There's still no news on the environmental effects study promised some months ago, regarding the damning 2010 EPA report on the noise and pollution effects of the Regional Rail Link. There's still no indication that the Department of Transport and the RRL project team will factor noise or pollution controls into the design of the new tracks.
Maribyrnong Council hopes to push the Federal Government for national rail standards. In the meantime, we can all help to lobby the government by writing to the Victorian Minister for Planning, Matthew Guy. (Details below).
Some Railway Place residents have written letters (see example 1 and example 2), feel free to borrow from these letters or write your own. The major themes we see as important are:
- A lack of state or national rail standards relating to noise and pollution
- An imbalance between road and rail projects - some noise/pollution standards exist for residents affected by major road construction; there is no protection for those affected by rail works
- A lack of transparency regarding design elements included in the tender documents for the construction of various rail sections - are noise control strategies included or not? If not, why not?
- A lack of protection for communities – we want a proper assessment, we want the results to be made public, we expect mitigation strategies to maintain levels of noise and pollution to national and international and national best practice.
- An unwillingness to discuss the most appropriate solutions for individual sections of the track - there won't be a "one size fits all" solution to noise mitigation.
Matthew Guy
Minister for Planning
Level 7, 1 Spring Street
Melbourne, VIC 3000
matthew.guy@parliament.vic.gov.au
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