Member for Dubbo Troy Grant said the Narromine project is one of eleven projects to have won a share of more than $137 million, which will allow the Narromine Yard to accommodate 1500-metre long trains. 

“The fixing country rail project has put a sum of money towards key pinch points and to enhance our capacity to get rail freight efficiency, which means better paddock to port productivity for our farmers in NSW,” said Mr Grant. 

Mr Grant said the $4.2 million local investment in the NSW freight track will have time and cost cutting benefits for farmers and transport providers. 

“There's no doubt our economy is booming in NSW and an important part of that economy is of course our agriculture sector.

“We are experiencing some dry times we have had some significant seasons and as part of the learnings is the amount of freight that is required from our agricultural area to get to port and the need for enhancements along our freight corridors,” said Mr Grant. 

“We're going to have a greater capacity here with trains up to 1.5km in length to be housed here and moved along our rail corridor also compliment investment further west on the track with a passing lane essentially for rail.”

Narromine Shire Mayor Craig Davies has welcomed the upgrades, arguing it is another example of the State government working with rural councils to bring productivity to the region.

“This answers what we in the Narromine Shire are pushing towards, to have an enhanced rail situation that helps with the export of all of the goods that emanate from this shire,” Cr Davies said.

“Agriculture is of significant importance to us … the interconnectivity with the coming north-south line can simply only be for the betterment for the farming and agricultural industry in our shire.”

Minister for Roads, Maratime and Freight Melinda Pavey said Fixing Country Rail aims to relieve bottlenecks by upgrading parts of the regional rail network currently constraining effective freight movement. 

“Regional NSW produces an estimated 210 million tonnes of freight a year and this is expected to increase by 25 per cent in the next 40 years,” Ms Pavey said.

“Fixing Country Rail supports jobs, growth and economic productivity in regional NSW by reducing the cost of getting goods to market.

“As costs come down consumers benefit at the till of their local supermarket and exporters become more competitive,” she said.