Stuart Zullo
There are a few residents in Casula who have not been happy to hear the news that we will be having a freight line built alongside our existing train track.
Many Casula residents already find the trains going along the train line very noisy however there’s currently a curfew in place that prevents non-passenger trains from passing through Casula late at night, so the noise isn’t of much concern. With the new freight line in place however trains will be passing through at any time of the day or night so the noise from the trains will no doubt become a nuisance from for anybody that lives close by.
It’ll be great to have the freight lines in place to help allow for better rail efficiency between Port Botany and Macarthur and I even think that many residents would be happy to have the new freight lines in place so long as there are noise barriers in place. It would cost the State Government and the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) $3-5 million to put noise barriers in place which I know sounds like a lot but is a small figure considering the entire project is costing them over $300 million.
I’m sure many will agree that $3-5 million is not a lot for the government to spend so that Casula can get a good night’s sleep. Having noise pollution can be very off putting and it would definitely benefit the community if some of the noise from the trains is blocked.
Residents in Casula have been lobbying for noise barriers to be put in place however no decision has been announced as to whether or not they will be used.
Construction has already started on the freight line so let’s hope that the ARTC and the state government makes the decision to put noise barriers in place and starts construction on them soon too.