Grain rail meeting labelled a waste of time

The reconvening of the SGNC prompted the October 21 forum which was designed to discuss the Transitional Assistance Package (TAP), Tier 3 networks and further investment in roads after Tier 3 closures and concerns about the movement of grain throughout WA at the end of harvest.

But many of those attending said the meeting was a lost cause and did not address any of the important grain on rail issues.

As a response to the meeting WAFarmers Merredin zone transport committee member Kevin Jones is compiling a presentation about the staggering number of truck accidents which have taken place on regional roads to prove Tier 3 railway lines shouldn't close throughout WA.

He said too many lives had been taken on country roads and the number of accidents which involved trucks was simply unacceptable.

"Cars are at the mercy of those monsters on the road and it's resulting in carnage," Mr Jones said.

The State Government wanted to push through its legislation in early December to activate the $135 million of Federal funding that had been allocated for rail updates on a dollar for dollar basis with the WA Government.

WA growers agreed that this was good news and the sooner the funding was accessed the better, but there were still grave concerns over the Tier 3 lines.

According to the SGNC report, in the whole of the Tier 3 rail network area the total cost of fixing the roads would be $88m.

After consulting with local governments in this area a small committee of local farmers found that the cost was more likely three times that figure.

Narembeen farmer Bill Cowan sat on the SGNC committee but was also heavily involved with the small committee of local farmers.

"A number of bins had been left out of the report and that's not good enough," he said.

"The Bendering bin alone will add more than $12m to the original figure.

"The Narembeen to South Kumminin Road was allocated $1m in the report when the actual cost from the Narembeen Shire was $4m.

"The Bruce Rock to Doodlakine road was allocated $5.8m in the report when one small rocky section of that road is estimated to cost $12.5m to upgrade.

"This section was considered so dangerous that experienced road train drivers refused to pass one another on it and instead drove a circuitous route adding many kilometres onto the journey."

Mr Cowan said if Federal funding was used to fix Tier 3 rail at a cost supplied by WestNet Rail, $93m, the cost to the State Government would only be $46.5m assuming the dollar for dollar scenario applied.

"If the cost of fixing the roads is about $250m then to fix the rail is a saving of $200m," Mr Cowan said.

"The SGNC's figures are wrong in the case of Tier 3 rail and must be corrected.

"One can only assume that if the State Government is balking at spending the $46.5m on rail then it has no intention of spending the $200m plus on the roads."

At the SGNC meeting Mr Cowan was set to present a strong economical, environmental and social case for the Tier 3 rail lines but wasn't given the opportunity.

"The true cost of road transport is too dear and there is an under recovery of road costs on trucks," he said.

"The report is comparing an antiquated rail system with modern state of the art road haulage and the cost to the State Government of repairing Tier 3 rail is almost half that of upgrading the roads.

"If the road option is taken then Tier 3 lines will need to continue anyway because we were told the time constraint on having the roads ready for purpose could take more than 10 years.

"Once road transport is used then the deterioration of the roads will need to be funded by higher maintenance costs, which will make this mode of transport less profitable impacting on the cost differences.

"Once Tier 3 lines are closed we will have lost the rail option as competition because if it's not used then the cost of getting rail back into operation would equal the cost of new construction."