Melbourne’s inner west suburbs are getting a raw deal with the Western Distributor to be dumped on them, along with extra traffic, air pollution concerns and loss of open space. Doesn’t that sound horribly familiar to what the previous LNP government attempted to do to our inner northern suburbs?
Please show your support for alternative solutions and sign Public Transport Not Traffics Freight On Rail petition
Dear Premier Andrews,
Melbourne’s over-reliance on trucks to deliver our freight task is both economically and environmentally dangerous.
Without immediate investment in freight on rail facilities at the Port of Melbourne, more and more heavy trucks will be clogging up our suburban streets, costing us $billions in wasted time and condemning local communities to increased diesel and noise pollution.
Our port is already underproductive and is at risk of losing business to Sydney’s Port Botany if we don’t immediately shift a proportion of our metropolitan freight onto rail.
As you know $58 million has already been budgeted to upgrade the rail terminal at Swanson Dock to create a link between the Port of Melbourne and key industrial areas across the city.
Your government has demonstrated a willingness to tackle traffic and improve our economy by scrapping the East West Link tollroad and pledging to build Melbourne Metro. Now you can lead the way by getting Melbourne’s freight onto rail and ensuring all regions across our city benefit from economic development.
As has been proven in NSW, investment in metropolitan freight on rail pays real dividends by creating reliable distribution networks, attracting business and easing local traffic.
Mr Andrews, we urge you to fund the rail terminal upgrade to Swanson Dock and complete the link to inland hubs using the $58 million already budgeted.
