Keep tier 3 rail lines open

The Greens have warned that the proposed closure of 700km of grain rail lines in WA will greatly increase traffic and make country roads less safe.

The Greens federal and state spokespeople for transport, Senator Scott Ludlam and MLC Alison Xamon, said the State Government’s decision to close the tier 3 branch lines in the central Wheatbelt this year would place a huge strain on the roads.

“The Wheatbelt Railway Retention Alliance found that this would move 1.4 million tonnes of grain onto the road network,” said Ms Xamon. “That’s about 90 per cent of grain grown near the lines – it would be a traffic nightmare for locals.”

Senator Ludlam said the Federal Government had recently announced an increase in funds for regional rail networks and the State Government had “no excuse” to shut the tier 3 lines.

“$135 million in Federal funding will be spent on upgrades to the tier 1 and 2 grain lines, but the State Government has said the tier 3 lines will be put into ‘care and maintenance’. They need to come out and explicitly declare what their intention is,” he said. “One of the nation’s leading grain businesses, CBH, has said they want to keep using rail, and last month announced a $175 million investment in rolling stock.”

Ms Xamon said local governments have expressed concerns about the big increase in the number of grain trucks sharing the road networks with school buses and other commuters.

“Reducing the rail network and increasing dependence on road for grain transport is a big step backwards. What we need is progress,” she said.