The Narromine to Narrabri section in mid-north western New South Wales is Inland Rail’s longest section of track.
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.
Once built, this 306km ‘missing link’ will connect with the completed sections of Inland Rail between Narrabri and Moree, and Parkes to Narromine. Construction will involve millions of cubic metres of earthworks for new embankments, the installation of thousands of concrete culvert drains, road realignments and utility relocations.
The Narromine to Narrabri section has achieved NSW and Australian Government planning approvals and work continues to finalise the design, scope and cost of the project for Australian Government consideration.
Snapshot
Type
New track
Length
306km
Anticipated works
Building 306 km of new track via Burroway, Curban, Mt Tenandra and Baradine
Project maps
View and download a range of maps including topographical, state and simple graphic maps as well as a video showing Inland Rail connectivity with regional lines.
Narromine to Narrabri section overview
Tune in to learn more about the Inland Rail route, essential Narromine to Narrabri section facts, what Inland Rail will look like, and more.
Status: Site investigations and design refinement
Following NSW Government approval in February 2023, the Narromine to Narrabri project was assessed by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water and approved by the Australian Government under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 on 31 January 2024.
Both levels of approval come with strict conditions relating to the management and mitigation of environmental and social impacts. These conditions must be monitored and reported on during and after construction, which is subject to Australian Government consideration.
In 2025 we will continue addressing conditions of approval and preparing environmental and social management plans, permits and licences, which are required before any major construction can start.
For the 76km section through the Pilliga State Forest, a final statutory process must occur before any construction of Inland Rail can begin. The process involves revoking State Forest dedications through the NSW parliament. To learn more about this and our approach to managing impacts in the Pilliga State Forest please read our information sheet [PDF 501kB].
Design refinement
Between now and 2027 and with the cooperation of landowners, our teams will complete geotechnical and utility investigations, cultural heritage surveys, ecology studies and hydrology studies.
This work will provide essential data to help us refine engineering designs and assist in finalising the scope and cost of building Inland Rail.
Rail corridor acquisition
In April 2021, we commenced discussions with directly impacted landowners to acquire land to secure the rail corridor, and this work continues in 2025.
Narromine to Narrabri project stages
From August 2018, ARTC Inland Rail consulted with stakeholders and worked with technical experts to
develop the Narromine to Narrabri project’s Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
The EIS supported an application for approval of the Proposal under division 5.2 of the Environmental
Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (EP&A Act). It addressed the environmental assessment requirements
set by the Secretary of the DPE.
The EIS describes the potential impacts of the project and proposed mitigation measures. It also captures
information gathered from consultation with landowners and other stakeholders and demonstrates how
consultation was considered in determining the final rail corridor.
The Narromine to Narrabri project’s EIS was on public display for 62 days, from 8 December 2020 to 7
February 2021. The exhibition resulted in 116 public and agency comments submitted to DPE and we thank
all parties for taking the time to lodge submissions.
In April 2021, the Planning Secretary directed Inland Rail in accordance with section 5.17(b) of
the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (NSW) to provide a Preferred Infrastructure Report to
further address flooding and hydrology impacts and provide additional detail on the route selection process.
In February 2022, a Preferred Infrastructure Report, Amendment Report, and Response to Submissions
Report were submitted to the DPE for adequacy review. The reports were finalised and formally lodged to
DPE in August 2022.
In September 2022, the Preferred Infrastructure/Amendment Report (PIR) was placed on public exhibition for
three weeks. The reports outline proposed amendments to further reduce impacts identified in the Project’s
EIS and respond to feedback from the community, key stakeholders and EIS submissions. Seventy public
and agency submissions were received by DPE in response to the exhibition.
In February 2023 the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) received approval from the NSW Minister for
Planning to progress the Inland Rail Narromine to Narrabri Project, subject to conditions and Australian
Government approval.
In January 2024 the Australian Government approved the project with conditions under the Environment
Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
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:
