Rail revival move for Limestone Coast in $90k investigation

A $90,000 study will investigate the benefits of returning rail freight to the South East for the first time in two decades.

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A $90,000 study will investigate the benefits of returning rail freight to the South East for the first time in two decades.

Regional Development Australia – Limestone Coast will look into reinstating the rail line from Heywood in southern Victoria to Wolseley, near Bordertown.

It would link up the Limestone Coast with Ports across Australia, via existing freight routes from Wolesley and Heywood.

The organisation’s chair Peter Gandolfi said if the agriculture and forestry industries could avoid huge costs associated with sending their goods on refrigerated trucks, it would be a win for the region.

“This would give an alternative transport method, particularly of benefit when it comes to transporting goods over long distances,” Mr Gandolfi, formerly the Wattle Range Mayor, said.

“One of the challenges people find here is they’ve successfully grown vegetables but found refrigerated freight was unaffordable, making their enterprise unviable.”

The study would also look at the cheaper option of reinstating the rail line between Mt Gambier and Heywood, which could cost about $80 million – $100 million.

Getting the whole route back up and running would cost “hundreds of millions”, Mr Gandolfi said.

Mount Gambier’s Blue Lake. Picture: Bianca De Marchi

The study will also consider an intermodal service, which allows containers to be easily transferred between different transport modes, such as trucks, trains and ships.

“When you factor in everything we produce from timber through to processed foods, beef and lamb, there’s so many products we’re value-adding to now,” Mr Gandolfi said.

“This may allow further processing, boost our local economy, create jobs and attract more people to the region.”

The study would cost about $90,000 and is expected to be complete towards the middle of next year.

If it found rail freight would bring big benefits to the Limestone Coast, the organisation would lobby the SA, Victorian and Federal governments to fund the project.

Regional Development Australia – Limestone Coast is studying the potential for rail to return to the area.

It will also consider whether a passenger service could be set up on the same line.

“(But) the viability of the project is going to be based around the movement of freight,” Mr Gandolfi said.

Transport fees made up about 20 per cent of production costs in the Limestone Coast.

Kimberly-Clark’s Millicent mill manager Scott Whicker said the lack of transport choice since rail was shut down in the region during the 1990s, was limiting for new and existing businesses.

“Kimberly-Clark was historically connected to the railway line and shipped significant quantities of materials in and out of the Mill,” Mr Whicker said.

“Over the last years of its life investment the railway declined, resulting in a slower track speed for trains making it uncompetitive with road transport.”

State Transport Minister Stephan Knoll said the government welcomed the study and looked forward to its results.

“We will also consider proposals that will grow our regional economy and support regional communities and jobs,” Mr Knoll said.

A spokesman for Federal Transport Minister Michael McCormack said the Government would consider the proposal’s merits once the study was complete.

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