Fresh concerns have been laid against Inland Rail’s plans to travel through the city, with WWCC calling out for a change to the Docker Street crossing. Photo: Inland Rail.
Inland Rail has once again been put under the microscope with Wagga Wagga City Council (WWCC) issuing a harrowing warning following concerns about traffic blocking Docker Street and access to Wagga’s Base Hospital.
The Federal Government’s controversial project to build a freight rail line between Melbourne and Brisbane has plans in place for trains to pass through the existing track between Wagga’s Docker and Coleman streets. The number of trains using the track daily is projected to steadily increase once Inland Rail is complete.
As the Docker Street intersection is one of the main roads to the Wagga Wagga Base Hospital, WWCC’s general manager Peter Thompson, Mayor Dallas Tout and Councillor Amelia Parkins say the traffic caused by the lack of bypass could be dire.
Mr Thompson expressed his opinion on the matter stating that people will die if they are forced to wait for a train at the crossing, with Mayor Tout backing his call.
“We’ve been saying that in many communications we’ve had the last two to three to four years have all included that one of the major concerns, amongst others, is the grade separation of Docker Street because of the volume of the traffic there and the proximity to the hospital and ambulances, particularly, and the length of the stops, as the train numbers increase,” he said.
“I completely agree with the comments that were made (by Peter Thompson) last night (24 February) about the danger and the worry with that and because of that the grade separation really needs to happen.”
Inland Rail Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of the federal government-owned Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC), is building the freight rail line.
It responded to concerns about the length of the waits that may occur at the crossing, claiming the number of trains crossing the intersection won’t be as drastic as feared.
“There are currently 12 trains in total passing through Wagga Wagga daily,” an Inland Rail spokesperson said.
“The number of trains using Inland Rail on the section between Albury and Junee is forecast to reach 18 by 2040.
“This forecast formed part of a submission for approval by the NSW Government of the Albury to Illabo section of Inland Rail.
“Approval for Albury to Illabo was granted by the NSW Government in October 2024. As part of the approved section, Inland Rail trains will use the Bourke Street level crossing like all rail traffic passing through Wagga Wagga.”
Following a notice of motion from Cr Parkins, WWCC endorsed writing to the Hon. Catherina King MP, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, requesting that she instruct the Australian Rail Track Corporation and the NSW Government to undertake a number of actions to reduce the potential negative impact of the Inland Rail project on the city.
It also endorsed writing to all candidates for the seat of Riverina in the upcoming federal election seeking their commitment to getting a better outcome for Wagga Wagga with regard to the project.
Inland Rail, a so-called nation building project to help farmers get their produce to ports quicker and more efficiently, has been promised by various governments since the 1980s. Works commenced on the line in 2018, when the expected cost was $10 billion. It is now forecast to cost taxpayers more than three times as much.
Loading ...
