<span class="" id="parent-fieldname-description"> Automated signaling will be added to rail lines in North Geelong and Dunolly, Victoria, the state government has announced. </span> <p>The commitment is part of the Victorian government’s $28m Transport Solutions program, which aims to improve freight transport infrastructure in the state.</p><p>$3.2 million will be spent to automate signaling at North Geelong and at Dunolly.</p><p>Victorian minister for ports David Hodgett said the planned investment would have “an economic domino effect that pays dividends all the way down the supply chain from the regions to the ports.”</p><p>“The automated signals here will provide improved access to the Geelong Grain Loop and Corio Independent Goods line, while the upgrade at Dunolly will provide 24 hour access to and from the Sea Lake and Manangatang lines,” Hodgett said.</p><p>The minister said the news should please freight and export businesses in the region, as the automated signaling should improve the service along key lines to and from ports in the area.</p><p>“The Port of Geelong has seen record growth in recent years and last year reached its highest level in trade in over five years,” Hodgett said. “We have seen an increase from 1.6 million to almost 2.6 million tonnes of grain handled, and this project will support that growth by improving the efficiency of grain trains running between silos and the port.”</p><p>Actual throughput at Geelong has grown by more than 50% since 2010.</p><p>“Recent modeling indicates the trade is set to triple by 2030,” the minister said. “Today’s investment supports this continued growth and protects one of Geelong’s most valuable assets – one that currently creates more than 1,600 jobs and adds nearly $404 million to the local economy every year.”</p><p>Angus Trigg, GrainCorp’s director of government and media, welcomed the announcement.</p><p>“We believe this project could allow up to 500 additional train movements through our Geelong port each year, removing the need for about 20,000 truck movements in the region,” Trigg said.</p><p>He went on to describe any removal of bottlenecks “a win for growers and good for the grain industry.”</p><p>“The Victorian Government has been very proactive in acting on the recommendations of the Grain Industry Logistics Taskforce, and we look forward to working with the government to deliver on other taskforce recommendations,” Trigg added.</p>
