Rail routes cut across floodplain

AS YOU are aware there is to be an inland rail crossing. There are four options for the route at this time and five if you take into account the option that was surveyed and designed by the local farmers.

This one was to cause less damage to the local communities and would certainly have been cheaper but it was rejected almost immediately by the government as not acceptable.

The four cases that are being considered are: Felton, Warwick, Southbrook and Mount Tyson.

There seems to be only one stipulation that is required for this route, and that is that it must go past the Wagner’s Airport, to in some way give him some business and for some reason or other, all the MPs that are having a say in it all agree that the Wagner’s airport route will turn out to be the most financially beneficial.

This basically leaves only the two options of Felton and Southbrook as both can be routed past the airport. We have been told that the selected route is the cheapest by $180 million.

The selected routes will encounter

‘‘ THIS BASICALLY LEAVES ONLY THE TWO OPTIONS OF FELTON AND SOUTHBROOK AS BOTH CAN BE ROUTED PAST THE AIRPORT. WE HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THE SELECTED ROUTE IS THE CHEAPEST BY $180 MILLION.

a major obstacle.

There is a 16km stretch that cuts across the floodplain and cannot be moved to avoid this area.

The engineers have looked at this stretch and as of this time, have not actually come up with a solution to the problem of the continuously shifting absorbent soil layer, that is as you can imagine the residue of millions of years of top soil left after thousands of floods.

They are unsure how to engineer this tricky zone and I suspect their options are still open as to how many millions per kilometre it will take to put a rigid rail line over this boggy zone, and how much water is actually going to come down the valley and hit this dam wall before it flows through the embankment, but as it stands they have put forward a costing for the project but have decided it will certainly be $180 million cheaper than other routes.

I would like to propose that team Wagner take on the costs for building and maintaining the track across the floodplain for the next 50 years, as this will take the strain off the Australia/ Queensland governments for these exorbitant costs of this engineering nightmare for this period.

It does not seem very fair that the people of Australia should foot the bill in one way or another for this ridiculous lack of foresight, where there is only one winner.

It would also show good intentions if Toowoomba Mayor Paul Antonio offers the rock from his quarry free of charge for this short 16km stretch.

I was wondering if any of your readers have similar thoughts and I look forward to hearing from them. PAUL CLAPHAM, Southbrook