Works to remove two railway level crossings along the Inland Rail project corridor, near Parkes and Illabo in regional New South Wales, will soon begin.
The jointly funded project will improve road and rail safety while allowing freight to be delivered faster.
Level crossings on the Newell Highway at Tichborne and on the Olympic Highway at Harris Gates will be removed and replaced using grade separation as either overpasses or underpasses.
The Newell Highway passes through the small town of Tichborne and is a significant point on the highway due to its road-rail alignment.
Geotechnical investigations, biodiversity studies and Aboriginal cultural heritage surveys of the Tichborne site and surrounds will begin on Wednesday 12 February.
Work is due to be carried out until the end of March. The geotechnical investigations at the Tichborne site will be followed by similar work at the Harris Gates intersection in coming months.in
The Federal Government will contribute $280 million while the New South Wales Government will contribute $70 million in the project.
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The Federal Government contribution is part of a broader $450 million commitment to grade-separating Inland Rail interfaces with roads across New South Wales.
Catherine King, Federal Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Minister Catherine King said Inland Rail is critical to help the state move more freight as the population grows.
“Inland Rail can reduce our transport emissions and make our roads safer, and we are prioritising delivery of the sections between Beveridge and Parkes in line with our independent review of the project, which was handed down in mid-2023,” said King.
Jenny Aitchison, New South Wales, Regional Transport and Roads Minister Jenny Aitchison said this investment will improve safety at two key intersections on the Inland Rail route.
“Crashes at level crossings have the potential to cause major trauma and even fatalities, which have devastating impacts on families and local communities,” said Aitchison.
“By grade separating road and rail we will eliminate the potential of incident at these two locations while paving the way for faster freight movements and business benefits for regional New South Wales.”
For more information, https://inlandrail.com.au/