Parkes has established itself as the flagship city for the Inland Rail project according to CEO Nick Miller, who recently visited the town with the company’s board of directors.
The visit was to review the freight and logistics facilities at the 4800-hectare Parkes Activation Precinct, which looms as a key region for the overall success of the project.
The regional NSW town will be a crucial connector on the Melbourne to Brisbane Inland Rail line, while it also sits along the Trans-Australian Railway that connect Sydney to Perth via Port Augusta.
It will be the only town to sit on the junction of Australia’s two major rail spines.
Construction began on the Stockinbingal to Parkes section of Inland Rail in March this year, while every section between Beveridge and Parkes is expected to be in full construction at some point in 2025. The goal is to complete all of those sections by 2027.
“What we are seeing happening in Parkes with the Special Activation Precinct is just a taste of what is to come as Inland Rail gets built out further,” Miller says. “There is no doubt that Parkes is the flagship town on the project right now.
“The Parkes Special Activation Precinct is home to the National Logistics Hub, in which the National Intermodal Corporation is exploring the construction of an open access rail facility to further stimulate the use of rail.
“The Parkes Special Activation Precinct and Inland Rail complement each other to provide a compelling answer to questions of sustainable growth in Australia.”
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