Regional Victorian communities are looking for a smoother run when getting their grain to Victorian seaports thanks to the Murray Basin Rail Project.
The $416m Murray Basin Rail Project aims to standardise and upgrade the entire regional rail network, boosting safety, capacity and freight service reliability.
Lines from Geelong to Mildura, Manangatang, Sea Lake and Murrayville are to be standardised while the unused standard gauge connection between Maryborough and Ararat is to be reopened.
This is expected to solve the “missing links” in the Victorian freight network, linking regional Victoria to the ports at Melbourne, Portland and Geelong, as well as improving connections to South Australia and southern New South Wales.
Geelong and Portland are notable for the trade in dry bulk commodities such as grains, mineral sands and hardwood woodchips.
Portland chief executive Jim Cooper said last year that record exports of forest products from bluegum hardwood plantations were a major contributor to record volumes.
“Two major Australian forestry investment funds, Australian Bluegum Plantations and New Forests, who in recent years invested over $1 billion in forest assets in the Green Triangle Region, are now exporting large volumes of hardwood chips to China,” he said at the time.
These are some of the industries expected to get a boost from the Murray Basin Project.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews joined Cooper and Portland Mayor Robert Halliday on a tour of Portland last year.
Andrews noted the extra funding would help the south-west.
“By better connecting Portland to primary producers across North Western Victoria and over the border into New South Wales, the $416m project will boost the amount of product exported through the port, supporting jobs and driving economic growth in South Western Victoria,” Premier Andrews said.
“Our commitment to the full Murray Basin Rail Project will bring big benefits to Portland, providing direct access to North-West Victoria and New South Wales for the first time.”
The project has also received support from local governments, with Mildura Rural City Council Mayor Glenn Milne last year describing it as a “fantastic commitment”.
“Agriculture, freight and transport are key industries in our region, and this announcement will help better connect our primary producers to major ports,” Cr Milne was quoted in local media last year.
“I want to acknowledge the hard work of the Murray River Group of Councils and the Rail Freight Alliance who have worked together to present a unified, strong business case for this project,” Cr Milne was quoted in the Mildura Weekly.
Not only would the project move commodities more efficiently, it would also ease pressure on the regional roads network, a network that has been badly damaged from heavy flooding in recent years.
Lloyd’s List Australia recently reported that progress was being made with the installation of new sleepers being installed between Maryborough and Mildura.
Minister for Agriculture and Regional Development Jaala Pulford welcomed the works while calling for additional support from the Commonwealth.
The broad gauge sleepers currently being laid in Maryborough are to make the main freight line safer and more reliable straight away, paving the way for the next project phase.
Because the sleepers are wooden, they can be easily converted to standard gauge, reducing the time the Mildura line will be closed during Stage 2 of the project, when Murray Basin freight network is standardised.
In all, some 100,000 sleepers are to be laid between Maryborough and Mildura, of which nearly 30,000 have already been installed. The state government has put $220m toward the MBRP – more than half the project cost.
“The Murray Basin Rail Project will enable primary producers across North Western Victoria to get more produce to port, more efficiently – boosting jobs and the regional economy,” Ms Pulford said.
“The Andrews Labor Government has put $220 million towards this project, and is calling again on the Federal Government to pay their fair share.
“They have had the business case for the project for more than six months and it’s time for them to support farmers, their families and our economy, and commit this vital project.”
Victorian manufacturer Austrak is to supply more than 125,000 concrete sleepers for the Project, supporting more than 20 jobs at their Port Wilson facility, as well as almost 300 jobs the project is expected to create.
The project is expected to see 95% of its materials sourced from within Australia, with 90% being sourced directly from regional Victoria suppliers.
This article originally appeared in the April 14, 2016 print edition of Rail Express affiliate Lloyd’s List Australia.