Inland Rail - Albury to Illabo

I generally and strongly oppose the ARTC's proposal that the Inland Rail should be constructed through the centre of the city of Wagga Wagga as detrimental to the nature of the city, posing an environmental threat to the heritage areas both residential and commercial that surround the railway precinct, and the negative impact on community comfort, movement and safety during construction but also in the longer term due to increased duration of road closures. An alternate route that skirts the city to the south-east would be far preferable.
I would be interested to know how this really benefits the City of Wagga Wagga. How will the citizens of Wagga benefit from additional trains traversing our city (up to 45 per day), slowing our traffic movement, and causing potential harm through lack of access by emergency services (medical, police and fire), and increasing potential damage due to vibration and disturbance to homes and residents due to increased noise levels? What percentage of our region’s farmers who WILL access this service are actually locals who spend their money locally and what percentage are large multi-nationals or foreign owned organisations whose profits directly leave the area and Australia.
I am also seriously concerned at the selective inclusion of some 'sensitive receivers' (i.e. Kildare Catholic College), but not of the residents who are much closer to the railway line (only 25m). Throughout the report, ARTC has used jargon and minimising statements to present the impacts of these works in residential areas as unimportant and acceptable. This is not so. There are also inaccuracies and omissions around light impacts and increased sound for the adjoining residences in Donnelly Avenue, however there are serious omissions in excluding the homes in Little Best Street (facing Edmondson Street) and even Fox Street and Brookong Avenue, whose noise levels over any 24-hour period will be increased several hundred-fold. The proposed 40 trains per day is nearly 2 every hour, day and night.
Further, the communication around the proposal has been disingenuous, with short or no lead-up times for meetings and consultation sessions and ineffective attempts at communication. We live in these houses. We are not hard to find and communicate with.
Further, I concur with the views given by a fellow-resident, TC, and would add my name to his submission.

We live on the train line and have received no consultation about the effects this will have on our home during construction and afterwards when the train line is busier with larger trains.
We also have concerns around the length of the trains and how that will impact traffic, particularly emergency services, around the level crossings.
I’m worried this will negatively impact the value of our property especially as there have been no measures taken to mitigate noise and impact on residents.

It would make more sense and less impact to divert the trains around wagga rather than right through the very heart of our city causing untold noise and disruption - and that’s just in the construction phase.

To conclude I am strongly opposed to the inland rail being further developed through our city and believe there are much more suitable alternatives that can be of benefit to the entire community

as per attached

ARTC continues to communicate that they as an organisation have been in contact with resident's to consult with them during the planning stage of this project.
Not once have we been consulted or has any communication from ARTC about this project.
We received 1 letter box drop of a single pamphlet that had a QR code on it to scan for information.
This is unacceptable and does not comply with due process.

We are concerned by the lack of care for the residents of wagga who are expected to put up with a doubling of the train volume and capacity.
There has been no mention of any upgrade to the 1500mm high chain link fence to something thats higher and provides some sort of acoustic mitigation. On top of that the current fence has holes throughout its length and has become a place kids and teenagers hang out and wander the tracks.
When we asked a representative at a local meeting at council (which we had no idea about until we read about it in the paper that morning) if there was any plan to upgrade the fence or fix it he said that is not in the scope of works for this project which we find ridiculous. Planning to upgrade the bridges and train line to double the train volume and quadriple the load/freight and a fence that seperates this soon to be extremely busy corridor isnt considered?

We are also worried about the value of our house if this project goes ahead and therefore are strongly against this project. This doesnt just affect us that live on the train line but hundreds of houses that are all within one block of the train line.

The freight trains as they are stop right outside our house so the other trains can pass on the other line and with the proposed doubling of the trains in volume and height this is guaranteed to create loads of extra disruption.

We have major concerns about the delay the construction and the ongoing nature of the increase in trains will affect the response times of emergency services responding to emergencys.

A bypass is the most logical thought rather than putting 20-40 freight trains through the center of our city on a daily basis.

In conclusion we dont believe this is the right thing to do and believe a bypass is the best option.
We strongly oppose this project proposal in its current form.

The train should be diverted around Wagga, not through Wagga and my reasons for this;
*My heritage house might incur damage from increased vibration, therefore extra financial burden.
*Property value depreciation
*noise to increase. Sleep disturbance leading to poor health
*Increase in pollution from trains therefore, toxic to our health.
*Frequency of trains to increase which will lead to disruption to traffic, especially on Docker street which is already heavily congested during peak times. My concern especially for Emergency services cut off from the hospital etc.
Residents on railway should be compensated if it goes ahead? Is this allocated? Windows, higher fences?

