Rail boss admits track ‘stuff-up’

THE removal of several hundred metres of TasRail-owned railway lines near the Hobart Regatta Grounds had been “a stuff-up”, a parliamentary hearing has been told.

TasRail chairman Bob Annells told Government Business Enterprise committee hearings yesterday the rail had been removed without the knowledge of TasRail or Infrastructure Minister Rene Hidding.

He described the removal as “a slight incursion” and “a stuff-up” and that the line had been in poor condition.

“This was all picked up, as I understand it, by a contractor working for Macquarie Point Development Corporation,” he said.

“If you’re trying to make a decision between a conspiracy and a stuff-up, take the stuffup every time.

“I think in fairness to them I suspect it as a breakdown in communications between them and their contractor,” he said.

“We didn’t know about it, [the minister] certainly didn’t know about it. When it was drawn to our attention we sorted it out quite quickly.

“It’s embarrassing. It’s embarrassing for us ... we would have preferred, if we had been asked we would have said ‘ absolutely not’.”

Mr Hidding told the hearing there had been no repercussions for the company which removed the rail line and replacing the line would cost “a few thousand dollars” and could be done in a day.

Mr Hidding said the rail corridor has been maintained and he was keen to advance plans for a light the area.

“I have the same aspirations on light rail ... I would like to see it come through Macquarie Point and continue,” he told the committee.

Mr Annells said passenger rail was something TasRail could only contribute limited rail through expertise to and was an pensive undertaking.

“Think of a number and triple it. It’s just a very, very expensive business running passenger rail in the current regulatory environment,” he said.

Mr Hidding said TasRail was not involved in the light rail proposal at this stage. ex-

“We haven’t involved TasRail in any of those considerations. We need TasRail to focus on its operation as a short-haul freight operator.”

Mr Hidding also said Mr Annells, who retires tomorrow, would be replaced by current TasRail director Samantha Hogg as the chair of TasRail.