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8/12/2019 Upfield Line - No Way for Freight
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Upfield LineNo Way for Freight
The news that the Linking Melbourne Authority is considering doubling the number of tracks on the
Upfield Line to run freight trains has caused shock waves in my municipality of Moreland. The
Upfield line passes through Brunswick, Coburg, Pascoe Vale and Fawkner.
Moreland like many other municipalities is currently struggling with issues of development.
The State Government is rightly positioning Melbourne to accommodate significant population
growth and is asking local government, and by extension the community to decide where those
additional people will live. The strategy was set out in The Plan Melbournedocument released in
2013.
One guiding principle that we at Moreland City Council thought we understood with certainty from
the Plan Melbourne was that medium and high density development, particularly in the older and
inner city suburbs was best placed along existing transport routes, be they major roads or rail lines.
The rail reservation owned by Victrack along the Upfield line has long been viewed as appropriate
for medium density development and indeed some work has already commenced at places like the
Jewel Station area in Brunswick.
Moreland Council saw the rail reservation as an opportunity to regenerate and revitalise those parts
of the municipality which, to put in bluntly, had been left almost derelict in the years after the
decline of manufacturing in Moreland.
Anyone who has ever ridden the bike path that follows the rail line is all too aware of the many areas
of vacant land which could be used productively to create safe, attractive residential, commercial
and public spaces for the community to live, work and play.
In other words, the Upfield Rail reservation land was an extremely important part of Morelands
overall plan for urban renewal.
Can it still play that role with freight trains rattling through the northern suburbs, Coburg, Brunswick,
Royal Park and past the Zoo? A big freight train can haul dozens of wagons and can take many
thunderous minutes to pass.
Future housing development along the Upfield line is only one of the issues that this proposal could
impact on. Moreland already has more level crossing per kilometre of rail line than any other
municipality in Melbourne. Already there is significant traffic congestion at the level crossings at
Brunswick Rd, Moreland Rd and Bell Street every day of the week. These major linking roads dont
work as they should and the current commuter timetable on the Upfield line is limited to try and
alleviate this problem. Neither road nor rail commuters are happy. Imagine adding many major
freight trains a day to that mix!
Moreland has been working to find solutions like separating road and rail at places like the Bell
Street level crossing which is a metropolitan arterial road and the responsibility of the StateGovernment.
8/12/2019 Upfield Line - No Way for Freight
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Where do these plans sit now? Will the Linking Melbourne Authoritys plan come with the money to
provide grade separation for every level crossing on the Upfield line? Better still will the State
Government commit to undergrounding the line to remove the problem entirely?
An underground rail line would improve the amenity for thousands of residents living along the
railway line and make available valuable land for urban regeneration and development. It would be
consistent with the objectives of Plan Melbourne, absorb development pressure and allow for many
of the heritage areas of our suburbs to retain their character.
Even former Victorian Premier Jeff Kennett who drove a radical plan of public authority privatisation
and privately constructed public infrastructure in the 1990s has changed his view. Late last year he
said that now was the time for the State to build an underground metro rail network while interest
rates were cheap. He was right.
The State Government had two opportunities to flag its thinking on this issue last year with the
release of both Plan Melbourneand the state freight plan. It is poor planning when the first timeyou hear about such significant proposal is a thought bubble from a Government trying to address
the shortcomings another poorly planned projectthe East-West Tunnel.
This issue is much bigger than Moreland saying Not in my backyard thanks.
The State Government needs bold, integrated policies that deliver for the people of Melbourne.
Allowing the Linking Melbourne Authority to drive through such a significant decision which would
impact on so many people would truly be putting the cart before the horse
Cr. Lambros TapinosMayor of Moreland
26 February 2014