City opposes rail corridor option to boost capacity

The potential for a rail line close to the centre of Rockingham has been met with staunch opposition from the City, while local industry experts claim it is essential for commerce to thrive.

A rail reserve that was established in the Metropolitan Region Scheme in 1968, running parallel to Dixon Road, could be completed to connect the current Kwinana rail loop to existing infrastructure, but would mean a rail track crossing a number of prominent Rockingham roads.

The City of Rockingham thinks the rail reserve would not be needed in the future and hence have planned the layout of the city around the assigned land.

The current rail system in the Kwinana industrial area is close to capacity.

The Department of Transport confirmed that an investigation is under way to explore whether the rail reserve could be completed.

“Work is currently under way to investigate various corridor alignment options through the Kwinana Industrial Area to facilitate freight rail due to capacity issues at the Kwinana Triangle,” a spokesman said.

“If a viable alignment is identified the land may be secured in the Metropolitan Region Scheme to safeguard land for a future potential rail corridor.

“The reservation has remained in the MRS and has undergone various modifications over time, largely to facilitate passenger rail access.

“Work has been undertaken to investigate existing and future freight rail need (and) identified that the Kwinana Triangle is running at high capacity.

“The Dixon Road rail reserve is considered as one of the potential solutions to this problem.”

City of Rockingham Mayor Barry Sammels said that should the link be completed it could play havoc on local planning, given that it crosses four roads, and impacts on residential properties.

“If they follow through it goes within 100m of residential properties,” he said.

“The City of Rockingham are disappointed that a rail reserve could be reinstated when it was originally put in place in the 60s and in the 1990s was taken out.

“We have done all our planning over the last 25 years not believing it would be reinstated.”

Mr Sammels said the City had not been consulted over the potential to complete the rail reserve and would campaign to find an alternative solution.

Kwinana Industries Council director Chris Oughton said a solution was needed to help industry grow and attract new businesses.

“The current rail network in the industrial area is at or near capacity and if we want the industrial area to be able to expand then their needs to be more capacity introduced,” he said.

“The obvious way to do that is to turn it from a one-way in, same way out system and convert it to a loop arrangement that links to the Mundijong line and the rest of the Perth freight network.

“This was envisaged when the Kwinana Loop Railway Act was created in the 1950s; nothing has changed.”

The Department of Transport said the matter had been advertised for public comment, submissions received and once evaluated a report would be presented to the WA Planning Commission later this year.