Ballarat Rail Gate Debacle Under Scrutiny In Parliament
The disgraceful situation surrounding the ongoing closure of Ballarat’s Lydiard Street railway crossing has been raised in the Victorian Parliament.
It is almost a year since a passenger train failed to brake successfully, sped through the historic station at 100kms/hour and smashed through the heritage gates.
Member for Western Victoria, Bev McArthur, has asked the Minister for Public Transport when Ballarat residents and businesses can expect the problem to be solved.
“My question to the minister is: when will the Lydiard Street railway crossing be reopened,” Mrs McArthur asked.
The closure has stunned locals who cannot believe the crossing remains blocked.
A meeting last week between an increasingly irate City of Ballarat Council, the Department of Transport and V/Line failed to provide either a solution, timeline, or deadline.
The blocked-crossing impedes vehicle movements on one of Ballarat’s busiest streets, diverting traffic away from the otherwise popular area.
The closure is also reducing foot traffic in the area – an historic CBD precinct - which includes the Ballarat Art Gallery.
The crossing is also one block away from the office of the Member for Wendouree, Labor’s Juliana Addison, who has been conspicuously silent on the matter.
“The Government has not produced a specific plan for reopening the crossing.
“It is unthinkable that in these difficult economic times the Victorian government would not be doing everything in its power to revitalise regional city centres.
“Shame on the government for damaging Ballarat businesses’ viability and residents’ job prospects,” Mrs McArthur told the parliament today.
The cause of the accident is still under investigation by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau with the final report not expected until the end of the year. The safety of the train’s braking system was questioned in the preliminary report.
Last week, Mrs McArthur raised concerns about the safety of Victoria’s train fleet questioning if the incident was a `one-off’.
“The Victorian public needs to know that the state’s trains are safe", she said.
16 March 2021