Sykes: North East Rail upgrade

Source: Bill Sykes Media Release 1.08.08

Benefits of the recently announced upgrade of the railway line between Seymour and Wodonga could be further maximised according to Nationals Member for Benalla, Bill Sykes.

In welcoming the proposed North East Rail Upgrade in Parliament this week, Dr Sykes highlighted three issues in particular that had been brought to his attention recently by constituents.

“First is the re-opening of the Glenrowan Railway Station. Things have changed since it was closed in the 1980’s. The population of Glenrowan and the surrounding area has increased as has the need for public transport as the population ages and the cost of fuel rises.

“Glenrowan is the hub of regional tourism with Ned Kelly as the focus with other attractions such as the Warby Ranges National Park and wineries and restaurants in both the Warby Ranges and the King Valley.”

Dr Sykes referred to the investment of millions of dollars of Local, State & Federal funding in Glenrowan including further plans to spend more on the provision of reticulated water and sewerage to facilitate growth of the Glenrowan community as a place to visit and to live.

“A functional railway station at Glenrowan is obviously a key part of the future of Glenrowan, especially given the recent announcement that the State Government plans to spend $20m on the rehabilitation of the nearby Mokoan Wetlands with the expectation of attracting 300,000 people per year”, he said.

He continued, “Another issue is the need to standardise the Oaklands-Benalla Railway line. Failure to do so will result in hundreds of thousands of tons of grain being transported by roads at great cost to local roads and to the grain producers.

“My colleague, Mr Ken Jasper, Member for Murray Valley this week led a deputation which discussed this issue with staff of the Minister for Transport. The response was encouraging but much more work needs to be done.

“The third issue is the strong desire of local people at Benalla to have input into the reconfiguration of the Benalla Railway Station. Discussion between Benalla Rural City and the Department of Transport on this matter are progressing satisfactorily.”

Dr Sykes concluded, “I look forward to working with the Minister for Transport and Department of Transport staff to achieve the best possible outcomes on these issues.”