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Wangaratta Chronicle 220923

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www.wangarattachronicle.com.au

Phone (03) 5723 0100

FRIDAY, September 22, 2023

Weekend Edition $1.80 INC. GST

Building will be demolished

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Hospital exceeds surgery target

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Rovers gunning for premiership

GET YOUR TICKETS TO THE LAST HURRAH Tickets for what is expected to be the final ever Wangaratta Jazz & Blues Festival are on sale now with popular regulars Katie Noonan and Wilbur Wilde among the drawcards for the event. Pictured (from left) are festival board members Noah Barling, Geoff Davidson, Dave Fuller and David Godkin shuffling off to the WPACC box office to get their seats. Full story page 2 PHOTO: Kurt Hickling

Sport

Rail line standoff State Government,, ARTC track maintenance dispute p risks service back in the slow lane

NORTH East MPs fear a funding dispute could see the return of slow, unreliable travel for North East Rail Line (NERL) passengers if not resolved. A standoff between the Australian Rail Track Company (ARTRC) and the State Government over the funding of ongoing maintenance on the North East Rail Line has raised concerns the track will return to freight standard,

BY BAILEY ZIMMERMANN bzimmermann@ nemedia.com.au

after $285 million worth of upgrades were completed only two years ago. The upgrade to a Class 2 standard track, similar to other V/Line tracks around Victoria, allowed the introduction of VLocity trains on the line and cut

travel times from Melbourne to Albury by 30 minutes. Indi independent federal MP, Helen Haines, recently raised concerns from the Border Action Rail Group in regards of the ongoing maintenance of the line with Federal Transport and Infrastructure Minister, Catherine King. Ms King confirmed that after discussions with the ARTC, they would require “a reasonable increase” in

ongoing rail access charges from the State Government in order to maintain the line to a Class 2 standard. “I am informed that while ARTC has continued to commit additional funding to maintain the NERL to the Victorian Class 2 standard, the Victorian Government has not deviated from the historic position to not contribute to an increase in ongoing rail access charges and line maintenance fees,” Ms King said.

“Regular inspections occur on the NERL corridor, with the most recent results indicating the network continues to be in good condition. “However, in the absence of further funding being provided by the Victorian Government, the track will be maintained at ARTC’s freight track standard.” If the track is to return to freight standard, trains will have to adhere to slower

maximum speeds of up to 30km/h slower on passenger V/Line trains according to Victorian rail standards. A State Government spokesperson told the Wangaratta Chronicle this week that the Department of Transport and Planning is continuing to work with the ARTC under the current terms of the lease and that the ARTC was responsible for the maintenance of the corridor. ■ Continued page 2

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