Road upgrades: VFF calls for rural road and rail funding amid bumper harvest

With Victoria expecting its second largest grain harvest in history, the VFF are calling for funding to be poured into the state’s “strained” regional road and rail freight networks.

VFF grains president Ashley Fraser said the state of Victoria’s rail and road network had been an ongoing issue for many years, especially in the west of the state.

THE  grains  peak  industry body is calling for more funding for Victoria’s regional road and freight infrastructure, with this season’s bumper grain harvest highlighting the “network’s shortfall.”

Victorian Farmers Federation grains president Ashley Fraser said Victoria was expecting its second largest grain harvest in history.

“While this is a fantastic result for growers and our regional economy, it will no doubt put immense pressure on our already strained regional road and rail freight networks as it goes from paddock to market,” Mr Fraser said.

According to the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics’ December forecast, Victoria is anticipated to produce a 9.3 million tonne winter crop, with Mr Fraser expecting about three million tonnes of that going to the domestic market, with about 5.8 million tonnes being used for exports.

Mr Fraser said the state of Victoria’s rail and road network had been an ongoing issue for many years, especially in the west of the state.

“The road network is crumbling,” he said. “It is like trying to operate a rail network in a third world country — it’s not what Australians expect and it’s not what they should have to put up with.”

He said freight trains were crawling to port at a huge cost to industry. “There is huge wear and tear on trucks and the slow freight adds to industry costs,” Mr Fraser said.

According to Mr Fraser, on certain sections of track, trains have been reduced to a maximum speed of 20km/h. “This is forcing more trucks on to the roads, with the potential for 10,000 B-double trucks of grain using the roads each month,” he said. “Time is money and many operators have decided to transport produce on our roads.”

The VFF is calling on the Government to ensure this year’s budget invests in regional Victorian freight infrastructure.

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