See attached

See attachment

I absolutely Object to the Inland Rail route barging through Wagga Wagga City as it would create numerous, extremely detrimental, unmitigatable Public Health & Safety Risks for the people of Wagga & visitors - including extensively blocking critical Emergency Services, negotiating dangerous gradients for motorists, increased danger.annoying noise nuisance for school children crossing & local for residents walking & idling in their vehicle.

Wagga Council & Politicians should NEVER have supported this idiotic plan, which is nothing but placating the biggest political donor & their Intermodel Hub, when this Wagga route is clearly NOT IN THE BEST INTERESTS OF AUSTRALIA - WITH NARRANDERA - SHEPPARTON BY FAR THE SUPERIOR OPTION FOR THE GREATER GOOD.

Neither do the people of Wagga want or deserve constant deliveries of contaminated recycling waste VIA inland Rail in the disingenuous name of ‘Clean, Green SUStainability!
NO CONTAMINATED VISY WASTE DUMP FOR WAGGA!!
Big Cities need to learn to manage their own waste properly & NOT keep trying to contaminate Wagga’s limited, irreplaceable land & vital water sources.

MY FAMILY & I DO NOT CONSENT TO THIS STUPID PLAN THAT IS PRIORITISING A BIG BILLIONAIRE’S
POLITICAL MANIPULATIONS FOR HIS OWN MONETARY GAIN OVER THE HEALTH & WELFARE
OF THE WAGGA COMMUNITY.

WE DO NOT CONSENT TO ANY OF THE SERIOUSLY DETRIMENTAL IMPACTS RESULTING FROM THIS NON-SENSICAL, RISKY MORAL HAZARD - ECONOMIC, HEALTH, ROAD SAFETY, NOISE NUISANCE, FRUSTRATING WASTE OF TIME & INCREASED EMISSIONS FROM IDLING DUE TO BLOCKED TRAIN.

I moved to wagga a year ago to avoid stimulation and in this time the trains have increased. I have Autism and im extremely senstive to sound. I have tried multiple things to deal with sound like playing music outloud whilst wearing earplugs and the best noise cancelling earmuffs and can still hear the trains. I know there is other people with Autism that live in this area. The noise of the trains shakes the windows in the beautiful old home I live in. I beg you to reconsider this project as it will affect me negatively.
I also wish to suggest the following:
1. Dilapidation reports on all buildings and dwellings near the construction zones. These old beautiful homes are already being affected by the trains and will be affected futher by this project
2. Creating a local traffic zone around the edmonsdon st bridge and mothers bridge construction areas. The increase noise from construction and an increase traffic due to contrusction will cause me to suffer futher.
3. Permanent closure of the western end of erin street as part of final edmonson street bridge plan. Currently Erin st is being used as a shortcut and there is an increase in traffic which is noisy and not safe with all the animals and children living in this local area.
4. A condition of use that all locomotive engines using A21 line are fitted with exhaust baffles to minimise their noise. Im begging you for this. This adjustment would make all the difference for people that autistic or not.
5. Rail by-pass to go through the city of wagga and avoiding the homes of erin street.
I apperciate being able to share my opinoin. Wagga is beautiful and peaceful. I hope this peace can continue. Please hear the requests of the people. See and hear the humans affected in this plan. Have a nice day.

Good evening,
In was unable to attend a drop in session but I live on 5 Erin st Wagga Wagga NSW. I wrote A submission last year, and never received a response. I have some concerns and would like to raise them.

We live in a heritage area to the south of the train line, just west of Wagga station. We are very concerned about the impact of more trains, longer trains and heavier trains along the train line that passes through the middle of town. Trains that do not have to pass any noise or vibration standard to my knowledge.
Particularly we are concerned about:
1. Train line through town. A bypass would be so much better for the long term growth of Wagga, which some people claim will have a population of 100,000 within 20 years (Daily Advertiser, 21 Apr 2022). The current track near Wagga has sections of one line, so additional track needs to be laid anyway. While this may delay the project it would be far better for the Wagga community long term. I believe that many people are only just realising the true impact of this project and that a bypass is in the best interest of the growing rural town of Wagga Wagga and it should still be considered. I am shocked that the council and local members did not do more to object to this project going ahead without a bypass being included.

2. Damage to older buildings. Please require that dilapidation reports are done on the buildings, like ours on Erin St, both before and after the track / bridge upgrading works and commencement of Inland Rail, so that it can be known if damage has been caused by the process and operation. Currently our windows often rattle due to different events on the trainline and being older buildings and having a distinctive style, they cannot just be replaced by new windows. I would think that the vibrations we already feel from trains would indicate we are likely to experience damage in our 80 year old house from the increased height trains. We want action on this matter before any double story trains run.
3. Noise from locomotives. I understand that there is an option to have exhaust baffles fitted to minimize their noise. Please require that to be done for the benefits of all houses and people living near the tracks. A bypass would be better. As a resident of Erin street, living near the train line now I can attest that the greatest noise from the trains and vibrations are from the engines, therefore I ask that the baffles be mandatory as a noise mitigation strategy on all engines.
Yours sincerely, Natalie Ellis

