Article: Mayor voices fears for outback rail services

[ozbob]

From the ABC Western Queensland click here!

Mayor voices fears for outback rail services

Mayor voices fears for outback rail services

By Chrissy Arthur

Posted April 14, 2011 09:03:00

A western Queensland mayor says he fears train services to the state's south-west will be axed.

Quilpie Mayor David Edwards says while the State Government has promised to retain the line to Quilpie, there have been no trains to the town for four months.

He says all rail freight and passengers have been transported by road.

Councillor Edwards says he is worried QR National voluntary redundancies, to take effect from tomorrow, will be another nail in the coffin for local trains.

"We've got the line ready to use but there is no-one using it at the present time," he said.

"There are 42 cattle wagons parked here and three good wagons, no engines of course ... but that makes you think that there are no livestock trains travelling anywhere on this south-western line."

Mr Edwards says retaining train services to the region will be vital.

"It's a very worrying situation for all of Queensland," he said.

"It's the movement now of big numbers of livestock, which we know are going to come out of all the Channel Country and western Queensland for the next couple of years at least.

"The roads are in such a mess - there are going to be problems moving livestock."

The LNP's Vaughan Johnson says he has been unable to find out when trains might run again to Quilpie.

"What we are seeing for every cattle train that's not on the road it's another 18 B-double trucks," he said.

"Some of these redundancies are track maintenance people themselves. These are the very heart and soul of keeping these trains operational by maintaining the track.

"We've got a real disaster on our hands here."

QR National says there is currently a high demand for resources and track space for customers on the south-west line.

It says livestock services are currently scheduled to coincide with the start of the cattle season.

A spokesman says road freight services are continuing because of track capacity restrictions imposed by Queensland Rail which is limiting train paths available.

[ozbob]

Sometimes I think railways don't want to run railways ...

[colinw]

I thought these services were covered by Community Service Obligation payments.

[somebody]

Sometimes I think railways don't want to run railways ...

I think the same.

[petey3801]

This Mayor does realise that the Western Line was completely out of action for 3 out of those 4 months, does he not? Seems like a political point scoring, scare campaign to me. (Not that i'm saying what is/has happened on the railway is a good thing however!)

[somebody]

This Mayor does realise that the Western Line was completely out of action for 3 out of those 4 months, does he not? Seems like a political point scoring, scare campaign to me. (Not that i'm saying what is/has happened on the railway is a good thing however!)

I was thinking that also.  At least he could have mentioned that in his comments.  Although possibly he did and the media didn't report it.

[colinw]

There may be a certain amount of paranoia at work here, as Quilpie went for over a year without any livestock trains up to mid 2010.

I think it is a fair bet that QR and the Government would happily be rid of the line west of Miles, and probably everything west of Emerald on the Central line as well.

[mufreight]

There may be a certain amount of paranoia at work here, as Quilpie went for over a year without any livestock trains up to mid 2010.

I think it is a fair bet that QR and the Government would happily be rid of the line west of Miles, and probably everything west of Emerald on the Central line as well.

Might have been no livestock trains but freight services were operated which are now no longer operated with general freight now being moved by road.