Inland Rail – Gowrie to Helidon 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 – Gowrie to Helidon (G2H) 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 $1.35 billion Inland Rail – G2H project. The G2H project is part of the overall Inland Rail Program which will provide a rail freight network between Melbourne and Brisbane via regional Victoria, New South Wales and Toowoomba. The G2H project is one of five Inland Rail corridor sections proposed to be in Queensland.

The G2H project would be located between Gowrie (north-west of Toowoomba) and Helidon (east of Toowoomba) generally within the Gowrie to Grandchester transport corridor. The G2H project would be located between the proposed Inland Rail projects of Helidon to Calvert, to the east, and New South Wales/Queensland border to Gowrie, to the west.

The G2H project would involve:

• 28 kilometres (km) single-track dual-gauge freight rail line to accommodate double stack freight trains up to
  1800 metres long
• a 6.24 km tunnel through the Toowoomba Range
• construction of rail infrastructure, 13 bridges and three crossing loops
• connection to the existing West Moreton Railway Line
• ancillary works including road and public utility crossings and realignments.

The G2H project is a controlled action under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cwlth) (EPBC Act) and will require approval before it can proceed (EPBC Act reference 2017/7882). The relevant controlling provision is listed threatened species and communities (sections 18 and 18A).

The EIS will assess potential impacts of the G2H project on the controlling provision consistent with the Bilateral Agreement (section 45 of the EPBC Act) between the Australian and Queensland governments for the purposes of the Australian government’s assessment under Part 8 of the EPBC Act.

The Coordinator-General’s EIS evaluation report will be provided to the Commonwealth Minister. The Commonwealth Minister 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 Monday, 2 August 2021. A copy is also available from the proponent via 1800 732 761 or 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 Monday, 2 August 2021 and Monday, 25 October 2021, during the venues’ business hours:

• Gatton Library, Lockyer Valley Cultural Centre, 34 Apex Drive, Gatton
• Goombungee Library, 89 Mocatta Street, Goombungee
• Highfields Library, Community Court, Highfields Place, Highfields
• Laidley Library, 9 Spicer Street, Laidley
• Toowoomba City Library, 155 Herries Street, Toowoomba
• State Library of Queensland, Cultural Centre, Stanley Place, South Bank, Brisbane
• National Library of the Australia, Parkes Place, Canberra
• ARTC Inland Rail Gatton Office, Suite 5, 47 North Street, Gatton
• ARTC Inland Rail Toowoomba Office, 143-145 Margaret Street, Toowoomba.  

A printed copy will be available to view at the Gatton, Goombungee and Highfields libraries and ARTC’s Gatton and Toowoomba Offices at the locations above.

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 inlandrailg2h@coordinatorgeneral.qld.gov.au
3. Post your submission to:
   
   Attention: Coordinator-General
   C/- EIS Project Manager, Inland Rail – Gowrie to Helidon project
   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 Director on +61 7 3452 7460 to make alternative submission arrangements.

Flood Panel review

Parallel to the Coordinator-General’s EIS process, the Flood Panel is currently reviewing the draft EIS for the project and is preparing a report. 
View more information on the Flood Panel review and report.

Members of the public can contact the panel regarding the review and report at InlandRailFloodPanel@tmr.qld.gov.au or in writing to:

The Department of Transport and Main Roads
Inland Rail Team
GPO Box 213 Brisbane Qld 4001

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 her 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.