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We engage suppliers to help us deliver the project. We commence land access and property acquisition negotiations (subject to government approvals), develop procurement documentation and get the project ready to…
Learn moreThe Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the North Star to NSW/Qld Border section of Inland Rail has been approved, marking another step in the approvals pathway for Inland Rail.
In February 2023, Inland Rail received approval from the NSW Minister for Planning to progress the North Star to Border section, subject to conditions.
Following NSW Government approval, the project was assessed by the Australian Government under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC 1999) and approved by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water in July 2023.
Both levels of approval come with strict conditions relating to the management and mitigation of environmental and social impacts. These conditions will be monitored and reported on during and after construction.
North Star to NSW/Qld Border: Next steps
Activities to secure the land required for the North Star to Border corridor and inform design refinement are ongoing.
We continue undertaking low impact works along the alignment which include identifying utilities, survey, cultural heritage, and geotechnical surveys to better understand ground conditions.
Keeping you informed about the project’s design, development and proposed impacts to property and surrounding environment is important to us. We remain committed to working with the community to ensure the best outcome for the region.
Project overview
The North Star to Border section consists of upgrading approximately 25km of non-operational rail corridor and constructing 5km of new railway infrastructure in greenfield corridor.
Crossing the Macintyre floodplain
An important part of our work on this project is developing technical and engineering options for crossing the Macintyre River floodplain.
We developed a detailed flood model of the Macintyre floodplain catchment area, using data from many different sources. It is based on existing flood modelling information which was developed by the Biodiversity, Conservation and Science Directorate of the Department of Planning and Environment (DPE). The model also considers predicted future impacts from climate change.
Since August 2018, our project team has met with landowners whose properties were surveyed for historic flood markers to validate the Macintyre flood model. Feedback has generally been that it reflects existing flood behaviour, however we will continue to review the model as we progress.
Hydrology-related submissions received during the project’s EIS exhibition requested additional modelling, including impacts for the 1976 flood event. We have worked collaboratively with DPE to address this via a hydrology working group.
Our flood model has been compared to the existing Border Rivers Floodplain Management Plan model and updated to incorporate feedback from an independent review facilitated by Goondiwindi Regional Council, the latest LiDAR data and the Australian Rainfall and Runoff (ARR) 2019 guiding principles.
The latest calibration is more robust than previous model calibrations, and the hydraulic model incorporates 2019 LiDAR data for a more accurate representation of the current ground conditions.
We will continue to work with directly affected landowners, local flood specialists, government and the broader community to incorporate their feedback and input into design refinement.
Geotechnical Investigations fact sheet
Geotechnical investigations are conducted during reference and detailed design phases by specialist subcontractors and consultants contracted to Inland Rail.
