Just like the legend of the American writer Mark Twain's death, reports of the demise of the Inland Rail Project "have been greatly exaggerated", says Member for Parkes Mark Coulton.
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See subscription optionsMr Coulton remains confident the construction of the project will continue as planned.
"While in opposition, the (now new) Government showed every indication they were supportive of the Inland Rail," he said.
"Indeed, they're likely to take ownership of it because they invested $300 million back in the 2012/13 budget for the first of the studies for the alignment.
"As soon as they have a new infrastructure minister appointed and staff in place, I will be seeking a meeting with them."
Mr Coulton said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had supported Inland Rail for more than a decade, including funding the 2010 North-South Alignment Study.
The Land also understands that during the recent federal election campaign, the incoming Labor Government had said it would continue to work with the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) to continue the project.
An ARTC spokesperson said construction on Narrabri to North Star Phase 1 was well underway and the North Star to Queensland border section was in the reference design stage, with the environmental impact statement (EIS) submitted and subject to approval by the NSW Government.
The Narrabri to North Star Phase 2 EIS was expected to go on public exhibition later this year.
The Narromine to Narrabri greenfield section was in the last stages of its EIS and expected to begin construction later this year.
The Response to Submissions Report and Preferred Infrastructure Report were being reviewed by the NSW Department of Planning and Environment, with a public exhibition slated for later this year.
The Parkes to Narromine section of Inland Rail was commissioned in September 2020 and was already operational.
