State budget could have done more for Wollongong

The NSW Budget handed down on 17 June 2014 s big on transport investment in Sydney and except for the Princes Highway, small on transport investment in Wollongong.

Sydney's expensive West Connex, which in part  is funded by the Port Kembla lease proceeds,  will do nothing for Wollongong and Port Kembla.  So also, as noted by Alan Mitchell (Abbott must  promote competition, AFR June 25), will spending part of the port lease and other privatization proceeds on "…politically attractive but low-value assets such as the NSW government's proposed North West Rail link in Sydney." 

Quite simply, the Mt Ousley road already has too many heavy trucks on it and is congested at peak hours, whilst the Wollongong-Sydney railway is congested for all day and most of the night.  If Port Kembla is to grow, Maldon Dombarton is needed. 

The NSW Government needs to take a more balanced approach between Sydney and the rest of NSW.

A bridge too far?

At a public meeting held 17 June at Thirroul held to discuss the parking problems caused by last October's   train timetable changes, Heathcote MP Lee Evans said the  NSW government was looking at ways to deal with the "pinch points" caused by the tunnels at Stanwell Park. His idea is a new Sea Cliff style bridge.

Wollongong Transport Coalition can remember in 1998 how Action for Transport 2010 promised faster trains with a new Waterfall Thirroul route with a longer tunnel. Plus their 2003 options of track straightening near Helensburgh.

With challenging rail and road problems facing Port Kembla's bid to lift throughput from 4.35 to 16 million tonnes per year,  it would be much better for the NSW Government to take a close look at Maldon Dombarton.

 Maldon Dombarton would also get coal trains out of Sydney's inner west and Illawarra lines.

http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/story/2364063/maldon-dombarton-line-more-effective-than-rail-bridge-expert/

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Port Expansion without Maldon Dombarton is flawed

The new owners of Port Kembla have asked the NSW Department of Planning to approve expansion of its Outer Harbour to increase the volume of bulk cargo from 4.25 to 16 million tonnes per annum. 

The Department's website

http://majorprojects.planning.nsw.gov.au/index.pl?action=view_job&job_id=6002

states that "All additional bulk cargo volumes would be transported by rail. "

That is an extra 11.75 million tonnes a year.  Yet, only in February 2014, this Department agreed with quarry operator Boral that it could not find extra capacity on the South Coast rail line for just half a million tonnes of quarry products. 

Approval was then given for the company to put extra heavy trucks on Mt Ousley and other roads.

In other words, our  rail network is supposed to find space on for an extra ten or more million tonnes a year of bulk freight, when it cannot even find enough space for an extra half a million tonnes of freight on rail.

The current application to expand Port Kembla notes three options:

1. more modern freight trains, 

2. making more use of the Unanderra to Moss Vale rail line,

3.  the option of completing the Maldon Dombarton rail link

However, more modern freight trains will not generate extra paths, and the line to Moss Vale has steep grades and extra distance to Sydney. This is a recipe for more loads on roads.

When earlier Port expansion was under review in 2010, the RTA  stated that if the predicted rail mode share could not be achieved, there would be likely,   "… unacceptable impacts to road safety and traffic  efficiency as well as environmental issues such as amenity, noise and  air quality."

The only realistic option is to complete the Maldon Dombarton rail link.

Work was started on this 35 km rail link in 1983 by the Wran Government and stopped in 1988, Since then, there are now a lot more freight and passenger trains on the line. At an expected cost of about $650 million, it is less than the $960 million for the  South Sydney Freight Line opened last year.

There is the question of who pays to complete the new link:  the State Government that started it, the Federal government who have sponsored ongoing to date studies and or the private sector. Completion of the line, one third built already, is much more likely to proceed if the State Government was to support the new railway.

Given the $790 million paid for the lease of Port Kembla and matching the $340 million committed from the NSW Government to Newcastle for the lease of their port, there is scope for some NSW funding. 

