Wollongong needs a fast train, please

Illawarra Mercury  EDITORIAL August 28, 2012

                   

It was many moons ago that a delegation of Wollongong's business elite took an ambitious proposal to the state government calling for a very fast train to service the Illawarra region.

The MagLev-type train would have whisked commuters from Wollongong to Sydney in something like 22 minutes.

Memories of that proposal have been revived recently by Premier Barry O'Farrell, who wants a fast train between Sydney and Canberra to service a second major airport, and Sydney rail planners, who propose one of the world's fastest metro-style train lines between Rouse Hill and Chatswood.

Meanwhile, a Wollongong fast train remains a dream as weary South Coast commuters continue to make the daily trek to Sydney on what has been described as the country's slowest network.

Apart from electrification of the line to Wollongong way back in 1985 and later to Dapto (1995) and Kiama (2001), not much has changed since the days of steam trains.

We can only live in hope that one day governments, both state and federal, will finally realise the vision of those Wollongong businessmen who had the foresight and plan for a world-class rail network between two of our biggest cities.

NOTE An accompanying article observes that the 72 km Perth Mandurah train journey takes just 48 minutes as opposed to 78 or so minutes from Thirroul to Central - also 72 km.  Also Gold Coast to Brisbane and Melbourne Geelong trains, again about 72 km, take about 60 minutes.

If you have a concern about our slow trains, please post here.

Please consider signing this petition: http://www.fastrail.com.au/ 

University Area Traffic

For some years, as the University of Wollongong has grown, traffic and parking on nearby streets is becoming an issue.  A Planning Proposal by the University for Gleniffer Brae, which if approved in its present form will have traffic impacts, may be viewed at Council's home page

http://www.wollongong.nsw.gov.au

Concerns about this proposal of the Gleniffer Brae Community Support Group may be found at www.glenifferbrae.com

Council is receiving comment until September 14 on this proposal. 

Port Kembla: look to containers

Illawarra Mercury Tuesday August 6, 2012 
Opinion Philip Laird

A better model for Port Kembla is that of the Port of Tauranga in New Zealand

The proposed sale by the NSW Government of Port Kembla as part of a package with Port Botany is likely to work against the economic growth of the Illawarra.

The reason for this is that already consultants advising the government on the sale of the two ports has stated that a better price would be obtained if the planning cap on Port Botany on container movements can be lifted from the current 3.2 million TEUs (twenty foot equivalent units) per annum. In this case, a private sector owner of both ports would expand Port Botany rather than invest in new container facilities at Port Kembla.

During 2010-11, Port Botany moved a record 2.02 million TEUs of containers. The cap is likely to be reached by 2017. Seven out of eight of these containers moved to and from Port Botany by trucks using congested roads.

To lift the Port Botany container cap, it has been suggested that the M5 East will need to be duplicated. The cost will be at least $4.5 billion.

It could well be more cost effective to expand other ports rather than Port Kembla. With Newcastle port exporting record and growing amounts of coal (114m tonnes during 2011) and given the road congestion between Newcastle and Sydney, it makes more sense to develop Port Kembla as a container port.

This in turn will require completion of the Maldon Dombarton rail link with a 4 km tunnel. However, as presently planned, only $100 million from the long term lease of Port Kembla is to be applied to Wollongong infrastructure. This may not be enough to complete Maldon Dombarton at a cost of about $650 million.

A better model for Port Kembla is that of the Port of Tauranga in New Zealand. This port is separately owned from the Port of Auckland and both ports compete with each other to provide better level of service to shipping lines along with importers and exporters.

The Port of Tauranga owns a container pick up and delivery facility called Metroport located in an industrial area to the south of Auckland. Metroport is linked to Tauranga by at least two container trains, each way, each day operated by KiwiRail.

To quote, Metroport is a " ... strategic initiative on the part of the Port to offer a competitive door-to-door import service and to provide importers and exporters with a choice of ports in the Auckland region."

The trains linking the Port of Tauranga to Auckland move along an upgraded railway, which includes an 8 km tunnel under the Kaimai Range. Without this tunnel which gave a more direct route to Auckland, Metroport would not work.

Their main competing port is the Port of Auckland. The Port of Tauranga keenly competes with Auckland to be the port of choice by shipping lines, has won several awards, and strives to be "The Port of the Future."

Most recently, the Port of Tauranga was shortlisted for the international Lloyd's List Port Operator award.

In short, a vibrant port that not only supports the regional economy, but also assists New Zealand's largest city of Auckland as a nearby second container port.

Clearly, this would not have happened if the Port of Tauranga had been operated by the Port of Auckland.

With the completion of the Maldon Dombarton rail ink and the planned new Moorebank intermodal terminal, Port Kembla has the potential to grow in the way the Port of Tauranga has.

It is up to our region to see that this potential is realized.

Associate Professor Philip Laird is with the Faculty of Informatics at the University of Wollongong. He is a well-known commentator on land transport issues. 

Opposition to Privatisation of Port Kembla

Wollongong City Council meeting 27 August 2012

REVOLVED on Motion of  Cr Curran seconded Cr Petty (as amended) that - 

1 Council reaffirm its opposition to privatisation of the Port of 

Port Kembla as resolved on 9 July 2012. 

2 An urgent meeting of representatives from Botany, Newcastle and 

Wollongong Councils be convened to develop a strategy to oppose 

proposed port privatisation by the State Government. 

3 An urgent meeting be convened between representatives of 

Wollongong Council and the NSW Government to express opposition 

to the privatisation of the Port of Port Kembla. 

4 The Premier and Minister for the Illawarra be requested to attend a 

public meeting in Wollongong to explain why they support the Port 

privatisation and how this can be reconciled with pre-election 

commitments to not pursue privatisation. 

5 Council publicise, through its various communication channels, the 

time and date for a proposed Motion on Notice debate in State 

Parliament by the Member for Wollongong concerning Port 

privatisation, such that interested persons can attend the debate. 

6 The petition circulated by the Member for Wollongong opposing the 

privatisation of the Port be displayed in Council offices and libraries.  

This petition seeks the 10,000 signatures required to bring on a 

debate in State Parliament. 

7 All correspondence from State Government representatives 

concerning Council’s resolution of 9 July 2012 be made available to 

Councillors via the Information Folder. 

8  State Government Ministers be urged to promptly reply to resident 

and community group letters of concern about the proposed 

privatisation.  

9  Council requests the matter of a possible privatisation of the Port be 

considered by a joint committee of both Houses of State Parliament 

before any final decision is made on its future. 

At this meeting, Cr Takacs also raised the issue of Truck Noise in the early hours of the morning.

If you have a concern about truck noise or the sale/long term lease of Port Kembla, please post here.

For further comment, see attached Opinion piece  Port Kembla: look to containers  Illawarra Mercury   August 6, 2012  

Call for Comment re NSW Transport

Transport for New South Wales is at http://www.transport.nsw.gov.au

Last Autumn, a draft  NSW Long Term Transport Plan was on exhibition and a  Public Forum was held on Tuesday April 17 at Wollongong.

Wollongong Transport Coalition (WTC) and others are waiting for release of the updated draft plan.