MARIBYRNONG residents are one step closer to fresh air and quiet nights.
Residents met with key stakeholders for the first time last Thursday to address the diesel emissions and noise that plague homes along the freight line running through the City of Maribyrnong.
Maribyrnong City Council organised the inaugural Maribyrnong Rail Transport Emission Working Group in response to a forum held last June, at which residents voiced their concerns.
Members included Maribyrnong residents, freight operator Pacific National, VicTrack, the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC), the National Transport Commission, Tottenham Railway Yard and the Department of Human Services.
West Footscray resident Sara Pheasant said the group discussed at the meeting the unpleasant odour of fumes, coughing from breathing fumes, the noise of trains left idling at Tottenham railway yard and houses shaking from passing trains.
“I thought it was a constructive beginning to this process,” she said.
Ms Pheasant said residents also raised concerns about plans to expand the freight rail network in the West.
“I would like the stakeholders involved to ensure that the quality of life of residents was improved and not worsened when it comes to any upgrades on the rail line – such as the proposed redevelopment of the Port of Melbourne,” she said.
Maribyrnong councillors Janet Rice and Catherine Cumming also attended, with Cr Rice chairing the meeting.
Cr Rice said it was an introductory meeting that focused on establishing each of the stakeholders’ individual responsibilities for the freight rail line.
“We wanted to find out the nature of each group – who does what,” Cr Rice said.
“The meeting was very valuable; we were setting the ground work to find solutions to problems”.
The line under debate is the national freight rail line that loads containers at Footscray docks and then links to the rest of Australia through the western suburbs.
Cr Rice said the line passes Raleigh St, Moreland St, the Bunbury Street tunnel and the Tottenham railway yards.
She said residents living in these locations often suffer the most from noise and diesel emissions.
“They have great clouds of smoke wafting through their windows at times,” she said.
The working group’s terms of reference include establishing protocols regarding noise and emissions. They will also consider other amenity issues.
Residents also raised the issue of the ARTC laying a third track at the Tottenham railway yard.
They had the opportunity to request that the ARTC consider, as part of their upgrade proposal, relocating signals and idling points along the rail line to reduce the impact of emissions and noise on residents.
Cr Rice said the ARTC told the group they would be developing a communications strategy and would be seeking community consultation after they had developed the project’s proposal.
The working group’s second meeting will take place in October.
Cr Cumming has also invited the ARTC and the Pacific National to attend a public meeting on 26 September to address residents in the Bluestone Ward.
She said the ARTC would respond to questions about the Tottenham railway line upgrades and Pacific National would explain why the freight trains cause noises such as “screeching of wheels” and “clanging”, among other issues.
“The meeting will go a long way to improving the relationship between residents and the rail industry, increasing an understanding between neighbours,” Cr Cumming said.
