Rail Freight Alliance Chair, Councillor Mark Byatt welcomed the multimillion-dollar commitment from the Victoria State Government to upgrades of the Mildura rail network.
“This is great news for the State of Victoria, particularly Regional Victoria; the Rail Freight Alliance has long advocated for upgrades to this line and this commitment from the State Government is fantastic.
“This project has the potential to be a game changer for Western Victoria
“The terms of trade for agriculture continue to challenge producers; Victoria needs a world class freight transport system.”
The investment is an important one for Western Victoria; thousands of tons of product need to be transported from the region and the freight task is continuing to grow.
The impact and cost to the local and state road networks would continue to increase if an investment was not made.
Deputy Chair of the Rail Alliance, Councillor Geoff White joined many of his Councillor colleagues along the Mildura line corridor in welcoming the funding.
“This project has been on the agenda since we first formed in 1997.”
The announcement from the Premier means that maintenance works continue on the line while the business case and further funding is finalised.
“The Alliance will continue to work with the State Government on this project, and advocate for Rail Freight Improvements across the state” Cr Byatt said.
