Rail Vision still ‘alive and well’

BACKERS of a rail link from Warwick to Brisbane claim a decision by Australia’s national rail authority to recommend that a major new inland railway should go back through Toowoomba is not a setback..

The Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) says a planned Melbourne to Brisbane inland railway should bypass Warwick and instead go through Toowoomba and into Brisbane from the west.

Dave Cooke – who is redeveloping Warwick’s old woollen mills site – said yesterday it had “always been expected” ARTC would favour a Melbourne to Brisbane line going through Toowoomba.

“We’ve never said it shouldn’t,” Mr Cooke told the Daily News.

“But there is no reason we can’t add on the line we are pushing to link both Warwick and the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales to Brisbane as well.

“Our proposal is still alive and what ARTC has recommended takes nothing away from it.”

Mr Cooke restated his vision for a line coming off a Melbourne to Brisbane railway near Inglewood and passing through Warwick, Killarney and Woodenbong before hitting the massive Bromelton industrial area south of Brisbane, then the Port of Brisbane itself.

He said he had yesterday met with Queensland Main Roads Minister Craig Wallace about the plan, including the need for an upgrade to the Mt Lindesay Road through northern NSW which he said was just as important.

“He was very excited and we will keep pushing this plan because it will mean more jobs for this region,” Mr Cooke said.

Mayor Ron Bellingham said he was “disappointed by the ARTC decision to favour the Toowoomba route” but remained “pragmatic” about the Cunningham Rail Link.

“With the Northern Rivers and north coast region of NSW growing so rapidly, improved accessibility to that area is important to our own growth,” he said. “High quality access would further cement our position as a freight hub for southern Queensland.”

Publication: Warwick Daily News (Tuesday 28 July 2009)

Calls for industry to back proposed link

WOOLLEN mills developer Dave Cooke is calling for local industries to back a freight rail and road link between Warwick and Bromelton which would boost the local economy.

“Warwick is the key and it (the proposed link) needs support of local industry,” Mr Cooke said.

According to Trans Regional Amalgamated Infrastructure Network (TRAIN), the Warwick link would feed into the proposed Summerland Way and Mt Lindesay upgrade and would serve as an alternative route to the heavily congested Pacific Motorway.

“Warwick and surrounding districts would be the major transportation hub,” Mr Cooke said.

“Our produce of beef, grain, fruit, timber and sandstone is all here but this link would enable it to be distributed easily to the Port of Brisbane and northern New South Wales.”

The Boonah developer admits he has a stake in the link but said he wouldn’t be involved in the development of the woollen mills unless he appreciated the extent of Warwick’s potential.

“Why else would i be here?” Mr Cooke said.

“Other people see it too, or else why would the Big W distribution site be here?”

Mr Cooke has financed a study which brought rail and road plans from Queensland and northern New South Wales together in a single vision.

“I’ve recently been meeting with local, state and federal governments as well as businesses and the consensus I’ve received is: why hasn’t this been done sooner?” he said.

“I just put it all together into one package.”

It is predicted Wickham Freight Lines would save about $3 million in freight costs under the proposed link, and it would also open Warwick’s rail to the southern states.

TRAIN is the shared vision of Forde MP Brett Raguse, local government and private sector representatives.

“This project brings together all levels of government to secure funding for this nationally significant cross-border project,” Mr Raguse said.

“This will provide jobs and significant regional investment at a time when it is needed most.”

Publication: Warwick Daily News (Monday 13 July 2009)

Rail upgrade to aid Bromelton ’

THE Federal Government will spend $55.8 million on a rail upgrade from Acacia Ridge to Bromelton.

Member for Forde Brett Raguse has welcomed the announcement and said he was pleased to see infrastructure in the region receive a boost.

“This commitment from the Federal Government means that nation building is high on the agenda,” Mr Raguse said.

“I have been pushing for big picture infrastructure even before entering politics.”

The rail upgrade will start in February 2009 with completion forecast for December 2009.

A significant part of the project includes upgrading the present track to dual standard and narrow gauge track, which will allow for passenger services as well as freight trains to utilise the track.

“This project will allow for Queensland trains, along with National freight trains, to be able to use the track and most importantly allow for passenger trains. This is significant for the potential future growth in the region,” Mr Raguse said.

