Inland Rail – Calvert to Kagaru (C2K) 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 – Calvert to Kagaru (C2K) 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 of the EIS for the project.

About the project

The proponent, Australian Rail Track Corporation Limited, proposes to develop the $1.2 billion Inland Rail – Calvert to Kagaru (C2K) project. The C2K project is part of the overall Inland Rail Project between Melbourne and Brisbane via regional Victoria, New South Wales and Toowoomba. The C2K project is one of five Inland Rail corridor sections proposed to be in Queensland.

The C2K project would generally be located within the gazetted future railway land of the Southern Freight Rail Corridor. The location of the proposed alignment for the C2K project would run in a north-west to south-east direction, connecting the existing West Moreton Railway Line near Calvert (south-west of Ipswich) to the existing Interstate railway line near Kagaru (north of Beaudesert). The C2K project would be located between the proposed Inland Rail Projects of Helidon to Calvert, to the west, and Kagaru to Acacia Ridge and Bromelton, to the east.

The project would involve:

• 53 kilometre single-track dual-gauge freight rail line to accommodate double stack freight trains up to 1800 metres long
• approximately one kilometre of tunnel through the Teviot Range
• construction of rail infrastructure, 27 bridges and four 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: 2017/7944). The relevant protected matter is listed threatened species and communities (sections 18 and 18A). The Commonwealth Minister for Agriculture, Water and the Environment may 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 to view online from Saturday, 19 December 2020 at statedevelopment.qld.gov.au/inlandrail-c2k. 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 with 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 19 December 2020 and 8 March 2021, during the venues’ business hours, at:

• Ipswich Central Library, Nicholas Street Precinct, Ipswich
• Rosewood Library,15 Railway Street, Rosewood
• Beaudesert Library, 58 Brisbane Street, Beaudesert
• State Library of Queensland, Cultural Centre, Stanley Place, South Bank, Brisbane
• National Library of Australia, Parkes Place W, Canberra, ACT
• ARTC’s Office, Suite 5, 47 North Street, Gatton

A printed copy will be also available to view at the Beaudesert Library, 58 Brisbane Street, Beaudesert and at ARTC’s Gatton Office located at Suite 5, 47 North Street, Gatton.

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 inlandrailc2k@coordinatorgeneral.qld.gov.au
3. Post your submission to:
   
   Attention: Coordinator-General
   C/- EIS Project Manager, Inland Rail – Calvert to Kagaru project
   Coordinated Project Delivery
   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 7485 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.