Wagga residents, councillors call for Inland Rail project to bypass city's centre

While signing off on Wagga City Council's scathing submission about the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Albury to Ilabo section of the project, councillors reignited calls for a bypass around the city.

"The reality is running large trains through this city, eventually on the hour every hour, is going to put a huge impact on the amenity of this city," Cr Richard Foley said.

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The current plan for the project involves raising Wagga bridges to allow for double-stacked, 1.8 kilometre freight trains to travel along the city's railway line.

The council submission reiterates its support for the project but also accuses the EIS of using "inaccurate, incorrect" data which risks harming the functioning of the city.

In particular, the council is concerned wait times for cars and pedestrians at the city's level crossings could be lengthened far more than the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) predicts.

President of the Wagga Residents and Ratepayers Association Chris Roche said having the project rerouted around Wagga would avoid potential issues, while still allowing the city to receive the economic benefits.

"If the railway line does come through the centre of Wagga it will have long-term negative impacts on the residents of Wagga through traffic disruption," he said.

"A bypass would be a best of both worlds solution."

According to the ARTC, any revision of the current route would create "three or more years of uncertainty", as further analysis would be required to determine the best route.

"There are no plans to change the alignment of the project from that endorsed by the Australian Government," an ARTC spokesperson said.

Wagga councillor Dan Hayes said he could not find any evidence the ARTC ever investigated alternative routes for the Albury to Ilabo section of the project.

Cr Hayes also said many of the ARTC's responses to potential issues contradicted information in the original business case for the project, suggesting the scope of the project has changed over the past few years.

"For me this means a route bypassing the city centre can be looked at immediately and should be looked at immediately," he said.

"Inland Rail will be here for decades ... and we all want it to be a success but the city of Wagga cannot be the one burdened with the cost of this success."

Wagga City Council is encouraging residents across the region to have their say on the EIS, which is on exhibition for public comment until September 28.

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