Inland Rail – Border to Gowrie project – draft terms of reference for an environmental impact statement

Overview

Queensland's Coordinator-General invites you to have your say on the draft terms of reference (TOR) for an environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Inland Rail – Border to Gowrie project (B2G project).

Prepared by the Coordinator-General, the draft TOR sets out the matters to be examined in the EIS. You are invited to comment on whether the draft TOR adequately covers all the matters the proponent, Australian Rail Track Corporation Limited (ARTC) must address when preparing the EIS.

About the project

ARTC proposes to develop the $1.4 billion B2G project, which is part of the overall $10.9 billion Inland Rail programme between Melbourne and Brisbane via regional Victoria, New South Wales and Toowoomba. 

The B2G project is one of five Inland Rail corridor sections proposed in Queensland.  The proposed location of the B2G project is between Gowrie (west of Toowoomba) and the Queensland and New South Wales border, approximately 15 kilometres south-east of Goondiwindi.  The B2G project would be located between the proposed Gowrie to Helidon project to the north-east and the proposed New South Wales and Queensland Border to North Star project to the south-west. 

The key components of the B2G project include:

• 146 kilometres (km) of new dual gauge freight railway line and 78 km of upgraded railway line, a total of 224 km, capable of carrying 1,800 metre (m) long trains transporting double-stacked containers
• construction of rail infrastructure, culverts, bridges, viaducts and crossing loops
• connection to the existing West Moreton System and Interstate railway lines
• ancillary works including road and public utility crossings and realignments
• a land corridor with an average width of 40 m to accommodate future upgrades, including a possible requirement to accommodate trains up to 3,600 m long.    

More information regarding the project is available at: www.dsdmip.qld.gov.au/inlandrail-b2g

How to comment

There are a number of different ways to provide comments on the draft TOR. You only need to provide comments using one of these methods.

1. Read the draft TOR here

OR

Visit one of the following display locations between 7 May 2018 and 18 June 2018 to view the draft TOR:

• Goondiwindi Regional Council Library, 100 Marshall Street, Goondiwindi
• Inglewood Library, 18 Elizabeth Street, Inglewood
• Texas Library, High Street, Texas
• Toowoomba Regional Council Library, Corner Herries and Victoria Streets, Toowoomba
• Pittsworth Library, 104 Yandilla Street, Pittsworth
• Toowoomba Regional Council Mobile Library at Gowrie Junction School and Westbrook
• Millmerran Library, Herbert Street, Millmerran
• Cecil Plains Library, 33 Taylor Street, Cecil Plains
• State Library of Queensland, Cultural Centre, Stanley Place, South Bank, Brisbane
• National Library of Australia, Parkes Place, Canberra

2. Provide your comments by clicking on the 'Make a comment' link below.

OR

Complete the submission form and send it to one of the following:

• Email: inlandrailb2g@coordinatorgeneral.qld.gov.au
• Post: The Coordinator-General
  c/- The EIS Project manager –  Inland Rail – B2G project
  Coordinated Project Delivery
  Office of the Coordinator-General
  PO Box 15517
  City East Qld 4002 Australia
• Fax: +61 7 3220 6502

Note: If you wish to attach anything (e.g. maps, images or supporting documents), please use the email option instead of the online form.