The Inland Rail has been described as a 'truly transformational' infrastructure project for Australia.
The 1,700 km proposed rail network will connect Brisbane, through regional NSW, to Melbourne addressing the anticipated significant growth in freight over the next several decades, with a goal of delivering a transit time of less than 24 hours between the two capital cities.
The Federal Government previously committed $300 million for pre-construction activities such as detailed corridor planning, environmental assessments and community consultation.
In its 2016/2017 Budget, the Federal Government committed $549 million to the acquisition of the land necessary for the proposed rail corridor, and other preliminary steps. It is estimated that more than 1,000 compulsory acquisitions will be required, commencing as soon as 2017.
Queensland is expected to be the big winner from the new jobs, with an additional 4600 workers needed to implement the design changes across the five sections running through the state.
