Wagga residents warned of traffic delays as controversial Inland Rail work sparks frustration

The Federal Government’s controversial project to build an inland freight rail line between Melbourne and Brisbane via the Riverina has again sparked frustrations, this time over expected traffic delays.

The Albury to Illabo section of the 1600-kilometre freight railway project seeks to upgrade the existing rail line below the Edmondson Street Bridge to direct double-stacked freight trains through the centre of Wagga Wagga.

The Edmondson Street Bridge is one of seven sections in NSW, and work will include upgrades to rail tracks, footbridges and road bridges, overhead structures, signal structures, and level crossings on agricultural land and through Albury, Culcairn, Henty, Yerong Creek, The Rock, Uranquinty, Wagga Wagga, and Junee.

Inland Rail started the seven-day work on Wednesday (12 February), using drilling machinery to precisely locate underground power, gas, and water utilities beneath Edmondson, Erin, Macleay, and Railway streets in central Wagga.

“Unfortunately, at this stage, whilst this moves forward, there’s not much we can do on a council level,” local councillor and Australian Citizens Party candidate for the federal seat of Riverina Richard Foley said.

“But people can exercise their right at the ballot box at the next election because I noticed a big change in electoral funding that passed through Parliament last night [13 February].

“The major parties are terrified of an imminent hung parliament. If that happens, my view – as a candidate or even just an observer – is that I would insist on a bypass and it would have to be part of any potential government to take power.”

While there is some support for the so-called nation-building project aimed at helping farmers get their produce to ports for export more quickly, the impact of upgrading the existing rail line to direct double-stacked freight trains through the centre of Wagga is controversial.

“The reality is that we’re likely to see serious issues affecting medical emergencies, with patients needing urgent hospital care facing delays due to traffic congestion,” Cr Foley said.

“This construction phase is going to cause a lot of issues. I understand the teething problems that happen with construction.”

Inland Rail project director Malcolm Clark said the utility investigations were a vital step towards the start of construction work later in the year.

“Teams from contractor Martinus Rail will be detecting and recording the precise locations of underground utilities which may need to be managed or relocated as part of our work to enable the use of double-stacked freight trains through Wagga Wagga,” Mr Clark said.

“We understand this will cause some inconvenience to local residents and road users – we will do our absolute best to minimise any disruption, and we thank the community for their patience and understanding.”

Cr Foley, an outspoken advocate for a bypass, said many Wagga residents were unaware of the rail project.

“When it all starts to disrupt, and people wonder what the hell is going on because they haven’t kept an eye on it, they’re all going to be blaming council,” he said.

“It’s not the council’s fault because we’ve been fighting tooth and nail to sort this out. Unfortunately, the earlier councils didn’t go hard enough on this issue. I think if enough noise had been made eight years ago and beyond, we wouldn’t be facing this issue.

“It is what it is, but the fire is not finished yet.”

Cr Foley said he asked the Inland Rail committee about the estimated cost of the bridge upgrades in Wagga and was told the two footbridges and the Edmondson Street Bridge would cost about $100 million, while the total spending on the rail project was expected to reach $270 million.

“A bypass for Wagga would cost several hundred million dollars, but it would be a permanent solution to the city and not a long-term solution to the city’s amenities for the next century.”

During the investigations, traffic controllers will ensure the safety of drivers and workers, and temporary parking restrictions will be in place along Erin, Railway and Macleay streets.

Motorists are asked to drive according to the conditions, obey signs and traffic control, and allow extra travel time. Works are being scheduled to minimise disruptions to traffic where possible.

Access to private properties will be maintained during the investigations. Site workers will keep noise to a minimum and be respectful of local residents. Site activity will be monitored to ensure compliance with NSW Government approval conditions, including noise, vibration, and traffic.

The work started at 7 am on Wednesday (12 February) and is expected to conclude by 6 pm this Wednesday (19 February).

Community members seeking to know more can call 1800 732 761 or email [email protected].

For more information on the upcoming work on the site compound, visit Inland Rail’s works notification web page.