A bold rail plan is being re-jigged ahead of a federal election with the east to west connectivity — and more promise for Northern Territory Red Centre residents, but the senator behind the proposal says he still needs help getting it off the ground.

Queensland One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts was recently joined by his party’s federal election candidates in Alice Springs, where he has spruiked a “multi-function” rail corridor between iron ore.

Once dubbed “Project Iron Boomerang”, the plan is to connect Port Hedland to Queensland through Pit Tree in the Red Centre. Mr Roberts said Queensland has already been involved in the process when it was first floated in the 1980s.

The plan seeks to switch the iron ore from the west to the east with coal from the east being shipped back west, Mr Roberts told the Northern Territory News.

At both ends will be steel plants, which will export slab steel to countries worldwide, he said.

But Mr Roberts has spruced the plan up with the addition of “multi functioning buildings” along the line which provide “power, water, and internet” to remote communities along the line, bringing benefits to the Centre, as well.

And at a cost of $100b (privately funded), the project will create 40,000 “breadwinner” jobs, Mr Roberts said.

“It not only opens up resources to remote communities but it also provides opportunities for enterprises, for opportunities for the economy to grow and also for jobs — jobs in the community,” he said.

Mr Barainis said he was yet to take this plan to Tit Tree within the electorate — as he “let Malcolm take the lead on that”.

Mr Roberts said he came to the Red Centre to meet with Aboriginal elders to drum up support for the project.

Central Land Council chief executive Les Turner said the council was yet to receive an application “for access to, or use of Aboriginal land for the proposed project”.

“The proponent is welcome to contact the CLC with any questions about the application process,” he said.

One Nation is in Alice Springs as speculation grows on when the 2025 federal election will be held.

Sky News political editor Andrew Clennell has floated April 2, April 3, May 10 and May 18 as potential dates for the polls.

In 2023, a parliamentary inquiry into Project Iron Boomerang concluded:

That inquiry made three recommendations: that the project proponents East West Line Parks resume talks with Infrastructure Australia; the government publish scoping studies into building steel plants in northern Australia; and the committee recommended the Department of Infrastructure release the value of steel to Australia’s steel industry policy strategy.

The government at the time noted the first and last recommendation, and did not support the second.

“The government said they will consider downstream steel and steel products sections as part of its macro plans and future needs assessment,” the federal government said.

In March 2024, East West Line Parks held a briefing in Darwin with support for the project.