SHADOW Transport Minister Ken Travers has accused the State Government of huge budget blowouts in closing Wheatbelt Tier 3 rail lines.
In State Parliament last week, Mr Travers was told it would cost $55 million for those lines closing this year and $105m during the following three years.
"If you look at those figures and add them together it's now going to cost $160m to close the Tier 3 rail lines and replace them with reasonable roads."
Mr Travers said the cost was almost a 100 per cent blowout.
"The original business case for roads over rail is based on $88m for road retention and about $94m for rail retention," Mr Travers said.
"If the overall figure is only $105m it is still significantly more expensive than upgrading the rail system.
"Even at $105m I thought the business case would be in tatters but a blowout to $160m is economically irresponsible.
"Adding to that, Watco and CBH have said on more than one occasion it is prepared to use the Tier 3 rail network."
He also said if Wheatbelt growers produced a bumper season, as many of them looked to do, he wasn't confident the crop could be moved safely or efficiently.
"And of course the other huge problem is going to be the logistics this harvest," Mr Travers said.
"The government will have closed the rail lines but not fixed the roads."
Mr Travers also reportedly asked parliament whether Main Roads or local government would be left to bare the costs if they exploded further but wasn't given an answer.
"Mr O'Brien refused to answer that part of the question," Mr Travers said.
"Mr O'Brien, who spoke on behalf of Transport Minister Troy Buswell, said the State Government had instructed local governments to keep costs within the allocated budget.
"And that is all well and good but when workmen get halfway through a road project and run into unexpected costs, what is the government going to do.
"Just stop work?"
But Transport Minister Troy Buswell said the facts were that the estimated cost for the road upgrades was $55.6m for this year and a total of $105m for the next three years, which includes the $55.6m.
"It's unfortunate that Mr Travers misunderstood these figures, especially since he then chose to speculate on a cost blow-out which simply does not exist," Mr Buswell said.
"The current total amount the Liberal-National Government has allocated to these road upgrades is $105m, in line with our original announcement."
