Grains infrastructure needs urgent attention

<p>Grain rail networks could be lost without an urgent review of Australia’s rail infrastructure, the head of Single Vision Grains Australia (SVGA) said this week. </p> <p>SVGA, the industry-funded grains body established last year to examine the major challenges to the industry, has commissioned a study by consultants Strategic design and Development (Sd+D) to focus on specific infrastructure concerns. </p> <p>SVGA chief executive Selwyn Snell said there was a raft of issues that needed addressing, including slow trains, decaying rail tracks and a lack of efficiencies across the network.</p> <p>&#8220Lack of investment and maintenance is hitting the Australian grains industry hard,&#8221 Mr Snell said.</p> <p>&#8220Maintenance constraints have cut the amount of product that trains can actually carry and the trains have been forced to slow to a crawl in some areas due to the extremely poor state of the tracks.</p> <p>&#8220The longer we wait to tackle the decline, the harder and more expensive it becomes.&#8221</p> <p>Sd+D would conduct several studies into grains infrastructure with industry participation encouraged, he said.</p> <p>&#8220Papers will be circulated to all stakeholders with an opportunity to engage in detailed discussion for input into the final strategy documents,&#8221 Mr Snell said.</p> <p>The consolidated strategy paper will be released in December.</p> <p>Mr Snell said the paper would be sent to the state and federal governments for consideration and action. </p> <br />