I would like to support the Berrima Rail Project. I support the Hume Coal Project (as per my submission) and I understand that the Berrima Rail Project is required for the Hume Coal Project to go ahead. Again I believe the benefits to the community are great than the potential costs to the community.

I have been living in Kings Road as an owner since 2009, I knew my property was only 200 mts from the Robertson railway line and understood at the time the amount of rail movements. The thought of these coal trains now proposed upward of 12 times a day would effect my health and well being. Of course when my house was built in 1917 there was no railway at all!

Berrima Rail Project DA: SSD7171

I object to this project because of the communities which will be negatively impacted by this, especially schools by the rail line.

I believe this project and any other related to it (like the Hume Coal Project) will have detrimental effects on the whole Southern Highlands region which already has established itself as an area with clean water, air and soils and has developed businesses and industries around these great qualities. It is also a water catchment area, this cannot be threatened by projects such as this! (Derailments, vehicle accidents, coal dust and other pollutants)

I object to all Hume Coal, and coal/ coal seam gas projects in general. I do not believe these projects are healthy in any way for our local communities - socially, politically, economically, environmentally, psychologically, emotionally. These projects take too much out of communities and do not give back enough.

This is a submission to the Berrima Rail Project EIS. SSD 7171
I object to this proposal and believe it should be rejected for the following reasons:
- The scope of the IES is inadequate as the Hume Coal Project significantly impacts the Berrima branch line and the Unanderra to Port Kembla branch line. Now the Tahmoor mine will operate into the future and the extra traffic from Hume will double the amount of coal train traffic on the Unanderra line.
- Whilst a grade separation is proposed for the Old Hume Highway, Suttor Road in Moss Vale, Sheepwash Road and Illawarra Highway, crossings are completely ignored. These last two crossings experience high levels of traffic in morning, afternoons and weekends. Many of the road users are tourists unfamiliar with the local area and rail level crossings. The Suttor Road crossing is used by both Moss Vale local residents and industrial area traffic. With the increase in heavy rail traffic these crossings pose an unacceptable risk to public safety and to rail staff.
- Pedestrian traffic including school children are seriously at risk in Moss Vale and Robertson. Robertson in particular has a number of pedestrian crossings and road crossings that are inadequate and poorly fenced.
- The rail line runs approximately 30 metres behind the 160 student Robertson Primary School. The children play and spend time on the oval area that runs beside the rail line. Coal dust and noise pose an unacceptable health risk to school children and school staff "There may be no safe threshold for fine particulate matter and the effects are linearly related to concentration." (WHO and Australian National Pollution Inventory).
I urge the government to reject this project as it proposes an unreasonable risk to public health and safety.

I wish to support the Hume Coal Project. It provides an opportunity for employment where so many jobs have been lost in mining due to the economic downturn

The extension of the rail project is going to impact of a wide area and should not be permitted at this stage due to safety reasons related to storm and flood waters which affect this train line.

The recent results of a water flow study by the Shire Council identifies several,areas in Moss Vale and towards the South that are often inundated and definitely going to be worse off with changes in weather pattern.

Continued development of residential areas within this section is going to generate more water flow and cause greater water flow problems.

The report identified poor soil and shallow channels as a major factor in this water retention.

Much of this excess water falls into the ARCT tabledrains and this alone must undermine the stability of the line.

Council and the ARCT have failed to successfully address this water flow problem and adding a new dimension such as an increase in traffic on this line can only add to the problem as maintaining the clear passage of flood waters within these drains has not been a priority so far.

The water flow study identifies caulvets and tabledrains that need replacing with much larger structures to get water away quicker.

All of this suggests that this line is not maintained well as it is now.

Increased traffic with much longer trains on this line will also impact on the following:
Motor traffic and build up which is almost at crisis point now.
Air quality. Our home is a dust bowl as it is with the small traffic on this line. We have installed a large medical grade ventilation system to deal with the dust as it is.
Greater noise polution

I object to this project SSD7171 & recommend that it be rejected

The rail proposal severely under estimates the deleterious impact it will have across the Southern Highlands. The local vehicular traffic interruptions will be significantly greater, particularly at level crossings like Sheepwash Road & Illawarra Highway Robertson which are already traffic danger areas.

there are over 19 level crossings where waiting times for trains to pass will increase by 50% on each occasion & the overall number of trains expected on the line will also increase. the likely disruption to local life has essentially been ignored. People will find it difficult to go about ordinary life such as taking children to & from school & travelling to & from work.

there has been insufficient consideration of integration with the existing rail operations particularly at the Unanderra end of the line

as it is presented this is a poorly thought through project needing significant revision that will incur significant additional to be effective or acceptable

I ask the government to reject this proposal

I am a strong supporter of the Berrima Railway Project for the following reasons:
* It will enable the transport of coal by rail instead of road.
* It improves local rail access.
* It will minimise impact on the local road system.
* It improves the viability of the Hume Coal Project.

I object to the proposed Hume Development Application for the coal transport rail project

One of the reasons for my objection is that coal dust would be distributed throughout the unique villages of the Southern Highlands by prevailing winds and passing coal trains (the proposal would result in four long coal trains every day from Medway to Port Kembla through Moss Vale and Robertson - and back).risk to public safety and to rail staff. The rail line runs behind the Robertson Primary School. The children play and spend time on the oval area that runs beside the rail line. Coal dust and noise pose an unacceptable health risk to school children and staff

Another reason is that the rail crossings on Douglas Road and Collins Road in the Moss Vale Enterprise Corridor will also be compromised by the increased traffic. Pedestrian traffic, including school children, are seriously at risk in Moss Vale and Robertson. Robertson in particular has a number pedestrian crossings and road crossing that are inadequate and poorly fenced.

Please DO NOT approve this dangerous proposal.

The Berrima link Rail sould NOT go ahead. It is too close to the population of Berrima.

Pollution from Coal trucks, covered or otherwise will send clouds of crystalline cyclica into the air, the 2.5 micro settling into the lungs of locals, with the result of lower respiratory conditions which need treatment and Hospitalization.

Noise from the train in a tight curved loop will exceed the decibels level required from the Government.

The number of train journeys, 24 hours a day will have a horrendous impact on the local community, with hold ups at level crossings for ambulances, police and communities.