Railway_Digest__February_2018

Western Australia
CBH Group – ARC Infrastructure
extends interim rail access agreement
The CBH Group has signed a one-year extension to its current interim
rail access agreement with Western Australian network operator Arc
Infrastructure. The agreement provides grain growers’ cooperative CBH
with access to the WA rail freight network for 12 months from 1 January
2018 to 31 December 2018.
CBH General Manager Operations David Capper said it will be business
as usual for the current harvest. “The agreement ensures there are no
disruptions to growers and their harvest programs,” Mr Capper said.
Meanwhile, on-going confidential negotiations to gain long-term
(10 year) access to Arc’s freight rail network – including reopening
most of the Western Australian Tier 3 railway lines - continue under
the Commercial Arbitration Act before independent arbitrator
Sydney-based Queen’s Counsel, commercial law expert and retired
Federal Court judge Kevin Lindgren (see October 2017 RD, page 28).
According to a Monday 4 December report in The West Australian the
independent arbitrator could call an end to the protracted access agreement
negotiations, which began in March 2016, by the middle of this year.
CBH triggered an arbitration process with Arc in February 2017
after formal negotiations to gain long-term access to Arc’s freight rail
network failed.
Leaders of both parties have declared the arbitrator’s decision as final.
CBH chief executive Jimmy Wilson said he hoped the decision would
work in the co-operative’s favour.
“Obviously there will be one disenfranchised party and one not
so disenfranchised,” he said. “And if you speak to Paul Larson (Arc
Infrastructure chief executive) you will hear a view as to who that might
be. We are hopeful our position will be heard and that’s all I can say”.
Arc Infrastructure customer operations general manager Neil Hamel
said the group would be bound by the determination, “whatever it is”.
“We continue to work well with CBH at an operational level and are
pleased with our part in helping shift record harvests,” he said.
News
Public warned to stay off the tracks
The Public Transport Authority of Western Australia (PTA) has
reminded Perth residents to stay off rail lines after the number of
reported incidents of trespass almost doubled in 2017.
A total of 412 reported trespass incidents occurred on the
Transperth network up to Wednesday 20 December, significantly
more than the 2016 total of 220.
The PTA has launched a new branch of the highly-successful
Stay off the Tracks campaign using urban art to share the rail safety
message.
PTA spokesman David Hynes said it is worrying that people
continue to ignore safety warnings and trespass on the rail network.
“It is illegal to be on train tracks unless you are walking across a
pedestrian level crossing, or driving across a level crossing. If you
enter the rail reserve or step on to the tracks for any other reason, it’s
called trespass and the penalty is $200 or your life,” Mr Hynes said.
“There are no second chances when it comes to trains”.
Mr Hynes said Perth street artist Drew Straker would paint
a multi-dimensional replica of an oncoming train to engage
passers-by at the front of Perth Station in the lead up to Christmas.
Staff were also be on hand to talk about rail safety with passengers
and others in the city.
Stay off the Tracks is aligned with the PTA’s successful Right Track
program, which aims to promote positive behaviour around the
rail network through education campaigns, urban art projects, and
other youth-oriented events.
For more information on the program, visit:
www.righttrack.wa.gov.au
Mr Wilson said he thought a decision would be reached in coming months.
“It’s only an estimate, but it is looking like the arbitrator will probably come
to some kind of decision in the first half of the year,” he said.
Goninan/GE units NR43 and NR2 are seen stabled on the Forrestfield Yard Long arrivals track with 7PM5 Perth-Melbourne intermodal on
Saturday 16 December 2017. Evan Jasper
FEBRUARY 2018
25