The largest inland council in New South Wales says inaccurate data is being used in planning documents relating to the multi-billion-dollar Inland Rail project.
Wagga Wagga City Council (WWCC) last night signed off on a scathing submission to the state planning department about the project's Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Albury to Illabo rail section in southern NSW.
"Limited consultation with WWCC on issues of concern has caused the use of inaccurate data, incorrect conclusions, an incomplete EIS, and a risk to the efficient functioning of the City of Wagga Wagga," it said.
Acting mayor Jenny McKinnon said the council was in favour of the project, despite its concerns.
"There is no advantage to the people of Wagga in this coming through the centre of the city unless all of these issues are addressed," she said.
The Inland Rail project has been in process since 2006. It is backed by the federal government and is being delivered by the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC).
It will eventually see a rail line between Brisbane and Melbourne established in a bid to improve the movement of freight across the country and will utilise the pre-existing rail corridor that runs through the middle of Wagga.
Ms McKinnon said the council would like an alternate route considered that did not go through the centre of the city.
"We do know in other areas where the EIS has been done for other sections," she said.
"Other parts have been able to get a bypass or a different route to what was originally put forward."
Data discrepancies
The council's submission says within the EIS Traffic and Transport Technical Paper it is stated that a 1,800-metre-long train, travelling at 80 kilometres an hour, would result in local level crossings — including one near Wagga Wagga Base Hospital — being closed for two minutes.
But the council found closure times of up to four minutes at the crossing at Bourke/Docker streets in the city, for a train under 1,000m long.
"Our staff actually went and did train counts, also speed counts of the freight trains to pass through those level crossings and we found our data was very, very different," Ms McKinnon said.
The council also raised concerns about the ARTC's data when it came to noise and vibrations.
"The numbers used for [the] level-crossing impact assessment are lower than the noise and vibration study," it said in the submission.
"This brings into question the effectiveness of the EIS as a holistic document."
The ARTC said the group had been consulting stakeholders since 2017.
It said the EIS study had been undertaken professionally.
"We believe the data and impact assessments in the EIS are both accurate and justifiable based on the document evidence," a spokesperson said in a statement.
Neighbouring council praises consultation
Junee Shire Council, which shares a border with WWCC, is more positive about the consultation process relating to the project so far.
"From the level of consultation that we've been receiving from the ARTC, it's been very good," general manager James Davis said.
"It's been open and come back to council many times and most issues have been resolved. [But] there are still some outstanding items."
Mr Davis says the council has been in ongoing discussions with the ARTC about pedestrian access over the Kemp Street bridge in town, which is proposed to be raised by nearly 3m as part of Inland Rail.
"The ARTC is now proposing to create a separate pedestrian bridge from the road transport bridge, which will be fully compliant with disability standards. So we think that's a win," he said.
