Inland Rail – Border to Gowrie (B2G) project – draft environmental impact statement

Overview

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

Prepared by Australian Rail Track Corporation Limited, the draft EIS describes the project and its potential direct and indirect environmental impacts, both positive and negative.

You are invited to make a submission on the draft EIS, including on the project’s potential environmental impacts and the effectiveness of the measures proposed to manage those impacts.

The Coordinator-General will consider all submissions as part of the evaluation.

About the project

The proponent, Australian Rail Track Corporation Limited (ARTC), proposes to develop the $1.4 billion Inland Rail – Border to Gowrie (B2G) project. The B2G project is part of the overall Inland Rail Project between Melbourne and Brisbane via regional Victoria, New South Wales and Toowoomba.  The B2G project is one of five Inland Rail corridor sections proposed to be located in Queensland.

The B2G project would be located between the New South Wales/Queensland border, near Yelarbon, to Gowrie Junction, north west of Toowoomba in Queensland. The B2G project would link the proposed Inland Rail – North Star to Border project in New South Wales and the Inland Rail – Gowrie to Helidon project in Queensland.

The project would involve:

• 145 kilometre new single-track dual-gauge freight rail line and 71 kilometres of upgraded railway line, a total of 216 kilometres
• construction of rail infrastructure, 34 bridges and five crossing loops
• ancillary works including road and public utility crossings and realignments.

The project is a controlled action and will require approval under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cwlth) (EPBC Act) before it can proceed (EPBC Act reference: 2018/8165). The relevant protected matter is listed threatened species and communities (sections 18 and 18A). The Commonwealth Minister for Agriculture, Water and the Environment will rely on the outcomes of the Coordinator-General’s assessment process, including any public submissions, in making a decision under the EPBC Act.

The draft EIS is available online from 23 January 2021 at https://www.statedevelopment.qld.gov.au/coordinator-general/assessments-and-approvals/coordinated-projects/current-projects/inland-rail-border-to-gowrie. A copy is also available from the proponent by contacting via telephone 1800 732 761 or email InlandRailQld@ARTC.com.au. If you need help reading the draft EIS or if English is your second language, please call 131 450. This free service will help you read and understand the draft EIS and other relevant project information.

An electronic copy of the draft EIS will be available to view between 23 January 2021 and 4 May 2021 at the following venues, during business hours:

• Toowoomba City Library, 155 Herries Street, Toowoomba, QLD
• Goondiwindi Library, Regional Civic Centre, 100 Marshall Street, Goondiwindi, QLD
• Millmerran Library, 2-16 Campbell St, Millmerran, QLD
• Inglewood Library, 8 Elizabeth Street, Inglewood QLD
• Pittsworth Library, 104 Yandilla St, Pittsworth, QLD
• State Library of Queensland, Cultural Centre, Stanley Place, South Bank, Brisbane
• National Library of Australia, Parkes Place W, Canberra, ACT
• Inland Rail office, 143-145 Margaret Street, Toowoomba, QLD
• Inland Rail office, 116 Marshall Street, Goondiwindi, QLD

A printed copy will be available to view at the Goondiwindi, Millmerran, Inglewood and Pittsworth libraries, ARTC’s Toowoomba Office located at 143-145 Margaret Street, Toowoomba, and ARTC’s Goondiwindi Office located at 116 Marshall Street, Goondiwindi. 

How to make a submission

There are three different ways to make a submission on this draft EIS. You only need to lodge your submission using one of these methods. Replicated responses received through different methods will only be counted as one submission. 

1. Click on the ‘Make a submission’ link below
2. Email your submission to inlandrailb2g@coordinatorgeneral.qld.gov.au
3. Post your submission to:
   
   Attention: Coordinator-General
   C/- EIS Project Manager, Inland Rail – Border to Gowrie project
   Project Evaluation and Facilitation
   Office of the Coordinator-General
   PO Box 15517
   City East QLD 4002 Australia

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

While you are encouraged to use the submission form, it is not mandatory. Your submission, including any personal information you provide in connection with your submission, may be disclosed by the Coordinator-General to the project proponent and to other local, State and Commonwealth government agencies including the Flood Panel. Your personal information will otherwise be dealt with in accordance with the Information Privacy Act 2009 (Qld). If you have special communication needs, telephone the EIS project manager on +61 7 3452 7495 to make alternative submission arrangements.

What happens next

Following the end of the submission period for the draft EIS, the Coordinator-General will consider the following in deciding whether or not to accept the draft EIS as the final EIS:

• the draft EIS
• any properly made submissions for the draft EIS
• any other material the Coordinator-General considers relevant.

If the Coordinator-General decides to accept the draft EIS as the final EIS, the Coordinator-General will commence preparation of the evaluation report for the project.

If the Coordinator-General decides not to accept the draft EIS as the final EIS, the proponent will be required to provide additional information to address any further information requirements.