Please see the following attachments:
- Wagga Residents & Ratepayers Association (W.R.R.A.) Submission
- ConceptOverallBypassPlan - this map shows a suggest bypass route for Inland Rail, along with a suggested Heavy Vehicle Bypass as well.
Thank You

I strongly object to the proposal.
My biggest concern is the rail crossing at Bourke and Docker Street.
With increased train numbes and the longer length of trains, this will cause major delays between the northern and southern suburbs of Wagga Wagga.
Bourke and Docker street are main arterial roads.
My second concern is that the increased noise, vibration and volume of trains will impact not just me personally but many others as this will continue to run straight through our backyards.
I can see that other new track is being built in other areas in this project, so my can’t Wagga be bypassed ??

Failure on the part of the Government not to choose the best option for the route rather than the one local developers wanted with no consideration for the impact the Inland Rail will have on the citizens of Wagga Wagga. Not unbelievable, but just another example of the corrupt thinking of certain governments. It is time he problems were addressed properly - not just given a shoulder shrug.

The issues remain:
Major traffic bottlenecks both during construction and when it is completed at the Bourke/Docker Street level crossing and the Fernleigh Road level crossing. These are already horrendous without trains, let alone the addition of extra trains.

Extra truck movements on local roads to transfer freight to the Intermodal hubs. These roads are not built to take this sort of traffic - just shifting the problem from one community to another. Noise and pollution from them to local populations.

Of course the traffic problems also apply to the villages between Albury and Wagga - but it appears they don't matter. Culcairn is a serious issue.

Noise on surrounding properties; Vibration and subsequent damage to properties: people will no longer have full amenity of their homes - windows will need to be kept closed year round. How much of the "budget" will need to be spent on compensation and rectification for these property owners?

Pollution from the engines. Great, I thought we were more environmentally aware.

The Federal Government has said they accept all the suggestions from the Schott Report, yet we have heard nothing of how, where or when a future bypass will be implemented. No doubt giving local developers the opportunity to buy-up all the land.

If the Government was to be really pragmatic, the trains would be limited in height between Melbourne and Illabo - thus saving many millions of dollars, which could be used to develop the bypass.

It is very easy for Inland Rail to turn a blind eye to the level crossings in Wagga - "they won't affect the trains, therefore not our problem". But the problem is created by the trains and therefore as the causation is the increased number and length of the trains, then it IS their problem.
Forward thinking would have saved a lot of hassles - the right route would have been the Shepparton to Parkes one. There are existing rail corridors, so no major acquisition needed; the freight from the MIA would transfer readily to that route, but as usual developers and business have their own way.

A serious anomaly is the suggestion in the Preferred Infrastructure Report is the suggestion that freight trains heading north from Junee will be in greater numbers than those heading south. This seemingly suggests that all Griffith/MIA freight will go to Brisbane... odd I thought people in Melbourne need to eat too. Better check that.

Parkes can have a by-pass; Albury already has bridges over the rail lines but in Wagga no one has the brains to think outside the box and actually have a vision of what could have been achieved.
It is a waste of taxpayers money to have to rebuild perfectly acceptable bridges and pedestrian crossings in the name of feeding the local businessmen pockets and a politicians ego, when there are viable options to be followed.

The Inland rail is a means to build the Nation not the wallets of a few locals.
There needs to be more serious consideration given to the ongoing impact on the City of Wagga Wagga. Our population is expected to be around 100,000 by 2030 and we are being sacrificed to 19th century technology and mindset.

Time to consider the people who will be affected by this project. Yes the Nation benefits but local people are being ignored.

No consideration has been given to the fact that coal (a large part of rail freight) will be a diminishing product in the next few years as the world switches to green power sources. Don't over invest in double stacked freight trucks. Many of the freight cars currently going through Wagga can only be single stacked - they are not containerised.

