'The sword is still hanging': Farmers in limbo as Inland Rail land sits idle

Tim Durre relies on a water bore and irrigation lines to grow his crops. (ABC Rural: Brandon Long) Despite the federal government scrapping the northern section of Inland Rail, it says it will focus on "preservation of the rail corridor". Landholders who have lived in the proposed rail path for a decade are calling for answers. The government says "negotiations will continue". Link copiedShareShare articleFor 10 years, Queensland farmer Tim Durre has woken up wondering if a freight train will one day cut through his paddocks. "It weighs on my mind every day of the week," he said. The proposed Inland Rail route sweeps through Mr Durre's property west of Toowoomba in a wide curve, taking out a dam, a bore and irrigation lines for his crops, making his hay farm "fairly well unusable". Despite the federal government scrapping the northern section of the railway, Mr Durre says he and others like him have no more clarity on their future than they did before. Inland Rail was a bold idea: a 1,600-kilometre freight line connecting Melbourne to Brisbane that was designed to shift everyday goods off congested roads, improving safety and reducing travel time and emissions. When the Coalition government released its North-South Rail Corridor study in 2006, it sounded like a win for the country. The Albanese government has halted the project at Parkes, NSW. (Supplied: ARTC) But the projected costs blew out beyond $45 billion and last week the federal government announced work would stop at Parkes in Central West NSW, angering backers who valued the investment it promised. It angered Mr Durre for a different reason. "If they've canned the project, that's one thing," he said. "But if there's a corridor announced when the environmental impact statement is approved … that will leave a lot of uncertainty on a lot of people's minds for a long time." Federal Infrastructure Minister Catherine King announced that Inland Rail works north of Parkes would now focus on "preservation of the rail corridor". This week's federal budget repeated the same phrase, adding little else. The ABC asked what "preservation of the rail corridor" meant and if more properties would be acquired. Ms King did not provide more detail, but said sites for future Inland Rail intermodal terminals in Queensland, such as at Gowrie and Ebenezer, would be protected. "Inland Rail Pty Ltd will continue to work closely with landholders and the Queensland Government in progressing these corridor preservation works," she said in a statement. The government is in a difficult position. Keeping the corridor open indefinitely leaves thousands of landholders in limbo but scrapping it entirely could mean writing off billions already spent on engineering studies, land purchases and planning. It takes about 33 hours to move freight from Melbourne to Brisbane via the existing route. (Supplied: ARTC) The ABC analysed property records from CoreLogic and found that the government's Inland Rail arm, Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC), has already acquired properties north of Parkes worth at least $100 million. But the true cost has not been fully disclosed. Shadow Infrastructure Minister Bridget McKenzie said many communities had already made sacrifices in preparation for the railway and that it should be completed. "Every business decision, every family that moved, every community that planned around Inland Rail — Labor wants to throw it all away," she said. But Member for Maranoa and former Nationals leader David Littleproud said the route in Queensland was always wrong. "The corridor up to Goondiwindi always made sense, that shouldn't be taken off the table," he said. "But getting it through to Toowoomba is going to add a lot of costs going across a flood plain." Mr Littleproud said the line should use using existing corridors to connect to the Port of Gladstone rather than going through Brisbane. "We need this to get the trucks off the road … and we should have the courage to do it now." In Queensland the land acquisitions have been voluntary so far, but many fear that could change. Lawyer Peta Gray represents landholders in the border-to-Gowrie section of the route, some of whom have worked the same land for more than 150 years. "You're taking a lot more from them than just a place where people live," she said. Peta Gray represents landholders in part of the rail zone. (Supplied: Enterprise Legal) She said clients wanted to know if their farms were safe. "[They ask], 'Does this mean we can all get on with our lives and start reinvesting in our properties, knowing they won't be taken?'" Ms Gray said. "No — I can't give that guarantee when the words 'preserving the corridor' are being used." Cameron Simpkins, who served as ARTC's project director for southern NSW from 2017 to 2020, was blunter in his assessment of the minister's position. "In plain speak, it means she doesn't want to look at it, and she's kicked it to the sideline,"

'The sword is still hanging': Farmers in limbo as Inland Rail land sits idle

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