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Toowoomba Regional Council (TRC) today (July 2, 2025) endorsed a submission on the revised draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Border to Gowrie (B2G) section of the Inland Rail, which has the potential to deliver substantial economic benefits to the Region’s businesses.
The approved submission will be sent to the Queensland Coordinator General.
“The Inland Rail is a once-in-a-generation project, not just for us, but for Australia, so let’s look at all the factors to make the best decisions possible,” Toowoomba Region Mayor Cr Geoff McDonald said.
“Council will seek the best outcomes for our community as part of our formal response.
“We expect to see a significant percentage of the total construction cost for the Inland Rail spent in our Region, with this major investment resulting in the creation of many jobs during construction.
“There’s no doubt the Inland Rail will be good news for our businesses, both big and small.
“Council is determined to see our local supplier conditions used as the basis for ensuring our businesses have the chance to supply as much of the products and services during and post construction as possible.
“The construction component of the project is several times larger than the Toowoomba Second Range Crossing project and we are determined to maximise the opportunities and benefits for our workforce and business sector as the project progresses.”
Mayor McDonald said Council had worked on behalf of the community to ensure that perceived issues affecting relevant communities had been raised.
“Our submission, on behalf of the community, details specifically how we wish to see the project align with the Terms of Reference requirements as outlined by the Queensland Coordinator General,” Mayor McDonald said.
“Our submission highlights where Council believes the Coordinator General needs to seek additional information from the proponent (Australian Rail Track Corporation, ARTC) around issues that directly affect our Region.
“The project is likely to have significant environmental impacts on agricultural lands, water resources and flora and fauna and we need assurances that everything that can be done, is being done, to protect the liveability of our Region and capitalise on economic benefits.
“Our submission has identified numerous issues with the draft Border to Gowrie Environmental Impact Statement.”
The submission addresses issues including, but not limited to:• Noise, vibration and air quality impacts on existing and future planned local communities, particularly Pittsworth and Brookstead, • Impacts to environmentally sensitive areas, including flora and fauna, • Some inconsistencies in technical studies, including flood modelling, • No local workforce or procurement targets have been proposed, missing the opportunity for local economic benefits, • Potential impacts on the functionality of Mt Kent Observatory, and • Limited detail regarding the traffic and transport implications for TRC’s local road network. Surety is required to confirm the project does not burden Council with unsuitable local road network outcomes.
“As well as having our own officers review the plans, Council engaged external consultants to assist us with the technical review and collation for the submission to ensure that all areas have been addressed in detail,” Mayor McDonald said.
“Where possible, draft conditions will be provided to assist the Coordinator General in either requesting the proponent to provide more information or conditioning the proponent to undertake action to mitigate potential impacts.”
For more information contact Council on 131 872.
Background: The Project can be briefly described as: • The proponent, ARTC, proposes to develop an inland freight railway between Melbourne and Brisbane. The B2G project is one of 12 sections of the 1,700-kilometre Inland Rail Program proposed by ARTC on behalf of the Australian Government.
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