Inland Rail releases Illabo to Stockinbingal visualisation
The local community can get a fresh look at the planned Illabo to Stockinbingal section of the Inland Rail project, with a newly released 3D fly-through video of the section alignment now available for viewing.
The Illabo to Stockinbingal section of Inland Rail involves the construction of 39 kilometres of new rail from just east of Illabo to Stockinbingal, New South Wales, and is the only greenfield section between Beveridge and Parkes.
This new alignment will provide a direct route from Illabo to Stockinbingal through to the existing Forbes line. The route will bypass the townships of Cootamundra and Bethungra and the winding, steep section of track known as the Bethungra Spiral on the Main South line – delivering a more efficient freight pathway through the region.
The newly released visualisation depicts the alignment travelling northward and showcases major features of the project, including bridges across waterways and roads, a realignment at Burley Griffin Way, a crossing loop and siding, and level crossings.
Inland Rail has already made significant progress on the Illabo to Stockinbingal section since starting work, with earthworks, piling, culvert works and rail deliveries already taking place.
Over the coming months, the project will continue to take shape with bulk earthworks and bridge works. As part of these activities, controlled blasting will be undertaken to support the advancement of civil works. Works will also commence in Stockinbingal, including construction of the new Burley Griffin Way road bridge.
A temporary workers’ accommodation facility has also been established in Stockinbingal. The facility will house up to 350 workers during peak construction.
To support ongoing engagement with locals, Inland Rail’s construction partner, John Holland, has opened a community information centre in Cootamundra. Located on Murray Street, the centre is open on the following days:
- Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9am to midday
- Wednesdays from 9am to 5pm
An Inland Rail spokesperson said:
“From Illabo to Stockinbingal, we’re building new road and rail infrastructure to make double-stacked freight transport more efficient. This will deliver safer road and rail interfaces, improve infrastructure reliability and strengthen regional connectivity for the future.
“Illabo to Stockinbingal is a unique project and is the only greenfield stretch of track to be built south of Parkes. We appreciate the support and patience of local communities as we work towards achieving our goal of building Inland Rail from Beveridge to Parkes.”
