The Australian Rail Track Corporation has this week released the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Inland Rail's Albury to Illabo section for public exhibition and feedback.

The federal government's Inland Rail project is designed to improve rail freight speeds and weight limits between Brisbane and Melbourne.

The Wagga section involves replacing pedestrian bridges and the Best Street bridge, as well as modifying other crossings.

The works would raise the clearance from about 5 metres to 7 metres to allow carriages with double stacked shipping containers to pass underneath, with the number of trains to rise from a current average of 12 trains a day to 18 by the year 2025 and 20 trains a day by 2040.

The new EIS found the potential for some areas along the tracks to see a permanent rise in noise levels.

"Predictive modelling indicates the increase in frequency and size of freight trains and the adjustments to the track may result in exceedances of operational rail noise criteria set by the NSW Rail Infrastructure Noise Guidelines," the EIS statement said.

"Two non-residential receivers, being the South Wagga Public School near the Wagga yard clearances and the Kildare Catholic College near the Edmondson and Best streets bridge, are predicted to experience operational rail noise exceedances."

An ARTC spokesperson said the design process for the Albury to Illabo Inland Rail section "was dependent on rigorous engineering and ongoing stakeholder engagement".

"It has incorporated a range of considerations at each stage. Where practicable, ARTC has sought to incorporate stakeholder feedback directly into the design," the spokesperson said.

"The Department of Planning and Environment takes into consideration submissions received as part of making its assessment and approval of the project.

"Operational noise and vibration will be reviewed again during the detailed design phase and community members identified as being potentially impacted will be consulted on mitigation options."

In other news

The Edmondson and Best streets bridge work will require traffic detours for up to nine months, increasing travel time by nine minutes and causing road congestion in the peak travel hours.

Wagga councillor Richard Foley, a long-time critic of the project, said he supported the concept of Inland Rail but it was not appropriate to run it through the middle of a growing city.

"The EIS is a gigantic document and the general public has to digest a document that is probably three to five inches thick," Cr Foley said.

"Inland Rail could make as much noise as it likes if it bypassed Wagga. My view is that we need to not settle for second best, we need to fight as a community to get a better outcome."

"Ultimately Inland Rail is a nation-building project and it must go ahead and must be finished, the council is behind it 1000 per cent but my view is that it needs to be future-proofed for the next century."

Cr Foley encouraged all residents with concerns about Inland Rail to read the EIS and to attend the Inland Rail's drop-in sessions.

Inland Rail will host two sessions on August 18, one at the Wagga Library from 11am to 1pm and one at the Junee Library, 92 Lorne Street, from 2.30pm to 4.30pm.

The sessions will offer further information, a summary of findings, and assistance with making submissions.

The EIS will be on public display until September 14 at planningportal.nsw.gov.au/major-projects/projects/inland-rail-albury-illabo.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: