Inland Rail to be future-proofed for passenger services
MORE than 8km of Inland Rail tunnelling through the Toowoomba Range will be future-proofed to cater for passenger rail, bringing the dream of 45-minute travel between Brisbane and Toowoomba another step closer.
Details of the world-class project were revealed by Australian Rail Track Corporation Inland Rail Program CEO Richard Wankmuller during a visit to Toowoomba with Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack and Groom MP Dr John McVeigh yesterday.
Mr McCormack and Mr Wankmuller were in Toowoomba to announce Public Private Partnership registrations of interest for the Toowoomba to Brisbane section of Inland Rail - worth more than $3 billion - had opened.
“From today right up until the end of October, we want to hear back from businesses, and we want them to put in their expressions of interest to make sure they get a part of the action,” Mr McCormack said.
“And it’s not just big business - it’s small business too.”
Mr Wankmuller highlighted the size and scope of the project, saying the tunnel through the Toowoomba Range would be twice the diameter and twice the length of the Sydney Harbour Tunnel - the largest diameter diesel freight tunnel in the Southern Hemisphere.
He said it was a criteria to make sure passenger rail could come through the tunnel.
Dr McVeigh said the project showed the Federal Government was “fair dinkum about infrastructure”.
For more information head to https://infrastructure.gov.au/rail/ inland/.