Metronet milestone madness

Dear Echo News,

Celebrating a milestone usually means that you have achieved the milestone, except when the milestone is the Cale Street crossing, corner of Railway Parade finished to grade.

The grade that we refer to is the finished height of road and rail being level (hence ‘level crossing’), and as such, must have both road and rails at the same level.

We therefore don’t understand the need to class the ‘opening’ of the crossing as a milestone, when in fact both east and west suburban Metronet tracks are not laid.

These tracks will be laid at a later date, causing the temporary closure of the Cale Street crossing.

Another point here is if the freight rail diversion metropolitan 1313/41 (2021) amendments had gone ahead, then it would reduce the rail corridor and train traffic going through Midland.

“The amendment seeks to transfer approximately 18ha from the rural and industrial zones and the public purpose and parks and recreation reservations to the railways and primary regional road reservations.”

Grade separation using a bridge or an underpass offers the safest but most expensive treatment at a rail crossing.

Justification of the high expenditure involved with grade separation is required before replacing an existing level crossing or constructing a new grade separated crossing.

Meanwhile, back at Metronet, there are preparations for grade separation, that is bridge or underpass for Morrison Road level crossing “Planning funding has been committed to remove the Morrison Road level crossing in Woodbridge and replace it with a grade separated crossing. Work has commenced to define the project scope.”

We have to ask, why was the Midland Metronet plan not held off until the freight rail had been removed down the Roe Highway as is planned?

This would have resulted in the tracks being used solely by Metronet and TransWA, a smaller strip of land being used, shorter grade crossing, less noise with the mega trains, tracks for use between Midland station and Bellevue facilities that will soon take much of the work from Claisebrook, Perth.

B Steels

Midland

Council dithers on intersection

Dear Echo News,

About this time last year, because of the number of motor vehicle accidents occurring at the intersection of Elizabeth Street and Railway Road, the City of Kalamunda was dithering about whether to construct a roundabout here or simply close a section of Elizabeth Street.

However, as it turned out, they did neither and accidents continue to occur here, no doubt to the disdain of the owners of the property at this intersection whose perimeter wall is often damaged by such accidents and the latest is a humdinger with the solid block wall being spectacularly caved in.

I do hope the City of Kalamunda intends to cover the cost of its repair rather than the homeowners having to claim the cost via their insurance as probably happened in the past.

C Coulthard

Gooseberry Hill