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Position Statements Register

MatterMatter MatterMaldon-Dombarton Railway
Date AdoptedDate Adopted Date Adopted11/29/2012
Responsible OfficerResponsible Officer Responsible OfficerGeneral Manager
DivisionDivision DivisionOffice of General Manager
Position StatementPosition Statement Position Statement4. Objectives
4.1  To identify participating and stakeholder Councils and organisations.
4.2  Identify their respective transport connectivity issues in the context of commodities, ie; grain, coal, bauxite, etc.
4.3  Identify the social, environmental, infrastructure and economic impacts of these respective transport connectivity issues.
4.4  Identify benefits to the stakeholders of the completion of the Maldon Dombarton Rail Link.
4.5  To acknowledge the role of the parties and stakeholders in the provision of information into one source document.
4.6  To identify and recommend pathways for action that will contribute to the completion of the Maldon Dombarton Rail Link.
4.7  To provide a streamlined and effective decision making forum for the parties to influence and lobby Infrastructure NSW and Infrastructure Australia.
4.8  To provide ongoing guidance to the parties about the role of the Coalition.
Background/HistoryBackground/History Background/HistoryZ12/216819
MOU - Coalition of Councils
The unfinished part of the Maldon-Dombarton rail line is approximately 35 kilometres (see Figure 1), linking the Main South rail line (National Network) at Maldon (near Picton in south-west Sydney) to an existing 15 kilometres section of dual track from Dombarton to Port Kembla. Construction work on the Maldon-Dombarton rail line was started in 1983, but the project was abandoned in 1988 due to downturn in the global economy and the closure of a number of regional coal mines.
The capacity of the Illawarra and the Moss Vale-Unanderra lines to absorb future increases in freight and passenger demand is dependent on the final construction of the Maldon Dombarton Rail Line.   The completion of the Maldon Dombarton Rail line would lead to the following benefits :
a.  providing an environment that is conducive to investment in mining, agriculture and other export industries in west and south west NSW. 
b.  Reduce mining related freight on the Illawarra and Moss Vale-Unanderra lines and free capacity of those lines for other freight traffic and passenger services
c.  Increasing confidence in continuity of supply of NSW coal, minerals, containers and crops for global customers
d.  Reduce noise, vibration and dust pollution impacts on residential areas
e.  reduced interaction between freight and passenger rail traffic
f.  certainty of supply promoting greater economic development to regions
In the recently published NSW Long Term Transport Master Plan, it is noted the Illawarra and Central West both identified “Shift freight off roads onto rail including Maldon to Dombarton Rail Link” as a key issue for their regions.

Review with election of new Council
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