Construction of Inland Rail is well underway in regional Victoria and New South Wales.
Inland Rail involves upgrading 1,000km of existing rail line and building 600km of new railway to enable the safe operation of double-stacked freight trains.
Construction work involves adjusting the rail track itself and upgrading existing surrounding infrastructure, like bridges and train stations, to safely accommodate the taller trains.
To manage the scale of such a large project, the 1,600km of Inland Rail track is divided into 12 sections.
Each section will be constructed on its own timeline, progressing through the various stages of environmental approval and construction, before being commissioned by the railway operator, Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC).
The sections of Inland Rail between Beveridge in Victoria and Parkes in New South Wales are prioritised for completion in 2027.
STATUS
As of November 2025, 100% of the 1,600km alignment is in one of the following stages – environmental approval and community consultation; design refinement; construction; operations.
COMPLETED
The Parkes to Narromine and Narrabri to North Star Phase 1 sections in NSW and four Beveridge to Albury Tranche 1 sites in Victoria are completed and trains are running.
IN CONSTRUCTION
The Albury to Illabo and Illabo to Stockinbingal sections in NSW, plus the remaining eight Beveridge to Albury Tranche 2 sites are now in construction. Major construction on the Stockinbingal to Parkes section in NSW is on track for completion in early 2026.
Future decisions on the delivery of sections north of Narromine in NSW are a matter for consideration by the Australian Government and are also dependant on Inland Rail achieving environmental approvals and securing land required for the project.
Progress: Jobs and local investment
Inland Rail is generating opportunities for regional Australia.
Since Inland Rail started in December 2018, more than 8,700 people have been employed, including more than 4,760 local residents (those living along the Inland Rail alignment through regional Australia) and 907 First Nations people.
We’ve also spent $610.5 million with 1,140 local businesses and $52 million with First Nations businesses.
(To September 2025)
2025 update: Inland Rail milestones
2025 was a big year for Inland Rail, building on the strong progress achieved since 2018. Some of the highlights included:
Station precinct upgrades
In 2025, we worked on four station precincts in two States. In mid-2025, we completed work at Wangaratta, Victoria, improving safety and accessibility. We also upgraded elements of Junee Station, in New South Wales, and continued our construction work at Benalla and Euroa station precincts in Victoria.
Bridge upgrades
In 2025, we worked on 14 bridges across our construction sites in Victoria and NSW. This included completing the Lachlan River bridge in Forbes, NSW and in Victoria, the Seymour-Avenel Road bridge, Seymour, and the Beaconsfield Parade bridge in Glenrowan. Work on these bridges accelerated during several ‘track possessions’ held throughout the year.
Safety improvements
During the year, we delivered new safety enhancements along the route, such as upgrading the Daroobalgie level crossing near Forbes in NSW, and the Birkett Street level crossing in Euroa, Victoria.
Track enhancement
To allow double-stacked trains to operate safely, some existing rail track needs to be upgraded. In 2025, Inland Rail completed enhancements in multiple locations, such as ‘clearance works’ (using earthworks to make more room around the track and bridge structures) and performing ‘track slews’ (moving the track sideways). Examples of this can be seen in this video.
Inland Rail progress by State
Victoria
Major construction on the first four sites on Victoria’s Beveridge to Albury section is complete:
- The rail tracks under Murray Valley Highway road bridge at Barnawartha North have been lowered and are operational.
- Wangaratta Station precinct has been transformed with a new pedestrian underpass (replacing two footbridges), relocated western track and a new station platform all operational. Green Street bridge in Wangaratta has been replaced and tracks lowered underneath.
- The new Beaconsfield Parade bridge in Glenrowan is now operational.
- Seymour-Avenel Road bridge in Seymour has been replaced and is operational.
Major construction has also started on the final eight sites between Benalla and Wandong.
Works include transforming Euroa and Benalla Station precincts with new, safer pedestrian underpasses, expanded car parking and improved community infrastructure.
Anderson Street bridge at Euroa is being replaced with a new vehicle underpass.
Bridges are being replaced in Wandong and at Short Street, Hamilton Street and Marchbanks Road, in Broadford. Rail tracks are being lowered under Hamilton Street bridge, Short Street bridge and the Hume Freeway at Seymour and Tallarook.
New South Wales
The Parkes to Narromine section and the Narrabri North Star Phase 1 section in NSW are both complete, with freight trains running on the line.
Major construction on the:
- Stockinbingal to Parkes section in southern NSW was completed in late-2025 .
- Albury to Illabo section in southern NSW has begun.
- Illabo to Stockinbingal section will start in late 2025.
Future decisions on the delivery of sections north of Narromine in NSW are a matter for consideration by the Australian Government and are also dependant on Inland Rail achieving environmental approvals and securing land required for the project.
Inland Rail project teams in northern NSW are refining designs and completing further site investigations to minimise community impacts wherever possible.
Queensland
Future decisions on the delivery of sections north of Narromine in NSW are a matter for consideration by the Australian Government and are also dependant on Inland Rail achieving environmental approvals and securing land required for the project.
A 12-week community consultation period for the NSW/ Qld Border to Gowrie section’s revised draft Environmental Impact Statement was completed in mid-2025. The project team is now refining designs and completing further site investigations to minimise community impacts wherever possible.
