The Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) has moved one step closer to beginning construction on the 35 kilometre track upgrade between Narrabri and Turrawan in north western New South Wales.

This is a result of the approval of the Review of Environmental Factors (REF) for the project. The REF, along with a Submissions Report, are now available for the public to view at artc.com.au/n2tupgrade.

The Submissions Report contains public submissions on the planned upgrade and addresses key issues raised from the REF which was on public exhibition earlier in April 2022.

ARTC has already completed project development activities including geotechnical investigations, track alignment, survey, and constructability assessments on the Narrabri to Turrawan Line Upgrade (N2TLU), which involves the upgrade of the track between the existing Hunter Valley network and the planned Inland Rail track.

The upgrade will be delivered from Narrabri Coal Junction at Whitehaven Coal, south of Turrawan, to the future interface with Inland Rail at Narrabri North with construction expected to begin in late 2022.

ARTC will continue to update the community here as work on the upgrade progresses.