WORK recently started on the Sea Lake line in the Murray Basin Rail Project. While this is welcome news, there is a fly in the ointment. The Victorian Government is using concrete sleepers that are only compatible with broad- gauge rail.
The installation of these broad-gauge sleepers will mean that any future work to fully standardise the Murray Basin Rail Project will require these sleepers to be ripped up and replaced, wasting more taxpayer money.
This a critical error by the Victorian Government and is another damning indictment of its understanding of regional communities and industries.
The move shows that the Andrews Government is either not capable of delivering this project efficiently, or that it is deliberately attempting to prevent future developments to fully standardise the network.
Transport Infrastructure Minister Jacinta Allan, in comments to the ABC this week, confirmed the Sea Like and Manangatang Lines would not be standardised and that the full standardisation of the network would be a problem for “future governments”.
The full standardisation of the network was the Andrews Government’s stated intention when it committed to the project in 2015, and it is incumbent on it to see this commitment through.
It has wasted millions of dollars and is now trying to shirk its responsibilities, deliberately crippling Victoria’s freight rail infrastructure in the process. Without full standardisation, the real risk is that the Manangatang and Sea Lake lines will end up as the only broad-gauge lines left in Australia.
On top of $195 million to revive this failed state Labor project, the Federal Government offered $5 million to develop a plan for the full standardisation of the network. The Federal Government requested that the Victorian Government match this additional commitment, which has not taken place.
Farmers, rail stakeholders and community members have all told me that me that full standardisation of the network is essential for our regional industries and communities. But the Andrews Government is not listening.
I’m calling on the Victorian Government to stop putting in sleepers that will limit future development of these critical rail lines and instead commit to the full standardisation of the network.
