The federal government's decision to halt the Inland Rail project has been labelled a 'disaster' by a regional business owner who had expected the project to proceed for 25 years. The commonwealth announced it would cancel funding for the 1,600-kilometre rail project after an assessment found estimated costs had blown out to $45 billion.
John Dornbusch, chairman of InterLink SQ, a proposed intermodal terminal near Toowoomba that would have linked to Inland Rail, said the decision was a disaster. 'We've been working for 25 years under the belief [it will happen],' he said. He warned other businesses not to rely on political promises.
The project would have included a large freight terminal, dubbed an inland port, at Ebenezer near Ipswich. Ipswich City Council had forecast 3,500 full-time jobs by 2041 and extra economic output worth over $1 billion. However, federal Labor member Shayne Neumann said local farmers and small businesses would be pleased with the decision, citing concerns about long freight trains.
Federal Minister Catherine King said the government inherited an underfunded and under-planned project that would cost three times the original estimate. Queensland Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie called the cancellation a 'real kick in the guts', while Treasurer David Janetzki called it a 'lost opportunity'. Deputy opposition leader Jane Hume said Inland Rail was a productivity-enhancing investment that should not have been scrapped.
The estimated number of job losses due to the cancellation is not yet known. The ABC asked Inland Rail and Minister King for details but received no answer. Goondiwindi Mayor Lawrence Springborg criticised the project's administration and environmental approvals, comparing it unfavourably to 19th-century rail construction.
