On 12 July 2024, the University of Wollongong hosted at its Innovation Campus a visit from the Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue to release a Discussion Paper “Wollongong & The West” to promote completion of a rail freight link between Port Kembla and Western Sydney and for this link to have passenger capability.On 19 July 2024, TfNSW released the submissions on to the website it received to a freight policy paper (including one from NF5). Two were of particular interest.
One from Wollongong City Council that notes that the case for completing Maldon Dombarton has changed significantly sine the 1980s and that the alternative is thousands of truck movements on our roads per year.
One from Professor David Currow, UOW Deputy Vice- Chancellor, supporting “the need for a rail connection between the Illawarra and western Sydney to meet the needs of our students and to ensure continued economic growth and connection to the growing metropolis to the west.”
Subsequently, TfNSW released an Interim Directions Report in September 2024. However, the Maldon Dombarton rail link was not mentioned in the Interim Directions Report.
Along with Wollongong City Council, the University of Wollongong Government Relations and the Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue, other submissions of note include:
1. The Rail Futures Institute “Completion of the 35 km Maldon to Dombarton rail link would allow removal of most freight trains from the increasingly congested Tempe to Wollongong line including the Waterfall – Thirroul section that has had relatively frequent closures due to extreme weather events. “
2. The Australasian Railway Association re Maldon to Dombarton: “There is strong support for this next step from local MPs, local Councils (Wollongong, Wollondilly, Campbelltown, Shellharbour, Shoalhaven), Business Illawarra, Business Western Sydney, the University of Wollongong, and RDA Illawarra/Shoalhaven, along with freight customers including Cement Australia, Bluescope and GrainCorp.”
The official 2021 Illawarra-Shoalhaven Regional Transport Plan states “The transport of freight via the shared rail network is constrained by the needs of passenger transport, particularly during morning and afternoon passenger peaks. Transport freight services are often held for up to 11 hours as passenger services are given priority. To address the growing need for additional rail capacity to and from the Port of Port Kembla, Transport for NSW will investigate the completion of Maldon to Dombarton Line to facilitate additional freight movement between the Illawarra-Shoalhaven and Western Sydney.”
The Wollongong Neighbourhood Forum 5 notes that the Maldon Dombarton rail link would greatly improve the reliability and serviceability of the existing rail lines serving the Illawarra. These are the Illawarra line between Waterfall and Wombarra and the Unanderra Moss Vale Line. The operation of both lines is highly marginal in times of adverse weather. Furthermore the stability of the latter line up the face of the escarpment at West Dapto attracts high risk.
Clearly, a way forward to complete the Maldon Dombarton link needs to be addressed by TfNSW in its final freight report. The Forum wishes to see the new link having a capacity to move passengers as well as freight.
