Light MP Tony Piccolo at the Altona Bridge, where the rail line could be cut off again. PHOTO: Supplied
THE future of the Altona Bridge that goes over the Barossa Rail Line just north of Lyndoch remains shrouded in secrecy as the Transport Department has refused to release design details.
Member for Light Tony Piccolo said documents obtained through Freedom of Information (FoI) confirmed that the Altona Bridge was in poor condition and at the end of its useful life.
However, details of the upgrade timeline remained under wraps, he said.
The bridge is scheduled for a $6 million overhaul as part of the Commonwealth Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Program and will receive $2.5 million from the Federal Government and $3.5 million from the State Government.
Mr Piccolo lodged the FoI application following the State Government’s defeat of the Barossa Rail Preservation Bill, which sought to protect the rail line from further destruction.
Mr Piccolo, who is the duty Member for Schubert and chairs the Barossa Tourist Train Taskforce, introduced the Bill in February based on the work of the taskforce.
Mr Piccolo said Transport Minister Corey Wingard needed to confirm whether the works would allow enough clearance for a railcar to safely pass underneath, or if the bridge would cut off the Barossa rail corridor.
“I am very disappointed that the Marshall Liberal Government blocked the Bill,” Mr Piccolo said.
“The government missed an opportunity to protect the rail corridor between Gawler and Angaston.
“Now the Barossa rail corridor is vulnerable to Kromer’s Crossing-style of vandalism, which has cut off Nuriootpa.
“The line may be cut off again at the Altona Road bridge between Rowland Flat and Lyndoch.
“This Bill would have required any development work that would block or cut off the line to be approved by Parliament.
“Any damage to the line will mean more taxpayer funds will be required to undo and fix these problems before the rail corridor can be operational again, potentially costing millions of dollars.
“It is now open slather for the government to further cut off the line under the guise of crossing upgrades. It will just delay the entire tourist train concept and make it more expensive than it needs to be.”
