THE State Government has assurred growers that none of the grain freight network's rail lines will be closed just yet.
Releasing the long-awaited recommendations on the narrow gauge rail network's future viability this week, Transport Minister Simon O'Brien said all the lines would be maintained this harvest even though some had been singled out for closure by the report's authors.
Mr O'Brien said the Strategic Grain Network Committee (SGNC)'s review considered all of the historical and contemporary issues facing WA's grain freight network.
The independent committee was chaired by Professor Fred Affleck of the Freight and Logistics Council, and included representatives from CBH, Australian Railroad Group, WestNet Rail, peak grower groups, and personnel from Federal, State and local governments, including WALGA.
The document classified the rail network into three classifications:
Tier 1: the core line sections that form the basic structure of the network, mostly carrying heavy volumes
Tier 2: branch lines where rail services are based on current access rates and above-rail costs, but where an investment choice is required
Tier 3: branch lines where volumes are low and services are non-competitive with road and are not candidates for reinvestment (see map)
The report said that by closing the Tier 3 lines, capital expenditure of $93.5 million would be saved.
But Mr O'Brien said the WA Government was committed to keeping as much grain as possible on rail instead of roads, and would keep all lines open in the short term.
Mr O'Brien said the challenge was not to have a "devolution from rail to road" because the regional road network was not in sufficiently good condition to handle this heavy freight export task.
To address the issue, State Cabinet had approved a $6.9m Transition Assistance Package for the current harvest to keep grain running on what, at present, were uneconomic lines.
"The State Government has seen the need to keep grain on rail on a number of uneconomic lines for a period of time until infrastructure investment in roads and upgraded grain receiving points on the rail network takes place," he said.
Mr O'Brien said the State Government recognised that some non-economic rail lines would ultimately need to be put into care and maintenance if the industry opted not to use rail as the preferred mode of grain transport.
The major tiers of the network would receive significant funding in a set of measures Mr O'Brien said was designed to bring greater security and certainty to the rail system.
"State Cabinet has committed to fund a 50 per cent share of the $43.5m required to complete the re-sleepering of the Avon to Albany rail line," Mr O'Brien said.
"This financial package will increase the volume and efficiency of this strategically important asset and provide certainty to graingrowers and the freight logistics sector."
However, part of the package's effectiveness depends on a sizeable contribution from the Federal Government.
"Discussions will be sought with the Federal Government to seek similar funding," he said.
Mr O'Brien was confident that Commonwealth monies would be forthcoming because he had been reassured that the Federal Government would come to the party.
"The Commonwealth has a responsibility to contribute, because it deregulated the grains industry," he said.
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