But for those who live just metres from the tracks, the decisions made along those few kilometres have the potential to throw their lives into chaos.

Despite promising an economic boom for regional and rural communities, the federal government's $14.5 billion Inland Rail project has been plagued with controversy.

In Wagga, the project involves major upgrades to the existing railway line as well as lifting multiple bridges to allow bigger, faster and heavier freight trains to tear through the city.

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Residents are largely in support of the economic benefits Inland Rail will bring to the region, but many cannot shake fears that their concerns and suggestions are being dismissed.

The Daily Advertiser spoke to residents who live along the Wagga railway line, collecting the key questions and concerns they have for the mega project.

These questions were then posed to the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC), offering it a chance to clear the air and provide answers to concerned residents.

The current daily peak of 12 trains travelling through Wagga is expected to nearly double by 2040 off the back of Inland Rail.

For Tristan Russell, who has lived on Erin Street for about eight years, the jump in rail traffic and train size suggests noise from the tracks is set to jump massively.

"If it is similar to what it is right now that will be fine because, well, that's what we bought into and accepted," he said.

"But if it's going to become a lot noisier, that is definitely something which we'd want to be told about and it will be something for us to consider."

The ARTC said noise and vibration studies have been conducted for Wagga and will be included in the upcoming environmental impact statement.

"Anyone whose property will be directly impacted by noise and vibration through train movements will be consulted with directly," an ARTC spokesperson said.

David Ellis only bought his Turvey Park home in March and already fears he may have made a bad investment.

He is concerned the long-term impact of Inland Rail, particularly if it does result in significant noise increases, could plummet the suburb's property values.

"If everything gets noisier and there are cars banking up all of the time because of the railway line then I don't think it will be very attractive for people to live here," Mr Ellis said.

The ARTC spokesperson said economic growth can have positive benefits on property values and pointed to the benefits Inland Rail is expected to bring to Wagga.

They also said the upcoming environmental impact statement will shed more light on the broader impacts of Inland Rail for Wagga.

Central resident Tim Crutchett was first consulted about Inland Rail about four years ago and came away from the meeting feeling positive the ARTC would address residents' concerns.

But the next communication he received was a letter in the mail, informing him the project would be going ahead.

"It felt like consultation was used in its most basic form," Mr Crutchett said.

"I understand we're just a small part of a massive project, but in my world consultation is a back and forth discussion. It feels like they just told us that this is what they're doing and that is the final word."

The ARTC said more than 120 individual meetings and 14 community information sessions have been held in the past year, with community feedback already resulting in more than 10 design changes to the section of the project that includes Wagga.

Community members will be able to make further submissions when the environmental impact statement goes on exhibition later this year.

To allow room for double-stacked freight trains, the ARTC plans to tear down the Edmondson Street bridge and replace it with one 2.8 metres taller.

The undertaking has sparked serious concerns from some residents, including Erin Street's Adam Boxall, who fears his small street could be slammed with vehicles as a result.

"If all the traffic that usually goes over the Edmondson Street bridge is redirected down here that is a shit-ton of cars that will be on our street," he said.

"If the rebuild takes long enough that then becomes habit forming and all of a sudden we'll be sandwiched between busier tracks on one side and a busier road on the other."

The ARTC said both Edmondson Street and Erin Street will be closed while the bridge is being rebuilt, which is expected to take up to nine months.

"Consultation is ongoing to determine the necessary detour," the ARTC spokesperson said.

Scott Simmons lives just opposite the train station on Railway Street and his family uses the nearby pedestrian bridge to head into town "two or three times" each week.

"We're just keen to know how long that will be out of commission and if anything temporary will be put in place to replace it," he said.

"We could always drive into the CBD but for $2.35 a litre we don't really want to."

The ARTC said access will not be impacted by the construction of a new taller pedestrian bridge, as the existing Mother Bridge will be retained until its replacement is fully constructed.

"This process will take approximately four months," the ARTC spokesperson said.

Wagga councillor Richard Foley is supportive of the Inland Rail project, but has been outspoken on certain issues that he feels haven't been properly addressed.

One of his biggest concerns centres around the level crossings across Wagga, where he feels wait times will be dramatically increased as vehicles wait for trains up to 3.6 kilometres long to pass.

"It's fundamentally going to cut the city in half for up to 10 minutes every hour," Cr Foley said.

"It will be incredibly disruptive and it's going to break up the liveability of this city."

The councillor is particularly concerned about how longer wait times would impact police, fire crews and ambulances as they rush to emergencies.

"If they've got to wait or go all the way around, by that stage someone could be dead or critically injured," he said.

The ARTC said wait times at the level crossings are not expected to change drastically from current times, however the frequency of closures will increase with train numbers.

"We anticipate the estimated wait time to be between two minutes and two and a half minutes," the ARTC spokesperson said.

Cr Foley wants to see the project skirt around Wagga, rather than cutting directly through the city.

"We'd get the benefits of the project and we'd get further infrastructure - it's just the smarter thing to do," he said.

"Parkes quite rightly got a bypass, Albury has a bypass and yet we ourselves are begging for crumbs on the table for a potentially half-baked outcome."

The ARTC said changing the current route through Wagga would "create around three or more years of uncertainty" as a new line is determined and additional studies are conducted.

If you have a concern related to Inland Rail not addressed in this article, please feel free to send it to news@dailyadvertiser.com.au

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