Facing a hollowing out of services and opportunities after decades of structural decline, it’s no wonder communities in western NSW and Queensland are pissed.

Whether the now-truncated, budget-blowing Melbourne to Brisbane Inland Rail project was ever worth the billions already spent is a more than reasonable question. But it does not obviate the profound effect on the plans of multiple regional councils and businesses to leverage the network for the creation of new businesses and hundreds of jobs.
Designed to improve freight movements and down Australia’s most populated stretch, for inland communities the project represented a rare opportunity to boost jobs, investment and long-term economic growth — as well as freight efficiency and road safety — by shifting freight from road to rail.
Michael Sainsbury
Read More
