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www.wangarattachronicle.com.au
Wednesday, March 9, 2022
Jiara wants to ‘Break the Bias’
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WAY OF THE FUTURE KYLIE Wealands and daughters Georgia (10) and Emma (8) are calling on the Federal Government to subsidise the Omnipod Insulin Management System (Pods) for all type 1 diabetics. Kylie and Georgia have helped trial the new technology. Story page 5 PHOTO: Kurtis Hickling
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Station designs arrive Plans p Pl progress g to create safer f p pedestrian d i underpass, d p , move eastern track k NEW designs show that a pedestrian underpass will replace two existing footbridges at Wangaratta Railway Station to accommodate double stacked Inland Rail trains in future years. The Australian Rail Track Corporation released designs for the new works on Monday showing a completely revamped station precinct that will
BY STEVE KELLY skelly@ nemedia.com.au
include the relocation of the existing track and platform on the eastern side of the station to run parallel with the existing track. Key improvements include a new access area
to the station from the Spearing Street side of the tracks which will further connect the whole station area to the newly revamped railway precinct and CBD. Wangaratta Mayor Dean Rees expects the works to cost in excess of $15 million based on the cost of the works council undertook on the railway precinct on the eastern side of the station. He noted that the design
of works on the western side of the train tracks would be most welcome as that area has been “an eyesore” for the last 50 years. “Councillors are in support of the ARTC’s designs, the parking and improvements to the Spearing Street side that are practically an increase to the size of our CBD,” he said. “It will allow for all-day
parking and connect well to the new railway precinct. “With council spending $6.5m to improve the railway precinct, we believe ARTC will spend in the vicinity of $15m and it will make it a recognised area for the Rural City of Wangaratta. “It will create the investment opportunities in the future because there is a big commercial area
and there are a number of businesses that could change hands over the years and get rejuvenated.” There has been some conjecture around the underpass model from the Wangaratta Rail Action Group, which maintains its belief that the better option would have been to lower the tracks to accommodate the double stacked trains. ■ Continued page 2
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SUNDAY 13TH MARCH 2.00PM, WANGARATTA SHOWGROUNDS Hosted by Wangaratta Rod & Custom Club Inc. wangarattahotrodclub@outlook.com
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