A Wagga councillor is calling on the government to identify what the bypass easement for the Inland Rail will be and is hoping for backing from his fellow city leaders.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Inland Rail is a 1600km freight railway linking Melbourne and Brisbane, which will run through Wagga, in an effort to take freight off roads.
Councillor Richard Foley has submitted a notice of motion ahead of Monday's council meeting relating to a recommendation made by Dr Kerry Schott in an independent review into the Inland Rail for future bypass easement to be preserved.
In that report, Dr Schott said "in regional towns like Wagga Wagga and Gatton, it is recommended that the traffic disruption is reviewed from time-to-time and that an easement by-passing the town be preserved for future use".
This point was also included in recommendation 12 of the Schott Report.
But plans as to where a bypass easement in Wagga will go have not been put forward by the government, and Cr Foley is now calling for a route to be identified.
Cr Foley put forward a notice of motion to council which will be voted on by councillors at the next meeting on Monday.
The motion calls for council to demand federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King and NSW Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Jenny Aitchison to identify and preserve a bypass easement.
While the councillors are yet to cast their votes, Wagga resident Adam Boxall has already thrown his weight behind the motion.
"I hope the government does listen and a bypass and easement is secured for Wagga," Mr Boxall said.
Cr Foley said he was tired of the government ignoring residents and councillors.
"I'm calling on the two tiers of government, federal and state, to gazette an easement for a bypass so we have planning reassurance for the city of Wagga," he said.
"I think any councillor who didn't support this would be crazy because it's about trying to get a better outcome for the city, trying to get 21st Century infrastructure.
"We're trying to build the biggest regional city, if not in the state, in the country, and yet we've got sub-standard infrastructure and it's just not good enough for the federal government to ignore us, and we already know the government before did ignore us."
If ignored, Cr Foley said it would be a wake-up call for residents coming up to another election if there is no action.
"They're trying to improve the livability and amenity of this city," he said.
"They're talking about another 18 to 20 movements up the rail including the 14 we've already got.
"I call on the governments to listen to the regions, the regions need 21st Century infrastructure just like cities do."
Further identification will enable councillors and residents to review other potential issues we may arise and could be avoided like the blockage of level crossings.
"We're now stuck in a situation where they refuse to deal with the level crossing at Bourke Street - my major concern is access for emergency services when rail does ramp up - in the future, there is going to be problems with traffic and for people trying to access the hospital," Cr Foley said.
Mayor Dallas Tout said he was supportive of Cr Foley's motion, but noted Wagga will have to live with the Inland Rail project for years before any bypass is built and said its important to also focus on managing the impacts of that.
"We all need to be aware of the bigger picture. We need to get the route in the city right first because it's happening first," Cr Tout said.
He said while it's important to ensure an alternate route is identified, the more immediate issues of noise and vibrations need to be worked through.
Cr Tout said there has been some positive progress on this issue in light of the independent review.
Recommendation 12, aside from suggesting an Inland Rail bypass easement be investigated, also noted the disruption of additional trains in towns like Wagga divided by the rail route and suggested addressing this through "appropriate modifications to limit noise and enable adequate cross town access."
"The [ARTC] have started to do work on noise and vibration mitigation, which they weren't doing before. That's been added to their scope, costing a substantial amount of money," Cr Tout said.
"So they are taking action on that part of recommendation 12 [of the Schott Report]."
While not revealing which way she would vote, deputy mayor Amelia Parkins congratulated Cr Foley for putting forward the motion.
"It's very important for councillors and the community to keep putting as much pressure as we can on the government to make sure that Inland Rail doesn't have a detrimental effect or impact on our community," Cr Parkins said.
Cr Parkins said while the environmental impact assessment considered pinch points and the impacts on those, it kept them in isolation from one another and did not consider the overall impact of the project.
She said issues such as the sounds from train vibrations, unknowns around the number of trains that would pass through the city and the resultant traffic impacts were among the concerns not being considered as regards their overall impact.
And while optimistic about the benefits Inland Rail could bring to Wagga with the development of the Special Activation Precinct at Bomen, she said the project should not come "at the expense of the usability of the city".
"I don't know what [Monday's] outcome will be, but I believe we will have a good debate on the issue," she said.
Councillor Jenny McKinnon also stressed the council had a strong mandate to see action taken and a clear Inland Rail bypass route set aside.
"Wagga should not be a city divided by a freight transport [route]," Cr McKinnon said.
She also raised concern over the lack of action by the federal or state governments on level crossings that will be impacted by the Inland Rail.
"We have to be thinking about a bypass," she said.