Woombye Rail Stabling
Imagine 52 train carriages with their air conditioning units switched on and running intermittently through the night while each carriage is cleaned and serviced in a Rail Stabling Facility in the heart of a quiet semi-rural town.Woombye Against Rail Stabling (WARS), a subgroup to the Woombye Community and Business Association (WCBA), declare such a facility is planned for their community and have called a community meeting to inform local residents on Monday, 11th May at the Woombye Bowls Club from 6.30PM. Peter Wellington MP and Cr Jenny McKay will be in attendance. A personal invitation from the WCBA has also been made to the Deputy Premier and Minister for Transport, Jackie Trad MP, to attend.In February 2014 the former Newman Government first informed affected residents of the proposal to build a Rail Stabling Yard in Woombye. Woombye residents were alarmed and formed WARS,a community action group to save their town.Woombye Resident and WARS Spokesperson James Kasmer, said the group have met numerous times with Cr Jenny McKay, Peter Wellington MP in addition to Queensland Rail (QR) and Main Roads (DMR) Representatives to discuss the proposed facility, "After endless meetings some twelve months on, there remains a great deal of unsubstantiated information pertaining to the project and we just want the truth about what is planned for Woombye," Mr Kasmer said. "QR have still not come forth with specifics regarding the other potential sites. We know Woombye is a railway town and of course we have trains passing through every hour of the day but rail stabling is a predominately night time operation, between the hours of 1pm and 4am.Mr Kasmer said up to 52 carriages would be cleaned seven nights a week, with their air conditioners engaged, parked under 9-15mtr light poles behind a razor wire perimeter site fence. QR have quoted the closest residence is only 150 metres away.A QR Spokesperson told the Gazette there are two stages to the project and Stage 1 will have capacity for four six car sets only, "Whilst the surrounding land allows for future expansion, Queensland Rail has no current requirement for a Stage Two," the Spokesperson said. "The current proposal provides sufficient capacity for NGR and will allow for an increase in rail services.”The Woombye Community and Business Association wrote to the Deputy Premier and Minister for Transport, Jackie Trad MP, in February objecting to the proposed facility in Woombye and so did community members. Member for Nicklin, Peter Wellington MP, hand delivered more than 421 individual submissions to the Deputy Premieron the 27th March 2015 and agreed to keep Woombye residents informed.A response from the Deputy Premier via the office of Peter Wellington MP in early March 2015, led WARS to believe the tender award process was on hold while four alternative sites were reviewed. Recent media reports in the past fortnight however, via local television and radio, claim extra off peak train services would go ahead when the Woombye Rail Stabling Facility was completed. There was no mention of the surrounding community controversy or how these extra services would be achieved.Growing concern in the town has seen Woombye sporting and community groups west of the train line join WARS in the quest for a suitable outcome to save the town and infrastructure.A community meeting will be held on Monday, 11th May at the Woombye Bowls Club starting at 6.30pm to inform residents on the impacts of this facility. All community members are welcome to attend.PHOTOPeter Wellington MP personally delivered the 421 individual submissions to Deputy Premier and Minister for Transport, Jackie Trad MP, in February this year.