The mayor and general manager have just returned from a national logistics conference and said the inland rail was the major topic of conversation.  

They have also received an updated Inland Rail Service Offering document.

Parkes Shire Council general manager Kent Boyd said the project was now starting to come together in a way that would make it a real competitor in the freight market.

A letter from John Anderson, chairman of the Inland Rail Implementation Group, said they were now looking to:

* 98 per cent reliability

* Less than 24 hours transit time from Melbourne to Brisbane for the intermodal reference train (terminal to terminal)

* Double stacking

* Freight availability in accordance with market needs

The project took a big step forward earlier this month with the first open tenders advertised. 

The tenders are to plan some of the key segments of the Parkes to Narromine and Narrabri to North Star lines.

“It will be a very significant project for the town of Parkes,” Mr Boyd said.

Cr Keith said the timeframe for completion of the project was still within 10 years. 

“Hopefully some contracts and employment will come out of it,” he said.