Rail slowdown: $4m incentive scheme that gets 17,000 truck trips off rural roads under threat
More trucks will hit already fragile rural roads if the Andrews Government fails to commit to extending its $4m rail freight incentive scheme beyond June 30.
THE push to get more freight off regional roads and onto rail has been left in limbo, with Victorian Ports Minister Melissa Horne refusing to commit to an extension of the state’s $4 million Mode Shift Incentive Scheme beyond June 30.
The scheme has helped regional freight companies get 42,500 freight containers off the state’s roads and on to rail, the equivalent to 17,000 truck trips, according to the Minister.
Those companies include Tocumwal’s Linx Portlink, which uses the Shepparton rail corridor, Wimmera Container Line at Dooen on the Horsham line, Westvic Container Export at Dennington on the Warrnambool line and Seaway Intermodal at Merbein on the Mildura corridor.
But Ms Horne refused to answer a direct question this week on whether the scheme would be extended beyond June 30, simply stating the government had already put more than $20 million into it over the past five years.
Victoria’s rail freight network is already under severe strain after Transport Infrastructure Minister Jacinta Allan left work on upgrading Victoria’s Murray Basin Rail network half done.
The Victorian Auditor General recently found the critical northwest grain freight network was now in a poorer state than when work started.
Opposition Ports spokeswoman Roma Britnell called on the Andrews Government to provide surety to freight operators by immediately extending the rail incentive scheme.
“The Port Rail Shuttle program is sitting idle, the Murray Basin project is a complete shambles and now there is no certainty for the future of the MSI Scheme,” Ms Britnell said.
“The Andrews Labor Government needs to provide long-term certainty for this important program that is actually working to reduce trucks on our roads.”
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