A SENIOR government official has said plans to build a railway line from Moree to Yamba lack credibility.
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Mike Mrdak, secretary of the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development, who first heard of the project through media reports, was answering questions from Senator John Williams in Senate Estimates on Wednesday.
Senator Williams asked Mr Mrdak – who told Senate Estimates in October last year that he had doubts the railway line would be built – if had heard anymore about it.
“Since we last appeared before Estimates I have met with a number of the proponents for the project. That was a very useful discussion to get an understanding from them about the project proposal.”
Mr Mrdak said they posed a number of questions about the capital cost and the likely demand when they met with potential developers in November.
“We have not heard anymore from them since that meeting that took place here in Parliament House,” he told Senator Williams.
Mr Mrdak said there had been no request for government money.
“Their argument was it can by fully privately financed. We obviously have some reservations about that, given the very high capital costs and likely demand.
“We now have a very good understanding of the likely demand in northern NSW based on our work on inland rail.”
He said they had doubts about the developer’s assertion that the rail line could all be privately financed.
“We think it probably lacks credibility at the moment,” Mr Mrdak said.
Local engineer and shire councillor David Jones has been an advocate for the project and made presentations to several councils across the region
He addressed Inverell Shire Council in September and said an announcement was expected on the development before the end of last year.
He asked the council to express its support for the project, which it did.
At the time, Cr Jones said he expected the regeneration and expansion of the port of Yamba and the building of a rail link across to the North Coast Rail line would be complete by 2018.
Despite Cr Jones’ optimism, Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall was another who had doubts about the plan.
He said significant financing, planning and approval processes would be required before the project sees any real momentum.
The MP expressed concern for how the project would affect Yamba, given the central part the Yamba port would play in the fulfilment of the project prospectively nearing completion in 2023.
