MEMBER for New England and Acting Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce has said the economic significance of another stretch of the Inland Rail opening cannot be understated.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Upgrades to a 29 kilometre section of the $693.8 million Narrabri to North Star Inland Rail route have been completed, with the first train taking off on the tracks on Monday, although there will be plenty more to follow.
With harvest approaching and great yields expected, the new track will play a crucial role in boosting the economy across the north west.
"They're moving the first grain train along this section of the Inland Rail, which just goes to show it's been built and it's being used," he said.
"This is incredibly important as the bumper grain crop comes in from the Moree area, because Moree is far and away the biggest grain producer in NSW, by a country mile.
"And we're seeing that this new track has the capacity to move bigger trains with more weight on the bogies and basically help our nation move our products so the nation makes more money."
The full Inland Rail, that will span from Melbourne to Brisbane, which in full will cost more than $14 billion, is still a while off being completed.
But once it is, products from north west NSW will be able to be shipped from ports at the likes of Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and Newcastle.
READ ALSO:
As for now, Mr Joyce said the continual work on a stretch of the rail between Moree to North Star will continue to see money pumped into local businesses.
"It also assists in supporting the Special Activation Precinct in the Moree area, it's going to underpin further growth in the area," he said.
"And what council did while I was there was take me through other support the Moree area was looking for, to grow the town of Moree.
"If you've got this major commercial business in Moree, then you need more wealth to be invested in the local area as well and you don't get it by ordering to be there, you do that by creating infrastructure.
Parkes MP Mark Coulton said more than $32 million has already been spent with 116 local businesses that have helped in terms of supplying and servicing the build.
Sections of the track just north and south of the stretch that opened on Monday are still being worked on, he said, and significant progress is also being made on the track between Camurra and North Star.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark northerndailyleader.com.au
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Google News