Narrabri group raises hell over Australian Rail Track Corporation 'flood threat' created by Narrabri to Narromine inland rail route

And that's all despite the alleged risk that the Australian Rail Track Corporation route would make floods in Narrabri worse, according to local water engineer Jim Purcell.

Mr Purcell has worked as an engineer in Narrabri for 40 years, specialising in water.

When the Inland Rail route was released in 2017, he was shocked to see the rail line run just outside town, so close the corporation will have to resume a house.

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He was also shocked at what he said was the flood risk of the proposal.

"We looked at it and thought oh no, you're kidding," he said.

"They are going to put a 4.9km long bridge a minimum of 7 metres above the ground raise downstream of Narrabri across the Namoi River and Narrabri Creek floodplain?"

ARTC Interim Chief Executive Rebecca Pickering said world-leading engineering experts from the company have spent over a decade designing the Narromine to Narrabri section of the route to ensure this project is constructed in a way that is safe and suited to its environment.

"During this time, ARTC conducted extensive field studies, detailed environmental investigations and undertaken thorough consultation with communities and landholders," she said.

"We have studied a number of routes, similar to those alternative routes proposed, and they were found to be significantly inferior to the final rail alignment that has been decided upon."

A group of concerned locals and Mr Purcell developed an alternative route to pitch to the inland rail corporation.

Not only was it further from town, and mitigated all flooding problems, it was straighter, flatter, would be cheaper and easier to build, and didn't go over a hill so would be faster for trains to travel on.

For years they got one answer, he said: "the route won't change".

Mr Purcell and his group are now working to raise awareness of the problem, letterboxing the entire town.

They are considering turning the development into a political demand at the next federal election with a major campaign.

The line does not yet have development approval, so they're confident of getting their way.

"We're confident," he said.

"There's more than confidence. I absolutely hate dumb engineering as an engineer of 40 years experience. I look at this and it is the epitome of dumb engineering and dumb economics.

"They seem prepared to say to Narrabri, look I'm terribly sorry that there are negative impacts on Narrabri but you're just collateral damage, we're heading to Brisbane, goodbye and the route won't change."

ARTC Interim Chief Executive Rebecca Pickering said the government had already started the property acquisition process with the NSW government on the section.

It's important to move quickly to grant certainty to landholders who are directly affected by the project, she said.

"The route is set and subject to environmental approvals, construction of the selected route is planned to commence next year," she said.

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