Wednesday, 15 September 2021

 Dr CUMMING (Western Metropolitan) (14:07): (1509) My question is for the Minister for Transport Infrastructure, and it is from a resident in Werribee. The action that I seek is for the minister to address the allegations made against the level crossing removal authority—including those of overstating costs, avoiding improvements and the failure of the U-trough railway bridge to meet safety standards—and to answer my constituent’s questions.

The regional rail authority voiced concerns about the safety of the beams carrying trains over the roadways where the rail crossing had been removed and are concerned that the level crossing removal authority is building bridges that do not meet their guidelines for an event when a train comes off the tracks. Now, engineers claim that U-trough railway bridges have not passed safety modelling for carrying heavy V/Line and goods trains. The level crossing removal authority acknowledge that the beams cannot withstand any likely derailment loads from freight trains at nominal track class speeds, yet their CEO dismissed these claims, stating that the beams are safe.

The regional rail authority engineer has also stated that it took months for the level crossing removal authority to respond to even a small safety improvement to works that did not meet the standards. That engineer further stated that it is regrettable that the level crossing removal authority has done all it can to overstate any cost, avoid any alternatives and avoid improving the beams to near-compliance design.

There has already been a fatal derailment at the Werribee Street North rail crossing—a few years ago—which now has the subject beams in place over a busy road and a community space. A derailment has occurred at the Princes Highway overpass in Laverton, causing substantial damage to a passenger train, and a goods train derailed at Werribee station, virtually demolishing the platforms. So derailments are not unusual and do occur occasionally and as such should be considered in the design process without question.

Has the public interest been completely ignored? Who vets the authority’s projects and the supposed benefits? What authority and expertise does the level crossing removal authority have to determine the questionable or absolute safety of its projects? My community needs reassurance that these issues will be addressed and that the proper decisions will be made for them and their families’ safety.