Inland Rail - Albury to Illabo

Albury to Illabo ARTC Rail Letter

Mon 4 December 2023

To whom it may concern

The proposed development of an industrial rail passage through the heart of Wagga Wagga is a really bad choice for the health of our city. A by-pass through the Bomen area, while perhaps more costly up front, makes so much more common sense. As the saying goes, ‘The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.’ Supposedly, by using the current rail line, the Australian Rail Track Corporation believes this to be a cost-saving and time-saving measure. However, the long-term cost to the city is not appropriate.

I am very happy to see the vision of a rail link which can transport significant freight between Brisbane and Melbourne. This will save significant time and be a much more efficient and eco-friendly form of transport as we seek to transition into a more environmentally sustainable future. The problem is in the current plan.

Here are some of the reasons why forcing heavier train traffic through our existing rail line is a bad one:

1) There was no costing of the by-pass option made public at this meeting. Has one been made? If not, why not?
2) My understanding from attending the public forum session last Tuesday 28 November at the Kyeamba Smith Hall was that there would be an increase of freight trains running through the city from 12 up to 18 per day. I am confident to predict that this number would increase over that limit when the dust settles.
3) The other factor to take into consideration is that the length of the trains is planned to increase from 1.2 km up to 1.8 km in length. They are also to be double decker trains.
4) More trains and longer trains will mean much longer waiting times at the two level crossings in town at the moment (at Bourke St and Fernleigh Road). The hospital is about 400 metres north of the Bourke St crossing and the new regime will mean longer waiting times for ambulances wanting to cross at that point.
5) There is precedence for a by-pass in that the Parkes route for the rail line by-passed that city.
6) I happen to work at Kildare Catholic College which is located next to the current rail line and which has road access via Edmondson Street which will be adversely affected by the raising of the bridge over the line. The increase in pollution and vibration will also have an adverse effect on the college community.
7) The ARTC graphic computer-generated images of the bridge in Edmondson Street do not reflect the reality of how large the incline of the bridge will be in such a short area. My understanding is that the bridge will need to be raised by 2.8 metres which will make it a very sharp incline for traffic coming straight off a major highway and then a steep descent down to where school buses for two schools (Wagga High School and Kildare catholic College) pick up hundreds of students each day. There is also a left hand turn into Erin Street and a right hand turn into the Mt Erin Boarding School immediately at the base of the proposed new bridge which makes traffic issues much more dangerous, especially around a school zone.
8) The noise, pollution and vibration factors of having increased and heavier train traffic through suburban areas of Wagga has not been properly addressed. On pp16-17 of the ‘Summary of Findings’ booklet published by Inland Rail, they admit to increased air quality problems and operational and noise/vibration issues.

We as a city deserve better. The rail upgrade is a good idea but this proposal is not. It does not take into consideration the significant negative impact that the current plan would have on the environment and functioning of our wonderful city.

Please look into the by-pass option and choose that because our city deserves better.

Your sincerely

MM

As a resident of Coleman Street, Wagga, with a home opposite the railway line and approximately 200 m from the Coleman - Bourke Street corner, the Inland Rail proposal has 2 major concerns for me personally and for many in our immediate neighbourhood if it is to go ahead using the existing track.
1. Coleman Street intersects with Bourke Street less than 100 metres south of the level rail crossing. During peak hour traffic we are already experiencing long wait times to make a right turn towards town from Coleman Street. There is the added complication of some of the Bourke Street traffic (travelling north) wanting to make a right hand turn into Coleman Street just south of the level crossing to avoid the rail line and as an alternate route to town.
While the Edmondson Street deviation is in progress this intersection is going to be ridiculously busy. With Edmondson Street out of action, Bourke Street will inevitably shoulder a big percentage of the deviated traffic making it impossible for us to safely exit our street. Would it be possible to make the western end of Coleman Street a cul de sac to eliminate any traffic entering or exiting the Bourke Street thoroughfare at the Coleman Street corner? At this point the road is dangerously close to the level crossing and a hump in the road which significantly impairs vision of oncoming traffic?
2. We have already experienced loss of amenity with noise and rattling windows from existing rail traffic. This will surely be exacerbated by longer, heavier and more frequent trains.
This is the case for many of our neighbours and yet the proposal has not planned a sound barrier to mitigate these problems in our area. Please give careful consideration to mitigating the loss of amenity that this project will bring to our previously peaceful residential block of Coleman Street.

