Talks are touring regional areas to drum up support and ideas for a rail line form Brisbane to Melbourne.

Officials from the Australian Rail Track Corporation's Inland Rail project team have held an evening in the New South Wales city of Dubbo, updating stakeholders and canvassing local opinion.

Local federal MP Mark Coulton said he thinks the main priority is for the rail lines in the state's north to be widened. Mr Coulton says larger grain trains need to be able to access the Hunter Valley.

It echoes the sentiments of a number of regional authorities, who are putting forther their best plans to ensure inland towns do not miss any opportunities.

An inland rail line along the eastern side of Australia could bring some big benefits to local governments, and the current consultation process will help them make their needs known.

Mr Parkes said councils in NSW’s central west should think about the best ways to prepare for the project.

Mr Coulton says that while the actual construction is still several years away, the planning starting now will be crucial.

“To get councils starting to think about access to the line, where there might be some conflicts with land use or where it might go,” he suggested to the ABC.

“They might start thinking about what sort of connection their communities would have with inter modal, start doing some research on what freight is there, that sort of thing.”

He said some early upgrades and widening would make some of the lines more valuable, while the complete network is being set up.

“By doing those places first they'll start to return a dividend as there's more use locally,” he said.

“Then right from the start, local freight would be using that higher capacity trains.”