Inland Rail Symposium to take place in Moree in March
On the heels of the Federal Government’s announcement that a high-level Implementation Group will be created to fast track the Melbourne to Brisbane Inland Railway, Moree Plains Shire Council has set the date for next year’s Inland Rail Symposium for Friday 7 March 2014.
The Symposium, which will be held in Moree, will be attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure the Hon Warren Truss.
Mr Truss, who has said that the Government is determined to roll-out infrastructure essential to boosting our national productivity, has committed the Coalition Government to fast-tracking delivery of the nation-building Inland Rail project.
The interim Vice Chair of the Melbourne to Brisbane Inland Rail Alliance (MBIRA) and Moree Plains Shire Council Deputy Mayor Cr Sue Price has welcomed the Government’s commitment to fast-tracking Inland Rail.
“I am delighted at the announcement of the Coalition Government commitment to Inland Rail,” she said.
“The creation of the high-level Implementation Group is an excellent step forward for the Inland Rail project, which will revolutionise how freight is moved within Australia.”
“Support for the Inland Rail was a key election priority for MBIRA, and we are pleased to see commitment and action from the Federal Government on delivering this much needed infrastructure which promises to bring opportunities to so many regional areas, including our own, along the route,” said Deputy Mayor Cr Price.
The Deputy Mayor went on to say that the MBIRA, which is an alliance of Council's along the Melbourne to Brisbane Inland Rail route, will be advocating for the Melbourne to Brisbane Inland Rail to be a modern, high-standard railway running from Melbourne to Brisbane.
“We will advocate for a modern, efficient railway built to ‘future-standards’ that will serve the nation far into the future,” she said.
“Access to a highly efficient inland railway will open up a range of opportunities for the regions, particularly in the agricultural sector, by significantly reducing the cost of delivering produce to port and from ports to regional areas.”
The March Inland Rail Symposium in Moree will be a forum for stakeholders to provide input into decisions regarding the Inland Rail route, access points along the route and appropriate technologies to be used.
“The Symposium will be one of the best opportunities we have to get in on the ground floor and clearly express our needs,” Cr Price said.