I have attended both the information sessions held in Wagga Wagga this year. Whilst both were quite informative the session held last week at the Showgrounds, as an ageing group of attendees, I feel a mike would have been beneficial.
I purchased my home at 84 Railway Street, in January 2022, which was built in 2020. I am concerned about a number of factors, most I think I have raised in previous submissions to Inland Rail.
1. I am requesting a dilapidation report from Inland Rail on my property at 84 Railway Street which will be impacted during the construction of Mothers Bridge and to a lesser extent Edmondson Street Bridge. I also request a copy of the said report.
2. Great increase in the amount and flow of traffic in Railway Street during the construction of Mothers Bridge and Edmondson Street Bridge.
3. The noise level whilst the construction work is being carried out, and I understand some of this work will be carried out at night.
4. The noise of locomotive engines - I understand they will be fitted with exhaust baffles, to what extent will that reduce the noise

With the claimed vibration levels during the construction phase of the Inland Rail project which is in close proximity to my residence and the potential for these vibration levels to be higher than claimed during the construction phase, I am requesting a detailed dilapidation report be completed by Inland Rail prior to any construction works should this project commence.
A dilapidation report will be a safeguard for myself and Inland Rail in the event of a report of damage caused during the Inland Rail construction phase. Due to the age and construction style of my house, can you please consider my request a detailed dilapidation report being completed? Thank you.

I have recently purchased my first home (1/124 Mima Street) and did so with the understanding that it was next to a railway and therefore some sound was a given. Howver, I am sincerely concerned about the upcoming proposal and what that will mean for my house price as well as my sleep patterns. Both, mentally should my house price drop and also physically if i'm unable to get good sleep due to the loud noises coming from the trains.

I live relatively close to the rail line in Wagga and there is already considerable noise from trains. If there is to be an increase in train noise I would hope that measures would be put in place to minimise the impact on local residents

Go around the city of Wagga.
If going through Wagga you must build overhead passes at all crossings so our city is not cut in half and roads are not blocked every time a longer, slower train comes through.

