Illabo to Stockinbingal

The Illabo to Stockinbingal section of Inland Rail is 42.5 km in length, consisting of 39 km of new, single track standard gauge railway between Illabo and Stockinbingal in regional NSW. The project involves:

• track vertical alignments on existing ground level, on embankments and in cuttings
• 8 new bridges at watercourses, 2 road overbridges and one grade separated (road over rail at Burley Griffin Way – west of Stockinbingal)
• one crossing loop and associated maintenance siding
• construction of new level crossings, alterations of existing level crossings, and stock crossings
• one major drainage diversion to collect and transport stormwater away from the rail line
• realignment of a 1.4 km section of the Burley Griffin Way to accommodate a road over rail bridge at Stockinbingal
• works including installation and upgrade of new and existing culverts, upgrades to existing track for tie-in works, and removal of redundant sections of track.

Consultation and feedback

The Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) prepared an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for this project, including investigations and field studies, and community consultation. The EIS was placed on public exhibition between Wednesday 14 September 2022 and Wednesday 26 October 2022. The department welcomed feedback from the community, government agencies and other stakeholders during public exhibition.

What happens next

The ARTC is preparing a formal Response to Submissions (RtS) report to respond to comments and issues raised during the public exhibition of the EIS. We will make this report publicly available.

We will then assess the project, which includes consideration of the EIS, all submissions and community feedback, and the RtS, and make a recommendation to the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces for their determination.

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