I object to this project because of the following: in making this further submission it is important to note that on page 9 of the summary of findings ( options and alternatives including a bypass of Wagga Wagga) the issue highlighted by many local residents and groups was the major negative social impact on the whole community and residents living near the rail corridor especially in Wagga. Again on page 10 of this document under the heading ( Wagga Wagga Precinct key issues) this is referenced at the top of the list of major concerns for the Wagga Wagga community. The planning for a bypass of Wagga has been ignored by the planners of this project despite the fact that the proposed route passing through detrimentally and permanently physically and socially divides the regional city of Wagga Wagga. As a priority a bypass of Wagga should be investigated and funded as part of this proposed overall project. Why was this not completed earlier? The proposed work on page 4 lists major changes and major modifications to the railway corridor which will result in major and continuous noise and access interruptions to the current amenity, social and community infrastructure and well being of residents. The lack of planning a bypass around Wagga Wagga is a glaring example, almost contempt of our community. I attended the recent inland Rail community consultation and provide this feedback: sound walls on both sides of the tracks must be installed along the Brookong Avenue location and extended to Donnelly Street and south Wagga Public and Little Best Street area and on the other side of the tracks to protect Erin Earth and Kildare College site. Sound walls are essential on both sides of the track for the entire rail corridor through Wagga Wagga to mitigate the 24/7 constant noise and vibrations proposed in this project. How will storm water be managed on this project and is there modelling on known flooding and storm water issues that will be created by this project?Traffic modelling around the Wagga Base Hospital and health precinct - has this been completed and what are the known impacts for emergency services including ambulance and other first responders like the fire department? More sound and vibration modelling must be completed in the Brookong Avenue and Kildare College/ Donnelly & Little Best Street areas as I am very concerned that this requires further analysis. Inland Rail must increase their schedule of public community consultation in Wagga as the community as a whole remains confused and unaware of this proposed project. Also accessibility design for people in mobility vehicles eg gophers and wheelchairs to Edmonson Street bridge must be situated on both sides of the road to respond to known disability demographics in our community as well as future ageing population needs.

We live in a heritage area to the south of the train line, just west of Wagga station. We are very concerned about the impact of more trains, longer trains and heavier trains along the train line that passes through the middle of town.
Particularly we are concerned about:
1. Train line through town. A bypass would be so much better for the long term growth of Wagga, which some people claim will have a population of 100,000 within 20 years (Daily Advertiser, 21 Apr 2022). The current track near Wagga has sections of one line, so additional track needs to be laid anyway.
2. Damage to older buildings. Please require that dilapidation reports are done on the buildings, like ours on Erin St, both before and after the track / bridge upgrading works and commencement of Inland Rail, so that it can be known if damage has been caused by the process and operation. Currently our windows often rattle due to different events on the trainline and being older buildings and having a distinctive style, they cannot just be replaced by new windows.
3. Please consider closing the western end of Erin St. This street is already busy and would be drastically busier while Edmonson St bridge is closed for its reconstruction. A temporary closure would help during the track/bridge works and then the situation reviewed once construction is complete – to decide on permanent closure or not.
4. Noise from locomotives. I understand that there is an option to have exhaust baffles fitted to minimize their noise. Please require that to be done.

As a priority 1 action a bypass for Wagga Wagga should be investigated and funded as part of this overall proposed project.
I attended the recent Inland Rail community consultation in Wagga Wagga and have reviewed the public information available:
I request the following to be analysed and included in the scope of this project:
In addition to the proposed sound/noise barrier wall running the full length of Brookong Avenue due to the known substantial impacts that will occur to the residents in Brookong Avenue and Roma Street - the sound wall should also be extended along the full length of Cassidy Parade (south) to Bourke Street as these residents are going to be substantially impacted as well by this proposed project and a sound wall must be extended to include the rail frontage of Kildare College and South Wagga Public School. Pronounced accoustic and reverberation that will emit from the tunnel underneath the Edmondson Bridge is of major concern as is the accessible design on this bridge to allow community members to utiise this link (on both sides of the road/bridge) via wheelchairs and other mobility support devices. The bunching sounds of the trains has not been adequately factored into the sound assessment in the Brookong Avenue and Donnelly Ave/Little Best Street /Kildare College & South Wagga Public School area. When the sound walls are installed along the Brookong Avenue area there will be a gap between residents back fences and the wall - this will create an entrapment risk, attract vandalism, crime, dumped rubbish and fire risk - how will this be addressed - will residents be requested to remove their back fences so that the sound wall becomes their new back fences? How does this work? When you are outside in your backyard in Brookong Ave or Roma Street modelling needs to be released on what level of noise residents are going to experience even with a sound wall installed as this noise is going to negatively impact on residents sleep, mental health and health generally. Operational noise and vibration remains a huge concern to residents and more sound monitoring and recording needs to occur on this site. A sound wall on both sides of the tracks should be installed through out the entire rail corridor of Wagga Wagga to mitigate 24/7 constant train movements proposed. Regular drop in session (bi monthly) should be established so that local residents can walk in and talk to someone about what is happening with this project (face to face) and more community consultations sessions need to be organised and promoted well and must consider after hours times so that people who work 9-5 can get there. Please release the traffic modelling on Bourke and Docker Street that I assume has been completed so residents and businesses can understand what impact this is going to have on the local road network. No idling of trains should be planned or allowed in the Wagga Wagga City rail corridor this will only exacerbate the constant high level noise and vibrations experienced by the residents and businesses. What modelling has been completed on ambulance response times and alternate routes required to respond to emergencies across the City and get patients to the Wagga Base Hospital?