There has been some progress on the Melbourne-Brisbane inland rail corridor with four alignment options for Yerlabon (QLD) to Gowrie (VIC) under close scrutiny. Transport and Infrastructure Minister Darren Chester met with the chair of the Yelarbon to Gowrie Project Reference Group (PRG), Bruce Wilson AM, for an update on the Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA) and initial capital costings being undertaken as part of the Yelarbon to Gowrie Inland Rail alignment review.

The four options being considered include a route from:

• Inglewood through Millmerran;
• Karara and Leyburn;
• Warwick; and
• a route or connection to the Charlton and Wellcamp areas.

The MCA results were close for all four alignment options, but the costings revealed some clear differences. The analysis found the Inglewood through Millmerran option was the least expensive, followed by the Wellcamp/Charlton option, Karara/Leyburn, and then the Warwick option.

Mr Chester said the process in determining the best alignment in the section was important and would be a balance between community, economic, and environmental considerations. “I can assure all communities which could potentially be affected by this critical infrastructure project that the Australian Government and Australian Rail Track Corporation will continue to engage with them as we move into the next stage,” he said. “In the long term we will also be working with locals to maximise the benefits of this major freight corridor at a local and regional level.”