Mayor of Lockyer Valley Council, Queensland, Tanya Milligan has urged her community to have their say on the Inland Rail proposal draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) before the deadline on 23 June, warning the impact of the Helidon to Calvert (H2C) line section would be devastating for many in the region.
“At its capacity, our region will experience 1.8km double-stacked freight trains up to 50 times, day and night which will have a considerable impact on the townships of Helidon, Grantham, Gatton, Forest Hill and Laidley.
“Time is running out and we need our residents to wrap their heads around exactly what this project will mean for the future of the Lockyer Valley because it is exceptionally important for our region long-term.”
The Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) has predicted noise from the trains would cause sleep disturbance for residents living within one kilometre of the train line, currently about 175 houses. However, based on the World Health Organisation’s statistics this figure could be up to 4500 houses in the corridor by 2040.
With construction set to take several years, the project would also have a direct impact on the region’s road network, with the EIS indicating a significant increase in construction-based traffic on our roads.
“We are starting to really understand the full impact across our region including noise, vibration, land use, traffic and transport.
“This project will have a generational impact on our region and we’re yet to see any meaningful benefits to our community. National benefits shouldn’t come at the cost of our residents.”
The Inland Rail proposal aims to provide a rail network stretching some 1700 kilometres linking Melbourne and Brisbane using a combination of existing and new track alignments.
