Adelaide to Melbourne via Tailem Bend: Sam Shahin outlines bold vision to link Bend Motorsport Park to rail services

IS Tailem Bend the next regional boom town? The owner of the Bend Motorsport Park thinks so, he’s even outlined an audacious goal to make it a stop on the Adelaide to Melbourne train line.

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TAILEM Bend would become a stop on the Adelaide to Melbourne rail line as part of an ambitious new goal by the owner of the $110 million Bend Motorsport Park.

The plan, along with millions of dollars worth of development already on the cards, could make Tailem Bend a regional boom town.

Dr Sam Shahin, owner and managing director of the world-class motorsport park, revealed his new vision for the Bend, ahead of the park’s first major race on Saturday.

Australian GT championship cars practice at The Bend Motorsport Park ahead of the park’s first major race on Saturday. Picture: Tait Schmaal

“One of the most significant attributes of the site at Tailem Bend is its location – you could not design a location that is better than where this land is,” Dr Shahin said.

“The railway goes daily to Melbourne straight past our doorstep and one of my ambitions is to establish a railway station and platform on the Dukes Highway to further develop the motorsports park into a major transportation hub.”

He said he was “ambitious and impatient” about the plan and “we should not assume the opportunity will still be there in two to three years’ time”.

“The opportunity to establish a significant logistics and transport hub, on such a significant route to both Melbourne and Sydney, and only an hour from Adelaide, does not come along every day,” Dr Shahin said.

Dr Sam Shahin aspires to turn The Bend Motorsport Park into a major transportation hub. Picture: Tait Schmaal

The Melbourne to Adelaide railway has twice-weekly passenger services, operated by Great Southern Rail, and regular freight services.

Dr Shahin’s decade-old dream to establish a premier motorsport park in SA will on Saturday become a reality when 180 drivers compete in the Shannons Nationals, attracting more than 5000 people to Tailem Bend.

The Bend, considered in its infancy by some critics as a pipedream, now features the 100-bedroom Rydges Pit Lane Hotel, an On the Run service centre, 4WD adventure track, other racing circuits and soon-to-be built villas.

An independent economic study has shown once fully developed, the Bend would inject $236 million a year into the state’s economy, create 1630 full-time jobs and attract an extra 339,000 visitors to the region.

Deb Gower, owner of the Tailem Bend Bakery, in front of the train station. Picture: Tait Schmaal

Business owners have welcomed the development and what it may mean for the town which has relied heavily on summer tourism and agriculture.

Tailem Bend Bakery co-owner Deb Gower said they were adapting their business to cater for an influx of visitors.