Article: End of an era at Thallon

[ozbob]

From the Balonne Beacon 22nd July 2010 page 1

End of an era at Thallon

End of an era at Thallon

In July 2011 Thallon will celebrate 100 years since the township and railway was established.

Named after the then Commissioner of Railways, JF Thallon, its connection with the very reason the town came to exist is virtually over with the closure of the Queensland Rail depot earlier this month.

Three workers chose redundancy packages and another has relocated to Warwick. Wayne Lasserre, 53, was a month shy of notching up 26 years with Queensland Rail.

He is a second generation rail worker with his father Malcolm working at Thallon, Bungunya and Daymar. There are no longer any Queensland Rail workers west of Goondiwindi with two Dirranbandi employees taking redundancy in June.

With the line from Thallon, east used to transport grain from the grain silos to Brisbane, the line will continue to be maintained from Goondiwindi. Thallon workers had been responsible for the line between Dirranbandi and Talwood.

Wayne can remember when five or six workers were based at Dirranbandi and two gangs at Thallon. He said that since the early 1990s, 38 workers from Goondiwindi to Dirranbandi line have been made redundant or relocated.

26 years ago flat top section cars, travelling at a top speed of 30km/h were used to get to jobs, since replaced by the more comfortable mode of transport, an air-conditioned truck.

Wayne moved out of his house of 22 years on Sunday, not working to continue renting the house his has lived for so long. He hopes to buy a block of land near Thallon and find employment locally, with a good wheat harvest anticipated in October.

"I'll put my hand to anything. I've done station work and had worked at Bullamon Plains for 10 years." Wayne and former workmate Lenny Death are currently looking for work, while Andrew Mitchell has picked up farming work and operates the local roo box. Jim Radcliffe has a supervisor's role at Warwick.

While Queensland Rail offered to relocate workers to Goondiwindi there is no QR housing and workers were concerned about the high rent. Wayne said there was no guarantee of a job beyond 2012 and it was uncertain if redundancy would still be available. One worker's redundancy estimate was $20,000 more than the eventual payout.

"It is a shame. I would have sooner kept my job but we were better off taking redundancy now than potentially walking away with nothing in two years' time."

A Queensland Rail spokesperson said: "The Thallon-Dirranbandi line has not been used since mid-2009, and after consultation with the local community the Queensland Government and Balonne Shire Council agreed to close the line from July 1, 2010. Fourteen million dollars of rail maintenance funds saved by closing the line will be diverted to improving roads in the Balonne region including sealing and upgrading the Noondoo to Thallon road and resealing sections of the Castlereagh Highway between Noondoo and the intersection with the Carnarvon Highway."

"Queensland Rail's Thallon track gang closed on July 9, 2010 following formal consultation with the four track maintenance workers." "Two of the workers rented Queensland Rail houses - one person continues to rent a house and the other has moved out. Queensland Rail is currently preparing the properties for sale, with first option being given to the existing tenant."

[mufreight]

Another short-sighted move by an incompetent government.
The Cotton and grain from Cubbie Station is now left with no alternative but to be moved on road, the figure of $14 million to maintain this section of line is another selective wrought of the figures.
If the section of the line is removed because that segment is not sufficiently profitable the freight that it generated is lost for its entire transit, the lower volume of freight then carried on the adjoining section then renders it also less than viable and then justifies its closure and so on until such time as there is no rail in the South West beyond Toowoomba, the increased costs of the road transport both direct and indirect then make the rural sector and communities less viable and further contract the production from those areas and see the contraction of rural communities themselves.
Just great as a concept, we can all go on the dole because this government in its short-sighted ill-considered policies has rendered it impractical to work and make a meaningful contribution to the community by the removal of basic services that government is obliged to provide.
 

[Jonno]

Great more trucks on road, more pollution, more road trauma, more demand for oil, more noise along major truck routes.        

[ButFli]

The article doesn't say anything about closure of the line?

[ozbob]

"The Thallon-Dirranbandi line has not been used since mid-2009, and after consultation with the local community the Queensland Government and Balonne Shire Council agreed to close the line from July 1, 2010 ...

[WTN]

Fourteen million dollars of rail maintenance funds saved by closing the line will be diverted to improving roads in the Balonne region including sealing and upgrading the Noondoo to Thallon road and resealing sections of the Castlereagh Highway between Noondoo and the intersection with the Carnarvon Highway."

Sadly, the money will be diverted to road transport instead of redirecting it towards other parts of the line. At least the corridor is preserved should it be required in future.

[Jonno]

The should will become when.  It is only time...and not too long at that.

[ButFli]

I can done read good!

[somebody]

Playing devil's advocate, if the line hasn't been used for about a year, why's it a big deal if they stop maintaining it?

I agree that it is sad.

[mufreight]

The Thallon - Dirrinbandi section has not been used because the government withdrew services on the basis that there was not sufficient loading to warrant them, the beancounters if it is not a full train we are not interested methodology, the problem now being that from Cubbie Station alone now that the drought is over there could well be in excess of 50000 tonnes of grain and 10000 tonnes plus of cotton this year that will nor be moved by road for its entire journey to the ports rather than by rail.

[colinw]

I might add that a few years ago the grain board wanted to upgrade the line beyond Thallon to Noondoo, and increase grain loadings out of Noondoo.  The QR quote to perform the upgrade caused them to abandon the proposal.  That grain goes by road now.

With the cotton industry and better grain seasons, plenty of traffic is available in the area.  Sadly the will to win that traffic away from road does not exist.

The line from Goondiwindi to Thallon should now be considered "endangered".

Any Class B line with low axle loading where a 1720 class is required should be considered to be on "death row".  Cunnamulla & Quilpie to start with.

[Matt]

I wonder if the Grain Board could accept quotes from a 3rd party contractor, QR probably gave them an astronomical figure because they wanted to close the line as Cubbie was in the grip of drought and hadn't planted any crops for a few years, but the drought's over for the time being and record crops will be harvested soon.
It seems QR does the opposite of promoting their business.