Narromine to Narrabri

The Narromine to Narrabri section of the Inland Rail project consists of approximately 306km of new single track rail line. It is the longest project within Inland Rail.

The proposed Narromine to Narrabri section of Inland Rail includes:

• a new single track standard gauge railway with crossing loops
• bridges over rivers, watercourses, floodplains and roads
• level crossings and road realignments
• new rail connections and possible future connections with existing rail lines
• ancillary infrastructure to support the operation of the proposal
• ancillary work and facilities to support the construction of the proposal, including borrow pits, construction compounds and temporary workforce accommodation.

Australian Rail Track Corporation has requested the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces to declare the proposal as critical State Significant Infrastructure.

The construction and operation of the track is crucial to delivering fast and reliable freight rail service between Melbourne and Brisbane.

View the proposal

Consultation and feedback

The Environmental Impact Statement, including investigations and field studies was on public exhibition from 8 December 2020 until 7 February 2021.

The department welcomed feedback from the community, government agencies and other stakeholders during public exhibition. Your feedback will help us better understand the opinions and concerns of the community, which will inform our assessment of the project.

What happens next?

Following the exhibition, we will publish all submissions received during the exhibition and ask Australian Rail Track Corporation to address any issues raised by the community, council and government agencies.

Australian Rail Track Corporation will prepare a formal Response to Submissions (RTS) report, which we will make publicly available.

We will then assess the project, which includes consideration of the Environmental Impact Statement, all submissions and community feedback, and the RTS and make a recommendation to the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces for his determination.

After the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces has determined the project, the Commonwealth Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment will also assess the proposal according to an accredited assessment process as a controlled action under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

More information

For more information on the project you can:

• visit our Major Projects website and register to receive notifications about the project.
• visit the Inland Rail website.

For an overview of the project from Queensland to Victoria, see this map.