Ipswich’s Looming Megaproject — Inland Rail & The Ebenezer Inland Port

Helidon to Calvert (47 km)

Helidon To Calvert (full zoomable map source)

• What it is: 47 km of new dual-gauge freight rail built for 1.8 km double-stack trains
• Where it runs: Through the Lockyer Valley and into Ipswich at Grandchester
• Big build: A roughly 850 m tunnel through the Little Liverpool Range roughly Laidley-Grandchester
• Structures: 30 bridges in scope, plus crossing loops at Helidon, Gatton, Laidley and Calvert

Calvert to Kagaru (53 km)

Calvert To Kagaru (full zoomable map source)

• What it is: 53 km of new dual-gauge rail that leaves the West Moreton line near Calvert and joins the interstate rail line at Kagaru
• Where it sits: Follows the protected Southern Freight Rail Corridor toward the Scenic Rim edge
• Big build: A 1.1 km tunnel through the Teviot Range (just south of Washpool)
• Structures: Roughly 30 new bridges and up to four crossing loops, plus multiple road and utility crossings
• Local landmark: The Cunningham Highway crossing (just south of Ipswich Motorsport Precinct) is planned as a rail-over-road bridge in the current design material

Moorebank (Sydney)

And Moorebank isn’t completed yet.

• Size: 243 ha site, about 32 km from Sydney CBD
• Status: IMEX terminal opened 2019, Interstate terminal opened 2024
• Warehousing: Over 850,000 sqm planned for the precinct
• Capacity: Import/export side listed at up to 1.05 million TEU/year. Interstate terminal adds 500,000 TEU. 1.55 million TEU/year.
• Traffic: At full scale, operators say it takes 3,000+ heavy truck movements a day off Sydney roads
• Investment: Federal Government committed $570 million. Over 6,800 jobs once fully operational

Beveridge (Melbourne north)

Beveridge Intermodal Details (render source)

• Size: 1,100 ha total site, about 600 ha developable
• Funding: Fully funded at $1.62 billion, plus $900 million for the Camerons Lane interchange
• Timeline: Construction started late 2025, Stage 1 targeting mid-2028 operations
• Role: This is the southern bookend of Inland Rail — double-stack trains between Beveridge and Ebenezer were the original idea

Acacia Ridge (Current Brisbane Terminal)

• The Status Quo: This is SEQ’s current major intermodal facility
• The Limitation: Can’t handle the 1.8 km double-stacked trains Inland Rail uses (tunnels to get there are too low)
• Capacity: Handles roughly 350,000–500,000 TEU annually (constrained)

Ebenezer / Willowbank (Ipswich)

• Size: 548 ha EDQ landholding inside the broader 6,000 ha Ebenezer Regional Industrial Area
• Cost: Estimated $1 billion+ all up (terminal, rail infrastructure, road access, enabling works)
• Capacity: 350,000–500,000 TEU/year based on economic modelling
• Jobs: 3,500 FTE by 2041 from Council’s advocacy case, 6,000 FTE across the wider industrial area
• Status: Business case stage, backed by $10m Federal contribution. No construction commitment
• Role: Proposed northern bookend of the original Inland Rail plan — the other end of the line from Beveridge

How much does all this cost?

The numbers are spread across different projects, different budgets and different levels of government. Before the May 2026 funding decision, these were the headline figures:

• $1.2b listed for the Calvert to Kagaru rail section alone
• $1b+ estimated for the Willowbank/Ebenezer terminal, rail infrastructure, road access and enabling works
• $100m just to get the estate started — roads, water, sewerage, site access from the Cunningham
• $200m committed for the Amberley Interchange upgrade
• $6b ballpark for the PortConnex tunnel (proponent figure, not government-backed)
• $10m Federal contribution for the terminal business case
• $20m for Port of Brisbane further planning

And that’s before the Helidon to Calvert section, which doesn’t have a public cost figure yet. After the Federal Government halted funding north of Parkes, the Queensland numbers should be treated as planning figures, not a locked budget.

When does construction actually start?

Short answer: no one knows yet. After the May 2026 decision, there is no locked construction start for the Ipswich sections.

• Two EIS processes: Both Helidon–Calvert and Calvert–Kagaru need full Environmental Impact Statements through the Queensland Coordinator-General before construction can start
• More info requested: After public submissions, the Coordinator-General asked ARTC for more detail on flooding, noise, traffic, groundwater, air quality and social impacts
• Federal approval too: Both sections also need separate EPBC Act approval from Canberra. Both listed as “under assessment”
• Lapse date: The coordinated project status for both sections has been pushed out to 1 Nov 2029. Alive but nowhere near done
• Funding: The Federal Government is now focused on Beveridge to Parkes. Queensland delivery depends on future decisions, revised scope and funding.

Will it flood my property or keep me up at night?

Both are real concerns. The corridor cuts through flood country and freight trains don’t run 9 to 5.

• Flood country: The corridor runs through the Bremer River floodplain. The concern is whether the build changes flood heights on nearby properties, roads and creeks
• Flood models reviewed: An independent panel said they’re “fit for purpose” but flagged items ARTC needs to tighten. Including culvert designs and storm duration checks at Bremer crossings
• Freight noise: Brakes, wheel squeal, rumble, horns — often at night. Add a terminal and you get shunting, loading gear, idling trucks and reversing beepers
• In the paperwork: Both EIS packages include noise and vibration chapters, and the Coordinator-General asked for more noise work after submissions

What jobs are we actually talking about?

The headline number is 3,500:

• 3,500 FTE by 2041: From Ipswich Council’s advocacy case, tied to the wider industrial build-out — not just the terminal
• 1,000–1,500 during construction: Based on modelling across three terminal size scenarios (350k, 500k, or 750k TEU per year)
• Not just rail jobs: Most ongoing work is warehousing, logistics, transport, maintenance, fleet, admin, security
• If jobs is the selling point, where’s the training plan? There’s nothing public that says who trains locals for this and when. Residents should be asking about training pathways — not just totals.

Is this actually going to happen?

The short answer: the southern part is still happening. The Ipswich part is now highly uncertain.

• The southern section is real: Parkes to Narromine is running. Beveridge to Parkes is the Federal Government’s current priority, with completion targeted for 2027.
• The Queensland sections aren’t there yet: Funding north of Parkes has been halted. The EIS processes are still active, but approvals are not the same thing as construction.
• The terminal is a business case: $10m in Federal funding to study it. No construction commitment. The rail can be built without the terminal — but the terminal is the whole point for Ipswich
• PortConnex is a proposal: Not funded, not assessed by ARTC, no government commitment. A $6 billion idea on paper
• The bottom line: Inland Rail is still happening in the south. Whether Ipswich gets the terminal, the jobs, and the infrastructure upgrades that make it work is now a much bigger question.