North Star to Border takes new step on approvals pathway
The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the North Star to New South Wales/Queensland Border section of Inland Rail has been approved, marking another step in the approvals pathway for Inland Rail.
July 26, 2023
The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water approved the EIS, which assesses the environmental requirements under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, 1999.
The North Star to New South Wales/Queensland Border project consists of upgrading approximately 27km of non-operational rail corridor and constructing 12km of new track. This includes approximately 30km in New South Wales and 9km in Queensland.
While the approvals for the New South Wales section of the project are now complete, the 9km section of rail in Queensland is still being considered by the Queensland State Government’s Office of the Coordinator General as part of the separate Border to Gowrie EIS process.
Activities to secure the land required for the North Star to New South Wales/Queensland Border corridor and inform the design of the project are continuing, including land and geotechnical surveys.
Future construction north of Narromine will only proceed once all necessary approvals have been gained, to provide sufficient certainty that the Inland Rail project can be built to an agreed budget and timeframe.
For more information on the North Star to New South Wales/Queensland Border section of Inland Rail, please visit the project page.
