FREIGHT trains are expected to become a more common sight coming through Hamilton in the future following the announcement of a Federal Budget commitment on Tuesday night of an upgrade investment of $150 million for the 172-kilometre Maroona to Portland line.

Both Southern Grampians Shire Council (SGSC) and the Rail Freight Alliance (RFA) released statements welcoming the news, with the latter calling the announcement “imperative, given the mineral sands 900,000-ton annual freight task to commence within two years”.

“If this freight was to go by road, it would have been devastating for the communities along the route,” RFA chair, Glenn Milne said.

“Safety, amenity, road longevity matter to all Victorians as well as to the Victorian economy in getting reliable freight paths to export.”

SGSC mayor, David Robertson said this was a huge win for the region not only in improving road safety but also adding to the local economy.

“There has been a growing demand for mineral sands to be brought from the Horsham and Wimmera area towards the Port of Portland where road freight is currently the only viable option due to the current ARTC (Australian Rail Track Corporation) level of service on the line,” he said.

“To move some of that freight back onto rail will undoubtedly help improve the overall condition of local roads. We know our communities have been impacted by 24-hour-a-day truck movements of B-doubles or bigger which has posed a multitude of challenges for the maintenance of those roads.”

The line connects the western half of Victoria to the national grid and the Port of Portland and the funding will increase axle limits ultimately removing 40 kilometres per hour speed restrictions on the line to an increased speed of 80km/hr.

SGSC Councillor and RFA member, Katrina Rainsford congratulated the Federal Government on funding the important project.

“I join members of the Rail Freight Alliance in congratulating the Federal Government on providing the much-needed funding to upgrade this important rail freight route,” she said.

The line was leased by the Victorian Government to the Federal Government and has been managed by the ARTC and RFA chief executive, Reid Mather said, “The ongoing challenge for the Alliance was who pays”.

“The additional grain from the standardised Mildura line and the mineral sands freight task has demonstrated the need for this investment,” he said.

He said the Port of Portland is Western Victoria’s best deep-sea Port and was experienced in handling mineral sands concentrate.

“This upgrade will serve the Victorian community well and demonstrate to successive governments the value of rail freight investment,” Mr Mather said.

Wannon MP, Dan Tehan was also pleased with the announcement.

“This is welcome news and builds on some of the great work and the great advocacy that’s been done locally,” he said.

“The (previous) Coalition government funded a business case to look into the merits … and then there was election commitments given by both the major parties to fund the upgrade.

“It builds on the continuity of the business case.”

Cr Robertson said the decision validated continued lobbying from SGSC and they will continue to advocate for priorities with delegates travelling to Melbourne later this month to table other key issues within the Southern Grampians.

“To have a project like this funded locally, will also have a positive impact on our regional economy and the related industries,” he said.