Planning and Infrastructure Minister Alannah MacTiernan plans to amend the Transport Coordination Act to require the use of rail transport for the haulage of timber products in the state's South West.
Planning and Infrastructure Minister Alannah MacTiernan plans to amend the Transport Coordination Act to require the use of rail transport for the haulage of timber products in the state's South West.
Under the amendment, timber companies will need to apply for a permit to cart woodchips and logs via road to the Port of Bunbury if rail transport is not a viable option.
The regulation aims to make rail transport more competitive with road, and keep the region's rail infrastructure in place and operating on a commercially viable basis.
It will also work to reduce the number of road trains sharing country roads with passenger cars.
Ms MacTiernan said the government had already committed $14.45 million to the Greenbushes Intermodal Facility and other associated rail infrastructure in the south west catering for plantation timber and woodchips.
The government would now expect rail line operator ARG to make an investment in the upgrade of parts of the track in anticipation of the increase in rail traffic.
The amendments are expected to take effect from December 1, giving rail operators sufficient time to make track upgrades if necessary.
The arrangement will be similar to that already applied to Mid West iron ore industry, where permits are issued to mining companies allowing them to transport bulk iron ore by road if rail is not viable.
The full text of yesterday's announcement is pasted below
The State Government will regulate the haulage of woodchips and logs in the South-West to ensure that the movement of timber products by rail destined for the Port of Bunbury is economically viable.
Planning and Infrastructure Minister Alannah MacTiernan said she had today signed off on an order to amend the Transport Coordination Act, to take effect from December 1, 2007.
The regulations were now being prepared for gazettal.
"We want to provide the best balance between road and rail freight, to ensure the impacts of freight on communities are minimised and that valuable rail infrastructure is not lost," Ms MacTiernan said.
"Without some regulation, it is clear it will be impossible to keep important rail infrastructure in operation.
"So far the State Government has committed $14.45million total funding for infrastructure with the intention of working in partnership with industry to ensure rail is competitive with road transport.
"This investment is intended to provide for the movement of about seven million tonnes of plantation woodchips and logs transported by rail in the South-West over the next 10 years.
"It would have led to a significant reduction of truck traffic on the South West Highway.
"However, it was proving impossible for the timber companies and the rail operators to reach agreement on a realistic price because of the amount of product being lost to competitors using road transport."
Other initiatives to improve traffic conditions on the South West Highway included:
- from 2001-02 six new overtaking lanes and an extension of an existing lane have been constructed, along with the widening or reconstruction of approximately 14km of highway;
- in 2006-07 a further 3.6km of widening and reconstruction south of Donnybrook was funded from the Safer Roads program and was completed in May 2007; and
- five kilometres of shoulder sealing north of Greenbushes is programmed for June/July 2007.
The Government already required that iron ore road haulage operations in the Mid-West were licensed under the Transport Coordination Act for those operations within 100km of a serviceable railway to use rail.
Under this arrangement, permits had been issued to mining companies allowing them to haul bulk iron ore by road transport where rail transport was not a practical option.
