all three projects to the Queensland Coordinator-General.

The revised draft EISs will be publicly notified, which means you will have another chance to review the documents and provide your feedback.

Keep an eye on our website, your local newspapers and on social media for updates and opportunities to engage further.