We are very mindful that learning your property could be partly or fully acquired to enable the delivery of Inland Rail may come as a shock. It may be a confusing and challenging time for impacted landowners.
Inland Rail wants to provide certainty to landowners who may be affected by property acquisitions in relation to timing of negotiations and key milestones during the acquisition process.
Each state’s acquisition process is designed to be fair, easy to understand and transparent.
We ensure that landowners are at the centre of negotiations and that dedicated acquisition support is available to landowners during this sensitive period.
Landowners can choose whether they enter negotiations with us on a voluntary basis prior to the compulsory process commencing, and we respect this decision. If a landowner chooses not to start preliminary discussions when we first make contact, there are further informal and formal opportunities to enter acquisition negotiations.
Acquisition and compensation
If your land is fully or partially acquired, you are entitled to obtain legal and other advice and claim compensation for the loss of the legal interest you hold in that property.
Compensation includes payment for the market value of the property and reimbursement of costs reasonably incurred by the landowner, such as legal and valuation fees.
We will consider landowners’ claims for legal costs in line with the relevant land acquisition legislation in each state. We also encourage landowners to provide detailed information on the costs they incur so we can accurately consider their reimbursement claims.
For more information on the property acquisition process for Inland Rail in each state, please refer to our fact sheets below.
Property owner enquiries
If you are a property owner living along the Inland Rail alignment and want to talk with one of our team, please contact us. We are happy to listen to your concerns and answer any questions you might have.
Phone 1800 732 761
Accessing properties for field studies
Field studies will be undertaken on land and properties across the Inland Rail alignment to determine the best possible route for building new track. During these studies, the team will be looking closely at:
- flora, fauna and aquatic ecology
- air, noise and water quality
- soils, geology and groundwater
- cultural, social and socio-economic impacts
- landscape and land use.
Detailed information about what activities will be conducted—as well as anticipated timeframes, hours of work, types of equipment, and vehicles to be used—will be provided to landowners well in advance.
Negotiating access to your property
If we determine that we need access to your property, we will be in touch to seek your written consent. This is referred to as a land access agreement. Once signed, this authorises our staff and subcontractors to access your property for the investigations and field studies indicated on the agreement.
We are committed to ensuring the least disruption as possible, so it’s important for you to raise any concerns you have when we are negotiating the land access agreement. For example, you may request that activity not take place until after important events like harvesting, or that a particular access road is used as the main point of entry.
Some examples of what you might wish to negotiate are:
- the timeframe for the activity
- the path of access
- any biosecurity requirements
- rehabilitation requirements.
Landowners are fully indemnified for any activities we conduct, with respect to any accident or damage, and comprehensive safety management processes will be in place for all activities undertaken on your property.
We will liaise with you throughout the field studies phase to make sure that all aspects of the land access agreement are adhered to.
- view an example Land Access Agreement for Queensland and Victoria
- view an example Land Access Agreement for New South Wales
Managing land access fact sheet
This fact sheet includes information about why Inland Rail needs land access, land access agreements, what activities Inland Rail may need to undertake and conditions of access. Information provided in this fact sheet applies to all Inland Rail projects.
The proposed route for Inland Rail is unlikely to change significantly in your area.
As work continues, you might see our teams working along the alignment and conducting various field studies as part of our environmental and planning assessment.
We will keep you notified of any planning applications relevant to your area and will let you know how you can provide input to the planning process. We are happy to meet with you to listen, understand and answer your questions in person.
For new sections of track, we need to conduct comprehensive studies and detailed consultation with landowners and communities to refine the route.
If your property is located along new track, you can expect to be approached by our team as we reach out to discuss the work we are doing, and which field studies are required as part of our environmental and planning assessment.
Nothing will happen on your property without your permission and all access will be governed by a formal agreement with you.
We will keep you notified of any planning applications that are relevant to you and let you know how you can provide input to the planning process. We’re happy to meet with you in person to listen and answer your questions.
Contact us to arrange a meeting
Learn about Inland Rail in your area
Find out more
If you want to talk with one of our team about your property, please phone 1800 732 761 or email us:
In Queensland: inlandrailqld@inlandrail.com.au
In New South Wales: inlandrailnsw@inlandrail.com.au
In Victoria: inlandrailvic@inlandrail.com.au
