Wagga City Council will push for the removal of level crossings in anticipation of trains 1.8 kilometres long carrying the equivalent amount of freight as 120 B-double trucks becoming the norm on the rail network.
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Mayor Greg Conkey wants the elimination of the level crossings at Bourke Street and Fernleigh Road "on the agenda" for the city's infrastructure plans within the next decade.
The draft of the NSW government's 20-year Transport Plan for Wagga, which has been on public exhibition, makes just one mention of "improving" railway level crossing points.
Cr Conkey's call to have their removal included in the Transport Plan comes after he attended a conference on the Inland Rail project, which is expected to significantly increase the amount of freight trains passing through Wagga.
"Traffic could bank up as far as the Sturt Highway. It's something that needs to be considered and action needs to be taken," Cr Conkey said.
The Australian Rail Track Corporation is managing the $14.5 billion undertaking to improve speeds and freight capacity along 1700 kilometres of railway between Brisbane and Melbourne via regional NSW.
A council report prepared for councillors reveals that Wagga's level crossings will be directly impacted by more frequent train movements and the increase in the length of trains.
Double-storey, 1.8-kilometre long trains will be "the normal" along the route, with the potential for trains to increase to 3.6-kilometres in length and to run as quickly as four minutes apart.
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Colin Engelbrecht's Turvey Park property overlooks the Bourke Street level crossing, where he says he's seen "several accidents".
He believes an overpass would be a potentially suitable replacement, but he questioned whether such a significant project was realistic and how it would be funded.
Councillors will debate council's submission to the Transport Plan at their meeting on Tuesday night, where they are expected to discuss the level crossings.
Cr Conkey said his "initial thoughts" were that the Bourke Street crossing should be replaced by an underpass while an overpass would be more suitable at Fernleigh Road.
Federal Member for Riverina Michael McCormack, whose ministerial portfolio includes transport, said the Australian Rail Track Corporation had taken an "in-depth analysis" on the requirements for all Inland Rail level crossings in the region.
"I will be working with the NSW government on these matters, and if in the future the NSW government was to prioritise these road upgrades it would be considered in the context of future budgets," he said.
Transport for NSW and the Australian Rail Track Corporation did not respond by deadline to questions from The Daily Advertiser.