Lachlan Regional Transport Committee

Welcome to my column. At the beginning of a newly elected Council term, all Hilltops Councillors are allocated various Committees on which to represent the Council and as such all our residents. One such Committee is Lachlan Regional Transport Committee Inc. and I represent you on this Committee.

The Committee was formed in 1978, meets quarterly at different locations within the region and is primarily concerned with all things rail. It is a highly regarded Committee by both State and Federal Governments and affords the Executive the opportunities to present our various cases. Hilltops Harden Murrumburrah hosted a meeting last August followed by Temora in November and on Saturday 9th February, I attended our meeting in Blayney along with 22 other Committee members.

Three mayor projects that we have been pursuing for years pertaining to Hilltops are, the reopening of the Blayney to Demondrille (Harden) rail line, the completion of the Maldon (Picton) to Dombarton (Port Kembla) rail line and ensuring Harden Railway Station, which is on the Sydney to Melbourne line and the gateway to Hilltops, is kept clean at all times and the importance of having it manned.

The urgency for opening these rail corridors is that they would enable all Hilltops agricultural products to go directly to the new major NSW export terminal at Port Kembla, where recently a $600 million grain terminal has been constructed. In addition, the new lines would be beneficial to our region by generating increased tourism and by taking a lot of traffic off our roads.

Whilst Governments work slowly, I am pleased to say these projects and others look positive and I am pleased to report that local member Steph Cooke MP is our number one supporter. – Councillor John Horton.

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