V/Line staff threaten to boycott Wyndham Vale site if toxic West Gate soil is dumped there
Toxic soil from the West Gate Tunnel works is set to be dumped in Melbourne’s west. And V/Line workers are threatening a boycott if the contaminated dirt is dumped at a rail yard in this suburb.
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V/Line workers have threatened to boycott a rail yard in Melbourne’s west if toxic soil from the West Gate Tunnel is dumped in the area.
The Andrews Government is considering plans to use the Wyndham Vale property as a temporary holding site for contaminated dirt which is creating delays on the mega project.
No plans have been finalised and its understood the soil would not be placed in the depot area, with sites at Ravenhall and Maddingley identified as the likely permanent location.
But the proposal has met a backlash from Wyndham Mayor Josh Gilligan, with the Rail, Tram and Bus Union now raising concerns about members using the area.
In a letter to Treasurer Tim Pallas, state secretary Luba Grigorovtich said the union was “deeply concerned” about the push.
“As you aware the proposed site forms part of our growing rail network and includes the Wyndham Vale rail yard which is set to open in coming months where our members will be exposed to the site,” the letter reads.
“Our members have a right, like all workers, to a safe workplace, free from dangerous chemicals.”
The union has raised the prospect of avoiding the area if the soil is stored there.
It has also asked for details of any risk assessment and confirmation that the dirt will not contaminate the airconditioning systems of trains running along the site.
A government spokeswoman said railway operations would not be disrupted if authorities chose to store the dirt nearby.
“The West Gate Tunnel project parties met with Wyndham Council to investigate the potential to use the Wyndham Vale site as a back-up temporary site to hold the soil from tunnelling for a short period of time in extenuating circumstances where the main site can’t be accessed,” she said.
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“Transurban and its builder are working with project parties to find a long-term solution to manage the rock and soil from tunnelling – no decision has been made.”
A Department of Transport spokeswoman said the $172.9 million project to build the stabling yard was nearly finished.
“While a decision on where to temporary hold soil from tunnelling for the West Gate Tunnel is yet to be made, the land in question is outside the Wyndham Vale Stabling Facility so if the site was ever used it would not impact the timing or operations of the new stabling facility,” she said.