The summit called by the Rail Freight Alliance in Melbourne last Thursday to address the deplorable state of Victoria's rail network was attended by the mayors of both Buloke and Northern Grampians Shires.
More than 200 concerned councillors, farmers and exporters from across the state also attended the forum.
The summit was opened by Minister Lynne Kosky and had as its keynote speaker the Honourable Tim Fischer, who recently chaired the State Government enquiry into rail freight.
Twelve speakers presented papers on a number of matters relating to rail freight including environmental implications, economics, road safety, essential service provision, ports, operations, exports, liveability and agriculture.
Northern Grampians Shire Mayor, Cr Bryan Small, said the overwhelming thrust of the meeting was that there is no area, except short-haul freight, in which road is superior to rail freight.
''It was pointed out that rail only needs less than a third of the fuel to transport the same tonnage of freight, that a loaded B-double does 23,000 times the damage to a highway as a private car, and that the rail system is at present incapable of handling even an average harvest, let alone a big one,'' Cr Small said.
Observing that the freight task in Victoria is estimated to double by 2020, the summit chairman, Cr Vernon Knight, deputy mayor of Mildura, said the superiority of rail over road was a 'no-brainer', and called on the State and Federal Governments to respond to the challenge of creating a modern 21st century rail system for the nation.
At the end of the meeting a motion moved by Crs Reid Mather and Bryan Small supporting the outcomes of the summit was passed unanimously.
Summing up, Professor Bill Russell of Melbourne University presented a list of demands which the meeting agreed to forward to Minister Kosky.
On Friday, Cr Small who is deputy chair of the Rail Freight Alliance presented the outcomes of the summit to a meeting of the North West Municipalities Association in Swan Hill.
Cr Mather who is chair of the association praised the Alliance for its work in highlighting the crisis in rail freight.
A motion by Cr Daryl Argall of Hindmarsh Shire to convey the strong support for the summit resolutions was carried unanimously.
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