Australia’s largest freight rail infrastructure project has been described as an “engineering marvel” as the first stage of the huge project has been completed.

The Inland Rail project will run for 1700 kilometres from Melbourne to Brisbane, connecting every capital city via a standard gauge railway network.

Minister for Regional Health Mark Coulton told Jim Wilson it opens up opportunities for regional Australia in a post-COVID world.

“It will also provide a spine of steel right through the middle of Queensland, NSW and Victoria,” he said.

He said it was a “railway for the 21st century” and an “engineering marvel”.