Rail-road plea

Fears the loss of a rail-freight line in Hindmarsh Shire will exacerbate hazardous road conditions has triggered a desperate plea from community leaders for state intervention.

Hindmarsh mayor Rob Gersch said the council was calling for immediate State Government support to upgrade the unusable Rainbow to Dimboola rail line to prevent trucks from having to use damaged roads for grain transport.

He said forcing transport drivers to use already fragile roads instead of the rail line, particularly after a bumper harvest, was a ‘disaster waiting to happen’. “The major concern is safety,” he said.

“We are aware we have roughly 6000 B-double loads of grain ready for transport, and because the State Government is not going to fund the upgrade of the Rainbow line, all grain is going to go by road.

“But the roads are not in a good enough condition to be used by these trucks.

“Over time, very little maintenance has been done and the edges have broken away.

“If we have trucks passing at high speeds of 100-kilometres an hour the road is going to keep breaking off like pieces of chocolate. It’s a safety factor as much as a common-sense thing.”

Cr Gersch said Hindmarsh Shire Council was aware of the issue before harvest and had been lobbying to get necessary money for rail upgrades.

He said many of the Rainbow line’s problems stemmed from previous upgrades.

“Years ago, they upgraded the line but used second-hand sleepers,” he said.

“So, it was done cheaply, and unfortunately we’re paying for it now.

“We will continue to work with the government and hopefully common sense will prevail. We’ll also be speaking to Vicroads about the upgrade of these roads.”

Cr Gersch said upgrading the Rainbow line was one of three rail issues Hindmarsh Shire Council hoped to resolve.

He said The Overland passenger rail service and an Ararat to Horsham train service were also a focus.

Minister visit

Member for Lowan Emma Kealy echoed Cr Gersch in calling for improved rail services.

She said she hoped a visit from Public Transport and Ports and Freight minister Melissa Horne in Horsham today would provide an opportunity to bring government attention to the region’s rail woes.

She said this included the need for regular passenger rail services to Horsham, as well as the impact of government cuts to the Mode Shift Incentive Scheme, which encouraged industry to shift containerised freight from road to rail.

“I am aware of one large export company that has already made the decision to move their freight by truck instead of rail due to Labor’s funding cuts to the MSIS,” she said.

“This company alone is now putting an additional 3000 trucks a year on our roads through Horsham and onto the Western Highway to Melbourne.

“This is just another example of how wrong Labor’s priorities are when they are shifting more freight off rail and onto our already dangerous roads.”