Today’s announcement by Australian Transport & Energy Corridor Limited to commence construction of a 340 kilometre rail corridor between Moree and Toowoomba is great news for Queensland and great news for Australia.
The Border railway, built at a cost of approximately $900 million will connect with the existing standard gauge railway at Moree establishing a rail freight corridor to Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.
The National Party has been a great supporter of the inland rail project and we commend Mr. Everald Compton on his diligence to this project and call now for the completion of a high speed gauge between Gladstone and Melbourne to increase internodal port activities connecting Perth to Gladstone.
Connecting the coal of Queensland to the wheat of northern NSW to the manufacturing of Melbourne, creating a corridor of commerce in a straight line between ports, will allow Australians the opportunity to head west at an affordable price and set up business with access to all these commercial centres by reason of a standard rail gauge.
Toowoomba to Moree is a vital link and now we must look at other links such as Narrabri to Coonamble and Toowoomba to Gladstone and Toowoomba through the range to Brisbane. If we are a smart country that builds things then let us build an inland rail.
If people wish to reduce carbon emissions there is no better way to do it than to get trucks off the road and onto rail.
From my maiden speech when I entered the Senate I have seen this as a visionary project for our nation and I commend the hard work of Mr. Compton and note that no one can steal his thunder from his almost solo perseverance to see this project happen.