Newcastle: the wrong way

In June 1984, the late Premier Wran officially opened rail electrification to Newcastle. This was followed by electrification to Wollongong in  February 1986.

The O'Farrell Government had firm plans to use the proceeds of the Newcastle long term port lease to truncate the Newcastle railway line at Wickham, and to replace it by light rail.

WTC suggests that the Baird Government would do a lot better to instead use the funds to improve the Broadmeadow to Wyong track. One simple strategy would be to revert to the alignment in place in the late 19 th century. As part of a policy to ease the ruling grade facing steam trains, a number of deviations were built.  Three of them from Morisset via Dora Creek to Fassifern involved nearly 3 km of additional length and many tight radius curves.

The 2012 State Infrastructure Strategy urged cutting back Sydney Newcastle train times to two hours.  In 1948, the fastest train took 2hrs 18 minutes, now the fastest takes 2hrs 36 minutes, with the average speed falling to 65 km/h. By way of contrast, Regional Fast Rail in Victoria has slashed times, with the fastest Melbourne to Bendigo train averaging 102 km/h, with even faster trains due on completion by 2015 of the Regional Rail Link project.

A second option for the Baird Government is to share the proceeds of the Newcastle and Port Kembla leases equally - instead of $340m + $100m: $220m for each of Newcastle and Wollongong.

MALDON DOMBARTON

              Before the September 2013 federal election, the outgoing government was prepared to allocate $50 million towards advancing completion of the Maldon Dombarton rail link.

            However, in a wide ranging speech focussing on rail freight made by the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, the Hon Warren Truss MP, on 28 November 2013 at an AusRAIL Conference in Sydney, no mention was made of the Maldon Dombarton link.

            WTC hopes that this was an oversight, and that the new federal government be prepared to match the offer, in full or in part, of the outgoing government, to allocate $50 million towards advancing the Maldon Dombarton link.

            As above, we would also like the NSW Government to show more interest in completing this 35 km rail link.

NSW FREIGHT AND PORTS STRATEGY

           Throughout 2013, WTC had been watching with interest the development of a NSW Freight and Ports Strategy, and supported the submission lodged in February 2013 by Neighbourhood Forum 5 of Wollongong City Council in response to a draft strategy. The draft strategy had scope for a marked improvement as it proceeded to a final version, not only for the Illawarra, but the state of New South Wales as a whole.

            It appears that the NSW final Freight and Ports Strategy, released in late 2013,  gives priority to heavier trucks (such as B-Triples on the Hume) as opposed to increasing rail freight productivity and competitiveness.

            However, the Queensland Freight Strategy released in 2013  has as its first set of priorities getting more freight onto rail. The 2013 Victorian freight strategy has a Mode Shift Incentive Scheme. 

            For related comment, see

https://theconversation.com/too-many-loads-on-our-roads-when-rail-is-the-answer-24118

             Wollongong Council Neighbourhood Forums 5 and 6 at its meeting of February 2014  requested: 

1          Rail improvements for better safety, reliability and speed of passenger and freight services:

i           a commitment from the NSW Government to make a financial contribution to expedite completion of the Maldon Dombarton rail line;

ii          as per the original consent condition for Port Kembla Inner Harbour, 20 per cent of all car imports to be moved by rail from Port Kembla.

2          Road freight improvements:  

i         bulk haul trucks to pay more than their road system costs not less and to cover their social and environmental costs, this to include a surcharge on all road deliveries of bulk coal and grain to Port Kembla and quarry products passing through Wollongong to Sydney;

ii          the timing of the Mount Ousley Road grade separated access to Fairy Meadow and the University of Wollongong ;

iii         upgrade the Appin Road to Campbelltown.

3.         Noise mitigation

More efforts to reduce truck noise arising from heavy trucks using the F6 and the Mt Ousley Road.

4.         Mode Shift

  The introduction of a Mode Shift Incentive Scheme into New South Wales, similar to the Victorian one.

5.         Transport Strategy

   Advice as to when the previously promised Illawarra Region Transport Strategy is to be released.