Work on 39km NSW Inland Rail Section Poised to Begin

Final designs for the Stockinbingal section of the Inland Rail have been released as the megaproject continues to advance in NSW.

The latest designs are part of the 39km Illabo-to-Stockinbingal section, which will create a direct route from east of Illabo, tracking north to Stockinbingal in New South Wales.

The route will bypass Cootamundra and Bethungra, and the steep, winding Bethungra Range with its Bethungra Spiral.

The designs show the corridor will have 39km of new single-track standard-gauge railway, two rail-over bridges, eight bridges across waterways and a road-over-rail bridge at Burley Griffin Way.

The section will also include five public level crossings, eight private level crossings, 10 stock underpasses and a crossing loop with associated maintenance siding.

Low-impact works along the project corridor began in January 2025, including site investigations and field surveys to progress detailed designs.

Just under 500 rail lengths—totalling nearly 14km of rail—have been delivered to Illabo from the Whyalla Steelworks, and the remaining lengths will be delivered throughout 2026.

▲ Rail lengths delivered to Illabo in preparation for construction of the 39km Inland Rail corridor section.

A temporary workers accommodation facility has been completed on Grogan Road at Stockinbingal and can house up to 350 workers during peak construction.

Inland Rail project director for Illabo to Stockinbingal Conrad Strachan said the project would deliver safer road and rail interfaces while improving infrastructure reliability and strengthening regional connectivity.

“We’re building new road and rail infrastructure to make double-stacked freight transport more efficient … to deliver lasting economic benefits for regional communities,” Strachan said.

Burley Griffin Way will undergo major realignment with a new road-over-rail bridge that means an existing rail level crossing at Stockinbingal will be eliminated.

Ironbong Road will undergo minor realignment around the proposed level crossing to improve safety.

The project received Commonwealth Government approval under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 in October 2024, after NSW Government environmental approval in September 2024.

John Holland was awarded the design and construct contract in October 2024.

Recent activity across the Inland Rail network includes NSW approval for the Narrabri to North Star Phase 2 section in December 2025, which was the final formal approval for all New South Wales sections by the state.