North Star to the NSW/QLD border

The North Star to the NSW/QLD Border section of the Inland Rail project seeks approval for the construction and operation of a 30km rail corridor between North Star and the NSW/Queensland Border, including a new rail track following the existing non-operational Boggabilla rail corridor for approximately 25km between North Star and Whalan Creek and 5km of new track running from Whalan Creek to the NSW/Queensland border.

The proposal

The land requirement for the proposal would comprise the existing corridor with an average width of approximately 40m with variation for local topography. The width was chosen to accommodate the infrastructure currently proposed for construction, as well as future expansion.

The key features of the proposal are:

• a new rail track following the existing non-operational Boggabilla rail corridor for 25km towards Whalan Creek
• 5km of new rail track in a greenfield rail corridor to the NSW/QLD border
• a crossing loop, new bridges and level crossing works
• establishment and use of off-site borrow sites for construction materials
• a workers' accommodation camp in North Star
• ancillary infrastructure and associated earthworks, drainage and road works.

View the proposal

Consultation and feedback

The Environmental Impact Statement was on public exhibition from 26 August 2020 until 6 October 2020.

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.

Next steps

The Commonwealth Department of Environment and Energy has determined the North Star to the NSW/QLD Border project to be a controlled action under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Once determined by the department, the project will be assessed by the Federal Government under an accredited assessment process.