Residents fear rail link

By Paul Dunlop
CARDINIA residents fear their homes might have to make way for freight trains if a controversial rail link proposal goes ahead.
Locals say they are concerned about the ramifications of a proposal to build Victoria’s next international shipping container at the Port of Hastings.
The 30year project costing up to $4 billion could see new road and rail links established though the Cardinia Shire.Cardinia resident Catherine Manning said many residents felt threatened by the proposal.
“A lot of people are freaking out about this,” she said.
Residents were due to gather at the Cardinia Hall last night (Tuesday) to air their concerns.
The public reaction comes after the Department of Infrastructure recently released the draft Port of Hastings Land Use and Transport Strategy for community consultation.
The cutoff date for submission has been extended until 22 December to give more time to review the document.
Mrs Manning said many people felt they had not received adequate notification of a proposal that could have a major impact on the area.
The preferred freight route connecting the port to Gippsland would include the PakenhamKooweerup Road with a local bypass of Kooweerup.
In years to come, a new rail corridor could also run alongside the BaxterTooradin Road before cutting through Cardinia Shire to Pakenham.
Port of Hastings chief executive officer Ralph Kenyon said the strategy represented a longterm plan for the future growth of the port.
The project won’t be completed until about 2035 but is expected to provide strong economic benefits to the region.
Hastings port has deeper water than Melbourne’s port and can accommodate most large container ships.
Mr Kenyon said the strategy remained in draft form and could change over time.
But he acknowledged Pakenham as being a major potential player in the project.
“Our study has investigated a number of road and rail transport corridor options, including development of a new rail link to Pakenham to pick up Gippsland trade,” he said.