WODONGA Council is the proud owner of more than five kilometres of old railway track that will be stored at the Logic industrial hub in the hope it can be used to build a rail terminal similar to one already operating at Ettamogah.
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The council signed off on the bargain this week after VicTrack offered the redundant track and other infrastructure to the council for $1 on the condition it paid for its removal.
MJ Farnham Pty Ltd has been awarded a $361,500 contract which is more than three times the amount initially set aside for the job.
The motion to proceed with the contract was moved by Cr Rod Wangman and seconded by Cr Mike Fraser.
Work will start on ripping up the old track in coming weeks at an area adjoining the proposed Mann shopping centre in central Wodonga.
VicTrack and the Mann group began negotiations on the former railway land in 2009 and the parties are due to settle on June 30.
Another section near Mars Petcare, Finemore Transport and Jacob Toyota, which VicTrack is attempting to have re-zoned to industrial, has to be completed by the end of the year.
A third section includes track between Reid and Osborn streets, but has no pressing timeline on its removal.
The council’s plan to build a rail freight terminal at Logic has been a saga dating back to 2005.
The former Victorian Labor government committed $4 million to the project, the council pledged $6 million with the federal government to be lobbied for the remainder of the project once valued at $21 million.
But the company earmarked to operate the Logic industrial hub pulled out of the deal in 2006.
The $4 million state government contribution sat in limbo until being re-directed to a truck stop under construction at Logic.
A similar rail terminal was established at Ettamogah by Colin Rees and has contracts with three major local companies, Mountain H20 water bottling plant, Mars Petcare and Norske Skog newsprint mill.
Wodonga Council remains committed to establishing its own rail terminal at Logic, but is facing further competition for government funding from Shepparton.
The federal government has committed $3 million to stage 1 of the project in the Goulburn Valley.
The Liberal Victorian government also committing $2 million to stage 1.
The report accepted by Wodonga Council doesn’t identify where the old rail track and associated infrastructure will be stored at Logic.
It also doesn’t say for how long.
