Don’t follow Victoria on grain lines, warns GrainCorp

<p>GrainCorp managing director Tom Keene has warned the New South Wales Government against leasing out country grain rail lines to the private sector, saying that the Victorian experience has been "disastrous". </p> <p>NSW transport minister John Watkins is expected to issue an options paper shortly on management of 11 remaining grain lines. There have been fears the options include private leasing with control over train access.</p> <p>Mr Keene told a NSW Farmers Association grains conference in Moree that private leasing would replicate the system in Victoria, described by the Victorian transport minister Peter Bachelor as "unworkable" with reform still continuing. </p> <p>Mr Keene said that Pacific National and its predecessor Freight Australian had used all their monopoly power to block potential competition. </p> <p>"Regardless of who manages the network, and who operates the trains, access to the track needs to be administered transparently and impartially by government,&#8221 he said. &#8220We need a viable access regime which is not subject to commercial interests."</p> <br />