March 31, 2010 TO BILL Bott, the first grain freight train on the re-opened Benalla-Oaklands line this month was a sight for sore eyes.
The southern NSW grain grower had spent years lobbying to have the mothballed line reopened.
Four grain trains, each carrying 2200 tonnes, have travelled the 126km line since early this month.
"When I saw the first train moving along the line, the countryside had a tinge of green after rain and it gave a feeling of life in the bush," Mr Bott said. "It was almost a fresh start - a moment of satisfaction for me."
The Benalla-Oaklands line has been standardised and upgraded as part of the Victorian Government's $38.7 million silver lines package.
Finished in December, the upgrade involved the replacement of almost 50,000 timber sleepers, creating 70 jobs.
Servicing AWB Grainflow and GrainCorp receival sites, the line is expected to carry more than 120,000 tonnes of grain this year.
Mr Bott, of Sangar, north of Yarrawonga, said the line serviced the major grain-growing areas of the Riverina and northern Victoria.
"This is one of the most significant grain lines in the Victorian system," he said.
"But it was a broadgauge going nowhere.
"When it closed I was concerned about the impact on the road network."
The line was effectively isolated in late 2007 with the start of standardisation works on the main Wodonga-Seymour rail line.
Yarrawonga grain grower Peter Lawless said the Benalla-Oaklands line was due to be reassessed in the future but farmers couldn't risk permanent closure.
Mr Lawless said permanent closure would have resulted in 18,500 extra truck movements to cart the region's 500,000-tonne crop.
"My fear was if it closed it would be a disaster for the grain industry in southern NSW," he said. "Once a significant asset is lost out of an area it is hard to get it re-done."
Mr Bott has used his local Sangar siding since 1963 for grain, fertiliser and stock cartage.
"This facility is only small but it is still an important asset to the region, adding value to farms along the line," he said.
"We now have standard gauge access to major Victorian ports to get into the export markets of the world.
"It is inexcusable that governments of both persuasion have allowed other freight lines to wither and disappear from the major grain-producing areas."
Although rated as a silver line under a rail network review, Mr Bott said the reopened line was gold to grain growers.
"All we need now is a bumper cropping season to really test the line out," he said.
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