The Delivery of Inland Rail: An Independent Review

Date published:

In October 2022, the Australian Government announced the appointment of Dr Kerry Schott AO to undertake an independent review to assess the governance and delivery of the Inland Rail program.

The review completed by Dr Schott takes consideration of the scope, schedule and cost of the Inland Rail program. It also assesses options for the new Inland Rail intermodal terminals to be built in Melbourne and Brisbane, and improved links to the ports of these cities.

Dr Schott’s report outlines 19 recommendations to improve the delivery of Inland Rail including:

  • strengthening the governance arrangements and establishing a subsidiary company to deliver Inland Rail
  • reviewing ARTC’s risk management and reporting systems, with a view to addressing issues experienced with approval processes
  • a further assessment of the scope and cost of Inland Rail, conducted by an independent specialist in conjunction with a cost estimator/value engineer
  • a revised delivery that prioritises sections of Inland Rail that allow revenue to be generated earlier
  • deciding and developing intermodal terminals in Melbourne and Brisbane
  • maximising regional opportunities available from Inland Rail, including through intermodal opportunities in Parkes and prioritising delivery of the enhanced rail capability to enable double stacking through to Beveridge