I have attended the Inland rail drop in session at Wagga on 28 November.
The staff were very helpful answering many of my questions, and from the discussions I would like to submit the following:
1. Dilapidation reports on all buildings/dwellings near construction zones. My home will be impacted by the proposed construction of both Edmondson Street and 'Mothers Bridge'. The impact relates to noise and vibration during construction. NV2 specifies that buildings within the minimum vibration distances will have a dilapidation report complied prior to construction commencing. In my discussions it would appear that my home, and the other dwellings in Erin street, are not within this zone and are all around 80 years old. Consequently they are vulnerable to cracking from both acoustic and ground vibration, particularly rendered walls. No provision has been made to assess these, nor the dwellings on Railway Street adjacent to the construction works. I would like to have any building near the proposed construction work to have dilapidation reports carried out to safe guard the interests of the owners and Inland Rail and it's contractors and to provide clarity to any claims later made regarding subsequent damage to those buildings as a result of construction or operational noise and vibration. These reports must be provided to the home/property owner with Inland Rail or it's contractors also retaining a copy.
2. Creating a local traffic zone around the Edmondson St bridge and Mothers Bridge construction areas. The proposed transport management recommendations are insufficient during the construction phase of Edmondson St bridge and 'mothers bridge'. The residential dwellings on Erin, Macleay and Railway streets will be burdened by an increase in noise from construction and an increase in traffic directly related to construction vehicles. Directing traffic from Edmondson Street to Railway Street will create further traffic congestion and noise separate to any construction noise. The suggested traffic signal variations and an increase in the left turn lane at the Railway St and Lake Albert Rd intersection do not constitute traffic mitigation. As the residents will already have to suffer through the extended construction period due to the two bridges being staged it would be better to mitigate this by declaring the residential block bordered by Edmondson St, Coleman St, Railway St, Lake Albert Road and Erin Street as a Local Traffic only area and having this enforced during construction. The exception to this are buses, emergency services and construction traffic directly related to the bridges. This negates the involvement of Transport NSW and places responsibility on Wagga Council. This traffic management recommendation should be included in traffic mitigation measures. This measure could support the construction noise and vibration mitigation as well.
3. Permanent closure of the western end of Erin Street as part of the final Edmondson Street bridge plan. As part of the Edmondson St bridge proposal a DDA compliant pedestrian ramp has been added to the eastern side of the bridge. Currently many vehicles use Erin Street as an access/short cut in all directions. This poses an undue risk to all pedestrians who will use this accessway. Closing Erin Street permanently would facilitate safe pedestrian access to and from the DDA compliant ramp, provide extra room for gradient control/rest platforms for this ramp and increased space for the roadway and, as a by-product, minimise the traffic using Erin Street once Inland rail is operational.
4. That it is made a condition of use that all locomotive engines using the A2I line are fitted with exhaust baffles to minimise their noise. Living near the rail line I can attest that the greatest contributors to rail noise and vibration are the locomotive engines. The staff at Inland Rail have the fitting of exhaust baffles as a possible noise mitigation strategy, and their testing has so far proven effective on the older engines, and therefore should be a mandatory condition which may prevent more expensive noise mitigation methods being required.
5. Rail By-pass. As a new resident to Wagga I find it unfortunate that the planning stages of the Inland Rail project did not allow for a by-pass of Wagga Wagga. Nor that Wagga Council, State and Federal members and Wagga residents did not object vehemently when it was first proposed to run more heavy freight trains through the middle of the city. But now, due to the council, state and federal members and many locals becoming 'aware' I would hope that Inland Rail pays more than lip service to the procurement of easements to allow a by-pass to be built around the city and that a train movement threshold is clearly stated to trigger this to becoming a reality.

As a resident of Coleman Street, Wagga, with a home opposite the railway line and approximately 200 m from the Coleman - Bourke Street corner, the Inland Rail proposal has 2 major concerns for me personally and for many in our immediate neighbourhood if it is to go ahead using the existing track.
1. Coleman Street intersects with Bourke Street less than 100 metres south of the level rail crossing. During peak hour traffic we are already experiencing long wait times to make a right turn towards town from Coleman Street. There is the added complication of some of the Bourke Street traffic (travelling north) wanting to make a right hand turn into Coleman Street just south of the level crossing to avoid the rail line and as an alternate route to town.
While the Edmondson Street deviation is in progress this intersection is going to be ridiculously busy. With Edmondson Street out of action, Bourke Street will inevitably shoulder a big percentage of the deviated traffic making it impossible for us to safely exit our street. Would it be possible to make the western end of Coleman Street a cul de sac to eliminate any traffic entering or exiting the Bourke Street thoroughfare at the Coleman Street corner? At this point the road is dangerously close to the level crossing and a hump in the road which significantly impairs vision of oncoming traffic?
2. We have already experienced loss of amenity with noise and rattling windows from existing rail traffic. This will surely be exacerbated by longer, heavier and more frequent trains.
This is the case for many of our neighbours and yet the proposal has not planned a sound barrier to mitigate these problems in our area. Please give careful consideration to mitigating the loss of amenity that this project will bring to our previously peaceful residential block of Coleman Street.

I support the need to not only upgrade this bridge, but the upgrade to the Melbourne - Brisbane rail corridor.

Unfortunately the PIR makes no comment on shielding of noise and view for houses on George St, Ducker St, or Hill St. *Note - Noise refered to is of Vehicles travelling over the Kemp St bridge, not rail or construction activity noises.*


At current there are trees that are somewhat sheilding the homes and providing privacy and noise reduction. At completion of the bridge, there is currently no plans to include any shielding (Native established trees would be best suited). This needs to be taken into account. On George St, we are unable to hear the rail related activities, but hear every truck, bus, car and even push bike comming down.

Sound and visual barriers need to be installed as part of the project.