Better roads, rail links and industrial hubs will increase regional productivity in northern New South Wales and southern Queensland by moving produce to market efficiently and safely.

Livestock transported from the Darling Downs to the Northern Cooperative Meat Company in Casino suffers excessive damage due to poor road conditions

By 2016 Kyogle and Casino will be processing annually about 1,500,000m tonnes of plantation timber for national and international markets. Inadequate road and rail will restrict access to the Port of Brisbane.

Wickham Freight Lines in Warwick would be forced to travel nearly 300,000 extra kilometers each year if the Summerland Way was not available.

The NSW RTA does not permit B-Doubles from travelling north of Kyogle and using the most direct route to the Queensland border.

Building the Cunningham Rail Link will connect the Darling Downs to the Port of Brisbane and reduce industry reliance on road freight transport.

1. 60% of product expor ted from the Port of Brisbane comes from the Darling Downs. Most of this product is currently transpor ted by road because there is no direct rail link to the Port.
2. The ARTC says that each 1500 metre long train can replace 100 semi trailers and lead to fewer trucks on our major roads.
3. Building 120km of new standard gauge rail, a 1.5km tunnel and a 2.0km tunnel will reduce the trucks on our roads, contribute to a reduction in carbon emission, transport product to Port more efficiently, and help grow ourshipping industry

TRAIN builds on our existing infrastructure and helps to protect existing industries.

1. Valuable road and rail infrastructure has been built in the past; however this infrastructure was designed to service a different economy in a different time.
2. Roads like the Summerland Way are underutilised because B-Doubles can´t cross the 77 year old Clarence River Bridge in Grafton.
3. Existing regional infrastructure can be upgraded to work more effectively in today´s economy.

A new crossing over the Clarence River in Grafton will allow heavy road freight to access the underutilised Summerland Way.

1. B-doubles cannot cross the 77 year old Grafton Bridge. Heavy freight continues along the congested Pacific Highway and through the urbanised environments of the east coast.
2. A feasibility study by RoadTek in 2003 identified an additional crossing in the vicinity of the existing bridge would be the preferred option and would cost $40 - $45 million (2003 costs).

Warwick is a regional centre in southern Queensland and just two hour´s drive from the Port of Brisbane. It´s also one of the most strategically located communities within TRAIN. As an origin, Warwick provides road based freight with the most extensive regional coverage than any other location in southern Queensland, including Brisbane.

The reason is important: safety on our roads. Standard heavy vehicle driver fatigue laws require drivers to work for no more than 12 continuous hours in any 24 hour period. This means heavy vehicles can take a 6 hour return trip or a 12 hour one way trip before the law requires them to stop and rest for an extended period.

• Heavy freight vehicles travelling for 12 hours one way from Warwick will reach the productive centres of Rockhampton in the nor th, Newcastle in the South and Cunnamulla to the west.
• Heavy freight vehicles travelling for 6 hours return from Warwick will reach the productive centres of Bundaberg in the north, Coffs Harbour in the South and Roma to the west.