Prioritisation on safety was the key message conveyed by John Holland Rail (JHR) as they hosted the second phase of consultation to reduce trespassing in the rail corridor at Wellington.
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Representatives from Dubbo Regional Council, JHR, NSW TrainLink, GrainCorp and Michael White attended the on-site meeting on Wednesday where they discussed legal access requirements at the station and at the silos along the corridor.
The first stage of work will be to install steel fabricated fencing along the rail corridor. It will be based around the perimeter of the railway precinct from Warne to Maxwell Street.
The plans also include an upgrade to the overhead foot bridge. Plans for the bridge feature a wheelchair friendly design through a series of ramps, slightly north of the existing bridge. It will align with the middle of Swift Street.
Local businessman, Michael White, welcomed the plans which he is hopeful will double in improving safety and reducing Wellington’s alarming trespassing figures.
Mr White said while his twister silos along the line have been victim of vandalism over time, his focus is the safety aspect of Wellington.
Figures from John Holland Rail show on average 60 trespassers every day cross the line which is the highest in NSW.
- Michael White
“Wellington has got the gong for being the worst trespassing at a non-selected area in NSW,” he said.
“Figures from John Holland Rail show on average 60 trespassers every day cross the line which is the highest in NSW.”
Mr White said he has witnessed first-hand the gamble people make as they walk along the rail line.
“At the moment people cut holes in the existing chain wire fence and walk along the tracks,” he said.
“I witnessed the other day a guy racing across in front of the XPT – he got across, but if he’d have tripped he wouldn’t have made it. What we’ve got is not effective at the moment so we have to trust in this.”
A JHR spokesperson said the public will be notified once planning has concluded and a time frame for the works is decided.
“John Holland Rail on behalf of Transport for NSW continue to work on an appropriate engineering solution to reduce trespassing in the rail corridor at Wellington,” they said.
