General News
11 March, 2025
Let's get trains back to Stawell
Nationals Member for Lowan Emma Kealy has stepped up her campaign for the return of passenger rail to Stawell and Horsham.
Nationals Member for Lowan Emma Kealy has stepped up her campaign for the return of passenger rail to Stawell and Horsham.
Ms Kealy was in Stawell this week to discuss the importance of passenger rail for the economic prosperity and growth of the region.
She said it was important to investigate all options to work out the best and most cost effective way of returning rail to the Wimmera.
Ms Kealy said the State Government has spent a fortune on suburban transport initiatives, but Stawell and Horsham have largely missed out.
“This is something that has been needed in our region for decades.
“We’re now in a position where we have capped fares for public transport in Victoria but there are large portions of state that can’t take advantage of that unless they hop on a bus,” she said.
Ms Kealy said the region was missing out on new investment due to a lack of connectivity.
“There are a lot of exciting opportunities in our region but one of the things businesses consider is connectivity and when we don’t have any passenger flight services and we don’t have any passenger rail it is a real barrier to pitching our region as a place to set up and establish a new business.
“It is important that our region have access to passenger rail services particularly when we’re seen the government spend so much money on rail services in Melbourne,” she said.
Ms Kealy admits the different gauges of rail lines has been an impediment.
The line through Stawell and Horsham is standard gauge but the passenger line from Ararat to Ballarat and Melbourne is broad gauge.
“Our biggest challenge is the changes to the gauge, to go between standard gauge and broad gauge is a huge challenge however there are novel approached like trains with adjustable bogeys that would be a cost effective way to bring back passenger rail and not to have that huge capital outlay of standardising the line all the way to Melbourne or putting broad gauge back to areas east of Ararat,” she said.
Ms Kealy said she’d like to government to look at all options, including the use of old rolling stock to run a shuttle between Horsham and Ararat.
“So whether it’s looking at using older carriages that can be used as a shuttle service, whether it’s around looking at new trains with adjustable bogeys or whether we can even look at the Overland becoming a multi day service through our region, all of these things should be considered and costed and work out how we can make something a reality so we can access passenger rail,” she said.
“I have heard people say they would have stayed in the region if there had been better access to passenger rail and this is not just from individuals but businesses as well.
Those days have gone where you could pay someone to sit in a car for a day and go to Melbourne, stay the night and come back. Now businesses expect people to be working when they’re travelling. On a train you can sit back, you can have a laptop in front of you, it’s a modern way of travelling and our region shouldn’t be disadvantaged in not being able to access it,” she said.
Ms Kealy hopes the return of passenger rail will be part of coalition policy ahead of the next election.
“We never give up. The money is clearly there, we’re seeing billions of dollars poured into the suburban rail line development, all I’m asking for is we look at all of the options and get a plan in place so that our region can have access to passenger rail services like other parts of the state,” Ms Kealy said.
Passenger train services to Stawell and Horsham ceased in 1993 when the service was withdrawn by the Kennett Government.
In 2004, the Bracks Government restored passenger services, but only as far as Ararat.
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