This 39km section of Inland Rail creates a new direct route from east of Illabo tracking north to Stockinbingal in New South Wales.
The route will bypass the townships of Cootamundra and Bethungra and the winding, steep section of track known as the Bethungra Spiral on the Main South line—opening up a more efficient way to transport freight through the area. A two-kilometre wide study area has been identified and approved by the Australian Government. This project is currently in the approvals stage.
Snapshot
Type
New track
Length
39km
Anticipated works
Building a new track to bypass local townships and steep, winding track
Status
Project map
This new track begins east of Illabo, tracking north to Stockinbingal, connecting into the existing Forbes rail line.
Interactive maps
We have developed interactive consultation and noise maps for the project.
Please note that the consultation map is closed for comment during the Illabo to Stockinbingal EIS public exhibition (14 September 2022 to 26 October 2022).
The noise map shows the noise levels predicted from the railway operations in 2026.


Illabo to Stockinbingal project fact sheet
This document provides a current status and overview of the Illabo to Stockinbingal project.