Narromine to Narrabri section update: Autumn 2026
Since our last update in mid-December, we’ve made solid progress across the Narromine to Narrabri section of Inland Rail. We’ve been out in the community, kept refining engineering designs, and mapped out our next round of site investigations, starting after Easter.
March 30, 2026
Community engagement
In early March, our Stakeholder Engagement Advisors, Rachael Anderson (based in Narrabri) and Daniel Hile (based in Narromine), presented at the weekly Rotary Club meeting in Narrabri.
About 25 attendees were updated on Inland Rail’s overall progress and given a preview of activities coming up in Narrabri, particularly the options for the temporary workers’ accommodation site and planned field investigations.
Rachael and Daniel also explained how we manage flood impacts and shared an overview of the recently completed at-property noise mitigation works in Bellata.
The audience was very engaged, with lots of questions asked during the hour-long presentation. The team hopes to return soon to keep Rotary Club members updated on our progress.
Narromine to Narrabri design refinement
In the last three months, our engineering team has focused on refining designs for the segment between Narromine and Baradine. We’re working towards a preliminary design and a Flood Design Verification Report, which we need to deliver under the project’s Conditions of Approval.
Our hydrologists and engineers are working closely with technical experts from engineering consultancies WSP and Mott MacDonald to move this work forward. We’re progressing it through two key activities:
Flood model calibration
Using the latest flood data (including the 2022 floods near Narromine) and guidance from the Australian Rainfall and Runoff (ARR) Guideline, our expert hydrologist has updated the area’s hydraulic model.
This model helps us understand how water may behave in and around the rail corridor against a set of criteria such as intensity, duration, flow rate, extent and depth.
Hydrologists build various flood scenarios and determine, for example, what a 1% AEP (or 1-in-100-year) event will look like. The updated model shows some areas will flood more and some less when compared to the previous model used for the Environmental Impact Statement reference design in 2020.
Finally, hydrologists build a picture of what will happen in each scenario when the Inland Rail infrastructure is added to the environment.
Cross-drainage optimisation
Design engineers then review the current design and optimise the railway structure to minimise impacts on existing floodwater flows. Depending on what the updated model shows, we may add larger or additional cross-drainage structures in areas with more intense flooding or reduce structure sizes where the model shows less water flow.
We’ll keep refining the design to reduce, or where feasible remove, changes to water flows—while still delivering resilient infrastructure that balances project and community needs.
In the second quarter of 2026, we’ll meet with affected landowners to share what we’ve learnt, talk through what’s changed, and review the latest engineering designs.
Read more:
What’s ahead
In April, crews will return to the alignment between Narromine and Baradine to carry out geotechnical investigations at potential borrow pit sites and several rail corridor locations. Ecologists will also head back into the field in April to complete biodiversity surveys along the whole alignment.
Talk to the Inland Rail team
If you would like to contact Inland Rail’s Narromine to Narrabri team, you can either call, send an email or visit one of our offices. We also hold regular events across the region, and you’re welcome to subscribe to our enewsletter.
| Phone | 1800 732 761 during business hours or leave a message and we'll get back to you. |
| inlandrailnsw@inlandrail.com.au | |
| Inland Rail Pty Ltd, 85 Maitland Street, Narrabri NSW 2390 | |
| Visit | 85 Maitland Street, Narrabri, Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm |
Alternatively, you can fill out the below form, and request a team member to contact you:
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Inland Rail is a 1,600km fast freight rail line, now under construction, that will link Melbourne and Brisbane via regional Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. The route has been divided into 12 sections, to allow for a staged delivery of the open-access fast freight rail line.
The Narromine to Narrabri section is the longest section of Inland Rail track. Once built, this 306km ‘missing link’ will connect with the completed sections of Inland Rail between Narrabri and Moree (in the Narrabri to North Star section), and Parkes to Narromine.