The project will also include replacing wooden sleepers with concrete sleepers which will reduce transit times and remove speed restrictions which can occur with timber.

Mr Raguse said the improvements would aid and make the line more productive.

Publication: Jimboomba Times (Wednesday 17 December 2008)

Highway plan will be big win for Casino

IT doesn’t have the glitz of the Casino to Murwillumbah train or of the Pacific Highway, but the move by a new local infrastructure group to put the Summerland Way on the Federal agenda is a big step for our region.

The move was made early this month as a meeting of the Trans Regional Amalgamated Infrastructure Network, or TRAIN, which recommended upgrading the Summerland Way as an alternative to the Pacific Highway, particularly for heavy vehicles.

That announcement was followed by a quick rejoinder from local state National MPs Don Page, Steve Cansdell and Thomas George, who pointed put they had come up with a similar plan a couple of years ago, while debate was still raging over whether and how the Pacific Highway ought to be upgraded south of Ewingsdale.

The MPs were correct, but the benefit of the TRAIN suggestion goes far beyond taking pressure off the Pacific Highway now or in the future. It points directly to the future prosperity of the western side of the Northern Rivers and, as a result, the region as a whole.

The key to that prosperity is Casino. For years, Casino has been, quite literally, the region’s poor cousin. The irony is the town is also the region’s best bet for a strong economic base well into the future.

Casino is about to start generating its own clean, cheap energy thanks to the coal-seam gas resources there, it has abundant cheap land, and sits on the main freight line for the Australian east coast.

However, there are some pieces of critical infrastructure Casino needs to help reach its pontential. The most important of these is the Summerland Way.

Fully upgraded, the Summerland Way would provide a proper freight and transport link running south to Grafton and then connecting with the Pacific Highway. That would be handy.

What would make a real difference is the road’s northern end, where it connects with the Mt Lindesay Highway.

A full upgrade at the border would give freight traffic from local manufacturers a clear run to the international airport and sea port at Brisbane, which could only increase the region’s appeal to investors.

With those elements in place, Casino could become the engine room of the Northern Rivers, bringing a new level of prosperity, both by directly bringing in cash and jobs and by adding an extra level of resilience to our economy. Solve these issues and the Northern Rivers’ wealth will no longer be isolated to the coast and we will be able to create jobs to bring down our high unemployment levels.

Publication: The Northern Star (Monday 13 July 2009)

Historic Day for the Nation's Rail Industry

At midnight tonight management of the rail line between the Queensland border and the Brisbane suburb of Acacia Ridge transfers to the Australian Rail Track Corporation under a 60 year lease.

Attending today's official handover ceremony, the Federal Infrastructure and Transport Minister Anthony Albanese said the Queensland Government's decision to lease this 101 kilometre section of track creates for the first time a truly national rail network connecting all mainland states.

"Over recent years, the six separate state-based arrangements which dominated our country's rail system for more than century have been gradually replaced with one set of common rules, operating standards and access regulations under the control of the ARTC," said Mr Albanese.

"The extension of the national network into Queensland is a significant milestone in the continuing development of a nation-wide standard gauge rail network.

"In fact, transport operators will now be able to access under one single contract a network of more than 11,000 kilometres of track extending all the way from Acacia Ridge in Brisbane to Melbourne in the south and Kalgoorlie in the west."

The 60 year lease will allow the ARTC to make the necessary long term investment decisions, in line with improvements being made across the whole network.

ARTC Chief Executive Officer David Marchant said today's official handover has been marked by the completion of a $55.8 million upgrade of the line.

"Using funds provided by the Federal Government from its Economic Stimulus Plan, the ARTC has replaced all the old wooden sleepers with 105,000 new concrete sleepers, and installed new line and signal infrastructure," said Mr Marchant.

"Concrete sleepers have significant advantages over timber sleepers, greatly improving a track's capacity and transit times as well as reduce the need for temporary speed restrictions in the summer months. Whereas

"The upgrade has also been good news for the wider community. Not only did it create work for 120 people during the global recession, the new track will allow more freight to be transported by rail - which overtime will lead to fewer trucks on our roads."

One 1,500-metre train can replace around 100 trucks.