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Australian gov't to commit 760 mln USD to upgrade inland rail link

Xinhua, April 20, 2017 Adjust font size:

The Australian government is set to allocate more than 1 billion Australian dollars (760 million U.S. dollars) to speed up the upgrade of the nation's inland rail link.

The touted upgrade will allow the movement of grain and other goods from the northern city of Brisbane to the southern city of Melbourne within 24 hours, while it will also seamlessly link lines from Brisbane to Adelaide and the far-west city of Perth.

Local media reported on Thursday that the government had set aside the sum for the project in next month's federal budget.

In support of the government's move, many grain growers and producers who use the existing infrastructure lamented the slow progress.

Victorian grain grower Ross Johns told the ABC the existing rail network was "way too slow, obsolete and an unusable asset."

"We have not been able to operate with temperatures over 33 degrees Celsius and the majority of the grain needs to be moved when it is summer time and in the heat," Johns said.

"We have recognized (inland rail) will change lives, it will save lives ... by getting our products to market in the most cost-efficient way possible, and it will save lives by reducing road trauma." Endit